Sassi woke up with a jerk, long, bluish grass waving in the wind.
I’ve missed this place.
She looked over her frame, brow furrowing. There wasn’t any armor or guns on her body. The wind rustled through her fur; it was a nice but weird sensation. She wasn’t used to it.
The rolling hills were familiar, as were the distant forest and lake. The stars shone brightly above their dream world as Sassi meandered through the knee-high grass.
Usually, Astral was here. Where was he?
Something pulled her to the top of the hill. A strange urge. So, she followed it. Stranger things had happened, after all.
A familiar Thestral was sprawled amongst the grass, Sassi dashing up to him.
“Astral?!”
She looked him over; the stallion prone and apparently sleeping. It was only that oddity that prevented her from hugging him.
“Wash goin on?” he mumbled, eyes still closed. The world around them wavered, as if a stone had been cast in a pond and sent ripples everywhere.
In that instant, Sassi knew what Harmony had meant. She sat down next to him, propping the stallion up and hugging him.
“Wake up, Astral,” she said, the other Thestral’s form not feeling totally coherent. Her hooves phased through him ever so slightly before solidifying.
“Sas? Can’t see you,” he mumbled. “So tired. Can I sleep?”
“You technically are. We’re in a hospital, and safe. But you need to come back to me. Can you open your eyes?”
“Maybe? Why though?”
Sassi ran through a list of things she could say to snap him out of it.
Well…
“Astral, I’m pregnant.”
That didn’t even phase him, only a soft mumble leaving the stallion’s lips.
“Uh-huh. Right.”
Wow. Ok, shocking him is out.
Shaking the Thestral also didn’t seem to affect him in the slightest.
The mare sighed, scooting a bit closer. She snuggled her head next to his, hoping to get the stallion to think.
“Do you want to have a life with me?”
“Wha?” The stallion mumbled. “Yeah? Sounds nice…”
“Yes or no, Astral!” Sassi said, pulling back to look at him. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life with me? Are you saying you don’t?”
“What? Yes!” the reply was indignant and held a fair bit more energy than the others. “Of course, I do!”
“Then open your eyes. Prove it.”
His eyes flickered, the stallion letting out a frustrated groan.
“Heavy. Really hard to,” he muttered. “What’s-wait?” Two handsome green eyes managed to fully open, focusing on Sassi. “Sas?”
She felt his form solidify, and the mare had to stop herself from crying. Even so, her sides shook.
“Are you back?” she whispered.
As the stallion’s forelimbs wrapped around her, Astral let out a yawn, shaking his head and hugging her.
“I think so? I feel fuzzy. But you’re here. But…” his entire body jerked. “Wait! The Silo! The fight! Us! You!”
He pulled back, eyes refocusing and staring at the tearful mare. Sassi melted as he yanked her into a passionate, almost desperate kiss, the mare eagerly returning it. Dreamscape or not, his lips somehow were just as warm as reality. He was the one to break the kiss after a long while, the Thestral immediately pressing his forehead against Sassi’s as they hugged, as if she could vanish at any moment.
“You’re ok,” he said, eyes filling with tears. “Did we make it?”
“I did. You didn’t. Not totally. I’ve got a bit of a story to tell you.”
The two of them sat on the grassy hill, Sassi cuddled up to her stallion as she relayed everything that had happened the past days. It didn’t take too long, but Astral let out a rather long breath when she finished.
“So, to sum up; I’m hooked up to every machine imaginable, being healed by your love again with the help of a magical watermelon from Joro, and Harmony also stopped by?” he asked, Sassi sniffling, unable to resist a giggle at his lighthearted words.
“T-that’s about it.”
“Well, at least I don’t hurt here. I imagine waking up is going to be awful if I have tubes in me.”
“She said it’ll hurt. Recovery is going to be hard, but there won’t be lasting effects.”
“I hope you weren’t too mean to her.”
Sassi shook her head, simply enjoying being able to hug her stallion again.
“I was a bit snappy, but she understood. She mentioned Twilight probably felt bad. Maybe it’ll come up with her. But the Princess has been really helpful.”
With no more explanations left, Sassi felt her throat closing up as her mind raced. With nothing to report, her thoughts began to catch up to her. Astral’s gaze drifted over to the mare at his side. Concern shone in his eyes, a hoof reaching up to gently rest against her cheek.
“Sas?”
She turned, wrapping him up in a tight hug. Tears dampened Astral’s fur as she cried, the Thestral rocking her back and forth.
“I thought I was going to lose you,” she managed to whisper. “I’ve been in a daze. Just giving reports and waiting for you to wake up. And you weren’t going to. You were dying until Joro…”
A kiss flatlined her panicked thoughts, the mare melting into his hug.
“Thank you for saving me again,” he whispered, pulling his head back to look into her eyes. “Now, I want to wake up and see you for real. I have the rest of my life I want to spend with you, and I want to get started with that.”
That didn’t do anything to stem Sassi’s tears as she laughed, Astral chuckling as they held each other close.
“And hey, even if I’m a wreck during the days in the hospital, we have our own little hive mind to hug at night.”
Sassi couldn’t disagree with that.
“So, I guess we can just sleep here until you wake naturally? I don’t want you to fade away again,” she mused, the stallion shrugging.
“Sounds good to me. But I’m back. The weird fuzziness is gone. Next time I wake up, I’m thinking it’ll be in the hospital.”
He reached up to poke Sassi’s chest, a bit of unease shining in his green eyes.
“Please be there for me, when I do?” Astral asked, his voice now a bit shaky. “I’m going to be hurting, and I don’t mean just physically. You always make it better.”
“I promise.”
Astral nodded off first. Tears welled up in her eyes as he snuggled close. If they couldn’t be this close in the real world, the dream one would have to do.
Sassi woke up half expecting Astral to jump out of bed. Crazier things had certainly happened. But he instead was still there, sleeping and hooked up to the various monitors.
When Sassi came back from breakfast, two of the machines were being wheeled out. That could only mean good news.
“He’s breathing on his own now,” a doctor reported, looking at the vitals. “And the swelling has gone down drastically. The drainage sites also don’t seem to be needed anymore. I don’t know what that device runs on, but it’s potent. If I had to guess, he’ll likely wake up today or tomorrow.”
“Thank you,” she managed to say, flopping down in relief onto her “nest” next to the stallion. To hear it officially released an additional burden off her shoulders.
Astral looked more like a pony now with only a few dressings and a single IV. The healing crystals still glowed softly in his chest and sides. When they’d get removed, Sassi didn’t know.
She wanted to wait at his bed, but that would only cause the mare to stew. Standing up to leave, Sassi ran through the possibilities of what to do. More briefings? She didn’t want to regurgitate events again. A few days was enough for her.
Thankfully, her modified body provided the answer. Another trip to the cafeteria it was.
When she got back to Astral’s room, however, she heard a familiar voice arguing.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
“Hey, I don’t make the rules!”
“You’re the doc! Of course, you make the rules!”
“Do you want to eject your spleen? No! Liquid foods only!”
“Fiiiiiine.”
Sassi couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she walked in, Astral immediately grinning. He even managed a weak wave.
“Heya, Sas,” he said, the mare’s eyes immediately tearing up. “Just arguing with the doc here about being on a liquid diet for a few days. But now I’m tired again.”
It was all she could do to trot over to his bedside and plant her head gently next to him. A weak forelimb wrapped around her; the best the stallion could do for a hug.
“We have some specific, nutritional drinks on the way. I know you all have three times the calorific requirements,” the doctor relayed, looking at Astral’s chart. His eyes drifted over to the glowing device, the metal egg still humming softly. “You’re not out of the woods yet, so take it easy. You’re still doped up on pain medication, so no sudden movements. Just rest. Talking is ok, but if you feel tired, sleep. Have at least some liquid meals just to get things moving.”
Astral’s forelimb twitched, Sassi knowing he wanted to salute. The stallion settled with a tired nod.
“Aye aye, doc. And thanks.”
The unicorn chuckled, waving a hoof as he left.
“Don’t thank me. She’s the one who saved your life.”
The loving look Astral sent her way made Sassi sniffle.
“Welcome back,” she whispered, Astral running a hoof through her ears.
“Thanks to you. I’m glad we’re not keeping score.”
That made a genuine, soft giggle leave Sassi’s frame. For the first time in a week, she started to feel like herself again. The tension’s grip on her heart and body loosened, and the mare was able to take a deep breath and not feel tears welling up.
I don’t care if it’s a long road ahead. At least I’ve got him.