//------------------------------// // as life passes by // Story: the lone crusader // by Submariner //------------------------------// Phlux's mind was fuzzy, he heard some talking and tried to make out the words. "One of the train's wheels flew a ways from the explosion and struck him in the head." He couldn't recognize the voice, but he definatly recognized the next one as his dad. "Well is he going to be okay? Is there something wrong with him?" He sounded frantic and scared. "Well... he's in a coma Mr.breezy." 'A what!!' Phlux panicked, he realized he couldn't move or even open his eyes. He could hear some sniffles, was his dad crying? "How long do you think it'll be until he wakes up?" "We don't know, he was hit pretty hard, it could be days, months, even years, its hard to tell. "Can he hear me?" Phlux wanted to shout out 'yes I can hear you! I'm fine!' But he couldn't even lift a hoof, not to mention he probably wasn't fine seeing as he was in a coma. "Yes, he should be able to hear you but he cant respond." "Nurse Redheart! Your needed in room 3." "I'm coming! I'll. Be back in about an hour." Phlux heard the door shut and all seemed to be quiet for the moment. Then he felt something on his legs, he could feel the silent sobs coming from his dad. "Well son, I'm not sure if you can hear me but nurse redheart said you could." Phlux heard his dad say between sniffles. "Why did this have to happen, out of all the trains, why did yours have to be the one that crashed." Phlux just stopped trying, he was in a coma and there was no getting out of it until his head said so. "Phlux, I know It hasn't exactly been easy since your mom died. I know this probably isn't what you want to hear right now but I know it's been taking a huge toll on you and me both. I have been trying to get a better job so we can move out of that cramped little shack and maybe even that nice house in ponyville. But life hasn't exactly been giving us a good hand. But as soon as you snap out of this coma we will move somewhere and start over completely new, maybe even start a new business, Breezy and son, how does that sound." There was a long silence, but Phlux could tell his dad had warmed up a bit. "Shit. I'm sorry Phlux, its just....its just me and you now, your all I have left, I don't want it to just be me." This was hard to listen to, but he couldn't do anything about it. After another long period of silence his dad spoke up again. "I thought I'd let you know too, you'll have to find out sooner or later and I'd rather it be sooner than later. Phlux....Tazz died in the crash." 'What! No! This couldn't be happening! Tazz was one of his closest friends. He cant be gone. No, this cant be happening.' it was killing him inside not to be able to say anything. "I'd rather not go into details, his funeral is tommorrow." 'No. No. No. No! NO! This cant be happening!' "I'm going to come by tommorrow evening to let you know how it went. I've gotta go now, sorry, but they wont let me stay in here with you tonight." He felt his dad get up and leave. 'No. What happened to Skrater. She's obviously still alive since his dad didn't say anything but he wanted to know what happened to her.' As soon as he heard the door shut the room was completely silent. The kind of silence that kills you inside. He felt completely and utterly alone. As time went on Phlux figured out that he was in a sleep like state, whenever something stimulated his brain, like sound or touch he was awake, kind of. But whenever it was completely silent, or nothing was going on, he went into a sleepllke state. So he had absoutly no concept of time. He heard the door open and close. "Phlux? Its me, I'm back, the funeral just ended. It was nice to know that Tazz can...sleep peacefully. I'm sorry I didn't get back sooner, but I had a long talk with Tazz's parents afterwords. Their really upset, it looked like they hadn't slept in a few days. But who can blame them, losing a son isn't easy. They wanted to know how you were doing. I told them about how you were in a coma." His dad sighed. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you about Skrater yesterday, shes alive." Phlux felt his heart lift a little bit. "She's in a coma too, she's just barley scraping by. Nurse Redheart said she probably wont survive." And just like that Phlux's heart dropped again. He didn't know how much more he could take. "I'm sorry" his dad barely whispered "I have to go now, its almost closing time, I might not be able to get hack here for a couple of days, I have to go do a job out of town." He heard the door slam shut. "Hey Phlux." He hadn't heard the door this time. His dad sounded tired. He had no idea how much time had passed. I just got back from the job so this might be a short visit." "Ive got a few job interveiws set up, I hope I don't mess them up. I want to be a little better off for when you wake up." "Well, ive gotta go, ive got a big day tommorrow." He heard his dad leave. "Guess what Phlux!" "I got a good job at a construction company. It definatly pays more than my last job. Man, maybe that nice house in ponyville isn't so far off after all. Sorry I haven't gotten in her much, my work usually works past visiting hours at the hospital. I gotta go now, I'm already here 10 minutes past closing. "Hey Phlux." His dad sounded really somber. "I'm sorry I haven't been here much, I wish I could be here on a better note but I'm not. Phlux...Skrater died yesterday. Ive been coming in and talking to her to, seeing as she doesn't have any parents. I'm sorry. I decided to pay for her funeral, it might set back getting the house for a bit, but its worth it." It hit phlux like a brick to the stomach. Just like that then, his freinds are gone, he felt like screaming. "Well I gotta go, its that time again, sorry I couldn't talk longer." He heard the door shut and all was silent. "Well Phlux, the funeral went better than expected, some pink pony got the entire town to come. I'm the only one who actually knew her though, I feel horrible. Well at least shes up there with Tazz, I was able to get her a grave next to Tazz's under the big willow tree in the cemetery. I don't want to end on a somber note though, it looks like that nice house in ponyville is going to happen. I'm going to be sent off to canterlot for about a month help put an addittion onto the castle. When I get back I might finally have enough to buy that house. Well, I'll see you in a month. Again he heard the door shut. He was really starting to hate that sound. "Well phlux, I'm back, I bought that house in ponyville, I'm going to be moving in this weekend." His dad sounded tired. "Shit, my head hurts really bad, I think I'm going to get some pain killers on my way out." Phlux heard the door slam shut again. "Well, I'm all moved in. I grabbed all your stuff and set up your room. Man, I just really wish you would wake up. I feel bad that life is looking up for us now and your stuck in a coma. Man my head hurts, its been hurting for almost a week now, I better set up an appointment with nurse redheart on my way out." "Well, I'll talk to you in a few days, gotta go out of town again." He heard the door shut. Phlux heard the door open and shut. No one said anything though. "Well phlux, I got my head checked out, I just got the results yesterday." There was a long silence. "Phlux...I have a brain tumor. I asked if there was any surgical proccedure or something, but they said it had grown to big for anything to work. I have a year at best." "I'm sorry, my head hurts really bad, I'm gonna go home and go to bed." The door slammed shut. Phlux didn't have time to think about what he just heard before the silence put him to sleep. "Hey, sorry I haven't come by much at all, my head just hurts so bad. That pink pony came by today, she was mad at me. She tried to throw me a party but my head hurt to bad to even leave the house. The construction company was nice enough to give me a week off with pay." "Well, my head hurts so I'm going to go home now, see ya." BAM! Phlux heard the door slam open. He heard somepony rolling something into the room. Then he heard some curtains being ruffled a bit then the door shut again and all was silent. "Hey Phlux." It sounded like his dad could barley talk. "Well look at this, after all this time getting every thing ready for when you wake up, I end up sitting in the same hospital room with you on my deathbed." His dad chuckled. "I guess life is funny that way." "Sorry I don't talk much phlux, it just hurts to do any thing really...well I'm gonna shut up and sleep now." "Shit, well I guess this is it then, its been a good run Phlux. I can feel it coming, it almost makes me feel calm. I only wish I would be able to see you wake up." A few seconds after his dad said that the machine that usually emits a steady beep went into a long drone. BAM! He heard the doors slam open along with a lot of shouting. "Charge them up! We're gonna shock him!" Phlux heard a high pitched electric sound. 'Please.' He thought. 'Don't let him die to.' "Clear!" Phlux heard a loud thud. "Shit, it didn't work, lets try one more time. C'mon charge em up!" He heard another high pitched electric sound. "Clear!" There was another thud, then silence except for the droning beep coming from the machine. "Sorry, it looks like we lost him." If it weren't for the fact of him being in a coma he'd probably be crying his eyes out. He heard them rolling something out of the room, then it was silent again. Phlux sat up sweating profusely, he ripped off the wires and looked around the room listening to the machine trying to tell him that his heart had stopped. It was dark out, he had no idea what time but he would guess past midnight. The room was slightly lit by the orange glow of an oil lamp burning by his bed. He heard hooves rushing down the hallway towards his room. Who he guessed was nurse redheart burst through the doors and stared at him "Your awake!" She said sounding really surprised. "How long have I been out." He asked looking down at the bed. "Almost 2 and a half years." She replied, she looked liked she was looking at a ghost. Her face softened up when she saw the tears running down his face. "Their all gone, aren't they." "I'm sorry." Was the only thing she said.