//------------------------------// // One-Sided Conversations // Story: Soren The Alicorn Part 2: The Effects Of War // by KingNyroc15 //------------------------------// 'Being in a coma isn't so bad. At least it gives me time to reflect and think about things I never had the chance to.' It was the day after Soren's encounter with the Doctor's conscience. During that time frame, he has been trying to listen in on the outside world. Obviously there was no luck so far, but he felt he was getting close. Towards the end of what Soren believed to be the first day of his coma, he began seeing things in his mind. Soren began to see ponies, ponies that he has met before. He saw Luna and Nyra, but they weren't acting right. 'In one day, Soren...' Luna said to him. 'You lost both of us in one day.' 'You didn't even have the decency to try to save us,' Nyra added. Both mares had even voices. They betrayed no emotions; they simply spoke words. Even though the words weren't supported with emotion, they hurt Soren nonetheless. 'Go away!' Soren screamed in his head, frustrated that they technically spoke the truth. Soren attempted to use his magic for the umpteenth time. This was the one task that he hoped to accomplish soon. --------------- All of Soren's friends came to see him the next morning. They all hoped that he was going to be awake, but their hopes were crushed. Soren was diagnosed as being comatose. The doctors didn't know the cause of the coma (for Twilight and Rainbow Dash chose not to tell them) or how long it would last. Everypony could only hope that the coma wouldn't be permanent. Twilight Sparkle looked at the expressions on all of her friends' faces. Each one of them portrayed sorrow and guilt. Twilight could tell that everypony besides her and Rainbow felt guilty that they couldn't be there for Soren. Thinking about Rainbow, Twilight glanced over at her pegasus friend. She figured this was affecting her the most. 'She developed a crush on him since Appaloosa,' Twilight thought. 'It's almost like, at this point, she shares a strong bond with him. I understand that we should feel sad right now, but Rainbow Dash feels a lot worse. This crush of hers...I think it's much more than that.' "This sucks," Pinkie Pie whined randomly, causing Twilight to snap out of her thoughts. "Why do bad things have to happen to Soren all the time?" "Ah don't know, Pinkie," Applejack replied. "No pony deserves what he and the Doc go through." "Umm, Twilight?" Fluttershy said, walking up to the purple unicorn. "Can't you help Soren?" Twilight shook her head sadly. "I really wish I could, but I don't know any spells about waking up a comatose pony. I've read books about injuries and spells that could heal said injuries but I don't know a spell for something like this." The unicorn thought for a few moments before saying something else. "There is one thing, but I highly doubt it's helpful. I have read a book about events that were thought to be impossible yet were proven to be true. There were a few pages that explained that a comatose pony isn't simply unconscious. It's almost as if they are awake and asleep at the same time." "What does that mean?" AJ asked. Twilight continued. "It's a pretty ridiculous theory, but some say that ponies in comas could possibly hear everything around them, even if they are unconscious. Being a mare of science, I couldn't accept that theory without the slightest of proof, which the book seemed to have a lack of for that subject. An unconscious pony...still able to hear everything near them...it's impossible." "But you said those 'events' in your book hold things that were true," Rarity said. "Y'all can color an apple orange but it don't make it an orange," AJ retorted. "True. But Twilight, do you think Soren can hear us right now?" "I think all of us are hoping that he can. It's just that...*sigh* I don't know. I want to believe it, but there's no way to tell." "Ooo ooo, I have an idea!" Pinkie exclaimed while smiling. The other five mares looked at her. "If Soren can hear us, we should talk to him!" "What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Like telling him things as a sign of friendship." Pinkie Pie replied, still holding a large smile. The five mares exchanged glances then shrugged. They were willing to do that if it meant believing in Soren. -------------- Fluttershy was the first one to talk to Soren. Since she didn't know what to say, the timid pegasus simply told Soren that they all appreciated him and his hard work. "I didn't know what to say to a pony who can't talk back," she explained to her friends after she walked out of the room. All of them waited in the hallway, which had enough seating for only half of them. Rainbow, Twilight, and Applejack were standing, while Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy occupied the seats. Fluttershy took her seat next to Pinkie. Rarity was the next one to go. She wanted to cry when she walked in but decided to stay strong. She also didn't say much to him. She told Soren how brave he was to fight and fix everything to keep Ponyville safe. "I truly didn't know how much he's done for us and Ponyville until now," she told her friends while fighting the oncoming tears. Third was Applejack. She was the first one of her friends to actually say quite a bit to Soren. Walking over to Soren's hospital bed, the farmer sat in a chair next to him. "Soren, Ah...Ah'm sorry. Ah'm sorry for that one time I turned my back on you. No friend should ever do that to another friend. It's just that...when a pony is scared, she tends to do things she normally wouldn't do. Ah don't even know if you're gonna remember this, but I just wanted to say sorry for abandoning you, even if it was only one time." Finishing her one-sided conversation with her friend, Applejack walked out of the room and looked at her friends. "Ah only apologized to him," she told them. Rainbow patted her friend on the back to comfort her. Pinkie Pie decided to go next. No pony remembered how long she was in there because as soon as they saw a crying Pinkie Pie exit Soren's room, the five mares started to comfort her. They didn't ask anything; they just allowed her to let it out. While her friends calmed Pinkie, Twilight Sparkle was next to speak. As she walked through the room, the unicorn thought about how close her and Soren became over the past few months. Over the few months they have been working and studying together, the unicorn and alicorn began to learn more and more about each other. "Has it really been only a few months since we found you?" Twilight asked him as she sat next to the bed. "It's amazing how time flies sometimes. Anyway, Soren, I really just wanted to tell you why I think Rainbow Dash likes you so much. You are probably the only friend she has that can either keep up with her or give her a run for her bits." She paused. "Back in the Everfree, after Cain was defeated, I saw the small kiss you gave her before you passed out. I don't know if it was to make her happy or if you like her the same way, but I think now is as good a time as any to say how you feel about Rainbow. I'm still not sure if you can hear me or not, but when you wake up, all of us will show you how much you mean to us. It's the least we can do for you." When Twilight saw her tears drop onto the floor, she got up and walked out of the room. Seeing that Twilight also began crying, her friends didn't ask anything of her as well, just like Pinkie. Twilight sat next to Pinkie Pie and hugged her. Hugging her pink friend not only helped Pinkie but it helped herself as well. Rainbow Dash, being the only pony left to talk, walked into the hospital room. The mare tried to remain as strong as normal, and she was mostly successful. She didn't cry. Rainbow never sat down in the room; she simply stood by the bed. She closed her eyes before speaking. She could not find it in herself to look Soren in eye and not break down for what she was about to say. "Geez, Soren...why? I...we can't believe you went as far as this to help somepony, a pony we didn't know even needed your help. Why? For all we know, you could be in a coma forever or..." She stopped herself, then stomped the ground in frustration. "You better pull through! And you better not do something like this again..." After walking out of the room, Rainbow was asked for the gist of what she said to Soren. "I don't wanna talk about it" were her only words before sitting on the floor. Her friends didn't press her more; they knew she was serious. Deciding that that was enough for one day, Twilight told her friends that they should come back tomorrow. They all agreed and left the hospital. Even though they would be spending the rest of the day together, the six friends will be thinking of Soren the whole time. -------------- 'Yes! Finally got my magic to work. I can hear something, but what is it? It's someone's voice. It's so soft...wait...is that Fluttershy?' Soren thought hard enough to cause a spark from his horn, which allowed him to faintly hear again. He had to focus every bit of his attention to listening to the things going on around him. 'Fluttershy is telling me something. Is everyone else with her?' Fluttershy left the room; he could tell she obviously misses him. A few minutes passed before Soren heard someone else. 'I can hear Rarity now. She thinks I'm brave and heroic. I guess all of my friends are going to say something to me.' Rarity left then Applejack took her place then Pinkie then Twilight then Rainbow. 'Each of them said something nice. Applejack apologized for turning her back on me; Pinkie Pie was sad that I won't wake up; Twilight explained why Rainbow really likes me; and Rainbow was a little mad that I risked my life to help one pony. She just doesn't get it. Also, Twilight was right about me telling Dash how I feel about her, but how do I feel? 'All of my friends worry that I won't wake up, but I told Rainbow Dash to trust me. This coma shouldn't last for more than a week. That brings up that same thought I had earlier: How exactly do I know some of the things I know? I know I never read any book about some of the subjects I know. Where did some of my knowledge come from? Am I beginning to remember who I was?'