Awkward Conversations And Other Stories

by No one is home

The Waking World (Zillia): Of Dreams and Nightmares

“The doctors say he probably won’t ever wake up,” a changeling nurse approached the pod to make necessary adjustments, then quickly added, “Your majesty.”

“Yes,” Luna frowned a little, “Humans are such impossible creatures it’s easy to forget how fragile they can be.”

“He’s really lucky, in a way,” the changeling busily went about her work.

“I fail to see how this could be any kind of luck,” the Princess of Dreams raised an eyebrow skeptically, “Alone in a strange land, alive, but trapped in your own body.”

“Well,” the nurse circled to the other side of the pod, “Not that long ago, no pony had access to changeling healing pods, this poor human would likely have died already. The pod keeps his muscles from atrophying, so it’s possible if he does ever wake up, he’ll have at least a chance at a normal life. Do you think he dreams your majesty.”

Luna grew silent, and the changeling tasted a strange sort of guilt as the princess answered, “I know that he does. It was a gift I bestowed upon him. In many ways, this human is the truest of my subjects, his life is forever in a dream. It seemed the best that could be done. He will likely never again walk the waking world, so I gave him a sleeping world he could walk instead. I daresay he is more grateful than others I have bestowed with that gift.”

The Princess’ bitter laugh caused the nurse to flinch, “Well, at any rate I have other patients to attend to, your majesty, enjoy your visit.”

“Wait,” Luna circled around the little changeling, blocking her path, “Please understand we do not take this human’s plight lightly. It is a very powerful spell I have used in the dream world to give this human what comfort he may still find. I did this with only the best of intentions, to bring comfort to one of my subjects lost in a world of nightmares!”

“O- of course your majesty,” the nurse glanced around nervously, unsteady at this much direct attention from pony royalty, she could literally taste the guilt emanating from the alicorn, “But please your majesty, I do have other patients… other sick ponies who need my help right now. I’m the only nurse on this shift who can properly tend to the healing pods.”

“Oh,” Luna was taken aback, realizing that she was terrifying the poor changeling, “Of course, my apologies, miss…”

“Zillia,” the changeling's mood brightened a bit, “It’s a zebra name, I think. I picked it from a book about zebras, anyway.”

The changeling gestured to the hospital ID tag pinned to her uniform, reading, “Zillia, Nurse, Employee ID Z-978.”

“It is a lovely name,” Luna gave her gentlest smile, “I’m sorry to have kept you from your duties Miss Zillia.”

“It’s quite alright your majesty,” the nurse smiled as she departed, “It was an honor to meet you!”

The changeling started to leave and then did a quick little shuffle and bowed deeply, “Forgive me your majesty… I am deceiving you.”

Luna’s gaze darkened noticeably as the changeling continued, “I don’t have any other patients. This human is the only patient in this hospital who requires a healing pod. I.. I was afraid of you… Your Majesty…”

“I see,” the changeling tasted bitter hurt coming from the Princess and immediately regretted her words.

“Forgive me your majesty, we are taught as larva to fear the deadly Princesses who raise the Sun and Moon… you’re almost as terrifying to us as the Unspeakable Pinkie Pie!”

“Of course!” the changeling tasted an odd sense of relief from the powerful alicorn, “You’re afraid of me because of the invasion… not because of my… Nightmare!”

“To be honest your majesty,” Zillia admitted shyly, “From our hives perspective, there was just a big eclypse, and then it stopped. Since we mostly lived underground, most changelings never even noticed. I never heard the legends about… uh… that… until we came to Canterlot. To changelings you’ve only ever been Princess Luna.”

“Oh?” Luna cocked a friendly smile, “It does my heart good to hear that there are subjects of mine who never had to know that… part of me. But I digress. Am I to understand you are in charge of the care of this human?”

“Yes, your majesty,” Zillia nodded and looked sadly at the body floating in the pods green fluid, “He appeared suddenly in front a train. The conductor said he didn’t even try to jump out of the way, he just stood there and waited. The conductor used all his magic to try and stop the train in time… he almost succeeded. That’s probably the only reason the human survived at all.”

“Yes, I heard about the incident,” Luna found herself gazing into the pod, “When I first entered his dreams they were nothing but unstructured fear and pain. I had talked to the doctors and sought to help in what small way that I could.”

The human’s eyes suddenly snapped open, causing the alicorn to start, and prompting the changeling nurse to make adjustments to the pod itself, “I wouldn’t be alarmed your majesty, he does that sometimes, but it’s easy enough to see from the pod itself that he’s still very clearly in the dream world. I used to think it was a sign that maybe he was aware of the outside world, since he mostly opens his eyes like that when he has visitors. Doctor Samantha says, however that it’s most likely just nerves reacting to external stimuli. It’s unlikely that he’s aware of anything in the waking world.”

“He has visitors?” Luna was genuinely surprised, given that the human had been comatose since his arrival it seemed impossible that could have friends in equestria.

“Oh yes, your majesty,” Zillia smiled and nodded vigorously, “Surprise, another of our patients, comes around almost daily and talks to him. He can’t hear her of course, but she swears it cheers him up. Nopony here see’s the harm. She calls him Charles, which is odd in a way, since nopony really knows what his name is.”

“I see,” Luna nodded slowly.

“And the Ambassador, Silver Lining came around once,” Zillia continued, noticing an odd flinch at the ambassador’s name, “Oh, and Discord visits him some times. We have been tempted to call security, but all he does is talk quietly to the patient for a short while before he disappears. The patient is quite responsive to those visits, and not in any negative way one might expect. And I come in and talk to him sometimes when I’m off duty. It seemed strange at first, but in his own way, he’s a very good listener.”

“Well,” Luna smiled, “I’m glad to hear so many of my subjects have taken an interest in this human’s well being.”

“Well, your majesty,” Nurse Zillia made some marks on a chart and nodded towards the door, “I really do have to leave to file these charts, although you’re welcome to stay and talk with the patient if you want. He probably can’t hear you, but I’m sure in his heart he can feel your concern.”

“Yes, I think I will at that,” and after the nurse had left, Luna turned sad eyes on the broken human, “I’m not a bad pony, truly. I only want my subjects to be happy, you understand, don’t you. Perhaps I was wrong to use my magic to sway a pony's mind, but the same magic helps to hold another mind together while his body heals. We all have our moments of shame, just as we have our moments of pride. You are one of my moments of pride. You are nopony, a being without even a name, and yet I came to you and pulled you from your pain and gave you a life that you could still live.”

The human’s expressionless eyes seemed accusing to the princess, and she imagined his reply, “So that’s what I am? A half living testiment to tell the world that despite your, sins your still a good pony. I get to live out my life in a pod, never knowing the waking world, not because you really cared about what happened to one lonely suicidal human you’d never met, but to somehow make up for what you did to the human you actually cared about. I think you should go.”

It was impossible to say if the nameless human had any awareness of the free flowing tears in the Princess eyes, but he closed his own as soon as she vanished in a flash of dark magic, continuing his endless dream.

Author's Note:

Well, I’ve been planning on doing this for quite a while. Ki’s world is a fun and silly little dream (and no crying “foul”, I’ve been hinting at this from the very start), but in the end, that’s all it ever was, or ever will be. After all, just because it’s not real, doesn’t mean it isn’t still happening to him. Why now? Because it seemed like a good spot to me. I'm admittedly not the best at picking good spots.

Comments

[Daremo]

dreams your majesty. - dreams your majesty?
eclypse - eclipse
hives perspective - hive's perspective
however that - however, that
him sme times - him sometimes
despite your, sins your still - despite your sins, you're still
*****
I'm going about this backwards. I had meant to proofread your story last night, but my bed ambushed me and rendered me unconscious for several hours.

I was initially a little sad that your story had ended, but then you released the next chapter.

[No one is home]

6997288 SO many times this was supposed to be sequels!