Waking
“It’s bright.”
That was the last thought before Max slowly woke up. He could only move his eyes, so he did. He looked around, and noticed that he has a long mane. A long, long mane. Same color as if he were himself. Same color coat, same color mane, same ol’ Max. He also noticing that he is in a room and leaning down on a bed. Hospital gown, hospital blanket, a Red Cross first aid kit, and a pulse reader strapped to his hoof. “Why am I in the hospital,” Max wondered, “And how did I get here?”
He feels like he hasn’t moved in days; let alone years. He tried to move his front left hoof. It’s working well. Now for his front right hoof. Same. He looked around some more until he sees a pony on his lap. The pony had light creamy green mane and green coat. Just like Aurora, but the pony had wings, so it must be a pegasus. Max looked at himself some more to see what kind of pony is he. No wings. No horn. Good ol’ earth pony.
The double door swung open. Max turned to see two gentlecolts at the doorway. One is a white coated doctor and the other is a gray coated stranger, both earth ponies. The stranger looked at Max as if he saw a ghost. Max replied by giving him a questioning look. The pony on his lap shot up from the noise of the double door. Max confirmed it was a mare, because she spoke.
“Oh, doctor. I, was, uh-“
“Ah,” the doctor stated, “He is finally awake.”
The colt next to the doctor galloped to Max and hugged the life out of him. Again, he knows what that feels like. He took a glance at the mare, and she is holding back her tears. She really looks like Aurora, except for the eyes. “What’s going on,” Max thought out loud. Realizing what he just said, he quickly wished he hadn’t say anything. The looks the two ponies gave made his heart sank.
“Do… do you know who we are, Max,” the mare asked.
Max gave a long puzzling look and looks at the colt. They almost somewhat look like him. The short mane and gray coat from the colt; the color of the eyes from the mare. The gears started to click in Max’s head. “You’re… you’re mom and dad… right?”
Relief fell over their faces. The colt continued to squeeze Max, and the mare decided to join. The doctor cleared his throat, attracting everyone’s attention. “Yes, since he is now awake, why don’t you two wait outside while I give Max here his long due checkup. After that, he will be in your hands.”
The two ponies wanted to object, but Max stopped them. “Mom, dad,” Max said with a fun smile, ”I ‘d like to get out of these clothes now.” The ponies looked at each other. Finally, the colt said as a warm smile grew, “He’s coming home, honey. He’s finally coming home.”
With that, they left the room through the double doors. When the doors finally closed, the doctor turned to Max. “So, you had to lie, mhm,” the doctor asked. Max looked at him wide eyed, unexpected by the doctor’s first sentence. Before Max could even begun to speak, the doctor continued.
“Interesting save. If it’d were me, I’d tell them the truth. Truths hurt much less then lies, don’t cha know. Now then, boy, it’s good to speak with you again. The days went by for so long with your dis-“
“Wait, wait, wait,” Max said, confused as to what is going on, “What are you talking about? What’s going on? Who are you?”
The mysterious doctor looked at Max and raised an eyebrow. “So, ” he began, “you don’t know anything. *Sigh*. And here I thought you were joking. Do you really not know anything?”
Max only gave a slow nod. The mysterious doctor gave another sigh, looked down, shook his head, looked up, and continued. “By any chance,” the doctor asked with a wide, devilish grin, “ do you know of a pony that goes by the name of… Xam?”
Max stared at the colt in disbelief. “How… how does he know about Xam?! I made up the name, and this guy guessed it like it was nothing. Wha-”
“’What’s going on?’,” the doctor questioned as if he read Max’s mind, “I know a little too much, if that’s ok with you. Now if you don’t mind, since your clear for departure, get off of the bed.”
Max slowly got off the bed and realized that he is extremely stiff. His front hooves are ok because he moved them earlier, but his body, neck, back hooves, and everywhere were difficult to move. He moved his body around to get use to his stiff body. As he moved, the doctor stood at a distance and scanned Max to see any abnormalities. “None so far,” the doctor exhaled, “It’s safe to say he’s in the clear. …Hopefully.”
As Max moved some more, he slowly got use to the body. He did some hops to make sure he’s ok. The doctor spoke after his third hop. “So, it looks like you’re ok. Now, I’m proud to announce that you’re in the clear for release,” the doctor said as he pulled up a wheelchair. Max raised an eyebrow, wondering what is the doctor doing. The doctor noticed and chuckled a little. “Ah, yes,” the doctor explained, ”it’s part of the procedure. The patient must be exited by a wheelchair so they won’t exert themselves when they leave the hospital.”
Max hesitated, but followed the procedure, not wanting any trouble. He sat on the wheelchair, and the doctor pushed. They passed through the double door, and max noticed that the halls are white, bright, creepy, and long. Very, very long. As far as the eye can see and more.
“While we’re here, why don’t we chat,” the doctor said as he pushed the wheelchair.
“Why not,” Max smirked, “what is there to talk about?”
“Xam.”
Max blood ran cold again. One of the ponies he doesn’t want to remember, but also not forget. “He’s … interesting, don’t you think,” the doctor continued, “the things he does for you; the things he does against you. A very interesting character.”
“How… how do you know?” Max shuddered.
“Like I said, I know too many things to be called ‘normal’. Some say it’s a gift; it’s a calling; I say it’s my cutie mark.” The doctor gestured to his mark where Max can see. It had a magnifying glass searching over a brain. “Odd, isn’t it,” the doctor continued, “Most thinks that I know the mind, but really I know that’s going on in anyone’s mind. Or rather: the entity of the mind. Including yours. It’s interesting; by the way, that he can harbor another state of entity in himself. I’ve never seen anything like it before. A mind that harbors another mind; another entity, while the entity’s body and mind was unconscious. Intriguing, don’t you think?”
“Wait,” Max stopped, trying to grasp the idea, ”you’re saying that… I’m the entity?”
The doctor looked surprised, but gave a pleasing smile afterwards. The smile confirmed Max’s suspicion. The gears slowly clicked into place and the truth gave Max a gut-wrenching question. “S, so,” Max asked, ”What does that leave me? What have I been doing this whole time?”
The doctor looked at Max and gave a sigh. “You, sir,” the doctor started, “were in a coma since birth. You were alive and healthy, but the coma made other’s questioned weather or not you were alive. You were lucky that I was there, or else your body would’ve been cremated.” The idea gave Max another gut-wrenching feeling, only stronger.
The doctor continued, “I told the ponies in the room that you were very much alive. You were just in a coma, and you would eventually wake. But what took everypony back was how long it took you to wake. There was a point in time where your parents wanted to give up on you. But, thanks to yours truly, I reassured them; telling that you were very much alive and happy. That alone reassured them and they continued to support you. And not just them, either. Your parents are strong ponies. They made a community group just for you. At first, it was made up of just your family members. But then it grew. Friends and friend’s friends and so on grew to a point where they would do fundraisers to support you. Heck. Even this hallway was made for you. Every week that you were gone, a block was added in your name.”
Max looked around in amazement. The hallway that could be easily considered a marathon. The hallway dedicated for him. The doctor continued again, “Yes. This was all for you. Speechless? I know I was. Now back to Xam-“
“Can we please not talk about him,” Max cut in, “It’s … It’s too much too take in as already is.”
“What?,” the doctor asked, “The fact that there are actually ponies that cares about you, or the fact that you were in Xam the whole time.”
Max opened his mouth, but stopped and closed it again to think. Ponies that care about him. Ponies that could make him feel like he is something; not just another pony. “But… there’s Scootaloo,” he thought, “There’s Aurora, the CMC… Xam…”
Tears starts to fall down his cheeks. He noticed them and wiped them away as soon as possible. The doctor noticed, but decided not to say anything. He knows what Max would say next without reading his entity. Max turned to look at the doctor in the eyes and said, “I’d like to go somewhere, if that’s ok with you.”
The doctor looked back at Max and smiled, “Got cha. I’ll tell your parents, and if they’re ok, I might suggest that they live there. Would that be ok with you?”
Max turned and faced forward. They were almost close to the exit. He grinned a big smile, exited to finally talk to the group again. Especially Scootaloo. “Finally, it’s time.” He said before they exited through the doors where family and friends who were waiting for them.