Solitary Confinement: Chapter 3

>Nothingness.

>You open your eyes.

>At least, you think you do.

>You float aimlessly in a dark void.

>Your body feels no sensation.

>Pulled in no specific direction, you drift limply in the darkness.

>But...

>You're not afraid.

>A distant heartbeat pulses close to yours.

>And serenity fills your very being.

>Something warm and familiar coddles you.

>Worry is far from your mind as you bathe in the calm aura.

>The inky darkness begins to part, as a sliver of light presents itself to you.

>You feel yourself gently pushed towards it as the world around you begins to materialize.

>Colors turn to shapes as you feel the mattress below you once again.

>A blanket wraps itself around you tightly as the clinic reveals itself to you.

>Finally, the warm aura manifests itself as your savior.

>Nurse Soma held you tight against her body as she slumbered.

>Your head rested against her neck as she sandwiched you between her legs.

>Her heartbeat calm as you found your ear against her.

>She gripped you a bit harder for a moment, your pelvis sinking into her plush tummy.

>You feel your cheeks redden at this as you find your voice.

“Ummm... Soma?”

>She mutters something unintelligible before positioning herself over you.

>The weight of her body, while heavy, is not uncomfortable.

>Half of you sink into the mattress while the other half into the sleeping nurse.

>Her pliable bones easily make room for you to sink further into her plush middle.

>You start to tap her on the side with your free hand.

>Mumbling into her neck, you make another attempt to wake her.

“Nurse Soma... its morning now...”

>You look up a bit to see her eyes flutter awake.

>”Oh... oh!  Excuse me, good morning Anon!”

>She lazily gets on all fours to walk off the bedding, leaving you with the covers.

>Effortlessly, you sit up and cross your legs as you watch Soma.

>With a glow of her horn, she ties her mane into a pony tail with a matching pink ribbon.

>She smooths out the rest of her coat with a fore hoof, looking as clean as ever.

>You never noticed any unpleasant odor from her, so grooming seems to be very simple for her.

>She turns to you with a cheery look on her face.

>”So, how's my patient this morning?  No more pain I assume?”

>You look blankly at her.

>Remembering how much pain you were in yesterday, you nod in disbelief.

“Yeah, I actually feel amazing today, thank you.”

>”It's no problem really, nothing a little magic can't do.”

>She taps her horn for emphasis before turning her back to you.

>”Now, I have to report back to my main camp, so I have to get going soon.”

>You hop off the mattress, grabbing your backpack and taking stock of what remains.

>A bag of prune hiding behind two water bottles.

>Better than nothing.

“So, when are we leaving?”

>Soma turns her head to you with a raised eyebrow.

>”...we?”

“Yeah... something wrong with that?”

>Her face contorts in confusion as she turns to you.

>”Well... aren't you afraid of me?”

>You maintain your blank expression.

“Why would I be afraid?”

>”Well... I am part of an invasion race that just devoured your own kind in front of you.”

“...which saved my life as a result?”

>She rubs her cheek in thought.

“Not to mention help me get better over the course of two days.”

>”Well, I had to revitalize myself too, taking care of a creature your size is no problem for me.”

>Her hoof draws an invisible circle on the ground.

>”...and the company is always nice.”

>She stares at your bag as you put it over your back.

>”Don't you have a group of humans waiting for you?”

>Her words sting a bit as you remember your empty home.

>No friends responded to your calls, no family to run to.

>You were alone.

>You bat a tear away as you look into her eyes.

”No... not anymore at least.”

>”Oh... I'm sorry.”

“It's alright.  But yesterday, you did promise me that I'll never be alone anymore.”

>She cringes at the memory.

“Please, you said that you take care of both ponies and humans, why can't I go with you?”

>”Well... I'm not going to stop you, but it is about a 3 day walk to the camp.”

>Your face lights up in a flash.

“Distance is no problem for me!”

>”The distance is not my concern for you.”

>She looks at you solemnly.  

>You look back curiously as she walks near you.

>Her snout inches away from your face, she takes on a serious tone.

>”We need food for travel.  While there is some food across the street, we'll be mostly scavenging for it in buildings we come across.  And if we don't find any food...”

>Her eyes take on an intimidating shape.

>”I'll end up eating you in a moment of hunger.”

>Your heart sinks at her words.

>You feel a cold sweat flash over you as her face adapts a much more gentle look.

>”I don't want to do that to such a good human.  You saved me and kept me company and I don't want to lose you in a blink of an eye.”

>She exhales as she meets your eyes again.

>”Truth be told, that's why I tied you to the bed yesterday.  To stop myself from any rash decisions.”

>”Are you still okay with following me?”

>You look at her in silence, stunned.

>Her ears fold against her head, as the silence isn't broken.

>You try to make words, but your mouth doesn't move.

>”I... I guess I should get going now.  Be safe.”

>She turns around to walk away.

>The only living being that has shown you compassion.

>About to disappear.

“Wait!”

>Her ears perk up at your voice as she glances at you.

>You secure your bag onto your back as you jog over to her.

>Ramming into her, you wrap your arms around the base of her neck.

>She catches you with her fore leg, surprised by your charge.

>”But...”

“No 'buts,' I'd rather be with you than be by myself again.”

>She chuckles a bit at your words.

>”What's wrong with being by yourself?  You seem so set on being with others.”

>You release her from your hug as you look to the ground for guidance.

“Well... I just don't.  Ever since I woke up by myself, I hated having no one around.”

>Scratching your head in frustration, you look to the confused pony.

“It sounds immature, I know, but in times like this, I really want anyone to be near, especially someone who cares like you.”

>She brings you a bit closer with her leg still around you.

>Placing her head against yours, she closes her eyes.

“Even if you do lose control, I'll at least always have the memory of Soma, the nurse who saved my life.”

>Another blanket of silence falls over both of you.

>The moment is broken by warm tears falling onto your shirt.

>Not your own this time.

>You look up at Soma, who's tears escape the corners of her eyes.

>Her short, shallow breaths shake you with every sharp inhale.

>You stroke the back of her neck to help her calm down.

>”Thank you.”

>She looks up at you with a smile.

>”I didn't really want to journey alone, so you have my word that I'll do my best to control myself.”

“I know you will, you've been doing great so far.”

>She backs up from you to rub the bitter joy from her eyes.

>”We should make a quick stop to the building across the street first, we can have a decent meal before we go.”

>As you begin to walk, she gives you a quick sniff.

>”...and you should probably take a bath there too.  Whatever you humans put in your soap help keep the temptation away even just a little bit.”

>You look to her with an embarrassed smirk.

“Alright, sounds good.”

>The two of you journey to the apartment complex across the street.

>Opening the door for your companion, you enter the building after her.

>”Here, I've stored quite a few provisions in this apartment here, and the utilities still work.”

>She motions you into the closest apartment room.

>You enter to see a perfectly clean room, untouched by the chaos outside.

>Ticking clocks, clean furniture, even a functioning aquarium.

“Huh, if I didn't know any better, I would think someone lived here.”

>Soma closes the door to the apartment behind her before heading to the tiny kitchen.

>”Well... you wouldn't be wrong, a patient from the clinic used to live here.  Bathroom's to your left.”

>You put down your bag as you take off one of the two shirts you wear.

“Did you know her?”

>As the nurse starts to fry some eggs, she stands unnaturally still for a moment.

>”...yes.  We were close friends.  Recent events cause us to become... well, closer friends than I would've liked.”

>You picked up on her words and start formulating an apology.

>Time seems to flow erratically as you watch her cook.

>She sighs as she expertly piles the cooked food onto a large platter with her magic.

>”The war made it so that she couldn't get her medicine for her illness, and our magic couldn't save  her.”

>The refrigerator whips open with a glow as more ingredients float above Soma.

>”Her last request was that she would like to be with her nurse in her final hours.”

>A dry laugh comes from her.

>”She even sneaked her hand in my mouth, knowing what would happen.  Quite the persuasive one she was.”

>Soma turns to levitate a full platter of food onto the dining table.

“I'm sorry for bringing this up, you've been quite through a lot, just like us.”

>”It bothers me sometimes, but I like to visit here in memory of her.  The few days we spent were quite peaceful here.”

>She turns to you with a sunny expression.

>”But, I have a camp to get to, and you have a shower to take.  I'll worry about breakfast and rations before we head off.  Just make sure you're presentable!”

>You respond with a smile of your own.

“No problem Nurse Soma, we'll be out on the road in no time!”