Two days have passed since the changeling invasion. After the queen Chrysalis was defeated, Sirius was rushed to the private hospital that the princesses had in their castle. An artery in the hind leg was damaged, and Sirius lost much blood because of it. Thankfully, he was taken in time.

Celestia and Luna personally examined the hallways of the castle. One of them was covered in blood. Pools of half-dried red substance covered the marble floor, pieces of bone floating in them. Though, there were no bodies to be found. The changelings swiftly scattered after their queen was defeated, taking their dead with them.

Two guards confirmed the suspicion — Sirius brutally murdered five changelings on his way to the hall where the wedding was supposed to take place in. The guards were shocked — their training didn't prepare them for what they had to witness. The princesses had to assign a psychologist to each of them to make sure their mind stayed sane.

Then, Luna made a horrible discovery. In one of the rooms, she found a body of a changeling, it's head looked like mush. In the adjacent room, the body of another changeling was found — his head was cracked, and the blood inflow to the brain killed him. Remains of a cocoon were found nearby as well.

The lunar princess had to dispose of the bodies herself after informing her sister of them. Luna had seen dead and dying beings before, she could take it. Though, it still made her feel sick in the stomach. What made Sirius murder those changelings so brutally? Except the first one, that is. It looked more like an accident. So, a conclusion was made — the former human found something out about the changelings that made him go violent on them. Was it the fact that they stole love?

After the battle with Chrysalis, the queen herself was put into an artificial coma and brought to a cell after her wound was treated. It was a possibility that her horn could be restored, but its ability to use magic would be very limited if present at all.

Also, Luna had to tell her sister about the weapon Sirius used. At first, Celestia was furious and demanded that such a weapon must be destroyed. After some reasoning, the solar alicorn had to admit that it was an effective self-defense tool and taking it away from Sirius might make everything worse for him, not to mention the princesses — the relationship between him and the royal sisters was strained as it was. It was also noted that only one bullet was fired, meaning that Sirius didn't use the weapon until there was no other way. Though, the princesses had to make sure that everyone present during its use wouldn't talk about the revolver to anyone at all. Equestria didn't need such a weapon.

As for Sirius, he was in coma ever since the duel. The blast of magic that damaged him during the fight forced the doctors to use technology to support his life. A blood donor had to be found as well — the colt lost too much to be able to regenerate it on his own. Though, even after the transfusion of life liquid, he didn't wake up.

"How is he?" Iclyn asked as the doctors finally let her see him.

Sirius was lying on the hospital bed, wires connected to his chest, monitoring his state. His chest, the upper part of his head, and both right legs were covered in bandages. His broken legs were secured in a special way that restricted their movement. His eyes were closed as he breathed deeply.

"I'm afraid he's still comatose." the doctor replied. "We've made the transfusion, and thanks to you he will live. However, we're not sure when he will wake up. His head was damaged, and there is some brain damage as well. We don't know if he will be the same as before this... He also won't be able to use his right hind leg as much as he used to before. I'm afraid he will limp for the rest of his life. The leg will also be more fragile than others."

Iclyn looked at Sirius, tears in her eyes. If she could notice the changeling in the restroom, none of this would've happened. He would be able to fight better, he would win without being harmed as much. But alas, it was too late. He might not even be able to live at all. With his brain damaged, how would he react to her? Would he even recognize her? Would he even be sapient any longer? He could very well end up a cripple with a broken mind. Not living, only existing, completely dependent on others.

She saw that he did everything for her and her alone. He cared about her, and she returned the feeling. It pained her to see him in such a terrible state. He almost gave his life just to save hers, a truly heroic act that Iclyn was infinitely grateful for. She wished she could express it, show it to him.

While he might be troubled and difficult to be friends with, Iclyn felt he was good at heart. He wanted to be nice to her and wanted nothing more than understanding and care. He even protected her from harm, almost dying in the process. It was unlike anything the filly had ever seen before. Such an act warmed her heart and at the same time made her blood freeze.

What if he died? Iclyn could've grabbed a sword and help him during the duel, but she didn't do it. She didn't know why — she was just frozen in place, unable to do anything but watch. Only if she were able to help him then and there, he wouldn't have to suffer so much.

"Is everything alright, miss?" the doctor asked with worry.

"Please, leave us alone for a minute." Iclyn said, suppressing a sob. "I... I just want to say something to him."

"Alright. Call us if anything's wrong." the doctor nodded and left, leaving Iclyn alone with unconscious Sirius.

The pegasus filly took a few steps closer, stopping only when she was close to him. His face was calm and emotionless, his chest rose and fell as he breathed calmly. Everything looked peaceful, but the beeping of the heart monitor in the background disrupted the picture, showing what it truly was. Iclyn sighed, taking a seat at the edge of the bed. She looked at him with sadness and sorrow in her eyes.

"Sirius..." she began. A shaky sigh escaped her lips as she looked down. "I... I'm sorry I couldn't help. I don't know if you can hear it, but... I truly am. I just wish you could wake up sooner, and I, I would say it to you." she raised her hoof, but then set it down. "T-thank you for doing what you did for me. For all of us! If not you, we would be in really deep trouble."

Iclyn put her hoof on his chest and felt his heart beating.

"Sirius, you are a hero. You... You might be different, hurt, and... I just want to say that I'm thankful for what you did." Iclyn gulped, tears appearing in her eyes. "I wish I could've done something to prevent this. You wouldn't be hurt!"

She sobbed, closed her eyes and pressed her head against his chest. She cried into it, expressing her sadness over his pain. He suffered for her and because of her. She believed she could've done something, changed something, and he would be fine. He would be bandaged up, Iclyn would bring him food as he healed, the two would share stories, and then go to school together. He would be talking with her, maybe even smiling.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen.

As Iclyn calmed down, she looked at him. He was still in the coma, oblivious to everything happening around him.

"Sirius... Oh, Sirius..." Iclyn said, then wiped her tears. "I... I want to be honest with you. I... I think... You're more than a friend to me. You, you risked your own life for me. You might be rough around the edges, but... I can see you care about others. Your world... It did something to you that made you afraid of it. But inside, deep underneath all of that, there is kindness, care, and compassion." Iclyn smiled slightly. "I... I will repeat this once you wake up, but... I want to say something to you right now. Sirius, I... I love you." she inhaled deeply. "All the things you did for me... It warms my heart, makes it flutter." she chuckled softly, pausing for just a moment. "You might be different, but that doesn't mean you're bad. And honestly? I couldn't wish for anypony, anyone better than you. I will show you what there is to life, and I hope you will share the feeling."

Iclyn leaned in, closed her eyes, and kissed his lips softly. Without getting a response, she returned to her place.

"Just... wake up, please..." Iclyn sniffed, and then stood up. Before she left the room, she looked back at Sirius. "Get well."

All Sirius could see was void. It was warm, it was soft, but it was still black. He didn't feel at ease — something was amiss. The warmth, the feeling of comfort, it was just not entirely right. Something was lacking, and lacking severely.

Suddenly, he felt a pull. A place jumped into his vision. It was a fork, from which he could go two ways. He remembered seeing it a while ago in another dream of his. The left one led to a pony figure. Unlike the previous time, Sirius could see distinct colors: a shade of cyan for the fur and white for the mane. It was very familiar, but the former human couldn't quite place it.

To his right, there was a darker passage to a table. From his position, he could see the revolver lying on it, waiting, begging to be picked up and used.

He stepped to the right but hesitated. He heard a voice calling his name from the left corridor. The voice was soft, caring, and yet there was a hint of sadness in it, as well as hope.

Sirius took another step towards the revolver. The same voice he heard before grew quieter but more desperate. Who were they? The former human couldn't make the next step. Someone needed him desperately.

He turned around and returned to the fork, and then took the left passage. The voice grew louder but calmer, and it was still pleasant.

"T-thank you for doing what you did for me." he heard the voice speaking to him. It was very familiar, but he still couldn't figure out who it was.

He continued taking small steps towards the pony figure. It turned to him in a welcoming gesture. Sirius stopped for a moment. Was it safe to go there?

"You might be different, hurt, and... I just want to say that I'm thankful for what you did." the voice said.

Acceptance.

Did someone accept him? Sirius took a few more steps but hesitated to go further. Was it true? Did someone want him? He was nothing. He believed he never truly cared for anyone. Why would anyone want to be with him? He abandoned his friends, failed the one he loved, became an outcast, a failure. No one would like him to be close.

"You're more than a friend to me." the voice continued.

Sirius couldn't believe it. Him, more than a friend? He wasn't that good of a friend in the first place. He didn't care about getting to know people. Why? He didn't want them to know him. He was nothing, a nobody. Just one piece in the ocean of billions just like him. What made him so special? He was more of a broken product than anything else.

"But inside, deep underneath all of that, there is kindness, care, and compassion." the voice didn't cease talking.

Maybe there was something better inside Sirius. The hatred, the aggression, it was there, but it didn't make the most of him. He could hate, but he believed he could care about someone. Maybe. He didn't know. So many things had happened in his life, and he questioned whether he even knew himself. Maybe there was something he refused to see, something he missed, something he hid?

Slowly, he walked up to the figure. He could see more details, and he finally recognized who it was. It was Iclyn, his only friend in the new world. Was it her who spoke to him?

"Sirius, I... I love you."

Suddenly, Sirius felt a warm breath against his lips. Then, it was replaced with something soft and slightly moist.

He was stunned. It couldn't be true — who would ever want to be with him? Iclyn? No way. There was simply no way, it was impossible. No one would ever want him, a broken bag of flesh and bones. All he felt was sadness and anger. Who would ever want someone who was so negative, so lifeless?

Would he ever be able to love back at all? Sirius wasn't sure he could even love in the first place. He used to think he loved someone, but that feeling was nothing more than the urge to reproduce. The former human was disgusted at himself, he felt filthy, covered in stinking, rotting mud. There was no way he could give anyone anything. What there was to give that he had?

But he wanted to love. He wanted to feel what it's like. Is it good? Is it bad? He never received such a feeling from anyone. Love... he had never felt it.

Sirius wasn't sure. He was confused, scared and afraid, and puzzled. It was all foreign to him. Was what he had just experienced real? Did Iclyn really have those emotions for him? Did she care about him that much?

In the first time for many years, Sirius didn't know what to do. He wanted to hide and never show up again, remaining unseen for the rest of his life, no matter how short or long it would be. He was embarrassed of himself, he would never be able to return the love. He didn't know how it was to be loved by someone not a part of his family. And even then, familial love was a different kind of affection, and he craved for something different.

Then, he realized — he was in a coma. He defeated Chrysalis but lost too much blood in the process. What he was hearing and seeing was just his brain hallucinating, producing sounds and vision that were not, would not, and could not be real.

He cried out in pain, believing that his thoughts were true. He was trapped in his own mind, trying to conjure up something to fulfill his wishes and dreams. And yet, there was a looming realization, always there in his mind — no one loved him, no one ever would.

He collapsed on the ground. Even if he was still dreaming, he felt heartbroken. That love wasn't true for him. It could never be.

Sirius sighed. He would be better off dead.

Author's Notes:

Survivor's guilt is strong in Iclyn. Indeed, she worries a lot about Sirius and can't get over how much he got hurt in the process of saving her life. His heroic act of sacrifice made her realise a very important thing — love.

As for Sirius, he has a big and pleasant surprise waiting for him once he wakes up.

Now, what do you think will happen to Chrysalis? One thing I think no one will argue about — she will definitely try to get revenge on Sirius. I would be mad if someone blew off my limbs, too.

P.S. This chapter has nothing to do with the song Comatose by Skillet.
P.P.S. I'm having a blast with this story, I just can't stop writing.