By the time Octavia had returned to Vinyl’s room, she had forgotten all about the pegasus in the stairwell. Vinyl remained asleep, her lips slightly parted as she breathed. Octavia took her seat beside Vinyl, quietly watching the gentle rise and fall of her lover’s chest. She reached over with her right hoof to lightly stroke Vinyl’s mane, an act that was fast becoming an autonomic response for the cellist. She absently ran her free hoof through her mane, wincing at the tangles she ran into.
“How I ever managed to keep my mane without your help, I’ll never know.” She mused to the sleeping mare. The whispering sound of Vinyl’s breathing was the only reply Octavia received, occasionally punctuated by small coughs.
Octavia studied the unicorns face, having memorized every inch with a virtuoso’s penchant for detail. The natural wavelike flow of Vinyl’s fur, now mottled by clumpy patches, the vibrant blue mane, now flat and dull after so long without a proper washing. Octavia noted the way Vinyl’s eyes darted to and fro behind their lids. She wondered what Vinyl might be dreaming about.
“You know what I miss?” Octavia spoke to her sleeping lover “I miss coming home to the house shaking from that racket you call music. I miss our afternoon walks through town. I miss the look on your face when I would walk in on you trying to dance on two legs.” She chuckled to herself.
Her hoof gently stroked through Vinyl’s mane, starting from her forehead, to behind the unicorn’s ear, and finally ending the stroke along Vinyl’s jaw. Normally the touch would have rendered Vinyl a veritable puddle of affectionate noises with her head leaned into Octavia’s touch like a kitten. Now the most reaction she received was a momentary furrowing of the unicorn’s brow. With a weary sigh, Octavia rested her head against the mattress.
“I want you home again.” She lamented into the starchy sheets, soon falling into a fragile sleep.
It seemed only an instant before a sound roused her from her rest. She awoke slowly at first, her eyelids slowly blinking away the haze of sleep. The lights were dimmed to their lowest setting, bathing the room in a soft golden glow. It reminded Octavia of romantic nights lit by candles scented with the delicate aroma of vanilla. She squinted to read the clock on the wall, managing to make out a time roughly in the 3 am area. A wide yawn escaped her as she contemplated the possibility that her imagination was the proper culprit. The act of sitting up in a more natural position yielded a series of uncouth pops down her spine. She cringed at the noise, in spite of the relief the act brought with it.
She slipped carefully from her chair and onto her hooves, intent on reclining on the couch that had become her makeshift bed over the last week for a more comfortable sleep when she heard the sound again. A whimper, nearly whisper quiet in the darkened room. She gasped as she moved to get a good look at Vinyl’s face, her weariness evaporating at the sight of her fiancé’s contorted face.
“Vinyl?” She asked softly, her hoof “Vinyl are you alright?”
“Ta—tav…” Vinyl wheezed, her voice weak and dry.
“What’s wrong Vinyl?” Octavia placed a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder, concern flooding her mind.
“Aaher…” Vinyl choked out, her face scrunched like she’d attempted to chew on a particularly tart lime.
“I…uh, what?” Octavia fumbled for words momentarily “Do you need a doctor? Are you in pain? Oh Gods, do you have a fev-” Octavia found her muzzle wrapped in a blue aura and Vinyl giving her a look torn somewhere between annoyance and amusment. The unicorn coughed quietly before she made another attempt at speech.
“Water … please?” she managed in a near whisper, her magic releasing Octavia’s snout. Octavia chuckled sheepishly, her hoof pressing down on the red call button to summon a nurse. It only took a minute for one of the unicorn nurses to trot into the room, a cautious smile on her face.
“Is everything alright?” she asked.
“Um, yes. Vinyl just woke up. Could she get some water please?” Octavia asked. The tension in the nurse’s posture relaxed slightly.
“Of course, I’ll be right back.” The nurse said as she disappeared out of the room again, returning a few minutes later with a covered cup fitted with a straw levitating in front of her.
“Here we go,” the mare smiled, placing the cup on the nightstand. “Lets get her sitting up a bit first.”
Octavia moved away from the bed so the nurse could adjust it so Vinyl was ‘sitting’ at an incline. The nurse then levitated the cup to Vinyl’s parched lips.
“Take it slow now, your throat is going to be sore.” She told Vinyl. The DJ grunted an affirmation as her lips enveloped the straw.
Octavia observed the pained expression on Vinyl’s face at the simple act, the first swallow inducing a noticeable cringe in the mare. Her eyes clenched shut momentarily before she continued to drink, her gaze fixated on the cup in front of her. Vinyl managed four good mouthfuls of water before she released the straw, panting from the exertion.
“Th—thanks…” she whispered, her voice notably less raw after the drink.
“It’s my pleasure dear,” the nurse answered with a smile, setting the cup down on the nightstand. Her magic grabbed the clipboard hooked to the foot of the bed. “How are you feeling?”
“Neck hurts” Vinyl answered.
“Can you put a number on it? One being no pain, ten being the worst pain you’ve ever experienced,” the nurse asked, jotting down notes. Vinyl thought for a moment before she answered.
“Seven” she replied quietly. The nurse nodded and made note of the number.
“Can you tell me what kind of pain? Sharp, dull, achy, burning?” She asked.
“Sharp n’ achy.” Vinyl rasped. The nurse nodded again and replaced the clipboard.
“Okay, I’ll go and check with the doctor on call, I’m not authorized to give you any medications. If there’s anything else you need just hit the call button again.” She smiled before she left the room. Octavia slowly released the breath she hadn’t realized she had been holding. Carefully, she hugged Vinyl again, nuzzling cheek to cheek with the unicorn.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.” She whispered into Vinyl’s ear, elicting a chuckle from the unicorn that was quickly interrupted by a cough.
“Tavi?” Vinyl whispered.
“Vinyl?”
“Love you.”
Octavia chuckled and lightly kissed Vinyl’s lips “Love you more.” She teased. Vinyl’s right eye cracked open to give Octavia what was, at best, a half-intimidating glare.
“Nuh-uh.” She groused. Octavia could help but to chuckle even as she pressed a tender kiss against Vinyl’s lips.
“Nuh-huh.”
Vinyl grunted lightly, her eye closing again as Octavia held her close. Even after hours of sleep, the last vestiges of the anesthetics left her woozy. Octavia sighed contentedly, her right foreleg draped over Vinyl’s chest and her left gently stroking Vinyl’s mane. Silence again settled over the room until Octavia heard what sounded like a grunt from the unicorn. She thought nothing of the sound initially, until the sound evolved into a disgruntled cry. Octavia quickly removed herself from Vinyl, thinking she had hurt the injured mare further. Vinyl’s eyes were overcome with fresh tears and her lips pulled into a tight scowl.
“Vinyl, what’s wrong?” Octavia asked worriedly “I didn’t hurt you did I?”
Vinyl attempted to shake her head, an act that only ended in a spike of pain and no motion. She growled in frustration at her body.
“Wanted to hug you…” She lamented quietly. Octavia smiled and leaned over to kiss Vinyl again.
“Don’t worry Vinyl, we’ll get through it eventually.” She promised, gingerly wiping the tears from the unicorn’s cheeks. “I’m here, I’ll always be here for you.”
Vinyl calmed down slowly, due in large part to Octavia’s loving touch and gentle humming. It was nearly four in the morning before the doctor on duty trotted into the room to give Vinyl another dose of pain medication. He was polite enough, but didn’t stay in the room longer than he had to. It wasn’t long after he left that the medicine took Vinyl back to sleep.
Vinyl awoke hours later to voices in her room. Slowly blinking awake, she was greeted by the familiar sight of the plain ceiling. That damnable ceiling that she had been staring at all day every day since she had been wheeled into her room all those days ago. Without her glasses, the ceiling was a uniform tan shade, if she was wearing her glasses she could at least be moderately distracted by the textured paint.
If she shifted her gaze as far as she could to the right or left, she could just barely see the walls or whoever else was in the room with her. Vinyl winced as she swallowed, her throat once again dry. The stitched gash on her forehead itched horribly. She tried to lift her hoof to scratch it, and again felt her heart sink when her body didn’t so much as twitch. She squeezed her eyes shut, not for the first time wishing this was all some horrific nightmare that she would wake up from. She wanted so badly to scream, to run, anything. She’d kill for the simple ability to sit up on her own power.
“Good Morning Vinyl,” Octavia’s voice interrupted her thoughts, the cellist’s weary visage filling her vision, though without her glasses, Octavia was a bit hard to distinguish.
“Morning, Tavi.” Vinyl forced a smile. Her throat ached, but she didn’t want Octavia to worry any more than she already was. As far as pain went, Vinyl was on easy street as compared to a few days earlier.
“How are you feeling?” Octavia asked, her hoof stroking through Vinyl’s mane again. The innocuous act irritated Vinyl, it made her feel like a pet or a sick infant, but the unicorn knew why Octavia was doing it. For that reason alone, Vinyl would suffer in silence forever.
“Sore,” Vinyl croaked softly, “Can I get my glasses, please?” she asked plaintively.
Octavia smiled and nodded, efficiently taking the glasses in hoof and placing them on Vinyl’s snout, bringing her world back into focus.
“Thanks.” She sighed contentedly. Octavia nodded again and leaned back slightly, an uncomfortable look on her face.
“So, Vinyl?” She started, her tone catching the unicorn’s attention.
“Hmm?” she looked to her fiancé with slight concern.
“Well, it’s um…well you see…” She sighed and pressed a hoof to her face, a faint blush spreading over her cheeks. Vinyl still found a smile cross her lips at the sight. “Sorry, this is awkward.” Octavia continued after a moment to gather her thoughts. “I was talking with the staff after you got out of surgery about getting you cleaned up. Your mane and coat are getting a bit…out of hoof.”
Vinyl flushed slightly. If she was being honest, she was feeling a bit gross after a week without a shower.
“Turns out that the hospital is equipped for this sort of thing,” Octavia continued, her gaze fixated on the floor. Vinyl had long since learned that when Octavia avoided eye contact it generally meant she was highly uncomfortable with what she was discussing. “There are a couple of nurses here who can take you back to a private room where they’ll clean you up. If you don’t mind.”
Vinyl’s cheeks burned at the implication. She didn’t want two strangers washing her. The only pony she wanted to share such a vulnerable time with was Octavia. Still, she understood why this was the way it had to be. She couldn’t force Octavia to do this one more thing. The burden she had already dumped onto the cellist's back was great enough.
Burden.
The epiphany stuck in her mind like an annoying song. She had become the one thing she never wanted to be in her life, a burden on the one she loved. Worse still, the burden she represented would only increase with age. A cold sweat gripped her body as the realization solidified like a boulder in her gut.
“Vinyl?” Octavia interrupted her thoughts.
“Uh, yeah …” Vinyl said quietly “Yeah, that’s fine.” She lied.
Octavia nodded and disappeared out of the room for a moment, returning soon enough with two unicorn nurses.
“Good Morning Vinyl,” the first one spoke up, her coat a pastel yellow and her mane a pale blue. “I’m Claire, this is my partner Allie. Ready to get cleaned up?” she smiled.
Vinyl attempted to nod, again receiving no motion and a stab of pain. With a winch she just grunted a tired “Sure.”
The unicorns wheeled in a second bed that had been standing by in the hallway. Combining their magic they lifted Vinyl a few inches and over to the fresh bedding. Vinyl shivered as cool air washed over her back. Her cheeks flushed at the entire act, she couldn’t recall a time in her life where she felt quite as exposed. The mares gently set her on the fresh mattress and pulled a clean blanket over her. Octavia gave her a hug before they wheeled her out of the room. She noticed another pair of nurses just outside of the room bearing fresh sheets and cleaning supplies, for her room she assumed.
The two mares didn’t offer conversation during the walk, which Vinyl was grateful for. She wasn’t in the mood for small talk, irrespective of the fact that she could hardly talk at the moment anyway. Their walk ended when Allie pushed open the door to a comparatively dimly lit room bathed in a bluish light. The tiling on the floor went about halfway up the walls and in the center of the room was a large bathtub with a perforated metal platform with an attached chair back of sorts that would allow a paralyzed pony to sit upright. The entire contraption was sitting three inches over a full tub of water, effervescent tendrils of steam drifting through the perforations.
The air of the room was warm and somewhat humid, which felt rather good on Vinyl’s dry throat and sinuses. In spite of her general irritation with fancy bathing salts and smells, Vinyl had to admit the prospect of being a bit pampered didn’t seem like such a bad idea with how greasy her fur and mane felt.
“So here’s what we’re going to do, Vinyl,” Claire spoke up, removing the sheet that covered the DJ’s body and, after folding it neatly, she placed it onto a countertop “Allie and I will put you on that platform which will then be lowered into the water until you’re submerged up to your collarbone. We’ve already got the water to a comfortable temperature and we’ve added a few salts to the water that will start cleaning out your fur and have some therapudic qualities that you should find soothing. We’ll let you soak for ten or fifteen minutes, then we’ll start washing you off head to hoof.”
Both mares noticed the uncomfortable look that spread over Vinyl’s face.
“Allie and I have worked in spas and as registered nurses for five years each, I can assure you we are consummate professionals.”
Allie, a pale orange mare with a yellow mane, nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry Vinyl, we understand this is an awkward situation and we will do everything in our power to keep you comfortable while we work.”
“After your coat is cleaned, we’ll remove the back and lay you flat on the table so we can wash your mane out. Then we get you dried off and back to your room.” Claire smiled kindly. “And as a bonus, you don’t have to wear your collar while we work. We just tape some plastic wrap over your incisions and you’re good to go!”
Vinyl let out a genuinely happy grin at the thought of being free from the collar that secured her neck. She swore up and down that the second she was free of it she was going to burn the blasted thing in a massive bonfire.
“Ready, Vinyl?” Claire asked.
“Yeah.” Vinyl answered.
With a nod, both Allie and Claire’s horns lit up, again lifting Vinyl from her bed and lowering her onto the platform. Vinyl admired their cooperative dexterity with their magic. Without a word they were able to place her in a sitting position, her rear hooves resting against a small plate that prevented her body from sliding down. Once she was comfortable they set to work, Claire taping plastic wrap over the incision on Vinyl’s hip, and Allie carefully removing the collar. Vinyl bit back a whimper as her neck was released from it’s prision. She hadn’t expected the pain that the plastic device has seemingly kept at bay for so long. Every little movement in her neck was its own small torment.
Allie offered Vinyl an apologetic smile as she separated the shell of the collar from its fabric cushioning that separated Vinyl’s flesh from the plastic. Tossing the fabric in a biohazard bin, she dropped the two halves of the shell into a tub of cleaning solution. Meanwhile, Claire covered the incision on Vinyl’s neck with more plasic wrap, Vinyl couldn’t stop a hiss from escaping her when the mare taped the transparent sheet to her neck.
“Sorry Vinyl,” Clair offered “But it’s got to be water tight.”
After confirming all the details were in place, the mares lowered her into the water. Vinyl’s eyes rolled back into her skull as the hot liquid soaked through her fur and onto her skin. Words failed her, it was unlike any feeling she had experienced before. After so long without being washed, so many days stuck in the same bed staring at the same ceiling with the same unchanging color and flat lighting, this was simply indescribable. It was better than finishing a show to the thunderous ovations of her fans, better than eating a fresh slice of chocolate cake with a cold glass of milk. It rivaled the euphoric feeling she felt when Octavia accepted her proposal for marriage; it could almost rival sex. The groan that escaped her lips brought a smirk to Allie and Claire’s faces.
“That good, huh?” Allie asked.
“Mmm-hmmm.” Vinyl responded, unable to process a more eloquent response.
As promised, Allie and Claire let Vinyl soak unmolested for fifteen minutes. The few times Vinyl opened her eyes she was able to notice one of them keeping an eye on her while the other attended to setting up various supplies onto a pair of trays for easy access. Vinyl couldn’t quite tell which mare was doing what given the steam that had her glasses almost as useless as her naked eyes.
Useless.
The word engraved itself into her mind. It stung her very core. After all, it was true. She was a nearsighted quadriplegic disc jockey. No, no she wasn’t a disc jockey anymore. Disc jockeys had gear that they could take from location to location to fulfill their job. Vinyl’s gear would be sold off to pay her debts to Dawn, and even if Dawn decided to return her gear, no strings attached, Vinyl would still have to sell it to cover the medical bills. So where did that leave her? An unemployed, quadriplegic, nearsighted unicorn that couldn’t so much as make it to the bathroom unassisted. Upon reflection, useless didn’t quite cover that.
Burden.
Yes, yes that was it. She was worse than useless, useless was at least harmless. Useless couldn’t hurt those around her. Useless wasn’t a drag on the time and energy of others. She was far worse than useless. In a good year, Octavia’s earnings were just over half of what Vinyl had been able to make in an average year.
How long would Octavia’s savings last after Vinyl’s were depleted? How much work would Octavia be forced to pass because Vinyl needed a caretaker? How many hours of her beloved’s life would Vinyl steal for every measly little thing? If Octavia ever decided that she could no longer handle the weight of that burden, a sentiment that Vinyl could easily understand, would she have the strength to let Octavia go?
Perhaps a burden was too kind a word for Vinyl. She sighed to herself, barely noticing Claire and Allie until the table ascended from the water and the soap-lathered rags held in their magic began massaging her flesh. Vinyl flushed in embarrassment as the two methodically cleaned her body. Starting from the hooves of her forelegs, they worked their way up to her shoulders, each mare scrubbing half of her neck and taking extra care around the incisions. From there they worked their way down her chest and stomach. True to their word, they were consummate professionals, but it didn’t lessen the humiliation she felt when their cleaning took them past her hips. Vinyl bit her tongue and squeezed her eyes shut, doing her best to pretend she was anywhere else until their work had reached her knees.
Once they had reached her hooves, Vinyl allowed herself a sigh, the worst seemingly over. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized she was being carefully lifted off the table, just enough for one of them to wash the back half of her body. Her cheeks burned at the shame of it all. Even tough neither mare said a word to make her feel put down or inadequate. Worse still was the knowledge that this sort of ritual would be her life, every week the same mortification of being washed by complete strangers. She didn’t know if she could handle that.
After rinsing all the soap from her fur, They gently removed the chair back that she had been leaning on and rested her flat on the bed, her head suspended evenly in Allie’s magic. Claire produced a hose from somewhere Vinyl couldn’t see and preceded to run hot water through her mane. Even in her despondent state, the sensation of warm water over her scalp elicited a pleased moan from Vinyl.
After being thoroughly cleaned and rinsed, twice, the flow of hot water ceased, replaced by warm, dry towels gently wiping the moisture from her body. After that each mare handled two blow-dryers which they used to painstakingly get Vinyl’s fur water free. They then shifted Vinyl back to the bed, removing the plastic wrap that protected her wounds and placing the sterilized collar with a fresh pad insert back onto her neck. They even took the time to thoroughly brush out her coat, mane, and tail, leaving Vinyl’s body quantifiably more pampered than she had ever been before.
All told, the entire process had taken an hour and a half, yet to Vinyl, it had been exhausting. She scoffed bitterly to herself. Vinyl Scratch, self-appointed queen of club scene, was exhausted from a bath. Before they had wheeled the bed halfway down the hall, she was fast asleep.
When she woke up she was faced with the same old boring ceiling. Given that she could see the texture, it meant Octavia had left her glasses on while she slept. Not that it mattered, it wasn’t like she could roll over and break them accidentally. She yawned and coughed lightly, the noise quickly attracting Octavia to her bedside. Vinyl smiled sadly, she loved the earth pony with every fiber of her being. Vinyl had never considered herself much of a catch, but Octavia deserved far better than to be stuck with the worthless blob that she had become.
“Hey sleepyhead,” Octavia smiled brightly to her “Enjoy your time in the spa?”
“Sure.” Vinyl answered quietly, “What time is it?” she managed to ask. Octavia peered to a clock that Vinyl couldn’t see.
“1:00 dear.” The cellist answered simply. “You look so much better now,” she commented honestly. “You should get a spa treatment more often, you clean up good.” She said with a playful smile.
Vinyl rolled her eyes melodramatically.
“Dr. Poultice stopped in a little while ago to see how you were. He said that the physical therapist should be by today to see you.” Octavia explained, “He’s a nice stallion.”
“Lyra and Bonnie here?” Vinyl rasped. Octavia shook her head after a moment.
“No, Bon Bon had a business meeting today and Lyra is working for Allegro. Oh, that reminds me…” She disappeared out of Vinyl’s sight for a moment, returning with a mouthful of envelopes. Vinyl stared at them quizzically, giving her fiancé a confused look. Octavia placed the little pile on the bed before disappearing again and returning with a flower basket in her teeth, more cards stuffed in the base. She placed that on the nightstand carefully before she spoke.
“You have some wonderful fans, Vinyl.” Octavia smiled. “ While you were in surgery, Allegro’s kids, the ones who gave you that card the other night, started a little flash mob outside. You should have seen it Vinyl, hundreds of ponies, all there for you.”
Vinyl’s eyes went wide in surprise, her mind torn between embarrassed flattery and sheer terror.
“N—Nopony told them what happened, right?” She asked meekly. Octavia shook her head again, still smiling.
“No, we only told them that you were unwell and were grateful for their support. Vinyl half-laughed, half cried. Octavia’s hoof dabbed the stray tears from her eyes. After Vinyl composed herself, she captured the first card she could in her magic and offered it to Octavia.
“Help me open?” she asked. Octavia chuckled and nodded.
“Anything for you, love.” She answered, taking the envelope in her hooves.
The two spent the better part of an hour going through the stack of cards. Some were funny, some were creepy, and more than a few made Vinyl weep. They had made their way through nearly half of their pile before a knock on the door broke them of their reverie.
“Come in!” Octavia called even as she stacked the opened cards onto the nightstand.
She had expected Dr. Poultice, instead an unicorn mare with a chestnut coat and a black mane stepped into the room. Her warm brown eyes surveyed the scene with a matching kindly smile.
“Good afternoon,” She started in a thick Triponi accent “I am Dr. Somatikos Epidiortho̱tí̱s,” she introduced herself earning a dumbfounded stare from both Vinyl and Octavia.
“Um, I’m sorry, but could you repeat that?” Octavia asked, slightly embarrassed. The bay mare chuckled in amusement.
“Somatikos Epidiortho̱tí̱s, just call me Soma,” She said ”I realize my name is hard for most ponies.”
Octavia chuckled sheepishly and extended a hoof to the mare, which she shook eagerly.
“I’m Octavia, this is Vinyl.” She gestured to the alabaster mare, who smiled skittishly. Soma nodded and approached the bedside.
“Well Vinyl, it's a pleasure to meet you.” She smiled, “I am to be your physical therapist for the rest of your stay. With luck we shall get you moving again.”
“Awesome.” Vinyl smiled genuinely. “What do I do?”
Soma’s horn lit up in an amethyst glow that enveloped Vinyl’s limbs.
“For today, just relax. I am going to use my magic to start some low level muscle stimulation. It should start the process of getting your brain to communicate with your muscles. I’ll work for an hour on this type of stimulation every morning, and then we will get a routine of exercises that I will help you through twice a day, everyday. From there we will keep a flexible plan depending on what results we see.” She paused, noting the sad look spreading over Vinyl’s face “Whatever you do, Vinyl, I need you to stay positive. You’ll never get better if you give up hope.”
Vinyl grunted in affirmation, wishing she could do something as simple as nodding. Soma’s magic worked its way into Vinyl’s muscles. It was the strangest feeling for Vinyl, to have another unicorn’s magic stimulating muscles she couldn’t twitch. Almost like a gentle tickle just under her skin. She wanted to squirm away from it, but that was a futile effort.
Useless.
She sulked, ignoring the conversation Octavia was having with Soma as she worked. It just seemed so pointless. How any small therapy could give her back the use of her legs she simply couldn’t see. So, it seemed from Vinyl’s perspective, that there was no point in it all.
Soma spent fifteen minutes on each of Vinyl’s legs, taking equal care to ensure they all received the same level of meticulous care. When she finished she left with the promise to return in the evening for another round of therapy. Vinyl did her best to keep the illusion of optimism for Octavia, who seemed genuinely hopeful. The thought of disappointing her lover, again, broke Vinyl’s heart.
The two filled some of the time with the rest of the get-well cards, Octavia reading most of them out loud to Vinyl. It wasn’t much, but it was a distraction from her thoughts. Poultice stopped in later, a large cup in his magical grasp, which he claimed to be Vinyl’s dinner. The contents proved to be a surprisingly nice amalgamation of foods into a shake that Vinyl was able to drink with comparative ease. It sated her appetite, not that she felt particularly like eating, but it was nice nonetheless.
True to her word, Soma returned that evening as the sun was starting to dip below the horizon. She massaged Vinyl’s limbs again, while conversing politely with Octavia. Vinyl kept to her thoughts, using her sore throat as an excuse to avoid conversation.
The days formed into a simple routine. Vinyl would wake up in the morning for physical therapy with Dr. Soma. The Arravani unicorn would do massage therapy for twenty minutes as a warm up before she guided Vinyl’s limbs, one at a time, through a basic range of motion. Each time it left Vinyl sore, which Soma swore was a good sign, even if it left Vinyl in an irritable mood. The gentle torture, as Vinyl was coming to know it, ended after almost an hour and a half, leaving Vinyl and Octavia alone again.
Sometimes Lyra and Bonnie would visit, bringing the latest gossip and news to the bored mare. When they visited, Octavia was able to go home for a while to rest. Vinyl was glad for that. Octavia didn’t deserve to be caged in the room with her like a bird or a pet. When she was in the room Octavia did her best to be good company for Vinyl. The first few days after surgery, she played her cello a lot, hoping to provide Vinyl something interesting to listen to. After Vinyl’s voice was back to a point where she could speak easier, the two would talk about whatever they could. Politics, music, or what the best diner in Ponyville was. Sunday brought a spirited debate about the merits of chocolate cake as compared to vanilla cake. That particular conversation had ended with Octavia doubled over on the floor laughing herself silly.
Monday, however, had brought a very different atmosphere. Bon Bon had spent the evening with Vinyl, after the unicorn had all but begged Octavia to take a night off. When Octavia and Lyra had returned in the morning, there was clearly something wrong. Vinyl’s bed had been adjusted so she was sitting upright again which gave her a clear view of the problem. Octavia’s posture was too rigid, Lyra was too quiet, and she could hear ponies whispering from somewhere she couldn’t see. Poultice edged into the room behind them, the concern plain on his face.
“What’s wrong?” Vinyl asked, the tension starting to make her nervous. “What’s happening?”
When she received no answers, she became irritated.
“Come on, somepony throw me a bone!” she growled in exasperation.
Octavia’s eyes welled up with tears before she approached Vinyl’s bed.
“Vinyl…I—I’m sorry.” She started, further confusing and concerning the unicorn. “I’ve failed you. I—I’ve failed you again.”
“Tavi? What are you talking about?” Vinyl blinked. Lyra’s horn lit up, pulling a rolled up tabloid from her saddlebag. She offered it to Vinyl, which the bedridden mare took in her magic. Without hesitation she unrolled the paper and took in the front page. Her blood ran cold.
Plastered across the front page was her picture, taken while she was still sleeping off the anesthesia and showing the full extent of her injuries. She was shocked how bad it made her look, like a street pony that had jumped in front of an oncoming train. The headline, printed in bold red letters declared:
VINYL SCRATCH: ONE PARTY TOO HARD?
The sub headline was more damaging, reading: ‘Has the Queen of the Clubs finally partied too hard? PLUS: Who is DJ_P0N3’s secret marefriend?’
Vinyl dropped the paper into her lap, her eyes wide in horror. It wasn’t being outed as a lesbian she particularly minded, she never cared what ponies thought of that. What did terrify her was what would happen to Octavia. The classical music community and the social elite she relied on for her living were not nearly as tolerant of same-sex relationships. Piece by piece, her world was crumbling away.
Vinyl felt numb. She couldn’t understand why all this was happening to her. What had she done to deserve it. Octavia was beside herself, convinced it was somehow her fault. Poultice was apologizing profusely, insisting that he would personally accept responsibility for the photos, and ensuring it would never happen again.
For Vinyl, it was one bridge too far. She couldn’t process it, couldn’t cope with it. She retreated into her own mind, catatonic to the rest of the world. Soma arrived on her normal schedule and continued with Vinyl’s therapy, if she spoke, Vinyl didn’t hear it. What did get Vinyl’s attention, was about halfway through her session with Soma, when her right foreleg began to burn fiercly. A cry escaped her as her mind snapped back to reality. Soma’s eyes went momentarily wide and Octavia was at her side in an instant.
“What’s wrong? What’s happening?” the cellist demanded.
“My leg,” Vinyl hissed “Feels like its on fire!”
Soma smiled broadly, “Vinyl, you’re going to think I’m a mad mare, but I assure you this is fantastic news!”
“How?” Vinyl snapped, her eyes glaring daggers at the therapist
“Your foreleg is trembling.” Soma pointed out, Octavia gasped her hoof covering her mouth. “The burning is the nerves in your leg waking up, so to speak.” She smiled ecstatically to Vinyl.
“Congratulations Vinyl, You’re going to get your forelegs back.”