Chapter 8
The first nurse I had encountered in Equestria, Bottie, recognized me. She smiled brightly as she passed by, an expression I only halfway returned.
Octavia sat next to me in the hospital waiting room. Both of us impatiently watied to hear news about Vinyl. The DJ was at least breathing when we carried her into the hospital. I didn’t know if she had taken smelling salts or something else. The doctor hadn’t said as much, but he seemed to act like it wasn’t her first overdose.
I berated myself. With as much time as we’d spent together, why hadn’t I noticed her drug problem? Was it because the white powder blended in with her natural coloring? Had my mind simply been too preoccupied to care?
What would Jenna think? She would want me to come home, obviously, but did that take precedence over helping to save somepony’s life?
And so I sat and waited. The sun had gone down and the clock in the waiting room advanced slowly into the night. Both Octavia and I had been quiet for most of the vigil. It was almost ten o’clock when I decided that I was going to fall asleep if we didn’t get a conversation started. “So, other than this, how was your day?”
She laughed politely. “I can honestly say we haven’t ruined a good day. It just went from bad to worse.”
“That doesn’t sound good.”
“Well, there were a few contributing factors.” Octavia sighed. “This morning I broke a cello string and the music shop closed early for some reason so I couldn’t get a replacement.”
I nodded, letting her continue.
“You probably think it’s silly.” Octavia looked at me.
“No, go on. If you talk, I’ll listen. It keeps me from thinking about my day.” And that was certainly a good thing.
Octavia smiled thinly. “This afternoon, I was visited by my former coltfriend. I suspect the reason he came looking for me was because he heard I now own a building.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, Alto was never a good pony for me, regardless of how good he was at se-sax.”
“Saxophone?” I clarified.
Her face flushed and she looked away. “Terribly sorry. I must be getting tired.”
I couldn’t help myself and let a chuckle slip out. Octavia shot a glance at me, although her face softened as she saw that I didn’t mean to continue that line of conversation any further. She even managed a smile, laughing at herself.
The mood had become a little lighter when Bottie came to find us. “You can come in and see Ms. Scratch. She’s resting at the moment.”
Octavia and I got up. Down the hallway was Vinyl’s room. While she had always been pretty carefree, lying in bed she looked more peaceful than I had ever seen her. The doctors evidentially seemed to think she was stable, as no electronic monitors were hooked up. There was an IV that trickled some sort of clear fluid into the crook of her front leg.
“I’m afraid this might cost the both of us a fair sum of bits,” said Octavia. “I doubt she has much money if she spent it all on her, ah, habit.”
I again wanted to ask how far behind on rent Vinyl was. Speaking of paying back, I turned to the nurse. “Can I speak to you privately for a moment?”
The two of us stepped into the hallway. “Is this about your bill?” she asked.
“Partly. I was hoping I could get a copy of my medical record. My boss thinks he can get the workplace insurance to help pay it.” It was an outright lie, but if I told her that something had been bothering me about the apparent fainting spell that had landed me in the hospital, it would require more explanation. Not only would that take time, but I would have to invent new lies on the spot. Telling untruths under pressure is harder than it sounds.
Fortunately, Bottie smiled and said, “Sure, no problem.” I gave her a nod of thanks and she walked away as Octavia came out of the room.
“I suppose I should be going home,” said Octavia. “It’s late.”
“I feel kind of bad for leaving,” I said.
She nodded. “So do I, but waiting around for her to wake up certainly won’t gain us any rest.”
“True. I’ll check on her in the morning before I go to work.”
As we walked back towards the front door, Bottie intercepted us and gave me a folder. I thanked her and tucked it under one wing. Octavia looked curious, but said nothing.
I walked with her back to the building. She paused at her apartment door. “Mr. Miller, I want to thank you again for your help.”
She seemed rather intent on driving home her appreciation, and stared at me kindly. I shied away from the attention. “It just seemed like the decent thing to do.”
“You’re a good friend. Ms. Scratch is lucky to have someone like you. Me too.”
I nodded. “Thank you. Sleep well.”
She smiled and opened her door. I went down the hall. After going into my apartment, I picked up a letter that had been delivered and opened the hospital file, looking for the address where I had been discovered lying unconscious. Maybe it would help. I had made up my mind to write a letter to Spangles, and I wanted to be as detailed as possible.
There was a rapping sound from outside the apartment and a male voice called, “Hey Octy.” It was sort of loud for being almost eleven at night. Annoyed, I poked my head out the door.
A medium blue earth pony stood in front of Octavia’s door. He didn’t appear to be thinking about the other residents of the building as he carried on knocking on the door. His cutie mark was a saxophone.
Octavia opened the door just as I got there. The stallion started to step towards her, but stopped and looked over his shoulder as he saw the mare’s eyes glance towards me.
“I hope you could be just a little quieter this late at night,” I said. “I know there are a few families with schoolkids living in the building.”
His face looked as if he was about to say something nasty. Octavia evidently thought so, too. She quickly broke in. “Alto, can we talk again in the morning?”
“What’s wrong with right now?” he asked.
“It’s been a long day,” said Octavia. “I’ll feel better after a rest.”
“Need some help with that?” Alto asked, grinning. I snorted and turned to go.
“Hey, what was that for?” he said. I turned. Alto had taken a step in my direction.
I shook my head. “Nothing. I was just thinking about the horrible husband material you must be.”
Alto’s face showed shock. Good job, mouth. Now he isn’t sure whether I’m coming onto him, or just throwing insults on behalf of his girlfriend.
“Who do you think you are?” he demanded.
It was a rhetorical question, but Octavia attempted to defuse the situation. “Alto, he lives down the hall. This is Mr. Miller.”
Over the course of about two seconds, Alto’s sneering mouth opened to say something, but he had a sudden realization and closed it again. Seizing the opportunity, I turned and started walking once more. I heard Octavia’s door shut before I reached my own.
I paused before going into the apartment. Alto had retreated to the far end of the hallway. He was looking at me when I glanced up, but turned away quickly.
Well, that was weird. Was it my name? Why did he know it? I was too tired to care.
I went back to looking at my medical record. Luckily, it was nice and short and I got what I wanted. After that, I turned to the letter. It turned out to be an invitation to a poker game hosted by Tally.
I was slowly getting used to Equestria, and little things like having a card game with the same name had stopped seeming like such a strange coincidence. Assuming the rules were the same, I would be an average player. I usually managed to break even, no more, no less.
I didn’t really want to risk any of the money I had, though. If there weren’t two hospital bills looming, I might have considered it. Besides, I didn’t think I would like the company.
I didn't know if I would end up paying for Vinyl. If she didn't really have any money, then I would be kind of coldhearted if I didn't. It wasn't like I had a lot of other things to pay for, so money wasn't much of an issue. Still, I didn't want to go to the card game.
There wasn’t a return address on the letter, so I had no way to RSVP in the negative. Oh well, I had more than a day to figure it out.
By the time I finally made it to bed, I was too worn out for very much thinking. My first thought in the morning, however, was did I really have to set the alarm clock for so early?
Yes, yes I did. There was a lot to take care of before work. To speed things up, I stopped by Oven’s for a quick breakfast before setting off across the city.
There was an address listed for the area that my unconcious body had been discovered in. It took me a little while to find it. I rounded a corner and compared the numbers above the door of a nearby shop to those I’d memorized from the medical record. This was the place.
I turned around and my jaw dropped. Across the street was the bottom of a long staircase that ran up the mountain towards the castle.
I paused for a moment to consider the stairs. The smooth road that led up to the castle was long and winding in order to have a manageable grade. The stairs looked very old, as if they’d been there since before the road had been built. At the bottom, facing me from across the street, was the royal mailbox. I didn’t think a mailbox covered in gold leaf would be used for anything else.
I kind of wondered how the fancy box hadn’t been stolen. Granted, gold and other precious materials weren’t quite as precious here as they were on earth, but I would think it would at least be a target for graffiti.
At least I wouldn’t have to find a post office and buy a stamp now. I laid out a sheet of paper on the sidewalk and wrote a short letter to Spangles.
Hello,
My name is Miller. We met when you ordered a table from Canterlot Machining and Carpentry. I have a problem that I think is magical in nature, and I hope you or somepony from the school might be able to help me.
I’m not from this planet, and I’m trying to get home.
Please take me seriously. This might be the only hope I have.
I tried to write as carefully as possible, which is difficult to do when you’re using your mouth. Legibility would definitely make me seem less crazy. Concentrating on clarity also distracted me from the fact that this was the first time I had ever revealed who I really was to anypony.
After including the address where I could be found, I placed the letter in the mailbox and walked away. I felt nervous, but suppressed it. I had set things in motion, and now I needed to follow through.
My second stop was at the hospital. I was still wondering if I had done the right thing by contacting a pony I just barely knew, but managed to summon a smile for the nurse on duty. “I’d like to see Vinyl Scratch, please.”
“All right, but I think she’s still resting.” I was given permission to go to her room.
Not much had changed since the night before. I sat down in a chair next to the bed, deciding to spend the time I had saved by not needing a post office.
Vinyl breathed slowly and regularly. I took a moment to glance around the room. There were no cards or balloons left by friends. I wondered if she had many.
Her mane was not styled, and looked rather flat. A strand of it had fallen to her lips and it moved every time she breathed. I leaned forward to brush it away. It was a little challenging to do without actually touching her face.
“This would be easier with fingers,” I grumbled.
Her eyes popped open. “What are fingers?”
My surprised little shriek brought the nurses running.
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dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Vinyl2.png fingers eh?
Me: what happened man, you used to be cool!
Google Docs :...Who the fuck are you?
Simple way of saying it...
ANONYMOUS APPENDAGES!!!!!!! MILLION YEARS DUNGEON!
I have appendages that I didn't wake up with. Oh god someone please help me.
1787085 But did you go to sleep with them?
I hope Millers cellphone battery is not dead yet. A working phone is the only way he could prove to Sprangles of his ancestry. Otherwise Sprangles will dismisss Miller as a creative lunatic with a pretty lump of plastic.
Stairs? That explains everything. Our hero developed amnesia and hallucinated his entire life as a human while getting knocked unconscious by falling down the longest staircase in Equestria. The clothes were props in a play, and the "photos" are paintings of characters from a popular TV show called My Little Human.
How do I explain the cell phone, you ask? I won't have to when the battery dies! Muahaha!
NEEEEWWW
CHAAAAPTAAAARRR!!!
You have no idea how much I look forward to this story's updates!
1787085
Lucky.
Still intriguing, and much misadventures the had.
Awaiting further releases.
Miller the Killer. MILLER THE KILLER!!!
You actually have two stories featured at once right now, did you know? One of these days you're going to have to post seven new ones and update three old ones and see if you can claim the entire thing.
I'm also kind of eager to see this poker game happen. Even though I don't know much about poker.
Why do I get the feeling that Miller will end up as the accidental kingpin of the Canterlot Mob before all this is over? I'm also still hoping he'll run into Valiant.
MOAR!!!
1787599
Valiant has far too much bullshit luck for them to coexist. I feel like Valiant would topple the current syndicate and replace it with his own, completely by accident, within a day.
1787590 Really? Which ones?
1787994 Well, maybe not accidentally, but yeah
1788058 When I made that comment, both "Freedom" and "Miller" were featured.
Miller's got some major street cred there :D
Aagghhghg. so much batu and pakalolo
HA! Love that ending.
1787569 Heh, I do hope that the nickname Miller the Killer somehow becomes fannon
Miller the Killer, the bogeyman of the Underworld. A heartless murderer who likes to watch his victims bleed out, who eats meat and is rumoured to even have eaten cows! I do wonder how long it takes for Celestia to hear about this, and how long it will take her to send the guards after him!
1788247
Miller the Killer Cannibal.
Also amazing work author, keep goin and stay golden^^
Looks good to me, one or two spots feel a bit rougher than usual (Mainly the bit with alto and finding the stairs) but nothing worth getting upset over.
Phones are inductively charged via a magical field. A unicorn has to hold it in their telekinesis to charge it.
He he, eunuch horn.
If Duster ever gets on Millers case, Miller could just creep around making DusterMcDusterson think he is going to be eaten
I keep expecting this story to take a turn for the Really Grim and Dark and lose the humor. Please keep 'Not' meeting those expectations. In other news I'm really liking the story.
1788525
Miller Annable, the killer cannibal!
The chapters are great, but depressingly short.
Fingers. Akward
Minotaurs have fingers...
5680687 True, although maybe Vinyl doesn't have any minotaur friends.
Guy with the ultimate pony poker face playing poker? Naaah, I can't imagibe that going well at all.