Octavia was practically foaming at the mouth.
“Frederick, I’ll. KILL. HIM!” She yelled, slamming her hooves into the elevator door. If somepony else had seen Octavia at the time, they probably would’ve asked if she had swallowed a torch. Of course, there was no pony in the elevator with her. The only response to her tirade was the repetitive ding of the elevator. The elevator music played along softly, seeming to mock Octavia current situation with its calm.
Deep breaths, Octavia. Calm thoughts.
Her mind wandered back to Vinyl, and her rage returned. Stay strong. For Vinyl. Her thoughts wrestled between calm and angry. She was angry at herself more than anything.
Octavia glanced at the meter above the buttons. Four more floors. Octavia now sat patiently, Three…*Ding* Two… *Ding* One. *Ding* Octavia shot out of the elevator like a rocket, careening near the front desk and startling the pony manning it.
“Please, call the hospital quick it’s Vinyl I-“Octavia sobbed dashing out the fronts doors. The receptionist although thoroughly confused, heeded Octavia’s instructions and dialed the hospital’s emergency number.
The night’s air was cool against fur, drastically contrasting with the burning hurt and rage she was feeling inside. Vinyl was still lying on the sidewalk, she hadn’t moved an inch. Octavia moved closer to Vinyl, huddling over her limp body while sweeping the shards of glass away with one hoof. The moonlight illuminated their figures giving Octavia perfect sight of the white unicorn. Up close, Vinyl didn’t look any better. The spot of impact was clearly visible on Vinyl’s skull.
“Stay with me Vinyl… please…” It may have been a figment of Octavia’s imagination or perhaps just the wind, but Octavia could’ve sworn she heard Vinyl mutter,
“I…you…Ta…v…” The sounds of paramedics now huddled around her quickly flooded over what chance there was for Octavia to have clearly heard Vinyl’s words.
~-~
Vinyl woke to a throbbing pain in her forehead. She tried to move her hooves and found she couldn’t muster the strength. A nurse noticing that she was awake rushed over to Vinyl’s bedside. The nurse fixed something above her head and out of Vinyl’s sight, speaking calmly to Vinyl while doing so.
“It’s alright sweetie, you just need to rest a bit okay?” Vinyl groaned at the headache that was forming,
“Where’s… Tavi…?”
“If you mean that nice mare that came here with you, she’s in the waiting room. No visitors for you right now.” Vinyl was far to tired to argue with the nurse so she simply nodded. Vinyl faded out into unconsciousness once more.
~-~
Octavia had been forced to stay in the waiting room while Vinyl was rushed into intensive care. The silence of the white tiled room forced Octavia to be alone with her thoughts. She had long since lost the ability to cry. There was only one thought revolving in her head that had been ever present since the moment of the accident. It was my fault. Everything that happens to Vinyl is a result of my carelessness.
In what felt like hours later, a grey unicorn stallion wearing a white doctor’s coat approached her. Octavia grew tense, fearful of what he might say.
“We finished our operations on Vinyl, and she’s in a fairly stable condition.” Octavia let out a sigh of relief.
The doctor continued, “She doesn’t look pretty right now, and nor is she conscious but we can let you stay with her tonight before we review her injuries in the morning.” Octavia nodded her consent, motioning for the doctor to lead her to Vinyl’s room.
Their hooves clacked along the white tiled floor of the hallway. Minutes later they reached the room that currently housed Vinyl. The stallion motioned her inside to the room. Moonlight was streaming through two windows positioned on the left side of the room. Vinyl’s bed was positioned sideways against the far wall, allowing light from the second window to be cast over her. Vinyl was clearly asleep by the steady rising and falling of her chest. A bandage was wrapped around her head, just above her horn. Octavia walked over to Vinyl’s side stroking her foreleg. The doctor, sensing she wanted to be alone, slowly backed out of the room,
“We’ll go over her injuries tomorrow once she’s awake.” He repeated just to make sure Octavia was aware of it. She nodded once again as he shut the door.
Octavia muttered as if to assure herself, “Everything’s going to be okay Vinyl.”
Octavia pulled up the armchair in the room next to Vinyl’s bed and curled up into it. Alone once again, she became the victim of her thoughts. I’ve put the only pony that cares about me in all of Equestria in a hospital bed… Octavia couldn’t get over the fact of that thought. Everything was because of her. Octavia took one last look at Vinyl sleeping form before shutting her eyes. The past day’s events catching up with her, driving exhaustion through her body, and she drifted off to sleep.
~-~
Octavia opened her eyes; she was in the hospital room still. However there was one major difference; Vinyl was awake. Octavia stumbled out of her seat, and stood next to Vinyl’s bed the heartbeat monitor beeping softly.
“Vinyl! You’re awake! I-“
“Stop it Tavi.” Vinyl snarled; Octavia took a step back.
Octavia replied, thoroughly hurt, “Vinyl?”
“I hate you Tavi. All of this is your fault. That’s what I was trying to tell you earlier on the sidewalk. I. Hate. You. What about this is so hard to understand?” Vinyl’s words were full of scorn. Octavia looked into Vinyl’s crimson eyes for some sign that she still cared for her. There was nothing, Vinyl’s eyes glared back at her with a hate that matched the words she had just spoken. Octavia began to cry, her tears streaking down her cheeks. She closed her eyes.
Octavia stammered, “I, I-”
Vinyl’s voice resonated through her ears, cold and unforgiving, “Goodbye Octavia.”
Octavia felt water welling up around her. She opened her eyes. Octavia was underwater in a fast-flowing river that was dragging her downstream. Fighting for control, her head broke the surface of the water. Upstream she could see a glowing mass of buildings that was fading was. Was that Canterlot? A tall building rushed her as she was pushed further downstream. She recognized it immediately. My apartment, Vinyl’s apartment, Our home.
She was dragged under the surface again; no amount of effort was bringing her back up. She could see a pony standing above the surface on the bank of the river. It was Vinyl. She tried to call out, but found that she couldn’t. Vinyl simply turned around, and walked off.
Octavia was dragged deeper in to the murky depths of the river. She couldn’t see the anything. It was pure black, nothing else was around her. Alone, I am completely and utterly alone. There is nothing left for me. Octavia simply floated in the black void.
~-~
Octavia jolted herself awake. It was just a dream. Please let it just have been a dream. She took a gander around the room, nothing had changed. Moonlight still filtered in through the window, growing fainter as it approached daybreak. Vinyl was still asleep; the heart-beat monitor continued its steady beeps. Octavia let out a sigh of relief. She never said those things. She wouldn’t say those things. Octavia lifted herself out of the chair and stood next to Vinyl’s bed. Octavia began to caress Vinyl’s mane,
“You’ll be home soon Vinyl…”