“For the last time Vinyl, I DID NOT have sex with that changeling!”
After an entire morning of being pestered, Octavia still has not given Vinyl a straight answer on who, why and how a broken, possibly starving changeling had ended up in her bed tied to bed poles.
Granted she hadn’t asked why it looks like he was lying on the floor at the mosh pit, but its early in the morning! The brain is still catching up to the facts, while the imagination hit the ground running.
“Seriously Octavia, why the heck is he here?” Vinyl asked, the absurdity of her previous questions forgotten as her face turned serious. “Why didn’t you bring the poor guy to the hospital, he looks like he’s ready to kick the bucket. I mean what if somepony saw you drag him in here like this?”
She darted over to the window and parted the curtain slightly with her hoof as she scanned the road. “No sign of Changeling Affairs, Twilight Sparkle…”
“He shouldn’t go to hospital.” Octavia said, with a small grunt as she leaned against the wall for support. “There is nothing to be worried about. No one saw him come in and he was alone and he probably has no idea where he was when we…” Octavia chose her next word carefully. “Met.”
“Then how did you get him in here without anyone noticing? I mean, the dude is the same size as you.”
Octavia did not reply, she turned toward the door with a wistful look in her eyes. Vinyl followed her gaze to an empty cello case leaned against the wall. Her eyes widened. “Tavi…” She said softly, “Did you stuff him into your cello case?” Unable to believe that her friend’s prized cello was no where in sight. She must have stuffed him in their pretty tight, but just leaving behind her cello for him...
Shaking her head in disbelief, Vinyl made her way to the front door. “There is something wrong here Tavi. You can’t lock him up in here with a dang good reason. I’m going to Twilight.”
“Please don’t.”
She pulled the door open. “I can’t hear you. There is a lotta bullcrap coming from somepony in this room.” Vinyl added, not even looking in Octavia’s direction.
“Please…it’s important.”
A small hitch in Octavia’s voice gave Vinyl pause. She was always so stoic. Vinyl was only able to get a rise out of her because she let it happen, even when they were kids. To hear her sound so weak, it almost broke Vinyl’s heart, let alone the fact that she gave up her cello for him.
Considering the fact it was a gift from the big guy back home, she must really have a good reason for this. She thought. With an exasperated huff, Vinyl hung her head already regretting the choice she was making. Jeez, is it even possible to say no that voice. “Alright Tavi, you win. I can’t say no when you look sadder than dog without a bone.” Tossing caution into the wind, Vinyl closed the door in caution’s face and hoped it would enjoy the company of Octavia’s common sense on the curb.
Octavia stared at her. Still having a hard time even processing the fact that she is willingly to go along with her. Vinyl was ready to risk so much, her career, her freedom…
Just because she asked her to trust her.
A small smile broke past the mask that she has worn for over a decade. Her eyes closed, basking in the rare bit of gratitude that Octavia has taken for granted for years.
“You are a true friend, Vinyl Scratch.”
A warm embrace was the only response. Octavia opened her eyes to a blue mane and a white neck as Vinyl hugged her tight. Octavia relaxed into the loving embrace. She could felt the throbbing pain of her broken ribs ebb away. Knowing it was the right thing to do, Octavia was just about to return the hug. Her leg was just a hair’s width away from Vinyl’s white coat.
“You know that your plot is mine if we end up in jail right?”
And there goes the moment.
Octavia reared her head back so fast that she felt she could add whiplash to her list of injuries. “Excuse me?”
“I need to show all those mares when we end up in the slammer who the new top pony is. Gotta protect my assets you know.” The cocky grin on her muzzle was all the motivation that Octavia needed to go and check on her guest. With a heavy sigh, she headed toward her room, feeling more self-conscious than usual.
Vinyl waited until Octavia left the room to stifle the chuckle in behind her grin. She is so straight, that it’s adorable. She thought her mind already at work at just what else she can say to get her uppity friend to relax a bit. She seemed pretty high strung about this.
Before she could finish an idea involving a riding crop and a visit with the Spa Twins, Octavia rushed past her and out the door before she could even ask what the problem was.
Huh, that can’t be good. Vinyl thought, she casually trotted to Octavia’s room to see what put a fire in her legs. Heck, she was acting like the changeling escaped, but the dude was practically a sack of muscle. What could possibly go wrong?
And with those words in her head, Vinyl strode into Octavia’s room and upon seeing the bed, cursed the universe with its cruel sense of humour.
Vinyl could only say one thing after looking at the open window and the empty bed.
“I am so going to wreck her plot in prison.”
----
Avis felt sweat pouring down his face, but it was nothing to worry about. It was simply a hot day. No, what he should really worry about is the way these ponies kept looking at him, and their incessant questions.
“Are you okay?” or “Do you need help?”
It was infuriating.
He is a member of solider caste! He will never need aid from the livestock like some gatherer hiding in their towns like a tick under a rabbit’s skin. He is a wolf. If he sees something he likes, he will seize it and no meddlesome pony can stop him. It is his right as a solider.
Avis could feel their eyes linger on him, there all planning something. They can see through his disguise and will finish him off the moment he lets his guard down. The thought was a reminder to keep up the façade of the bland earth pony.
That grey mare, its all her fault that he was even here isn’t? Finally found her after weeks of travelling, stowing away in train cars and moving only at night. She needed to pay for what happened in Canterlot.
Avis continued to feverishly rant to himself, cursing the mare that brought him here and the very society that she was a part of.
He failed to notice the buildings of the Ponyville slowly being replaced by trees and bushes. He felt his disguise weaken and crumble, leaving him bare to the world once more. The birds and animals fled at the sight of him, his hooves making a visible path through the grass beneath him.
“Wait.”
Avis stopped. That voice. It was the only thing he remembered after he blacked out in Manehatten. The smouldering fire in his heart blazed once more, he turned to face the source, his mouth in an open snarl as he bared his fangs. “Octavia Melody!” The name was a vile poison to him.
Unfazed, she met his piercing gaze with indifference, the slight breeze blowing through her mane. “You are in no shape to move. You need to rest.”
Avis scoffed at her words. Rest? He is a changeling solider. Rest is for the weak and frail waiting for the end. “I don’t need rest. The only thing I need is you, beaten and defeated by my own hooves.” He dug his hooves into the ground beneath him, “There will be no Love Burst to save you this time.”
He charged forward, his horn poised to stab Octavia straight through the heart. She stood her ground as he got closer and closer…
Smack!
His head jolted to the left, missing his target completely as he lost his balance and collided against the ground. Clumps of grass filled his mouth. He spat it out to glare at Octavia.
She never moved from her spot. Only difference was a single raised, ready to strike again. “I never needed to be saved from you.”
Avis rushed at her again.
Smack!
He could feel blades of grass poking at the exposed muscle under his broken carapace.
Octavia continued to speak, “I am a better fighter than you.”
As soon as Avis was back on his hooves, he was brought right back down onto the ground. Yet he continued to persevere, he kept trying to hit Octavia, and every time he was knocked back down to the earth. She just kept talking.
“Did you learn anything from our fight in Manehattan? You can’t beat me.”
Smack.
“You don’t even feel the pain anymore do you? Your broken shell is probably the only reason why you’re not a pile bruised tissue waiting to shrivel in the sun.
Smack.
“At least animals try to run when they know they can’t win. You are not even worth calling a mindless beast.”
Smack.
“Do you really think beating me will turn back time? That Equestria will surrender to you for beating a single mare in a childish brawl?”
Smack.
Tired of her constant taunting, Avis had enough. He roared, “You’re no warrior!” His ragged breathing filled the woods.
Octavia said nothing, waiting till Avis caught his breath. “That’s right, I’m not a warrior.” She backed away from him slowly. She showed him her left flank, exposing her clef note cutie mark to him. “I am a musician, an artist. So what kind of a warrior does that make you?”
Those words hammered into Avis’s heart, shattering it into pieces. With all the strength he could muster, he blindly ran at Octavia, he never noticed nor cared when she quickly turned around and pulled her legs back, ready to face his oncoming charge.
----
“So how is he Nurse Redheart?” Vinyl asked.
When Vinyl pounded down her door this afternoon about a medical emergency, Redheart was expecting some poor pony had an accident in the Everfree. There are so many cases of it that it is almost routine. She did expect to see an unconscious changeling on Octavia’s bed spread covered in numerous bruises and barely breathing.
“Let’s see…His carapace was too far gone. I had to remove every piece of it, or there would be a risk of the jagged edges cutting into the muscles, causing extreme irritation and possible long-term tissue damage. Speaking of the tissue, there are multiple contusions across his body, the one on his face is highly alarming and he is lucky there is no internal bleeding.” Redheart paused, as she made a quick peek up from her clipboard to check Vinyl’s reaction.
Vinyl met her gaze, lips pursed in a frown, but her eyes hidden behind her glasses.
Nurse Redheart continued “The patient is also suffering from an extreme withdrawal of both love and the necessary protein to rebuild the deteriorating muscle. It seems like he hasn’t eaten in roughly a week and there evidence of an unknown poison slowly being filtered out of his body.”
Vinyl’s face turned a few shades whiter, she whispered under her breathe, “Damn.”
“Is there anything you aren’t telling me, Ms. Scratch? The more you can tell me what has happened to him, the more we can help him.”
“W-Well,” Vinyl stuttered, “There was a timberwolf attack in Whitetail Woods and Octavia was saved by that guy there.”
Redheart double-checked her notes before saying anything to the mare in front of her. She was never really fond of doing house calls, and this one seems really suspicious. “I would highly recommend that he was brought to the hospital immediately-“
Vinyl waved off her concern with a hoof. “Yeah, we can’t do that. So we’ll keep him her with us. Me and Tavi have quite a bit of free time for the next little while so it’s all good.”
Nurse Redheart furrowed her brow. “That’s not what I mean Ms. Scratch. He needs serious medical help that just isn’t available here in Ponyville. Canterlot is better equipped to handle Changeling patients-“
“Nope. That’s the reason why I went to get you Redheart. I think he is on the run and last thing he needs is to be caught by the man. Besides, weren’t all medical professionals given a course in “Changeling Health and Hospitalization” after the incident at Canterlot Palace?
Swallowing the growl in her throat, Redheart said calmly, “A week of lectures and books does not make a pony an instant expert on the subject. He cannot-“
“He got hurt saving Octavia from a timberwolf attack in Whitetail Woods; we want to help him get back on his hooves. It’s the least we can do to show our appreciation.”
I have a really hard time believing that, it looks like he got beaten to a pulp instead of a vicious animal attack. Redheart thought to herself. Just before she could call out Vinyl’s obvious tall tale, Octavia called out to her.
“Nurse Redheart,” Grabbing her attention, Octavia stood up from her seat on the couch and made her way to the Nurse. “I know this seems extremely unorthodox but, you should have seen him he was conscious. He…he was not okay. Something terrible happened to him and it affected his health greatly as you can see.” Octavia paused before continuing, but there was something off with her tone. “I want to help him get back on his feet, what happened in the woods…was my fault.”
Now Nurse Redheart did not have an ear to the grapevine per say, but hearing Octavia actually talk was new one for her. But here she is sticking up for a changeling that saved her in Whitetail Woods.
“Please,” Octavia pleaded. “Let us look after him.” In her years as a nurse, Redheart has learned to see signs of a pony's attitude; it gave her an idea of just what she was just about to get into. Now as Octavia said these words, Nurse Redheart could see her determination, even with her wrapped ribs she stood her ground. But in her eyes, Redheart could only see one thing.
Guilt. Over what, she could not say, but if a pony feels guilty about causing harm to another, then they could be trusted to do the right thing.
Choosing to ignore everything she has learned in medical school, Redheart said, "Okay, I won’t have him moved to Canterlot.”
Both Octavia and Vinyl sighed in relief. The former more than the latter.
“But, that means I will be stopping by every day to check on the patient and both of you will need to know how to help him in case of an emergency?”
“Understood.” Octavia said.
“Okay then.” Nurse Redheart packed p her tools and supplies. “He is stable for now and starting tomorrow I will bring over some artificial affection to help him heal. Now you two have a good night and if anything happens come and get me immediately, understood?”
Vinyl chipped in, “Crystal clear!”
If you feel yourself becoming emotional, focus on your notes and imagine your reading a term paper back in college. You have to desensitise yourself a bit if you are going to work in a hospital. Redheart has never been so happy that she took Doctor Horse’s words to heart, now she just wants to curl up on the couch with box of chocolates and a good book and worry about this tomorrow.