With All My Heart

by Serina

Flatline

Beep.

Beep.

Beep.

The machine connected to the pony in the hospital bed continued it’s constant beeping sound. The green lines on the heart monitor screen peaked then descended time after time. Octavia turned her head away from the screen and looked around the room. Over the bland, off-white walls colorful posters of bands and DJs had became the new wallpaper over the past few months. Balloons, fresh bouquets of flowers, and stuffed animals filled the left hand side of the room. Some were from loyal fans, but most of it was from friends. How many months had she spent in this room. Octavia shuffled her hooves against the cold white tile and looked towards the bed.

The mare in the bed laid there quite, not moving except for the small rise and fall of her chest. Her muzzle was covered with a plastic mask to regulate her breathing as the IVs helped regulate the fluids in her body. Her electric blue mane was brushed straight down to touch her shoulders. Although Octavia made sure to brush it every morning, she could never get it the way Vinyl liked it, but it was better than looking like she had a bed head every morning.

Octavia looked at the picture frame on the side table beside her. It was of Vinyl, herself and their friends. Lyra, Bon Bon, Derpy, and Carrot Top came to visit once a week. They always brought something with them. Usually Bon Bon brought Octavia goodies such as cookies or a small pastry as a snack while they all chatted. Octavia always gave them the latest news, most of the time there was nothing new to share. Except this last time was different.

It seemed like hours sitting there in the room with Vinyl. Today time seemed to pass by even slower. She heard the clack of hooves approach the room. A nurse knocked softly on the open door as she peaked around the corner. “Octavia, it’s almost time.”

Octavia looked at Vinyl and then at the nurse. She nodded slowly and got up from her chair. “Alright.”

Octavia followed the nurse down the hallway, her eyes to the ground. She thought back to how this had all started. The very beginning.

It was at a concert hall in Canterlot. All the fancy ponies had gathered to listen to an overpriced show her orchestra director had put together. She had just straightened her tie and set the cello in place when Octavia spotted her. How she stood out from the other ponies, her electric blue mane and to wear glasses indoors, the aristocrats would cringe at the thought. Octavia didn’t though. No, she had found her captivating. When she had played that night she could barely feel her bow in her hooves, her eyes were on that mare, the mare that stood out from the rest.

After the concert Octavia packed up her cello and was heading out the door when a figure caught her eyes. There was somepony waiting for her in the door frame. The mare she had been watching all night, had waited for her.

Octavia was panicked, that is, until the mare extended a hoof, a white rose was presented to her. “Vinyl.” She said. “My name is Vinyl.”

Their relationship had kicked off since that one evening. Turns out that Vinyl had been saving her bits to try and get into one of the fancy concert halls just to try and get to talk with her. It was cliche, especially the rose, but it was also romantic. Soon simple hangouts turned into dates and the past two years they had moved in together. During all of this Vinyl had introduced Octavia to her friends from Ponyville. She remembers being nearly suffocated to death with hugs, but it was it was a heartwarming memory.

She should have noticed something was wrong.

The morning she walked into their apartment to see Vinyl collapsed on the kitchen floor, her purple sun glasses shattered across the tile. Her world came crashing down that day. She called for an ambulance, soon red and white lights were outside. Two stallions loaded Vinyl into the back of the cart, Octavia climbing into the back with one of them as the other galloped towards the hospital. The stallion had attached an IV to Vinyls fore leg and had placed a mask over her muzzle. Octavia sat there brushing Vinyls mane, tears pouring down her cheeks.

As the cart slowed to a stop, the doors swung open. Two ponies quickly got Vinyl off of the cart and rushed her into the hospital. Octavia galloped after them only to be stopped by a large pony in a white coat.

Octavia tried to push the pony out of the way as she began to lose sight of Vinyl. “L-let me go! I n-need to be with h-her!”

The station held Octavia in place. “Madam, I’m going to have to ask you to stay in the waiting room and let the doctors do their jobs. Do you understand?”

Octavia looked down the hallway, Vinyl had disappeared into one of the rooms. She sniffled and nodded.

The stallion led Octavia to the waiting room where he offered her a tissue. “I assure, you, uh, miss…”

“Octavia.”

The stallion nodded. “Well, Miss Octavia, we will keep you updated on your friend’s condition when we learn of the details.”

Octavia nodded and blew her nose into the tissue. “Thank you.”

The stallion nodded and trotted out of the waiting room.

Octavia stared at the clock. One hour ticked by.

Two.

Three.

No word had come of Vinyl’s condition. She had gotten up to ask the nurses, but they just shook their heads saying they didn’t know anything yet. So she sat there waiting. Trying not to worry. Assuring herself everything would be fine. Why didn’t she admit the truth? Why didn’t she admit to herself that everything felt like it was not going to be okay?

Octavia began to pace around the room. A pony she hadn’t seen before approached her. “Octavia?”

She nearly jumped at the sound of her own name. “Yes?”

The nurse cleared her throat. “Come with me.”

Octavia trotted beside the pony. “How is Vinyl? Is she okay?”

The mare turned towards, her eyes weighed heavy on Octavia. “We tried our best to help Vinyl’s condition, but unfortunately it will take a while to correct. You see, Octavia, it’s her heart.”

Octavia's felt a pit grow in her stomach. “B-but she’ll be okay, right?”

The nurse sighed. “We can keep her alive for now, but there is no guarantee of the future if the procedures we’ve suggested don’t work.” She laid a hoof on Octavia's shoulder. “We’ll have to keep her asleep to prevent her heart from over working.”

Octavia felt herself began to shake. “A-asleep?”

The mare nodded. “Yes, she’s awake for now. She asked for you.”

Octavia nodded slowly and they continued down the hallway until the reached one of the last doors on the left side of the hallway. The nurse opened the door and nodded to Octavia.

Octavia trotted into the off-white room. Octavia could hear a soft beeping from the corner next to the hospital bed.

“Octavia?”

Her head turned to look Vinyl in the eyes. Her usual bright red eyes seemed glazed over, her spiky mane laid flat against her back.

Octavia trotted up beside the hospital bed and placed a hoof over Vinyl’s. “How are you doing?”

Vinyl smiled weakly and tightened her hoof around Octavia's. “I’m feeling just fine. I’m sorry, Octy.”

Octavia shook her head. “You have no reason to be.”

The DJ looked down and sniffled. “Y-yes I do. I didn’t tell you.”

Octavia shook her head. “I don’t understand, Vinyl.”

The mare looked up at Octavia with teary eyes. “M-my heart. I should have told you sooner.” Vinyl tried to sit up best she could. “Octy, I’m dying.”

Octavia felt fresh tears spill down her cheeks. “N-no! Don’t you dare say that. The d-doctors said that-”

Vinyl shook her head. “Octy, they said that when I was a filly too. They didn’t think I’d make it this long.”

The cellist shook her head. “You could s-still make it through.”

Vinyl turned her head to look at her mare friend, the mare whom she had spent so much time with. “No, Octy. Not this time. Please, don’t cry.”

Vinyl lifted her hoof to Octavia's cheek. It shook as it brushed away a tear. “Please?”

Octavia sniffled and rubbed her face with her foreleg. “A-alright.”

There was a soft tapping on the door. Octavia turned to see the nurse standing in the doorway. “She needs to rest, Ms. Octavia.”

The mare sniffled and held Vinyl’s hoof tight. “Alright.” She turned to her marefriend. “I’ll always be with you, okay?”

Vinyl nodded as she closed her eyes. “Wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Octavia let go of Vinyl’s hoof. She felt as if she was dragging herself to the door.

The nurse laid a hoof on her shoulder. “We’ll take good care of her.”

Octavia nodded and walked out the door. Her purple eyes looking to the tiled floor, she mumbled. “Probably better than I ever could…”

It seemed like the same hallway as the one leading to Vinyl’s room that day, but she knew this one was different. She wasn’t sure where she was going only that she was supposed to follow the nurse.

She was brought to a large door made of some kind of metal. The nurse tapped on the door and the door opened.

An older stallion was standing inside the door in a long white coat. “Good afternoon, Ms. Octavia. I’ve heard so much about you. Now, if you’ll come with me I’ll run you through the procedures. I know this must be terrible hard for you.”

Octavia looked back down the long hallway. She no longer could see Vinyl’s room, but the thought remained. The thought of how Vinyl would hate to know she would have to lie in a bed asleep while life continued around her.

She turned to the doctor. “It’s easier than you think.”

Octavia walked inside the room, and the metal door shut with a click.

Comments

[Shine]

Whaaaaat?

[Gems]

[NobleValor]

Well, I'm curious as to where this will go. There is one error though: 'terrible' should be 'terribly.' Not wanting to criticize your talent (because it is good), but I do my own proofreading and I can't turn it off. So if I offended you I apologize.