Octavius the Britbong, Part 3 [Octavius, Vinyl Scratch]

>Half an hour later, your taxi pulls up at the hospital where Vinyl was taken
>Climbing out of the black and yellow rickshaw, you pass a small bag of bits to the driver
"Cheers, mate. Have a good one."
>The buff stallion slips the bag into his jacket, patting it down once in place
>"You too, pal," he answers, galloping off soon after
>Turning back to the hospital, you trot up to the front door of the emergency department
>Moving through the crowd of unwell ponies, you make your way to the admin desk
>The pegasus stallion behind the desk looks up from his pile of papers, giving you a cold, stern gaze
"'Scuse me, mate. Was wonderin' if I could visit a patient. She just got admitted, I think."
>The clerk blinks slowly in response, unflinching
>"Patient's name," he finally asks, his tone dry and grating
"Uh, Vinyl. Vinyl Scratch. Blue mane, white coat...?"
>"Hmm..." The pony behind the desk looks down at the papers to his right, quickly scanning over them. "Yes, yes... Miss Scratch was admitted ten minutes ago," he drones
>You breathe a sigh of relief, happy that she made it to hospital safely
"So, mind if I take a butche-"
>You catch yourself again, realising just how terrible that would sound to an untrained ear in this context
"I mean, can I take a look at 'er?"
>Almost robotically, the stallion's eyes look back towards you. "Name."
"Octavius Treble."

>The clerk scoffs as your name reaches his ears, cracking his emotionless facade
>"The famous cellist? Riiiight. And I'm Princess Celestia." Sharply, he snorts once before resuming his stoic act. "Your -real- name, sir."
"Octavius Treble, you bloody wazzock."
>Grumbling, you reach into your bags, pulling out an ID card before slapping it down on the counter
>The pegasus's cautious eyes wander down to look upon it, rising again to meet yours a second later
>"Clearly fake," he asserts in his usual monotone
>Suddenly, something inside of you snaps
>Quickly checking to make sure no other staff members are watching, you throw your hoof forward, looping it under the clerk's collar before pulling his face back towards yours
"Listen here, y'little shit."
>You glare daggers into his soul as you lower your voice to a muffled growl
"Me mate's in there right now. She needs t'see me. So you bloody well tell her Octavius fuckin' Treble is in the building, or I swear on me mum I will hook you in the gabber so fuckin' hard you'll be pickin' y'teeth outta y'brains for a week."
>Twisting your hoof, you apply a bit of extra pressure to the pegasus's throat for emphasis.
"We clear, cunt?"
>Terrified, the pony at your mercy nods frantically. "Crystal," he wheezes, barely above a whisper
"Brill."
>Calming down, you release the clerk from his grip just in time to avoid getting caught by a passing orderly
>Immediately, the stallion-handled pegasus sets about his work, summoning a nurse to check on Vinyl and relay the message to her
>As he does so, you turn around, finding yourself a spare seat between a mare with a cracked horn and a stallion nursing a broken wing

>After a minute of sitting in silence, you feel something tap your right shoulder
>"Excuse me," the violet, broken-horned unicorn says as you turn to her, her voice barely above a whisper. "Are... um... That is... You're..."
>Unable to look you in the eyes, she stares at the floor, fidgeting with her hooves as she mumbles incoherently
"Wuzzat, mate?"
>"Are you... really Octavius," she asks, her eyes gleaming with barely-repressed excitement. "THE Octavius?"
>Smiling at the mare, you nod once in her direction
"Yeah, that's me."
>Squeeing, she almost bounces in place as her fractured horn lights up
>Her magic, shaky and unsteady as it seems, manages to float a pen and pad into the air
>"You know," she says, her head turned away as she peers at you from the corner of her eye, "your voice is a bit different to what I was expecting."
>Nervously, she casts a glance towards the still-shaken pony at the reception desk
>"No offense, of course," she adds, forcing a meek laugh. "It's just, well..."
"I get that heaps, mate. Don't worry."

>The unicorn breathes a sigh of relief in response, bringing the pen and pad from before in front of you
>She looks up into your eyes, her face full of hope. "Can I...?"
>Figuring that it'll be a few minutes until you'll be able to see Vinyl, you decide there's no harm in killing a little time with a fan
>Shrugging, you raise a hoof to grab hold of the pad, bringing it back against your chest
"Sure. So, what's y'name?"
>"Astral," she answers, grinning broadly as you reach out for the pen
>Just as your hoof is about to make contact, however, a rogue spark from your fan's horn sends it rocketing upwards at an incredible speed
>Your jaw hangs limp as you look up to find the pen buried halfway into the tiled concrete ceiling
"Bloody hell...!"
>Your empty hoof shakes in front of you as your eyes dart back and forth between the pen above and the increasingly upset face of the mare to your side
>"I'm sorry," she whimpers, on the verge of tears. "I... I didn't mean...!" Defensively, she curls up, avoiding your gaze. "Please don't..."
>Taking a deep breath to calm yourself, you place a hoof on her shoulder to reassure her
>She flinches initially, though her muscles relax soon after as she realises you don't mean her any harm
"It's alright, mate. Your horn's a bit wonky, I get you."
>You take another look at the pen for a second, glad that it didn't punch a hole through either of your cello-playing hooves
>Or the anatomy of any other unfortunate ponies in the room, for that matter
"Still... prob'ly a good thing y'gettin' that looked at, uh... Astral, was it?"
>"Y-yeah..." Nervously, her eyes shift away from you as they lock onto something in the distance
>An awkward silence emerges between the two of you soon after

>It lasts for a full minute before Astral manages to gather the courage to break it
>"So," she asks, her voice shaky, "can I ask what you're here for?"
>You scratch your chin, thinking back over the events of the last hour
"Well, I'm not sick m'self. I'm here to see me mate. She bloody well nearly carked it earlier."
>"I'm sorry, but... 'carked' it?" Quizzically, the unicorn looks back towards you, uncertain of your meaning
"She had an allergic reaction. Nasty one too, mind. Nearly died, she did."
>You shudder as you recall the moment Vinyl keeled over in the tavern, gasping desperately for air on the way down
>"That sounds horrible... Is she okay now?"
"I reckon so, yeah. Hopefully."
>"Octavius Treble," an orderly calls at that moment, looking in your general direction. "You can come through now."
>Sighing deeply, you put the notepad down before forcing yourself to your hooves
"But I guess we're about to find out, aren't we?"
>As you're about to leave, though, you take a final look up at the ceiling, finding the pen still firmly stuck up there
"Oh, right. The autograph... Hold on."
>You grab the notepad again before trotting forward towards the staff member
"'Scuse, mind if I nick a biro off you for a tick?"
>The orderly tilts his head at you. "Do a what-now?"
"A biro? Or a felt-tip pen, or a pencil... Anythin' works, really, so long as it writes."
>"Oh," he replies, grabbing the pen from the clipboard held in his wing. "Will a ballpoint do?"
>Grabbing the pen in your teeth, you shoot the orderly a smile
"Cheers."

===

>A few minutes and one hastily-penned autograph later, you find yourself being led through a long hallway
>Taking a left after the door labelled 'CT Scanner', you emerge into yet another hall
>This one, however, is flanked by plain green curtains in lieu of doors
>The nurse escorting you pauses at the fifth curtain on the left, pulling it aside just enough to poke her head through
>"Miss Scratch," she says, tapping on the doorframe with her hoof, "you have a visitor."
>Taking this as your cue, you step forward
>Pulling the curtain open completely, you reveal yourself to your blue-maned friend in her bed
>Though her expression seems bleary at first, her face immediately lights up as her eyes meet yours. "'Tavius!"
"Vinyl!"
>Trotting up to the mare's bedside, you quickly look her over
"You right, mate?"
>"Yeah, dude," she answers, pulling her right hoof from beneath the covers to wave it dismissively at you. "I'm fine. Don't worry."
>Breathing a huge sigh of relief, you lean on the edge of her bed frame
"Glad to hear it."
>"I'll leave you two alone," the nurse says, giving the slightest hint of a sly smile as she draws the curtain closed
>As you hear the nurse's hoofsteps fade into the distance, you hang your head
"Vinyl... I'm sorry."
>"Dude, what are you sorry for," she asks, confused. "You saved my life!"
"Yeah, but..."

>You shake your head slowly as you continue to focus on some indeterminate speck below
"That was only after I almost bloody well killed you in the first place, y'pillock!"
>"You? Killing me?" Your friend scoffs at your suggestion. "I was the one who asked for some of what you were having to begin with, dumbass!"
>You rear back to look at your friend, your brow furrowed
"But I should've told you what was in it!"
>"And I should've asked," Vinyl shouts back, emphatically holding up her foreleg to show a bright red band bearing the hospital's logo around her wrist. "My health, my responsibility, dude! I'm the one who screwed up."
>Though you open your mouth to sound out another retort, the words fail to materialise
>Instead, you opt to purse your lips as you shift your eyes away once more
>After a few seconds, you feel the words come to you
"I... I'm just worried about you, mate."
>You scrunch your face as you feel something warm and wet starting to roll down your cheek
"I know we don't hang out much these days, but..."
>You turn your head away, closing your eyes
"...you're me best mate. No clue what I'd do if you... you..."
>"Dude," Vinyl says, her tone now lacking the harshness from before, "c'mere a minute."
>Wiping your face quickly with your hoof in the hopes Vinyl won't notice, you return to her bedside
>"Closer."
>You oblige, leaning over your friend as you do so

>Immediately, a pair of marshmallow white hooves wrap around your neck, drawing your muzzle into Vinyl's shoulder
>"It's okay, 'Tavius," she assures you, squeezing you tightly against her. "I'm... sorry for making you worry."
>You relax as her voice reaches your ears, awkwardly returning the hug by laying a hoof on her side
"It's alright, mate."
>After roughly half a minute, you feel Vinyl's grip loosen, allowing you to break the embrace
"Thanks..."
>Letting loose a held breath, you look down at your friend's face
"I needed that."
>Her bright magenta eyes peer back into yours as she cracks a grin. "It's cool."
>As you look at her, though, you notice something amiss
"Uh, Vinyl?"
>Vinyl raises an eyebrow at you, curious. "What's wrong?"
"Y'know if there are any wet wipes around here, or somethin'?"
>"Yeah," she answers, pointing past your shoulder. "There's some on the shelf. But... why?"

>You pull away from her bedside and trot over to the shelf, grabbing a wipe from the box
"It's just, well, y'makeup looks like a dog's breakfast right now."
>"O-oh, right," she answers, her face reddening slightly. "Yeah, almost forgot about that."
>She chuckles quietly to herself as you approach, rag in hoof
"So, uh... Y'mind if I just...?"
>You hold the cloth near Vinyl's face hesitantly as you gauge her reaction
>It floats away from your grip soon after as it's ensconced by a bright blue glow. "I got it, dude."
"Righto, then."
>Your friend dabs her face with the cloth before rubbing it against her cheeks and lips with vigour
>Closing her eyes, she then folds the wipe over in midair before starting on cleaning up her brows and eyelids
>This continues for another minute before she floats the rag away, resting it on the bedside
>"So," she asks, looking up towards you, "How do I look, 'Tavius?"
"You look beautiful."
>"What?"
"Uh..."

>You gulp hard, heat flooding your face as you realise what you just said
"I said y'look fine, mate."
>Squinting, you make a show of carefully examining Vinyl's face for any imperfections
"Didn't miss any spots, don't think. Nope. You're right."
>"That... that's what I thought you said," she answers, smiling nervously
"Too right."
>Unsure of what to say, an awkward silence ensues
>The both of you look around the room idly in an effort to avoid eye contact
>Eventually, though, a thought crosses your mind
"Vinyl?"
>"Yeah, 'Tavius?"
"Any idea how long you'll be here?"
>"Probably just another hour or so, I figure," Vinyl says, finally looking back up towards you. "If it's anything like last time, they'll send me home with another EponyPen if I'm stable."
"Ah. Righto, then. So..."
>You scan the walls, finding a clock hanging in the corner
"...you should be out of here by, what, ten bong? Twenty bing past?"
>"Sounds about right," Vinyl answers, snickering under her breath. "Bing bong..."
"You what, mate?"
>Vinyl sighs, a goofy smile plastered across her face. "I'm sorry, dude," she apologises, shaking her head. "It's just... The way you say the time is never going to stop being funny to me."
>You roll your eyes, irritated
"What's so funny? It's just how I say the time. There are plenty of things you Manehattaners say that sound bloody daft to my ears."
>"Oh?" Vinyl raises an eyebrow at you, leaning on her bedrail. "Such as?"
"Two words, mate. Fanny pack."
>"What's so funny about fanny pack?" Your friend seems genuinely curious about this. "It's just a kind of saddlebag that goes around past your fanny."

>You purse your lips tightly in an effort to suppress an outburst
>"What? All I did was say fanny!"
>With that, your efforts are rendered futile as a chain of very un-stallion-like giggles makes its escape
"Do you have any feckin' idea what that word means back in Trottingham?"
>Vinyl shrugs as she considers your question. "Doesn't it just mean, you know... butt? Like here? That's not that funny, dude."
>Smirking, you lean in, whispering the Trottingham definition of fanny into her ear
>Immediately, Vinyl's face turns a bright crimson. "Ohhh..."
"Yep."
>You pull back, giving your friend some space
"And now you understand why I laugh every time I see some bloke goin' on about how badly he wants a fanny pack."
>"Yeah, dude," she answers, now giggling alongside you. "I get it."
"Brill. Oh, by the by."
>"Hm?"
"Did I tell you about what happened out in the waitin' room earlier?"
>"No," Vinyl replies, "pretty sure you didn't. What happened?"
"Right. Well, it's funny. There was this bird with a buggered-up horn sittin' next to me, and it turned out she was a fan."
>"Ooh?" Your friend gives you a coy look. "Was she cute?"
"Er... she was alright, I guess."
>You shrug, looking away for a moment
"I've seen cuter."
>"Ah, gotcha. So," Vinyl asks, leaning on her bed's side rail, "what happened? She try to make a move on you, dude?"
"Nah, mate, she just wanted an autograph. But you wouldn't believe what happened when she went to fetch some paper and a biro..."