Prelude

Suggested listening

"Vincent..." Octavia danced her way into the room, the morphine drip they had set in place giving everything a rather lazy hue. "How are you feeling...the doctor said you held off..."

"I'm sorry..." I said closing my eyes and drawing a deep breath, "For...well, everything," I rolled to look at her, my eyes half open from the haze, "I just...I told them to wait so...so I could say..."

She simply took a step forward, propping her head next to mine, "Vincent...I...I'd like to think I've lived a life of no regrets...and...if I didn't do this...I'd regret it." She leaned in nose to nose with me, "May I?" She was as unstable as her voice, trembling heavily and causing the bed to shake. She slowly leaned in, twisting her head to meet mine. Her lips closed in on mine, until, with a delicate movement, we met, a familiar song filled my head. Her tongue lolling out, running along my teeth, stopping at my canine, she moved herself with patience and a worried pace. My eyes transfixed on her face, her eyes closed tight with an expression of sadness and concern riding hard along her brow.

Eventually she broke off, winded and still wearing the un-doubtable look of concern on her face. She met me eye to eye, a moment of perfect clarity dawned between the two of us. For that one brief moment, we were together, we knew each other's thoughts, felt the shared pain between us, the heartache, the cough, two beings, momentarily tangled up in the moment, like a ball of yarn we were one,

"Don't you dare die...I won't allow it," She said trying to smirk, "Die and I'll kick you out of the band." She joked, tears streaming from her eyes, "Promise me," She sounded like a girl I used to know.

"I promise...I promise...." She broke down, leaning her head over mine and sobbing. I could see the doctor standing in the doorway, waiting for us to be done.

We stayed locked for a few moments longer, "I'll be here when you wake up...." She hurried out, the sound of hooves on tile echoing through the hall.

"Vincent..." The doctor stepped forward, "You ready?"

"...you heard her....and I did promise." I joked, preparing to face the possibilities.

He just gave a single sharp nod. Several ponies came in and started to wheel me down the hall and into the operating room. One set a mask over my face, "Vincent...count back from ten..." The doctor held up his hand, counting off for me, "Ten...nine...eight...sev-" He cut out abruptly.

I could feel myself drawing back, my mind breaking and falling apart. Every memory of my entire life passing like a movie reel. Fragments of my life, a slideshow of my rise and fall.

If this is it, I'm ready. Goodbye, and...I'm sorry. I could see it drawing closer, my very first days in the land getting close. What felt like years ago, only a few months, I've come so far...I started with nothing, yet I made it this far, just to have it ripped away....

~IVORY~