The evening sun shone brightly on the city of Canterlot, creating an orange canvas across the countless streets and buildings. The great ball of fire slowly lowering to make way for it's sister celestial object the moon to light up the night sky. People who had spent the day out slowly making their way to their homes while the nightclubs came to life. The forever moving cycle of the city.
Except for the Canterlot General Hospital that is.
It was in one of the many rooms of the all hour building that two young women were. One was in the hospital bed, while the other sat next to them on the edge, holding their hand in a way as if they were never letting go. The one in the bed had the brightest electric blue hair anyone had ever seen, and even though it was probably not allowed for a patient to do, she wore purple, round shades which seemed to hypnotise anyone who looked deep enough into them. She wore a typical hospital gown with a sheet covering her lower body, a small smile adorned her face but it seemed to barely hide an obvious boredom.
Vinyl Scratch. The Disc Jockey.
"-and that's why Neon isn't allowed to use the microwave anymore." The woman sitting at the edge of the bed giggled at her story, she looked to her friend in the bed hoping she'd drawn a response from her. She hadn't. The woman sighed, brushing a lock of her dark gray hair away. The woman wore a white shirt with a black blazer jacket on top, as well as some black skinny jeans, some simple black shoes and also a pink bowtie to complete the look. To the eyes of the unknown, she was a beautiful young woman. A petite figure and face, she would surely have a long line of suitors ready at her beck and call.
Octavia Melody. Master of the Cello and sadly, already taken.
Octavia saw that her story hadn't produced the response she was hoping for from the woman in the bed. This worried her, she'd been like this ever since she'd arrived; and a few times before when they found out she was- No. Do not say that word. But she couldn't ignore it any longer. She knew that it had been half a year since the news from the doctors, they told her that they estimated she only had six months until she...
She wiped away the growing tears at the edge of her eyes. She couldn't break down now, she needed to be strong for her. Show she can be strong for her in the real way.
"Okay, well how about another story? There was that one time with Bon Bon and Lyra. Something about getting stuck together..."
"Tavi," Vinyl spoke tiredly.
"Oh no wait! What about that one with Time Turner and Derpy?! She kept talking about a blue police box though."
"Octavia," Vinyl said with a bit more force in her voice.
"NO WAIT! I got it! Why not about that one time I had that weird dream about me being a succu-"
Vinyl had simply resigned herself and simply grabbed her by her arms. She'd noticed that she was getting a little crazy when her eyelid started to twitch and hairs were beginning to stick out. Kinda like when Twilight forgets to re-organise the Library Vinyl thought. That thought brought back old memories. Times when it was just her, Tavi and their friends against the world. Funny how life works out, ain't it?
Before Octavia could protest, she suddenly felt the familiar feeling of her partners lips against hers. The soft caress of Vinyl's lips and the mixing of their warm breaths seemed to work as Octavia's eyes fluttered closed. They were like that for a few good seconds more until they parted. While Octavia couldn't see the eyes of her lover under the deep purple of her glasses, she still felt the piercing gaze coming through them. Vinyl gave a deep sigh and gently wrapped her arms around the torso of her partner and brought her into a hug. The Cellist quickly returning the gesture. The blue haired DJ's pale fingers ran through her friends hair, combing out the knots that had become during her brief moment of insanity.
"I'm sorry," Octavia spoke in a near whisper. After all the frustration she had caused her partner, she wished the ground would swallow her up so she wouldn't bother her best friend anymore. Vinyl looked down at the woman in her arms, on how small she looked. She wished she didn't worry about her as much as she did, all because of this damn situation. She'd resigned herself to her fate when she found there was really nothing the doctors or modern medicine could do. She brushed a lock of her friends hair out of the way from her right eye, looking deep into the violet in them that used to always swirl her into a dreamland.
She was scared. Not for herself, but for her.
"You need to lighten up Tavi," Vinyl spoke. Being careful not to disturb the comfort of her lover in her arms. "With the way you've been acting, people might stop believing that I'm the crazy one in the relationship here." The DJ smiled when she saw her joke managed to make her girl giggle slightly and a small smile form on her face. But it was short lived as her face returned to the sad and frowned face she'd had since... well when they got the news about Vinyl's condition. "You've been like this for forever now. I mean seriously, what's the big deal?"
"...Six months and two days," Octavia spoke. Her voice sounding tired and broken. Vinyl was confused, what did those numbers have to do with anything? "That was how long ago when the doctors predicted your..." She couldn't bring herself to say those last words. Not a day went by when she wished she never had to use those words. Octavia wiggled slightly in the arms of her partner. "I know your trying to stay yourself, a feat I still don't know how you're doing in the situation were in. I just... feel like I'm dragging you down in my own misery. Your last days should be happy while I'm just..."
Tears began leak from Octavia's eyes as she pushed her head into her friends chest and began to sob quietly. Vinyl never letting go as she slowly rocked her heartbroken friend gently back and forth. As the river of tears finally came to an end, Vinyl lifted up Octavia's chin with one of her fingers. Never breaking eye contact she wiped away the trails on her face and gave a comforting kiss to her forehead. This worked as Octavia suddenly felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders and gave a warm smile to her partner. "You could never make me sad," Vinyl spoke with utter sincerity. "Some see you as some uppity, spoilt rich girl. But I know you, the real you."
Vinyl brought Octavia even closer as they touched foreheads. Then Vinyl began sing something from long ago.
"You'll live to dance another day.
Just now you'll have to dance, for the two of us.
So stop looking so damn depressed, sing with all your heart.
The queen is dead."
The song quickly ended, to quick to Octavia's ears. It had been too long since she had last heard her girl sing like that. She didn't realise how much she missed it until just now.
"What was that," Octavia asked. Looking up at the blue haired DJ.
"Just a song I heard a long time ago from an old friend," Vinyl spoke with a sense of remembrance and nostalgia. But that was quickly washed away as Vinyl tapped her friend. Octavia knew the message and got off Vinyl and stood away from the bed. She began to worry as she saw her friends face. It was the face she wore when she was either going to do something stupid or get really drunk. Mostly the latter. Vinyl quickly sat up and much to Octavia's surprise, flung off the bed sheets covering her and stood up. She pushed her arm underneath the bed and it seemed she was searching for something. Before Octavia could ask what it was she was searching for, she gave a small fist pump with her free hand and pulled out a small suitcase from underneath the bed. She quickly unzipped the thing and was pulling out what appeared to be her clothes. Octavia was going to question Vinyl on her antics until she suddenly got a hospital gown in the face.
"V-Vinyl!" Octavia barely managed to keep her voice to a minimum as she peeled off the gown from her face. She regretted doing that as she saw her love completely naked, her face turning to the same shade as a tomato.
"What? It's nothing you ain't seen before." Vinyl's voice was full of mirth as she pulled on some panties and then some skinny jeans. After that she clipped on a bra and lazily threw on a white t-shirt as well as a jacket. Her iconic purple shades of course already placed on her face. The DJ began to walk towards to the door until she was stopped.
"Vinyl, what are you doing? You know what the doctor said! You need to rest and-"
"And what eh? Wait for me to rot away in that damned bed? We both know what's going to happen to me Octavia. Why can't you just accept that?"
Vinyl immediately regretted her words as she saw Octavia look down and saw tears quickly forming in her eyes. Vinyl walked over to her friend and hugged her again for the second time the same night. "Look Tavi, I know your scared, but you gotta let me go. No one can live forever and unfortunately, life's a bitch. I'm tired of doctors and some distant relatives coming in and draining my blood. If this is my last night on Earth, then I don't want to spend it in some stuffy room."
She lifted up Octavia's head so her eyes met the others. "I want to spend it with you."
Octavia's face was unreadable as she seemed to mull over the options. But in reality, she had already made up her mind.
"Fine, we can go. But on one condition."
Vinyl looked to her lover. "Name it."
Octavia grew a small grin. "I get first choice on the bars."
Vinyl let out a laugh, a laugh she felt had been building up for a long time. "Whatever you say Octopussy."
The two lovers were out for hours. Hitting every bar, club and pretty much anywhere else they could go in South Canterlot. Drinking and dancing the night away. By the time they had finished dawns first light had been shining over the horizon. Octavia walked Vinyl to the steps of the hospital and offered to walk her up to her room. She was declined but was rewarded with a deep kiss for the thought. They went their separate ways after Octavia promising to come see her later, Vinyl simply nodding her head. They had one last hug before walking away from each other.
It was later that day that Octavia got a call from the hospital. Vinyl had gone asleep and wasn't waking up.
A small group of people sat in a dark bar somewhere in South Canterlot. A girl with cyan hair with a white streak in, another girl with pigment blue, hair with a rose pink streak in it, a man with dark gray hair and sunglasses and finally a miserable Cellist.
The funeral had been good. Music Vinyl had selected had been playing, many people willing to speak words about her and no disturbances. It had went perfectly. Except for the fact her best friend was dead.
"Y'know, it's funny really. I though outta all of us, I was the one who would kick the bucket first." Neon gave a dry chuckle. "I guess you proved me wrong again Vinyl."
"South Canterlot will never be the same again," Bon Bon spoke. "I'll be damned if anyone ever forgets her."
"Then I propose a toast then," Lyra said. She held her drink aloft. "To Vinyl! The greatest woman we have ever known!" Their glasses all clinked together and took a swig from their drinks. They only just realised now that Octavia hadn't said a single word since they ordered the drinks.
"Tavi, you okay?" Neon looked to his friend with caution, not knowing what her reaction could be.
Octavia didn't even know what to say herself. Cry? Scream? All seemed viable options until she remembered something her partner said.
"I know your scared, but you gotta let me go. Know one can live forever and unfortunately, life's a bitch. I'm tired of doctors and some distant relatives coming in and draining my blood. If this is my last night on Earth, then I don't want to spend it in some stuffy room."
Octavia's eyes began to shimmer lightly with tears but held them in as she remembered the words of her oldest friend.
"I want to spend it with you."
To the surprise of all her friends, she did something they never expected her to do. She began to sing.
"We live to dance another day.
It's just now we have to dance for one more of us.
So stop looking so damn depressed and sing with all our hearts.
Long live the queen."
Octavia didn't realise until the end but her friends had been singing with her, never truly leaving her alone. She gave a smile and raised her glass as they did to theirs.
"Long live the Queen!
Author's Note
My One Year Anniversary story for FimFic. This whole thing actually just started from the song. Then it grew into a story, then a gift and then a milestone.
It's been a long journey. Some parts good, some parts bad.
I doubt I'll ever leave FimFiction. And I'm sure as hell that I'll never forget the wonderful friends I've made in this place.
Thank you. All of you.
Link to the song 'Long Live the Queen' by Frank Turner.
