//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13 
// Story: Vinyl and Octavia: University Days 
// by DawnFade 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 13



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Dreamless.

As Vinyl emerged from the depths of sleep, that one fact remained at the front of her mind.

She had a dreamless night, and she knew why. For the last couple of weeks, every night had been plagued with the same nocturnal hallucinations: treble clefs amongst darkness… and a pony by her side.

A grey one, specifically, of the earth pony variety.

But last night she had slept peacefully, and it was with a big smile that she reached out to hug the reason why. When her hooves grasped nothing but disturbed sheets, the DJ’s eyes shot open, revealing the empty space beside her.

Her heart jumped, and for a moment she felt an indescribable sadness begin to weigh down on her as the events of the previous night were suddenly called into question. “No,” she whispered, eyes watering, “Not again, please…”

The door to the bathroom opened, unleashing a small wave of steam that rolled across the floor. Octavia stepped through it, her mane slicked to her glistening coat. She hummed softly, completely unaware of the red eyes watching from one of the beds.

That is, until the pony they belonged to dove across the room in a single leap and tackled her.

Octavia suddenly had to deal with a very happy unicorn lying on top of her. Vinyl didn’t care that her coat was also getting quite wet from hugging the freshly-showered mare, or that lying on the floor was probably taking away the very thing her friend had just spent a while attaining. All she cared about in that moment was knowing that Octavia was real, that the night she remembered had actually happened, that her wish had been granted.

The cellist didn’t know all of this, so she was in quite a bewildered state when Vinyl drew back slightly to see her face. “I suppose I can expect this kind of greeting every day?” she said half-seriously.

Chuckling awkwardly, the DJ had finally woken up entirely and realised what she was doing. “Heh, sorry. I sorta… panicked when you weren’t there.” It sounded so stupid to her ears now that she was thinking clearly, but Octavia didn’t seem to think so.

She pulled Vinyl down and kissed her deeply, hoping to assuage the white pony’s fears in a way that words couldn’t hope to emulate. It worked. Vinyl sighed into the kiss, her body relaxing almost immediately. They remained that way for a good few seconds, but as always it came to an end too soon. This time, however, it was for a very good reason.

Octavia pulled her lips away, cursing the heat upon her cheeks. “Um, Vinyl, not to be rude or anything, but perhaps you should brush your teeth first?”

“Oh! Yeah, right, sorry!” Vinyl said, wondering if it was possible to explode from sheer embarrassment.

What was I thinking? I’m not a movie star! I’m gross in the morning like everypony else!

She untangled her legs and stumble-tripped her way into the bathroom. As she quickly set to work brushing, she watched Octavia get up and adjust her mane. Then, to her unspoken internal glee, she watched the cellist cast a very questionable look her way. For a moment, she considered trying to say “Like what you see?” around a mouthful of toothpaste, but thought better of it. She’d embarrassed herself enough for one morning.

Once finished, she bounded out the doorway with a huge grin. “Now, where were we?” Octavia had wandered over to Vinyl’s bed and was in the process of pulling one of the blankets off. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“Reclaiming my blanket. If somepony saw my bed like that, I’d be ashamed.”

Her enthusiasm fading, Vinyl pawed at the ground with her left forehoof. “So… you’re sleeping in your bed tonight?”

“Is that a problem?” Octavia frowned and stopped to look at the DJ.

“No… not really… But, uh, I was sorta thinking we could, uh…” she trailed off, looking everywhere but at the other mare.

“Sleep together?” asked Octavia quietly.

Vinyl nodded, but upon seeing the blush in her roommate’s cheeks, she quickly clarified. “I mean, just sleep! I didn’t mean, uh, anything else. U-unless you want that. But if you don’t, that’s fine! I only meant sleep.” The situation was slipping out of her hooves now that that topic had been awoken. She couldn’t help but wonder why her impressive social skills had recently begun to desert her in times of need.

“Um, perhaps we should discuss this tonight. It’s a little early in the day to be talking about… about this stuff.” Listening to her cellist, Vinyl experienced a brief moment of relief as she realised that she was not the only one who was feeling a little uncomfortable. Octavia bit her lip. “That being said… I did enjoy waking up next to you.” She smiled at the memory. “You kept squeezing me and grinning in your sleep. It took half an hour to escape your hooves.”

The DJ chuckled and shrugged, not the least bit surprised. “I’d probably have done that whether I was asleep or not,” she admitted.

Giggling, Octavia left the blanket where it was, to be dealt with later. She wandered over to Vinyl and planted a tentative kiss on her cheek. “So, breakfast?”

Resisting the urge to smother the cellist’s muzzle with kisses, Vinyl grinned. “Starving.”


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As midday approached and breakfast became a memory, Vinyl had been forced to grudgingly excuse herself in order to attend her drawing class. Octavia had offered her services as a model again, but the class had apparently moved on to different subjects. That hadn’t stopped the unicorn from slyly suggesting she might take her up the offer later tonight, which left the cellist a blushing wreck long after the conversation had ended.

Octavia tried to suppress her unrestrainable smile. Her cheeks ached and she was certain she looked like a complete fool, but there was no stopping it. As she wandered across the grassy court in the middle of the campus, she felt a happiness like no other flood every fibre of her being.

It was as if the universe had finally decided to go easy on her for once. After the years of loneliness in high school and the constant overwatch of her mother, she had reached the end of the tunnel, and the light was so bright. No longer would there be a little thought in the back of her mind that said you’re alone, Octavia when it was late at night. No longer would she cry herself to sleep at the thought of sitting by herself at lunchtime.

It was over.

And it had just begun.

She soon realised she was approaching the same building Psych worked in. Deciding that she agreed with her subconscious mind, the grey mare stepped inside and approached the receptionist. Psych had helped her past the barriers her mind had constructed, and was every bit as responsible for her happiness as Vinyl was. Well, maybe slightly less responsible, but he played a part nonetheless, and she wanted to make sure he knew what it meant to her.

“Hello again, Miss Octavia! How may I help you?” the reception pony asked cheerfully.

“Hello, I was wondering if Psych is available.”

“He most certainly is! Just head on up and I’ll call him to let him know you’re coming!” The mare grinned, baring her perfect teeth.

“T-thank you.” Octavia quickly escaped her rather unsettling gaze and made a beeline for the tutor’s office.

Just like before, the office workers stepped out of her way politely. She internally wondered why it was so off-putting. Yes, students were supposed to give way to teachers and workers out of respect for some unspoken social hierarchy, but maybe Manehattan University was a progressive institute that sought to abolish such behaviour. Perhaps the staff were merely doing their part to uphold a core belief or code established by the faculty; ‘making way’ for the younger, innovative ponies?

Octavia suddenly became aware she had been staring at the door to Psych’s office for slightly longer than was socially acceptable, and was holding up traffic in the hallway. Though from one glance at the waiting ponies, she could almost believe that they had all the time in the world. Not one of them made a move to hurry her up.

Mumbling an embarrassed apology, the cellist pushed through the door and closed it behind her. The frizzy-maned stallion waiting for her waved cheerfully.

“Hey Octavia! I’m glad you’re here. Sorta. If you have any problems, then I’m not glad you’re here. I mean, I’m glad you chose me to help with those problems. But I’m glad if you… don’t have… problems?” He frowned, then made a circular motion with his hoof as if winding back a clock. “Hey Octavia!” he repeated, this time not adding to it.

“Hello, Psych,” she replied. It felt odd calling a teacher by their name, but she pushed past it. There were more important things to talk about.

As she took the seat on the opposite side of his desk, he busied himself pulling out her file once more. “So, what can I help you with?” His expression was odd, caught between his default energetic mode and the serious, unflinching psychologist who had listened to a hundred sob stories.

“Thankfully, nothing.” She smiled, which collapsed him into the former state. “I did exactly what you said.” It all came rushing back, and she tried to tell the story as fast as it crossed her mind. “I went back to Vinyl and hugged her and she asked me if it meant what she thought it meant and I asked her what she thought it meant even though I already knew and she started to say ‘you like me’, but she took too long and I was so excited so I just said ‘I like you’ and she said ‘like like?’ and I said ‘like like’ and then we kissed properly and it was amazing!” She bounced in her seat a little, wearing a grin that stretched ear to ear. She didn’t even care how silly she looked.

“That’s fantastic news! I’m so happy for both of you!” Psych chuckled. “I’m always paranoid that I’ve given bad advice, so it’s good to see it turned out well.”

“On the contrary, your advice was perfect. That’s actually why I’m here. I…” She took deep breath. “I’m happier than I have ever been in my entire life.” It was a fact that brought mixed emotions. On one hoof, she had all those miserable memories. But on the other hoof, they were gone, never to return. “You helped me get here, Psych. “

She slid off her chair and walked around the desk. The stallion looked a little uncomfortable for a moment, but relaxed when she hugged him, and hesitantly returned it.

No doubt Vinyl would probably think hugging a teacher is about as lame as it gets, yet not even the thought of the DJ’s voice-cracking laughter could ruin her good mood.

“Thank you,” she whispered, pulling back and dropping onto all fours once more. To her surprise, she thought she saw a sparkling tear in the stallion’s eyes, but he blinked and it was gone.

“Only doing my job, nothing more,” he said with a warm smile. When Octavia returned to her chair, his mirth slipped away. “So… I don’t suppose you’ve heard from…”

“My mother?” She shook her head. “No, but I’m not going to count the days until she calls.”

“I’m glad to hear that. With any luck, you’ll be able to get to Hearths Warming Eve without hearing from her.”

“Somehow I doubt that… but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.” The cellist nodded resolutely. Her mother was bad enough face to face, she didn’t need the very thought of her ruining everything.

“I can definitely see the change in attitude, and I love it!” Psych laughed and clapped his hooves together. “You must like being with Vinyl a lot if you can change your thought processes so quickly.”

Octavia reddened but nodded. “I do. I feel so normal when I’m around her.” Her eyes widened. “Not that she’s abnormal or anything! I just mean that… well, I don’t feel like an outcast. She accepts me for who I am without a second thought. It’s such a nice feeling being with somepony who knows me, truly knows me, not just a group of ponies who have been forced to work with me by teachers who think they’re helping.” Psych coughed. “I remember watching all the other ponies in high school, with all their stupid groups and styles, and I used to think that if I wanted to, I could change myself enough that I would fit into one of those groups. But I never did.”

“You didn’t want to compromise what little individuality you had left,” the stallion said in understanding.

Octavia nodded again. “Yes, exactly. I resigned myself to loneliness instead of giving up who I was. But with Vinyl, I can have both. I can be myself and have somepony who cares about me. It’s quite literally a dream come true.”

“I’m proud of you, Octavia. Your file here has listed some awful things that your mother made you share, things that only you should have the right to know. Yet even after how she’s treated you, you’ve still managed to keep yourself together. I’ve seen kids break down after far less than what you’ve experienced, yet here you are, happy. It’s… admirable.”

After a long moment, Psych shook his head violently and blinked a few times. “Wow, I think that’s the most serious I’ve ever been.” He chuckled. “You’re going to ruin my reputation, at this rate.”

“My apologies,” the cellist laughed. “And thank you, for what you said.” She dropped off the chair once again, stretching her hooves. “Now, I had better get going before we get trapped in a loop of mutual admiration.”

“A wise decision, those things are never fun.”

With a final wave, Octavia left the office and made her way back through the building. The receptionist threw a plastic smile her way, which she nervously returned. Once outside in the cool air, she found herself wandering a path not often taken. It led down a slope into a less-populated area of the campus, where a series of little alcoves hid the entrances to multiple storage and maintenance rooms.

For no reason other than lack of having anything else to do (in addition to having her ‘playful curiosity’ levels dramatically increased from time spent with Vinyl), she walked down the path until something caught her interest. A voice was echoing out of an alcove further down, and it sounded strained.

Octavia slowed her movement, trying to remain silent as the hidden pony’s one-sided conversation became audible.

“No, please don’t hang up…” sniffed a familiar mare.

Lyra? What’s she doing down here?

“Please, Bon, just listen to me. I swear I’m different now.”

The cellist’s eyes widened and she retreated as quickly as she could, trying to balance speed with silence. That conversation was not for her ears.

Vinyl’s privacy was the only one she ever allowed herself to breach, and even then she didn’t really do anything bad. The DJ’s phone didn’t have anything even remotely embarrassing or personal.

At the top of the slope, just before entering back into the huge court, Octavia heard hoofsteps behind her. Trying to look as casual as possible, she stood next to the wall and scratched her chin as if deep in thought.

Lyra soon appeared at the bottom of the slope, aggressively scrubbing at her eyes as she trotted upwards. When she reached the top, rather than looking in the hundreds of other possible directions, the mint-green unicorn looked straight at Octavia.

“Uh, what are you doing here?” she asked. Her eyes were still a little red from crying, and the grey mare couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for her.

“I’m simply pondering the mysteries of life.” She scratched her chin extra hard to illustrate her point.

“Near the maintenance sheds?”

“…Yes.” Octavia dropped her hoof to the ground and quickly put a concerned look on. “Oh my, Lyra are you alright?”

The green mare scowled at her. “I’m fine. I just… I’m fine.” She tried to walk away but Octavia fell into line beside her.

“Have you considered what I said the last time we spoke?” The cellist prodded.

“Yeah… I might have.”

“And?”

Lyra stopped walking, looking around to make sure nopony was close by. “Look, I know you’re just trying to help for whatever reason, but you don’t wanna be my friend, okay? Trust me, you’ll be better off.”

Octavia couldn’t help but wonder if the other mare was angry at herself rather than any particular pony. “What makes you say that?”

“Just leave me alone, okay? I’m trying to save the friends I still have left, I don’t need another one to worry about.” She set off once more, and this time she went alone.

Standing in the middle of the court, watching the confused unicorn go, Octavia felt guilt rise in the aft of her mind. Here she was, basking in her own joy, when other ponies were still dealing with their own problems. Happiness could never be all-encompassing, not in a world with so many complex lives.

As she trudged her way to Vinyl’s class room, she couldn’t help but feel a little disheartened by that depressing thought. 

What good is it to be happy if somepony else isn’t?

The white unicorn stepped out of the room amongst a flow of other ponies and yawned for a few seconds. Her eyes scanned the surroundings with bored disinterest until they lighted upon Octavia. Immediately, Vinyl’s ears perked up and she started to smile as she trotted over.

“Hey roomie! Filly, am I happy to see you!” she said cheerfully.

Octavia just smiled. That was the answer to her sad question.

It was good to be happy because she could spread it around.





Why can’t I hold all these side plots?!

In case you didn’t notice the addition to the description, somepon3 made a song inspired by this fic! In particular, Octavia’s childhood and relationship with her mother. I think it captures the feeling beautifully. Consider it the end credits theme! Recommended dosage of one (1) listen with every chapter.

You readers are crazy-awesome. Fan stuff is always welcome!

Also, I just realised I haven’t thanked my prereaders at all yet! Truly, I am a monster. So, in no particular order, I want to thank Ariamaki, Steel Resolve, TheWiselessStallion, Venatus75, Midnight-Specter, Statoose, and Starfall.

All of these people are currently or have at some point preread chapters before they were posted. Thank you all! Without you, I would never find the courage to post anything and would spend all of my days searching for flaws that might just exist in my head.

Your support is invaluable, and I truly appreciate it.




