//------------------------------//
// Chapter 4 
// Story: Vinyl and Octavia: University Days 
// by DawnFade 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 4



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“You know, I’ve never been to this cinema before,” remarked Octavia.

The lobby was large, but still held the atmosphere of a small business: cosy and warm, lacking the cold commercialism of most theatre chains. It was a delightful discovery, and she couldn’t be happier about it.

“Duh, this is affordable,” giggled the DJ, floating two boxes of popcorn above them.

The cellist shoved her playfully. “You know I was joking when I said you have to pay, right? It’s only fair that I take care of the tickets since you got the food.”

For a moment, Vinyl felt the urge to insist on paying for her friend, until a mint-green unicorn’s comment from their last tutorial swam to the forefront of her mind. “Sure, I guess that makes sense,” she replied, feeling somewhat cheap.

Octavia just smiled and trotted up to the counter. “Two tickets to… um, Vinyl, what are we seeing?”

“Oh.” The unicorn quickly glanced up at the displayed titles. “Flanksplosions Three.” Her answer was greeted with a flat stare. “What? It’s directed by Cleveland Bay! He’s always good for a laugh.”

Sighing, the grey mare turned back to the bored-looking cashier. “Two tickets to… that, please.”

Now armed with a couple of little pieces of paper, the pair made their way past the ticket-checker and into a short, dark hallway. After emerging into the decently-sized theatre, they quickly climbed the stairs and claimed two seats in the middle of a back row.

Since there were barely any other ponies nearby, Octavia took the opportunity to pose a few simple queries to her popcorn-guzzling friend. “Flanksplosions? Really?”

Vinyl coughed a piece of popped corn forward a few rows and painfully swallowed the rest so she could answer. “Ow. You got something against exploding flanks?” 

“I have something against bad movies.”

“You haven’t even seen it yet! Don’t judge a book by its… flank…?”

The cellist giggled at that and delicately ate a single piece of her own popcorn. “That sentence trailed off a bit at the end.”

“Yeah, it got away from me. Anyway, don’t judge it till you watch it.”

“It’s hard not to judge when it has a name like that.”

Vinyl closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. “Open your mind, little one.”

“I’m only a couple of months younger than you!”

“Shh, the movie’s starting.”

And so began a hundred and fifty-four minutes of violence and improper camera angles.

In the midst of a particularly loud action scene, as unicorns riding pegasus ponies raked the ground with spellfire and a giant robotic Luna tried to buck Canterlot off its mountain perch, Octavia glanced at her company. The reflection played over her blue hair, making the light streaks glow and enriching dark strands with deep colour. Her eyes were still hidden behind purple glasses, but it was easy to tell that they were wide open, eagerly absorbing the sensorial bombardment.

A thunder-crack made the cellist jump, and a look towards the screen revealed that the monstrous Princess of the Night had erupted into a mess of scrap metal and fire. The dirt-and-grime splattered soldiers cheered triumphantly, and Vinyl punched the air with one hoof as the other shoved more popcorn into her mouth.

The grey pony couldn’t help but giggle at the DJ’s enthusiasm. Vinyl noticed and tossed her a grin, thinking she was enjoying the movie just as much. “I told you it’d be a laugh!” she said, leaning closer to be heard.

“Oh, I’m certainly laughing,” replied Octavia as she suppressed the urge to mention that it wasn’t the explosions that were tickling her funny bone.

Later, in the penultimate romance scene between Dashing Star and Stunning Beauty on the wreckage littered slope of a volcano, the cellist noticed that much of Vinyl’s previous energy had dissipated, and she now lay across two seats with her head resting upon Octavia’s hoof rest.

“Ugh, with a body like that, she could do way better,” muttered the DJ. Her tinted shades turned slightly to peek up at the grey mare. “Am I right?”

“I suppose. I haven’t really been paying much attention to her body.”

The glasses quickly faced the screen once more. “Yeah, me neither. I was just saying, like, in general or whatever.”

Stunning Beauty’s high-pitched voice cut through any thoughts that were being formed, shrill and feminine to the extreme. “Oh, Dashing! You cannot confront the real Lunazilla! I love you!”

The stallion swept his mane back with one hoof. “Not to worry, my dear. I’ll just,” he looked at the camera, “Flanksplode her.”

Both the cellist and the DJ groaned in unison before breaking out into laughter. Fortunately, the overly dramatic score drowned them out and prevented the seven other patrons from getting bothered.

When the lights finally came up and the credits rolled, the pair left their seats in good spirits. They laughed their way through the lobby and outside before calming down.

“Oh, Celestia,” breathed Octavia, “That was simultaneously the best and worst movie I have ever seen.”

“Yeah, I hear that.” The white unicorn rubbed at her aching ribs. “I haven’t laughed that hard in months.”

“What should we do now?”

“What d’you feel like doing?”

“Maybe… go for a walk?”

A smile slowly spread across Vinyl’s face. “Sounds good.”

And so the two mares trotted merrily away from the cinema complex and through the bright streets. Despite the length of the film, it was only early afternoon, a fact for which the DJ was grateful, because it meant more time with her new friend.

Under the warmth of Celestia’s charge, they wandered freely down packed streets, observing the sights and sounds of a happy day in Manehattan. A gang of colts rushed past, hooting and laughing without a care in the world. Three old mares sat on a bench and gossiped about the other ponies around them, oblivious yet good natured. Vendors hollered their wares as if it was a country town, only instead of tomatoes and apples they had mobile phones and movies.

A cart rumbled past, pulled by an old mule. It was stacked high with flowers of every colour and kind, and every time the wheels hit a bump, a couple would fall onto the road. Seeing an opportunity, Vinyl darted forward and picked up a particularly delicious-looking sunflower with her teeth. Holding it by the stem, she turned to Octavia, who was watching with amusement.

“Check it!” the unicorn mumbled around her prize, “Free lunch!”

“That was on the ground,” giggled the cellist.

“It’s a flower; they grow from the ground. Wanna bite?”

Octavia hesitated, but decided to go along with Vinyl’s playful behaviour. It hadn’t steered her wrong yet. Leaning closer, she opened wide and bit two petals off delicately, bringing them into her mouth with a smooth flick of her tongue.

The stem broke suddenly, with the flower cut into three pieces, one of which was between the DJ’s teeth. She spat it onto the floor, reddening with embarrassment. “Whoops. I, uh, guess I held it too tightly.”

“That’s okay, it wasn’t a very good one. The petals were all papery.”

“Well, lemme buy you a drink to get the taste out your mouth,” Vinyl suggested, jerking her chin towards a small café as the blush faded from her cheeks.

Octavia tutted. “I can pay for my own drink.” After a moment of silence, her eyes widened. “Oh, but, um, thank you for offering. I didn’t mean to sound rude.”

“Come on, Octavia. I’m buying you a drink.” The unicorn’s tone was final, but she flashed a smile to show that she wasn’t serious.

The pair found a comfortable table in the back, shielded from the prying eyes of the street. After a few minutes of scanning the menu, a cream-coloured mare approached to take their order.

“Hey, what can I get… oh dear,” said Bonbon.

Sudden, intensely awkward silence expanded like a bubble around the three of them. As much as Vinyl wanted to break it, she let caution decide her actions for once. Instead, surprising both her and the cellist, Bonbon was the one to look around nervously and lower her voice.

“Listen, you can’t tell anypony about this, okay? If Lyra and C-Top found out I’m working here, I’d never hear the end of it.”

“You – wait – work – huh?” Vinyl asked eloquently.

“I just need this job to help with school. My shop is doing fine, really. The staff can take care of it while I’m here. Just please don’t tell… wait a minute, wasn’t your assignment to go to the movies?”

Octavia considered quickly insulting the white unicorn beside her, but thought better of it. The game was compromised, but not unsalvageable. “Yes, it just finished.” 

Be subtle and she’ll get the hint.

“So why are you being so chummy with each… oh…” Her eyes widened. “But then that means we were right! Psych was-“

“What are you talking about? We hate each other.” Octavia leaned towards the waitress. “We hate each other, and you don’t work at a café.”

“Oh…” Bonbon quickly diverted her gaze to the table. “That’s strange. I thought somepony was sitting here. Oh well.”

Excellent.

With all thoughts of drinking forgotten, Vinyl led her friend out of the café, avoiding eye contact with a certain waitress the entire time. 

“That… was weird,” she muttered once they reached the safety of crowds.

“I agree. However, I also think it went a lot better than it could have.”

“Yeah, you really saved our flanks. I was sitting there doing nothing like a tool, whereas you went all ‘sexy persuasion mode’ on her.”

“I… what mode, pardon?” Octavia wasn’t sure if she heard correctly.

“Super persuasion mode. It was pretty awesome.” The DJ didn’t seem to notice anything, continuing to walk happily onwards.

“Thank you, I think. Our next class might be a little odd though.”

“I reckon. So what do you wanna do now?”

She hated to be the one who suggests the obvious, but it couldn't be helped. “I think perhaps we should part ways for now, lest we are spotted by another classmate.”

“Oh.” Vinyl slowed to a stop, slouching slightly. “Okay. That’s cool. I’ve got a bunch of stuff to take care of anyway, plus there’s a party I’m running tunes for tonight.”

The cellist chuckled. “Sounds like you have your hooves full. Don’t forget to study, now.”

“Pshh, studying is easy. It’ll get even easier when I move into the student village.”

Octavia clapped a hoof to her mouth. “I forgot about that! So it worked out well with the scholarship ponies?”

“Yup.” She raised her head proudly. “They took care of everything, even found somepony who wants to share a dorm. Can’t wait to meet ‘em.”

Without pausing to think, the grey mare threw her hooves around Vinyl’s neck. “Oh, I’m so happy for you!”

Flushing considerably, the DJ awkwardly returned the hug. “Heh, well it’s just a dorm. Though it will make my life way easier.”

Pulling away, Octavia didn’t let her enthusiasm wane. “Imagine if you were assigned to my dorm! I’ve been looking for somepony to share with for a few weeks now!”

Vinyl’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait, really?”

“Yes! Oh, how amazing would that be?” She was grinning from ear to ear at the prospect.

“Yeah… pretty damn amazing. Listen, I should really get going. All that stuff I mentioned isn’t gonna do itself.”

“Sorry, I’m holding you up. So I’ll see you… soon?”

“I’ll call you tonight at the usual time.” They shared a giggle. The ‘usual time’ was in the early hours of the morning, when neither of them could sleep. The DJ leaned slightly closer on reflex, as did the cellist. They gave each other a surprised look and backed up. “So yeah, um, bye.” 

Octavia was left to her confusion as the unicorn trotted away. For a moment, an interesting possibility entered her mind. But it was fleeting, and by the time she started walking back home it was long gone.


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“What can I help you with, Miss Scratch?” the pale mare asked pleasantly. She had a streak of grey through her mane, giving her a distinguished yet friendly appearance.

“Um, is it possible to choose which dorm I get assigned to?” the unicorn replied, fidgeting with her hooves. The office reminded her of her high-school principals, bringing back a multitude of guilty memories.

Chuckling softly, she slid her reading glasses off and placed them on the table, leaning back into her leather chair. “I get that question a lot. You want to share with a friend?”

Vinyl nodded, feeling a little bit embarrassed for not considering how common this request would be. “But I don’t want her to know we’re sharing. As in, like, I want it to be a surprise.”

“I see. And who is she?”

“Octavia. Um, grey earth pony, studies-“

The mare nodded in recognition. “Musical theory, history, and psychology, yes, I remember her. We were lucky to get her here at all. Every university from Trottingham to Canterlot was vying for that little mare.”

“Wow, really?” The DJ leaned forward in surprise.

“You bet. She’s one of the brightest young minds in Equestria.”

Sure, Vinyl had known that Octavia probably did really well at school, but she had no idea just how well! Her new friend, the grey mare with a gorgeous laugh and awkward friend-making skills, was way smarter than her. It was an odd mix of emotions running through her mind at that moment, resentment, jealousy, envy, but at the core there was only pride. One of the brightest young minds in Equestria, yeah, and also her best friend.

She couldn’t hold back the smile. “There’s a lot more to her than I first thought.”

The pony across from her cocked her head. “You seem like a nice pony, and if you’re sure Octavia wants you to share her dorm, then I can probably fix it up.”

“She does. Only, she’s hoping for a wild coincidence that puts us in the same room. I’m trying something a little more… practical.”

“Smart thinking. Well, if Octavia wants it, she’ll get it. Can’t risk upsetting her and getting a bad report.” After a moment, the mare gave Vinyl a stern look. “Don’t tell anypony I said that. Or that I’m helping you out. If the other students found out I let you choose your dormitory, there would be rioting in the court.” The unicorn started to laugh, but faltered under the continued gaze. “I’m serious. It has happened before.”

Swallowing nervously, Vinyl stood to shake hooves with the mare. “Uh, no worries, I won’t tell anypony. Thanks for helping me out.”

Just like that, the pony was replaced by smiles and cheer once again. “Not a problem. Have a good day!”

A couple of moments later and the white mare stumbled down the stairs leading away from the admin building and planted her hooves on warm grass. The main court was winding down for the day as the afternoon got later and darker. For a few moments, a light breeze rolled through, carrying the scent of sunflowers.

Vinyl looked in the direction of the student village, and began to whistle.


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Obscure Doctor Who reference in this one!

Leave a comment if you caught it!

Or just tell me what you thought of this chapter. I'm down with that.
