Octavia's Lesson

Chapters

Chapter 8
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

Chapter 8

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Chapter 1 Author's Note

Warning: This story contains diapers, diaper usage, and AB/DL themes. If these do not appeal to you, then please do not read any further.

Chapter 1

The whistle of the train roared as it raced across the tracks, traveling from Canterlot to its destination in Ponyville. The smoke coming off the smoke stack painted the morning that had yet to awaken a thick coat of black. Inside the train, located in the third box from the caboose, was a young grey mare with a dark grey mane. She was wearing a pink bow-tie which complemented the light violet in her eyes and the deeper violet on her treble clef cutie mark. She was intently reading a letter she had received earlier, for the hundredth time that day.

The letter read:

Dear Miss Octavia Melody,
It has come to my attention that the stress caused by your last

assignment is beginning to interfere with your performance at the academy. As a result, I

feel I may been too rash in assigning you to work alongside me during the Grand

Galloping Gala. I have also been alerted that you have failed to see any improvement

after your extended break from the academy.

As a result, I have decided to issue you to meet with a former pupil of mine. This is not

a punishment in response to your recent actions, but a learning experience I hope

you will benefit from. Please make sure to spend time getting to know my former

student. She is a bit rough around the edges, but she is somepony I feel you may learn

from. Also, be sure to heed her instruction, as she is a student and colleague that I put

the utmost faith in, even if our styles are not the same. Be sure to treat her with the same

respect you would show me.

As one of my prized students, please be sure to be on your best behavior while in Ponyville,

for you not only represent the best of your class, but the best in me as your instructor.

Sincerely Yours,

Professor Frederick Horseshoepin

Octavia still was unsure how it had reached this point. One moment she had been requested to meet with her mentor and master, and now here she was on a train to Ponyville to meet with one of her master’s former students for what was most likely going to be a remedial class. Octavia knew that her master had no intention of wasting her or his time, so whatever he had planned must have had a lot of thought and effort placed into it. All she could hope to do at the moment was reach her destination. Once there, she was to meet with the pony she was assigned to live with, and learn from them for the duration of 30 days.

Now, Octavia had faith in her ability at the cello. From a young age she had always been gifted at music; it had even reached the point where she was accepted into the prestigious Canterlot Music Academy when she was a filly, for a score she had written and performed. She always loved music and even had the cutie mark to show she was destined to do the thing she loved. However, recent events had taken a turn for the worst. She was requested to play at the Grand Galloping Gala alongside her master, which resulted in what was considered, ‘one of the biggest train wrecks’ in Canterlot history. Furthermore, she felt more at fault as a result of her actions that night for continuing to take those childish requests she was given during the gala.

Ever since then, she had started making childish mistakes: missing notes, forgetting her place when reading music; it even reached the point where her master thought it would be better if she took a vacation for a while. She spent that week locked in her room unable to even touch her prized cello, save for taking it out to do routine maintenance on it. Worst of all, during this time an old problem of hers began to resurface. After the week was over, her master sent over the letter requesting her to go to Ponyville. She was certain that if she was unable to appease this former student of her master, she was going to be kicked out of the academy. A thought had occurred to her earlier, that she could have been demoted back to the first year with all the new fillies and colts that had just joined that academy, but she knew that would be far too lenient for her master. She was either going to find success or lose the right to ever play her dear cello again.

The stress inside of her began to ball up; she was left nervous over what was going to happen: would she fail, or would she pass? Sadly for her, this time she was without her cello by her side to help her calm down. To her, even being within hoof’s length to her dear cello gave her the confidence to keep pushing forward, regardless of the situation. That stress soon began to spiral into a sphere and grew to exponential proportions. Soon she was close to bursting from the sheer volume of the stress.

*WHISTLE*

Her stress soon popped as she heard the sound of the whistle go off to indicate they had arrived at their destination. The conductor called out, “It is 5:30 am and we have reached our last stop in Ponyville. Please collect your belongings and exit in an orderly fashion.”

Octavia was relieved as she got up to grab her cello. Reaching for it from the overhead rack, she was soon filled with the memories of the many times she had played with it, damaged it, and repaired it. A memento from her childhood that continued to be there for her even in her most dire of moments. She loaded the heavy cello onto her back with ease and exited the train to be greeted by the sun that was starting to come up right on time, compliments of the Princess. She then wandered off the platform, taking in the sights and sounds of the humble village that was Ponyville. She was apt to ask for directions, but sadly most of the inhabitants were fast asleep at this time.

After wandering aimlessly for what seemed like ten minutes, Octavia had managed to successfully find an earth pony stallion with a red coat pulling a cart filled to the brim with ripe apples. Upon approaching the stallion, she cleared her throat and began to ask him her question. “Excuse me sir, I am new in town and I am lost. I am currently looking for the mayor’s office. Could you please be so kind as to point me in the correct direction? I will be very thankful.”

The stallion picked up his front right hoof and pointed towards the direction of the mayor’s office. Octavia noted this, and thanked him for the direction as she started off toward the mayor’s office. Suddenly the stallion picked up his hoof and stopped her in her tracks. Startled,she looked back at him, afraid of what he could do to her in the desolate alley. The stallion proceeded to grab one of the apples on the cart he was pulling and handed it to her. She looked at him bewildered. “Um, is that for me?” she asked, slightly scared.

The red stallion let out a hearty, “Eyup.”

Realizing she had yet to eat anything today, she took the apple and thanked him for it. The stallion smiled and proceeded to return to pulling his cart in the direction of the market. Octavia began to eat the apple, lost in her thoughts as she walked in the direction of the mayor’s office. Her mind began to go over the actions of that stallion whose name she did not know. Wow, the ponies here are far more friendly than any of the ones I know back in Canterlot. Most of them just look out for themselves, regardless of who they trample on. Maybe the reason the master’s former student lives here is because of the calm surroundings and kind ponies?

Octavia bit into the last of the apple as she reached the mayor’s office. From there, she continued east until she came across a cottage with a black record on the front. She looked at the humble abode and made sure the address matched. This must be the place, time to make a good first impression. As she approached the door, she took her cello off her back and straightened her bow-tie. Looking into the window, she saw a clock indicating it was 6:00 am, exactly the time she was told to arrive.

Preparing for the inevitable, Octavia lifted her hoof and knocked on the door. After a few minutes had passed, she knocked again, yet there was still no response. She prepared to knock for a third time until she heard the noise of hoofsteps getting closer to the door. From the other side she could hear somepony yelling, “I’m coming, I’m coming!”

As the door opened, she was greeted by the most bizarre sight: a mare no older than she was standing in the doorway. She was a unicorn with a white coat, magenta colored eyes, and an unkempt blue mane. She tried to make out her cutie mark but was unable to due to the darkness of the doorway. The mare let out a loud yawn and asked, “Hey, who are you , and what can I help ya with?”

Octavia, left flabbergasted over her meeting with the mare, quickly regained her composure. “Hello, my name is Octavia Melody. I was sent by Master Horseshoepin to meet with a former student of his and study under them. Do you know where I may find them?”

The mare looked at her confused, in a state of being half asleep, before it finally hit her. “Oh, you’re Octavia, yeah you got the right place. Sorry, I had a gig that went on till 4am, just got home a while ago. Man, Freddy has told me a lot about you, says you’re his ‘prized student,’ or somthing like that.”

Octavia was left surprised: first that this was the mare she was supposed to be learning from, second that this mare and her master were so close that she would call him “Freddy,” and third that her master though so highly of her. She needed to make sure she wasn’t hearing things. “Oh, Master Horseshoepin really said that about me!? I am honored that he-” She was quickly cut off by the mare.

“Yeah, last time I dropped by Canterlot the guy wouldn’t stop bragging about you. Oh by the way, my name is Vinyl Scratch, but you can call me Vinyl. How about I show you up to your room? Your bags are already waiting for you up there,” Vinyl rushed through, trying to get back to bed.

Octavia proceeded to pick up her cello and entered the house. Soon she stopped as she began to inhale the smell of ammonia. She began to have doubts about exactly where it was coming from, causing her heart to skip. She soon brushed it aside, coming up with the more believable scenario that Miss Scratch must have just cleaned her floors recently, and that it was the smell of the floor cleaner.

As she continued deeper into the dark house, she lost sight of her host, arriving at a set of stairs before long. From the distance, she heard Vinyl call out to her, “Your room is upstairs, it’s the third room on the right, the bathroom should be the door right in front of your room. Hey Tavi, try to get some sleep, we are going to have a busy day tomorrow.”

Octavia was left a bit confused over her impromptu nickname but did not want to offend her only hope to remain in the academy. She called out, in an attempt to show her generosity, “Thank you, Miss Scratch,” but she never got a reply. At the same time, Octavia began to wonder what she meant by tomorrow. The sun was already up. Either way, she might as well see what was going to be her room for the next month.

She reached the top of the stairs and made it past the hallway. Along the way, something peculiar caused Octavia to stop. As she passed by one of the doors, a familiar aroma filled her nostrils: it was something warm, something she had forgotten. She quickly regained her senses and continued to her room. I have to make sure I don’t take advantage of Miss Scratch’s hospitality; whatever it is, it’s none of my business, she thought trying to convince herself not to delve deeper.

She continued on and finally reached her room. Upon opening the door, she was greeted by light passing through the first window she had seen since entering Vinyl’s home. The room was of simple tastes and with a simple bed, exactly as she preferred. Looking over the room, she noticed a stand for her cello was already set-up, and her bags were sitting next to it. She immediately removed her cello from its case and placed it on the stand, the sight of it begins to melt the doubts and stress she had away.

Becoming a bit more relaxed, Octavia proceeded to remove her bow-tie and put it on the side table next to the bed. As she shifted her gaze to her bed, a sudden feeling of fear consumed her. Why was she afraid of the bed? Brushing it aside, she proceeded to get into the bed, remembering Vinyl’s advice. Although she had no intention of sleeping, at the very least she could see how comfortable the bed was. As she got in, she heard peculiar noise. She couldn’t put her hoof on it, but it reminded her of her own bed back at home. For a brief moment she felt secure, a warmth passing over her, and without any volition of her own she fell into a deep sleep.

Chapter 2

As the grey mare slept, the sun outside began to climb higher in the sky. Outside of her window, the streets were filled with ponies going about their lives. While their mundane lives played out, the little mare dreamed of grandiose dreams. Dreams of an audience in a large stadium, while she was standing in front of the crowd with her bow in hoof and everyone cheering her on. Soon the dream takes a turn for the worst as she realizes her cello is no where to be found, the crowd’s cheers are replaced with unapproving boos, and the entire dreamscape is dyed yellow.

Octavia’s eyes shot open, her heart still beating rapidly. This was a dream that she was familiar with. Agitated, she muttered, “It always goes the same, I always dream of performing, always crushed by my self doubts, and then I wake up and-,” Octavia’s mind froze. She had forgotten something vital. She quickly leaped out of bed and pulled the sheets off, looking down at them in horror. You have got to be kidding me! This can’t be happening! It hasn’t even been a day yet, and I may have already squandered my chances. There on the once white bed sheet was that same yellow that she saw in her nightmares.

When Octavia was a young filly, she had a slight problem: she had the unlucky habit of wetting the bed. As time went on she grew out of it, but recently the stress of her recent mistakes had caused that little habit of hers to return. For the past few weeks she had spent every day waking up to that same wetness and cleaning her sheets. Eventually, she had to use a plastic mattress cover to protect her bed. After a while she had begun to use some ‘protection’ her mother was kind enough to buy her. Soon she fell into a depressive slurry, unable to even get out of bed. The only reason she had forgotten about her problem was the sudden letter she had received from her master requesting she go to Ponyville. Now that she had ruined Miss Scratch’s furniture it was only a matter of time until her master found out about her problem. Soon, not only was she was going to get kicked out, but end up as the laughing stock of the academy.

She knew she had to be quick in order to avoid being caught. She began by opening her window slightly. She then opened her door and peered into the hallway to make sure Vinyl was not outside. Once her fears were put to rest, Octavia ran back and grabbed the soiled bed sheets, which seemed to slide off without any resistance. She made it out the door, closing it, and raced across the hall, making it into the bathroom. She began to lay out her plan in her mind, Okay Octavia relax. All you have to do is take a shower to get rid of that urine smell, then get down to the laundry room and wash Miss Scratch’s sheets, and no one will be the wiser about your little bedwetting problem. I just have to make sure to wear some protection for the remainder of my stay here and make sure she doesn't enter my room. Her planning was quickly interrupted by hoof steps outside the door.

“Hey Tavi, are you alright in there?” Vinyl asked while facing the bathroom door.

Octavia knew she had to be careful not to raise any suspicion. “Um, y-yes I am fine, thank you for your concern for my well being, Miss Scratch. I just woke up so I was just about to take a shower and get ready for your lesson today.” In response she heard an exasperated sigh come through the door, raising the fear in her mind.

“Tavi, I told you my name is Vinyl, so stop calling me Miss Scratch, it’s soooo annoying.”

Not wanting to offend her host, she quickly complied. “Y-yes V-Vinyl, I am sorry for forgetting your instruction.” She paused for a moment, remembering the soiled linens. “Vinyl, could you please tell me where I may find your washroom. I happen to have some effects that need to be washed as soon as possible,” she said, half lying.

“Hmm… Oh, you mean my washing machine! Yeah I got one. Just down the stairs to the left, you can’t miss it.”

Although Octavia was a bit confused to find that there was a functioning washing machine here like the one she had back at home, this did simplify the matter of washing the sheets. “Thank you Vinyl.”

Vinyl smiled, pleased her new housemate was friendly enough to avoid formality. “Sure no prob Tavi. Hey, I just woke up too. I’ll be making some breakfast, so drop by when you’re done.” Vinyl trotted down the stairs and to the kitchen.

Seeing her chance, Octavia quickly jumped in the shower. She turned the hot water on to wash away the cold drying urine, that was soaking her coat. She began to mentally review Miss Scratch. Well she is certainly hospitable, and she seems very kind. Considering how late she was working last night, she must certainly be a hard worker. As long as I am able to keep my problem under control, this might actually be an enjoyable learning experience. Octavia quickly finished up and turned off the water, exiting the shower and once again peering out a door to make sure Vinyl wasn’t nearby. After ensuring she was no where to be found, Octavia put phase two of her plan into action.

She grabbed the soiled sheets, and galloped down the hallway and down the stairs. She quickly turned left and made it to the washing machine, tossing in her sheets with a sense of urgency. She looked around and saw some detergent on the shelf. She grabbed it and tossed a cap full of it in and turned the machine on. As the machine filled with water, the yellow began to fade. Octavia felt more at ease, her secret safe for another day. Closing the lid on the machine she began to walk to the kitchen, trying to calm herself down. After a few steps she managed to find the kitchen.

Looking inside, she could see that the kitchen was simple in its construction but had all the necessities. A fridge, sink, stove, dishwasher, several devices for cooking such as a toaster, and a dining set. As she entered, she saw Vinyl’s head peek up from behind the counter. She was using her unicorn magic to put some slices of bread in the toaster. Vinyl soon noticed the appearance of the grey mare, “Oh hey Tavi, hope you found everything alright. By the way, where was the fire just now?” Vinyl asked, laughing at the grey mare’s expense.

“Oh, pardon me Vinyl. I just wanted to make sure I washed my effects as quickly as possible, so as not to take up any of your time while you are instructing me.” Octavia knew that if she got anything out of her time here, it was definitely her improved ability to lie while keeping a straight face.

Vinyl was lost in thought for a moment but then spoke up, “Right… ‘instructing.’ Freddy did mention that I was supposed to be teaching you something… but he never really said what. Then again, being all mysterious and cryptic is something that never changes about him,” she said, laughing as if she was being reminded of fond memories of the past. “Okay, tell you what,” she continued. “How about after breakfast I’ll come up with something to ‘instruct” you on.”

As Vinyl moved to grab a few mugs from the cupboard she remembered a final piece of info she should tell her guest. “Oh, before I forget, I’m going to be out tonight. I got called up on this gig at Dodge Junction, some sort of huge celebration or something. So I’ll be out of the house at 8pm, and won't be back till waaaay later. So help yourself to anything in the house while I’m away.” Vinyl finished up by pouring coffee into the mugs, and setting them down on the counter.

Octavia nodded, feeling as if she should say something, but as Vinyl continued to get some plates out of the cupboard, she smelled it again. That same smell of ammonia. I guess I was correct in my assumption that the smell was indeed cleaning supplies. Miss Scratch must take great effort to keep a clean home, seeing as how after her late performance she still found time to clean her kitchen. Even tonight, she has been called out to another performance, and trusts me enough to leave me at her home, alone. Yet, here I am unable to keep a clean bed! Surely I could learn a thing from her and her ample maturity.

Octavia looked on with newfound respect for her host as she collected the now cooked bread from the toaster, placing them on a plate and grabbed a few jams and jellies from the cabinet. Not wanting to be an ungrateful guest, she walked up to the counter and picked up the food and drinks to transport them to the table.

“Hey thanks Tavi!” Vinyl said in response to the kind gesture.

Octavia was getting a little annoyed by constantly being called “Tavi”, a name restricted solely for her parents, but needed to be careful not to upset her host. “It is not a problem, I am happy to be of assistance.” Pausing for a moment she continued, “Vinyl, just to clarify for you, because of how late we met last night, my name is Octavia Melody.” She said, hoping that would be enough to end the nickname.

“Yeah, yeah Tavi I know, and I am Vinyl. Don’t worry about stuff like that here, I hate being formal about things, alright?” She said, entirely missing the point of why Octavia had once again mentioned her name.

Sighing, Octavia sat at the table with her plate, realizing this was one fight she wasn’t going to win. I may as well let the mare call me what she wants, it’s only for 30 days anyway. Octavia waited as the white mare collected her own piece of toast and began to walk around the counter to the table. Seeing this, Octavia relaxed and reached down to pick up one of the pieces of toast to take a bite. As Vinyl rounded the corner of the counter, Octavia saw something that caused her to immediately drop the food the had in her hooves back onto the plate.

There on the white mare’s flank were two bridged eighth notes, but they weren’t what caused the shock in the grey mare. It was what was around the mark.

“Mi-mi-mi-miss Vinyl. What is that you are wearing!?” She exclaimed, shocked over what she was seeing.

Vinyl set her plate back on the counter. “Look Tavi, I am glad you are comfortable enough to call me Vinyl, but PLEASE don’t throw the ‘miss’ part in front of it.” Vinyl stopped for a second to think about what Octavia just said to her. It took a moment before she looked at her waist and realized what she meant. Hugging Vinyl’s waist was a large puffy diaper which had a slight yellow colored sag around the front. “Oh, wow, sorry, totally slipped my mind. I’m not used to having company over so I forgot I was still wearing this. My bad.” She responded nonchalantly.

“Your bad!? Why ever are you wearing that thing!?” Octavia spat out, bewildered over what was going on.

Vinyl shrugged. “Occasionally I get call out on long gigs, and when I say long I mean loooooong. Heck! Can you believe they don’t even give you any decent bathroom breaks, I mean wow. Like they give you one every few hours, and the drinks won’t stop coming in. So whenever I have to work at one of these gigs I just wear one of these, and no one’s the wiser. Then when I finally get a break, I just change into a clean one,” She explained, rather proud of her strategy.

Vinyl stopped for a second and looked like she was concentrating. A hissing sound could be heard as the diaper gained more yellow and began to sag. In response to this, Vinyl let out a sigh of relief. “Yeah, I guess I over shot how many changes to do last night and was left wearing a clean one, so since I didn’t want it to go to waste, I kept it on. I figured it could take a bunch more wettings, so I’m still wearing it.” She stopped to poke the diaper with her front hoof. “Talk about quality! This thing still could handle waaay more, but I guess I’ll need to change out of it and take a shower. Too bad, I’d like to see just how absorbent these things are one of these days!” Vinyl proceeded to pick up her plate and walk over to the table to sit in front of Octavia, who was visibly disturbed.

Octavia was left at a loss for words. What is going on? Is this another nightmare? Is the master getting back at me for my failure as a student? Is he watching me right now, laughing at my misery? This all threw her into a loop and she responded by slamming her head into the table in frustration.

Vinyl, upon seeing Octavia’s dismay, attempted to quell her frustrations. “Hey Tavi are you ok-” she was quickly cut off by Octavia,l who picked her head up to lecture the white mare.

“Stop calling me Tavi! Don’t you have any shame being a former student of Master Horseshoepin! I thought he sent me here for a second chance to prove I am still worthy as a student. But now I see this is all a farce!” She replied, unable to comprehend the events she had just witnessed.

Vinyl became agitated. “What is there to be shameful about, don’t you wear these too on account of your bed wetting? Actually, I’m willing to bet this morning's 40 yard dash to my washing machine was because you leaked, right?” Vinyl said with a smirk.

Octavia was stunned; her mind raced a mile a minute, What just happened? How did she know? How did she know? How did she? How? How? D-Did my parents tell her… no that doesn't make sense. Unless master knows, oh sweet Celestia if he already knows then who else does, maybe this is his way of kicking me out of the academy. It’s all over, my life, my good name, and even my right to play the cello, all over. Soon she felt it return, the ball of stress. It was growing inside of her, she couldn’t stop it, it was too much for her. The world started spinning around her, her vision went blurry, and she quickly fell unconscious. The last thing she saw before she fell into darkness was a worried Vinyl calling out her her by that nickname, “Tavi” before it all faded to black, and soon that darkness was dyed a bright vibrant yellow.

Chapter 3

The lights dimmed as a young grey mare walked onto the stage, towards the cello waiting center stage for her. She approached her cello, bow in hoof and took a pause, waiting instruction from the conductor who, along with most of the stage, was coated in darkness. As she saw the baton move, she began to play, and soon the entire auditorium was filled with the music of her cello. This was a joy she hadn’t felt in a long time. It didn’t take long after the first movement, for her to feel something was wrong. She was playing faster than the measure indicated. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t go any slower. She desperately looked out into the auditorium for the source and almost immediately, she found it. It was the conductor! As the speed of the baton was increasing, so was the speed of her playing.

She was left horrified that she was now under the control of the conductor. The jagged movements, and the sour notes all being performed without her consent. Soon the darkness began to fade, and she could make out the identity of the conductor. Her mind screamed, “Vinyl!” It was the white mare rapidly moving the baton with a demonic grin. She appeared to have no regard for what was happening. Octavia felt her strength fade from her, she was losing all control. As if the things she loved, her hopes, even her very being, were being forfeited to an outside source. She felt like something was slipping away. She immediately became alarmed. She knew that feeling; she was about to lose all control, on stage, in front of the entire audience.

She desperately tried to hold it in, but no matter what she did, she could not stop the creeping of the fluid. Then without warning, she could hear hissing, the same hissing she heard this morning in the kitchen. Soon she felt the relief, and the fear from emptying her bladder. Just like that, Vinyl stops waving the baton, the performance over. Vinyl dropped the baton, immediately returning Octavia’s control over her own body. She fell to her knees, expecting to land in a puddle of her own urine, but instead the ground felt warm and squishy.

Her fear instantly doubled as she pressed her hoof towards the front of her crotch and was greeted by a warm puffy resistance. She knew her worst fears had been realized - she was wearing a diaper. Her mind once again streamed through questions. How long had she been wearing it? Could they see her wet it? Was her life officially over? As she gazed over the stage she could make out Vinyl laughing at her, and soon the laughter echoed across the entire audience. Looking up to the roof, she screamed as everything went dark.

Octavia woke up once again, another haunting dream leaving her in a cold sweat. Where was she? As she shifted her vision around her room, her eyes stopped at the closed window. She noticed it was night, the sun long gone, and the moon now taking its place. How long was I out? Immediately, memories of that morning's events came flooding back in. “...Vinyl.” She then realized she was inside Vinyl’s house, lying in the bed in her room. This alarmed her as she placed her hoof on the bedsheets. Still dry. She should have been happy, but something still felt off. She wanted to figure out what it was until something caught her eye.

Next to her bed was Vinyl, sleeping on a chair with her head propped against the wall. At this point the white mare was no longer wearing a diaper, but was in her standard attire-less attire. Feelings of anger began to swell inside Octavia, until she noticed the clock hanging on the wall, which indicated the time was 9:36 pm. She was alarmed, remembering Vinyl’s mention of her late performance today. She herself knew the price missing a performance would have on a musician’s career. Ignoring the world around her, Octavia swung herself on the edge of the bed facing Vinyl, and began to shake the mare awake. “Vinyl, wake up! You have to hurry! You are already late for your performance!” After a few seconds of repeating the process, Vinyl finally woke up.

“Oh, hey Tav-, Octavia. You feeling better?” the half awake mare asked, genuinely concerned.

Octavia looked at Vinyl, confused. “I am fine, but you are late for your performance at Doge Junction. You were supposed to be there at 8:00, now it is already past 9:30. You have to hurry before it is too late!”

Vinyl yawned trying to wake up, “Oh that thing. I sent a message telling them I had to cancel hours ago.” She started rubbing the sand out of her eyes, “I am sure they got someone else to cover for me.”

Octavia was left with feelings of guilt. “Why did you cancel? You must realize what rejecting a performance does to a musician’s career!”

Vinyl looked back the the mare, perplexed by her obsession with her playing, more than her fainting spell earlier. “Listen Octavia, it’s fine. There will always be other ponies out there in need of DJs. You’ve gotta know what’s more important, and right now you were in trouble. So chill and think about yourself for a minute.”

Octavia was at odds, on one hoof, her dedication to her music was the most important thing in her life, as should be for any musician. On the other hoof, what Vinyl was saying made a lot of sense. But something else was eating at her; it was how she reacted to Vinyl. She thought, This mare is willing to risk her music for me, someone who insulted her. Sure, her way of doing things is a bit unusual, but that doesn’t mean she is a bad pony by any means. Octavia knew she had to make things right between her and her eccentric host. ”Hey Vinyl, I am sorry for my behavior earlier,” she replied solemnly, disgusted with how she had treated her gracious host.

“Hey, don’t sweat it! ...although I can’t say I handled it much better myself.” Vinyl’s face contorted into a frown as she continued. “When I received your bags, I went to go drop it off in your room. While I was setting up your cello stand, I happened to find a note with with one of bags that told me about your problem. To be honest, it was addressed from your mother. Also, I may have peered into one of the bags and saw your ‘protection’.” Vinyl said, feeling pretty low about herself.

Octavia, although upset over Vinyl’s lack of personal space, was relieved to know her master hadn’t found out about her problem. “I am sorry, I forgot to actually put on any protection. I am also sorry for ruining your bed. But, Vinyl, can I please ask you tell no pony about this!”

“Relax Octavia, I never had any intention of telling anyone. Even I wear them for pony’s sake!” Seeing the worry dissipate, Vinyl felt a bit relieved. It was the first time she had any real guest over, and at the very least she could tone down her antics. “Oh, don’t worry about the mattress. I already placed the plastic cover your mom included in the bag.”

Octavia’s face went red. So that was what the noise was this morning when I entered the bed. I must have been in such a hurry I didn’t even notice it when I took the sheets off. Her mind began to put the pieces together, So that means last night when I entered Vinyl’s house that smell was... She looked back up at the smiling mare. She was left unable to dredge up even an ounce of anger for her host. The one that was so worried about her, she would even risk her music career.

“Vinyl, is it possible for you to show me the letter my mother enclosed for me?” Octavia inquired to the sitting mare.

Vinyl’s eyes peered to the right, “Sorry. I didn’t think much of the letter, so I threw it out a while before you got here.”

Octavia, though a bit sad to have not seen this note from her mother, knew she really couldn’t blame Vinyl for her actions. Her mind began to come to ease with Vinyl. Well she really didn’t mean anything by it, and it is better my mother tell her than my master. I guess in her own way, she was probably just trying to show me that I didn’t need to be embarrassed around her.

Vinyl looked a bit uncomfortable, looking like she was trying to correctly string a sentence together. “Hey, um Octavia?” It was unusual for Octavia to see Vinyl seem at such a loss for words.

She came to the conclusion that she should forgive her. “Yes Vinyl, I forgive you for opening my things. I do hope that you will still consider instructing me,” She said with the most sincerity she could muster.

“Oh thanks... but that’s not it.” Vinyl let out a sigh as her eyes locked with Octavia. “Okay, so I am just going to come out and say it. Please don’t be mad or freak out.” Octavia nodded, whatever Vinyl was about to tell her must be extremely important. It might even be related to that letter her mother had sent. Vinyl took a deep breath, “Octavia, I think you need a change!” She said, bracing for what she felt was an inevitable freakout.

For Octavia, the world froze. Similar to a 10 kilogram weight being lifted by a counter weight of exactly 11 kilograms, her progression to reaching the correct conclusion was slow and tedious. In a daze, she placed her right hoof on the bed sheet. She could hear the distinct crinkle. This indicated she was indeed sleeping on her bed from this morning, and the plastic cover was still on it under the sheets. Her gaze shifted to Vinyl again. Her eyes were closed, she looked like she was afraid of something. Finally her gaze ended on what was wrapped around her crotch. As if the sight of it enabled her nose to pick up on a scent she ignored, she then was able to register that smell of urine coming off of her. All contained by the diaper wrapped around her waist.

At this point she was tired; she just wanted to sleep this day off. With a bored expression, she looked up at Vinyl. “Excuse me Vinyl, may I ask why I am currently wearing a diaper? I do not recall putting one on before I fell unconscious.”

Vinyl looked back at the desensitized mare. “Um, well when you passed out in the kitchen, you kind of wet yourself. So I may have changed you into one before moving you to bed.”

Octavia blinked a few times, looked at the wet diaper she was wearing, then looked back at Vinyl, all while wearing that same bored expression. “Vinyl, please leave me for the night, I will see you in the morning.”

Not wanting to tempt fate, or cause Octavia to snap, Vinyl got out of the room as quickly as possible. As Vinyl exited the door, closing it behind her, Octavia just sat there. For a while she tried to contemplate what to do, but found that her brain had shut off long ago. Through purely automatic means, Octavia got off the bed. She walked over to her luggage, which she had yet to unpack due to today’s events. After a few seconds, she grabbed a dark green bag. She was quite familiar with the bag, as it was the same one her mother had given her when her problem looked like it wasn’t going away. As she opened it, she noted her mother had filled it with diapers and other supplies just like when she first received it.

Dragging it back to her bed, Octavia pulled out a new diaper, a container of foal powder, and some wipes. Everything was a blur as she quickly repeated the process she had been perfecting for the past week. Before she knew it she was out of the wet diaper and into a dry one. She placed the used diaper in the nearby trash bin and proceeded to lie down in bed. She turned to look at the clock that indicated it was 10:00pm. Her first day was almost over, only 29 days left to go, and it couldn’t have gone worse. Octavia was ready to return back to sleep and play this day off like it never even happened. Before she closed her eyes, something that Vinyl said earlier entered her thoughts.

Wait, she said they could find another DJ, a DJ… With everything said and done, this was the tipping point for Octavia. As if her mind had entered a zen state, and this thought soon shattered her psyche. Her eyes shot open as she yelled at the top of her lungs, “SHE'S A DISK JOCKEY!!!” Octavia reached for her pillow, pulling it over her face. She then let out the loudest scream she could muster, only to have it muffled by the pillow. She continued to yell until she tired herself out from exhaustion and fell back asleep.

***

In another part of the house, on the first floor, Vinyl returned to her own room after the day’s tiring events. She opened the door to be greeted by the mess that constituted her room. Magazines, clothing, fliers, and tools were all scattered on the floor. She expertly navigated the mess that she was so familiar with and made it to her bed. As she got into her bed, she stared at the ceiling, listening to the mare upstairs finally lose her composure for a total of eight seconds.

After it all went quiet, Vinyl began to think to herself. Ahh, you blew it today Vinyl! The first day isn’t even over, and she probably already hates you. Why did you have to act so carelessly! The mare got up, sitting on the edge of her bed. She began to speak out loud, “I need to blow off some steam.” She began to open the top drawer next to her bed, but noticed the letter she placed on her side table the night before. She proceeded to close the drawer and pick up the letter which read:

Dear Miss Vinyl Scratch,

Hello, if you are reading this I want to thank you for looking after my little

Tavi for me. If I am not mistaken, Professor Horseshoepin has requested your help in

getting Tavi back to her old self. I know the professor holds you in high regard. While I

do trust his judgement as her instructor, as her mother I am concerned for my little Tavi’s

well-being.

Ever since she was a little filly, she always loved music, but she always had

difficulty making any friends. And although her music brings her great joy, I would like

her to meet other ponies that genuinely care for her. Recently she had a poor

performance, and the stress is causing her to wet the bed again. I am very sorry to

burden you like this Miss Scratch, but could you please be there for her.

Inside the dark green bag I have included some supplies to help her with her problem.

The professor has told me about your tendencies, and I feel that you are some pony

I can trust with this task.

Please be there for Tavi and help me do the one thing I am unable to do for my little girl,

be her friend.

Forever in your Debt,

Mrs. Melody

P.S. I am sorry for making you do this, but inside the bag I have included the plastic
mattress cover I use on her bed at home, please be sure to place it on her bed before she arrives.

P.P.S. I originally did not want to include this, but there should be a second part attached
to this letter, it will outline a few details that I feel you must know about regarding Tavi. It is
vital that not tell her I told you about any of this. This is my last request, please Vinyl do
this for me.

Vinyl placed the letter back down on the table, her eyes moist from recollection about her own past. Although she was mad at her old waste-of-space instructor for telling a complete stranger about her personal life, she was far more concerned for Octavia and her mother. Reading the letter reminded her of her own mom, whom she missed terribly, and she understood how helpless Octavia’s mom must feel.

Her plan was to show Octavia that she wanted to be her friend, and that she didn’t care about her problem, but she failed. She lost her temper and embarrassed her. She was disappointed in herself and that she failed Mrs. Melody. She knew she had to set things right. Forget Frederick and his stupid academy! Even if she doesn’t want to be friends with me, I will help her make friends. There are plenty of ponies in Ponyville! I am sure I can help her make a friend.

Her energy restored, she once again reached for the top drawer. Opening it, she pulled out a purple pacifier with a large nipple on it. She then proceeded to place it in her mouth and begin sucking on it. She then properly got into bed, thinking to herself. Of all the things playing at those raves got me addicted too, this had to be one of them. As she continued to suck on her pacifier, she sank into a deep sleep.

Chapter 4

A few days had passed since Octavia had moved in, and it was at this point she had begun to get into a rhythm. As the sun crept into the sky, Octavia awoke once again at exactly 7:00 am. She pulled off the sheets to check the damage she had caused, and unsurprisingly, she was wet. Getting off the bed, she went over to her cello, and pulled up a chair. She just sat there in her wet diaper, disregarding the world around her, and practiced on it. As long as she could hear the music coming off her cello, she was content.

Octavia noticed Vinyl had stopped wearing diapers around the house, much to the grey mare’s delight. However, it didn’t take Octavia long to realize Vinyl really did not plan on instructing her in any way. Every night she would go out to DJ at one of those clubs, and every day she would sleep until noon. No matter what Octavia tried, she couldn’t get any ‘instruction’ out of Vinyl. As a result, she decided to take matters into her own hooves. Every day she would stay in her room and keep playing until it became late, breaking only to eat. Recently Vinyl wasn’t making it easy for her to play on cello on most days, and this was one of those days.

Like clockwork, at 7:10 am, the booming of a subwoofer began to shake the small cottage. This made it next to impossible for Octavia to keep her bow steady on the cello’s strings. Eventually she gave up, and went back to her bed. Knowing full well that the noise would continue for several hours. As she sat down on the bed, her diaper, gave off a squish. Octavia bent down to reach for her green bag, and noticed that it had now become much lighter than it was when she first used it eight days ago. Opening the bag, she noted that she was almost out of diapers and needed more. At the same time, she was getting very irritated by her inability to practice.

Octavia stood up, went across the hall, and entered the bathroom. Her plan was simple: take her soggy night diaper off, take a shower, and then give Vinyl a piece of her mind. Octavia stood in the shower, and tore the tapes off the soggy diaper, causing it to land in the shower with a thud. Picking up the diaper she balled it up, and used the tapes to seal it shut, finally tossing it into the trash can. Octavia turned the water on, and stood in the hot stream of water pouring down from the shower head, warming her tense body. After a few minutes of letting the water cascade onto her, she got out of the shower and toweled herself off. Now dry, the grey mare sets off to regain her right to play her cello.

Opening the door, she followed the vibrations down to the first floor, taking a left towards the laundry room. She stopped at the first door at the beginning of the hallway. Knowing that knocking would get her nowhere, she proceeded to open the door. Upon getting inside, she was left looking at a sight she had seen many times this week. Peering inside the room, it was filled with speakers, synthesizers, and a series of records lying haphazardly around the room. Looking closer inside was Vinyl standing at a turntable. She was alternating switches on the panel in front of her, and running records back and forth on the table. Unlike her usual appearance, this time Vinyl was wearing a pair of black rimmed purple glasses.

Octavia made an intense expression of pure annoyance, the same face, she had grown accustomed to making these past few days. Vinyl was left too preoccupied to pay any attention to what was going on, beyond the table in front of her. Octavia walked into the room, and pulled out the plug connecting her turntable. Soon the booming noise stopped, and Vinyl was left confused over the loss of music. “Really Vinyl, I thought we had gone over this! If you are not going to teach me during my stay here, at least permit me to practice in peace.”

Vinyl, finally noticing Octavia’s presence in the room, pulled off her shades. “Yo Octavia! Yeah, sorry about the noise, I guess I am disturbing you. My bad.”

Octavia let out a sigh, “Yes Vinyl, so could you please hold off on the Disk Jockeying, until after I am finished practicing my cello?”

Vinyl scratched the back of her head with her right hoof. “Um, about that. You see I have this client that needs me to come up with a new sound by tonight. So I kind of need to keep playing for the rest of the day. Sorry!”

The rage returned to Octavia's eyes once again, but she managed to keep her cool with the infuriating mare, “Well, where does that leave me Vinyl?”

“Oh yeah, don’t worry about I got it all settled, you’ll see.” Vinyl using her magic levitated a piece of folded paper over to Octavia. “Here, just take your cello, follow the directions on that note, and you will get a nice quiet place to practice.” Vinyl then proceeded to put her shades back on. “Oh! One last thing, when you get there you might not get a warm reception. Just play your cello well, and everything will work out.”

Vinyl noticed Octavia was about to complain about her sudden request. Vinyl knew she had to act fast, lest she get another earful. “Well, would you look at the time!” She quickly pushed Octavia out of her room, and locked the door. “Dinner is at eight, don’t be late!” Vinyl plugged in her turntable back in, and the music resumed booming.

Octavia stood there, just taking in the noise booming through the cracks in the door. Sighing, she returned to her room to collect her cello, placing the cello in its case. Octavia swore out. “Darn that Vinyl! The master is going to get a report regarding her behavior.” As she loaded her cello on her back, she noticed her green bag sitting on the floor next to her bed. In an attempt to avoid a repeat of the first day, she added the bag to the load. I may as well stop by the drugstore, and refill this thing with ‘supplies’ while I am out.

As she left the house, the booming of the speakers suddenly stopped. The sudden peace made Octavia realize the reason, the neighbors weren’t as annoyed by the noise. So at least she has the common decency to soundproof the house. I guess she isn’t as senseless as I assumed. Walking down the busy street, Octavia, who had been locked up in the cottage until now, finally saw the small village of Ponyville in an alive state. Taking in the sights, she began her journey guided by Vinyl’s mysterious note.

***

Now having traveled a long distance, past the vibrant town center, she continued down a road that extended to the edge of Ponyville. Octavia finally arrived at a small cottage. Upon closer inspection, she noticed a yellow pegasus sitting at a table outside with several small animals drinking tea. Looking at the sheet once more, Octavia realized this was the place specified in the note. She continued towards the pegasus, whom she could now identify as a mare. Not wanting to impolite, Octavia decided to say hello to the pegasus, and introduce herself.

Getting close she smiled at the mare, closing her eyes, and began. “Hello there miss. My name is Octavia Melody, and I am a student at the Canterlot Music Academy. I was sent here by my mentor Vinyl Scratch, whom had informed me I could practice my cello playing here. I just wish to verify if that is okay with you miss.” Looking around, Octavia realized the mare, as well as the animals, were all missing. Desperate to find the pegasus, she began to scan the area. Finally, after a few minutes of searching, she found her hiding behind a off in the distance, behind a chicken coop.

Octavia, a bit concerned, called out again to the now distant mare. “Um, miss, is it okay if I practice my cello here?” From the distance she could hear a squeak, and saw the yellow mare move her head up and down. That mare is quite shy. The complete opposite of Vinyl, but something about her seems familiar. Taking a minute to absorb the pure silence, Octavia decided she might as well just get to practicing.

She began by pulling off the green bag. She made a mental note to stop by the pharmacy on the way home to buy some more diapers, and set it down on the side. She then unloaded her cello case, and carefully removed her instrument and bow. Standing up, she adjusted the positioning of her hind legs, and placed her bow on her instrument. Her bow began to dance across the strings of her cello, and the soft dulcet tones began to ring out in the field. As she played, the animals began to approach the mare, enticed by the music. First the brave animals approached, and the more timid ones followed suit. Soon she was left with an audience of the once frightened animals, following them was the most frightened creature of them all the yellow mare flying overhead.

“Um... excuse me,” the yellow mare choked out. Although Octavia was unable to hear the mare, the commotion caused by animals trying to get her attention, snapped her back to reality. Looking up, she saw the mare waving to her. In response she suddenly stopped playing to hear the pegasus out. The pegasus continued, “Um… hi... your music sure is beautiful. S-sorry for interrupting you.”

Octavia was left excited to finally be able to speak to the timid mare. “That is not a problem miss, and thank you for your kind compliment.” Pausing for a second, Octavia continued, “Miss, may I get your name?”

The pegasus was left embarrassed, she flew down to the ground before continuing. “I am so sorry, my name is Fluttershy. I really loved your music.” Fluttershy finally relaxed with her new pony guest, and gave a smile.

Octavia was left dazed, “Wait, you loved me…” Her mind began to work in overdrive, a remnant of a memory long suppressed sparked in the darkness of her mind. That night… the animals… that crazy mare that brought them with her… She let go her cello, causing it to fall over into the grass, and the bow soon after fell from her hoof. Looking at the yellow pegasus Octavia exclaimed, “YOU WERE THE PEGASUS THAT RUINED THE GALA!!!”

Upon her exclamation the animals scattered, and Fluttershy flew up into the trees in a panic. Octavia realized what she had done, and needed to calm down, to review the situation. Okay, okay, relax. This couldn’t be that mare, maybe it was just a coincidence. Soon Fluttershy descended, and crouched into a ball on the ground. She was using her hoofs to protect the back of her head. Octavia noticed the twigs and dirt in her mane, this resulted in Fluttershy once again mirroring her appearance during the gala. Nope, Octavia this is definitely that mare that led those animals in. She looks so frightened… I can’t be mad at her, not like this.

She approached the tearful mare, “Fluttershy I am sorry, I overreacted, please forgive my actions.” Octavia was left sick to her stomach looking at the fearful mare. After a few seconds Fluttershy quit shaking and slowly got up. The glaring fear was still evident, in her trembling eyes.

‘I-I am sorry as well. Y-you are right… I don’t know what happened to me that night. For a while I was so alone. I tried everything I could to get the animals there to at least acknowledge me. When they didn’t I-I lost control of myself. I am really sorry for how I behave that night, Octavia.” Fluttershy was left unable to even look Octavia in the eyes.

Octavia let out an exasperated sigh. Why are you all the same? No matter how mad you ponies make me, I just can’t stay mad. She walked forward and used her hoof to pick up the pegasus’s head, “It is okay Fluttershy, I am really to blame. Could you please forgive me? If you do, I would love to play my cello for you.”

The pegasus perked up. “Y-you’re not mad?” Fluttershy asked amazed.

Octavia let out a chuckle, “Not at all. So can you just forgive me, so I can continue playing?” In Octavia’s eyes the yellow mare was alright, regardless of what happened that night.

Fluttershy nodded her head in approval, and sat down on the grass. Octavia picked up her cello, looking it over of any damage it may have suffered from the fall. Unsurprisingly, not even a scratch was on it. With her fears set aside, she picked up her bow she continued to play. The same sky she pierced with her voice, she now mended with her soothing melody. She continued to play as the sun started to set on that warm day.

Upon finishing her piece she thanked Fluttershy, and began to put her instrument away. By the time she had finished securing it in its case, she noticed Fluttershy was holding a tea set. While Octavia was packing her cello, Fluttershy has decided to go and warm up some of the tea she had made earlier. “Excuse me Octavia, would you mind having some tea with me… If that’s, um... not too much trouble…” Seeing as how Fluttershy was the first pony that she could talk to in the past week without suffering a migraine, Octavia happily accepted.

Returning to the table where she had scared the mare earlier the two sat down, and enjoyed the company of each other while drinking tea. As the sun sunk further down into the sky and the myriad of questions flared, a certain subject sensitive topic was brought up once again. “So Fluttershy I know that you were left stressed at the gala because the animals wouldn’t befriend you, and you were left with no one. So why did you go alone?”

Fluttershy was left embarrassed by the question, “Well um… I did. I was there with all my friends, but none of us had a good time. I guess we all had certain expectations that didn’t come true… and we were all left disappointed.” Fluttershy placed her cup down and looked at Octavia. “But, you know something good came out of it. I did learn a whole lot, and I am grateful to everyone that stood by me after that… event…”

Octavia placed her cup down and contemplated what the pegasus said before talking. “Fluttershy, it is fine, you had a bad night, it happens to me too. Although, I am a bit jealous that you had ponies to be there for you.”

Fluttershy looked back at Octavia with a worried look, “You mean you were all alone through all the bad times in your life?”

Octavia saw the worry on the pegasus’s face, “Oh no, I have always had someone with me, whether it was my master, or my parents.” Octavia paused for a moment. “Actually… I used to be very close with my mother...” Looking at the sky, and the disappearing sun Octavia realized it was getting late. “Oh look at the time, Sorry Fluttershy, but I have to be on my way. Thank you very much for your hospitality, and for allowing me to practice here.”

Fluttershy, who was lost in thought over Octavia’s earlier comment, snapped back to reality. “Oh, anytime! I enjoyed listening to you play. Please come by again, if you want to.” In response Octavia smiled and nodded her head. Picking up her cello, she went off back to her home.

Traveling back to the main road, Octavia was left happy, both over her encounter with the silent mare, and her being able to play her cello. As she walked down the intersection, a sudden feeling of dread took over. This left her was a feeling that she was being followed. Looking back, she was able to make out a yellow dot in the horizon. Realizing it was Fluttershy, Octavia decided to wait for the mare that was haphazardly flying towards her carrying something. As Fluttershy closed the distance between them, Octavia could make out a green item in her hooves. At this point Octavia was left worried, but she couldn’t put her hoof on why. At that moment the fear dawned on her, as she realized she had forgotten something very important, and incriminating. This realization caused Octavia to freeze in horror, over what was about to happen.

After what felt like an eternity for Octavia, Fluttershy had managed to catch up with her, “I am so glad I caught up to you Octavia. You left your bag back at my house.” Fluttershy placed the bag in front of Octavia. She looked at her expecting to see her smiling face, but instead saw one of fear.

“Um… Fluttershy, you didn’t happen to look in the bag, did you?” Octavia asked, her legs shaking.

Fluttershy looked back at Octavia baffled, “N-no.. I would never. I just wanted to give you back your bag.” Fluttershy looked at the ground. Octavia realized that she had to give other ponies more credit.

Left regretful for her sudden accusation, Octavia proceeded to apologise. “Sorry again, Fluttershy, and thank you very much for bringing me my bag back. It is just that… Recently I have been living with a housemate that is a bit too touchy for my taste. I know it isn’t her fault, but she always ends up leaving me feeling embarrassed. You live alone, so I guess you wouldn’t understand.”

“Oh, but I do!” For a moment Octavia saw a brief fire light in Fluttershy’s eyes. “My friends tend to always enter my personal space, and at times they leave me feeling embarrassed. But, I know that they do it because they care about me.” At that moment, talking about her friends, and remembering the many adventures she had with them. Fluttershy looked the happiest she had been all day.

Octavia seeing the look on her face was left at a loss for words. Is this really the same timid pegasus? Octavia’s awe, over the sudden change in the pegasus, subsided. This caused her to begin to review her own situation. “Maybe you are right Fluttershy. I may have been a bit overbearing.” Octavia slowly came to the conclusion that what happened on that first day was not Vinyl’s fault, and that she should try to get along with her. “Thank you again Fluttershy, for everything.” Octavia then pick up her bag, remembering that she needed to stop by the pharmacy to get more diapers. “And Fluttershy, I will be sure to visit you soon, if you don’t mind still having me.”

Fluttershy smiled, “Not at all.” Fluttershy began to walk away, but stopped herself. “I hope things go well between you and for friend.” Fluttershy flew into the air and began to fly back to her cottage at her slow pace.

Octavia took a few seconds to realize what Fluttershy said, and called out, “She is not my friend!” At this point Fluttershy was beyond earshot. Octavia realizing this sighed, and whispered to herself, “...she is just a noisy pony.” Turning around, she changed her direction slightly to stop by the pharmacy on the way back home.

After walking a distance she realized she was close, she could see a sign indicating she was within reach. She was about to enter until she spied a peculiar figure, from corner of her eye. Soon the stress that she had managed to get over, returned. Her mind became frantic trying to understand what it was. The erratic movements, the humming noise, and the glaring bright pink. She had seen that thing once before, right before her life was thrown into disarray. She took a step backwards, but it didn’t change a thing. That pink pony noticed her, it was closing in. Octavia’s breathing became labored and her mind began to scream. No, no, go away! Don’t come any closer! The pink mare stopped right in front of her, their eyes locked.

The pink mare had a huge smile on her face, “Ooh! Ooh! You look new in town, and I haven’t seen a new pony in 3 weeks, 2 days, 6 hours, 20 minutes, and 14 seconds. OH MY GOSH! I am going to have to go throw a party. Do you like parties? I like parties! This will be so much fun! I can’t wait. So new pony friend, What is your name?”

Octavia mind was drifting, “go away…” she muttered under her breath.

The pink pony looked at her confused, “Sorry, didn’t catch that. What did you say?”

At the moment Octavia snapped, “GO AWAY!!!” The pink pony stumbled back at Octavia’s outburst. “Get away from me! You ruined my life! You are the reason I will never be able to do the thing I love!”

Pinkie was left confused and upset by what she was hearing, ‘W-what do you mean?”

Octavia’s mind was lit like a time bomb, at that very moment, on those precise words she blew. In her blinding rage, Octavia slammed her head into the pink mare, launching her onto the ground. She then galloped and galloped, as fast as she ever has in her life. Thoughts of that night filled her head. The complaints she received as a result of her playing that night, her spiral into depression, her need for diapers every night, her current place of residence, and even her current fears. All the pink pony’s fault, there was only one place she could see clearly in her mind… her home.

As Octavia continued to run, for a brief moment in the back of her mind, she could hear something she had long forgotten. The joyous laughter of a classroom filled with fillies and colts applauding. In that instant, for a moment placed on an interval between 0.0 - 0.5 seconds, for reasons she could never comprehend on her single solitary point, in the vast plane of space time, she was happy.

Chapter 5

Vinyl aimlessly walked through her second floor hallway, musing over her plan. Shortly after Octavia’s departure she had turned off her music in order to concentrate, and began her thoughtful pace around her home. Okay. If I did this right, Tavi should have made it to Fluttershy’s a while ago. Those two should hit it off. Their personalities are about the same. Heck! For all I know they could be best buds by now. Vinyl, you are a genius! A huge grin displayed her excitement. Her thoughts complete, Vinyl idly stopped by the door just before Octavia’s room. The slight crack between the door and frame caught her attention. Whoops! I must have forgotten to close it after I left. I can’t have Tavi finding out about that. She hastily locked the door, thoughts of what would happen if Vinyl was to find out what was inside troubling her. Who knows what she would do to me?

Vinyl made her way back to the living room, drink in tow. She decided to wait for Octavia to get back and hopefully thank her. Lounging in her living room left Vinyl with feelings of boredom. Anticipating the look on Octavia’s face could not stop her mind from wandering, as she began to remember her youth. She thought about the days when she used to attend the Canterlot Music Academy. Her thoughts soon drifted onto her relationship with her former professor Frederick. Despite her excitement, her eyes grew heavy as she walked through the fog of her thoughts. Soon she was asleep.

***

“Ah, so you must be the prodigious Miss Vinyl Scratch, I have heard much about you. Welcome to the Canterlot Music Academy. I am Professor Frederick Horseshoepin, and I will be your personal instructor during your time here.” A light brown stallion with a white mane and emerald green eyes spoke, his voice amplified by the large auditorium he walked through. His cutie mark was fully visible; a pair of beamed reversed music notes, brown and black. He adjusted his red bow-tie as he reached the end of the corridor; a young filly stood before him and looked at the ground.

“Y-yes sir. I hope that I will live up to the standards of the academy and not disappoint you sir,” she said, her eyes focused on the red carpet that lined the floors. The filly had a white coat and a blue mane with lighter blue stripes running through it. On her flank was a newly acquired cutie mark not unlike that of the stallion. As she spoke, her voice and legs trembled.

The stallion looked sternly at the filly. “I would expect no less from you Miss Scratch. I was informed that you had recently acquired you cutie mark. Cherish it Miss Scratch. Cherish what you did at that moment, what you want to do now, and what you will do. Be proud, for today is the beginning of the rest of your life,” he finished. Yet through it all, the coldness of his tone remained.

“Yes sir,” she paused, before continuing. “I will never forget. And I am ready to begin studying under you as soon as possible,” the filly responded, never breaking her gaze with the ground. She was still uncertain, her mind filled with thoughts of the night that changed her life. The music she heard, and the excitement she felt. These were a constant reminder of what she loved. However, the way to achieve that love remained unclear to her. To her this academy seemed like the best chance she had of fulfilling her dreams.

“Very good, Miss Scratch. We shall begin your training tomorrow. Bright and early!” the stallion exclaimed, having turned around to leave mid-sentence, leaving the young filly lost in her thoughts and feeling empty inside.

Vinyl’s talent was apparent from a young age, known for being able to play many instruments with exceptional skill. Vinyl also developed quick mastery of the styles that were trending well. Her talent earned her an invitation and full scholarship to the academy, at a fairly young age. The excitement at this success and honor was great at first, but soon a different feeling took over. A discontinuity between the expectations of the academy, and her own expectations grew to a size that could not be ignored. Doing what the academy wanted without question was the only solution she found to her problems. Similar to a dog trained to be a tool for its master, she too became their personal instrument. No feeling or emotion filled her heart as she stood there playing on a stage for the amusement of the ponies. In her eyes they watched her as if she were a mere music box. The years passed, and Vinyl became exceptional at learning the many instruments she was expected to play. Her soulless obedience earned her notoriety in the academy, and the name Vinyl was well known within the upper circles of the Canterlot elite. Yet, the more praise she received, the more machine-like she felt. Vinyl neared the end of her instruction, and now a grown mare she began to ponder her life with more frequency.

Vinyl found herself staring blankly at her ceiling as she had begun doing with more frequency, her mind swimming in her sea of thought. How did it even reach this point? I used to love music so much as a filly, and now look at me. Her thoughts deepened as she rolled onto her side with a groan. Her mind began to scream at her with the many undeserved praises she had received. “Truly an inspiration to the students here.” “You exemplify what it means to be a true musician.” “You will be a great pony someday!” Her mind yelled at her, the noise filling her little head became too much. She lost control, and howled into the night in an attempt to alleviate her pain. “I AM JUST A JOKE! I am no better than the soulless instruments I play! What happened to me!” she despaired aloud, forcing herself into a pant.

As she collected her thoughts she recalled something her professor told her long ago. It was regarding her cutie mark, and what it really meant to her. That night was the happiest I had ever been in my entire life. The crowd may have been booing those guys out, but they looked like they were having so much fun. I want to have fun like that, I want to enjoy music. I want to… I want to see music like I did when I was little! Her thoughts reached a peak as she sat up in bed. Her mind was made up. I know what I have to do! He may not approve, but it’s finally time I stopped trying to please him, and think about what I want. She fell back onto her pillow in exhaustion, her outburst and racing mind giving way to a tired relaxation. Wow! This is the best I have felt in a long time. Vinyl looked over to the drawer on her night stand. I know I shouldn’t, she thought as she opened the bottom most drawer, but I want to. She looked intently at what was inside. “For the love of Celestia, I hope I grow out of this quickly,” she muttered. Then she was awake.

***

The loud sound of hooves assaulted Vinyl’s still fuzzy mind. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. That dream, she lamented, letting her thoughts fade as she tried to grasp the quickly fading memories. The thunderous sound of hooves grew, shaking Vinyl back from her distant state. “Argh! Who is that making all that noise!?” she yelled just as the door flew open, a winded Octave standing inside the doorway. “O-Octavia!? Are you okay?” Vinyl asked with concern. Octavia showed no signs of being aware of the question. The hyperventilation and chaos of the cello case and green bag hitting the ground, mixed with the slamming of a door. Octavia galloped into the living room, and with great abandon tossed herself onto the couch. She landed dead on, facing the hallway with her rear in the direction of the kitchen. She remained there motionless, her eyes closed and trembling.

Any thoughts of a successful plan left Vinyl’s mind, as she tried to find out what happened. “Hey! Octavia! Octavia, what’s up? Come on. I need you to tell me what happened,” Vinyl asked as she put a hoof on the silent and trembling mare. “Octavia, please. I need to know if you are okay.” There was no response to her question or gentle shaking of the mare. This continued for several minutes, with the hope of any response failing as the minutes went on. In a final desperate attempt to reach the distant pony before her, Vinyl decided to break a taboo. “Tavi. You can talk to me. Please tell me what’s wrong.” Octavia opened her once clenched eyes, those exact words piercing the barrier Octavia surrounded herself with.

The fog that once filled Octavia’s mind coalesced into memories and thoughts of her home. I missed you, mom. I am so sorry. I was just having so much fun. I didn’t mean to disappoint you. Her hooves reached out on their own accord, and made contact with something as she tried to pull it into an embrace. She began to cry, “Please don’t go. I promise I will do better.” Two hooves wrapped around her, finishing the embrace. Her face went flush, and a smile grew as warmth filled her. Her emotions overflowed, and her crying intensified. She cried without rest, stopping only for sharp intakes of air her burning lungs demanded. The wetness of her tears soaked her fur, and cooled the warmth of her cheeks. A hoof began to stroke her mane. She concentrated on the slow pace, and her breathing became deeper and slower to match. Soon her crying stopped, and only calmness remained. Those memories drifted away, and her eyes once again perceived the world outside. The rosy mist clouding her perception vanished, and the dawning realization of her situation caused her to panic as she withdrew her hooves from the embrace. Octavia finally noticed it was not her mother there, but instead Vinyl. Octavia’s actions dawned on her, and her face went red. ‘VINYL! I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I-I-I don’t know what came over me!” Octavia rambled on, a panic overtaking her.

Vinyl could only smile when she saw the worry on Octavia’s face. “It’s okay, Tavi. You just had a bad day. Could you wait here for a minute?”

“S-s-sure Vinyl, anything you want!” Octavia was happy to agree, wanting some time to compose herself and at least collect her thoughts.

Vinyl left the couch and walked back to her room, as thoughts of what happened began to wash over her. I have to be careful how I handle this. I know something is wrong, but this is probably only chance I’m gonna get! Inside her room she quickly found what she needed. She looked down at the night stand in front of her, and opened the bottom most drawer. As her hoof connected with the drawer, the world seemed to waver as a strange feeling overtook her. Whoa! Serious case of deja-vu. Shaking the feeling aside Vinyl opened the drawer, and surveyed the objects once locked and sealed away.

Inside the drawer was an organized stack of diapers and changing supplies that Vinyl avoided for the duration of Octavia’s visit. Although left with fond thoughts, she knew she had to be fast. She grabbed several diapers, collected her changing supplies, and turned to her bed to collect what she needed from the stack. In that motion without realizing it, Vinyl’s tail created a small gust that knocked a set of papers on her table into the open drawer filled with diapers. As they landed it was evident that one of them was the letter from Mrs. Melody, but the other was still concealed. She returned some of the diapers and supplies to the drawer, covering the letters that had fallen in. Before leaving, Vinyl kicked her hind leg sealing the drawer once again unaware of what had occurred. She quickly returned back to the hallway.

Without making her presence known, Vinyl quietly peeked into the room she left Octavia in. Octavia was still in the seat but now sat in a normal position. A few tears still lingered in her eyes, as she used her hoof to wipe her nose. Listening carefully, Vinyl could tell Octavia was sobbing again, but this time her sharp breaths were not as strong as they were earlier. Vinyl wanted to laugh over how cute Octavia looked trying to keep herself dignified, despite looking so pathetic. However, right now she had a more important task to complete.

Vinyl gently approached the still recovering mare so not to scare her, and to obscure the items she had collected from her room. “Hey, Tavi. You doing a little better?” Vinyl inquired, genuinely concerned.

Octavia turned away at the surprise, and vigorously wiped her eyes in a desperate attempt to preserve some of her dignity in front of the mare. “I am fine, Vinyl. I don’t know what came over me, and I am sorry. If you would please excuse me I would like to get back to my room.” Octavia’s subtle turning of her head was not enough to conceal the redness in her face.

“Sorry, can’t do that,” Vinyl replied. “Right now I need to talk with you about what happened. Buuuuut… I can tell you aren’t doing so hot. So, um, just in case you pass out like you did last time in my kitchen I’m going to need you to wear one of these.” Vinyl revealed her hoof, using her magic to place a diaper on the couch in front of Octavia.

Octavia became enraged at the sight. “Ugh! Vinyl, you are disgusting! How dare you suggest I do something so humiliating after what happened! I am going back to my room!” the now fuming Octavia yelled. She began to pick herself off the couch but was swiftly interrupted.

Vinyl was worried; she knew she had to stop her from running away. Even if that meant she has to take drastic measures to do so. “No! As you instructor I demand you remain here!” Vinyl looked at her sternly. The sudden outburst scared Octavia enough that she fell back, her rear firmly planted on the couch. “Listen, I know you don’t want to talk about it, but you need to. You can’t keep running through life on your own, so please let me in.”

Octavia froze. Somewhere long ago she heard those exact words. There was sternness and softness then, just as they were right now. That person from back then was sad but she was too blind to see it. They wanted to be there for her, but she wouldn’t let them. It was a decision that left her with an odd feeling of regret; regret she could not explain. This time Octavia decided she did not want ignore that voice and be alone once again. “Okay, Vinyl. I will talk with you.” A few seconds passed before Octavia realized she forgot something important that was a more pressing matter. “B-but I am not wearing the diaper!”

Vinyl grew happy with this sign of success, but there was a matter she knew had to be accomplished. She needed an excuse, even if it meant telling Octavia something she knew would upset her. “Yeah… but you see, the thing is I really need you to wear them. I really didn’t want to tell you this, but you really aren't giving me a choice.” Vinyl looked extremely conflicted as she begrudgingly formed her words. “Back when you passed out in my kitchen, and I totally forgive you for that, you may have… sort have… left a puddle on the floor. So I may have had to clean up the kitchen, and then clean you up while you were unconscious. I don’t want to do that again. Please. I’m sorry but I really need you to.” Vinyl looked back at the grey mare, who appeared to have been freshly struck with a shovel alongside the head.

In a state of shock Octavia could only choke out the start of an incoherent question asking what she did. She slumped back into the seat trying desperately to cope with what she was just told. She didn’t just say that. She couldn’t have just said that. Why did she-, I-, we? Her mind continued to drift from one incomplete question to the next, confused even more by her attempt to remain calm. Try as she might Octavia couldn’t escape what she had been told. It all began to pull on the single strand of sanity she had left. The stress was too much as thread finally snapped. At this point she was broken, her mind now completely blank. She slowly moved her hoof over to the diaper, and brought it close to her. She slightly turned her head to her host. There was a certain dead quality to Octavia’s eyes. “Excuse me, Vinyl. May I please have some privacy?”

Vinyl swifty tossed the changing supplies on the couch and turned away. Before leaving the room she stealthily grabbed the other diaper that was still hidden. Moving into the hallway, Vinyl could hear Octavia noisily opening the diaper as she began the process of taping herself in. Vinyl, using her magic brought her own diaper close to her, grabbing it with her hoof. She used this short break to review how well things were progressing. Okay. She took that better than I expected. She was even willing to wear it. It played out exactly like she said it would. Sweet! Okay, Vinyl. No time for a celebration. You are not out of the woods yet. She carefully entered the nearby door to make sure Octavia would not leave. This room was a small bathroom simply composed of a cabinet, toilet, sink, and shower. Octavia gathered some foal powder hidden within, and began the task of diapering herself.

The act of diapering herself brought Vinyl back to the memories of the dream she had. That last moment where she reached towards the bottom drawer and her wish all those years ago stood out. Vinyl positioned herself on the diaper, smiling as she whispered to herself. “I guess there are some things you never outgrow.” She sprinkled the foal powder on herself, finding a joy she hadn’t felt ever since she stopped wearing for Octavia’s sake. Pulling the front up and closing the tapes, she was filled with a nostalgic warmth and security, even on that cold floor. Hearing that familiar crinkling of her diaper left her reinvigorated. She was ready to help Octavia confront her problems, whatever they may be.

Chapter 6

Vinyl carefully opened the bathroom door and snuck into the hallway, again spying on Octavia’s condition. She could see Octavia finished with her diaper change, but her upset face was turned towards the kitchen. Vinyl trotted into the living room, ready to do what she needed to. “Alright! So, Tavi. Let’s talk about why you were so upset.” Octavia remained still, not paying any attention to Vinyl’s presence. Just as stubborn as expected. Now time to see if she wasn’t kidding about Tavi. Vinyl sat down onto the couch, her diaper emitting a loud crinkle that drew Octavia’s attention.

Turning around, Octavia was greeted with a familiar sight. Once again she was left flabbergasted at Vinyl’s audacity. “V-V-Vinyl? What are you wearing!?”

Vinyl sighed, rolling her eyes at Octavia’s comment. “Really Tavi? Haven’t we gone through this exact same conversation before?” she said, pausing to look back at Octavia with a smile. “I didn’t want you to feel embarrassed so I figured if both of us were wearing them, neither one of us would feel weird. ‘Sides, you gotta admit sitting on this couch is way more comfy with a diaper on.” Vinyl said with a subtle enthusiasm, her smile growing to a not quite as subtle size.

Octavia looked back at the smiling diapered mare. After all that had transpired she was unsure what to do. A few minutes ago she was crying, next her overly excitable host consoled her, and now here they both were sitting on the couch in nothing but their foalish attire. The severity of the moment, as well as the actions of her host finally dawned on her. Wow this mare really does have issues, and she thinks I am the one that needs to talk about their problems. I am being consoled... by an idiot… Under normal circumstances she would be upset, but for some reason defying all that had happened, she started laughing. It started as a chuckle, but then grew into an uncontrollable thunderous laughter, forcing her to double over. Vinyl observed Octavia’s jovial state confused. Eventually Octavia had managed to regain some portion of her composure. “Hahaha! You should look at how silly you look sitting there in a diaper smiling, you look like a foal.”

Vinyl was taken aback by Octavia’s comment, that lacked all the refinement and tact she had come to know the mare for, but she knew this was her best chance to get Octavia to open up. “Well at least I don’t need them like one.” Vinyl glanced at the mare slyly. This only lasted for a moment, as she was unable to keep up the act as she also collapsed into Octavia’s infectious laughter.

Not wanting to lose this argument Octavia countered, “Oh I may need them. But by the way you act, you probably enjoy wearing them.” Octavia had managed to calm herself down. She was now waiting for Vinyl’s rebuttal.

Vinyl looked back at her, and clearly and calmly stated. “Even if that was the case, you gotta admit these diapers are pretty fun.”

Hearing this, Octavia fell silent. She didn’t expect Vinyl to admit such a thing. Because of this, she had no way of countering Vinyl’s statement. Was she right, or was she wrong? This was a question she had avoided answering for a long time. But right now that didn’t really matter. Regardless of this conflicting concept Vinyl brought to her attention, something more important was weighing on her mind.

Looking over, Vinyl could see the conflict in Octavia’s eyes. She decided it would be better if she dropped her current question. This isn’t good. I need to stop, and take this one step at a time. “So Tavi, do you mind telling me what is wrong?”

Octavia’s thought was interrupted by Vinyl’s current attempt at probing her. Being a pony from Canterlot she had spent most of her life building up a wall around her. Yet today, this pony made her feel a way she never felt before, she felt she could trust this mare in a way she couldn’t trust anypony else. Her every attempt at repelling her, only caused her to come back harder. She was determined to break that wall, and the thought that she might actually succeed slightly scared Octavia.

As she looked on to that smiling face, her fears vanished, replaced with the curiosity of what really existed outside that wall she forged. She may be crazy, but right now I don’t think there is another pony I would rather be with. So warm, not like the other ponies back at the academy. In fact, she even reminds me of… Octavia took one last glance at the mare, and her final decision was made. “Okay Vinyl, I will tell you what happened. But for that to happen, I need to tell you everything. Things that I haven’t shared with anypony.” Presented with an opportunity to finally understand Octavia, Vinyl nodded in agreement. Looking back at the inquisitive mare, Octavia finally felt at ease. For the first time in her life she felt she could let somepony else in. She began by recounting the events of the day making sure to cover the events of the gala, and how they invariantly led to her depression. As Octavia finished she looked back at Vinyl, the once happy mare now had a confused and disturbed look on her face.

“Wait, wait, wait. Let me get this straight. You attacked Pinkie Pie! Remind me never to catch you on the wrong side of the bed.” She paused as she noticed that her attempt to lighten the mood only furthered Octavia misery. “But hey listen, that gal is a party animal and I am sure she is fine. What I want to know is why you were so upset. I mean I get that playing all those songs caused you to get in all that hot water. Also, those requests probably annoyed you as much as it did the guests, so why did you do it?”

Octavia remained mute, for her the difficulty was not in explaining why, but accepting the reason behind it. Yet, looking back at Vinyl’s caring face made it difficult for her to keep silent. “Vinyl… It’s not that I was upset. I was actually quite happy that night.” This comment left Vinyl confused, but in order to understand what was happened she let Octavia continue. “That night I thought I was happy, but then she showed up. That crazy mare was hopping around smiling and laughing. As happy as I was, I was sure she was happier, but I couldn’t tell why. Then she approached me, and she asked me to do something I haven’t done in a long time.”

Octavia sunk further back in the couch, and stared at the ceiling reminiscing about her past. “You see Vinyl back when I was just a filly I used to have difficulty talking to other ponies. You must know that in Canterlot it’s hard to really fit in unless you know somepony… So I mostly stayed to myself distant from my classmates, until that day. Due to an incident at the School for Gifted Unicorns all outdoor activities were canceled for a week, and everyone was miserable. We were having a show and tell, and I brought my cello. I really wasn’t able to speak to my classmates; looking back on it I was rather pathetic. So instead I played, and they cheered for me. The songs themselves were really simple. Like the Pony Pokey, and other childish ones. But they were happy, so I was happy.” Octavia soon became lost in thought

Noticing that Octavia had stopped suddenly, Vinyl realized that she needed to try and keep the mare talking. “Well that makes sense, I love it when a crowd get so into it they are cheering you on.”

Octavia shook her head in response to Vinyl’s comment. She realized that Vinyl and she were disconnected, and she needed to rectify her understanding. “That isn’t it Vinyl. I wasn’t happy because they were applauding, I was happy because they were happy. I looked at all their smiling faces, and how they enjoyed every note I played. At that moment I knew what I wanted to do with my life, but I sadly lacked a cutie mark to prove it. This was something I wanted to do above all else, regardless of whether or not I was destined to do so. So I practiced and practiced, until one day I finally got my big break. Thanks to a song I wrote, something I poured everything I had into. For all my hard work I was awarded with this cutie mark, and a scholarship to the academy. I have been there ever since, playing for those blank emotionless faces. I thought that I would finally be able to play for people that enjoyed it, but the most they ever do is nod in approval.”

Vinyl looked on amazed by how much Octavia had worked to reach this moment. He never told me that. All this time I thought she was some snooty rich mare. But then why does she remind me so much of myself? Vinyl pondered this as she remembered the second page of the letter. “...and that Vinyl is why I am asking you to do this. I believe you are the only one that can ever truly understand her.” Vinyl was left dumbfounded. There is no way she could have known that about me unless… Frederick! Ugh! How much did you tell her about me!?

Her mind was filled with thoughts of conspiracy set by her former professor. She looked up at that mare pondering if she had any hand in this. Yet, looking at Octavia and hearing that story she was quite familiar with began to drain any thoughts of conspiracy out of her. All she could see was that sad mare looking for someone to open up to. As she continued looking at her, she saw something she had yet to see in a long time. In that instance she saw that fear surrounding her break and all the sadness shatter, as she saw Octavia smile genuinely for the first time since she met her.

The joy overflowed from her as, fond thoughts began to permeate her being. “That’s why I was so happy that night. I played for hours and everyone nodded with approval, but she was different. She was so happy; she thanked me, and smiled. She didn’t just approve of my playing, she loved it. That is why I kept taking all of her requests that night. She reminded me why I loved music to begin with… and that reminder ended with my bedwetting. It is not that I hate her, but I hate what I have become.” She stopped momentarily as she finally came to terms with her outburst earlier. “When I was crying, I was mourning the pony I had become.”

Vinyl hearing this was shocked to hear a story similar to her own, almost verbatim, but managed to keep her cool. “Y-yeah I got sick of those rich snobs as well. One of the reasons I moved out here. But Tavi, it seems like it’s more trouble than it’s worth don’t you think? I mean how sad you were, and the bedwetting; if you hate it so much why not just quit?” Octavia turned to the mare, her diaper crinkling as she did. Vinyl looked on at a loss for words at the sight of the formally meek mare. The determination and resolution flowing from her eyes was more than she ever expected.

Her voice once somber and shaking was now steady and absolute. “Vinyl, I won’t quit for the same reason you, nor any musician worth their salt won’t. I love it far too much. Even if the crowd is silent, or I am playing to an audience of empty chairs it doesn't matter.” She raised her hoof and placed it on her chest. “I hear the applause in here, and I am filled with hundreds of smiling faces inside of me. That is why I love to play, as long as those faces inside of me are there, I will play to see them smile.”

Hearing this Vinyl felt something resonate inside of her, and her own feelings began to well up inside. Was this really a student from that stuck up academy? She spent all of her life trying to find happiness, and she was all alone. I know what that is like, and I hate it. I still hate it! But she never ran away... “Hey Tavi…” Vinyl trailed off lost in thought.

Octavia looked at her confused, “Um, yes Vinyl what is it?” She looked over at the now motionless mare. She could see that Vinyl’s eyes had glazed over, and knew something was wrong. “Vinyl, are you alri-” She was cut off mid-sentence as she was grabbed. Looking down she could see it was Vinyl hugging her tightly with a smile on her face. “V-Vinyl what are you doing!” Octavia was left distraught over Vinyl’s sudden outburst.

“Wow Tavi you are so cool!” Octavia began to struggle causing Vinyl’s grip to tighten, making her escape far more unlikely. “You are so awesome, you know that!?” Vinyl began to tear up from the joy she felt.

Not used to such affectionate contact, Octavia continued to struggle as she began to use her hooves in an attempt to push Vinyl away. “That is great but can you please, leeeet gooo.” Octavia stressed as she tried to escape the mare’s iron grip.

“No way! You are staying here with me, we are best friends now.” In Vinyl’s eyes for the first time ever, she finally met someone like her. Octavia you’re nothing like those Canterlot ponies. Your reason for playing, that joy you have, and even how you feel right now; I understand it all. I don’t care about what their plan was; there is only one thing I am sure of. Your mom was right, everything she said about you, and everything she said about me. We aren’t the exact same, but I want us to be best friends so please say yes! Vinyl continued to hold the mare tight despite her pleas.

Octavia continued to thrash about for several minutes. In the end all she managed to do was tired herself out, she realized there was only way to escape. Sighing she relaxed, she looked back at the elated mare that clung onto her. While she put on a face of annoyance, right now she was the happiest she had been in a long time. “Okay Vinyl we are friends now. So could you please let me go!” With those words Octavia felt Vinyl’s grip loosen, allowing her to break free. Relieved to be free of the white mare’s embrace, which she could only describe as a bear trap. While she really wasn’t angry over her nonconsenting agreement, she was still upset at how Vinyl acted. “Is that really how you make friends!? You hold them captive until they agree?”

Vinyl was still overjoyed from Octavia’s agreement earlier. The smile on her face stood out brightly, as she wiped the tears from her eyes. “Nope, I only do that with ponies I really like. Plus if you said no I would have been really upset.” Octavia was still annoyed, but was happy to hear Vinyl say that. The thought that she was that adamant to become her friend, as forceful as she was, was rather sweet.

Sitting there, she realized none of this would have happened if not for what she did earlier that day. As she began to reflect on the day’s events, the joy she felt was quickly interrupted by the realization of the events prior to her return. Her angry statements and violent outburst at that mare, which had once reminded her how to be happy. Getting up she knew what she had to do to set things right. “Well all that aside. I still feel terrible for hurting the pink mare earlier. After all she did for me, and the way I treated her. I have to go apologize right away.” Octavia began walking to the door, only to have Vinyl grab her tail in an attempt to stop her.

Octavia looked back to see a desperate Vinyl trying to keep her from leaving. “Sorry Tavi, but I think it’s a bit late to go right now. Listen I have to meet with Pinkie tomorrow anyway, she’s my new employer for a series of parties she is throwing this month. How about I talk to her and break the ice, that way you can apologize later. Does that sound good?” Vinyl noticed the tension on Octavia’s tail decreased, indicating the she was no longer moving towards the door. “Besides, it is not like you can go out in a diaper.”

Octavia was shocked; she had forgotten she was still wearing it. As a result of Vinyl mentioning her diapered state, she became red with embarrassment. “About that, do you mind if I take this off? I feel much better now thanks to you.”

“No way!” Vinyl exclaimed overzealously. She quickly realized she had been a bit too excited, and needed stop and calm herself down. “I mean... it’s already time for dinner, and after that you can head to bed. I mean it wouldn’t sense to take it off and then put a new one on. That’s just a waste of a perfectly good diaper.” Vinyl then got off the couch, and walked next to the grey mare. “Tell ya what. How about I wear mine until bed too, so you won’t have to worry as much.”

Octavia saw that Vinyl’s argument was well thought out, even if she knew there were other reasons Vinyl wanted to keep wearing one. Yet, she was unable to poke any holes in it, and be honest with herself she really didn’t want to. Right now all she wanted to do was eat, and then go to bed. “Okay Vinyl you win. I personally can’t wait to eat. By the way, would you mind telling me about your time back at the academy?” The two crinkling mares continued their conversation, and walked into the kitchen to have their dinner. It was simple, as due to the events of the day there was nothing prepared, forcing the diapered duo to fix something to eat on the spot.

But that really didn't bother them. The two were far more engrossed with their conversations about their foal hood, the academy, and their dreams for the future. As their meal came to a close, so did the first real conversation the two mares have had since they met. As the two exited the kitchen and said their goodnights, the two turned in to their respective rooms for the night.

Vinyl, still excited from spending time with her new friend, trotted back to her bed. She promptly got into her bed, but contrary to what she said earlier she kept her diaper on. Man today was a lot of fun. I really hope I didn’t go too overboard with the diapers. All I know is she may say she hates it, but I know for a fact there is more to her story. Vinyl paused to clearly review the events from today. Who would have thought we would be so much alike. Right now all I know is that I want to be her friend, and not just because of an order or a request. This is something I want to do.

Vinyl secured herself in warmth blanket, and she began to flow into the serenity of the night. Suddenly she felt a pull in her bladder, and only one pleasurable concept of how to alleviate her predicament came to mind. Then without much conscious effort she let the urine inside of her flow into the diaper’s soft padding. The diaper soon began to warm and swell, and the added comfort made her transition that much easier as she was soon fast asleep.

During this time Octavia had finally made it back to her room, and then much like her host was immediately drawn to the soft embrace of her bed. Lying down she scanned her dark room, and noticed that her cello stand was bare. As she realized this she began to remember that she dropped it during her fit, and it was still downstairs on the cold floor. Normally she would have raced downstairs, however right now she was not compelled to retrieve her most prized possession. For reasons beyond her understanding she did not require the sight of her cello to put her at ease tonight. For the first time, in a long time she was at peace, both with herself and the world.

Pulling her blanket up, she ran her hoof along the outside of the diaper, causing it to emit a soft crinkle. As she continued to probe the diaper she pressed down on the front, causing a jolt of electricity to run down her spine as she felt the softness and comfort it gave her. Even with the headache that came with being forced to wear them as a result of her bed wetting. Octavia knew she did enjoy them more than she was willing to admit. In an attempt to induce sleep she closed her eyes, but try as she might she couldn’t suppress the happiness she felt right now. That Vinyl. She is a bit strange, but she is a good pony, and a good… friend. Looking up at the ceiling she was glad that she was required to come here, and that she was required to meet that odd and kind hearted mare.

Soon Octavia began to fade into the night, as the thoughts of the day began to drift away. When a sudden realization jarred her mind back into functioning. Wait, these diapers are far thicker than I am used to, and they make much more noise than usual. It took her only seconds to realize that she had never actually entered the pharmacy earlier that day. So that means I shouldn’t have any of my diapers right now. At that moment a spark ignited in her mind, as she began to piece everything together. Staring up at the ceiling, her eyes wide open, she stated in a monotone and uninterested voice. “I am wearing one of Vinyl’s diapers aren’t I…” Hearing this out loud didn’t help, as Octavia continue to stare at her ceiling in denial. As the hours went by she continued this act, in an attempt to refute her reality. This went on until the powerful allure of sleep overwhelmed her, and she sank away into the night.

Chapter 7

Several days passed since the two mares had found joy in each other’s company. Today, Octavia was somewhat enjoying her breakfast in the complete silence of the desolate kitchen. She sighed, driven to boredom by the silence of that mute little home she had slowly grown fond of. While she sat there mechanically feeding herself, her mind was drifting aimlessly. I still can’t believe four days have already passed since then. They feel so slow without her around. Only fourteen more days until my time here is complete… The mare let out another sigh, as she soon began to realize she had passed the halfway point of her time here. I hope she makes it back in time. The house feels so dull without her. Octavia continued to stare out the window, the dull grey mirroring her mental state.

Over the past few days, Vinyl had been out of the house. This was a result of a long contract she had set up with Pinkie Pie, requiring her to be out of town DJ’ing and preventing her from staying in her home. Vinyl did make good on her promise to introduce Octavia to Pinkie, allowing her to make amends for her assault a few days prior. Although the pink mare did not bear any ill-will towards Octavia, her life draining hug post-apology was enough to leave Octavia a bit light headed. Sigh… I can’t believe that odd mare wants to throw a party for me after what I did. It’s not like I even know her or anypony here in Ponyville. So why do I feel so sad? This odd small town, these odd ponies, and my odd friend. She remained there, trapped in her feelings of melancholy. She continued to stare, lost. Suddenly, she felt a wind of confidence run through her, and her lost vigor began to return. That is no reason to mope around, Octavia! Right now you should be practicing; slacking off is not an option. Octavia stood up. Her burning desire to put these foreign thoughts behind her surged. As she did this, she was met with the faint echo of a crinkle.

As the mare looked down, she remembered she had yet to change out of her sodden night diaper. With Vinyl being out of the house so much, Octavia found she more frequently kept her diaper on longer after waking up, and changed into long before she went to bed. I better change first. Octavia began to walk up to her room, but her mind remained filled with confusion. That one thought Vinyl mentioned to her kept bothering her; a thought she had decided to avoid dwelling on for fear of the consequences that would come of it. With Vinyl out of the house, and Octavia left to her own devices, she thought long and hard about what things meant to her. While she still was unsure about a lot of things, she knew she was getting closer. Now she found herself spending more and more time in diapers, specifically when she was stressed. She began to question the answers she was finding, but whenever she began to doubt herself or what she was doing, she remembered Vinyl. Her odd antics and her nonchalant views on life; through it all, Vinyl seemed happy and accomplished. These were feelings Octavia had been devoid of for a long time, but recently she felt them returning.

As she entered the upstairs hallway, her disordered thoughts were broken as she passed by that door once more. Every time she passed by that door she was consumed by her doubt about what was in the room. Ever since her first night here, she doubts regarding what they concealed had expanded. She stood close and inhaled the air. It smells so sweet. What could she be keeping in there? It didn’t help that Vinyl was very vague regarding the room’s contents and would always change the subject before she had to give Octavia a definite answer. Her mind began to burn as she placed her hoof on the door knob. She began to turn it, realizing it was unlocked. As the door knob completed its cycle, a jolt ran through Octavia’s body. She was overcome with a feeling of guilt. I-I can’t, not this way. She left me all alone in her house, she trusts me, and I trust her. I can’t ruin that.

The connect between her and the door broke, and the knob returned back to its neutral position. Hearing the cling of the metal, Octavia smiled. She was proud of herself for preserving Vinyl’s trust and proud to know she could trust her friend. Well, it really is none of my business. She could feel a warmth inside of her and soon outside of her. Her eyes went wide as she realized her diaper had gotten warmer. Oh Celestia, not again! Sigh, at this rate I may end up needing them… Octavia exaggerated in her mind. Recently, she had begun to notice she had an odd tendency of letting herself get relaxed while wearing diapers. While this had no effect on her when she wasn’t wearing, she soon found herself overly relaxed in her diapered state. Oh well, I was going to change out of it anyway. She continued back to her room one door down, her diaper sloshing as she walked along the hardwood floor.

Entering inside, she collected her supplies and began to change out of her well used diaper. Pulling the tapes off, she presented a look of annoyance. All the while, she was overflowing with a new feeling of joy that she could not explain. As she began to run the cool wipes over herself, her mind began to wander. Thank Celestia Vinyl isn’t here. I can only imagine the negative influence my need to wear would have on her. Sigh… I can almost picture her wearing a diaper and taunting me for being so ‘uptight’, as she puts it… As she finished her change, a thought began to consume her. She couldn’t get that diapered mare out of her head, or more specifically, that mare’s diapers. A week ago, Vinyl lent her one of her diapers to wear for the night. This worked out rather well as Octavia had run out that day and was unable to get anymore. After the initial shock had worn out from the thought of wearing another pony’s diaper, Octavia began to realize something odd. The diaper Vinyl had given her was far more soothing than the ones she normally wore. At the same time, her bedwetting, which would on occasion leak out of her normal diapers, showed no signs of leaking out of Vinyl’s diaper.

Octavia got up off the bed and went to sit down at the chair near her cello. As her rear connected with the hard surface, she was once again reminded about her diaperless state. Annoyed with the current state of her mind, she began to angrily scratch her mane with her hooves. Why is this bothering me so much!? First that mare convinces me that being in diapers isn’t all bad, and now this! Truth be told, this wasn’t the first time that week that these new thoughts began to eat away at Octavia’s reserved nature. Every day of that week these feelings returned, stronger each time, until today, where she could feel them boiling over. Looking down at her package of diapers, feelings of jealousy and desire began to flood her mind, until it became too much. She stood up and slowly walked over to her supply. Why is this happening? She grabbed one of the folded up diapers as she returned to her bed with her supplies. I mean, they are mine, and I am free to do with them as I please. Spreading the diaper out, she laid on top of it and began to powder herself. I have noticed that my playing always tends to improve when I wear; also, they allow me to play longer. So for the sake of my art, I have to wear. She pulled up the front and began to tape up the diaper. Besides, Vinyl won’t be back for a long time. That was all the justification she needed. She finished changing into her new diaper and stood up.

Checking her new diaper, she made sure it was correctly taped on. Patting her new diaper, it gave off an affirming crinkle. Alright, back to practicing. Octavia returned back to her chair, picked up her bow, and flawlessly began to recite piece after piece. With each dulcet note filling the room, Octavia was left more and more relaxed. She continued to play each note until the sun’s light poured through the window onto her face. This was a common sign she used to let her know to take a break. As she looked at her clock, she could see it was 1:30 pm. Perfect, three full hours of practice with no distractions. Thinking that, the mare became alarmed, and her heart began to race. Only one thought filled her mind as she rushed to place her hoof over her diaper. Touching it, she could hear a crinkle, but found it completely dry. Her fear subsiding, she sat back down in her chair, panting. I really need to calm down.

Catching her breath, Octavia felt silly. She looked towards the mirror in the corner of the room. My goodness, my mane is a mess. Octavia began to run her hoof through her mane, straightening it. As her gaze shifted down, she noticed her bowtie was crooked and straightened it. Oddly enough, she felt almost naked without it on. She passed her eyes over the mirror. Now seeing her diapered self fully, she couldn’t help but smile at how ridiculous she looked. As she pressed on it again, she could hear another loud crinkle, causing her to chuckle. I should be careful, at this rate I am going to end up like her. Everything froze as Octavia began to piece her mind together. This past week, her scattered thoughts, and her current state. As she did this, her mind arrived at one conclusion. I guess that really wouldn’t be so bad. She was happy.

Octavia sat back down and picked up her bow once again, but was left hesitant. With her new state of mind made up, Octavia placed her bow down and proceeded to exit her room. She walked to the end of the hallway and walked down the stairs, noticing her dry diaper crinkled much more than her wet one. Turning left, she walked past the couch and entered the long hallway. Arriving towards the door at the end of the hall, she stood still. Her drive, powered by her happy state, finally stopped as she began to survey the situation and what she was about to do. Yet even with her sense about her, she still placed her hoof on the doorknob and turned it, opening the room. As she peered in, she was left amazed by the disarray of the room. The cluttered floor, the unmade bed, and the lack of any room on the tables was impressive. Wow, and I thought her recording room was messy. Sigh… One of these days I am going to need to get Vinyl to clean up after herself. She slowly and carefully began her trek across the room, remembering her last exchange with Vinyl in the living room.

***

“Alright, so I’ll be out on work this week. Sorry again, Octavia.” Vinyl looked away, saddened by her sudden departure and poor skills as a host.

Octavia smiled. “It is quite alright, Vinyl, I completely understand. I will be okay on my own so just get out there and give those ponies a show they will never forget.” she continued to lie about her feelings. Octavia knew that soon she would return back to Canterlot. As happy as she was to get back to school, leaving her new friend behind so soon left her in a somber mood. But she knew she couldn’t keep Vinyl from doing something she loved, so she smiled.

“Thanks, Octavia. Oh, by the way, are you okay after passing out earlier?” The white mare looked at her snidely.

Octavia looked at her annoyed with her attempt to poke fun at her. “Yes, Vinyl, and I did not pass out. I was smothered.”

Vinyl began to laugh. “See, what did I tell ya? It takes a lot more than a head-butt to stop a party animal like her!” She noticed Octavia looked sad after hearing that. Vinyl took off her glasses to look at her. “It’s okay. She forgave you, so you don’t need to look so blue.

Octavia looked at her and sighed. “It isn’t that, just this world is so foreign to me. Everypony here is just so nice, and I don’t know what to think about anything.”

Vinyl smiled she understood those words well. “Relax, Tavi. You know if you keep second guessing yourself you’ll miss out.”

Octavia looked back, confused, “Miss out on what?”

Vinyl looked away, “Well, will you look at the time. I better hurry before I miss my train.” Vinyl placed her glasses back on, grabbed her bag, and swiftly made it to the door. As she placed her hoof on the door, she stopped and turned around. “By the way, in my room, right side table drawer is where I keep my diapers.”

Octavia stood there trying to comprehend the instructions Vinyl gave her. Realizing what Vinyl meant, her face went red, “Wha…”

Vinyl smiled, “I know how much you like them so help yourself, Tavi. Later!” Vinyl quickly opened the door and galloped out, closing the door on a flabbergasted Octavia.

Octavia stood there, her face burning. How does she, why does she, what…? Her mind stopped as she inhaled as much air as her lungs could hold and yelled as loud as she could. “VINYL!!!”

Vinyl stood by her mailbox with her hoof around her ear, trying to amplify the noise. After a few seconds of waiting she put her hoof down. Wow, she either took that better than I thought, or those sales ponies weren’t kidding about the quality of their soundproofing. She picked up her bag and continued on her way to the train station. Hope you have fun, Tavi.

***

Octavia continued through the hazardous maze, her face still red from remembering that day. I am not certain how she knew I was fond of them, but then again, she is Vinyl. The more time I spend with her the more she seems to know about me. At times I wonder if she knows me better than I know myself. No! I mean… What do I want? “If you keep second guessing yourself you’ll miss out.” That phrase continued to buzz in her mind. Passing over articles of clothing, Octavia attempted to think of ways to dissuade her from what she was about to do; no matter how hard she tried she was unable to come up with a reason to turn back. I can’t stop now or I will miss out. The friends that I have started to find, the happiness that I have only started to see, and these feelings that scare me; I don’t want to ignore them this time. I want to be like her. So, just this once I will not stop myself.

Octavia stopped, her thoughts complete. For the first time ever, that disharmony in her mind vanished. She felt almost warm, and her mind clear. Looking ahead, she could she had reached the side table. There was no hesitation as she reached her hoof forward. She opened the top drawer. Looking inside, her eyes went wide and she slammed the drawer shut. What was that!? H-how does she even have that!? Octavia managed to calm herself down and reopened the drawer. She reached in and pulled out a purple pacifier. She stared at it, mesmerized by its sheer existence. There is no way one this big could even exist. Octavia opened her mouth and brought the pacifier closer to gauge the size. 10 cm. There is no way. 7 cm. Oh my, it is. 4 cm. I-I wonder… 2 cm. Her hoof stopped. As she looked down at the pacifier, the nipple about to pass the boundary of her mouth, her face became red. She placed the pacifier back into the drawer and slammed it shut.

Something is seriously wrong with me. She placed her hoof on her mouth and began to cough. I will err… deal with that later. For now, I may as well finish what I came here for. She reached down towards the lower drawer and forced it open, desperate to get out of there. As the gazed inside, she was once again overcome with joy. Not joy from what she saw, but the joy of confirming her thoughts up to this point weren’t a waste. Looking at them, she didn’t feel unrelenting joy, but she knew she wanted them. It wasn’t much, but for the first time felt she was getting closer to understanding what she wanted. That thought alone made her happier than she could imagine. To the old Octavia, that confirmation alone would have been enough for her and she would have left, but this time Octavia wanted something more.

Octavia reached in and pulled out one of the soft, white diapers. She pressed it against her face as she remembered just how soft they were. She took the diaper and placed it on top of Vinyl’s bed and continued to remove the diapers in the drawer. Her goal wasn’t the diaper’s themselves. Even with her new found outlook, the thought of wearing another pony’s diaper still creeped Octavia out. What she was interested in was the packaging. Octavia was still a pony with some self-respect, even if she was digging through another pony’s diaper drawer while wearing a diaper herself. As such, she could buy her own diapers. Wow, there are so many of them! I just hope they aren’t too expensive. She began to pile the diapers in her other hoof as she continued to dig further, desperately trying to reach the blue packaging underneath.

Reaching the bottom of the drawer, she arrived at the final object blocking the package. As she picked it up, she noticed it was some paper filled with words. She was about to put them to the side, trying not to peer into Vinyl’s personal items, but she noticed something familiar about the handwriting. Hmm… why does that look familiar. Maybe if I just look at the header. Her eyes went wide, “Dear Miss Vinyl Scratch.” While this was a standard header, the handwriting left her speechless. The curve on the “M” the way the “Y” bends. This is my mother’s handwriting! She quickly began to read the letter. Her eyes continued to run back and forth on the letter, her breathing increasing with each sentence. Finally, she reached a point where she fell back on Vinyl’s bed in shock, her eyes continued to stare at the ceiling. She turned over, trying to break her focus, only to be met with the pile of diapers on the bed. The sight of them filled her with rage. Octavia smacked her hoof into them, sending them flying across the room. The grey mare slowly stood up, taking the letters with her, and exited the room, knocking objects out of the way as she went. Reaching the living room, she felt immense exhaustion take her over, and she collapsed on the couch. As she landed, she heard that crinkle once again. This time, instead of filling her with joy, the noise bounced on the hollow walls of her heart tearing into her with each ricochet. Eventually, it all became far too much for her, and she wept.

***

Hours passed until night fell upon that empty home in that tiny village. Octavia remained on that couch, broken and staring at the door. All of a sudden the door slammed open and Vinyl entered. Seeing Octavia sitting there, Vinyl was filled with excitement. “Hey, Octavia! Man, you’d think four days would go by faster. Anyway, I had a blast! How was your quiet time?” There was no response and Vinyl came closer. “Tavi, are you okay?” Again, silence. This forced the white mare closer towards Octavia. Getting closer, Vinyl noticed that even though Octavia didn’t reply her eyes remained focused on her. Wait, her eyes are red and swollen. Was she crying? Vinyl began to look over her friend and noticed something she never expected. “Um… Tavi, why are you wearing a diaper?”

Octavia stood up, her rage once again ignited. “Is this all some sort of game to you!?”

Vinyl, hearing this, stepped back. “Wha-”

Octavia, without giving the mare a moment to form a question, continued. “You lied to me. You had the letters all along! From Horseshoepin! My mother…”

Vinyl noticed the sudden drop in formality and began to fear the worst. How did she find them!? I need to set things right! “Listen, Tavi-”

“SHUT UP!” Octavia yelled at her. The scorn in her voice heard almost thick enough to be visible. “This was all a ploy to get me to play again. A game concocted by him!” Octavia began to cough violently, her outburst too much for her.

Vinyl needed to calm her down. “Tavi, please listen!”

Hearing that name again caused Octavia to glare at the mare in anger. “QUIET!!!” She began to breathe heavily. “They may have been playing a game with me, but you still went along with it. Worst of all, you tricked me!” Vinyl began to back up, afraid of what Octavia was about to say. “You convinced me you were somepony that actually cared! I believed in you! I actually trusted you!. This whole time this was all just some sort of game! You used what my mother said in that letter to get close to me.”

Tears began to well up in Vinyl’s eyes. “N-no! I didn’t. I-”

Octavia glared at her again forcing Vinyl to stop talking. “This whole time you pretended to… You convinced me you…” Octavia could feel her tears returning. She almost certain she had run out hours ago. In a fit of rage she tore off the tapes off her diaper and threw it to the side.

Vinyl had already started sobbing. “I-I never lied I really did l-like them. P-please I am sorry or lying I-I didn’t mean to.”

“I am leaving, Miss Scratch. Don’t ever talk to me again.” Octavia began to walk towards the door.
A desperate Vinyl tried to reach her friend. “T-tavi…”

Octavia stopped and looked at her, eyes emotionless. “Miss Scratch, do not call me by that name. We are no longer friends.” Hearing those words filled Vinyl with grief and became too much for her. Her hooves buckled under her and she fell to the ground, crying. Octavia paying no mind to the sobbing white mare, walked past her, and exited the once warm home. As she slammed the door behind her, a gust of wind knocked the sheets of paper on the nearby couch to the ground. The sheet, now visible for all to see, read:

In regards to my daughter, there are some things I feel you should know to better help you.

As much as my Tavi hates to admit it, she is really quite sensitive. As such, she tries her hardest to keep other ponies, including myself, out. I don’t know why she ended up like this, but I need you to find a way in. I want you to help her realize if she trusts somepony else she won’t be hurt for doing so.

The final thing, and this one is a bit peculiar to me: I have come to the conclusion that my little girl is quite fond of foalish things. I know this might seem odd, but over the years I have always found her comforted by odd little things. The only time I have really ever seen her happy, outside of playing, were the few times I secretly caught her giving into her foalish tendencies. Recently, she seems to have given up on them entirely, and I think this may be the reason why she is having a hard time getting over what happened to her. I have tried to get her to open up to me, sneaking a few odd items to her, such as stuffed toys. She would always refuse my intrusion and the items. Each time I could see how much it hurt her to distance herself from me and what she really loved. While I don’t understand it myself, I know that it is what makes her happy. If you could help her realize that she doesn’t have to be an adult all of the time, I think it would help her immensely.

I know this is all a bit sudden, but Professor Horseshoepin informed me you would be willing to help me in anyway, so I want to thank you in advance.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Melody

P.S. Thank you for everything!

***

Octavia continued to wander through the dark town. She wandered for hours, unsure of where she was or what she was doing. She just continued to walk as far as her hooves would take her. After a while, she felt consumed by the tiredness from the day’s events. She managed to stumble towards a nearby tree. Soon her vision was consumed by the darkness. Deep sleep followed.

Chapter 9

An hour passed, and the warm, boisterous air of the farm mixed with the cool, somber mood of the evening, a mood Octavia was not yet familiar with. It had been a while since Octavia had helped Applejack. While waiting, she decided she would spend the time sitting far out in the fields of Apple Acres, consumed in her thoughts.

I am still not sure what to think. Should I… No, I know I can trust her. But does that make her right? Does that make me wrong? Vinyl… What were you doing? If you really cared about me, why did you let me leave like that? Octavia’s mood continued to sour, remembering the look on Vinyl’s face, the tears and the sound Vinyl made as she wailed out her name. It soon began to dawn on her that, due to that sound proof home, no matter how much Vinyl cried, no one except her would have even heard Vinyl, and through all that she still abandoned her. Why did I leave you like that? Octavia began to shake her head violently, trying to break free of the thoughts consuming her, but to no avail. Why didn’t I at least listen to her? Yet, Octavia knew that regardless of what Vinyl had to say, there was no way she could have forgiven her back then because Vinyl needed to be guilty. She realized that she alone had forced Vinyl into a hole, from which there was no escape. Octavia fell into extreme grief. She didn't even do anything wrong, so why did I get mad? What was I afraid of? It’s all my fault, why can’t I… Why am such an idiot? The deep sorrow consuming her began to overflow and demanded escape. She could feel her eyes began to warm, as coldness took over her being.

Soon enough, the discord had grown too great for the mare, and she began to feel her head grow slightly lighter. Wait, why am I sitting here? What was I supposed to do? Soon she was left confused over why she was there, and upset. Applejack… she wanted me to do something. Her head began to scramble for an answer. Due to how long she had been waiting and how deep in thought she had been, she had forgotten even the reason for her being there. Sigh… it’s no use. I can’t remember what I was supposed to do… I can remember why I ran away, but I can’t even remember why I am so sad… Why does this keep happening? Deep feelings of regret began to fill Octavia, as a deep warmness began to radiate outwards and started to numb her senses.

A sudden cold breeze blew past her, forcing her to bring her limbs in close for warmth. For a brief moment, she gazed out into the field surrounding her. Even through the slowly disappearing warmth of the sun and eventual rising coldness of the moon, Octavia was still left awestruck. She realized she was so caught up in her own mind she had begun to ignore the world around her. Inhaling the cold, sweet wind and basking in the sky, prismatic in the farthest colors of the visible spectrum, Octavia felt a moment of peace. “Wow, it’s... it’s so beautiful here.” Even if she weren’t sure of herself, this moment was something she was sure of. With that thought anchoring her, she could feel the relentless assault of her mind begin to slow down.

“Eyup!” A gruff voice sounded out, snapping Octavia out of her thoughts.

A surprised Octavia spun around, quickly recognizing the red stallion bound to the large empty cart. “Oh! It’s you again!” Octavia replied, shocked to see him again. The sudden meeting jogged her memory, as she started to remember what she was waiting for. “Wait, don’t tell me you’re Applejack’s brother Big Mac!?”

“Eyup.” Big Mac simply replied, nodding.

Wow, I guess this really is a small town. Regardless of the odd chance encounter with the red stallion, Octavia’s thoughts were still far off. She remembered Applejack asking her to wait outside to speak with her brother. Why was she so embarrassed when she asked me to talk to him? What would he even know about me? Octavia was brought back from her thoughts as she heard Big Mac disconnect his harness from the cart. He walked up next to her and sat down. Regardless, this was a something she asked me to do, so I’ll try my best for her! Desperate to keep her promise, Octavia began to speak. “It really nice here, I thank you all for everything.” Octavia replied sincerely.

“Eyup.” He replied once again.

Octavia realized he was very simple and concise in what he said and how he said it, but noticed something strange. The stallion next to her wasn’t interested in the scenery in front of them, but was instead gazing at her intently, almost as if he was waiting for her to say something. I guess this is what Applejack meant when she said her brother was more solemn than her. But do I really want to ask him? Octavia pondered over whether or not it was worth burdening another pony with her problems, but her pride couldn’t keep her going this time. She was tired, tired of running, of making mistakes. Maybe after everything I just want somepony to save me from myself. This thought finally broke her down and allowed her to give in. “Big Mac, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

Big Mac smiled and responded with another “Eyup.”

“Well… have you ever made a mistake, a big one because you were afraid of everything that was going on around you? The kind where you hurt somepony close to you that you never realized was close and then ran away?” Octavia paused as she looked to see if Big Mac had managed to make sense of what she was saying. Octavia swallowed hard as she continued. “After you do something as horrible as that, how does somepony well… even…” Octavia trailed off unable to complete her thought afraid there was no way out. The silence reminded her of how alone she was, and she absentmindedly returned to staring off into the field, trying her hardest to keep her tears in.

“Sounds a lot like my sis.” A firm voice stated.

Octavia turned back, stunned as she realized it was Big Mac speaking without his familiar binary responses. “W-what do you mean?”

Big Mac inhaled deeply as he looked out at the scenery around them. “A long time ago, back when my sis was still a filly, maybe a bit older than Applebloom, she decided she was ready to leave this here farm for the city.”

Octavia’s face was contorted in confusion. “Wait, you couldn’t be talking about Applejack!?” Octavia blurted out.

This caused Big Mac to chuckle, “Yup! Nowadays, that sounds like the furthest thing from her mind. But back then, things weren’t the best, and she was scared.” Big Mac paused, as a strained look filled his face. “We all were... In the end she left me and Granny to find out where she needed to be.” Big Mac paused, almost lost in thought.

In a mixture of impatience and worry, Octavia decided to press the stallion. “So did you go after her?”

Big Mac sighed deeply. “Nope.”

Hearing this threw Octavia into a frenzy, and for reasons she couldn't explain, her mind raced again.“Why not!?”

Big Mac remained silent.

Octavia realized she was talking out of line, but for some reason she couldn't stop herself. “She was just a filly, she could have gotten hurt! She just needed you to be there! So why would you just let her leave like that!?”

Big Mac closed his eyes for a few moments and opened them again. “Because she needed to know that I could let her leave.”

Octavia stood there stunned, lost in a state of confusion and unable to say anything. Something about what he said hit her hard, and knocked whatever momentum she once had out of her.

“Everypony grows up when they’re good and ready, some sooner than others, and some not at all.” An aura of melancholy permeated the once clear air. “I had to stay here to be there for Granny and Apple Bloom, to look after this here farm, and most of all I had to make sure my sis had a home to come back to when she was ready.”

“W-what if…” Octavia weakly started. “What if she never returned? What were you going to do then?”

Big Mac looked away for a moment. “Nothing,” he responded.

Hearing this, Octavia could feel a hollow space form inside of her as she started to succumb to the despair soaking the air around the two earth ponies. Just as she began to feel herself sink, she could see Big Mac looking back at her with a smile.

“I would’ve done nothing because that meant there was nothing for me to do. As her big brother, the last thing I’d do is make my sis unhappy just so I can be with her. If she was happier there than here, then I can’t take that away from her.”

Octavia could feel the heaviness in the air vanish as she began to understand there was more to the coldness of Big Mac’s words. “Why didn’t you just tell her that you would have missed her? What about how you felt? Why do you have to be the one to keep it all in?”

Big Mac stopped for a moment. He looked as if he was almost having difficulty over verbalizing what he was going to say next. “Because I love her.”

Octavia quickly turned away as she began to realize the kind of pony big Mac was. With her gruff vision of him broken she began to feel ashamed of her earlier brash statements. “So what did you do when she came back?”

Big Mac returned his gaze back to the empty field in front of them and remained silent.

Octavia saw no merit in pressing the stallion. She could see that there was an abundant love in Big Mac for his family, but the fear of the silence that forced her back into her own mind was too much to keep her from talking. “I..” Octavia began, unsure of where to go. “If I went back… would she be waiting for me?”

Big Mac let out a stifled chuckle. “Even though yer over here talkin’ to me, you’re still back there where you belong, ain’t ya?” Big Mac sighed deeply.

Octavia stepped towards Big Mac confused. “What do you mean?”

Big Mac suddenly stood up and turned towards the gray mare. “Octavia.”

Being called by her name for the first time by Big Mac surprised her, as she could feel a fear begin to rise inside of her. Regardless of long they had spoken, Octavia was certain this was the most serious she has ever seen Big Mac. Swallowing hard, Octavia managed to reply weakly. “Y-yes?”

“You’ve been thinking about that friend of yours this whole day, so I’m guessing the only one keeping you from going back there is yourself. Even with all that’s happened ya already know the answer to where you want to be, don’t you? Ya keep asking everypony, even yourself what needs to be done, but ya already know that too, don't you? So if you think you’ll be happier living with that guilt of yours forever, then go right ahead. But if ya ask me, you need to grow up and think about everypony you’ll hurt by trying to be miserable.”

Hearing everything Big Mac had to say, Octavia was unable to provide an answer to him. Not because she didn't have one, but that she realized to provide one would be the biggest insult she could give to the stallion in front of her. For that moment, her head didn’t hurt, nor did her heart race. It was then that she understood he was right and she did know the answer. Octavia thought deeply for a moment, over everything that has been said to her that whole day. It was never that she didn't know, it was more she didn’t want to know. Yet, through it all, one single question remained. While it wasn't her own, nor one that had any real response, it was a term thrown around by all the ponies around her and something Octavia felt it was important. “Big Mac,” Octavia began. “What does it mean to grow up?” As the words left her mouth she could feel a hint of hypocrisy deep in her mind.

Hearing this, Big Mac raised his eyebrows. “Huh…” Big Mac though deeply about what the mare in front of him was asking. Big Mac slowly turned his head back to the barn as he continued to think. A few moments passed until her returned to looking back at the mare. He could see an adamant look in her eyes as she was desperately waiting on his answer. “I don’t know.”

Octavia nodded her head as she waited for the stallion to continue.

“There really ain’t an answer for that question that just anypony can give. If you want my take on it…” Big Mac inhaled and exhaled deeply. “One day you’ll wake up and realize ya got ponies that depend on ya, and things that need to be done. When you pick that over yourself, I think that’s when ya start to grow up.” Big Mac could see his answer didn’t upset the mare, nor did it affect that look in her eyes.

Octavia nodded her head showing she understood what he meant. “Thank you for answering my question, and I think I am ready now.”

Big Mac chuckled glad to hear she had accepted the answer he had given her. “Now, with that all said, are ya sure this is what you want to do?” Big Mac replied, knowing full well what the mare had decided on.

Octavia didn’t offer any verbal reply to the stallion for this or any of the questions he asked her that night, as she closed her eyes. The mare slowly turned 35 degrees away from the serene visage the two ponies were once enamored with. As her eyes opened, they were filled with determination, rejecting the world around her for something they could see regardless of the distance or any obstacles in front of her.

“Well, I’d tell ya not to count your chickens before they hatch, but it looks like your mind is made up, ain’t it?”

Without breaking view of her destination Octavia smiled as she replied with a familiar, “Eyup!” The mare began to laugh over her momentary lapse in refined speech. More than anything, she needed an excuse to express how relieved and happy she was at that moment. As she remembered the still somewhat unfamiliar company she had grown close to in a short time, she slowly stopped and ended at a cheery smile. “Thank you, Big Mac.”

Big Mac smiled, as he recalled seeing that same determined look somewhere long ago. “I know this goes without sayin’, just don’t call it quits if it don’t work out like you hoped.”

Octavia nodded. “I won’t!”

The certainty of the mare in front of him filled Big Mac with a strange feeling of relief, one he hadn’t felt in a long time. “And this goes without sayin’, but you’re always welcomed back here at Sweet Apple Acres. Maybe bring that friend of yours next time around. I’m sure my sis would be happy to see that."

Octavia nodded and stopped to look back at the barn far off in the dimly lit field. “Hey Big Mac, you wouldn’t happen to have some paper and pen that I could borrow?”

***

Big Mac looked on as the gray mare galloped off into the unknown. His eyes maintained their focus until Octavia was far out of his field of vision. The red stallion couldn't help but to chuckle reminiscently over everything that had happened. Big Mac looked down at the note Octavia had written for his sister and then returned his gaze out at the field soaked by the moonlit sky. Inhaling deeply Big Mac smiled and let out an “Eyup!” directed at no one. He remained sitting for a long while, letting familiar imagery flow freely in his mind, as he continued to enjoy the night surrounding his home.

“Hey! Big Mac!” Suddenly, the silence was shattered as Applejack approached from behind. She reached her brother she began to look around. “So did ya talk to her?”

“Eyup.” Big Mac replied not breaking his gaze with the field.

“Ah, so did she finally have the courage to go back home to her friend?” Applejack replied, as she began to inspect Big Mac’s cart.

“Eyup.” Big Mac once again stated. He then stood up and walked over to his sister and handed her a sheet of paper that looked as if it had been torn from his ledger.

“Huh? What’s this here now?” Applejack began to inspect the note, it was addressed “Dear Applejack,” and it was closed with a simple “Hope to see you soon, Octavia” Applejack then ran through the body of the note:

***

“I am sorry I can’t say this in person right now, I understand what you meant, and you were right. Your brother really is something, you all are. You have all been kind to me. I’d offer you my thanks and apologize for not doing my best to repay your kindness, but I doubt you’d be happy to hear me repeat myself. So, instead, how about this: I’ll promise to see you again. This time I’ll be sure to bring my friend, but if I’ve learned anything in Ponyville, you probably already know her. Sorry to have to run, but I have to make up for a mistake I made. I will see you later.

***

“Well, alright!” Applejack called out, happy to see the sad mare from earlier seem so happy in the letter she wrote. “I had a feeling you could talk some sense into…” Applejack trailed off as she continued past the closing of the letter and read the post script.

***

P.S. I am sorry I never got a chance to tell you how delicious breakfast was. This morning I was in deep thought, because I was trying to remember why it tasted so familiar. Talking to your brother I remembered. It is funny how I always seem to meet the same ponies no matter where I end up. So I wanted you to know that it just as good this morning as it was that night at the gala.

***

“Huh… Wait... did we meet before?” Applejack began to wonder as she read the last line over. Applejack continued to rack her brain but couldn’t figure out what that last part meant. “I guess I’ll have to ask her later. Anyway it’s time for dinner! Let’s head in Big Mac.”

Applejack placed the letter away as she saw Big Mac headed back to the farm house with his cart. She swiftly caught up to him as the two siblings returned back to the farm together.

Applejack laughed as they continued down the path. “You know, for a city slicker, she was alright.” Applejack paused as she smiled back at her brother. “Thanks for talking to her like you did for me all those years back.”

“Eyup.” Big Mac responded, unflinching and as straight faced as ever.

“Ya know…” Applejack started nostalgically. “I could see a bit of myself in her, but you probably figured that out seeing as how ya managed to talk some sense into her.”

“Eyup.” Big Mac once again replied.

“Also, if she did stay then I’d probably have to have an embarrassing talk with her…” Applejack trailed off as she could feel her face turning red. “Since… um, ya know… rainwater can’t hide everything…”

Hearing this, Big Mac remembered an event he saw earlier right before he had to run off to do his delivery. It was something he planned on asking his sister about, but had forgotten. That morning his sister had poured a bucket of water on the already damp Octavia and washed her coat, back when she had brought her in from the fields, but before she placed the gray mare in the barn. It was something that was bothering him, but now it all began to make sense. The irony caused him to let out a chuckle.

“What in the hay’s so funny!?” Applejack exclaimed, still red from embarrassment.

Big Mac smiled as he spoke. “Maybe that’s something else about you that ya saw in that mare.” He then swiftly picked up the pace as he noticed his sister had stopped moving.

Applejack stood still as she could feel the blood rushing to her face, thinking of what to say, she quickly planted her front hoof down. “Like you’re one to talk!” Applejack began, only to realize her brother had already made it several yards while she was stalled. “Big Mac!” Applejack exclaimed, as she began galloping towards her brother, who kept his quick and steady pace ahead of her.

***

Octavia galloped through the blackened streets, desperate to make it back home. As she darted past each corner, the evening quickly descending into night and Octavia was filled with hope. This time she was ready to accept Vinyl, the good with the bad. Those simple thoughts filled those darkened road with enough light for Octavia to make it back home.

Somewhere in the back of her head she could hear a faint noise in the sound of Vinyl’s voice laughing at her, causing Octavia to smile. The voice went on, ‘I thought we were friends now? Please come back home.’ The voice was almost soothing as it began to drift away. ‘You don't need to be afraid.’

Octavia’s mind began to fill with the lackadaisical days the two mares spent together. Yeah, knowing her she is probably sitting on that couch waiting for me. She’s probably waiting for me to walk back in and go, ‘’Took ya long enough!’

Octavia continued briskly through the town, consumed in her own thoughts, now drenched in a sweet rose colored syrupiness. Turning at the mayor’s office, she was reminded of how kind everypony has been to her. Her pace quickened as she galloped down the road.

The world around the tiny mare began to blur as she saw the small home in the distance. I am almost there, Vinyl. I am almost home! It’s okay if you want to hate me, because I’ll still be your friend. I am still your friend Vinyl, and I promise you will never have to cry again. As Octavia opened the door her eyes went wide. Nothing had changed.

Closing the door behind her, Octavia could tell that everything had remained the same since that night. The pages of the note still remained on the floor untouched, the couch was just as disheveled as she left it, and the air in the house was just as cold. Octavia began to notice a heaviness in her chest, as a feeling of dread took her over. As she crept through the living room she saw a diaper lying on the floor. Her diaper, the same one she threw in anger over everything that had transpired. Her legs began to buckle as she inched closer to it. Arriving at it she mechanically picked the garment up. The touch reminded her of the torrent of emotions that had lasted all of 12 minutes, yet had ruined everything for her.

Her heart began to speed up as she stood in the corridor to Vinyl’s room. Octavia reluctantly craned her neck to peer down the hall, bracing for what she may see, when suddenly a feeling of relief soaked through her. Vinyl’s room was empty, which meant that she must have left. Oh thank Celestia, she must have had some work to do. The strong feelings of relief, too much for her to bear, slumped her down onto the floor. It’s good she feels well enough to go outside since that means she probably feels better now. Octavia slowly stood up, smiling. Well, she’ll be mad at me when she gets back, but I’ll deal with that later.

As the feelings of dread and despair dissipated a sudden feeling of tiredness overtook the mare. I guess I should probably get to… Octavia stopped and proceeded to smack herself in her forehead. How did I forget to get more diapers!? Octavia was considering what she could do since by now the pharmacy would be closed. Reluctantly, she came to the idea of going into Vinyl’s room to borrow one of hers. Walking down the corridor, Octavia proceeded to enter Vinyl’s room. Avoiding all the clutter she managed to open Vinyl’s bottom drawer, but was surprised to find it empty. Huh… I guess she must have taken them with her for whatever event she went to. Hmm… but what should I do?

Octavia began to leave Vinyl’s room and returned to the living room, when Octavia noticed a diaper from the previous night, on the ground, in front of her hoof. At first the thought of using one of Vinyl’s diapers without asking bothered her, but with no other option, she brought it up to take a closer look. Ah, I remember, when I was digging through Vinyl’s drawer yesterday I removed this. Octavia could feel her insides being to get warm as she remembered why she was so interested in trying one of Vinyl’s diapers out last time. Well, it is dry… Sigh, fine, I guess it will be alright for one night. Besides, it will be better than waking up wet.

Octavia walked over to the bathroom near Vinyl’s room. Opening up the cabinet she took out the changing supplies Vinyl kept hidden in there, and made quick work changing into the diaper. Standing up, she patted her backside, causing a crinkle. Wow, these are thicker than I remember. Octavia began to smile as she turned off the lights and left the first floor. Now, to get some sleep and apologize to Vinyl in the morning. Maybe I should make something in the morning for her. Hmm… I should have asked Applejack for her pie recipe before I left. Arriving at the top of the stairs, Octavia was surprised by what she saw.

Right in front of her and across from the bathroom was that door that Vinyl usually left locked, the only room in the house Octavia had never entered, but this time it was left ajar. A sweet smell began to fill her nostrils as she was drawn closer to the forbidden room. Wait a minute, I recognize that smell, but why is it so strong? Octavia creeped closer and closer. As she arrived at the wide crack in the doorway she peered in, only for her eyes to go wide as she gazed at what was contained within.

The glow of the full moon flooded in from the window overhead. The walls were painted in a warm lilac color and carpeted in soft blue. She could see a large padded table almost as tall as she was. Built into it was a large shelf lined with diapers, powder, wipes, everything you would need to take care of a foal, only much, much bigger. Her heart began to race faster than it had in all of her life. Soon the beating grew far too quick and it began to hurt the mare. As her eyes turned to the wall opposite from door, she could make out a large chest that was closed shut. On top of it were several large, soft plushies. Although she couldn’t see what was in it, somewhere in the back of her mind she knew it was full of foalish things. Her mouth ran dry as she could feel her legs weakly sway as they attempted to keep her upright, and her skin began to tingle all over. Her eyes continued to move across the wall and stopped upon what looked like a tiny fridge. Right on top of it was a knocked over glass foal bottle with a large nipple, a quarter filled with an opaque fluid. Octavia’s head began to hurt and her breathing became very shallow. She no longer felt like she was confined to her own body and was now weightless and floating. She could feel her muscles contract involuntarily, and it took all her might to keep her limbs from twitching. Her eyes continued to drift until her eyeball reached the edge of the orbit within her skull. Her vision fixed to the white posts lining white bars. Although knew she was staring at a large crib, the thought kept slipping out of her mind every time her eyelids slammed shut, but her brain was once again surprised by its existence each time they opened. Octavia knew she was standing in the doorway to an adult nursery, and that she had spent half a month sleeping in the room right next door to it. Her mind started to project the room she was staring at but with her inside. The thought about everything she had seen, and the explosions of disjointed thoughts that contained her all amounted to one single thought that shined through the mare’s clouded mind.

Yes!

For the first time in her life, Octavia felt a burning excitement, one that she couldn't ignore. As she inhaled the familial scent of the air, looked at the softness of the room under the warm glow of the moonlight, and let her mind drift freely into the boundless joy she was feeling, she knew what she wanted. She wanted to be in that room, to look in that chest, to open that fridge, to walk on that plush carpet, and sit down with one of the smiling stuffed toys looking back at her. She wanted to sleep in that crib, but most of all, she wanted to spend that time in the very same diapers she has been growing quite fond of. For the first time in her life, she felt something inside of her fill up as she felt she could finally come to terms with something she once ignored for its sheer impossibility. A smile crossed her face as she could finally exhale, fully accepting that something like this could exist. Soon the weight returned to her and she felt herself sink back into reality.

Octavia realized something was very wrong. No longer inebriated by her excitement, her eyes were frozen, and no matter what she, did she couldn't move them. Suddenly, a feeling of immense fear began to consume her. She couldn’t understand why. She then realized it was something in that room, something she had yet to notice, but somehow scared her. With her eyes not responding, and her curiosity growing, Octavia began to turn her head to see what was in that room. Her head felt heavy and her muscles felt as if they were contracting with all the force they could muster to halt the motion. Slowly, inching her neck she managed to turn her head allowing her to finish her scan the room. Her eyes continued to look along the length of the large crib until her eyes finally locked onto what she was so afraid of.

Octavia began to blink intensely, and inhaled sharply. In one swift, but quiet motion, Octavia stepped back from the doorway. She turned her body towards her room and began to walk. As she continued down the hallway, she began to notice the sound of her diaper crinkling was very loud and wouldn’t stop assaulting her ears, that oddly familiar aroma in the air was still lingering and had begun to burn, and most importantly that she was very tired. She opened her door and stepped in. She noticed her cello still on its stand, but paid it no mind as she carefully got into bed.

Octavia began to recount her memories up until this point, feeling something was off. She recalled returning home and not finding Vinyl, then putting a diaper on, and then heading off to bed. Yet, she felt as if she had forgotten something very important. As the noise in her mind vanished, Octavia began to notice her heartbeat returning back to its normal pace. Whatever had happened, she was left feeling some sort of excitement, but the type of excitement eluded her. Unable to remember even if it was something good or bad, Octavia fixed her eyes towards the window, as she noticed how harsh the moonlight was tonight, but was too tired to close her curtains. Pulling her blanket over herself, Octavia forcefully plunged herself back into the familiar darkness, as she tried to fall asleep.

As she laid there on her bed, she began to wonder why she was so excited a while earlier, but couldn’t remember.

Everything is as it should be, nothing will ever hurt you because nothing will ever change.

The world seemed so monotone to the young mare as she tried to sleep.

It’s okay now, you are safe, you don't need to worry anymore.

As she began to give into her exhaustion, suddenly she was assaulted with a deep sadness.

Don’t venture out too far, and I promise you’ll be safe here forever.

She knew she was sad, sadder than she had been in her whole life, but as hard as she tried she couldn't find any tears to weep.

There is nothing to be sad about, soon everything will go back to normal.

As if she was empty and all spent, she couldn't find a way of expressing the deep sorrow she felt.

Please don’t deplore yourself, there will never be anything worth hating yourself over.

There was something she needed to do, something very important to her, but in the end it didn't matter. Her brain refused to remember why she was so sad to begin with, and slowly began to shut down all thought allowing the mare to sleep.

There is no need to risk your feelings.

The only clue she had was a strange voice screaming back to her from the depths of her mind. Unlike the other sounds that sounded almost sweet and kind this one was full of scorn and disdain for her.

Please don’t hate yourself.

Yet at the same time those screams seemed the most real. Through the incoherence she could make out the voice mocking her, ridiculing her, and questioning what she has become.

Just sleep and everything will be better.

Before she gave into the sweetness and fell asleep she could hear one word scream at her. The voice that spoke it lacked the sweetness of the other one. It stained, and cracked as it desperately tried to convey just one word filled with true substance through the jumble of sweet and hollow noise.

COWARD!

Chapter 10

“Octavia!”

***
The bright world outside poured through the cracks of a curtain into a lilac painted room as the gray mare stirred from her sleep. As her tired eyes opened she pulled back her blanket and stepped onto the floor. She walked towards her cello and began to play, a routine that she had repeated day after day without fail. Half-an-hour passed by as she continued to play, as she reached the coda of her piece the door to her room slowly opened.

Through the door walked in a figure of a mare obscured by the light flooding in through the windows. “Good morning.” The mare suddenly froze as she saw the visage in front of her. “OH! I am so sorry. I didn’t know.” She spat out as she turned to look away.

Realizing someone had walked in on her, the gray mare turned towards the door. Octavia noticed the hesitation in the mare’s voice and began to look around the room, however as she found no answer she directed her attention towards herself. Scanning downwards her eyes rested upon the diaper adorning her waist, as she craned her head back she could make out the image of the two bridged eighth-notes adorning the seat of her diaper. “Ah I see, sorry Vinyl it appears I forgot to change.”

“No, no that’s quite alright, but may I ask who is this Vinyl?”

Octavia suddenly looked back in a panic as she glanced a better view of the pony in front of her. Standing there was a much older mare bearing the same gray coat and black mane as herself. It only took a few moments for Octavia to recognize the pony standing in front of her. “O-Oh! G-Good morning mother! I-I just woke up so I guess I am still a little confused. What did I say again?”

Seeing the pensive expression in Octavia’s eyes the mare seemed to relax her questioning. “Don’t worry dear, with tonight being “the night’ it would make sense you’d be a little distracted.” The older mare quietly cleared her throat before she continued. “Umm… I don’t mean to prod, but did you, you know…”

“Oh! N-No, I’m dry.” Octavia responded suddenly being reminded of a sense of embarrassment and shame of being seen by her mother in that state.

“Ah! Well that is wonderful! I am just so happy you’re getting better, and pretty soon you can stop wearing them altogether. Soon things can go back to the way they were.” Octavia’s mother responded cheerfully. “Anyway I won’t bother you, just remember that you need to get ready by 6 o'clock tonight, or you’ll miss your performance.” As the older mare began to leave she hesitated momentarily. “Oh and Octavia dear, please be sure to take that thing off.”

“Don’t worry mother, I will.” Octavia replied.

With that, the older mare left both the room and Octavia behind. Now alone, Octavia placed her cello and bow down, and returned back to her bed. Sitting down, she could feel her dry diaper crinkle under her rear. Sighing deeply she fell backwards, her hooves splaying outwards as she entered a deep state of thought.

What’s going on? I don’t really feel like myself anymore. What was it I said again? “Vinyl” It sounds so familiar but… Why does it feel like I am forgetting something? Octavia began to concentrate on the meaning of that name but her thoughts continued to blur over. Something’s not right, why does it feel like something is missing... Octavia’s eyes grew heavy as she was suddenly overtaken with exhaustion. I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I just… I just… Octavia soon found herself consumed by sleep.

“What are you doing here!?”

***
The gray mare suddenly found herself in an unfamiliar dark hallway of a familiar home. There in front of her stood two similar doors. Without thinking she began towards the right one door, but as she reached the door something began to bother her, and she let out a long sigh. “What am I doing?” Octavia pulled her hoof back as she realized there was something she was still forgetting. Yet, as she turned away she noticed the other door next to her, the vision of which seemed to sooth her.

Inhaling deeply she felt herself relax, as she began to recall a distant memory; something she felt she had forgotten. She could feel herself smile, as her gaze was locked. She cautiously began to walk towards the other door, only certain that something wonderful stood behind it. Soon a tired wave passed through her as she felt her diaper grow warmer. In that instant she felt herself snap back into reality and now stood in front of that door..

She could feel her body strain as she began to concentrate, and soon the muscles around her eyes began to contract locking them wide open. She could feel her wet diaper still taped to herself, and her mind drifting towards its importance. No! This time, this time I-I won’t let you suffer alone. This strange thought began to surge through her mind.Although unsure of its importance she, with all the strength she could muster, turned the door knob.

Octavia began to hyperventilate as she pushed the door wide open. Her mind began to thrash and ache, as she began to contemplate what was inside. The horror of what might happen once she opened it and what awaited her. As the door opened, what stared back at her was what looked like an abandoned nursery, now decrepit and in ruins. A rotten crib, a broken changing table, a cracked mirror, toys strewn about and torn, and in the center of it all was a pony collapsed onto the floor.

The feelings deep inside of her to save whatever stood in that room surged within her, and Octavia quickly rushed into the room only to be blinded by the moonlight that poured in through the windows. Soon the light began to wane and Octavia was finally able to see only to realize that the figure had vanished. Octavia slowly made her way to the center of the room

Where did she go? Octavia began to look around but found nothing in the ruined nursery. I didn’t make it in time. For a moment the regret began to eat at her. Was I too late? Ultimately the regret began to weigh down on her enough to force her to the floor. I wasn’t able to save her and now she’s gone.

As Octavia continued to lay there she looked into the damaged mirror. Seeing herself in it, she was met with a horrifying realization.

The pony she had wanted to save was still lying there on the floor.

“Come on, please wake up.”

***
“Wait!” Octavia exclaimed as she found her once dark surroundings were replaced with the dulcet colors of the setting sun pouring through her window. As she regained her senses she began to remember where she was. Right… I am here now… I’m home… The gray mare sighed as she nestled further into her bed as the warm air streamed around her she felt herself lost in a state of emptiness. No thoughts emanated from her head, but the serenity of the moment rushed in cooling her; sufficed by the moment she adjusted her hoof. As she did this a crinkle emanated from her waist shattering her calm. The time!

Octavia quickly shot up and hopped off her bed, she instinctively pressed her hoof against the front of her diaper but was left surprised by what she found. Dry… Maybe this whole thing has ended and I am back to normal... Left with an odd sensation of longing she sighed and quickly tore the diaper off. Well I have to get ready fast, I can’t miss this. Octavia soon felt a wave of nausea consume her. Wait, what’s going on… The world around her began to spin and for a moment everything became dark.

“Octavia...”

***
“Ms. Melody... Ms. Melody… OCTAVIA MELODY!” A loud voice boomed out quickly, raising the gray mare.

“AH! Yes! Yes, I am ready.” Octavia quickly responded, yet still dazed. Eventually the world settled on a thick inky blackness that soon permeated the young mare’s mind. In an attempt to make sense of this new world the mare’s brain, almost like a sponge, began to lap away at the blackness, sucking it clean from the world granting it color and shape. Soon the mare’s lucidity began to return, as the world became clearer, and she could finally make out the world around her for what it was.

“Very good, you are on in 5.”

“It’s alright... I won’t leave until you’re okay. So please just sleep...”

***
Octavia could feel a buzzing in the back of her head trying to get attention. She looked around for the source of the voice but was unable to find it. Before she could spend long, her time to move to the stage had come. Within a few moments, thoughts of that voice now passed as Octavia stood on the stage with a curtain blocking her view of the audience. Looking around, she could see her cello and bow. Everything was ready and she knew exactly where she was. Soon she would play her part, and nothing would change.

The announcer began to call out to the audience. “And now introducing the final performance of the night, Octavia Melody.”

As the curtain pulled up, Octavia was presented with the blank faces that were the audience. They remained seated and waited for her to play. This time she could hear a voice in the back of her mind call out to her that she needed to play in order to not leave the crowd disappointed. Octavia reached for her cello and gazed deeply at the crowd and at the cello in front of her, as a dull aching in her chest assaulted her.

Right… I remember this now… Octavia’s mind began to wander as she began to piece together what was unfolding before her. This was a scene she had seen before, each and every time she had seen this visage it always ended in her failure.

“I’m so sorry…”

***
“No.” She stated decisively.

Suddenly Octavia placed her cello onto her back, as she did this the crowd began to gasp in shock and boo at her. The voice in her head began to question her motives, but she paid it no mind. “Sorry everypony, but I’ve made up my mind.” Octavia felt herself smiling for the first time in what felt like an eternity to her.

“I’ve decided that… I want to play, but not here. Sorry everypony, but I am late to my performance.” Octavia began to walk off the stage as the sound of her hoof steps continued to echo across the room. Somehow knowing where to go she continued the rightmost side of the stage. Without even opening her eyes once Octavia reached the edge of the stage and proceeded to put out her hoof. With a clink it connected to a metal doorknob. Octavia turned the handle, allowing the door to open with a creak, and stepped through the doorway.

As the door began to close behind her, Octavia could hear the sound of roaring applause and cheering behind her, causing her to turn back. Gazing back, she could see the same blank faced ponies now clapping their hooves together congratulating her. The sound filled Octavia with a sense of determination that she had finally made the right choice as she gazed back at the audience.

However, for a brief moment something caught her eye. In the center of it all, the one applauding and cheering the most enthusiastically in the crowd was a strange dark blue mare that lacked the same blank features of those surrounding her. She was certain it was a pony she had seen somewhere before. Before she could dwell on the matter the door closed tight never to be open again, and she dismissed the thought. Octavia closed her eyes and turned back in order to continue on her path without delay.

***
As Octavia opened her eyes she was met with the surreal dreary world around her. Abandoning the once bright and colorful stage, Octavia was met with a world composed for miles upon miles of only pure blackness. Turning back around, Octavia noticed that there was no evidence of that door, nor the stage behind her. Gazing out at the black sky engulfing the black ground, Octavia began to walk out further.

After what felt like several hours had passed, Octavia began to grow tired, her cello feeling as if it had gained a prodigious quantity of weight. In an illogical attempt to make sense of how far she had walked in this uniform world Octavia turned around. Looking back at the infinite blackness Octavia gave up, and turned her head back in the direction she was walking only to be surprised by a bright figure standing in front of her.

The strange glowing white figure of a mare, far larger than she was, stood in front of her surprising Octavia. Before she could say anything a strange streak caught Octavia’s eye as she noticed it was falling towards her, causing her to jump away. As she hit the ground she could feel the world around her shake, she turned around to face what fell.

Octavia’s eyes grew wide as she gazed at the object in front of her, as the blackness cracked a blinding white where it stood. Embedded into the ground in front of her was her cello bow, only a moment ago threatening to pierce her. While its face did not change, Octavia understood that the figure in front of her was enraged and wanted her gone. Octavia knew the being in front of her was the only thing in the world that mattered. One that was easily able to destroy her, yet she simply stood. Something that should frighten her, yet it didn’t. Gazing deeply into the creature, Octavia knew what she needed to do.

Octavia took her cello off her back and firmly planted it into the ground, now using the cello to maintain her balance Octavia stood up, and finally with her free hoof she reached down and pulled the bow out from the ground. Octavia quickly adjusted her footing and positioned her hoof and bow onto the strings.

Locking eyes with the glowing creature in front of her Octavia spoke. “I am sorry. I kept you waiting for such a long time, but I think I’m ready now.” Octavia felt herself relax as she spoke those words and she began to reflexively laugh. “I’ve done so many things recently, met so many ponies, and learned a lot of things.” Octavia smiled as she closed her eyes. “I’d like to share them with you.” Octavia began to play.

Octavia was unsure of what music came off her cello’s strings as she allowed her hooves to move in the fashion they found fitting, her mind remained fixated on the thing in front of her. I’m sorry. I know I am late, but I hope you can forgive me. Through her thoughts she could hear several sour notes jumping off her cello, seeming to answer her question. Even if you don’t, I hope you understand, because... Octavia could feel her hooves resetting as she shifted into the next movement. I want you to know how proud I am of you, no matter what you did, or what you will do, I will never hate you.

As she continued to play her mind began to drift. Her home, her parents, her childhood, the university, her current home, her friend. All of these thoughts continued to pass her by as she reached the crescendo of her song. As the notes began to recede, those thoughts began to flow out leaving her mind peaceful and clear. She continued to play trying her best to convey her feelings. While I may not be sure of what could have been, I am at the very least sure that I am happy to be the pony that I am.

The song continued to flow as she felt her mind assaulted by a sudden feeling of anxiety, as thoughts of what may come began to fill her head. As she entered the coda of her piece she could feel the same regret that continued to burden her, failing herself and those around her. The notes that poured off her cello were disharmonious, yet that didn’t stop her from playing. Somewhere along the line I think I began to change without noticing it. While I don’t know what may come of tomorrow, I want you to know I am done hiding from it. Soon that disharmony began to fade leaving behind a melody that sounded alien, yet filled the mare with a deep love for how beautifully it sounded. I want you to know that I’ve come to love the mare I am, and I want you to know that no matter what the future may bring I will always love you, my dear little Tavi...

As Octavia finished her piece she opened her eyes and returned to gaze at the being made of light in front of her. Octavia suddenly noticed her vision grew blurry and wet. Wondering if her emotion may have gotten the better of her Octavia looked away and began to rub her eyes, yet found them dry. Surprised that the tears were not her own she looked back up only the find the being of light had vanished. Now in its place was a little gray pony curled up into a ball.

Octavia slowly approached and realized the little gray filly was crying in front of her. Octavia smiled as she looked down at the pony in front of her. “I’m sorry if that song wasn’t the one you wanted to hear.” The little filly in front of her continued to sob as Octavia turned and sat down next to her on the pitch black floor. Octavia sighed as she continued to gaze out into the pitch black world around her surprised by a strange sense of comfort and familiarity it brought her.

“I know it doesn’t mean much, but I am sorry.” The little pony next to her only seemed to cry louder as Octavia apologized. Octavia smiled as she looked down at the little filly. “You’ve grown up so much, I am proud of how big you’ve gotten. The same can’t be said about me.”

The little filly’s wailing seemed to subside into a sob as she heard Octavia words. Octavia gazed down bearing witness at the filly, as she sat next to her. Reflected in her was her gray coat, her black mane, her light purple eyes, and her own mixed feelings of sadness.

Octavia smiled warmly as she wrapped her hooves around the little pony. “I’m sorry you had to do it all on your own.” Letting go of herself Octavia sighed deeply. “I can’t make you do it for me, I think it’s about time I started growing up.”

The little pony looked up at her surprised and was suddenly filled with sadness. Tears began to well up as she desperately tried to wipe them away. The tiny filly nodded her head as she stood up and began to walk into the black void away from Octavia. The little filly continued to walk away, her head hanging low, putting more distance between herself and the older mare.

“Little Tavi, where do you think you’re going?” Octavia called out.

The little gray filly froze and turned back. Her eyes, still filled with tears, were overcome with surprise as she gazed back at the smiling Octavia.

“This might be a little selfish of me, but I don’t think I can manage it on my own. Even right now thinking about it, it’s actually really scary.” Octavia stopped speaking and stood silently as she looked at the little filly in front of her.

Her large trusting eyes, her unkempt mane, and her small self, so fragile, yet... Octavia soon found herself filled with determination. Filled with a desire to protect the little filly standing before her, and wanting nothing more than to make sure she didn’t have a reason to cry again, Octavia spoke up.

“Little Tavi, this is a request from a mare that hasn’t grown up to the most grown up filly she has ever met. I want to try, but I don’t want to fail. I want to change, but I don’t want to lose who I am. I want to grow up, but…” Tavi stopped speaking again, her face slowly became flush as she smiled. “I want you to stay with me and help me figure it all out.” Octavia replied heartfelt. “I want to at least try growing up, and I want us to do it together. That is, if it’s okay with you.”

Tears streamed down the little filly’s face as she began to gallop back. As she reached Octavia she placed her head against her coat and continued to cry, causing the older filly to embrace her as she waited for her to calm down. Several minutes passed as the little mare slowly cried herself out and was calm. She pulled herself away from Octavia and looked up at her, her face still wet, eyes slightly red, and a smile on her face.

Octavia looked down at the little filly, seeing her smiling face filled her with a sense of peace she had not felt in a long time. “You know you really are quite cute when you’re happy, promise me you’ll never lose that.”

The little filly’s face became red as she looked down bashfully. “Promise.”

Octavia smiled, happy to hear her voice. “You know you might be happier if you weren’t alone.” Suddenly Octavia looked as if she remembered something important. “You know I recently managed to make a friend. Then I made her sad, and left her crying.” Octavia let out a long sigh. “You know I bet she’s going to have a few choice words for me, actually now that I think about it, she's probably going to kick me out and now I’ll have to consider a new career.” Octavia continued to list more of the repercussions she was soon going to face, but through it all continued to smile happily. “But you know, for some reason I can’t wait to see her again, because… because…” Octavia looked away wistfully.

The little filly looked up surprised as her eyes grew wide. “You miss her!” The little filly stated as she hopped up excitedly.

Before Octavia could respond the world of black soon found itself momentarily flooded with light, before the darkness returned. Recovering from the disorienting waves, Octavia’s mind came to the painful conclusion. “OH! I… I’m dreaming?” The sudden shift caused her to realize what exactly was going on. But I already knew that, didn’t I...

As she looked around she couldn’t find the little filly. She desperately scanned the dark landscape, but the world of light once again leached into the darkness and shades of pink, white, blue, and brown seeped in momentarily before the dark washed over it. I guess I’m waking up now. A sudden sadness began to well up inside her. I wasn’t even able to say goodbye… That little filly… Once again her mind became awash with the waking world; she knew wherever she was it was warm and soft yet her regret still lingered as she came to terms with leaving the dream.

“Bye Bye Tavi!!!” Somewhere in the recesses of her head she could hear those words calling out to her.

Quickly turning around, for one brief moment Octavia was greeted by the visage of two ponies. Two small fillies excitedly waving back at her one bearing a light gray coat, the other a white coat. As soon as she could register what it was that she saw, the darkness vanished and the light swiftly replaced it trapping Octavia in a momentary monochrome twilight. For that instant Octavia became awash with a sensation of serenity for the first time in a very long time.

***
The bright world greeted the gray mare as she was brought back to consciousness, yet it was not as it should have been. As her eyes began to focus she took in her surroundings. The soft lavender blanket adorned with musical notes, the lilac colored walls, and the soft baby blue carpeting separated from her by an arrangement of white bars. Still drowsy Octavia squinted as she attempted to focus realizing that it was her that was encased in a gated fortress surrounded by soft and warm objects. Scanning quickly with her head she saw all the things she has seen once before, empty foal bottles, an army of soft plushies, a changing table, and last of all as her head reached the end of its arc she saw a white figure with a saddened and concerned look, a face she had come to memorize over the past few weeks, and as of late had longed to see once again. Her friend, Vinyl Scratch.

“Octavia! Thank Celestia you woke up!.” Vinyl exclaimed, sounding very worried.

Octavia didn’t respond. She still continued to blink harshly, in an attempt to keep a grip on her consciousness.

Vinyl looked away upset. “I know this all looks bad, but you have to believe me!” Her ears fell down as she slowly began to accept what she felt was inevitable. “If there is anything I could do, anything I could say… Please…”

Octavia continued to rub her eyes and let off a long yawn as she stretched her hooves out. “Oh! Good morning Vinyl. You wouldn’t happen to know how I ended up here would you?”

Vinyl looked back at the gray mare surprised. “Ah! Umm… G-Good morning Octavia.” Vinyl seemed nervous as she spoke. “I-I found you collapsed at the door to my um… room this morning. I didn’t know if you were okay so I just laid you down into my um… here...” Vinyl continued acting very uncomfortable. “I-I don’t know what happened, but are you okay?”

“I see…” Octavia bundled herself up in the lavender blanket as she sat herself up and shifted herself over so she could sit in the crib with her back against the railings.

“O-Octavia?” Vinyl replied cautiously.

Octavia continued to remain seated as her eyes slowly drifted across the room silently.

Vinyl looked away upset. “Octavia I’m sorry I hid those letters from you. I-I thought maybe I could help you the way I thought you needed…” Vinyl looked hurt as she continued to speak. “I spent my whole life wanting to meet someone else that felt the way I do. Please give me another chance I’ll tell you everything just please don’t leave me alone aga-”

Before Vinyl could finish her sentence, she felt the warm embrace of two hooves wrapped around her. “I want to say that I really wish I knew, but it was probably for the best.” Octavia smiled as she looked back at Vinyl. “Sorry for what I did, I was wrong.”

Vinyl, still stunned, quickly returned the gray mare’s hug, yet remained puzzled by her last statement. “About what?”

“About you…” Octavia let out a deep sigh. “When I saw that letter I thought that you were doing this because you were asked to, and I was afraid you were just lying to me. But last night when I saw all of this I realized I was wrong. We really are the same aren’t we?”

Vinyl sighed as she looked away, unsure of what to say.

“But you know, I never would have guessed something like this was hiding away next door to me. You know it’s really... nice in here.” Octavia paused as she began to blush. “It makes me wish I would never have to leave a place like this.” Octavia paused again as she began to nuzzle the blanket as she sunk deeper into it.

Vinyl smiled as she noted the infantile behavior and let off a quiet chuckle. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Soon Vinyl felt a weight crash down on her shoulder and she quickly looked over to see an exhausted Octavia resting her head.

“Sorry Vinyl, but I think I need a moment, feel free to yell at me when I wake up…” Octavia trailed off as her breathing began to slow down.

Vinyl looked down at the exhausted mare, still clinging to her own lilac blanket. Her unkempt mane and coat made it clear to her that the gray mare had gone through something arduous. As her eyes continued to drift down they quickly crashed into the visage of her diaper. Now swollen and tinted, it had most likely been used during her time out cold on the floor. While this was something Vinyl felt a desire to point out at Octavia’s expense, she knew right now it wouldn’t be appropriate.

As Vinyl began to feel the calmness of the moment overtake her Octavia spoke up. “Oh and Vinyl, please be sure to change soon. Your diaper is absolutely drenched.”

Vinyl could feel her face glow hot, not expecting Octavia to point out the state of her own used diaper. “H-Hey! No fair I didn’t say anything to you!” Her words fell on deaf ears before she knew it her friend had quickly begun snoozing away resting on her shoulder.

Unable to move Vinyl once again sighed. Afraid I was lying to her… Maybe I should just… Vinyl felt her thoughts trail off as she was hit by a wave of drowsiness. Vinyl looked over and could see Octavia now deep in sleep, before she could dwell on this her vision grew dark and she found herself lost to her own exhaustion.

As the two mares lost sight of the waking world, reality continued to move around them. The sky grew bright as the ponies outside went about their day, and as that came to an apex so too did the brightness. Soon the sky around them began to dim as the morning slowly drifted away, and the once endless day that had finally broken for the two snoozing mares.

***
A long length of time had passed before the white mare began to stir. Ugh… What happened? Unable to recall any dreams or thoughts Vinyl began to recount the blank gaps in her memory. As she slowly became mentally lucid her body began to regain its own senses. Vinyl’s senses were assaulted by a sharp pain in her shoulder, as she felt a sudden weight pressing down on her. “Get off!” Fearing the worst Vinyl shouted as she launched the intruder off. It was at this point Vinyl quickly began to remember the events prior to her nap.

*THUD*

Vinyl was left unable to do anything as she watched her friend get helplessly launched off the crib, before she crashed onto the ground.

It took a few moments for the gray mare to realize what had happened before she looked back up at her assailant.

The room remained quiet until Vinyl decided to speak. “M-Morning Tavi.” Vinyl in all her fortitude was unable to stop herself from smirking at the scene.

Octavia let her mangled body sink back onto the ground in a more comfortable position before letting out a deep sigh. “Good morning Vinyl. It is probably safe to assume I deserved that.”

Vinyl continued to snicker. “Sorry! It’s just... you know… Err… anyway how are you feeling today?” Vinyl spoke hoping to quickly change the conversation.

“Oh I am doing well. Ugh!” Octavia grunted as she dislodged herself from her unflattering position back onto her side; as she made contact she could feel her saturated diaper squish under her. Octavia could vaguely remember the dream she had experienced before she could somewhat remember the determination and drive she had, yet now being here she was once again filled with hesitation.

Octavia sighed sadly as she slowly got back up on her hooves and stood up. “Sorry Vinyl, but I think I need some time alone.”

Vinyl quickly sat up. “Wait! Octavia I still need to tell you something.”

Octavia continued to walk towards the door. “Sorry Vinyl, but I don’t think I can-”

“Tavi wait!” Vinyl shouted causing Octavia to freeze in her tracts.

Vinyl swiftly jumped off the crib and landed on her hooves. “Listen I know like a lot of things happened, but there are things I need to tell you. I want to be honest, and I need to tell you everything.”

Octavia stood still, and thought over her words carefully. “You didn’t do anything wrong Vinyl, I just need time to think about what happened. I still don’t understand why you think you even owe me that right now.”

Vinyl inhaled deeply. “Because I… I’m afraid... If you… If I let you walk through that door right now, I’m afraid I won’t ever see you again. It sounds strange, but I’m sure you’ll leave and never come back. I don’t want to stand here doing nothing and let that happen. I don’t want to be alone again.”

Octavia’s heart rate increased as she could feel the sadness and fear coming off Vinyl’s words. She quickly turned around wanting more than anything to console the mare baring her feelings for her. “Vinyl I’ll stay please don’t-” Octavia suddenly stopped as Vinyl galloped right past Octavia, her face turned away.

“Great, then you should probably also get changed!” Vinyl responded cheerfully as she gazed at the door to the room. Any signs of sadness or fear seemed to have vanished from her voice. “So how about you use my changing table, I got some pretty good stuff here.”

Octavia was unable to get a look at Vinyl’s face, but was sure that Vinyl didn’t want to be seen. “S-Sure.”

“Great! Now I’ll just let myself out for a bit, give you some privacy.” Vinyl continued to speak as she opened the door. “Just let me know if you need anything.” Vinyl called back as she quickly opened the door and exited the room leaving Octavia dumbfounded.

Octavia was left alone, as her thoughts began to swirl about as she was once again unsure of what to do. She once again looked around the strange and wondrous room around her and then back down at her diaper. Her mind began to fill with feelings of fear as she began to worry that things may never go back to the way they were. As she began to lose herself to the thoughts filling her head she was suddenly snapped back by a sudden noise in the room.

Octavia turned around only to be greeted by Vinyl sticking her head through a crack in the door and using her magic to levitate a diaper over to herself, the crinkling of said diaper giving away her sneaky actions. Vinyl locked eyes with Octavia as she continued to bring the fresh diaper close to her. As the diaper reached her Vinyl flashed a sly smile. “You got ten minutes or I’ll do it for you.” Vinyl levitated the diaper close to her face as she took hold of it with her mouth before promptly stepping back and closing the door.

Octavia now blushing from embarrassment. “You are somehow worse than my mother!” Octavia exclaimed melodramatically before she began to softly laugh to herself, happy to see Vinyl’s face. I really am an idiot, aren’t I? Octavia thought as she wiped the tears that had suddenly appeared from her eyes. Smiling, she walked over to the changing table. She began climbing on top of the soft surface, when she stopped. Thinking for a moment she let out a sigh and lowered herself back to the ground, before she began to rummage through the various items on the changing tables shelves filling the nursery with the sound of crinkling.

***
Vinyl closed the door behind herself as she quickly turned around, now alone in the hallway she released the diaper into her hoof as she held it close to her body. She exhaled deeply as a choking sensation began to consume her as she could feel her eyes begin to tear up and the pressure in her head rose.

Vinyl could vaguely hear Octavia chastising her for her embarrassing remarks before she could hear the gray mare begin to laugh behind the door.

The sudden response was enough to cool Vinyl as she could feel herself smile and began to wipe the tears out of her eyes. Right! This is no time to get caught up in being upset. It’s time for me to do what I should have done since the beginning… Vinyl once again relaxed as her emotions leveled off.

She felt her determination continue to rise, until she took a step forward and felt her diaper slosh once again reminding her of how uncomfortable her sodden diaper had become. Now I just need to go change my diaper. Vinyl began towards the stairs, but then looked down the hall. Eyeing Octavia’s room, Vinyl quickly got an idea. Octavia probably has some supplies. Vinyl sighed as she once again levitated the clean diaper and walked over to Octavia’s room to go change. This time I refuse to just stand by.