Heart 𝄞Beats♫

Octavia could barely contain her glee as she continued walking, her excitement being hidden by years of well-executed prim as she didn't allow herself even the slightest bounce in her step, or the minuscule crack of a smile. This is it! she thought, her mind having no layers with which to hide themselves. This is what it is like to live on my own, to be my own mare and in charge of my own life! This is so exciting, almost overwhelming!

With great satisfaction, Octavia replayed the events of her first day once more, allowing herself to be swept up in her pride and excitement. Six in the morning, right on the mark, Octavia shot out of bed and began her routine: shower, brush teeth, eat breakfast, check the calendar for special and unplanned events. These actions had been ingrained within Octavia's memory for years as she disciplined herself as rigidly as she could in the hopes of pleasing her mother and those who surrounded her. Today, however, Octavia found no qualms in changing her routine, ever so slightly, with one exciting addition: double-check school bags.

Books had been purchased in advance, finding no issue with money and musing that she may even prefer to keep these books after the semester, to reflect on and turn to if she ever found herself lost. Each thick square found a new home, nestled into the appropriately sized bag which appeared befitting for rather respectful mare: Classical Music Theory, its pages stuffed with Octavia's personal notes and sheet music, sat at the forefront of her left saddlebag, right up against her side. In the other bag, in an attempt to balance the weight and avoid a strain on her first day, Flourishing Economics and How to Apply Them sat nestled against her right flank. It was a large book that Octavia had found only slightly bothersome when it came time to fitting it within her bags. Returning to her left, almost posing as sisters, Acting for Musical Theater hugged the edge of her bag as it fought for the same space alongside a pouch of pencils and its sharpener. Finally, on her right, a yellow book simply titled Exploring Psychology found its home nestled in between the business book and a blank notebook.

Octavia's life may have been rigid and strict, with clearly defined places for clearly defined things, but she brushed any concerns regarding her upbringing to the side as she took pride in the fact that this was her life, now. She was making her own decisions, choosing her own path, and discovering herself as she strode confidently out from beneath her mother's looming, overprotective shadow. Undoubtedly, Mezzo would call her daughter as soon as she was sure Octavia would be home in her singles dorm, but Octavia paid the worry no mind as she remained blissfully drunk in her own happiness, for once in her life.

As she rounded the corner and came face-to-face with the humble looking wooden door, she breathed a calming breath to reset her mind on the right track before she pulled on the handle and proceeded into her last class of the day: Psychology.

Vinyl stifled a yawn as she meandered down the crowded hallways of the Fillydelphia University, her powerful headphones blocking out almost all sound as a surprisingly quiet, bumpy tune rang into her head. Pausing a moment to scratch her nose and push her tinted glasses back up her nose, she sighed and shifted her weight to readjust the slumped saddlebag at her side. It was an older bag with a small hole in one of the bottom corners, and faded tan cloth gave it a rugged look while the rusted shoulder clasp told anyone who inspected it that Vinyl had never even attempted to adjust it for years as it hang rather low on the unicorn, who bobbed her head through the hallways with a frown on her face.

This was a waste of time. she thought, bitterly. She recalled her first class, creative writing, and tasted bile on her tongue as she grew disappointed with how incredibly boring it had turned out to be, especially as she was forced to follow other, lame prompts rather than being able to write what her heart whispered.

And a waste of money. she continued, not bothering to pause as she resorted to magic to straighten her shifting bag. She clenched her jaw and glared, unseen behind her glasses, as she remembered entering her modern musical theory class late and glowering at the ponies in her class whose faces brightened up and cheered as they recognized the signature purple shades and electric blue mane. Despite the money it brought in, Vinyl grew rather distasteful of her fame, especially in recent years, as it caused her a great deal of stress a she fought to stay above the pressure to perform, to always be on top of the hit singles charts. It caused her strife in her personal life, as she found many ponies she had once considered friends to only be interested in her for her newfound fame.

With a pang of regret, her mind instantly rushed towards Neon Lights; he seemed to be the only one in her life who actually saw Vinyl for Vinyl, and his own venture into the business helped her bond with him as the two became closer and closer. They had flings, on and off, until Neon finally pressed for a more serious relationship. Of course, Vinyl jumped at the chance to share herself with someone who actually cared, but circumstances proved fatal to their relationship as Vinyl fought to compete with a rising star who ended up surpassing her. She easily fell back into a slump she had worked so hard to climb out of, turning back to alcohol and her party drugs as she let fears of constant failure and inadequacy plague her mind. In the end, she and Neon Lights split on friendly terms, and the two had remained close, but Vinyl doubted ever truly getting back together with him, let alone allowing someone else into her life. Can't stand breaking another stallion's heart because I'm too weak to change. she thought, bitterly.

She pulled herself from her dead end thoughts and tried to focus on the present, instead of the past, as she used her magic to pull open the door to her final class: Psychology.

"Good evening, class, and welcome to psychology eleven-oh-one." the pegasus stallion began, taking a commanding stance at the front of the room. "My name is Professor Steel-Shield, and I have to wonder how many of you really know what you're getting into, this semester."

Military. Vinyl thought, as she studied the gray stallion from the back of the room. He had a large frame yet slender wings, and his buzzcut betrayed his age and background. With no hair to hide behind as Vinyl had, she could clearly see his steely-blue eyes as they scanned the classroom, like a dog determining the best cat to attack.

"As opposed to some of the rest of your teachers, and believe me I've met them, I can assure you that this will not be a laid back class. Everything we do in this room has a painstakingly crafted purpose. There will be no idling, no sitting on your flanks twiddling your hooves, no excuse for not doing the work, and certainly no excuse for not asking questions." the stallion instructed. "You are here to learn, and I have been hired to teach you. Make no mistake; when you pass this class, and Celestia help me I will make you pass this class, you will look back on this day and say 'thank you, Professor Steel-Shield.' You will hate me, but you will learn to love me."

Prick. Vinyl thought as the stallion paused in his speech. They let this guy teach? What, could he get no better job from the VA?

Almost as if homing in on her sass and disrespect, the pegasus turned his stern eyes towards the white unicorn in the back row. "Miss Scratch, please remove your glasses."

Vinyl blinked, as if she had been asleep, at the stallion's request. I can't take these off, the lights will kill me. she thought, as she pulled out her notebook and began scribbling a message to the teacher.

"Miss Scratch." the stallion commanded, authoritatively, as he stormed to the back of the class to stand beside the mare. "Remove your glasses or I will remove you from my class. Eye contact is a matter of respect, and I will not stand for disrespect in this room."

Vinyl floated the paper up to the professor, whose brow furrowed as he paused to read. "Unless you have a doctors note, I will still insist that you remove your glasses, as they are clearly not prescription. Additionally, I will not pass notes back and forth between us as though we are foals; you will speak to me like an adult or I will treat you like a child."

Fucking prick. Vinyl thought, to herself, as she removed her glasses and winced at the blinding light that assaulted her strikingly magenta eyes. A pained gasp quietly escaped her lips as she turned her head downwards and quickly scribbled another short note to her teacher and floated it in his face before he had a chance to address this disrespect.

The stallion paused for a moment to read the note, before his body betrayed an ever-so-slight startle of realization. "My mistake, Miss Scratch; that information was not in your student file. In light of this news, however, I am going to ask you to take a seat in the front of the class as it will allow me to better teach you, should you have any questions." the pegasus gave a short, apologetic nod, before walking back to the front of the class.

Vinyl realized, with a sickened feeling in her stomach and a glare, that students were staring back at her as a result of the scene she had caused. Wincing through a newly formed headache, the unicorn stood up from her seat and silently stalked her way to the front of the room, where she took a seat beside a white earth pony mare with a short, blonde mane. Seemingly satisfied in being control of his own classroom, once more, Professor Steel-Shield continued with his opening address as Vinyl tuned him out.

How the hell did I let Neon talk me into going to school? Vinyl moped. My classes are boring, my teachers are pricks, and it's costing me most of my savings just to come here to get even more pissed off. What I wouldn't give for some tequila right now...

Her eyes already mostly closed for protection from the blinding fluorescence of the classroom lights, Vinyl found it easy just to close them a bit more as she found herself slipping back into her own mind at the thought of tequila. Hundreds of parties flashed through the unicorn's mind, thousands of bottles downed, millions of beats swayed to, hours of socialization among those who were only here to have a good time and couldn't walk straight enough to see that it was the DJ-Pon3 who was hanging out with them. Parties were one of the few things that helped Vinyl cope, and she felt at home in them. They were her element, where she was in charge of nearly every aspect. Vinyl found herself struggling to fight off the depressing realizations that, outside of those parties, she felt like nothing. Outside of destroying herself, she couldn't truly find a reason or a way to live, except for parties.

Someone deeply cleared their throat just in front of her, and Vinyl cautiously opened her eyes, only to be greeted by the piercing gaze of a retired drill sergeant. "Miss Scratch, why did you sign up for my class?"

To fix myself. Vinyl thought, for a split second, before scribbling a different answer on her paper.

"You came to my class to learn how to be a better pony? Absolutely commendable, Miss Scratch." the pony announced, sarcastically. "You are truly setting a fantastic example of bettering yourself. Everypony, take notes on Miss Scratch: she comes to this class to be a better pony, yet here she is sleeping through my lecture on the very first day. Truly, an example to live up to. Move out of the way, Celestia, this is the pony who clearly knows what she wants out of life and isn't afraid to do what she must to get it."

Octavia kept her composure as the professor verbally tore into the silent unicorn, who simply matched the intensity of his speech with the glare in her eyes, before he stepped back to the front of the class. She felt bad for the mare, who clearly appeared to have some condition, but ultimately decided that she had only brought the berating upon herself.

"As I was saying," the stallion continued. "the final grade for this class will be determined by two scores: that of your final exam, and that of the class project. You will not pass unless you score a passing grade on your final, and at least a seventy-five percent on this class project."

Professor Steel-Shield turned to give the white mare an accusative stare as he finished his sentence, before turning back to the class. "For those of you who missed, it, allow me to reiterate: your class project will be a semester-spanning attempt designed to force you to look at the life of another, and to understand how they got where they are, through their failings and victories. You all will be assigned a partner with whom you will meet and talk with every day that your schedule allows. You will get to know this pony, you will know their name, their favorite color, where their mother was born, what side of the bed they prefer to sleep on. This will be your unofficial best friend for the school year and, if you play your cards right, perhaps even the best friend you'll ever end up meeting."

Octavia's eyes widened as her body betrayed her feelings of being impressed by the depths and purpose of this project, understanding the exact purpose for such an undertaking, given the nature of this class. She found herself admiring the intelligence of her teacher before he spoke up, once more.

"Miss Scratch and Miss Philharmonica." Professor Steel-Shield announced. "Given both of your fame and conflicting personalities, you two are the first pair of partners."

"E-Excuse me?" Octavia stuttered, her appearance of a calm and collected, sophisticated mare completely shattered in that moment as she fearfully turned her head to look at the white unicorn mare with a furrowed brow, who was eyeing the professor as though he was out to get her. "With all due respect, Professor Steel-Shield, may I request a different partner? Miss Scratch appears to have a lot on her hooves, at the moment, and my schedule scarcely allows time for such lengths of conversation."

"Miss Philharmonica, are you instructing me on how to teach my own class?" Professor Steel-Shield accused, making the earth pony feel rather guilty. This was his class, after all. He had likely been carefully selected from a hoofful of other, highly recommended teachers. Of course I should trust his judgement; he likely knows far more than I ever will. she thought, mentally striking herself.

"N-No, sir." Octavia stammered, regretting voicing her displeasure.

Satisfied with putting down another unruly student, the professor continued assigning classmates together until the list had been depleted and the students were dismissed, with the white unicorn mare being the first out the door after she had hurriedly thrown her glasses back on, not waiting to meet with her partner as the other students were doing.