"Excuse me, Miss Scratch!" Octavia called out as she attempted to politely push her way through the throng of students as they scuttled to their next class. The unicorn made no indication of hearing her as she continued along, far ahead of Octavia, before she rounded a corner and disappeared. Octavia kept her composure through her frustration, and managed to push her way towards the direction of her project partner; through the double doors that led to the beautiful pseudo park that defined the Fillydelphia University.

Octavia's gaze found itself scanning and picking through the mess of students, searching for a sharp blue mane, before she spotted her partner making her way across the grass. Clearing her throat and suppressing her smile, the refined mare easily slipped into a tölt and found herself satisfied with its balance of speed and grace as she snaked her way to the white mare.

"Pardon me, Miss Scratch?" Octavia began, catching the irritated glance of the unicorn, who had stopped in her tracks and turned to face the mare. "My name is Octavia Melody Philharmonica, and I am your partner in our psychology project."

Octavia bowed as she introduced herself, hoping the grace of her posture would only amplify her politeness, until she rose and found the unicorn eyeing her with a raised brow. Quickly, she surmised that, despite her partner's apparent fame, she may not be from the same class as she, and therefore unfamiliar with such standards. "Ah, um, forgive me for perhaps appearing unusual. I find myself held to a higher standard of expectations, you see."

It bothered Octavia that she could barely make out the movements of the unicorn's eyes behind her dark glasses, as she had grown accustomed to judging the thoughts of others through their gaze. It was impossible to tell if she had made a negative impression, or not, but worry gave way to confusion as the unicorn simply raised a hoof towards Octavia, at which she stared in confusion, quietly seeking instruction through pleading eyes. The unicorn sighed and rolled her head, slightly, before gripping Octavia's hoof gently in her magic and raising it until it was level with Vinyl's, at which point they bumped horseshoes in a fluid motion before their hooves fell to the ground.

Oh. Octavia thought, with slight dread. This was that kind of mare.

Clearing her throat and ever so slightly scraping her hoof on the ground, Octavia spoke up, once more: "While I am unaware of any restrictions you may have, my schedule is clear for the following two hours. Is now a good time to begin our project?"

Vinyl gave a half-hearted shrug and slowly led Octavia into the shade of a tree within the park before dropping her bag to the side and pulling out a notebook in anticipation as she lay in the grass. Octavia was far more graceful as she set her bag to her side and folded her forehooves while she lay across from the mare. "As you already know, I am Octavia Melody Philharmonica of the Piast family. You may know of my mother, Mezzo Piano."

Vinyl scribbled something down and turned the page so that Octavia could read. In an instant, the reserved earth pony mare found her eyes drawn to the page with her eyebrows wide in amazement; this mares' calligraphy was absolutely incredible, and her pencil strokes flowed with elegance as the curves within the letters carved rivers into the paper!

Never heard of you. she wrote.

Octavia felt thoroughly conflicted. On one hoof, she found herself entranced by the style of writing from what she had assumed was such a low class mare. On the other hoof, she felt disrespected at the short and direct style in which she responded. And on yet another hoof, she felt relieved that this mare hadn't an inkling of knowledge about her family, or her mother. She could establish herself, here. But, before she could express her hopes or ask another question, she found a new sentence just under the first, in that same elegant form.

Name's Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ-Pon3. You've probably heard of me. she had written.

"Unfortunately, it seems as though I have not heard of you, either. We appear to come from drastically different circles." Octavia admitted, sheepishly. "What would I have heard of you?"

Now it was Vinyl's turn to be taken aback, as it dawned on her that this gray earth pony didn't know about her fame, which meant that she was unaware of the rumors surrounding her private life. She cracked a small smile and scribbled another line into the paper.

Don't worry about it. It's pretty relieving that you haven't heard of me, actually.

Octavia reluctantly cracked a smile of her own as she gave a small nod. "I am all too familiar with wanting to live as an invisible pony, sometimes. It is tiring when ponies look at me and see my mother, rather than a mare who can stand on her own."

The two shared a brief silence of understanding before Vinyl wove her pen into the paper, once more. What brings you to Fillydelphia University? she wrote.

"I informed my mother of my intentions to be my own mare, and decided I needed the skills to actually do so. I am taking classical music theory because the cello is my instrument, and it would be foalish of me to believe I have learned everything there is to know about it." Octavia explained. "I am also taking musical theater as a hobby, as well as business management to garner the skills needed to essentially be my own stage manager, and psychology in order to better understand how to appeal to ponies and develop my own life. What brings you to such an esteemed university?"

A friend convinced me. Creative writing, though I don't know why. Modern musical theory, if you can believe that coincidence. And I'm in psychology for exactly what Mr. Steel-Shield said: to be a better pony. Vinyl wrote

Octavia nodded in understanding. "What makes you think you need to be a better pony?"

Personal stuff. Vinyl scribbled, rather slowly, as if uncomfortable.

"No need to feel embarrassed, this assignment is about us getting to know each other. Do not feel like you can not tell me anything." Octavia insisted.

Really, it's fine. What's your favorite color? she wrote.

Octavia glanced down at the paper and frowned as she gave Vinyl a light, accusative glance. "It is not entirely fair to simply not answer my questions, Miss Scratch. Our assignment is to understand and become friends with one another, and I cannot do so if you do not work with me. This is as much your grade as it is mine."

Whatever smile Vinyl had been holding onto had completely disappeared by this point, replaced with a frown as she scribbled another line in a huff.

Forget it. It was nice talking with you, while it lasted.

As Vinyl stood up to leave, Octavia rose, as well, and commandingly cleared her throat. "Miss Scratch, I do not know what has come over you or what you are dealing with in your life, but my grade is important to me, and I will not have it sullied by uncooperativeness. Your refusal to speak only makes this more difficult, on top of your unwillingness to remain civil with me. Perhaps we should continue this at another time, after you have had a chance to calm yourself? How may I contact you?"

Vinyl shot Octavia a hard glare as she angrily tore into the paper with her pencil, going as far as to actually tear the paper in some parts before she threw her page on the ground and stormed off past Octavia, whose eyes tracked the mare as she left until she rounded a corner and disappeared from sight.

What an unruly and absolutely uncouth mare. Octavia snorted in thought, before turning to read the note she had been left.

I'm mute, you dumb ass! And forgive me for not wanting to spill my entire life to somepony I just met, school project or no. We all have secrets and things we don't want others knowing, so just piss off. I don't want friends, and I especially don't want to be friends with such an uppity mare who thinks only of herself and doesn't even begin to understand that she's not in whatever high class mansion she came from. This is Fillydelphia, get used to it.

Vinyl stormed across the grass of her university as she fumed. What the fuck is her problem? Vinyl thought to herself as she weaved through oncoming students. Is she so fucking sheltered that she doesn't understand basic privacy? Load of good that snobby upbringing did for her, mare can't even stay polite if she doesn't get her way.

Vinyl threw her head to the side as she shifted her hair out of her face and pulled her headphones out of her bag with her magic, finding their comfortable home as they hugged her ears. Not long after, quiet, upbeat music began to trickle its way into her mind and she found herself walking in time to the beat as she took a breath to calm herself. In an instant, she realized that she had stormed off in the wrong direction. When she should have been heading back to her apartment, she instead found that she stood in front of the administration building, where she had registered for her courses.

I could end this all, right now. she thought, tuning out her music as she read the golden letters that adorned the side of the building. Cancel my courses and drop out. It'd be fast and easy, and I'd have no problem making that money back if I could land a better gig.

Vinyl struggled with herself for only a few seconds more before she hung her head, dejectedly, and turned away to head home. I don't want to lose Neon... she thought. If I dropped out, that'd be it. I'd lose the only friend I actually have and then... I don't know what I'd do with myself...

Vinyl shook her head in an attempt to stave off her thoughts before she turned her music up just a smidgen louder, satisfied that it would occupy her thoughts and keep her from doing anything rash as she made her way home. When she arrived, her bag thudded to the floor and her glasses and headphones kept each other company on the kitchen counter of her small apartment.

Vinyl wasn't ashamed of her home. It was small, yes, and the kitchen and bathroom were the first things on your right and left as you entered, but it suited her. She didn't need a lot of space, and found the small quarters of her three-room apartment surprisingly comfortable. It was messy, yes, but that was just Vinyl; her style. Still, while she may not have been ashamed of her apartment, and while she was comfortable with the space, she couldn't shake the feeling that it felt so incredibly cold. Empty.

For a moment, she thought about calling Neon Lights over, hoping he could see that she was making a difference in her life even if she wasn't entirely entranced with the idea. Maybe he'd stay, if only for the night.

Vinyl walked her narrow hallway and opened the door to her bedroom before falling face-first into her bed. As she took in the utter silence of her apartment, she began to cry into her sheets.

It's not fair! she mentally screamed as she punched the blanket beneath her. I have fame and money, so why the fuck can't I just be happy?!

Deep down, however, Vinyl knew the source of her misery. It was exactly like Neon had said, all those months ago when he had convinced her to go to school: "You turned to drugs for help more than you turned to your friends."

But it's not my fault! Vinyl argued with herself. Why can't ponies just treat me like Vinyl instead of DJ-Pon3 all the fucking time?! I'm more than that! I...

Vinyl paused, mid mental sentence as a rogue thought crossed her mind. You shoved away the pony who did treat you like Vinyl. Vinyl shook her head in protest as she levitated a pillow into her face.

I didn't want to hurt her... I don't want to hurt any pony... she thought. I can't let them close because they'll just see what a fucking slob I am. They'll hate me because I drink too much, or because I use party drugs, or they'll just see what a shitty person I am... Just like Neon...

Vinyl lay in her own depressive pool for a moments, simply sulking, before she hovered her phone towards her face and pulled up Neon Light's text. Before she could start the conversation, however, another text buzzed itself into existence and filled the screen.

Hey, Vinyl! It's Cherry Blast. Remember me? I'm throwing a party tonight, want to swing by just as a guest? There's gonna be booze and your favorite you-know-what ;)

From Cherry Blast, received at 5:31 P.M.

Vinyl froze in shock as she read the text, her heart thumping in her chest.

"You stupid, stupid pony!" Octavia berated herself with a pained frown painted on her face as she pulled another stack of books from one of the several cardboard boxes that were neatly stacked against the wall in the living room of her rather exquisite singles dorm. "How could you have been so rude? How could you have forgotten your manners in an instant?"

Octavia ashamedly recalled the events that had transpired no more than an hour ago, painfully reliving the realization that she had practically insulted and violated the personal space of her best chance at a friend. "What a tremendous first day, Octavia! You managed to fall back into the shadow of your mother in both classical music and theater class, your psychology teacher now despises you for insinuating that you know how to run his class, and you threw away the best chance at your own friendship all in the span of less than twelve hours! This is what you call 'being your own mare'?!" she exclaimed, carefully setting the books into their alphabetically-sorted spots on her shelf before moving to collapse the now empty box.

In stark contrast to Vinyl, Octavia's dorm room was much larger and cleaner, featuring a dining room in the kitchen and a small study that she would reforge into her cello room. Despite feeling much smaller than home, she couldn't help but admire the spacious room that was certainly reserved for only the most prestigious families. Still, Octavia soon realized, it felt rather... Empty. Yes, she had mostly unpacked and, yes her affects filled her living space quite nicely, but Octavia found that she felt out of place and uncomfortable in such an environment with no one else.

Growing up, there had always been someone nearby - be they a butler, a maid, or even her own mother. Octavia was always in the company of some pony who could play with her, help her study, or even preform her errands. Now, she was growing incredibly bothered by the idea that she was living independent from everything that defined her mother.

If this is the cost of living in the sunlight, then so be it. Octavia thought, doing nothing to satisfy her discomfort. As she put the finishing touches on personalizing her kitchen, her ears perked at the gentle sound of Pearly Water - Symphony #8 and groaned. Just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, her mother was now calling her to muddle her feelings even further.

"Hello, mother?" Ocavia began as she held the large, earth-pony designed device to her ear.

"Octavia, dear!" her mothers' caring voice sounded from the other side. "I do hope I am not disturbing you, but I simply wished to see how you were doing. How has the first day of your own life played out?"

"Oh, no need to worry, mother, everything has been simply wonderful." Octavia lied, an uneasy silence filling the device.

"You know, dearest, you always were a terrible liar." her mother teased, softly. "I understand that you want to separate yourself from me, but please do not feel as though you cannot speak to me about what is bothering you; you would do well to ease your poor mother's heart, with you so far away from home."

Octavia gave a small sigh, half in relief, and half in frustration that her mother knew her so well that she practically could keep nothing from her. "I... it is difficult, mother, being on my own. I was aware that it would not be an easy thing, to live on my own in nearly all aspects, but I am facing difficulties with issues I was not even aware I had. I... I may have hurt somepony, already."

"Oh, Octavia, do not fret." her mother reassured her. "I am sure it was a simple misunderstanding, or perhaps you just misread their reaction. What all was said?"

Octavia gave a guilty swallow as she recalled the meeting after class with Vinyl, repeating the tale to her mother in great detail. When she had finished, Octavia stood silently, waiting, as her mother thought over the situation.

"I have had regrets, you know." Mezzo began. "About how I raised you. It was difficult, after your father passed away, and I have almost never stopped questioning myself, asking myself each night if I had done the right thing that day. Do you remember the charming little earth pony colt with the blue coat and yellow mane whom you invited to your eighth birthday?"

"Glitter Star? Your memory continues to astound me, mother." Octavia laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Yes, well, there was a reason he was unavailable to play with you after your birthday. I... I told his parents that he was unsuitable for you. He was a colt, after all, and I had heard stories about how he would get rather physical when he played with his friends. Colts will be colts but, nevertheless, all I could imagine was him accidentally hurting you. That fear plagued my mind for many nights, and I felt justified in my decision until your seventeenth birthday."

A feeling of dread overcame Octavia as she began to put the pieces together. "...Sapphire Shores?" she asked, uneasy.

"I am afraid so." her mother admitted. "When she spoke to you after your performance, you were in tears for the rest of the night. She had meant her comment as a joke, dear - she truly respected you and adored your music. But, I realized just how late I was to correct my decisions. Because I kept almost every pony you could have had a chance to develop a friendship with out of your life to try and protect you, you were woefully unprepared for the rest of the world when you finally did leave your comfort zone, if only for a moment."

Octavia remained silent as she processed her mothers' words, struggling to not lash out. She is the reason I have always been uncomfortable outside of my house... Octavia thought, her brow furrowing and her eyes wandering as feelings of betrayal welled up inside her before her mother spoke up, once again.

"I am sorry, my sweet Octavia." her mother quietly apologized, regret heavy on her voice. "I cannot fix the mistakes of my past, but I can help you to build your future. Go to this new friend of yours and apologize. Place yourself below her, admit your faults and attempt to reconcile. Do not give up, do not let this mare pass you by. You are so much better than that, my dearest Octavia. You are worth so much more."

Author's Note

If you got pinged about an update after this chapter was already published, I'm sorry. I was just fixing an error in Octavia's speech for consistency.