Octavia Melody is calm, patient and longing to break the boundaries of class through her career as a musician.

Princess Luna is lost in the eddies of her past, struggling to belong in a new age that doesn't seem to want her.

A chance meeting after a disastrous gala gives these isolated souls a chance to find companionship and comfort. As Luna seeks solace in Octavia's soothing music, Octavia comes to recognize the princess's loneliness and fears. When it's your duty to protect other ponies' dreams, who protects your own? Octavia might just be willing to try.

...a fantastic fic, with one of the best paced romances you can find on this site, great prose, and one of the best characterized Octavia's I could point out. — Soge, TPCaRG (Read the review!)

PaulAsaran has crafted what may well be the best LunAvia ship on the site. —Cerulean Voice

Highly recommended if you like romance instead of the more typical shallow shipping. —City of Doors

If you're a fan of Luna and or Octavia, it's a crime not to indulge! —Wanderer D

I guarantee you will enjoy it. —vren55

Technically, this is flawless: the writing, the pacing, you name it, it's great. —PresentPerfect

Print copy now available for purchase on Lulu!

Now with a YouTube reading by Never After All Readings!

A re-imagining of The Gentle Nights, reworked from the ground up to be bigger and brighter.

Special thanks to Mercury Gilado, Absolution and Starlight Nova for pre-reading and editing.

Artwork commissioned from the talented viwrastupr.

[11/11/2014]: Now featured on Equestria Daily!
Featured 11/22/14.

Now featured by The Royal Guard!

Spike needs to get out of Ponyville, and when an advertisement for an affordable travel package finds its way into his mailbox, he jumps at the chance. Little does he know that he isn't the only one who took the offer. What will come of his chance meeting with this beautiful mare? Friendship, or something more?

Yo, the name's Vinyl Scratch, and all told, I've got it pretty good.

I do what I love, I love what I do, and what I do is make music that gets ponies pumped. I mean, you've probably seen me around. Truth be told I'm kind of everywhere—from Canterlot to Manehatten—doing fashion shows, clubs, weddings, and at least two royal shindigs post-changeling invasion. Funny thing about that though...

Special thanks to Dreams of Ponies, The Masked Ferret, and Skeeter the Lurker for their editing and support.

Partway through her morning practice routine—and routine it is—Octavia seems to have gained an audience. Well, if that mare wants to listen, she'll get a good show.

Expanded from the tenth-place finisher in /fic/'s first minific write-off, "What Lies Beneath."

Featured on Equestria Daily!

Cover art by drawponies

Reviewing help from Mystic and Chris.

'I believe I may have gained a friend.' Octavia had written that night. 'An unexpected one at that.'

Four seasons in the life of Octavia Melody. Four seasons that include Sunset Shimmer; musician, unexpected friend and certainly unexpected crush.

For the Changing Seasons contest

Newly-together couple Vinyl Scratch and Octavia have just spent the night out on the town. Vinyl blasted their favourite nightclub with major wubbage while Octavia discovered a new drink at the bar. Now Vinyl has to escort home a marefriend more drunk than she's ever been, and in her intoxicated state, Octavia says just a little bit too much.

Cover art courtesy of KristySK on DeviantArt.

Reading by ObabScribbler and TheLostNarrator
Reading by Astro Brony

UPDATE 09/09/2023: Edited story to fit better with my current writing standard. Original unedited story here!

Octavia Melody's love of music has revolved around a single influential and prestigious work of art, the song May Our Sun Shine Forever. Since she was a filly, what has been the Equestrian national anthem for generations has continually inspired Octavia to perform, shaping her into the promising cellist she is today. Though the completed original was lost to the passage of time, the remnants of the final masterpiece composed by the Grand Maestro Glissando has been the cornerstone of not only Octavia's career, but modern music theory in Equestria.

When the tattered remains of an ancient songbook possibly containing the original song in its entirety is found, the Equestrian Society for the Performing Arts and Princess Luna begin planning a concert series to celebrate the work's eventual restoration. However, their meeting screeches to a halt once Princess Celestia vehemently forbids anypony from playing the original in the concert and demands its restoration to cease immediately. Octavia Melody finds herself at a loss, wondering why the princess of the sun would silence such a beautiful song meant to bring light to the world.

Proofread and Edited by TheAncientPolitzanian and various others over the years of trying to fix this thing.
Cover Art Depressing Melody by TertonDA
Updated 02/27/24

After a thousand years of exile, Princess Luna has returned!

As part of events to mark the occasion, for one night the palace has turned Canterlot into an open-air festival of art, music, performances and vendors, with the city's various galleries, studios, and museums offering free admittance to all who would join in the celebration of Equestria's beautiful night.

Octavia isn't normally a pony for such events, and at first would rather just stay home and practice her cello. Thankfully she has a friend who knows better, who drags her out in spite of herself, allowing Octavia to experience the many marvels the night may hold.

A Scratchtavia meet-n-greet story.
Rated Teen for events towards the end.

Story was inspired in large part by personal experiences had during Winnipeg's Nuit Blanche 2016.
Events and locations have been ponified for purposes of this story.

Reviewed as Recommended by The Pleasant Commentator and Review Group.

Pre-reading thanks to:
• Stitchwolf
• An-Twan Star
• Wave Blaster
• A M Shark

The end has come for Ponyville.

Octavia, frankly, could not care less.

Shining Armor is an eager young officer in the Royal Guard, fresh out of the West Hoof Military Academy. When his mother asks him to help family friend Vinyl Scratch deal with an overenthusiastic admirer, he jumps at the chance to aid a damsel in distress. Perhaps he'd have second thought if he knew just how much of a mess he would be getting himself into...