Octavia's Lesson

by Detrail

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:

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.