Equestritania

by Packet

The Sleep Talking of Octavia

Whooves and Octavia ended up spending far more time in the Tea Merchants than they’d initially anticipated. This was mainly in part due to Octavia using the phone booth outside the Merchants to ring Vinyl.

“Sooo Octy” Vinyl’s voiced crackled down the receiver “You’re with your Coltfriend then?”

“Vinyl please, he’s not my Coltfriend” she stared out of the phone booth and saw Whooves sat in his usual booth in the Tea Merchant, sipping away at a cup “We’re just good friends, that’s all”

“Well, I’ve certainly had a few ‘good friends’ in my time Octy. I never took you for the type of mare who would take advantage of somepony though”

“Oh shut up, you know what I mean!”

Vinyl chuckled “Yeah well I’m pretty sure ‘good friends’ don’t talk about each other in their sleep”

“Vinyl! That’s preposterous! And how do you even know that Whooves talks in his sleep?”

“I don’t. I was talking about you Octy!”

“WHAT?!!” Octavia’s shriek caused a passer by to stare at her through the booth’s windows.

“Yeah, whenever I’ve got home from a gig at night since you two first met, nine times out of ten you’ll be talking about him in your sleep”

“I’m sure you’re just making that up” she paused “So what do I say exactly”

“Oh usually it’s along the lines of ‘I’m so glad I found you and we’re now together Whooves’ Vinyl said, doing her impression of a soppy love struck Octavia down the phone and enforcing it with a few kissing sounds, causing Octavia to facehoof “However there was one time that I think proves you’re definitely after him”

Octavia pulled her hoof down from her face “What did I say” she asked bluntly, knowing full well that she was going to regret asking.

“Well” Vinyl could hardly contain her fit of giggles “There was one time when I heard you practically moan in your sleep ‘Whooves, it’s so much bigger than I imagined it!’ To me, that proves that you want him really bad” she chuckled.

“Ok, you’ve obviously got the wrong end of the stick there. I’ll have you know that the times I’ve dreamed about Whooves, which are very few mind; we’ve usually been in the shipyard together. I’m quite certain that I was probably talking about his airship in my dreams”

“Sure you were Octy, sure you were!” Vinyl laughed even more.

“Oh grow up! I’m probably going to be back late tonight, I’ve got…other things to attend to”

“Is it Whooves?”

“Maybe, but that’s none of your business”

“Ok Octy, I’ll see you whenever then”

Octavia was about to put the phone down.

“Oh Octy?”

“Yes?”

“Have fun admiring your Coltfriend’s airship!”

Octavia slammed the receiver down onto the phone’s hoofset.

---

Just from how she walked back into the merchants Whooves could tell that Octavia was annoyed, though he waited a few brief seconds before questioning her about it.

“Vinyl’s being her usual self then?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Worse!” Octavia flopped down onto the seat opposite him, letting out a heavy sigh.

“What’s she gone and done this time?”

“Oh….” Octavia felt slightly worried “It’s nothing really” She didn’t want to admit to Whooves that she might have feelings for him just yet.

“No, go on” Whooves smiled “It’s funny finding out how you two get on with eachother”

Octavia looked straight into his eyes “You’re sure you want to know?”

“What’s the worst it could be?” Whooves began to take a drink from his cup.

“She thinks me and you are secretly together” Octavia said, trying to hide any hint of her feelings.

Whooves reaction was almost instantaneous and he patted his chest a few times as he tried to stop himself from choking on his tea “Where in Equestria did she get that idea from?”

“No idea” Octavia chuckled, pulling a poker face “But it is Vinyl”

Whooves chuckled slightly “Yeah….crazy….” he unwrapped his scarf from round his neck “Excuse me one moment”

Octavia gave him a smile as he got down from his seat and walked over to the restrooms.

---

Whooves could hardly contain himself by the time he’d entered the restroom. His stood with his forehooves resting on one of the sinks, looking at his reflection in the mirror, taking deep breaths to try and calm himself.

“Come on Whooves, it’s fine” he said to himself “You know you’ve had feelings for Octavia for a while now. It’s not as if this is something new”

He stared deep into his reflection.

“But how to tell her…”

Taking one final breath to compose himself Whooves exited the restroom and re-joined Octavia, who was now halfway through the scones she had ordered for herself.

“Are you ok?” Octavia asked.

“Fine” replied hooves, pulling his plate of scones closer to him “Perfectley fine”

And as they talked, drank tea and ate scones Whooves wrestled with his conscience. Should he tell Octavia how he felt about her and risk ruining their friendship, or should he just keep quiet…

---

A couple of hours later both of them stepped out onto the cold night time streets of Canterlot, turning to face each other, both of them wanting to get back to the warmth of their apartments, but Whooves secretly wanted this moment in time to never end.

“So…” Octavia was trying to make this moment last as long as possible.

“So…” Whooves said back, stalling as he became absorbed in his thoughts.

Go on Whooves, you can do this. You’ve designed an airship for Celestia’s sake! Surely that should be at least ten times harder than telling a mare how you feel about her. In fact, do it in the simplest way possible, ask her out to dinner!

“O-Octavia?” Whooves stuttered, his cheeks turning red.

“Yes?”

Ok now, do it! It’s simple; repeat after me ‘Would you like to go for dinner sometime’. Even a filly could do it!

Whooves suddenly felt gripped with panic “I-I-I’ve really enjoyed spending time with you this afternoon a-a-a…”

Octavia’s ear pricked up “Yes?” she smiled.

Oh Celestia she’s giving me that adorable look that I can’t resist again!

“B-b-but I’ve got to get going. They’ll be shutting up the yard soon for the night” Whooves gave a cheesy grin.

“Oh” Octavia was disappointed at how he’d cut their time short, but she tried not to let it show “Well, I’ll be seeing you soon then”

“Yes, I’ll let you know when I’ next available”

Overcome with panic about how the conversation was slowly falling to pieces, Whooves just let his body go as he tried he tried to think of a way of possibly saving it. One moment he was staring into Octavia’s deep purple eyes, and then in the bat of an eyelid he found himself kissing her on her lips. Realising what he was doing he quickly drew back, the hint of panic now more present in his voice.

“Um, err, sorry I just….I’ve got to go!” and he ran off down the street, the thoughts and feelings he had for Octavia going through his head being to much to bare.

Octavia simply stood there on the street for a few minutes, processing what had just happened threw her mind over and over again. She raised a hoof up to her lips and touched them, then looking down at her hoof, as if expecting something to be there. She thought back over how Whooves had been acting when they had tea together. Thinking back over what could have made him act like this she was hit with a sudden realisation. It had all arisen when she mentioned what Vinyl had thought about them both. She turned and walked down the street back home, breaking into a bouncy trot as she walked along. She knew what this meant; Whooves had feelings for her to.

---

Whooves was leant up against a brick wall in an alleyway a couple of streets down from the Merchants. Not realising that his actions had caused Octavia to almost burst with joy he simply sat there, once again alone with only his subconscious to talk to.

Now what in the name of Celestia did you go and do that for you idiot?!

A noise from down the alleyway caught his attention.

“Hello?” Whooves called.

In the darkness he could just make out two eyes glistening in the darkness. Curiosity getting the better of him, he got up from leaning against the wall, he crept ever closer.

“Who’s there?” He called out again.

Within a few feet from the cowering figure he could just make out the form of a tall, skinny colt, hidden in the darkness.

“Do you need any hel-“

But Whooves never reached the end of his sentence. Catching him off guard the figure leapt out at him in the dark. He blacked out.

---

Octavia swung her apartment door open merrily and almost danced down the hallway, lightly throwing her keys into the bowl by the door as she did so.

“Vinyl!” she almost sang her greeting.

“Octy? You aren't drunk already are you?” Vinyl called from the living room.

Octavia walked through to find Vinyl lounging on the sofa in the small living room. She swept past her, her cheeks blushing a deep shade of red, heading towards the kitchen and beginning to open a cupboard that had a rather large padlock sealing it.

“Octavia?” Vinyl asked, noticing what she was doing “What are doing going in the alcohol cupboard? Just the other day you said you were never going to open it if I was around”

Octavia grabbed two bottles of cider and walked back over to the sofa, still in a trance. She handed one of the bottles to Vinyl, then pulled her in for a big hug “You deserve this you silly mare you, after how much you've helped me today”

Vinyl squinted at Octavia, confused “Um, ok….what did I do?”

Octavia proceeded to tell Vinyl about how Whooves had been acting after she told him what she had said about them down the phone.

“So you admit it then” Vinyl smirked “You do have feelings for him”

Octavia sighed, obviously thinking about Whooves “Indeed dear Vinyl, I most certainly do”

As she took a swig of her cider Vinyl spotted her chance “So you weren’t really dreaming about his airship that one time then?”

Octavia spat her cider out, causing it to spray on the curtains drawn across the French Windows opposite “Will you just leave that!”

Vinyl just simply grinned at her, revealing her sparkling white teeth. She was about to throw another comment at Octavia about airships when the phone rang. Both of them stopped and stared at it, then at each other, then back at the phone.

“Who would be ringing us at this hour?” Octavia asked.

“Hmm… I’m no expert Octy, but I think if you pick the phone up you’ll find out!”

Octavia gave her shove before getting down off of the sofa, walking across the room and picking up the phone receiver in her hoof. Vinyl listened intently, trying to work out who it was on the other end.

“Hello? Yes, yes it is….Oh, but why are….” Octavia’s face suddenly went nearly as pale as Vinyl’s coat “W-w-w-well yes, of course. I’ll be there. Thank you. Goodbye”

Octavia slammed the receiver down and instantly grabbed her purple scarf from the hallway, wrapping it round her neck, causing Vinyl to becoming increasingly worried.

“Octy? Octy what’s up?”

When Octavia didn’t stop to reply Vinyl had to grab her in a magic aura to bring her to look at her.

“Vinyl! Let go of me! This is Serious!”

“But what is it Octavia?”

Vinyl suddenly noticed the tears beginning to form in Octavia’s eyes. She released her from her magic and Octavia fell into her arms, wrapping her forelegs round her.

“That was the Royal Canterlot Hospital” She sobbed “They’ve just had the victim of an attack admitted to one of their wards. It was Whooves”

---

In the shipyard the faint sound of hammering could be heard coming from the workshops. In his simple, gas lit office; Flam was smoking on one of his cigars. Talking to the pony whom he had instructed to detain Whooves earlier.

“So Whooves is definitely out of the way”

“He most certainly is. I reckon it will be at least a month until he’s back here full time”

Flam’s eyes bulged “Just how much did you hurt him?!”

“Enough” The figure smirked, taking off their straw boater hat “But there’s no way they could point the blame at us anyway, I made sure of that”

“Good” Flam picked up a small wooden box off of the desk and opened it up “Cigar, dear brother?”