Rent out let out a slow sigh as he fiddled with a pin behind his desk, his hooves idly rolling it from on to the other and back again. He wasn't used to it being so quiet around here, but with Vinyl at theater he was stuck to his thoughts and the occasional tenant walking through. Even some of the tenants stopped by to ask what was with the silence, and when he told them that the usual noise maker was out on business for the week, he got a mix of reactions. Some of them smiled with glee and went to go presumably knit their sweaters or something while others seemed to feel the same way as he did.

The lack of noise was worse than the over flow of it.

He sighed and turned to the clock.

"About noon now." He mumbled with relief. "Time for lunch."

He usually sat at his desk and ate, but he may or may not have purposefully forgot it as an excuse to go out to eat and get away from all this quiet.

He had planned on heading to the bar, a rare thing for him, but he had a small glimmer of hope that he may catch Vinyl there skipping.

'Look at me now, dreaming of finding someone cheating me out of a deal. Silence must really drive me crazy.' He smirked at his inward statement as he pushed through the doors, taking a left and heading down the block on his way to the bar.

Even the walk there was silent.

The silence finally broke once he entered the bar, the sounds of conversation and laughter filling his ears to the point where he cringed a bit as he walked in. They were rough looking and a bit shady, none of them obvious elites of Canterlot but more of the look at the underbelly; the part that held the most flavor and variety but was usually hid away under the standard look that Canterlot tried to put out.

It was almost as good as a replacement for Vinyl, but not quite.

He smiled at the loudness.

He walked up to the bar, taking a seat in the stool and hunching over with a sigh, patiently waiting to be waited on. He kind of felt like an actual worker instead of a landlord who sat back and got money from others jobs. Even though it was considered "work" in legal regards, thanks to all of his tenants, save for one white mare, being responsible citizens, he never had to call in a repair truck but three times: all for the same mare.

"Hello? You there?" A feminine tone called, accompanied by a tap on the shoulder.

Rent looked up to see the bar mare looking at him with half worry and half annoyance.

A sheepish grin ran through his face.

"Ah. Sorry, must've spaced out a bit." He chuckled awkwardly, getting a single laugh - more of a grunt of approval - out of the mare.

"Don't worry about it, happens to me a lot so I can't blame you." She said, leaning on the bar. "So what'd you want?"

"Something to drink and eat, I'm not picky either." He said coolly, though the bar mare just giggled at his act.

"Yeah, yeah. Of course you aren't." She said, turning away and walking off before he could even form a rebuttal, though he hadn't planned on making one anyways.

He briefly turned to look at the crowd of ponies gathered in the bar, each of them characteristically different than the others in one way or another whether it be a hat or mane style.

It was during the scan of the crowd that he saw a familiar pair of black glasses propped up on a stallion head.

"Neon?" Rent asked, getting up and trotting over to the stallion sitting alone in a booth.

"Neon." He said, this time gaining the attention of the stallion, who turned and looked rather surprised at the appearance of Rent.

"Oh hey, it's you. Rent Out was it?" He asked, before getting a nod of confirmation.

"Anyways, take a seat: I could always use a spotter." He grinned, gesturing to the seat across from him.

Rent Out thought on the comment only for a second before sitting down in the seat with a shrug. This wasn't exactly finding Vinyl, but this was definitely finding something: he had thought of calling off the whole bet with Vinyl, plenty of times actually, just for the sake of normalcy back at the apartment but had never gone through with it. Maybe a second opinion was all he needed to follow through.

"So what brings you down here? I hadn't expected a second visit from you to this little slice of heaven." He said, making a sweeping gesture to the bar around him.

"Well, that's just it. I actually came here hoping I catch Vinyl skipping." Rent said with a bit of embarrassment, though it seemed Neon read it wrong.

"Why?" He leaned in. "Do you think she's skipping? Cause if she is all you gotta do is ask and I'll-" He began, but he got shut off quick.

"No no no, that's not it at all. Truth be told, I think this whole theater thing has had a bad effect on her: it's all quiet around the apartments now and she doesn't even look at me anymore. I was even thinking of calling off the-"

He was interrupted by the sound of Neon's laughter.

"Man, I didn't think she'd hate it that much! HAHAHA!" He gasped for air as he toppled over in his booth, getting a few glance and smiles from other faces around the bar.

"Whew," He sighed, wiping a tear from his eye as he sat up," Heh, I thought she might get made but that was just great. I had my worries at first that she was gonna cancel the deal right when you brought up her having to get involved, but I'm glad she agreed to it." He said, still giggling in-between words.

Rent took that as his answer to the "cancel the deal" thing, but it seemed that the stallion had keened in on that before bursting into tears of laughter.

"But about what you said, don't cancel it. I'm sure she sees it as a personal challenge now and that's why she hasn't been skipping. Just enjoy the ride and make amends after it's over. Simple as that." He said coolly, leaning back in his chair.

"Really?" Rent asked, spying the bar mare coming back from the back with plates in her mouth, giving him a perfect opportunity to leave without seeming rude.

"Good seeing you again Neon, thanks for the advice." Even though it wasn't much advise at all, Rent still left the table with a bit more information on Vinyl's thought process according to Neon.

"Think it over." Neon said as parting words, lifting a mug to him before tilting it back and guzzling the brew down.

Rent settled back into the bar stool with a face that was bound to be contorted with self confusion, with the argument inside his head raging against itself he even forgot to thank the bar mare.

She seemed to pick up on it.

"Something the matter? This is the second time you've blanked out on me." The bar mare asked after setting down the plate and reaching under the bar to bring out a pair of glasses and a bottle.

Rent shook himself and felt his face blush this time.

"Eh- sorry, still a bit spaced out." Rent chuckled.

"Any reason why." She pried.

Rent hated to bring a personal problem to a stranger, but it looked like a shot in the dark that might pay off; maybe having his question out of his head would give him solace.

"Well I have someone in a less than likable situation that I can get them out of, but I was the one who put them there in the first place. Part of me says I should in hopes of forgiveness while the other says no since it was a form of payment to me to begin with. And some advice I just got says it isn't my decision to make anymore."

She seemed taken off guard at first but, to her credit, recovered fairly quickly.

"Well whoever was giving you that advice sounds like a less than reliable person to begin with."

He's a bit odd and cocky too, but he's the closest I know to Vinyl." Rent said, accidentally letting Vinyl's name slip out.

"Ohhhhh, so it was Neon's advice then." She said, finishing her pouring and sliding the glass forwards.

"Is that bad?"

"He's a bit of a dunce, you'd get better emotional advice from a door knob than him. It's ultimately your decision whether or not to let it continue so do what you think right. Would you rather get paid properly and hope to make amends at the end, or cancel now and beg forgiveness?"

'Well that just puts me back at square one.' He inwardly mutter, though outwardly thanked her.

"I only told you not to trust Neon, don't thank me for telling you common sense." She smiled knowingly before trotting off to another patron and leaving Rent a bit surprised.

"Well she's keen, I give her that." He muttered before turning to his food.

A muffin sat on a plate, long since cold from not being eaten, and shook as a white hoof hit the table in outrage. It tilted slowly to the side, teetering over and seeming to balance itself until inevitably falling and hitting the plate gently.

"That's still no reason to not accept an apology!" Vinyl shouted, the now annoyed eyes of many patrons staring into her. If looks could cut, she would have been a couple dozen pieces at this point. But, since they didn't and none of the patrons had the nerve to walk up and tell the mare to quiet down, she went on unopposed.

They didn't stop them from leaving however.

"It's a completely sound reason, you just can't handle denial well." Octavia said calmly, her head long sense going back to being tucked into the paper.

Across the way, Lyra stared at them with anger: it was their fault that some of the customers were getting up and leaving, but it was her fault for putting them at the same table. And now that Vinyl was heated up, there was no way she could get her away from the mare, and especially not with her seemingly endless list of things she had to do. It was as if everyone decided to save their problems and ask her all at once the second a scene started.

"Really? You're putting yourself above apologizing? Jeez how egoistic are you?!" Vinyl spouted, this time managing to get the grey mare across from her to fold up her paper.

"I'm not above it. I just don't think you deserve it." Octavia said sharply.

"Oh please, as if you have the right to give them out like gifts. I don't think you understand how this whole apologizing thing works, but then again you probably didn't have to learn it sense you were raised up to think you were always in the right." Vinyl spat back, satisfied she was finally getting under the usually calm mare's skin.

"Thinking I'm in the right and being in the right are two entirely different things." She said, finally getting a bit loud.

"And you're not either of the two!"

"And you are?!" Octavia fired back.

"Don't flip this around on me snoot!"

"Stop calling me that!" Octavia snapped.

"Snoot. Snoot. Snoot." Vinyl taunted childishly.

"You slob!" Octavia said, fainlly being dragged down to the level of name calling by the white mare's antics.

"Old eared coot!"

"Grease haired heathen!" Octavia spat back, ignoring the lack of sense Vinyl's comment even made.

"Grey!"

"White!"

The two bumped heads and seemed to growl at one another, a spark of hate in both of their eyes as more and more of the patrons got up and walked towards the door. Lyra tried to stop them from leaving, but may as well have been trying to stop a train as she was easily pushed aside.

A kitchen door swung open and the entire building went quiet at the strength at which the door hit the wall, leaving a small crack in the wall as a tan colored pony with a bakers hat walked out slowly. Her mane bobbed lightly, not seeming to mind the numerous eyes that were glued to the mare, and a sickly sweet, close mouthed, smile completed the whole look.

She walked easily up to the table where the two mare's still locked eyes, and it wasn't until she lightly cleared her throat that they bothered to turn and acknowledge her.

It was Bon Bon.

"I understand that you two may not be fond of each other," She leaned in close to them both. "but my bakery is not a place to solve those differences."

The tone she used, motherly yet evil, stunned the two as she grabbed them both and tugged them off towards the kitchen, every set of eyes following them as they went.

As soon as the door shut, silence enveloped the bakery and the patrons stood stunned at the scene until Bon Bon popped her head through the kitchen door.

"Lemon bars are half off today and all refills are free as well. Please enjoy your stay!" She said cheerfully before popping back into the kitchen.

Bon Bon effortlessly tossed the grey and white mares onto the kitchen floor, each of them hitting the ground and landing on their haunches with a simple thud as they finally began to get their movement back. They looked like foals at this point, both of their ears laid flat with bigger than normal eyes.

Bon simply smiled to them sweetly before getting back to work and back to preparing the orders that remained.

Eventually, Vinyl managed to work up the nerve to speak to Bon Bon.

"Uh, can we leave now." She asked, almost shakily.

A single look from Bon Bon had her backed up against the wall, the odd part was that it was motherly smiled instead of a death stare, but it looked like they both had the same effect.

"I'm sure Lyra will be back here soon to talk to you two, so wait until then." She said simply before getting back to preparing her pastries.

Sure enough, after about ten or twenty minutes, Lyra came back through the door.

"Wow Bon, didn't know you could handle ponies so well." She said in admiration, getting a blush out of Bon Bon who giggled girlishly at the complement.

"Oh, you flatter me." She said.

Lyra noticed the two still waiting on the floor and laughed lightly before trotting over to them both, a smug smile gracing her face as she looked down on the two like foals. She even took a moment just to stare the two down in silence, hoping to try and get the best of the recent scare Bon had put into them.

"Are you going to speak or just stare at us?" Octavia asked.

Even though her outward appearance had changed from it's normally stoic nature, her voice was still as monotone as ever. In fact, when Lyra tried to remember, the only time Octavia had shown any emotion in her speech pattern was recently when Vinyl managed to provoke her.

"Well, the reason I put you two together was to try and get some apologies in order, but it looks like that isn-"

"Not happening." Vinyl spouted from her wall.

"Seems we agreed on something for once." Octavia spat, shooting daggers at Vinyl only to get a stuck out tongue in return.

"Hmmm...." Lyra trailed off in thought, trying to think of some sort of way to get the two to get along, only to come up without a single idea in mind. The bakery scheme was her first and last plan it seemed.

"I got nothing...." Lyra sighed after about five minutes of pure silence.

"Well, I may have an idea." Bon Bon said with chipper.

The ears of the two mares on the floor perked up in fear at the sound of her voice alone.

"Let's hear it then." Lyra said with a raised brow.

"I'd much rather show you." Bon Bon said, her eyes closed in a sweet smile.

The two mare's found themselves in a familiar situation as they were idly tossed by a caramel colored baker into an open door. It may have seemed dramatic for the two to be rendered motionless from just the interference of the single mare, who for the record had an outward appearance as sweet as what she sold, but to them it was like seeing a mother get angry. They both hit the ground same as last time, only recovered much quicker for a single reason.

It was cold.

Really cold.

Vinyl began to shiver as she let out a pained sigh, watching in interest as her now visible breath floated up and steamed up the insides of her glasses. She quickly wiped them, smudging the insides and blurring her vision ever so slightly, but right now that was the least of her worries as she turned to the pair of mares standing in the door way.

"W-what the heck are you guys doing?" Vinyl chattered.

"I figured if you won't voluntarily be friends, we can just as easily force you to do it." Bon Bon smiled again. In a way she was beginning to remind Vinyl of a certain mare that went to her theater to watch over her; one that had a plastered on smile as well.

"Care to e-elaborate?" Octavia quirked, the cold obviously getting to her as well.

"In short, you two are going to stay in here until you make up to at least become neutral towards one another. And don't try to lie your way out of it, cause it won't work." Bon added playfully.

"Gotta say, I'm impressed." Admired Lyra, stroking her chin as she looked around the freezers interior.

"You can't a-actually be locking us in here, right?" Vinyl quivered, only to be met by the sound of a metal door shutting and the shouts of a green mare from the outside.

"See you at the end of the work day!" She shouted, her voice slightly muffled by the thickness of the door and glass, just before turning and walking away.

A silence soon crept into the freezer, the only sounds present being the breathing of each mare and the occasional shift in ice that made the mentioned jump slightly. They soon had scooted to each corner of the freezer, albeit it was only about three feet between the two, but it was the thought that count. Each of their heads were tucked down into their chests and pressed up into the corner of the small room, as if they were trying to escape each other instead of the freezer.

Lyra trotted cheerfully from table to table, waiting on various customers and sending the orders back to Bon in a small sort of rhythm she had build up over the half hour. Her smile was a real one rather than the fake plastered ones she saw on plenty of the customers she served, but to be completely honest, she didn't much care about them or their orders. She had her dream job, even if she hadn't expected this to become that job a mere day or two ago.

Her thoughts kept wandering back to the two in the freezer, wondering - hoping - that they would become friends. All of the dramatics aside, she really was doing this out of love for the two.

'And maybe to settle some personal scores...' Lyra added in her head.

It was about fifteen minutes later, whilst Lyra sat in an empty booth and helped herself to some snacks Bon had given her as a sort of 'lunch', that the bell rang once more and single customer walked through. Lyra was quick to get up and float her notepad over to her while she trotted to meet the customer at the door.

"Hello and welcome to-" Her sentence cut off as she saw Tip Top standing before her.

"Oh, it's you." Lyra said in general surprise.

Tip Top looked different than the other time Lyra saw her, her smile wasn't near as big and seemed even a bit malicious now; her eyes sparked not with a false sense of cheer, but with a look of determination. It looked a bit weird on her, albeit more natural than her previous happy facade.

"Hello." She said simply, not a drop of cheery in her voice.

Lyra hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

"Um, here, let me seat you." She mumbled, grabbing a menu and trotting over to the only booth that was still open.

The second that Tip had sat down she began to sniff the air, her nose turned up at first and then quickly down onto the table. Lyra was both scared and weirded out by the sight, but let her continue out of shock.

Finally, she stopped sniffing, her eyes opening slowly as she faced Lyra with she had expected to be slits for pupils.

"Where is she?" She hissed.

"Where is who?" Lyra asked back in a near stammer.

"Vinyl. I can smell her, she was here." Tip said, cranking the creep factor up to about a seven in Lyra's head.

Lyra was no stranger to lying, and if this mare found Vinyl she was bound to take her back to theater, which meant away from Octavia, which also meant they wouldn't be forced into friendship.

"Well this is her favorite booth, we save it for her whenever she's coming over so it would make sense it would smell like her." Lyra smiled.

Tip turned quickly and locked eyes with Lyra, who only looked back with a cool and calm expression, and continued to stare at her until the back kitchen took notice.

"Oh Lyra! Three plates for table two, and tell that mare if she's not gonna order than she can leave. But be sure to say please!" Bon Bon chimed.

"Okay!" Lyra turned back to Tip, "and I think that's your queue to leave, unless you plan on buying something." Lyra said cheerfully.

Tip stared just a few seconds longer before turning and slinking out the door, letting Lyra give way to a sigh of relief as she stared back towards the freezer to where the two mares were unintentionally hidden from that stalker.

She thought a few moments before smirking.

"I'll give 'em til' the end of work." Lyra smiled before going to the kitchen window and taking the three plates. "Just in case."