I awoke as the soft glow of the morning sun cascades from the open blinds.  I don't know what time it is, or how long I have slept, but I don't care.  It was the best sleep I've had in ages!  I never want to leave this mattress again!  The sheets are literally begging me to stay put as it hugs my body.  And the pillow so graciously allowed my head to sink into it.  Leaving nothing but comfort and bliss in its wake.  I'm not one for pillows made of down, but who am I to complain?  The pillows in my old slum where basically cardboard wrapped in a body-bag.

The night did start rough with my brutish roommate's annoying, headbanging 'music'!  I had to yell at her constantly to have some courtesy for me to get a wink of sleep!  She simply took all of my lashing like a shield, apologized, and agreed to my demands to wear some headphones if she wants to practice her electronic abominations of sound!  At least after that ordeal I fell asleep peacefully.

The only motive I actually have to getting out of the delightful, warm sheets is the assault of a powerful lemon scent coming from outside the room.  I try ignoring it for a few minutes, but eventually it got annoying.  I hate lemon.  Probably my slob of a host spilled some lemonade and decided to leave it.

So I get out of bed to investigate.  As I turn the corner to the living room, the scent gets stronger.  My nose cringed as I look around to try to find the source of it, and the most bizarre sight came to be.  The entire household is clean!  Spotless!  And the floor shone with reflective light from the windows!  I can't believe the sight.  I can actually see the floor!  It's a hardwood floor by the way.  Vinyl couldn't have possibly done this all by herself.  Speaking of which, where is that simple minded mare?

As if she could read minds, I hear her voice to my left.  "Morning Octy."  I look down to see her laying sprawled on the floor, staring at a hole in the wall.  

"What are you doing on the floor?"  I ask.

"Wait for it..."  She replies.

"Wait for wh--"

"Wait for it!"

"What the bloody hell are you talking abou--"  I silence myself as I see a small black blob scurry from the hole in the wall.  Oh my...I think I'm going to faint.  Luckily, Vinyl quickly uses her magic to seal the creature in a bubble.  

"Gotchya!"  She exclaims.

All I could do is stare at the bubble with the horrid creature squirming inside it.  I feel my stomach churn as I continued to stare.  I hate rats!  Dirty, disgusting accursed vermin!  No matter how much I tried, the damned things were always infesting my flat!  To make matters worse, the white coated buffoon shoves the thing in my face, "Aint it cute, Octy?"  she asks.  

I want to puke, but instead, I scream and jump on to a nearby chair.  "GET THAT GROTESQUE VERMIN AWAY FROM ME YOU PSYCHOPATHIC BINT!"  

"Alright alright!  Calm down, I'll get rid of it."  She throws the vile creature out the front door.  "See?  Now get down from there, it's gone."

I open one eye; Vinyl is standing next to the chair with a small reassuring smile.  I hop down and sit on the chair, feeling ashamed.  Curses, now I'll never hear the end of this from her.  

"C'mon, don't feel so embarrassed about it!  We all have fears."  She leans in close and whispers, "Don't tell anypony, but I'm afraid of spiders."  She pats me on the back.  I twitch my shoulder in response, silently telling her to stop.

Looking to change the subject, I take another glance around the room, "How did you get this place cleaned up?  It's spotless!"

She stretches and cracks a few joints, "I was up all night cleaning the place up.  I told you I'd have it done.  That's why I was playing some music: make the job a little more fun.  Sorry about that by the way...I didn't know it was that loud."  Probably because your deafeningly loud music nearly kills your eardrums.

"How's about we go get some breakfast?"  She inquires, "I know a place that has the best pancakes you'll ever eat!"

I shiver, "I think our little fiasco with a certain aforementioned verminish creature has affected me so much as to withhold my appetite."

Vinyl stares at me blankly, "I'll take that as a yes!"  She then grabs my hoof and forces me out the door, dragging me to this restaurant.  Does she not understand me?  I'm going to have to lighten my vocabulary or risk shutting off her brain....Come to think of it, that sounds like a good idea actually.

(\/);,;(\/)

We finally arrive at this restaurant.  'Perkins' is the name.  I've seen this place many times, but never had the opportunity to actually go inside and dine.  I always saw it as common ponies food, and that I should not degrade myself to it.  Yes, I know it sounds very narcissistic, but after living in the slums for so long, I've grown to...understand the lower class society.  

So we entered, seated, and picked up menus.  Vinyl didn't even touch her menu, probably already decided on those 'best pancakes you'll ever eat' she mentioned.  I still looked through.  In normal conditions, nothing on this menu would accumulate to my taste buds, but in my current state, I'll settle for anything.

"So talk to me, Octy."  Vinyl says cheerfully, seeming to want to strike a conversation.  I don't feel like talking to her, so I'll stay silent.

"C'mon!  Don't be like that!  I know you hate me for...whatever you accused me of, but maybe we can look past that?"

The only problem with that is I won't.  I am only here because this is my last option.  Lesser of the two evils as I mentioned before.  I take the menu and cover my face with it.  Only two seconds pass before I see a light blue hue around the paper before it is forced down to the table.

"Please, Octavia?"  She says with a pleading tone, "I know that behind all that anger you have for me, there is a broken, lost, and lonely mare.  You told me yourself that you have no friends or family.  I want to be there for you, Octavia.  I want to be your friend.  A real friend."

I sigh.  For a boneheaded lower class slob, she can be really sincere.  Although, I don't know if I should trust her or not.  "Fine.  What do you want to talk about?"

Vinyl did an arm pump and sat back in the booth with her forearms behind her neck.  "Tell me about yourself."

I roll my eyes,  "What's that supposed to mean?"  I ask.

She shrugs.  "I dunno, tell me something.  Like, gimme a rundown on your life or something."

I raise a brow.  "Very well.  If it'll keep you entertained and not annoying me, I'll play your game.  I was born in Chicoltgo and lived there for most of my childhood before moving to Canterlot."

She whistles.  "Chicoltgo?  What's a refined mare like you doing there?  You don't seem like the Chicoltgo type."

I huff.  "You know Vinyl, contrary to popular belief I wasn't always rich and famous, even though I should have been.  Now, if you want me to continue this conversation, I'd advise you to not interrupt me."

Vinyl motioned for me to continue.  "Very well, carry on."

I roll my eyes again.  "For as long as I could remember, I always had a taste for anything high class or refined.  My father was always the gentlecolt; always teaching me how to be a lady.  He loved the finer things in life and often reminisced about the olden days.  When I was old enough, he taught me how to play the piano, viola, and cello, though I favored the cello.  I got my cutie mark while playing his old cello at a school talent show -- I won of course -- But anyway, after that I moved to Canterlot, finished school, majored in classical music theory in college, then became a cellist in my ensemble for six years.  After that, you came in and did your part in ruining my life, and now we're here."  

Vinyl whistles again, "That's quite a life you got there.  Your dad seemed like a pretty cool guy."

"Yes, I suppose he was."  A tear almost came to my eye, but I stop it before it deepens.  Now, I really didn't want to continue this conversation, but I feel as if I should ask her about her life.  You know what they say, 'keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.'  "What about you?"

Vinyl cracks her neck.  "Me?  Well, my life was kind of boring.  My parents were, like, the care free type ponies.  Sure they cared about me, but they weren't strict with me.  Their basic rules were, don't do drugs, don't get arrested, and don't get yourself killed.  Other than that, I pretty much did what the hell I wanted.  I lived in Baltimare for a while.  I messed around with my turntables and learned how to play techno since I was nine.  I also was in a rock band for a bit, but it didn't last.  After I moved to Canterlot, I started DJ-ing around nightclubs and stuff.  I made decent money.  I always imagined myself being like, not really at the top of the spotlight, but at least mentionable.  You know what I mean?"

"No, not really."  I reply.

"Well it's like...I never really tried to get to the top of the top famous kinda shit, but I still wanted ponies to know who I am.  Like famous but not too famous."

"Mmmhmm..."  I say, not really caring.  "So you created this 'dubstep' music?"  

She nods.  "Yep.  I was screwing around one day and it sorta showed up outa nowhere so I just played along."  

Typical.  "What is so different about this new style then say...techno?  It all sounds like rubbish to me."

"Well," She says as she dabs her hoof in a glass of water on the table, then circles it around the rim of the glass, making a lovely sound, "Techno is more of higher pitched electronic sounds that no normal instrument can make alone without a computer.  Dubstep focuses more around the bass and throws a little high pitched whirls, called wubs, every now and then.  It sounds like a computerized record scratch with a heavy bass-line...basically.  It's a bit more complicated, but ya know...It's hard to explain."

"More like two constructional machines sharing intimate action with a bass-line."  I mutter under my breath.  

She seems to have heard me as she burst out into a fit of laughter.  A few ponies from other tables look our way for a second before quickly turning back to their meals.  I try to duck low and avoid being seen.  Her laughter dies down a few seconds later, "Woo.  That's the first time I ever heard something like that!  Two machines having sex?  That's hilarious!"

"Vinyl, would you hush!"  At the mention of 'sex' rather loudly, all the ponies once again turned to us, raising their eyebrows and giving us weird looks.  I start to blush out of embarrassment and anger and try effortlessly to duck even lower behind my menu.  If only I was a unicorn and can teleport out of here!  I sometimes wish I was a unicorn often.  I could just use magic to make my life so much easier!  Play my cello more easily, conjure the finest of meals and whatnot.  My father was a unicorn, and my mother a pegasus, how did I become an earth pony?

Finally the waitress arrives to take our orders.  She is a younger mare, probably just out of high school.  "Good morning Vinyl!  The usual?"  Vinyl nodded.  She turns to me  "Who's your friend?"  Of course she doesn't know me, who does anymore?

"This is Octavia Harmonious.  She's a musician too."

The waitress quirked up and smiled at me, "Oh really?  What do you play?"

"I play the cello ma'm."  I replied politely.

She blinks.  "Cello...that's the giant violin right?  No wait!  It's the one that looks like a violin but a little bigger, but you still play it on your shoulder right?"

I nearly punch a hole in the wall beside me.  To not know me is one thing, to not know what a cello is is just plain ridiculous.  Simpletons, simpletons everywhere.  

"It's the, um, giant violin."  Vinyl answers,  "And Octy here is a genius at it!  Ain't that right?"

I groan, "Would you please stop calling it a 'giant violin'.  And stop calling me 'Octy'!  It makes me feel like a mutant fish creature."

Vinyl giggles, "Can I call you 'Tavi'?"

"No.  Never."

Vinyl huffs and crosses her forelegs, "I'm gonna do it anyway."

"If you continue to do so, I will break your glasses."

She gasps, a little over dramatically if you ask me, "You wouldn't dare!"

I simply roll my eyes.  The waitress starts to giggle from beside me.  "So what'll it be?"

I take one last look at the menu.  Nothing really seems to pipe my interest really, I just know I need food. "I'll just have what she's having."

The waitress takes out a pen and writes down the order, "Alrighty, I'll be back soon with your orders!"  Then she leaves.

"I'm serious though."  Vinyl says after a moment.  "About calling you 'Tavi'."  She smirks at me.

I put my hooves to my head in frustration, "Vinyl, if you must, I cannot stop you.  I really could care less at this moment."

She shifts uncomfortably in her seat and regards me for a few moments.  "Something's bothering you."  She inquires.

I sigh, "I'm broke, starving, weak, and I have to live with my mortal enemy.  Of course there's nothing bothering me."  Simpleton.

"No, that's not it.  You seem distant about something."

I looked up at her, "Here we go again with being a psychiatrist."

"Octavia, I'm being serious."  Her tone tells me she isn't lying.  "What's bothering you, I want to help."

I simply grumble.  I don't want to talk about my 'feelings' and my personal life to this hooligan.  Living with her is bad enough, but being friends with her?  Impossible.  Sure, I respect her to a degree.  But it's like the kind of respect where you don't care for them, but don't want to see them in danger.  For example, if Vinyl was getting mugged or something, I would stop and help, but that's it.  Nothing more, nothing less.

"I know a lot has happened to you over the past year.  I know what you're going through and--"

I swiftly cut her off.  "Oh do you?  I don't see you living in a slum.  You seem to be doing quite fine for yourself."

She groans.  "Oh yeah, I was definitely like this all my prancy dancy life.  I didn't have 22 years behind me of a mixed up life.  C'mon now, Octavia."  She says with heavy sarcasm.  "Anyway, just trust me, I know what you're going through.  I didn't exactly have a good life growing up.  Just hear me out here.  I can help you, ok?  I know you don't like me, but I'm not out to get you, I'm not gonna betray you, I'm not gonna kick you out on the streets.  I just want to help you, Octavia."

"Why?"  I ask.  "I have no reason to 'open up' to you.  And even so, what would that accomplish?  Talking about my 'feelings' won't get my house back.  'Closure' isn't going to get my cello back.  I can deal with this on my own."

"Wait, what about your cello?"  She asks, "You had one when you came here."

Sweet Celestia not this again.  I hate being reminded about my cello.  It is so special; so sentimental...or at least it was.  I cry whenever I think about it.  And now I'm thinking about it and starting to cry.

"You ok?"

I can't let her see me like this.  I get up before the tears start to run warm down my cheek and head for the bathroom.  I lock myself in a stall and sit on the toilet with my hooves stuffed into my eyes.

Why?  Why did she have to remind me?  Why did she have to bring up my cello?  Curse her!  Curse everypony!  I cherished that cello the same way I cherish my cravat.  They were both possessions of my mother before she passed during my birth.  They are the only things I have that reminded me of her.  What's worse is, Inside my cello was a sepia photograph of my parents that I left inside the case when it was taken from me.  It was only a week before my birth.  My mother was wearing a beautiful dress.  One hoof so gently rested on her pregnant belly.  The other was holding my father's hoof.  My father wore a suit and a fedora with both his hooves clutching my mother's free hoof.  I always cry when I see it.  

I hear a knock on the door, followed by Vinyl's sympathetic voice.  "Octavia, can I come in please?"

"Just leave me be."

"Please Octavia, don't make me use a spell to get in there."

Is she serious?  "Quit acting smarter than you actually are."

She is silent for a moment, "I could still crawl under the stall."

"Just go away!"  I nearly yell.  I need to keep my voice down.  I don't want to make a scene in a public place like this.  

"Octavia, please let me in.  You need somepony to be there for you.  I'm here for you.  Please let me talk to you."

I give up.  Vinyl is too obviously headstrong to listen to me shooing her off.  I unlock the door and she quickly came in.  After that, I started crying again in the corner of the large stall.  This is terrible.  I'm being weak in front of my enemy.  She's never going to let me live this down, I'm sure of it.  I felt Vinyl lay next to me and hug me.  Instinctively, I shooed her away, but the idiot didn't give in to my signals.

She continues to grip me until my sobbing ceased.  I once again push her away, giving me some personal space.  She sat there, awaiting me to calm down and talk to her.  I really don't want to talk.  I want to just run away and die.  I want to live my last days in solitude and peace without intervention, the only companions being my thoughts and remorse.

Moments more of silence went by.  My sobbing had ceased, and I lay with bloodshot eyes and a heavy heart.  I really hate the thought of confessing the story of my cello to Vinyl, but I assume she won't let me leave until she hears something from me.  I might as well.  Maybe, just maybe it will make me feel a little bit better by venting it.

I sharply inhale and stare at the tile.  My voice is shaking and my speech is unstable.  "Th-that's not my c-cello.  W-when I lost mine, I-I thought that getting a new...a new one would keep me distracted.  I was...I was wrong.  A few m-months ago I had ran out of every last b-bit I had from a s-s-stupid lawsuit."  I pause for a second, trying to calm down my stammering.  "I couldn't pay th-the debt, so they took my p-p-possessions instead.  My cello w-was part of it."  I stop again, taking deep breaths to stop myself from bawling again.  "That's not all.  T-there was a photograph I-I hung on to.  I k-kept it in my cello case, and stupid me...I left it in there w-when they t-took it!"  I squeezed my eyes shut, gritting my teeth and struggling to hold back another wave of tears.  "I-it was the only...the only picture of my m-mother I h-had.  A-and now I'll...I'll never see it a-a-again!"  My attempts are futile, and the dam broke once again.

Vinyl threw a foreleg around my shoulder, bringing me even closer to her.  I don't know what to feel right now!  I can't decide if this is uncomfortable, or not!  It feels nice to have another pony pressed against me right now, but then again that pony is Vinyl.  

I finish crying, and it seems as if an hour had passed.  Vinyl never stopped hugging me.  I'm only allowing her to because I'm in a vulnerable state right now.  Any other time, I would be pushing her away.  I'm not a pony for physical contact in general, double goes for a pony like her.  Even so, it helps to calm me down, even if it is minutely.  I'll admit it's better than being here alone.

Vinyl never said a word.  Strange, I thought she wanted to talk to me?  I guess my story is so depressing that she couldn't find anything to say that would help.  Mainly, however, because nothing she could say would help at all anyway.  I'm glad she didn't say something generic like 'oh it'll be ok' over and over, because it won't.  My cello is gone, I can cry about it all I want, but unless I can get enough money to pay back my debts, my cello would forever be out of my grasp.

After I clean myself up, we proceed back to our table.  Moments later, the waitress came back.  From the expression of her, and those around me, I can safely say that not a single soul knows about what happened a few minutes ago.  Thank Faust.  I don't need my already slandered name to be run through the mud even more so then it already is.

When the pancakes arrive, Vinyl did not hesitate to dive headfirst into them.  What a slob.  She can't even use a fork?  I mean, it's a lot easier since she's a flipping unicorn!  I sigh and cut my food into appropriate pieces to enjoy my breakfast in a more ladylike manner.  That is, until I took the first bite.

These pancakes...no, these Faust touched pancakes, are so delicious!  Forget everything I just said!  These flour halos are worth not using proper table etiquette!  Sweet Celestia I feel better already!  

I finish shortly and looked up to see Vinyl with a cocky smirk on her face.  "Told ya so."  She stated without preamble.  

I grumble.  "Shut up."  I cross my forelegs, sit back, and contemplate.  

You know, maybe Vinyl isn't that bad a pony after all.  I guess I misjudged her...slightly.  Vinyl does have a caring heart, but she is also a neanderthal.  Just because she has a compassionate side doesn't mean I have to like it.  Maybe I do respect her a little more so than I did yesterday, but it still doesn't mean we can just go off and be friends so quickly after only knowing her for a day. I still don't trust her all that much, and I probably never will.