//------------------------------//
// Me and my Cello 
// Story: My Composition For You 
// by scorpclawFF 
//------------------------------//


My Composition For You
Chapter 2 - Me and my Cello


It didn't take Octavia long to return to her home since she lived fairly close to Hoofington Hall. Though, she actually wished that her house was a little bit farther, because she wanted to take the opportunity to think about the previous evening.
Octavia didn't want to leave Vinyl after talking to her only for a few minutes, though she felt like she had to. They had a good friendship when they were younger, and seeing her after so many years actually made her more excited than she portrayed. She remembered moments when they both lived in Ponyville, trying very hard to excel in their individual music talents... and their friendship.

"Do you have to play that dang cello all day?" Vinyl would ask her daily.
Octavia knew that she should stop practicing 24/7 so she could play with her friends and make new friends. Her parents constantly reminded her of the importance of friendship, even if they were music ponies themselves. Though, the minute that she picked up that stringed instrument, she never wanted to put it down. "No, I guess not. But if I don't practice now, then I won't make it to the philharmonic in Canterlot. I will be stuck in Ponyville for the rest of my life."
Vinyl sighed. "Octavia, music is our passion and all, but music doesn't have to make up 100% of our lives. So here's what we're going to do." Vinyl grabbed Octavia's cello from her hoof. Octavia tried to grab at her beloved instrument, but Vinyl made sure that it stayed away from her. "I'm going to put your cello back in it's case, and we're going to check out Lyra's new place. I heard she has a pool, and it would be totally awesome if we can going swimming in it."
"Yes, but it would be easier to swim if you actually knew how to do it. I know you, Vinyl."
Vinyl frowned. "Yes, well... I can learn while I do it! Actually, you can teach me! You can swim, right?"
"Yes, but I'm not the best teacher. I would hate to see you drown while I'm watching you."
Vinyl smiled. "I have faith in you to not let me drown, Octavia. Besides, if I drown, you get to be the one to save me. You'll be my knight in shining armor." Vinyl then looked down at Octavia's cello and attempted to fit it into the case.
Octavia watched as Vinyl uncomfortably hit her cello against the case, making her teeth clench in internal pain. "Okay, fine. I'll go to Lyra's house to teach you to swim. Just stop mingling with my cello. You're chipping the wood."
Vinyl chuckled as she gave Octavia her cello so she could put it away properly.

Octavia was fond of this memory. It was the first time that someone was able to get her to put down her cello when she wasn't finished. "Music doesn't have to make up 100% of our lives" stuck with Octavia for a long time. Though, when she moved to Canterlot to further her musical career, she had forgotten all about it. Now, Vinyl was back to remind her to put down the cello, and Octavia was gracious to have her back.
A few minutes later, Octavia returned to her home towards the outer ends of Canterlot. The house wasn't the largest home in Equestria, but it can definitely support a family of four ponies. This was helpful for Octavia when she had guests spend the night, but that didn't happen very often. Otherwise, the large home felt empty, and in this particular night, it felt especially lonely.
Octavia entered her room and flicked on the light. Her walls had a few posters of famous composers and performers, while the rest of the wall was littered with fancy paintings, most of which had something to do with music. In fact, many of the things in Octavia's room had something to do with music. 'Yeah, music doesn't have to make up 100% of our lives,' Octavia thought to herself. 'But it seems that it already has.'
She got out of her dress, making sure that she didn't scuff it up too much. The dress was a rental, and it had to be returned back to the designer in Ponyville in a couple days. After she gently put it away in her closet, she went to grab a glass of water before heading to bed. It was a long night, and she needed a lot of sleep.

The next morning, Octavia stepped out of bed as the sun trickled over the horizon, the light flooding in through her bedroom window. She looked at the clock and saw that it was only 7:00, making her sigh. 'Why does Vinyl have to wake up so late to have breakfast?' Octavia asked herself. 'I guess I'll have a light breakfast for now.'
Octavia went out of her room and headed into the kitchen. It was actually a very modern kitchen with up-to-date cooking utensils, but she didn't really use all of the features. She wasn't the best cook, so she normally just ate something that was pre-prepared for her or she went out to eat... by herself. In this case, most mornings consisted of cereal or oatmeal with some toast. If she was feeling extra crafty, she would make some eggs for herself, but she decided to stick with the cereal and toast for now.
Today's menu consisted of Frosted Horseshoes. It is a kid's cereal and is filled with sugar, but Octavia allowed herself to have a treat from time-to-time.
The rest of her morning was like any average morning. She finished her breakfast, took a shower, and then... went into her music room. It was a small room that was empty other than a piano and a large cello case in the corner. She used to have a bunch of music posters in this room too, but she even thought that was too distracting for her. On any normal day, she would close the door behind her and simply play her heart out until she felt that she had enough. She practically locked herself from the world for several hours, only coming out for food or the bathroom, or maybe even get a phone call... when she got one.
Though, Octavia thought back to her promise to Vinyl. Back when she made it, she thought it would be easy to let the cello go for an entire day, but she figured out hard it would be.
She entered the small, cramped space and went over to her cello. She pressed her hoof against the smooth case and was almost tempted to unzip it, but stopped herself. "You used to be so easy to put down," Octavia said to herself. "But now, I can't be away from you for more than a few hours without me going nuts ... ... Now, I'm talking to myself like a crazy pony." 
Octavia sighed and stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her. "I guess I can actually use this time to check out the news for once. Perhaps something new is has happened in Equestria while I've had my head under a rock." She went over to the final room of her house: a small living room with a couple of comfortable chairs and a moderate TV. She usually came in here in the evenings to unwind after a long day.
Octavia grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV before sitting down on a chair. She flipped to a channel with a global news currently going. It was going through a generic weather report at the moment and then went on to talk about the results of the Wonderbolts' last race.
Then, Octavia couldn't help but smile when she saw Vinyl's face appear on the top-right of the screen. She listened intently to the news broadcast.

"One of Ponyville's famous DJs, Vinyl Scratch, is paying Canterlot a visit to play at the Canter Lot all 7 days of the week. With her skills as a musician, many ponies from all over Equestria are coming to Canterlot to watch this talented mare perform. The Canter Lot would like me to remind you that tickets are selling out fast, and you should buy one before the entire show is booked."

The mare then continued to talk about some other topic that Octavia didn't pay too much attention to. 'I didn't realize that Vinyl was so popular,' Octavia thought sullenly to herself. 'So much of a friend I am. I don't even realize it when Vinyl became a big-shot DJ.' Octavia shook off the grief and continued to watch TV for a couple of hours. It's not like she had anything better to do.
A few hours later, the clock finally struck 10:45, and Octavia figured that it was time to go. She put on her pink bowtie like she normally did and headed out of the door to La Mañer. She didn't mind being too early, because she was used to waiting. She just couldn't stand being home any longer with nothing to do.
In only ten minutes, Octavia arrived at the restaurant and waited outside the door for Vinyl. While she waited, she looked up at the building in front of the restaurant. It was a large hotel with several elegant touches to it. That's when she remembered that Vinyl's hotel was across from La Mañer and that this was probably where she was staying.
"It must cost a fortune to stay here," Octavia whispered to herself. "Hopefully she isn't ruining her. That would be so like her."
"Octavia," a familiar voice said to her right. Before Octavia could turn her head, the same pony said, "Are you talking to yourself?"
Octavia finally turned to see Vinyl standing next to her with a bright smile on her face. "No, I wasn't talking to myself," Octavia lied.
Vinyl chuckled to herself and replied, "Okay, then I'm guessing we're being joined by your imaginary friend that you enjoy talking to."
Octavia smiled. "Very funny, Vinyl. Can we just go inside already?"
Vinyl smirked, "Well, I try. Yeah, let's go in. I'm starving. Hopefully this place serves something big."
Octavia rolled her eyes and opened the door for Vinyl. They got seated and they placed their orders after a brief moment looking over the menu. After doing this, though, the two of them just sat in silence. They've been apart for so long, that having a simple conversation is a bit of a challenge.
"Soooo... Tavi."
"You can call me Octavia," she said moderately.
"I like Tavi better. I'm the only one who really is allowed to call you that. So I think I'll just call you Tavi."
Octavia smiled. "Alright, that seems fair."
Vinyl Scratch nodded, glad that she's getting a little bit more confident. "So Tavi, I know that music basically consumes most of your life, so what's it like to be a big cellist in a big orchestra."
"Well, it's nothing special. I just get to play fancy music on the cello in front of large crowds. I'm sure it's nothing that you would listen to."
"You'd be surprised, Octavia. I actually passed by one of your concerts in the park last year. I wasn't really into the music, but I have to say that I was impressed with what you guys could do. I actually incorporated a few orchestrated things into my works."
"Really, Vinyl Scratch puts orchestral elements into her music? What a shock."
"Not too much, but definitely enough to make it stand out."
"Hmm, interesting."
Vinyl nodded her head. "Yeah, it is."
The two of them then continued to talk about their present lives and even wandered back to their past memories. The more that they talked, the more that they got comfortable in each other's presence. It was a meeting that they needed to have after so many years.