Octavia fought, struggled, and even thrashed, but she was unable to escape from the ever-tighter bindings that the giant spider was wrapping around her body. It flailed its long, spindly legs, bringing its sticky silk from its abdomen to Octavia's bound form. It paused for a few seconds, watching her as she writhed, then it went back to wrapping her.
Octavia focused her mind, forcing herself to calm down. The more of a fight she put up, the more the spider would wrap her. The more wrapped she was, the harder it would be for her to escape. Perhaps if she waited until the spider finished and went off to do whatever it is that a spider does, she could find a way to free herself and escape so that she could get Vinyl her insulin.
Alas, the spider was much too hungry to just wrap and run. It leaned down toward the pony, flexing its glistening fangs as it prepared to eat her. Her breathing growing rapid, Octavia squirmed within her wrappings, finally managing to free a hoof and give the nasty arachnid a solid left hook. Her hoof bounced off with a thunk, and the mare's world went black.
She opened her eyes after a few seconds of confusion, and found that she was staring not at a giant spider, but at the side of her bed, which was sporting a sizable dent in its wooden frame. A quick look toward her hind legs informed her that she was cocooned inside a layer of green and purple blankets. The only thing free was her left hoof, which was aching just a bit. Octavia sighed, letting her head fall back against the carpet. She felt a bit like an idiot, but at least the spider wasn't real.
It took her a few minutes, but she managed to untangle herself and make her way into the nearby bathroom, noting the fact that her roommate's sunglasses were still on the dresser. Once she was finished with her business there, she headed to the kitchen for some breakfast. To her surprise, her roommate was already sitting at their table. "What're you doing up so early?" she asked.
"Eating cereal," was Vinyl's reply. She must not have bothered to brush her mane, given the messy state it was in. Not the "controlled chaos" style that she wore when working, but just plain messy. "Want some?" she asked, holding out the cereal box.
Octavia nodded, plopping her rump down on a floor pillow across from the unicorn and resting her forehooves on the table. There was already a bowl sitting there for her, which brought a soft smile to her furry face.
Lighting up her horn, Vinyl wrapped the milk in her magical aura and moved it over to Octavia. She stopped suddenly, though, and put the milk down. Instead, she grabbed up the box of Wood Chips cereal and poured some of that into Octavia's bowl. Then she poured some milk in. "Almost forgot you like it cereal-first," Vinyl commented as she put the carton back down on the table.
"If you pour the milk first, then you don't know how much milk you need."
Vinyl just shrugged, reaching for her spoon again. "If I have too much milk, I just add more cereal."
"I'll turn into a gray-maned balloon if I do that." Octavia picked up her own spoon. "I don't know how you can binge like you do and still remain so bony, Scratch."
Vinyl shrugged again. "I think it's just a metabolism thing." She smirked suddenly. "You ever see a fat unicorn?"
"Can't say that I have, no." Tavi spooned up some of her Wood Chips. "Well, maybe once or twice, but not often at all. I did once see a pony with fur so fluffy that she was barely-recognizable as a pony. She was sort of walnut shaped." She finally took a bite of her cereal, chewed for a few seconds, and then scrunched up her muzzle. "What flavor ith thith?" She chewed a little more. "It tathtes like maple thyrup...." She crunched the food again. "... and wood."
Vinyl slid the box over, commenting, "Maple flavor. No duh, right?"
Octavia looked over the box, swallowing her mouthful. "Is it new?"
"Nah, we just never bought any before. I figured that, since you don't like Frosted Wood Chips because they're too sugary, you might like one with a more natural flavor." She spooned up some of the little flakes. "You like it?"
Octavia hummed thoughtfully as she took in and chewed up another spoonful. She nodded after a moment. "Indeed I do. Good call."
The two sat there for a few minutes, the crunching of their cereal being the only noise they made. Vinyl eventually asked, "How'd you sleep?"
"Oh, well enough. I had a dream I was being cocooned by a colossal spider, though. I had to break free and escape the beast so I could get you your insulin."
Vinyl stared at Octavia for a few seconds, her spoon hovering before her mouth. "I don't have diabetes."
"I know." Octavia chuckled a little. "I never said the dream made sense."
"Heh. I had a dream about something totally weird last night, but I can't remember—wait!" Vinyl put her hooves to her head. "Wait, wait, almost...." She slammed her hooves back down to the table. "Gah! I lost it."
"I hate it when that happens." Octavia plucked up the cereal box again, mumbling through her food, "So, where did you find this? I can only ever find the Original, Frosted, and Mesquite flavors."
"I picked it up at that minimart over on Cherry Street."
"Hmm. I've never been in there." Octavia stirred her Wood Chips a little. "What kinds of things does it sell?"
Vinyl held up a hoof while she chewed, only speaking again when she had finished. "It's just a little grocery shop. It mostly has, like, food and stuff."
"A grocery shop that sells food and stuff. How odd."
"I think the place used to be a laundromat. Dunno why it went outta business, though."
"I guess you could say that it was a," Octavia paused for just a moment, "wash out."
Vinyl giggled a little. "Maybe he went to Las Pegasus and got taken to the cleaners."
"Maybe the owner just couldn't handle the water pressure of owning his own business."
Vinyl's turn. "Maybe nopony trusted him because of a stain on his reputation."
The two's giggles finally quieted, and they fell into silence again as Vinyl poured herself another bowl and dug into the wood-chip shaped flakes. Octavia finished her own bowl and carried it off to the sink. She broke the silence as she rinsed her milky bowl. "So, how's that new song coming along?"
"Which one?" Vinyl asked through her mouthful of Maple Wood Chips.
"That remix you mentioned last Wednesday."
"Oh, you mean my remix of 'Old Colt River?' Yeah, it's gettin' there. I'm kinda having a hard time finding the right beat to go with the slow vocals and all. I'll figure it out, though. It'll probably be finished by the end of the month, if I don't slack off too much."
"Well, be sure to play it for me once it's done. You know how I always like to hear your new songs."
"... even though you never listen to EDM, like, ever," Vinyl added.
"I make an exception for you, Scratch," Octavia said with a smile, walking past the dining table. "What sort of a friend would I be if I didn't?" She stopped near the front door, arching her back and stretching her forelegs out in front of her. She squeaked a little as her back popped, and she stood back up. "Well, I've got some practice with Parish to get to. Thanks for breakfast."
Vinyl got up from her floor pillow. "Is Marble gonna be there?"
"Mmmhmm. He always seems to find the time to sit and listen in on our rehearsals, even when it's just me playing solo."
Vinyl opened her mouth, hesitated, and then closed it again. She took in a breath. "Well, have fun with that."
"I usually do. I'll be back this afternoon."
Vinyl waved a hoof. "Later."
Octavia walked out, closing the door behind her. Vinyl put away the cereal, washed her bowl, and headed off to do something more interesting than eating cereal.
