Conversing in a Café
Lonely, that is what they call this feeling isn’t it… Octavia thought to herself. The grey mare had just finished a concert. She even had a nice solo piece. It should feel so satisfying, but her eyes kept drifting to the empty chair in the auditorium. The one reserved for her special guest.
That was just it was it not. She had no pony. Her parents were no longer on speaking terms with her, no friends she could invite, and no special somepony. Her seat remained empty. Normally being alone did not bother her, but being given a ticket for somepony to attend and even going as far as giving this ticket a reserved seat… It made her face how empty being up on the stage really was.
Lost in thought and putting away her precious instrument, her cello, she never noticed the hoofsteps before it was too late. A very loud blare from a tuba had rudely awoken the introspective pony. “Aiiieeep!” She squeaked.
She rounded furiously. “Beauty Brass! That was just not called for!” She grumped at the blue mare.
Beauty Brass grinned widely and did not look remorseful in the slightest. “What were you thinking about Octavia? You were really deep in thought there. I called to you three times without even being noticed.” She feigned being insulted but, seemed in a good mood at least. Post performance high perhaps, Octavia thought bitterly.
“Was just thinking, it was not anything remotely interesting.” Octavia said knowing full well that this was not the sort of response Beauty Brass had wanted.
Beauty Brass frowned at her. “You are always so reserved Octavia.” She thought for a moment before continuing with a wicked grin. “Oh, was it thoughts about some stallion? Has somepony finally come into your life that meets your impossible standards?”
Octavia did not even blush. “Not even close.” She spoke in a monotone. This further frustrated Beauty Brass.
“Octavia, if you keep this up you are going to be alone for the rest of your life.” Beauty was not aware how squarely she hit that one on the head. She only meant romantically, but Octavia took it quite hard and realized just how right she was.
Beauty had already turned away, so she did not see Octavia start hyperventilating. She mastered herself shortly, but only enough so that no pony noticed how distressed she was. “I am going on ahead. I need some air.” She said making her way to the back door quickly. By the time she reached it, her eyes had already begun streaming tears, but she made herself press on. Telling herself that she could not let them see her crying.
She was out the back alley and around the corner before anypony had come out after her. She quickly made her way into a small café. It was both a quiet place for her to be and a place that none of the rest of the orchestra were sure to enter. She did not even pause for a moment before making her way to the first unoccupied corner booth she saw. Octavia had her head down and was breathing slow deliberate breaths when the waitress approached the booth.
“So, what’ll it be?” She had barely seemed to register to Octavia. Giving a deep sigh she continued “Look honey if you just want a place to sit don’t make it long. This is a grub stop, not a sitting room.“ She managed to not sound too irate.
After a bit of Octavia not answering, the waitress tapped the table with a hoof. “Well if you’re gonna stay here and work out your emotional issues can you at least move to that table.” Octavia looked up to see that the waitress indicated a table across the room where a mare seemed to be in a similar position. A blue maned mare had her head down and her white body was wracked with shuttering breaths.
“I don’t need to lose two tables to depressed mares right before the lunch rush.” She said in a tone that tried to gain sympathy. Octavia nodded meekly and walked to the other table.
Octavia sat across from the white mare. She had her hooves covering her face and was still breathing heavily. Octavia stared at her, it must have been for a little too long cause the white mare looked up with puffy red eyes. “That’s quite rude you know.”
Octavia could clearly see her eyes now. The cerise orbs penetrating her with a rueful glare. The unicorn sniffed a little trying to master herself.
“I… um... sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Octavia stammered.
“So, lemme guess. They told you to relocate your issues to this table right?” the mare said with a lot of ire.
“They are just trying to run an establishment. Our issues aren’t their problem and just how did you know that was why?” Octavia bit back a little annoyed. Octavia recognized that they were just trying to do their job.
“Pft, Whatever, I have ears filly.” The mare buried her face again. An uncomfortable silence reined as Octavia tried very hard not to stare. That was until the mare murmured something.
“I am sorry, but could you repeat that?” Octavia said softly. She had been upset, but anything was better than dwelling on it.
“I said.” The mare moved her head up so her whole face was visible. “So, what’s the matter with you?”
Octavia gulped, but for no reason at all had decided to open up to this stranger. “I have just been… feeling like… I do not belong anywhere. I have nopony. No family that wants me, no friends that care about me, and no pony in my life to… well talk to when I am feeling this way. Here I am in a diner, feeling completely alone and talking to some stranger. I know I have accomplished so much in my life, but when I looked into the audience and saw that empty seat… Well I felt like I was the one that was empty.” Her tone shifted to patronizing. “Then I had a nervous breakdown back stage and ran into a small café, which lead to bothering some other depressed mare who probably has it worse than me.”
The mare was now sitting up with a more sympathetic expression. “Naw, I wouldn’t say I am worse off… I…” She paused and thought a moment. “Well now it just seems so damn petty compared to you.”
“I would like to hear it, may as well get it off your chest. It made me feel better at least.” Octavia said in a reassuring tone.
“I broke up with my marefriend when I found her in our bed with a stallion.” She said bluntly.
Octavia coughed, she did not realize she had sat down at a table with somepony like… that. “Erm… Wow.” She managed in an almost polite timeframe.
“Oh great, you’re homophobic.” Her head slumped back down with a thud as her horn hit the table. “Ow…”
“Oh no! I am not! It is just I did not realize… Well…” She looked down at her hooves. “Okay maybe a little… it is more like… I did not think mares of your… tastes… looked so normal.” She frowned, that did not come out the way she had hoped.
The mare looked up. “My name’s Vinyl, Vinyl scratch.”
“I am sorry Vinyl Scratch. My name is Octavia and I would like to formally apologize for bothering you today.” She got up to leave, but Vinyl’s hoof shot out to stop her.
“Hold on there filly. You can stay and if you buy me lunch I might even forgive your ignorance.” Vinyl said with a tone that sounded much more cheered up, but still not quite happy.
“Um…sure.” Octavia sat down and called for the waitress.
After a while, they got deep into conversation. The two mares barely noticed the bustling lunch crowd around them.
“So,” Vinyl started trying to break an awkward silence. “Want to talk about what made you upset? It sounded really heavy that can’t be all that there is.”
Octavia looked uncomfortable for a moment. “It is really petty of me to even feel that way with how much success I have in life.”
Vinyl looked annoyed. “You come in here practically crying. Sat there and stared at me. Then that long undetailed spiel of what happened.” She took a deep breath and calmed down. “I don’t care what you think of it. I just want you to tell me what made you so upset.”
Octavia looked shocked for a moment. Vinyl a mare she just met and so thoroughly insulted… cares? “Well…It is just that I feel so, alone. I live in a nice apartment, that is even pleasantly furnished, but nopony has ever seen the inside of it…” She took a shallow breath before continuing. “I gave my parents my address and even sent a few letters to them, but they have never responded. I guess they were serious about the disownment.” Her voice was getting shaky. “I have no real friends here. My fellow musicians won’t listen to my woes, telling me that I should focus on playing. They are really just ponies I work with.” She stopped for a moment and looked like she was really upset. “Then, playing tonight, looking at that empty chair reserved for me, to invite a friend. I was faced with… how very lonely I really am.”
Vinyl looked at her for a moment. “You’re upset… cause of a chair?” Her face was completely unreadable.
“Um… yes?” Octavia said cautiously.
Vinyl got up and walked around the table to the side Octavia was sitting. She moved forward and Octavia flinched, expecting a slap for being so silly.
Instead though, she got a hug, it was awkward and Vinyl was a bit cold, but it felt… good. “Don’t worry anymore filly cause I’ll be your friend.” Vinyl pulled away and sat down.
That’s when they heard them. The waitress from earlier and the owner of the café saying “Awwwwh.” Both Vinyl and Octavia coughed. “Um… perhaps we should relocate?” Octavia ventured.