//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 // Story: Psychoacoustics // by Nether //------------------------------// Canterlot. Now, this was a place Anonymous hadn't seen very much of. Octavia had taken him on trips every now and again, but nothing like this. Octavia's house had seemed so large, so all inclusive that it could be its own world. Of course this wasn't the case, and the human knew that. He still wasn't prepared for just how large the city was. It was nothing like he remembered. The more Vinyl trotted around, the more wonder-filled he became. With the human clinging to her mane, she continued her mute tour. It was something she herself hadn't done very much of. Explore, that is. She knew the city and she knew how to get to where she needed to, but she'd never taken the time to look at what else is going on in the royal city. The place seemed to never sleep, just as busy now as when she usually was out and about. Walking about now, she was considering if it had been a mistake to wear her goggles. Only a few ponies seemed to recognize her, and even then they seemed too busy in their own business to offer more than a nod. Not that she was complaining. It felt good to sort of blend in like that. The attention and everything was great, but she'd found herself spending more and more time alone lately. Not depressed or anything, she just wanted to sit back and relax a bit more. The Sun high in the sky, the sound of ponies hustling about, discussing all manner of things... It was a white noise. One that she wasn't unfamiliar with, but she wasn't sure if she liked it or not. It was busy, and it seemed to get louder if she focused on it. So, in keeping with her tour idea, she focused on the human on her back instead of the noise of the city. She would turn her head and point to various buildings, enjoying hearing the human's comments. He knew what some of the buildings were, but he was clueless when it came to the ones Vinyl frequented. With, one exception of course. That would be her final stop during the tour though, no need to spoil her favorite recreation area so soon. For now, she decided to treat the human to a treat, maybe make up for how goofy and silly she's been acting. "What on Earth is this place?" he inquired, looking up to try and catch a glimpse of the sign. Vinyl was too quick though, and he was left to guessing as Vinyl found a table. It was a restaurant, that was for sure, but it was one he'd never been to. He wasn't sure if it was fancy or ironic or some twisted combination of the two, but whatever was cooking in the back smelled delicious. His thought process was interrupted as Vinyl found a seat, plucking him up with her magic. The non-corporeal embrace was one that still freaked him out, but he was getting more and more used to it as he spent time with Vinyl. She pulled up a menu that was at the side of the table, splaying it out so that the human could get a better look. He tried his best to not walk on the thing, but it was becoming more of a chore to avoid doing so towards the middle of the menu. While he investigated, Vinyl shrugged off her saddle bags, setting them on one of the empty chairs. The menu boasted the restaurant’s name, something fancy and pompous that Vinyl wasn't too interested in getting correct. She was more interested in the food rather than the name, anyways. "This place has burgers?" That... hadn't been what Vinyl was expecting. Knowing full well that the human had essentially lived with Octavia since he'd arrived in Equestria, she figured he would have acquired similar tastes in food. Heck, that's why she picked here instead of places she normally went. She nodded, albeit slowly, to confirm the humans question. "I haven't had a burger in a long time," he said, trailing off. "Ah, I bet the filly's meal portion is still bigger than I am." If the human wanted a burger, then by the stars Vinyl was going to get him a burger. She retrieved her pen and paper that she carried around; a method of ordering that had become quite handy after losing her voice. Setting the notepad to the side of the menu, she took down some notes for the waitress, whenever she finally decided to show herself. It was an odd request, but Vinyl had mustered up this reputation of being just a little odd herself, so it didn't really bother her too much. Deciding to go ahead and indulge herself as well, Vinyl decided to order a burger too. She'd been sticking to salads and the like lately, but that was more for the simplicity of ordering than anything. Maybe a small salad... Scribbling her order down, she added two glasses of water as the waitress finally showed up. Before she even had a chance to go through her welcome speech, Vinyl moved the paper over to her. "My apologies for taking so long, I'll get this right out!" the unicorn said, quickly heading back towards the kitchen. She'd been so fast, the human didn't even notice until she was running off. "Did the waitress already come by?" he asked, walking to the edge of the table to peek. "I haven't ordered yet," he grumbled, looking back to Vinyl for help. Smiling, she nodded and folded the menu up, placing it alongside the others. She'd given the waitress very specific instructions, wanting to make sure that she improved whatever relations she had with the human. While she was likely making a mountain out of a molehill, she couldn't shake the urge to be absolutely sure. When the orders came out to the table, Vinyl was relieved to see that the special order she'd placed had been fulfilled accurately. Though, the waitress still passed on the question from the cook: "What is this, a meal for ants?" She took no offense, merely nodding towards the human as the plate was set down. The waitress glanced at him and didn't seem to give him a second thought, instead returning to her duties with other tables. Seeing that Vinyl had ordered the same thing he had, save for much larger, the human proceeded to dig in. Best not to tempt fate by turning down yet another offer from the unicorn. Plus, it was a burger! A delicious one for sure, and something he hadn't had in quite some time. His time to savor it was cut short though. While Vinyl was chewing her second, rather large and unlady like bite, another voice gathered her attention. "Vinyl? Is that you?" The voice alone was enough to make the human set down his food and run directly towards Vinyl. He knew that voice, and he didn't want to be anywhere near its owner. Vinyl looked down, her goggles since propped up on her head as she chewed her bite and swallowed. This human was strange, but she could see that he was on edge, for whatever reason. "Hide me," he hissed, looking back towards where the voice had come from. "Please, don't let her see me." Vinyl wasn't sure exactly why he needed to hide from a pony like Lyra, but he seemed more than sincere in his request. Though, she didn't have many options in terms of a place to hide him... Her saddle bags were in the other chair, and Lyra was approaching fast. She opened her mouth in some kind of 'where?' gesture, and Anonymous seemed to take that as an offer. He jumped upwards, catching her teeth; this motion in turn caused her to jerk her head downwards, around the human's head. She gagged for a second, completely unsure of what to do in this situation, but the human kept working himself into her mouth. He was a tight fit, a bit of him dangling down into her throat, but he did fit. Her lips practically kissing the table as the human adjusted himself inside her mouth, Vinyl slowly picked her head back up. It made enough sense: she wouldn't have to open her mouth being mute, but had their positions been reversed, she couldn't say that it would've been her first choice. Her mouth watered at the new occupant, the human's legs in her throat daring her to try and swallow. She didn't though, retaining a rather incredible amount of self-control as the human tried to squeeze the life out of her tongue. "I'll explain everything later, just do two things: don't let Lyra see me, and don't swallow," he hissed, holding her slimy appendage close. Several feelings hit Vinyl at once. First off, that the human tasted absolutely divine. The squirming and shifting in her mouth and the incredible desire to gulp was doing something for her, and she wasn't sure how to feel about it. She was confused, starting to get maybe just a hint of arousal, and now her stomach was growling despite the massive bites she'd been taking. This was going to take quite a bit of explaining, from everyone involved, after this was over... Carefully, she pressed Anonymous against the roof of her mouth. Holding him in place as hard as she could, she swallowed around him in an attempt to not drool all over herself. Now she was tasked with making 'conversation' with Lyra while something in her mouth squirmed about. "Hiya Vinyl!" Lyra said, finally having made it over to her table. Vinyl offered a small smile, careful to not press more of her mouth against Anonymous. "What brings you here? I never see you out this early!" Once more, Vinyl stuck to simple gestures for responses, going with a shrug. "Well, it's good to see you one way or the other. It's been a while!" Lyra said, taking the seat in front of Anonymous's plate. She of course noticed this after she sat down, looking at the tiny meal. "What is this, a burger for ants?" The sheepish grin was all the mute unicorn could think to offer to Lyra. Had she more time and less distraction via a human in her throat, she probably could've offered a better explanation. Maybe. "Say, have you seen Tavi lately? She's been acting weird." This one was going to require more concentration from the unicorn; needing an answer she couldn't shrug or smile off. Lyra knew Tavi was Vinyl's friend, and a simple response like earlier would seem suspicious. Taking her notepad from earlier, she flipped it to a new page to start scribbling down an answer. Her concentration slowly shifted from keeping Anonymous still to writing out the answer to Lyra's question. When she leaned forward to push the answer over to the green unicorn, she involuntarily swallowed. Anonymous's world instantaneously seemed to slow down. Vinyl's throat contracted around his legs, while her tongue started to push him back towards her throat. He held on tight, gripping the slimy tongue as hard as he could. Something not going down like it should though, caused her to start coughing. As her body spasmed, her throat demanding more of Anonymous, she mashed her tongue against Anonymous as hard as she could, determined to not let him slip away. As she thumped her chest in an effort to clear her coughing fit, she picked up her glass of water and give it a little sip. Anonymous wouldn't like it, but it helped calm her throat. "You okay there?" Lyra asked, pushing the notepad back over to Vinyl. A quick confirmation nod, and Lyra resumed her previous line of questioning. "And yeah, I would be with her and the orchestra right now, but there were a few things I had to take care of before I left. Don't worry though, I'll catch up to them in time for the first concert," she said, winking. "Besides, she needed me to check up on some pet or something at her place." Vinyl knew exactly what she was talking about now. Octavia didn't have a pet, Lyra was referring to the human currently violating her throat. Pieces of the puzzle were still blatantly missing, but she was starting to put a picture together that didn't cast Lyra in such a great light. Before she could probe with any more questions though, Lyra continued. "Speaking of which, I gotta go take care of that," she said, standing up. As she walked past Vinyl, she gave her a quick strike to the back, "see a around, Scratch!" The thump to her back had caused Vinyl to gag again; to which she responded to by holding her breath and mashing Anonymous even harder. Once she was certain Lyra was far enough away, Anonymous was almost violently expelled from her mouth. As he made a solid 'splat' onto her plate and burger, Vinyl coughed and wiped her mouth with her hoof. All the while giving Anonymous an intense 'you've got some explaining to do' glare. "Sorry," Anonymous said, rising to his feet. As large globs of saliva oozed from his clothing and down onto Vinyl's plate, he looked back up to the unicorn. "Thanks for hiding me though. I owe you, big time." Yeah, that was for sure. At least now they were even for any sort of awkwardness that she'd caused him. The human walked over to the side of the table, still dripping saliva as he scouted for Lyra. The mess of saliva that trailed him made Vinyl realize just how much she'd been savoring him. He tasted delicious, something she couldn't quite place; and something she certainly wouldn't bring up unless he did. "So," the human said, walking back over to his side of the table. He proceeded to wipe the saliva from his body, starting the process of explaining what that whole mess was all about. "A while back, Lyra broke into Tavi's apartment and stole me. One thing led to another, and I wound up," the human paused for a moment, a hint of blush on his cheeks. "...inside her. Obviously I made it out, but since then both myself and Octavia have made it a point to avoid her." That explanation certainly wouldn't do. How had he wound up inside Lyra? Did she try and eat him or... oh. Vinyl could feel her own cheeks reddening as she thought of just how the human could wind up inside a pony. It was an interesting idea, but one that would probably remain in a fantasy for Vinyl. She wasn't so obnoxious to do what she pleased with the human, especially when she was still trying to figure out what their 'relationship' was, if anything at all. Stupid hormones... At any rate, from the way the human was shuffling around and blushing, this would probably be a conversation for back home, away from prying ears. Bearing that in mind, Vinyl wrote her offer into the air for the human. 'Home?' He seemed to consider this for just a moment, still wringing his clothes dry. "While your breath was fairly pleasant, and I think I could bear smelling like it for a day or so, I do need a change of clothes." Was that sarcasm or was he being sincere? Vinyl harrumphed and stuck her tongue out at the human. It had been his idea anyways! The human chuckled, setting the now very damp napkin aside as Vinyl produced bits from her saddle bags to pay for the meal. She made a mental note to come back here later and get a meal for each of them before the day ended. They would both get to enjoy their burgers, darn it! Though their time was cut rather short at the restaurant, they'd at least gotten to taste some rather good food. Vinyl carefully placed the damp human on her back, the sensation reminding her of her mother placing a damp cloth on her forehead when she had a fever. He really was pretty wet... Had she done all that to him? Nah, couldn't be! She drank water too! Feeling her cheeks blush again, she placed the bits on the table and headed out the door. The more she tried to not think about the little human on her back, the more she realized that she was going to have to do something she didn't want to. She had to know. Before Octavia got back from her trip, she had to know how Anon felt. Was she moving too fast? Was she so desperate for affection that she would latch onto the first creature that spent time with her and expressed some inkling of interest to her? Was this crush happening because she knew she could never have him? That thought made the pit of her stomach churn. All the more reason she had to know. As she walked down the street back towards her neighborhood, it dawned on her that she'd been so wrapped up in her thoughts she'd been ignoring Anonymous. "You okay?" he asked, climbing up to scratch at her right ear. Instinctively her ear firmed up, enjoying the attention. Right along with her ear, her heart thumped back into existence, the pit of her stomach not seeming so heavy anymore. Should she just let whatever happens, happen? Could she live with herself if she didn-- "Vinyl?" Damn that scratching was feeling good. She stopped walking, giving the human a gentle nod to reassure him. Doing so caused him to roll down onto her muzzle, his eyes now even with hers as his body dangled over her lips. She cocked an eyebrow, waiting for the human to respond. The human didn't seem completely satisfied with the response, but he offered no resistance when she placed him back where he had been previously. She was probably just rushing things, getting a little too excited at meeting someone new. Yeah, that made sense. So why did that pit in her stomach return? The walk back home proved less interesting than the initial trip to the inner city. They'd already seen everything on the way in, and the ponies around them continued about their business just as they did before. Living alone was quieter, far less stressful than this was turning out to be. Why did she even decide to do this for Octavia anyways? Had she just said no, she would be completely fine right now. Probably just waking up, making a deliciously routine banana and cheese sandwich... If Octavia knew what has just happened with her little human, she probably would've burst a blood vessel. She had to relax more, learn to loosen up a little bit. Though, having spent a couple of days with him, Vinyl could see why she would want to keep him close. She couldn't help but feel like he was fragile, he was about the size of a teddy bear which made him perfect for holding, and... Yeah, might as well stop trying to fight it. He was kinda cute. These thoughts permeated her mind as they arrived back at her house. "Just drop me off in the bedroom. I'll only be a second," he said, eagerly peeling away his damp shirt. Vinyl walked over and let him make his way to his dresser. Stepping back, she silently watched him go about changing his clothes, each article plopping heavily to the dresser top when it was tossed aside. She couldn't help but watch in wonder. How could something his size be as intelligent as a pony? And why did she have to get a crush on it? The more she stared, the further any answer seemed to get. Confounded emotions. Eventually she let her mind go blank, simply admiring the human. In a sort of trance, she sat down, barely noticing the humming she had started. It was a very soft tone, holding steady and unwavering. Almost hypnotically, the tone started to fluctuate up, then down, then up again. The fluctuations were barely noticeable, but they were there. When it started to increase in volume, Vinyl caught herself and shook her head. She wasn't given too much time to examine what her magic was trying to tell her though, as the human had finished changing clothes. "Gah!" he said, finding Vinyl's gaze a little unsettling. "I wasn't aware I had an audience," he said, cheeks now burning red. The unicorn stared for a moment, trying to figure out what else she was supposed to be do-- oh. Right. Humans don't like being naked in front of someone else. This realization now hitting her, Vinyl's features quickly adopted a rather apologetic tone. Her horn reflected this, a sort of high pitched bell sound emanating from it in some attempt to convey emotions with sound. Judging by the human's reaction, it appeared to be successful. "No no, it's alright!" he said, stepping forward. "I wasn't expecting you to watch, that's all." Right. Because she was ogling him. Great. Managing to shut her horn up and get her act together, she took a deep breath to calm herself down. Deep breaths, Scratch. Deep breaths. Finally having a somewhat clear head, she looked at the human again. A small smile creeping onto her face, she concentrated and wrote something out for him in the air. 'Movie?'