//------------------------------// // Falls On Me // Story: HeartBeat // by DemonBrightSpirit //------------------------------// Vinyl stared at me, her face unreadable save for a raised eyebrow. Somehow I’d expected more of a response after I told her that we needed to have a talk about our relationship. “It’s just…” I ran a hoof along the bar. “Well, maybe things are going a little… fast?” Putting a hoof up on the table, Vinyl summoned magic letters there. AM I MAKING YOU UNCOMFORTABLE? Blinking, I soaked it in a moment. Of course, the first thought to bubble up was the memory of me being on top of Vinyl followed by the one of her being on top of me. Feeling hot, I shook my head. “N-no. Not really.” A small smile touched the corners of Vinyl’s mouth. Leaning in right next to me, Vinyl summoned her magic again. SCARED? “Y-yeah,” I said, nodding, “kinda.” Feeling a foreleg drape over my shoulders, I turned to find Vinyl had removed her glasses again. She gave me a lopsided grin and her horn glowed. HEY IM RIGHT HERE NEXT TO YOU IF YOURE SCARED I gave Vinyl a weak smile. “Are you scared, too?” A LITTLE BUY HEY SCARY CAN BE FUN “Th-thanks, Vinyl.” I stepped back, letting Vinyl’s leg fall off of my shoulders. “That makes me feel a little better.” Withdrawing her hoof, Vinyl’s posture drooped a bit as her ears lowered. DO YOU WANT TO SLOW DOWN? I rubbed my foreleg with a hoof. “Well… I dunno,” I muttered. “I just… maybe we should get to know each other a little better?” Vinyl perked right up. COOL! SO ANOTHER DATE? After considering it for just a moment, I gave Vinyl a smile and a nod. “That might be fun. Especially if it’s like the last one.” Nodding in turn, Vinyl summoned a new phrase of swirling letters. SWEET AND HEY WE CAN TALK HERE TOO The blue, whirling magic swept away the letters, reforming into new words. GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER My smile grew even wider. “I’d like that.” Nodding again, Vinyl turned away. She left through a door behind the bar into what I could only assume was the kitchen. Still, I couldn't help but to wonder: what’s back there? Allowing my curiosity to win out, I followed after Vinyl. Through the door was a short hallway leading to a couple of other doors. Worse, I’d waited too long and Vinyl must’ve already left into one. I decided that I wouldn’t be deterred, and chose the door at the end of the hallway. Creaking the door open only revealed shadows. “Hello?” I asked, poking my head in. I didn’t see anything, but I felt a string hit my head. Grabbing at it, the light above came on. The room, it turned out, was little more than a closet with some cleaning supplies and a breaker box on one end and a series of barrels hooked up to hoses on the other. After turning off the light, I turned around. I barely caught a glimpse of a streaked blue tail headed back to the bar area. Starting after her, I pulled the closet door closed behind me. A horrible crash sounded from within, but I let it pass. Instead, I chased after Vinyl. I trotted into the next room to find Vinyl at the bar. As I approached, she caught sight of me. She turned her head toward the bar and used a hoof to slide a big, thick book my way. I turned to find the brown book had big, yellow letters written on the front. It read: BIG BOOK OF BARTENDING. “What’s this?” I asked, flipping the cover over. Inside, the table of contents mentioned stuff like bartender’s duties, laws and regulations, mixed drinks, taps, dealing with customers, and all kinds of crazy stuff. I flipped through a few of the pages, growing dizzy at the endless lines of text. “Am I… supposed to learn all this stuff?” Vinyl gave me a firm nod. Suddenly, the whole prospect of bartending seemed a lot more daunting. My ears drooped as I looked again at the thick book. “This is… gonna take a while.” Over the pages, blue wisps twisted into words. YOU DONT HAVE TO LEARN THE THING INSIDE AND OUT JUST THE BASICS Looking up, I found Vinyl smiling at me. “O-okay,” I said, nodding. Vinyl stepped over. Her aura wrapped around the book and it closed before rising into the air. Floating over, it came to rest on her back, though her horn continued to emit magical light. I looked around, finding letters on the bar. I HAVE TO GET SOME SLEEP BEFORE MY SHIFT TONIGHT LETS GET GOING As the letters faded away, I heard Vinyl’s hoofsteps. I followed her to the exit. As soon as I stepped back out into the blinding light of day, Vinyl shut and locked the door. Then, that ivory horn again glowed, forming letters on the door. Blinking back the sunlight, I squinted at the phrase. LETS GO TO MY PLACE “All right,” I said, a bit confused. “Um… why?” Vinyl just turned back to me, raising an eyebrow. Motioning a hoof between the two of us, she nodded off to the side. “Oh! You still want to talk about us before you go to bed?” Giving me a nod, Vinyl turned and led me away from the club. “Um, well, I guess I can tell you a little more about me,” I said, keeping pace with Vinyl. Of course, Vinyl couldn't really reply, so I just had to guess at a line of conversation. “I already told you about my little filly, Dinky. I’m glad you didn’t freak out or anything. I’ve actually had a couple of dates end because I brought her up.” I caught sight of Vinyl’s eyebrow raising above her sunglasses. “Yeah,” I muttered, looking back down at the path. “A lot of times I don’t even make it to the end of a date, let alone a second one.” Breathing out a long sigh, I looked over at Vinyl. I couldn’t help but to smile. “I think you’re the first pony I’ve been on a second date with since at least winter, and it’s already starting to get cold again.” I blinked, realizing that I might have been painting the wrong kind of picture. “I-it’s not like I go on dates a lot. Maybe one or two a month. It just… never works out.” My ears drooped as I breathed a long sigh. I felt a nudge in my side, and turned to find Vinyl staring back at me. Giving her a smile, I said, “I'm glad things are going well. I guess I'm just not used to things actually working out.” A silence started to settle in, and I couldn’t help but to feel like I should keep talking. After all, this whole “getting to know each other” thing was my idea. “Vinyl?” She turned to look at me, and I gave her my most earnest smile. “Thank you. And not just for helping me get a job or actually showing up after the first date. I…” My face scrunched up as I searched for the words to say how I felt. “We haven’t known each other long, but I already feel like I can really trust you.” Vinyl’s grin widened. She nodded down a path leading to a modest house on the outskirts of Ponyville. “Oh! Is that your house?” Vinyl nodded again, and we started down the path. I bit my tongue. As much as I wanted to ask her about her house, I knew that she wouldn't be able to reply until we actually got there. Inside, the house appeared really nice. It was every bit as big as my place, and by the look of it, she had the whole place to herself. And it was so neat, too. Though, I’m sure she didn’t have a little filly to be constantly be picking up after. I turned to compliment Vinyl, only to find that she’d disappeared. “Vinyl?” I tentatively called out as I wondered whether or not I should look around for her. No, I’d probably break something if I wandered off. Instead, I just occupied myself with Vinyl’s decor. Instead of pictures or posters on her walls, she had a bunch of records behind panes of glass. I couldn’t tell what they were for, or why she would have them on the wall. How would she play them? Speaking of playing them, the biggest thing I could see was her DJ booth, just like the one at the club. A complete set of speakers sat all around it and everything. Walking up to it, I noticed that a pair of records were still in place. I reached out for the needle, but stopped as I felt a tapping on my shoulder. Turning around, I found Vinyl, her horn glowing. I started to look for words, but stopped when I noticed that she had a marker and a board in her aura. A small, high-pitched squeak sounded as she uncapped the marker and scribbled on the board. Her tongue stuck out a bit as she traced the words, and then she turned the board to me. IT’S WAY EASIER TO TALK WITH THIS. I blinked. Oh! That’s right, she’d said before that the magic she used to make words was hard to do. I gave her a big smile. “O-oh, I see.” I scratched my head. “Wait, why don’t you just take that with you? You could probably walk and talk at the same time with that.” Vinyl shook her head. Vigorously rubbing a foreleg across the board, she erased it only to start writing again. STILL TOO HARD TO DO THAT. BESIDES, THIS JUST LOOKS DUMB. A giggle escaped my mouth. “I guess, a little.” Pulling the board and marker in close to her, Vinyl pulled her head to the side. I followed her into the next room. This one was a lot smaller, having only a couch and a couple of chairs around a coffee table. The walls in this room were decorated with records, too. Vinyl flopped down on the couch. Floating the board above her, she scribbled some more. She flashed me a grin as she turned the board toward me. TAKE A LOAD OFF. PLENTY OF CHAIRS, THOUGH THIS COUCH IS PRETTY COMFY WITH TWO. My heart thumped in my chest. She wanted to cuddle? Or something… more? No. No, she gave me a choice. But what should I do? I wouldn't want to disappoint her by sitting in a chair, and for the life of me, I couldn't even remember the last time I’d done something so intimate with anypony but Dinky. Still, I couldn’t just do that, could I? Especially not after I just told her that we needed to slow down and that I was uncomfortable. I was uncomfortable, but I couldn’t help but want to cuddle there with Vinyl. Oh no, Vinyl! Here I stood, just looking like some featherbrain, while she patiently waited for me to make up my mind. I had to do something. I took a step, and failed. The room spun and I saw the ceiling underneath me as I hit… something soft? Shaking my head a bit, I found myself nestled between Vinyl and the backrest of the couch. How did that happen? The next thing I knew, a board floated into my vision and I felt Vinyl huddle up against me. Her foreleg wrapped around me. WELL AREN’T YOU EAGER? A heat welled up in me as my heart’s violent rhythm came back even stronger than before. Being huddled up against Vinyl just made the warmth overwhelming worse. Oh my gosh! With her up against me, she must’ve been able to feel my heart’s desperate thumping. I felt as though I would die right then and there. Then, I felt Vinyl nuzzle against my chin and neck. The pounding in my chest softened to an intense tattoo as I dared look to her. As soon as my eyes met her’s, she took hold of my chin with a hoof while her glasses floated off of her face and out of my view. Locked in her firm grip, I couldn’t look away despite the undeniable desire to. Our noses touched, and she leaned forward. Instead of moving her lips towards mine, her forehead touched mine and stayed there. After a few moments, it finally dawned on me to breathe. My breaths came in ragged bursts as my thoughts finally moved to something other than my own embarrassment. I felt Vinyl’s warmth and her legs around me. It brought back vague memories long since forgotten. I hadn’t been held like this—safe and secure—since I was a filly. Midnight held me, sure, but it was never so… I couldn’t even find the words to describe it. I could feel her chest moving, and it didn’t take long for my breathing to slow down and match her’s. Just as I calmed down, Vinyl pulled back. She planted a kiss on my forehead before settling down next to me. Words failed me. I couldn’t think of anything to say. Anything to do. I just lay there, frozen in my content. I started to snuggle closer to Vinyl, but she pushed back against me. I looked up, seeing the board flying above us. YOU OKAY? I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT FAINT. “Y-yeah. I just… I don’t know what came over me.” Closing my eyes, I breathed a deep breath in and out, feeling my chest swell and ebb from Vinyl’s. “I’m better, thanks to you.” A cloth swept over the board, erasing the words. Vinyl brought the marker back to the board, writing in a new phrase. YEAH, I CAN HAVE THAT EFFECT ON CUTE MARES. Giggling at Vinyl’s nonsense, I glanced over to find her grinning at me. That look on her face just made me laugh harder. “You’re so silly.” Vinyl just looked kind of confused as she scratched her head. Turning her attention back to the board, she swept it clean and started writing again. YOU WANTED TO TALK? Oh! I’d almost forgotten about all that. “Y-yeah. I just—I mean, with what Mr. Rich said earlier, I realized that I don’t know a lot about you. I’d like to know you better.” Another swipe, and Vinyl began to write anew. I’M NOT THAT COMPLICATED. I turned to look back at Vinyl. Her shoulders shrugged before she went back to her board. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW? “About you, Vinyl.” I heard her sigh as she cleaned the board. The marker hesitated before scribbling anew. I USED TO PARTY A LOT. THAT AND MAKING MUSIC WERE ALL I DID. “That sounds… fun?” I replied as Vinyl wiped the words away. IT WAS. She erased the short phrase. THAT ALL STOPPED WHEN I LOST MY VOICE. NOT AS MUCH FUN WHEN YOU’RE SOBER. I nudged her. “Don’t be silly. Parties are lots of fun, even if there is no drinking.” YOU DON’T GET IT. I’D ALWAYS WAKE UP IN SOME WEIRD PLACE AND NOT REMEMBER HOW I GOT THERE. As soon as she was sure I’d read through, she erased the board and started again. I HAD A GREAT TIME. BUT I COULDN’T REMEMBER IT. IT Vinyl hesitated, her marker sitting on the same spot for a long moment. Finally, she finished the sentence. IT WAS KILLING ME. It took a few seconds for the words to really sink in. Even then, I found it hard to believe. “I-it—was it really that bad?” I felt Vinyl nod. IT WASN’T UNTIL I WOKE UP IN THE HOSPITAL THAT I REALIZED IT. I SPENT MONTHS RECOVERING. NOT JUST MY THROAT EITHER. When Vinyl erased the board and didn’t start writing again, I felt as though it was my turn again. “I… I can hardly believe it.” Vinyl raised her eyebrow. I’d have thrown my hooves up, had I not been snuggled up so closely to Vinyl. “Not that I don’t believe you! It’s just… well, I mean you’ve got things together a lot better than I do.” I shied away from her gaze. “A better house than mine, and you have a great job. You’re even friends with your boss. It’s like you’ve got everything sorted out already.” I peeked up, only to find Vinyl looking away. A swipe of magic, and the smell of marker touched my nose. I tried to lean over, but just as I started to move, Vinyl shoved the board in my face. WELL I DON’T. “You don’t?” I felt her sigh again. Floating the board comfortably in front of us again, she started to write. I DON’T KNOW WHAT I WANT ANYMORE. I WANT TO HAVE FUN AND BE FUN, BUT BUT I’M SCARED. “Scared?” I said, interrupting her scribbling. She nodded as she swept the board clean. WHAT IF I GO TO A PARTY AND END UP DRINKING? I HAVEN’T DONE MUCH OF ANYTHING SINCE I GOT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL. I nudged Vinyl. “Hey, you’ve done a lot. Just look at this place.” YEAH AND I’VE DONE SOME AWESOME STUFF WITH MY MUSIC AND AND I LEARNED THAT SPELL TO MAKE WORDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT After erasing the board, Vinyl didn’t start writing again. “But what?” I asked. Her eyes glanced away. After a long moment, she sighed and pressed her marker to the board again. IT’S LIKE I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHAT I WANT ANYMORE. I DON’T WANT TO GO BACK TO THE WAY THINGS WERE, BUT I STILL WANT TO LET LOOSE SOMETIMES. “Hey, you can still have tons of fun even if you don't go buckwild,” I said, yawning. I felt Vinyl snuggle up against me. When I looked up, I found a new phrase on the board. IT’S NOT THE SAME I gave my head a little shake. “No. It’s not. But that doesn’t mean it has to be any less fun. Just… different.” SOMETIMES I WONDER IF ALL THIS IS WORTH ALL THE STRESS. “Hey don’t think like that. You’ve got a wonderful home and a good job doing what you like and everything.” Taking a moment to really think about what Vinyl was saying, I changed my tune. “But, I guess if you’re not happy… it isn’t enough, huh?” Instead of replying with her board, Vinyl just held me tighter as she nodded. “Well, maybe we can find a way for you to be happy together,” I said. I leaned in towards Vinyl, her breathing echoing in my ears above the silence. The next thing I knew, she nudged me. I opened my eyes to find her horn aglow. Glancing up, I found a new written phrase accompanied by a doodle. HERE’S HOPING. Underneath the words, appeared to be a drawing of two mugs of cider crashing together in a toast. I giggled before my eyes drooped down again. Awash in Vinyl’s warmth, the world slipped away from me.