Never Miss A Beat

by TaleweaverTheUnicorn

Vinyl, Chapter 10: Cut like a Diamond

Author's Note:

Pick something sultry for a track this time. Trust me.

Vinyl angrily yanked at the collar of her jacket with a magical grip. It straightened, but the force of the pull rumpled the other side. She let out an audible growl, and a stallion sharing the bus stop jumped. She glared at him, and he moved to the opposite end of the double benches. What the heck was his bucking problem? What was everypony’s bucking problem? She was so tired, of fussing over her looks, of freaking out over money, of these stupid dates. What was even the point? She might as well just accept her financial ruin. All these fillies were stuck up, miserable b-

“V-Vinyl Scratch?” A timid voice. Vinyl rounded on it, and froze. A gentle looking mare stood before her, clad in a wispy green dress. She had luxuriously long eyelashes protecting marvelously wide blue eyes, which fluttered as she blinked in surprise at Vinyl’s expression. A pale pink coat and long blonde mane completed the look. Vinyl’s anger died on the vine. This filly could have been yoinked right from her subconscious. Or her recent internet searches. Gah, definitely don’t think about that right now. She seemed to almost sparkle in Vinyl’s mind. No, wait, she actually was sparkling! She smiled slightly, her polygonal pupils widening. Her mane and coat glittered and refracted light as she demurely fidgeted with the braid her hair was tied in, bound with golden bands.

“Um. Yep, that’s me! Also Ivory Keys, as the dossier probably said, but I prefer Vinyl. Which you seem to already know, so that’s cool.” Vinyl babbled, tugging at her collar again. “And you are Lady, um, Tourmaline Luster?”

“Um, yes, that’s m-me.” She blanched, slightly, her muzzle wrinkling adorably. “Feel free to call me Mal, or Mally. It’s. . . kinda cumbersome.”

“Mal.” Vinyl smiled. “I can dig it.”

“Dig it like . . . a gemstone?” Mal smiled back, the slightly gremlin-ish grin at odds with the way she hid half her face behind her braid. “I’m sorry, I’m still sort of adjusting to, well, existing again. Things have changed since the Crystal Empire disappeared.”

“I. . . honestly can’t tell if you’re joking.” Vinyl chuckled.

“I am. Mostly.” Mal blushed slightly. “Um, so what are we eating?”

“Well, I’ve been hanging at this fancy place, but. . . maybe we should try some authentic local cuisine and get pizza or something instead.” Vinyl hoped fervently that she’d say yes. “Do you have pizza in the Empire?”

“We have plenty of glamor and eye-catching flair, yes.” She blinked innocently, her grin widening slightly. “Or, wait, sorry, you’re a musician. We do have stringed instruments, yes!”

“I- Uh. Uh oh.” Vinyl removed her glasses to wipe a tendril of sweat from her forehead. “Um, I meant the dough disk with cheese and stuff. . ?”

“Oh, yes, we have that too. And that sounds perfect. Split one half and half?” She smiled, sincerely this time. Vinyl’s heart fluttered.

“Sure, I know a good place. They have really big slices, so we could probably just get a couple of those-”

“Vinyl, I know I st-stutter sometimes, but I definitely didn’t there. Half and half?” She blushed again, deeper crimson this time, glowing like little drops of ruby in her crystalline coat. “S-sorry. I really, um, like food. And, s-something about you just. . . makes me feel comfortable dropping my pretenses. Sorry if that’s, um, improper.”

“No, no, that’s good! Don’t apologize, please stay like this, if you want. Uh, I don’t know if we’ll finish a whole pizza but hey, I’ve eaten so many weight loss salads I could probably use the calories.” Vinyl laughed, taking a few steps outside the glass enclosure. “C’mon, this way. No need for the bus, we can walk and talk, yeah?”

“Yeah!” The shorter filly fell into step beside her. Close beside her. Vinyl swallowed.

“So, uh-” She began, just as Mally started “V-Vinyl, I-” They glanced at each other, looked away. Vinyl wished she could have choreographed dancers that well.

“You first.” Mal prompted, flicking her head nervously, her ears flopping forward and back in adorable distress. Vinyl fought the urge to stamp her hooves and squee.

“Erm, so, the dossier mentioned you play an instrument?” Vinyl struggled through the cute-mare-mental-daze for a conversation topic. “Which one?”

“Flute! Oh, and drums too, a little. Mostly for festivals and dances and stuff, everypony knows a bit.” She bounced up and down a little as she spoke, and Vinyl caught her eyes tracing the rise and fall of the dress fabric, the hint of a cutie mark underneath, also bou- Eyes front, Scratch! She stealthily pinched herself with magic on the side opposite the mare, and tuned back into what she was saying. “-dancing, but I’d like to learn modern ones, and music too. It’s, um, part of what interested me about, um, this.”

“Well, sure, I could talk your ear off about different types of EDM, but let's be careful what cans of worms we open.” Vinyl chuckled sheepishly. “It’s hard to put the worms, uh, back in the can. Once they’re out and wriggling around all gross.”

“I like opening things, regardless of what is in them.” Mal giggled behind a silver-shod hoof. “Even gross things.”

I got a gross thing that you cou- No! Snap out of it! Vinyl couldn’t suppress a furious ‘snrk’, even with one hundred percent of her willpower. Sheesh, what’s wrong with me? I guess dumping motherbucking Princess Celestia kind of left me high and dry, huh?

“-are you, Vinyl?”

“Right! Yep!” She said, out of habit, trying to yank her focus back on the conversation.

“Yep you. . . were thinking something lewd?” Mal blinked.

“Guh. Uh. No, sorry, I just got- I would never- Err, not on the first-” Vinyl flailed.

“I’m sorry, I was just teasing! I didn’t say that at all. You were just spacing out, so I-” Mal produced a hoof-fan from her saddlebags, snapping it around the wrist and fanning herself. “I just don’t know what came over me.”

“Oh, I’ll- DAMMIT!” Vinyl slapped herself hard across the muzzle with a magical shockwave. She followed it up with one from the other side, straightened up, and continued. “Gah, sorry. I’m just tired. I need to get my head on straight.”

“It’s okay, I’m honestly glad you seem as nervous as I feel! It would be lousy if it was just me here floundering around. . .” Mally nuzzled her briefly. Vinyl felt her tail and ears snap immediately to attention, even at the friendly touch. “Oh, fiddlesticks! I could have said ‘not straight, certainly’, couldn’t I have?”

“Hah! That would have been a good one.” Vinyl grinned, pulling open the door to the pizza place and holding it for her. “You’re a real gem, Mally.”

“Yes? I am a gem.” She blinked in confusion, pausing in the doorway.

“No, I mean- A rarity. Something precious?” Vinyl blushed, fidgeting. “Errr, if that’s not too forward to say?”

“Get a room, schmucks! And get one out of my dang way!” A grouchy mare with a manehattan accent yelled, and the two lovebirds jolted, leaping out of the way to let her pass. They caught each other’s eyes, and snickered, cheeks flushed.

“S-So, Pizza?” Mally asked.

“Please. Anything to keep me from putting my hoof in my mouth again.”

====

“. . . So I still say it was understandable that she left-” Mally continued, her voice impassioned.

“Sure, maybe it made sense in her crazy mind, but it totally bucked over everybody else!” Vinyl pushed open the pizzeria door, holding it once again. “Are you sure you’re not cutting her some extra slack because she’s the hot one? And can shoot lightning out of her wings?”

“That’s not what it’s about! It’s about her backstory and her trauma!” Mally headbutted Vinyl affectionately. “And she’s not even my favorite. I like the main girl the best, her shadow dragon rage form is soooo cooooool.”

“Ah, I see. So you like the strong idiot type, eh?” Vinyl blinked. “Wait. . .”

“What?” Mally blinked innocently.

“Haha, never mind. I’m just imagining things.” Vinyl chuckled, settling her shades back over her eyes, despite the darkness. “So, where are you staying? I should walk you back, it’s getting late.” Mally paused by a planter of small, fragrant trees, looking back at Vinyl.

“That’s probably not a good idea.” She said, her voice small. Her eyes met Vinyl’s, digging deep. They were huge, and filled with emotion, desire even. Vinyl felt a flicker, a blaze starting deep in her belly.

“Why not?” Vinyl stepped closer. The wind shifted, blowing the scent of the mare towards her. A spicy, earthy scent that made her feel a bit like she’d popped a bottle of Spark, and a fire had lit in her belly.

“It’s only the first date, after all.” Mally’s eyes drifted half closed as she fluttered her crystalline lashes. Vinyl swallowed, feeling a team of mini Vinyls shoveling coal furiously into that stomach fire. “It’s probably safer to say our goodbyes here. . .”

“Safer. Yeah, that’s probably true.” Vinyl laughed. It came out nervous, and she internally swore at the mini Vinyls, who shrugged. “I mean, I feel pretty safe, but. . .”

“Oh?” Mally was suddenly very close, her face filling Vinyl’s vision. All she could see was her. All she could smell was her. All she could hear was her voice, low, and passionate. “Maybe you shouldn’t. I know I don’t, with that look in your eyes. . .”

“Urk.” Vinyl grunted. The fire in her belly was spreading, trickling through her blood. She felt like charcoal and like melting ice, all at once. A sudden image of staring and leaning in towards Octavia ran through her mind. And the uppercut that followed. Mally leaned in instead, chasing that thought away.

“What’s wrong, Vi?” Mally breathed, her muzzle inches from Vinyl’s. Even her breath smelled sweet, what the heck? The flames within swelled, rising to a fever pitch. “Are you thinking of somepony e- Meep!”

Vinyl pressed her lips to Mal’s, smothering a squeak. The flame beast within roared its approval, the emotional equivalent of the best bass drop. The small mare pressed back, her tongue tracing Vinyl’s with almost prehensile flexibility. Vinyl could feel the heat of her, the soft fluff of her chest pressed against her own. The moment warped like heated metal, stretching into a cherry red eternity. Vinyl was slowly consumed by the fire, rising to a burning blaze before crumbling away to ash.

“Oof!” Vinyl’s legs finally gave out, and she nearly collapsed. Confusion and embarrassment washed over her. “U-uh, jellylegs? I, uh- I mean- this has never happened before! I swear, it- I’m just in a bit of a dry spell!”

“Huh? What are you talking about?” Mal pulled back, licking her lips, her eyes wide and innocent. Oh no. “I- I mean, I was- What happened?”

“Uh, n-nothing. Was just wishing you goodnight and uh, apologizing for the uh, surprise kiss. . ?” Vinyl babbled, trying subtly to stand up in a totally-cool-not-weird-at-all way.

“Hee hee. . . It’s okay. I told you it was probably better to say goodnight here.” Mally blushed, rubbing a fetlock bashfully with her other hoof. “Goodnight Vinyl. I had a really nice time. You have my number. . . if you decide that you’d like a second date-”

“I would.” Vinyl said immediately. The fire began to rekindle slightly, even as she wobbled on her hooves.

“Hee hee! Okay! How about next week?”

“How about tomorrow?”

“I want to. . . but I should go home for tomorrow. Day after?”

“That works.” Vinyl grinned. “We’ll do something cooler. I’ll cook dinner and play you something. . . or something. Text me.”

“I will. Goodnight again, Vinyl.” Mally snuck a final kiss onto Vinyl’s cheek before trotting away with speed, her cheeks burning red. Vinyl sighed. This was a proper hate-to-see-you-go-love-to-watch-you-leave sigh. Been a long time since she had one of those. Good date. Guess you really do just have to dig through a ton of awful to find something good. Well, aside from embarrassing myself super hard in the middle of the street but hey, I’m pretty used to that at this point.

The filly escaped around a corner, a spring in her step. As she vanished from sight, Vinyl immediately felt exhausted, drained. She had a powerful urge to chase after her, but tiredness and integrity won out. Wow. What a filly. Where had she been hiding? Well, apparently in a nonexistent empire, but still. Vinyl began to meander back to her own hotel. She’d been planning on maybe texting Astral- err, Celestia today. . . but that could wait. She wasn’t really in the mood anymore, strangely. Maybe, gasp, an early night, and a few practice rounds of cooking dinner, before she totally blew it on the next date. . .

Comments

[TearingNose24]

Cadence you motherfucker.

[DearSDude2]

NO NO it's definitely Chrysalis