//------------------------------//
// Crossroads (I Guess Things Are Getting Serious) 
// Story: Heart Invasion 101 
// by FamousLastWords 
//------------------------------//

	"Bowtie?"

"Check!"

"Sport jacket?"

"Check!"

"Brushed fangs?"

"Brushed and polished to minty perfection!"

"That's my dragon," Rarity said with a wink. "Sounds like you're ready for tonight, Spike!"

"Thanks for all your help, Rares. I really don't wanna mess things up."

"That's nonsense talk! She won't be able to resist you, especially if you have me on your side." Rarity chuckled and pointed to the small microphone she had hidden away behind the intricate crystal necklace she was wearing.

"Yeah, I suppose," Spike replied. "But I dunno Rarity, this whole secrecy plan seems like a bad idea."

"What makes you think that, Spike? I'll just be discreetly sitting a few tables away and talking you through what to say. It can't go wrong!"

"I'm pretty sure it can," Spike said with a smirk. "Haven't you ever seen the movies? These kinds of things always end in some sort of embarrassing disaster."

"Yes, dear, but those are movies. They're supposed to be entertaining. This is the real world, and believe me when I say I know what I'm doing." Rarity proudly put her head up in the air.

Spike let out a sigh. "Alright, fine. But if things go wrong, I'm blaming you." Spike chuckled and earned one from Rarity in return.

"Alright, agreed," she said with a smile. "Now, you're meeting her at the music shop, correct?"

"Yep. In about fifteen minutes, to be precise."

"Ah! What are you still doing here?  You're going to be late!"

Rarity put her hooves on Spike's back and shoved him toward the front door.

"But, Rarity, the music shop is only a couple minutes away! I'm not going to be late."

Rarity rolled her eyes and nudged him out the door. "Spike, a proper gentlecolt always arrives early for an engagement. Arriving barely on time demonstrates terrible manners on the stallion's part."

Spike let out a sigh,knowing it would be useless to refute Rarity's points on the matter. "Alright, I'll go."

"Excellent," Rarity said with a giddy grin. "Now, I'll arrive at the restaurant a few minutes after you, so keep an eye out, alright?"

"Got it," Spike replied. "See you later!"

Spike sprung off the porch, a skip in his step, and hurried off to meet his date.


*****


"Oh, Spike! You're here a bit early." Octavia smiled at Spike who shuffled his way into the store.

"Yeah, I just, you know, wanted to make sure I wasn't late."

"Heh, well good for you," she replied with a smile. "Vinyl, however, is late for everything, so you may end up waiting around for a bit."

"It's cool. They won't give away our reservations or anything, so no hurry."

Spike shrugged and walked over to the CD racks to pass the time scrutinising the various artists therein.

"Huh," Spike said, picking up an album from the 'New Music' section. "I can't believe The Red Saddle Apparatus still makes music. I thought they left the scene years ago."

Spike glanced over the tracklist of the album and made a mental note to pick it up later. He put it back in its place and glanced over the other albums on display.

"Woah!" Spike dashed over to another album. "Betraying the Mares has a new one, too? Gosh, I've been missing out."

"Oh yeah, definitely," a voice said from behind Spike. "Prench bands totally know how to go hard, and that album is brutal."

Spike jumped in surprise, but was smiling again as soon as he saw Vinyl's cool smile.

"Oh, Vinyl....sup?" he said, attempting to regain his composure.

"Heh, not much," she said. "It seems I've seen this scene before, though."

Spike scratched his head for a moment before it hit him. "Oh yeah, this is where we met, right?"

"Yep. You looking at new music and me executing a perfect surprise entrance."

The both of them chuckled for a moment before it toned down.

After Spike brought his attention back to Vinyl, he was almost floored by something he had failed to notice earlier.

"Wow, Vinyl, I've never seen you wear a dress before. You look amazing!"

Vinyl was wearing a very elegant crystal blue dress that perfectly matched her mane, which had been neatly brushed in place, whilst still retaining its natural flare. The dress was lengthy, but left just enough of her left flank uncovered to tug at the imagination. That, coupled with the silver necklace and light, yet infectious amount of makeup she put on, she was truly a sight to behold.

"Heh, thanks," she replied, a light pink tint forming on her cheeks. "You look pretty good yourself. You're rockin' that bowtie."

Spike goofily smiled and chuckled. "Thanks. I've learned a lot about how to dress from hanging with Rarity. Glad that info finally came in handy."

"Heh, that makes one of us. Octavia has always been the more fashion conscious of us, so I really have no idea what I'm doing when looking for a dress or whatever."

Spike snickered and smiled. "Well, you look amazing, so don't worry."

The two heard hoofsteps come from across the room and were greeted with the sight of a jaw-dropped Octavia. 

"Vinyl? You're actually early for once? I'm speechless..."

"Well yeah," she said with a nervous laugh. "I didn't want to make Spike have to wait around forever or make us late."

"Uh-huh....says the mare who was late to her own graduation party," Octavia said.

Vinyl rolled her eyes and chuckled. "What can I say? That was then, this is now." 

"Indeed," Octavia said, rolling her eyes.

"Anyway... I'd say it's high time me and Spike took off. Right, Spike?"

"Uh, yeah, let's get going," Spike replied with a smile. 

Vinyl waved a hoof at her friend and walked toward the door. "Later, Octavia. I'll see you tomorrow."

Spike dashed up to the door and held it open for Vinyl who smiled at him as she walked by.

"Yeah, see you later, Octavia," Spike said from the doorway. "Thanks for letting me hang here for awhile."

"No problem," she replied with a wave. "You two have fun!"


*****


Spike and Vinyl strolled through town on their way to the restaurant, occasionally brushing sides and glancing at each other. It was awkward and tense, yet an undeniably warm vibe radiated in the air between them.

Spike cleared his throat and decided to make an effort to clear the air. "So, how have you been? You know, since the last time I saw you a couple days ago." 

"Pretty good, same old same old," Vinyl said. "I found out it's impossible to microwave a Cheesy Pocket. Every time I tried it was either completely frozen on the inside, or it was tongue scorching hot. Not cool."

"Oh man, I've been there," Spike said. "You have like a five second window where it's perfectly cooked, and if you miss it, there's no going back."

"Hehe, I tell you what would really impress me, is if this restaurant we go to can serve a perfectly cooked Cheesy Pocket. That would take true cooking skill."

The two broke into a fit of laughter, which seemed to be a common theme for their relationship. A few ponies they passed cast a curious glance or two, but the couple didn't care.

Spike eventually got his laughter under control, as did Vinyl, and that was when he noticed just how he felt with her. Every time he looked at her he could feel his face heat up and his heart quicken. He found it hard to pull his eyes away from her at times, and when they made eye contact, he felt his stomach do a flip.

He was falling in love.

Spike quickly dropped his gaze to the ground in an effort to clear his thoughts, but he couldn't stop thinking about the mare next to him. And frankly, he didn't want to stop thinking about her.

"So, uh, Vinyl?" he asked.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming out with me tonight and everything. It's, uh, nice.... Nice to be able to spend time with you like this."

"Oh, um, it's no problem , Spike. I'm glad to be here."

Vinyl lightly blushed and opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. Instead, she inched closer to Spike to where their sides were consistently brushing together. She would've liked to be able to reach out and link his claw with her hoof, but that would've made walking difficult, so she settled for this.

Spike felt the soft sensation of Vinyl's coat brushing against him and his face morphed into a grin that he couldn't erase and his heart started beating faster than a drum riff. He wanted to say something. Just get all the thoughts and feelings he had inside out, but for the moment, just being next to Vinyl like this made everything okay. As far as he was concerned, talking could wait for dinner. 


*****


The two made their way to the restaurant in pleasant silence where a moderate line of ponies were already waiting outside for their seats. It was an elegant establishment: two stories with a second-floor balcony, pristine wooden architecture, a beautiful garden walkway leading to the entrance gate. It was every bit what one would expect from something labeled 'fancy'.

"Woah," Vinyl said, wide-eyed, as the two approached the waiting line. "This place is crazy! I almost feel underdressed."

"Tell me about it," Spike replied. "No wonder this is where all the high profile ponies eat."

"You did get reservations, right?" Vinyl asked. "Something tells me we won't be getting in without one."

"Of course," Spike said with a wink. "It wasn't easy, but I got it covered."

"Sweet action. Let's just hope the food can match the building itself, 'kuz I'm hungry!"

As if in unison, Spike and Vinyl's stomachs growled at the same time.

"Heh, I'll second that," Spike said. "At least we're almost to the front of the line."

After a few more moments of inching forward, the two found themselves next in line, where a very snooty stallion was awaiting them. Slicked back man, pressed tuxedo, perfectly curled mustache - he was every bit the high-society kind of pony one would expect to find at this restaurant.

The stallion turned his gaze from his guest list to Spike and Vinyl and cocked his eyebrows suspiciously.

"I'm sorry, but seating here is by reservation only, seeing as we cater to the upper-echelon of society... Please move along."

"Hey, it just so happens I have a reservation for two tonight. It will be under the name 'Spike'. Here's my ID."

The snooty pony glanced over the guest list, scrutinised the ID card bearing Spike's information  and shot his gaze back up. "I apologise, Mr. Spike. My mistake. You'll have your table ready for you on the second floor. Enjoy your visit."

"Thanks," Spike replied, leading Vinyl inside. "We will."

The two entered the building, which was every bit as elegant as the outside. Chandeliers decorated the ceilings; freshly polished wood floors and walls were perfectly smooth and clean down to the smallest detail; a beautiful fountain created the centrepiece to the entire room. The building dripped with the aire of extravagance and elegance.

Spike led Vinyl by her hoof up the wooden staircase and found their table in the back corner of the room. It was a secluded area, perfect for those who wanted a bit of privacy from the rest of the restaurant.

Vinyl smiled as Spike pulled her seat out for her and then sat down. He took his seat right across from her.

"So, this place is pretty... amazing," Vinyl said, looking around her. "That dude at the front was pretty rude to you, though."

"Yeah, it happens all the time," Spike said, letting out a sigh. "These high-society types don't really take me seriously because of the scales. Every time I go to a fancy banquet or something with Twilight on her political ventures, it's the same. Someone saying how I don't belong or that I should go back with my own kind. I get used to it."

"Oh. That kinda sucks."

"Perks of being a dragon, I guess," Spike replied with a light chuckle. 

After a brief exchange of laughter, the two began to intently study their menus. Spike used the opportunity to take a quick glance around the restaurant. Rarity should be arriving any minute and he wanted to be ready. 


*****


"Oh, of all the places to leave my earrings, I just had to leave them on top of the bathroom counter!" Rarity huffed, briskly trotting down the road to the restaurant. "Now I'm running late when Spike needs me the most!"

She was already ten minutes behind her perfectly timed schedule and knew that every second more she was late was another second of Spike possibly caterwauling on his date, which was something she was not going to allow!

Rarity rushed as much as she could without breaking a sweat and arrived at the gates of the restaurant, where a sizable line extended halfway down the entrance path.

"Ugh! A line? Why me?" 

Rarity gathered herself and took her place at the end of the line. 

"It is okay, Rarity. The line is moving and soon you will be inside, before Spike even has a chance to miss you."

After a few minutes of waiting in line, Rarity could finally see the greeter ahead, admitting the ponies in front.

"Alright, reservation name and ID please," he said with no emotion whatsoever to the couple awaiting entrance.

Oh my goodness!

Rarity Immediately began sifting through her dress.

I don't have my ID! I must have left it on the table!

Entering full panic mode, Rarity began to sort all her available options, until a bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, taking a streak of blush with it.

Rarity! Get ahold of yourself! You can't let yourself get worked up like this. Besides, everypony knows who you are!

It was true that almost of every pony of every class knew of Rarity, and she was almost certain the staff at the restaurant knew her as well.

Of course, they all know who I am! Nobody is going to care if I have my ID or not!

...

"I care very deeply that you do not have your ID."

"But, sir! Don't you know who I am??" Rarity pleaded. 

The greeter stallion sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm terribly sorry, but I have neither the patience nor desire to remember every pony that comes and goes through these doors."

"B-But, I'm Rarity! Everypony in town knows me!"

"Well, that is obviously not the case. Now please step aside and stop bothering me with your nonsense."

Rarity's jaw fell open. "But my friend is in there. He needs me! Can't you please make an exception?"

Rarity flashed her biggest smile and batted her eyelashes.

"No."

Rarity stepped back in disbelief. Nopony has ever been able to resist her trademark eyelash flash. 

"Fine. But I'll have you know, you're going to be ruining my best friend's first date by not letting me in!"

"If I had any semblance of feelings, that may have registered with me.... But I don't. Next!"

Admitting defeat, Rarity trotted off, head held high, hoping to retain her dignity. She was not one to be deterred by a little setback. If her career of meeting clothing deadlines had taught her anything, it was that there is always more than one way to achieve your goal. 

She would just have to think of that other way.

Alright, Rarity, what are your options? You’re already over half an hour late, so going back home to get your ID is not an option. That accursed door-greeter stallion isn’t moving an inch, so flirting won’t help me out here.

Rarity paced back and forth in front of the restaurant gate entrance. She couldn’t think of anything remotely useful for her situation, and she was running out of time. 

I just need to find a way to- oomph!

Rarity looked up just in time to see her head collide with the cheek of another pony, sending them both to the ground.

Shaking off the stunned look on her face, Rarity jumped to her hooves with a red face.“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry! I wasn’t watching where I was… Octavia?”

Octavia turned her head from its place on the ground and instantly recognized the pony she had hit.

“Rarity?” Octavia responded, taking Rarity’s hoof to bring her to her hooves. “I’m sorry as well. I wasn’t really paying attention to anything around me. I was a little...distracted.”

“Oh, I know the feeling,” Rarity said, the nonchalant voice of the door greeter still fresh in mind. 

“Anyhow”, Octavia continued, “it is always a pleasure to run into a friend. Quite literally in our case.”

“Hehe, quite an accurate statement,” Rarity said with a chuckle.

“Now, if I may ask, what brings you here? I don’t mean to pry, but you seem a bit...flustered.”

Rarity let out a deep sigh. “I’m here to help Spike. As you know, he’s on a date tonight and I wanted to make sure it went perfectly for the poor dear. He’s just had so many negative experiences in the past, so I planned on helping out from afar.”

Octavia chuckled. “So… you mean you were spying?”

“Of course not! ...Well, not exactly. He knew I was going to be there, but it was supposed to be secretive so Vinyl wouldn’t notice.” 

Rarity realised she wasn’t helping her case, so she decided she would just have to turn the tables and point out the obvious. 

“Well, if I may ask, what exactly are you doing here?” Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow.

Octavia’s cheeks flushed a shade of red as she started to speak. “Well, my reasons, to be perfectly honest, are not that different from yours. I was just a tad concerned for Vinyl so I thought I’d pop in for a second to check on her.”

“You mean ‘spy’?” Rarity said with a smirk.

“If you insist on using such crude terms…” Octavia said, nervously clearing her throat. “But the door-stallion refused to let me in because I wasn’t in proper attire.”

“You too?” Rarity asked. “He denied me because I forgot my ID! Of all the nerve!”

“I know right!” Octavia said.

The two dejected mares let out a sigh instantaneously.

“If only there was another way,” Rarity said.

“Agreed. Vinyl has a history of failed relationships. I wanted to help make this one work.”

“Spike is the same,” Rarity said with a pout. “We need a plan B.”

After a moment of silence, Octavia perked her head up, a big smile on her face.

“Wait, I have an idea.”


*****


“So then I told Twilight, ‘That’s not a test tube, that’s Sweetie Belle!’” 

Spike broke into an uproarious laugh, followed by Vinyl spitting her drink and bits of chewed salad onto the table, laughing uncontrollably.

“Haha, oh my god! I just seriously can’t imagine the Princess doing something like that!” Vinyl tried and failed to control her laughter.

Spike wiped a few stray tears from his eye and looked back at Vinyl. “Heh, you think that’s good, just wait until I tell you about the time she accidentally sent Celestia some, shall we say, inappropriate messages to Celestia after she had a bit too much ale.”

“Okay, next time we go out, you’ve gotta tell me that story,” Vinyl said.

Next time?

Spike blinked his eyes, unsure of what he had just heard. “Did you say ‘next time’?”

“Yeah, is that a problem?” Vinyl said with a wink. “You didn’t honestly think I was one of those one and done mares, did you?”

“Well, no, I just-”

“Besides... I really like hanging out with you.” Vinyl looked into his eyes and curled her lips into a smile.

Spike’s cheeks flushed as the words slipped into his ears. The mere fact that she used a sentence containing the words like and you about him was more than enough to make his heart jump, but the way she looked at him… words couldn’t do it justice.

“Thanks. Honestly, I feel the same way.” Spike grinned and twiddled his claws on the table. “Although, I guess asking you out in the first place was a good sign of that in the first place.”

Vinyl chuckled and gently took Spike’s claw in her own. “You know, a part of me didn’t even want to come tonight. I was afraid I’d just mess things up or do something stupid, you know?”

Spike grinned and cautiously maneuvered his claw into a loose hold of Vinyl’s hoof. “I know the feeling, trust me. But if you haven’t learned yet, I’m the one who does stupid stuff. You just have to clean up afterwards.”

Vinyl couldn’t resist a chuckle for what had to be the hundredth time in the past hour. “Yeah, no arguments there. But it keeps things interesting at least.”

“Definitely.”

Spike and Vinyl looked at each other for a moment, letting the atmosphere and emotions run over them. They both had on goofy smiles and were locked, eye to eye. 

After a few more seconds of enjoying the moment, Spike managed to separate himself and take notice of the empty plates decorating the table.

“You know, Vinyl, the date’s not over yet,” he said.

“Oh?”

“Nope. We’ve got one more stop.” Spike took a few bits out of his jacket pocket and left them on the table before hopping to his feet.

Vinyl followed suit and slid up next to her date. “Okay, I’m interested. Where are we going?”

“Oh, nowhere special,” Spike said, leading Vinyl down the stairs leading to the first floor. “You like music, right?”


*****


“What do you see?” Rarity called out to Octavia.

“Wait, just give me a second,” Octavia replied, trying to maneuver herself into good position. “This isn’t as easy as it looks, you know.”

When Octavia said she had an idea, Rarity had no idea it would require sneaking around the back of the building, trekking through bushes and all sorts of thorned foliage, and then have one of them climb a low-hanging tree to spy in through the second-floor window.

Oh, if only you knew what I go through for you, Spike.

“Alright, now I can see,” Octavia called down to Rarity, trying her best to not draw attention to them.

“Oh, marvelous,” Rarity said. “What are they doing? Is it a disaster?”

Octavia rubbed her eyes trying to verify what she was seeing. “Umm, no, it’s-”

“A complete meltdown?”

“No, it’s-”

“A catastrophe!” 

“No!” Octavia said, halting Rarity’s tirade. “It’s actually going...well.”

“Well?”

“Yeah, well,” Octavia said, eyebrows bent in a curious look. “Really well.”

“How do you mean?” Rarity asked, just as curious.

“They’re holding hooves, and staring into each other’s eyes, and smiling… They look so happy.”

Rarity didn’t know what to think. On one hoof, she was excited that Spike was apparently having a wonderful night with somepony special. On the other, the fact that his wonderful night had nothing to do with her help left her feeling somewhat left behind. Especially considering all the history they had together.

“Oh, that’s wonderful,” Rarity said with a broken tone. “Perhaps we should-”

“Wait! They’re on the move!” Octavia said, inching forward on the branch. “They’re getting closer to each other, about to head down the stairs and…”

SNAP!

Octavia experienced a flashing moment of recognition as the branch she was perched on fell from beneath her.

“Ahh!”

“Octavi- Oomph!” 

Octavia’s landing was mercifully cushioned by a white unicorn. A unicorn who was now flattened beneath her.

“Oh, that was unpleasant,” Octavia said, shaking off the dizziness. “Rarity, where are… Oh!” Octavia looked beneath her and jumped off of her immediately. “Oh, Rarity, are you okay?”

Rarity took Octavia’s extended hoof and pulled herself to her hooves. “Ugh, I’m okay, just a little shaken. Ah!”

Rarity tried to take a step but had her leg buckle beneath her in pain. “Oh, well, maybe ‘okay’ isn’t the most accurate word.”

“Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry! This is my fault.” Octavia rushed to Rarity’s side and let her rest her weight against her. “Come on, let’s get back to my home. It’s just up the road. We can look at your hoof there.”

Rarity attempted to put weight on her hoof, and was met with searing pain. “Normally I’m not one to impose, but I can make an exception this time.”

“Alright, let’s go. We need to get out of here anyway in case somepony heard us.” Octavia gently guided Rarity back to the exit of the restaurant. “I’m not sure I could explain that to authorities.”

Rarity let out a small chuckle. “Very true. But just one thing: What about Spike and Vinyl? Will they be okay?”

Octavia let grinned and rolled her eyes. “Judging by the looks on their faces, they’ll be a lot more than okay.”


*****


Spike led Vinyl into a large room decorated with large sofas,  a few coffee tables, a tiled dancing area, and a stage on the far side. The subtle aroma of expensive wine and perfume wafted through the air as they stepped further in.

“Wow,” Vinyl said, looking all around her. “I knew this place had a lounge in it, but I didn’t expect it to be anything this, this… awesome. I feel like I’m in one of those old romance movies.”

Spike smiled proudly. “Eeyup. Welcome to the VIP lounge. Free beverages, relaxed atmosphere and live local music every night.”

“Sweet,” Vinyl said with a smile. “This is awesome.”

“Yeah, well, I wanted things to be special tonight,” Spike said, twiddling his claws together.

“Dude, you succeeded on every level.”

Spike blushed and turned his head away, trying to hide his glowing red face. “No problem.”

Spike mustered up his cool and led Vinyl over to an empty loveseat near the stage. 

“The show should be starting soon,” Spike said. “I’m not a hundred percent sure who’s playing, but it’s usually quality music.”

“Awesome. And we get front row seats.” Vinyl smiled and sunk back into the seat.

Spike nestled into his seat as well, enjoying the comfort and the company. He didn’t get long to rest, though, before a smooth voice came over the speaker system by the stage.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlecolts,” said a sharp-dressed earth pony. “Tonight, we have a newcomer to the stage to play for you and help you enjoy your afternoon.”

Vinyl perked up her ears and opened her eyes at the announcement. “Oh, Spike, it’s starting.”

“Everypony, please welcome to the stage, Ghost Dust!”

A charcoal coloured batpony with a messily styled golden mane trotted onto the stage.

“Hey everypony! Thank you for coming around tonight,” Ghost Dust said from the stage. “To get things started, let’s play a nice, smooth song, for all you couples out there.”

A delicate blend of slow pop and jazz music started playing through the speakers. It was rhythmic, steady, yet carried a certain passion with it.

Vinyl couldn’t help tapping her hooves in time with the beat, while Spike was nodding his head along with the smooth rhythm.

Vinyl cautiously turned her head to Spike and nudged his shoulder. “Hey, Spike?”

“Yeah?” 

“Do you wanna dance?” Vinyl asked, pointing a hoof toward the dance area where a few couples had already begun.

“Dance? Us?” Spike said, feeling his face heat up.

“Yeah. It’s not very often I get to enjoy a music show from the other side of the stage.”

Spike was no master, but he did know a few dance moves. However, that was solo-dancing. Dancing with a partner, especially one he liked this much, could get very awkward very fast. But, he really didn’t want to put a stake in the mood by saying no.

“Sure thing,” he said, hopping off the couch, followed by Vinyl. “I’m no expert though.”

“Don’t worry,” Vinyl said, taking his claws and pulling him close to her. “It’s not about style. It’s about the mood.”

Vinyl gently moved Spike’s claws to her shoulder and torso, and she leaned into him. She then put her front hooves around his shoulders and leaned into him. Given his somewhat smaller size, it was a tad awkward at first, but they eventually found a comfortable rhythm with each other.

“Alright, Spike, just relax and move with the music.”

“Music. Got it.”

As the music played, Spike and Vinyl moved closer and closer to each other until they were locked in a tight hug. The deep, romantic tones, slow beat and beautiful vocals made every sway of their bodies an intimate experience.

For Spike, the night had gone perfectly. He hadn't even needed Rarity's help. It had been a long time since he felt so close to another. Having her so close to him... It was heaven.

For Vinyl, it was all she could do to not giggle like a school filly. She never expected Spike would go through so much effort to make their night special, much less make her feel special. She couldn't remember the last time she actually felt so cared about.

"Hey, Spike?" Vinyl asked, pulling back from Spike. 

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for tonight." 

Without a second thought, Vinyl moved in close to Spike and placed her lips on his.

Spike was unsure how to react at first, being part flustered and part excited, but after a few seconds of feeling her lips locked on his, he decided to react to the moment, and wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss.

After a few more seconds, Vinyl pulled back, a slight red tinge on her cheeks. 

"So, umm, yeah... Thanks." She said with a chuckle.

"The pleasure is all mine," Spike said with a chuckle. "We totally need to do this again."

"You know it."

The two moved, hoof in claw, back to their seat as the final beat of the music dissipated, replaced by hoof-claps from the various ponies present. 

"Thanks everyone," Ghost Dust said, waving a hoof to the crowd. "That was an original song I wrote. Its called Heart Invasion."