//------------------------------// // See You At The Aftermath // Story: Heart Invasion 101 // by FamousLastWords //------------------------------// Octavia struggled to hold on to her sanity as her ears were being battered by her best friends' non stop jabbering for the third straight hour. From the moment she opened the doors at her music shop in the morning, Vinyl had been going over every detail of her date the night before. Every. Last. Detail. "Vinyl, its not that I'm not happy for you, but I'm trying to work. I've got a lot to do and-" "That's great, Octy. So, tell me something. Did I go a little too far when I brushed my tail against him?" Octavia dropped her head into a hoof. There was no getting through to her. She walked over to the wind instrument section in hopes of maintaining some form of personal space, but Vinyl followed right behind like a lost puppy. "I mean, it wasn't like I straight up gave him an open invitation to the kitchen or anything," Vinyl continued, chin on hoof, "but, you know, I wanted to give him a little snack at least." "Vinyl, please," Octavia said, putting her hoof over her friend's mouth. "We have customers!" Vinyl looked around at the floor area dotted with various ponies. "And your point is?" "Ugh, never mind." She shook her head and trotted back toward the front checkout area where a young stallion was waiting with a small bundle of items. "How are you doing today, sir? Did you find everything okay?" The stallion opened his mouth to reply, but Octavia was quickly met with a different voice. "Anyway, Octy, moving on to a different question..." The customer coughed nervously and attempted to try speaking once more. "Well, I did, but-" "I was thinking about running by his place today to say what's up," Vinyl said, oblivious to the stallion right beside her. "But do you think that's a bit too soon?" "Vinyl, I'm trying to help a customer!" Octavia said, a rumbling growl beginning to resonate in her voice. Vinyl turned to the stallion next to her who was now supporting an increasingly bent frown. "Oh, hey, what's up man? Anyway, I'm second-guessing the whole stopping by thing 'cause I know there's the whole 'wait three days' call-back rule, but I kinda wanna see him anyway." "Excuse me," the stallion said," but I'm trying to get some service here." "Dude, chill. Anyway, Octy, Spike is a really cool dude and I don't want him to think I'm just a one-shot kind of mare-" "Excuse me?" The stallion butted in once more. "-'cause I'm not a one-shot mare!" "Excuse me!" "But he might think that I am if I don't-" "EXCUSE ME!" Vinyl stopped and looked at the fuming stallion next to her, then at her intended audience, who had her face flatly pressed against the counter. "Woah, rude much?" Vinyl said, pointing at the customer. "Interrupting is totally not cool." "Well, I'm sorry to interrupt your life story here, but I need to buy these guitar strings and be on my way! Your conversation can wait!" "Uh, no it can't, bro. Unlike your little deal here, what I'm talking about is important." With an angry huff, the stallion tossed his items down and stormed toward the exit. "Wait, sir!" Octavia said, jumping over the counter to go after him. "How about we give you a discount? A free piano lesson?" Without looking back, the angry stallion stuck his snout in the air and burst out the door. Vinyl casually walked up to Octavia who had her face pointed toward the ground. "Well, glad he's gone. Who needs that kind of attitude? Anyway, where was I....oh yeah, the three day rule." In a flash of motion, Octavia swung her body around and met Vinyl face-to-face. "I needed him around! I've been trying to move that particular piece of inventory all week, and you just pushed it out the door!" Vinyl shrunk beneath the wrathful gaze of Octavia. "Sorry, Octavia, I just wanted your opinion on some stuff. I mean, it was a big night and-" Octavia let out a deep sigh and shook her head. "Look, Vinyl, I understand you have got a lot on your mind, but right now, I have to work. Please, just leave. I promise we can talk when I get home, tonight." "Fine, be that way," Vinyl said, nose turned to the air. "I've got better things to do anyway." "Alright, Vinyl," Octavia said, watching Vinyl head to the exit. I'll see you tonight. Try and stay out of trouble today." Without looking back, Vinyl trotted out the front door. It wasn't uncommon for her to push Octavia's buttons, but if the bulging veins on her forehead were any sign, she really ticked her off this time. "Psh, putting inventory in front of her best friend. So not cool." Vinyl looked at her immediate surroundings. It was still early in the afternoon and she had the whole day ahead of her, so she wasn't in the mood to head home yet. But without Octavia, she didn't have a whole lot else to do, seeing as how limited her association with the local ponies had been. Vinyl rubbed her chin in thought and began walking aimlessly. "What to do, what to do?" The question of what she wanted to do was actually irrelevant at this point. It was more or less a question of whether or not she should do what she wanted. She wanted to see Spike. A small smile spread across her lips as she thought about him. Her heartbeat quickened as she remembered the night before. The effort and care he put into the date. The way he made her laugh and smile with almost everything he said. The way he looked at her every time they touched. The scintillating feel of his claws running through her fur. The texture and taste of his tongue and lips wrapped with hers when they kissed... It made her heart melt to think about it, and that was just the first of what she hoped would be many dates. She really wanted to see him. As she walked about in thought, she was completely oblivious to the direction she was headed. That being said, when she raised her head and saw the large tree that was home to the object of her thoughts himself, her mouth hung agape. It would appear that fate itself had solved the conundrum of how she would spend her afternoon. After a few chin-scratching seconds of pondering her options, Vinyl came to a decision. “Meh, forget the rules. I don’t think it’d hurt to just step in and say hi.” Unfortunately, the only one home was one overly-stressed purple alicorn princess. One who had been meaning to have a good talk with her life-long friend’s romantic interest.