Between A Rock And A Hard Place
A Rolling Stone
“See! See!” Pinkie exclaimed happily. “I told you that my bestest best friend was the most fashionest fashionista of all the ponies! I knew she would make you a lovely dress for the Gala!”
Maud raised her hoof and checked the dress Rarity made her.
“Well, what do you think darling?” asked Rarity.
“I seemed to have lost Boulder...” replied Maud.
Tom sat there in the corner, unmoving. It seemed that his life was in a rut. Wake up to the sun, sit there in the corner, and during his free time, hang out at the local Hard Rock Cafe with his friends Ore and Basalt.
His mind kept replaying the conversation he had with Ore. It seemed that Ore was right. Leave it to the engineer to tell him that the only sine he should expect from love was that love hertz.
Tom thought about his mother and how she always told him that a rolling stone gathers no moss. He had spent most of his life enjoying each and every moment, but after Pebbles broke his heart, it seemed that sitting there in stone cold silence, moping, and brooding was the only thing he could do. He had hit rock bottom and he felt worse than dirt
Clink! Clank!
Tom was shaken from his stupor. It seemed that the being that found him, the white, radiant angel that was seemed to be made up of gems, had once again brought forth another of her creation into this deep, dark world that she called her basement.
Tom sat still, silent as a rock, not wanting to give his position in case this creation was hostile like the hissing ball of fur that roamed the dark depths and had tried but failed to put a scratch on him.
Tom scanned his surroundings and he was completely and absolutely enamored by what he saw.
Tom had to dig deep to keep consciousness. What lay a few stones away from him was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Sure, she had her cracks and imperfections, but she was undoubtedly a high quality gem. He believed that if ever this creature ever left this world, the earth would quake, the mountains would shatter, and the oceans would boil upon knowing that this world would never see a beauty such as hers ever again.
He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He felt an avalanche of emotions, as if he was buried by a landslide. Here he was, down in the dirt, and yet now, he had the chance to admire the beauty of this stranger. Other rocks had to go to the ends of the earth just to see beauty such as this.
He had to get back down to earth. He had to gather his marbles. He had to get a grip or he would probably just soil himself from his nervousness.
He tried to speak, but felt his courage eroding. How could he, a tiny infinitesimal grain of sand in an endless beach ever hope to catch her attention? He had to find a way! Merely kissing and worshipping the ground she stood on was not enough.
Tom took a deep breath. He felt a meteoric rise in his confidence. He delved deep into his very core, trying to find the courage to speak to this delicate creature. But once again his courage crumbled when he saw a pillar of light being cast upon this dazzling diamond. It was as if the heavens themselves was weighing him, measuring his resolve, and founding him wanting.
Tom took another deep breath. He tried to remember the spark that netted him Pebbles, but all he remembered was how they made the bed rock early in their relationship, and the rocky patches they had hit late that led to their breakup. He tried to remember the pick-up line he used on Marble, but all he came up with was a blank slate. He felt like mud.
The light shifted ever so slightly, giving the illusion of movement and Tom felt that this beautiful creature was looking at him. He imagined her seeing his weathered lines and the cracks in his exterior. He imagined her mocking his imperfections. He once again felt the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“No, I do not want a rocky start to this relationship. I will not let my fear petrify me!” thought Tom. “Nothing is set in stone. I have to stop digging my own grave. The relationship has yet to start and all I’m thinking about is that it’s already in ruins.”
Once again Tom took another deep breath. He imagined his idols “Stone Cold” Steed Austin and Dwayne “The Rock” Coltson telling him to harden his resolve for he might never get a chance like this again. He imagined them telling him that chicks dig down to earth guys.
His mind wandered to his favourite rock songs, about how never giving it a try was even worse than regret.
Tom might have been a rock, but he had steeled himself for what was to come and he started rolling towards the beautiful creature.
As Tom neared her, time seemed to stop. He felt a hammering in his core, like his insides were being pounded into dust. His mind felt like it was stoned, unable to process the world around it. Sooner or later, his emotions would bowl him over. But Tom was ready! He would not let his confidence erode once again.
The beautiful angel, startled by the presence next to her, turned around. What she saw took her breath away. She felt her foundations collapsing. There, in front of her, was concrete evidence of love at first sight. He had a chiselled frame, blue gem like orbs that seemed to draw you in, and at the same time tell you that everything will be alright. She didn’t know what came over her.
“Hi, I’m Boulder!”
“Tom”
And with those few words, the stepping stones to a wonderful relationship was set.
Author's Note
I'm pretty sure that somewhere out there my OC, Rocky (Luna's pet lunar rock) is wondering why I didn't cast him in this fic...