The Rose In The Backgroundby TLCChaptersThe Beautiful RoseThe Hatted FoolThe Fated EncounterA Hypothesis To Theorize Empty Spaces (Non-Chapter)RedThe Beautiful RoseThe Rose In The Background Chapter One "The Beautiful Rose" I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong for it. I mean no harm, only pure and honest intentions come from my actions through this venture. I have no ulterior motives, no dark tones behind my eyes. Just a stallion wanting love, love from her. The hole in my life that had appeared the moment I laid eyes on her eats away at my being with every day she isn't mine. The thought of simply approaching her makes my spine shiver in anxiety. She stands there now, her red mane blowing in the steady breeze of the Fall. It teases away her ivory green eyes, them being filled with the dullness of the slow work day. Her flower stand in the center of town had received no more then the normal three visitors that day, but of course not many would buy flowers for their gardens at this time of year. If only I weren't but a coward, I would buy her entire stand. She looks towards the skies, clouds of dark shades glide over head. It will rain later, it had been this whole week on and off. On a day like this, she would usually close up early and head back to her small home just down the street past the library. I know this because I would watch her as she went, half of me not wanting her to leave my sight and the other making sure she got home alright. Today, however, was different. She wasn't leaving, and again, neither was I. You may ask who am I, the lonely pony observing the object of my every desire. I, the yellow stallion only known around town as 'Tops' because of my liking of top hats and being a proud wearer of one, sell hats and jewelry just across the street from the lovely flower mare's stand. My stand receives a decent amount of customers a week, this being my part time hobby. At night, I work down at the humble bar known as The Golden Mare as the barkeeper. This affair me and the mare across from me have been a part of has been going on for three years or so, and there was not one out of the one thousand and ninety-five days that she wasn't on my mind. Every now and again, she wouldn't set up shop probably due to a family or friend arrangement, or a cold maybe. But then that next time I saw her, my heart would skip possibly two beats. I probably sound like a bloody lunatic or a lowly romantic, but who are you to judge? Reading about such a life as mine makes you guilty by association. I look down at one of the many watches on my counter top, it reading five-fifteen. I sigh, looking back up at the flower stand, and freeze. She was looking over at me. Every strand of fur on my body stood on end as I nearly knock over the hat stack to my left. She giggles, I could hear it faintly. Her smile causes my cheeks to burn and my mouth to run dry. Any chance I get, I try to snapshot her expression with my mind so I could remember this. I made her smile...By Celestia, I made her laugh! When all was calm, she began to pack up her flowers in small bags and place them on the same small rose red cart she always did. At the same time, I would pack up my wears. When she left for home, I would stay. As she reached the site of the library, she turned back. To avoid getting caught, I quickly looked down and back to my carrying case. I stayed in this position until I was sure she was gone. Silently cursing myself, I continued my venture home. ~*~*~ And even by her stare, I am rendered useless. I walk down the same path as she, her being way ahead of me. My head is low, the brim of my hat hiding my eyes away as I walk. My carrying case of merchandise is hooked around my back leg. As I opened my home's dark brown door, I am once again greeted by the dark and emptiness of my house. Greeted by the same beige walls, one coated in picture frames with photos of family. My eyes fall to the sofa, its soft ivory green fabric meets my skin as I fall upon its cushions. I hear my carrying case hit the ground with a hollow thud, but I don't mind. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small dark red mound on my floor. I grab the small pillow and hold it to my chest. Am I only so pathetic? Am I the only one in the world with such a problem as this? Not having the courage to speak to the love of my life, so I can only watch as she goes by like the blooming rose in the distance that she rightfully is? I can imagine the words I want to say to her, I can dream of the scenery as I do. We sit in the most luxurious restaurant, her in a beautiful maroon dress and her mane tied up into a bun, and me in a white tuxedo, a red handkerchief in my chest pocket. Red wine sits on the the table alongside a menorah of candles, the silverware and her eyes gleaming from the dancing flames before us. My hoof lays upon hers, her fur feels so soft to the touch. She smiles, my heart races and my breathing quickens. I speak in almost a whisper, my words are of the essence of love itself. In an instant, we are outside on a balcony. In the sky, the stars dance around the full moon. Our eyes mirror each other as I near her face. I could feel her breathing on my muzzle as our lips just barely graze each other before making contact. But, yet here I lay. There is no such event, no wine, no restaurant. Like I could afford such an act. *ringing* I am sadly brought out of my thoughts by my damned alarm clock, nagging me to be on my way to the Mare. As I hop off my sofa and near the door, I turn back to gaze around my living room. Such an average place, such a dull place. So empty. I open the door and make way for the bar. The Hatted FoolThe Rose In The Background **Chapter Two** "The Hatted Fool" I know how you'll all see me, and I don't blame you. But don't look down on me for what I try to avoid. I never really made an effort into dating or finding a mate, mostly because I never saw it as a major priority in my life. Over the years, dozens of my friends had found their special someone. I'm happy for them, why wouldn't I be? Everyone deserves happiness, just like every flower deserves its share of water and sunlight. The evening came with the storm, bringing rain and thick, dark clouds over head. My poor flowers would defiantly drown in the growing waters of the rain, with no signs of sunlight either. There were many more I kept inside, but the ones I grew in the fresh air and earth I kept close to my heart. Naturally grown was always the way my mother grew her flowers. There were dozens around my home. Many kinds; roses, sunflowers, tulips, poppies. They sat in their individual pots and sulked, staring out the window as if saddened by the rainfall. They weren't the only ones. I sat by the window as well, laying my chin on the arm rest of my favorite chair and counting the many drops as they slide down the glass. I imagined every two were in their own little race, starting from the moment they hit the window and as they made their way down, merging with the others for more speed. I began to count them, trying to take my mind off of him. I closed my eyes and tried to think of other things, the first of them being how I was going to pay this month's rent with my stand doing so poorly this season? I cursed the rain, being a flower mare is never easy when it comes to bad weather. Perhaps I should ask Lyra or Bon Bon if I could help around their candy shop, maybe Pinkie can throw me a line over at Sugarcube Corner. I wonder if he...Ugh! It was then as I raised a hoof to my forehead and let out a frustrated sigh that I realized I could no longer fight back his presence behind my foolish thoughts of rain drops and financial issues. I turned over and laid on my back, staring up at the rose colored and letting out a long sigh which gave me shivers. I hated it, but liked it at the same time. My heart can't ignore what my head tells me to leave alone. That...hatted fool. I didn't even know his name and yet something brought up some sort of interest? He's just some random stallion, probably doesn't even live in town. He looks to majestic to live among ponies like us. "Probably has a big house up in Canterlot..." I spoke aloud, then looked around. Another sigh escaped my lips. The stallion had brought some sort of energy out of me, causing me to talk to myself. What was it about him? What made him different than any other stallion I've ever seen? He was watching me this afternoon while at our stalls. He looked like he was lost in some kind of daydream. I must have startled him due to his sudden realization involving him knocking over some of his equipment. He was watching me, and I liked it. Sometimes I would wonder if he always did. Maybe he does, and this time I caught him. The way his face lit up, the way he lost balanced as our eyes met... I hugged myself, a smile tugging at my lips. I couldn't help it, he was just so...adorable? Cute? How can I describe him? I couldn't think of the word, perhaps it's because I don't even know him at all. I just know him as the fancy stallion who runs the stall across from mine. The way he looked so entranced while he stared, I wonder what he was thinking about that made him so startled as he can to? I had never spoken to him, not a word. Not even a subtle wave, or a simple hello. Only occasionally our glances would meet, he would hide behind his stall and I'd stay behind mine. He always seems so seclusive, always keeping to himself. I would never find him anywhere else, not at the grocery store, the bakery, the park. But everyday I run my flower stall, he was there. His golden brown eyes gazing into mine from only a few yards away, his brown fur, his cute fancy top hat resting atop his head. I wondered what kind of mane he had. Was it matted and messy? Or maybe it was short, neat and tidy like all of those Canterlot ponies? Did he have an accent? You would think I was a filly with her first crush, hearing me obsessed over something as feeble as looks and accents. What hobbies did he partake in? Those watches and hats, did he make them? Was he a craftier, was his home not one of riches but of self created master pieces? Were the walls cover with his own paintings that had showered him with bits from all of those art collectors and fellow artists? Maybe instead of paintings, he has a closet filled with the most handsome hoof weaved suits, tuxedos and possibly...dresses? Maybe he would make me a dress... I foalishly thought. ...maybe one covered in rose petals and the fabric an ivory green... What if he thought about me...I would ask myself, immediately doubting it and casting it aside. Just thinking this sends an all new shiver to my spine, making me arch my back slightly. Why would he be thinking of me, a mare who can barely keep up with the rent let alone a relationship? Why would- My thoughts were cut off by the sound of my door bell, followed by several knocks. I rise up from my chair and approach the red door, opening to two familiar faces. The Fated EncounterThe Rose In The Background Chapter Three "The Unintended Encounter" Hours into the cold of the night, the Golden Mare was cluttered and noisy with ponies a plenty. I stood outside the establishment, the neon sign flickering at an inconsistent rate. The sky was blanketed with dozens of twinkling stars, each one staring down at me as I stared back, with only the rose mare on my mind. It was damned near torture. How could I have let this mare I've said not a word to, have my every sense by the gall? Her ivory gaze still penetrating my psych, I approach the worn door to the tavern and push it open. Just then, the thick stench of cider and cigarettes filled my nostrils and warmed my senses. With a wheeze and a light cough, I stepped inside and made my way past the many tables towards the bar. "Hey, Tops!" I heard my name and looked forward, my fellow employee Lime Rush waving me over whilst wiping down the bar. "What took you so long? This place is on fire tonight!" "R-Right." I say, lifting the bar latch and walking behind the counter. I already start to pick up glasses and bottles of cider in routine fashion, absent minded to the shouts of 'Bartender!' or 'Hey, past a couple shots this way!' After about ten or fifteen minutes of working, Lime Rush and I stood back and watched over the rowdy bunch. Out of my sight, Rush watches me with a curious glance. "Aye, you alright Tops?" He asks me, I turn to him. "You seem a little more out of it tonight." I let out a sigh, adjust my hat and scratching my neck. "It's nothing." "Wait! Don't tell me!" He says as he held up a hoof and placed one to his chin, looking as if in deep thought. "Hmm...would this have anything to do with a certain flower pony?" I lean against the bar, rolling my eyes. "You know me too well." "Come on, Tops." He tells me, leaning beside me with a hoof to my back. "You come here, slack jawed over this gal, and do absolutely nothing about it!" "And what, pray tell, do you expect me to do?" I ask him. Much to my dismay, he offers the answer I know all too well. "Just ask her out." Ask her out? Me, when I can't even manage a conversation rather a simple hello. I'm left in her wake a babbling fool, a fool who's lost in the seas of love and has no life preserver. She, the golden beacon of my lighthouse, illuminating from behind the hovering clouds and waves of doubt which tempt me not a step towards less I drown. "You make it sound so easy." I tell him, my voice dejected. "Tops, you're over-thinking this a bit." He says, wrapping a hoof around my shoulders. "You've clearly fallen for this mare, yeah?" "Completely." I can't but admit defeat to him. He nods. "Have you spoken to her? And not like a 'Hi' or 'Nice weather we have here', like a full on conversation." "Not exactly." I say. "What are you getting at?" "That's the first step." Lime Rush said, shaking me a bit. "Next time you see her, just walk up and start up a conversation. Compliment her flowers or ask her how the stall's doing." "That's not a bad idea..." I pondered. As negative I looked at the suggested, what did I really have to lose? No one is doubting me but my own self, shoving all possibilities of happiness and a tranquil future with this beautiful mare out of reach like a parent placing the cookie jar out of reach of their child...But why? Why can't I find it in myself to approach such a marvelous pony with any lack of confidence? "Tops?" Rush shook me. "Hey man, I can take care of the bar tonight. Just go home and get some rest, alright?" I turned to him and tried to fight my way to staying, but in that moment it seemed hopeless. Lime Rushed stared me down with a seriousness I've never seen from him. He must realize how much this is to me and finds that it means something to him as well. "Oh...alright." I say, slightly dejected. Before leaving, Lime Rush made me a drink for the road. It was his own specialty, named after himself due to it's lime hinted scent and flavor. As he slid the glass across the bar over to me, I could not ignore one special addition he added to the drink. He topped the drink with a tiny plastic rose as an ordainment. ~*~*~ The rain had finally stopped, my flowers weren't completely flooded by it which lightened the mood a bit. The clouds left the sky naked to the eyes of the world, revealing its stars as they danced above the lands sleeping heads. The smell of wet earth was heavy My hooves squished lightly on the wet soil leaving my cottage with the two unannounced guests that visited me an hour before. Bon Bon and Lyra had talked me into going out for the night, saying it would help me think and relax me. I tried to protest, the only thing I needed was my favorite chair, maybe a cup of coffee while I continue to pick apart my thoughts of him. But alas, it was no use. And I wielded no power against their urging as I know they want the best for me, these nightly fantasies are nothing but a constant distraction from my lonely reality. I didn't tell them exactly what was on my mind, or about the hatted stallion. As we journeyed into the night, both walked beside me. My eyes were straight ahead, but I could feel them scanning my expression. "Roseluck, you haven't said anything since we left." Lyra said, snapping me to attention. I blinked, shaking my head as I came down from the clouding thoughts. "I'm sorry. I guess I was just lost in thought for awhile." Bon Bon walked closer to me to lay a hoof on my back. "Sugar, why don't you tell me and Lyra what you're thinking about?" "I..." I began, but the words dragged their heels and fell from my mouth, landing face first onto the cobblestone roads of town. "It's nothing, really. Where are we going?" Lyra beamed. "Only the best place to go when your head's bugging you!" Bon Bon rolled her eyes. "She's talking about the Golden Mare." She explained. "Have you ever been there?" "No, but I've walked past it once or twice." I said. I had past by the establishment in the past but never thought twice about it. I was never much of a bar pony, or one to dine anywhere other than my own home. "What kind of restaurant is it?" To this, I was a bit confused when Lyra nearly fell backwards in laughter. "It's not a restaurant, Sugar." Bon Bon explained. "It's a bar." "But not just any bar!" Lyra said, her enthusiasm visible in her widening grin. "The Golden Mare is a well-known bar even way over in Canterlot, ponies from there occasionally travel all the way over just to drink here!" Bon Bon shook her head. "And Lyra insists this is the perfect place for you to open up and let out any troubles you have." I looked up towards the sky as we continued onward, imaging what this bar was like and unaware of my surroundings. "Roseluck?" I heard Bon Bon say behind me "Hmm?" I say back, only to bump into something in my path. "Oh, excuse..." I turn to apologize, only to have my words die on my tongue and the life snatched out of me by the hatted stallion who stood before me, us both frozen whilst staring into the eyes of the other. A Hypothesis To Theorize A Hypothesis To Theorize The Rose In The Background Chapter Four "A Hypothesis To Theorize" Leaving The Golden Mare, the plastic rose now resting under my hat, I ventured forth into the night with a new found confidence...though a mind such as mine coated it in foolishness. My social skills were close to one of a tiny stone sitting in the road, my words simply will not come when the situation beckons them to. My shyness, though never brought up so far but clearly present, was made it's presence clear on numerous occasions in my life. Thus, has me grimacing at the grassing trail leading away from the bar and towards town. Woe is me, a classic line but cliche and over dramatic. Woe is me, repeating it somehow erupted a sad chuckle from my chest. How hard could it really be, to approach the mare of my dreams and simply talk to her? How painful is it really to stand in her presence in cooled expression and advance her as an average pony would? Why does love weaken the heart, and not strengthen it and motivate one to go after their love? Why does love weaken the mind, and not sooth it in waves just thinking of its desired mare? Why does love, in this case, have me questioning my own capabilities socially and not give me confidence? Why do I not feel as though I have a shot at her? That I am unworthy? That if our lives up to at that moment were scaled, I would be in the deep and her skyrocketing of chart? Why do I feel like a lowly clod of dirt resting in the earth, and her a cluster of diamond resting in the center of a cave surrounded by others of her kind? Why does love leave me so hopeless? ...Why does love leave me so scared- "Oh!" I gasped, jumping back as I bumped into something so...soft? "Oh, excuse..." My eyelids snap open and my body froze in fear, fur standing on end and my brain unable to connect to its co-workers. Ears on end and muzzle scrunched, I could see similar shock in the ivory gemstones that stared back. "I...I..." One by one, single syllable sounds fell from my lips like a waterfall. "I'm s-so sorry! I-I wasn't-" Her voice shattered into pieces, picking up her words from the ground like pieces of a broken plate, shattered upon the ground between us. Out of the corner of my eye, I see two other mares behind her. I knew the cream colored one as Bon Bon, the mare who ran the candy stall across the street from Sugarcube Corner. The mint one, however I've never seen before. Bon Bon eyed the rose mare with confusion, while the mint unicorn snickered with a hoof to her lips. My hooves itched, the awkward stammering between us and all around feeling growing unbearable. "My apologies." I say, silencing the mare almost immediately. "I should have been paying attention." She looked at me for a brief moment before turning her gaze to the grass. "No, no! It's my fault, my mind was elsewhere..." "But mine was, as well." I defended her. "I never can keep my head out of the clouds." "No, please. Don't blame yourself." She said, her voice losing panic and softening. "I'm sure you're very busy and have much to think about, being a sales pony and all." "Well, I..." I stalled, taken aback. She knew me, she actually remembered me. "...If you don't mind me asking-" "Not at all!" She cut me off, shocking us both as a red tint flushed her cheeks. "I, uh...go on." "If you don't mind..what is your name?" I asked, cautiously. "It's just, uh...I've ran my stall across the way from yours for awhile now..." "Roseluck." She said, her faltered expression warming to the smile I've only seen in my dreams. "My name is Roseluck, Mister...?" She says, extending her hoof to me. My mind goes blank, it freezing up as if asked to answer a high level algebraic equation in another language. Almost being able to taste the sandpaper dryness in my mouth, I shakily extend my hoof to hers until they touched and we shook. "Topsworth." I answer after what felt like an eternity. "My name is Topsworth, but everyone calls me 'Tops'." "Topsworth." My name rolls off her tongue and dances between her lips, causing the oxygen to leave my lungs in a soft sigh and a shiver to run up my spin. I looked down to see at our hooves were still connected, and look up once more to see that Roseluck noticed as well, her smile growing as heat rose to my cheeks. "Ahem." Our eyes left each others and turned to the two mares off to the side, Bon Bon staring at Roseluck with an all knowing look, again whilst the minted pony was near tears at this point and holding her stomach. "Not to interrupt this little meet and greet, but we were just heading somewhere and it closes in about an hour." She says kindly. "I see." I say understanding, but my heart sank in my stomach knowing the rose mare-Roseluck, would leave without me. "Well it is getting a bit late..." Our hooves departed, my heart wanting desperately to pulled her with it but my mind won that battle. "It was nice to, uh, finally meet you." My words came out relaxed. "Finally..." I hear her say, her voice in a near whisper as I can just make out the reflecting stars twinkling in her breathtaking eyes. "It was very nice." "Um..." Bon Bon hums. "Well, alright then. Let's go, Lyra." She says, walking by us and laying a hoof on Roseluck's back and taking her along with the minted pony I now know as Lyra. "Uh..." I watched after them, heading down the trail out of town. "Bye." Roseluck turned away from the two mares, her lips curled into a warm smile. "See you tomorrow." She says, just before vanishing into the dark of the night with her friends. I stood there, in the midst of the moonlit front side of town, as my heart fluttered and my hooves grew minds of their own. I couldn't fight the smile growing on my face, shaking my head as I felt chuckles behind my lips. Soon, they broke through and I too into laughter, joy filling my heart and tickling my teeth. I had spoken to her! I shook her hoof and held it! I bring my hoof up to my view, using the other to caress where hers was, feeling the spot and remembering the softness of her fur. The love I had for this mare was but an accusation hours before. At that moment forward, it grew to a Hypothesis. One hypothesis I needed to theorize. Empty Spaces (Non-Chapter)The Rose In The Background Chapter... "Empty Spaces" I awoke from my slumber, opening my eyes to see the beige ceiling above and to feel the warmth of my bed. As I sat up, the usual soreness from my labor of the night before was absent, possibly due to the fact that I was sent home not even an hour into my nightly shift at The Golden Mare. I smacked my lips, the drink given to me before leaving just barely hinting my taste buds. I rolled over, my aching skin and limbs feeling out my empty bed. The dead space always left me cold no matter the warmth of the bedspread or the blissfulness of the morning, with the sun shinning its rays through my bedroom window and casting them over my blanketed form. With my head on my pillow, I closed my eyes and wished for the space to be filled. Somepony, somepony that when I woke up their hooves are wrapped around me and mine around them. Sometimes that's what I wanted the most, what I needed the most. The space that seems to grow and grow, that sits in the pit of my chest and travels down to my stomach. That fogs my mind, keeping my brain from sending messages to the rest of me, telling me food still tastes good and not that of ash. Or that my blankets are warm and cozy and not like sheets of silken ice. Through with wallowing in my early morning pity, I rose from my two pony bed and made my way to the bathroom. The hard wood floor echos clicks and clacks with my hooves, rough on my ear drums but somehow soothing. I soon found myself opening the bathroom door and face to face with my reflection. I had a sudden urge to hug it, or at least tell it to lighten up a bit. But what was the point of saying that? He wouldn't listen, hell I wouldn't. I grabbed my tooth brush and cleanse my mouth of the morning musk, wishing I could taste the drink. Exiting the bathroom, I went back to my room to retrieve my hat when I noticed a small trinket sitting on my nightstand. The plastic rose sat facing my bed, as if it had kept me company in my slumber. The sides of my mouth curling up into a small smile, I turn to grab my case of watches and hats from my stall. Leaving my home, I forgot what made me sad in the first place. ~*~*~ Coffee. When I was a filly I always said it was bitter and gross, icky and nasty and that I was never going to ever even be caught drinking it. That I would sooner eat dirt... I held the mug to my lips and drank down the goddess given essence, tasting the hint of cream and milk. Already my senses were lightly returning to me, my eyes just then starting to adjust to the brightness of the sun. I let out a deep sigh, thanking Celestia that my head ache was gone and the rain had stopped overnight. My garden may have suffered a heavy loss, but I thought if the sun stay out the rest of the day, then there was still hope. And yet..with my mug in hoof, laying back in my chair by the window just like before there was an absence. Something, or in this case, somepony was missing. A frown began to grow on my lips, rolling my eyes as if to say "here I go again." But what of it? Yes, at that moment in time it appeared that I had...maybe. Perhaps, fallen for him. Maybe, I wasn't sure of it. There was something there, that couldn't have been confused with anything but that. But was it truly...that? I stared up at my ceiling, thinking back to the night before, before Lyra and Bon Bon ordered at least twenty martinis. At least, that's how many I counted. I simply stayed with a bottle of the bar's oldest wine while the two mares drank as if celebrating the act of drinking. In that thought, I doubted that I'd be seeing them soon. Their hangovers were pretty legendary, more so than that of Rarity...but that's a chapter to another story. No, this was a different story. One of me now arguing with the fact that I may have affections for a basic, average, handsome...kind, gentle stallion. I sink into the chair's cushions, closing my eyes and placing the mug onto the small table beside me. I lay a hoof over my chest, the same that was held against his the night before. I held it over my heart, a tinge of emptiness burned within, causing a painful sadness to stir. As the loneliness fought within my chest, I could still see his eyes. I could still see the stars within them, my heart fluttered and my hoof drew circles over my stomach. my hind legs rubbing together, my breath caught in my throat as my imagination took control... RedThe Rose In The Background Chapter Five "Red" Clinking classes kissed my ears and the chattering of the surrounding ponies kept me awake that late night, the drink at my hooves not quite catching me in my fall from sober. My eyes half lidded, staring at the flirting mares across from me, nipping at each others' rosy checks amongst empty glasses. Again, another hollow victory for them, getting me out of my home another evening only to forget my presence and getting lost in each others' blurring vision with every round. The shouts and cheers around by lonely stallions in their direction fell upon deaf ears, for they didn't care. They have done this before, and more, vigorously on occasion. Their love was like nothing I had seen since my own parents, which is a bit strange to compare your friends to your mother and father but I couldn't compare it to anything else. Maybe the moon and the sun. The land and the distant seas. A colt and his furry companion. A love shared between two individuals...one I envy. Which is why a midst my own thoughts, my legs had stood me up and took me to the bar's front doors, and as which then I found myself out under the dozens of stars. I thanked for their presence on this lonely travel home, my head swimming and lips sour from my last drink. Cold cobblestone greeted my hooves, and the rain that had long since departed showed signs of returning, and the wet grass trail through the park was comforting to say the least, but I knew if I stayed out any longer I was destined for a cold. Finding the center of town, I made haste. Who could I have asked to spend the night with? The list grew on and on, from Rarity to Twilight, Fluttershy to The Cakes, The Cakes to Donut Joe and so fourth. I couldn't really decide amongst them despite their well known friendliness. Looking up towards the sky, the clouds had me cornered. I made an attempt to run home before the rain. ~*~*~ I laid in bed, my hat resting on my chest rising and falling with my breathing. My beside lamp lit the room a faint golden hue, across from my bed was a painting of a field of dying grass, pale and yellow worn out by sun and time. At its center was a brightly colored flower, red as the roses that sat full of life at the flower mare's stall in the summer. I turned over to gaze out my window, rain had begun to fall. Rain drop meeting my window and moving like tiny shooting stars. The more I thought about, every thought big or small lead me back to the mare's smiling face. Roseluck. Her name, it alone brought a smile to my lips. As I entered battle with its army, it read through my every strategy to halt its advances and left me and my lips in its control. Her eyes, ivory and infinite. Her hair like a red wine water fall showering down her back and neck, though not staining her flawless soft fur. Her lips curled into a smile that melts me to my core, it soon reaching my heart and melting as well. Melting it until it was but a puddle that flooded my soul which held the adoration I held for her. I sat up, my hat falling from my chest as rubbed my eyes in an attempt to cast out these thoughts of her face. My words only falling to petty poetry when she trots into my mind. It was then I decided I wouldn't think about her, at least for the rest of that night so that I could sleep. Could it be that I was reduced to a simple school colt, left thinking about the mare like a school yard crush? Mind you, I've been with mares in the past. None really seemed to fit the part however, all only wanting me for the reasons I didn't want them. My fashion, income, even simply wanting to take me to bed while I wanted to take them out for dinner, spend a day in peace together, just... I had chosen to dwell no more on the subject and blew out the lantern on my night stand, slipping underneath the covers and laying on my side to face the window. With my eyes closed I slowed my breathing, relaxing as I allowed the sandmare to enter my subconscious and bring me to the land of slumber. ~*~*~ The smell of rain is intoxicating before it actually hits, lingering before the drops fall and send shivers through out your body with the already chilling cold of the late night. I was half way home when I felt a droplet kiss my muzzle, followed by the bites of the others that followed. Not that I hated the rain, on any other given day or time I loved it. Though I do in fact prefer not being caught in it at midnight without so much as a light coat. My mane would defiantly be frizzled by the time I had reached my home. On my journey I pondered whether or not Lyra and Bon Bon had left the bar yet, left alone noticed I had disappeared without as much as I farewell. I didn't think so, as this wasn't the first, both would probably head back to their home to spend the night together. Probably drunk dancing to whatever Lyra owned and played on her record player before the two would pass out on the couch together. At least that's what they did in collage. I sighed, stopping underneath an awning and staring out from within the town. How I had longed for such an en devour, if only for a moment to share a connection like they had with one another. The love they shared together for as long as I had known them never faltered. Even before I had entered our friendship, they told me how they met and each time they did warmed my heart. Maybe one day I too can recall the story of how I met my love. Maybe it'll be cute, or perhaps by accident. How silly I was. It didn't matter. I turned to the sky, it was well past midnight now and I needed to get out of this rain. After a few more minutes of trudging through the rain I had finally met my front door. I was soaked by that point and simply wanted a towel, lay down on my chair by a fire and sleep til morning. If only I could find my key. A single image of it resting on my kitchen table shot through my mind, and my heart fell heavy with the rain. "Damn!" I cursed, laying my hoof on the door. I could have probably climbed in through one of the windows, but there was no guarantee that any of them were unlocked. Which led me to the idea of perhaps staying at someone's home for the night. But I didn't really know anyone as well as Lyra and Bon Bon, and those two were probably either at the bar still or well since slipped away in their slumber. I thought back to earlier, the stallion. Topsworth I believe his name was. It was strange really, how quickly I had fallen into the idea of spending a night at his home. Or how quickly it felt as though it had stopped raining entirely due to how warm I felt at the drop of a hat of his name. I quickly turned back from my home and hurried over towards the center of town where I believed he lived, I had numerous times spotted him walking a few houses from mine and never once thought much of it. But then as I quickened, the rain no longer holding me back with its chilling touch... ~*~*~ My eyes snapped open as sharp knocks erupted from my front door, bringing me to my hooves and out my bedroom. I reached my front door, wondering who could possibly be visiting my home at such an ungodly hour. As my door opened, it seemed as time stopped as a cold and shivering form pressed against me and a pair of ivory eyes met mine. "Oh! I-I apologize!" Her voice sung to me as she stepped back. "It...It appears that I had left my keys in my home and its raining..." She stopped, looking away from me and continuing her conversation with the door step. "I know I'm being intrusive...but do you believe it's possible that-" "You must be freezing!" I found myself saying, operating almost on autopilot. I ushered her inside and shut the door behind her, leading her to my couch. "Wait here, I'll go fetch you a towel." I left her for a moment while I ran to my room and into my closet to grab the first towel I saw, rushing back to find her awkwardly sitting and shivering. "Here you go." I say, wrapping the towel around her and sitting in front of her. "Can't have you catching a c-cold, huh? Heh.." She smiled, and so did I. What was it about this mare? "Thank you.." She said, and began drying herself off. "I'm sorry for showing up at such a late hour." "It is no problem!" I assured her, but she continued. "It's just that my friends from the bar? They're already probably asleep by now and I don't really know anyone else in town, so..." She trailed off, a red tint hitting her cheeks. I lifted a hoof to her forehead, fearing she was sick. "Oh my, you're turning red. Are you feeling alright?" She giggled, pushing away my hoof but not letting go. "No, no. Heh, I'm fine but thank you. You're...so very kind." "It's no trouble at all." I told her, my hoof warmed by her now dry touch. We sat there, in my home. On my couch. Every dream the sandmare had planned for me that night would be put on pause for a little while longer.
The Beautiful RoseThe Rose In The Background Chapter One "The Beautiful Rose" I know what you're thinking, but you're wrong for it. I mean no harm, only pure and honest intentions come from my actions through this venture. I have no ulterior motives, no dark tones behind my eyes. Just a stallion wanting love, love from her. The hole in my life that had appeared the moment I laid eyes on her eats away at my being with every day she isn't mine. The thought of simply approaching her makes my spine shiver in anxiety. She stands there now, her red mane blowing in the steady breeze of the Fall. It teases away her ivory green eyes, them being filled with the dullness of the slow work day. Her flower stand in the center of town had received no more then the normal three visitors that day, but of course not many would buy flowers for their gardens at this time of year. If only I weren't but a coward, I would buy her entire stand. She looks towards the skies, clouds of dark shades glide over head. It will rain later, it had been this whole week on and off. On a day like this, she would usually close up early and head back to her small home just down the street past the library. I know this because I would watch her as she went, half of me not wanting her to leave my sight and the other making sure she got home alright. Today, however, was different. She wasn't leaving, and again, neither was I. You may ask who am I, the lonely pony observing the object of my every desire. I, the yellow stallion only known around town as 'Tops' because of my liking of top hats and being a proud wearer of one, sell hats and jewelry just across the street from the lovely flower mare's stand. My stand receives a decent amount of customers a week, this being my part time hobby. At night, I work down at the humble bar known as The Golden Mare as the barkeeper. This affair me and the mare across from me have been a part of has been going on for three years or so, and there was not one out of the one thousand and ninety-five days that she wasn't on my mind. Every now and again, she wouldn't set up shop probably due to a family or friend arrangement, or a cold maybe. But then that next time I saw her, my heart would skip possibly two beats. I probably sound like a bloody lunatic or a lowly romantic, but who are you to judge? Reading about such a life as mine makes you guilty by association. I look down at one of the many watches on my counter top, it reading five-fifteen. I sigh, looking back up at the flower stand, and freeze. She was looking over at me. Every strand of fur on my body stood on end as I nearly knock over the hat stack to my left. She giggles, I could hear it faintly. Her smile causes my cheeks to burn and my mouth to run dry. Any chance I get, I try to snapshot her expression with my mind so I could remember this. I made her smile...By Celestia, I made her laugh! When all was calm, she began to pack up her flowers in small bags and place them on the same small rose red cart she always did. At the same time, I would pack up my wears. When she left for home, I would stay. As she reached the site of the library, she turned back. To avoid getting caught, I quickly looked down and back to my carrying case. I stayed in this position until I was sure she was gone. Silently cursing myself, I continued my venture home. ~*~*~ And even by her stare, I am rendered useless. I walk down the same path as she, her being way ahead of me. My head is low, the brim of my hat hiding my eyes away as I walk. My carrying case of merchandise is hooked around my back leg. As I opened my home's dark brown door, I am once again greeted by the dark and emptiness of my house. Greeted by the same beige walls, one coated in picture frames with photos of family. My eyes fall to the sofa, its soft ivory green fabric meets my skin as I fall upon its cushions. I hear my carrying case hit the ground with a hollow thud, but I don't mind. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a small dark red mound on my floor. I grab the small pillow and hold it to my chest. Am I only so pathetic? Am I the only one in the world with such a problem as this? Not having the courage to speak to the love of my life, so I can only watch as she goes by like the blooming rose in the distance that she rightfully is? I can imagine the words I want to say to her, I can dream of the scenery as I do. We sit in the most luxurious restaurant, her in a beautiful maroon dress and her mane tied up into a bun, and me in a white tuxedo, a red handkerchief in my chest pocket. Red wine sits on the the table alongside a menorah of candles, the silverware and her eyes gleaming from the dancing flames before us. My hoof lays upon hers, her fur feels so soft to the touch. She smiles, my heart races and my breathing quickens. I speak in almost a whisper, my words are of the essence of love itself. In an instant, we are outside on a balcony. In the sky, the stars dance around the full moon. Our eyes mirror each other as I near her face. I could feel her breathing on my muzzle as our lips just barely graze each other before making contact. But, yet here I lay. There is no such event, no wine, no restaurant. Like I could afford such an act. *ringing* I am sadly brought out of my thoughts by my damned alarm clock, nagging me to be on my way to the Mare. As I hop off my sofa and near the door, I turn back to gaze around my living room. Such an average place, such a dull place. So empty. I open the door and make way for the bar.
The Hatted FoolThe Rose In The Background **Chapter Two** "The Hatted Fool" I know how you'll all see me, and I don't blame you. But don't look down on me for what I try to avoid. I never really made an effort into dating or finding a mate, mostly because I never saw it as a major priority in my life. Over the years, dozens of my friends had found their special someone. I'm happy for them, why wouldn't I be? Everyone deserves happiness, just like every flower deserves its share of water and sunlight. The evening came with the storm, bringing rain and thick, dark clouds over head. My poor flowers would defiantly drown in the growing waters of the rain, with no signs of sunlight either. There were many more I kept inside, but the ones I grew in the fresh air and earth I kept close to my heart. Naturally grown was always the way my mother grew her flowers. There were dozens around my home. Many kinds; roses, sunflowers, tulips, poppies. They sat in their individual pots and sulked, staring out the window as if saddened by the rainfall. They weren't the only ones. I sat by the window as well, laying my chin on the arm rest of my favorite chair and counting the many drops as they slide down the glass. I imagined every two were in their own little race, starting from the moment they hit the window and as they made their way down, merging with the others for more speed. I began to count them, trying to take my mind off of him. I closed my eyes and tried to think of other things, the first of them being how I was going to pay this month's rent with my stand doing so poorly this season? I cursed the rain, being a flower mare is never easy when it comes to bad weather. Perhaps I should ask Lyra or Bon Bon if I could help around their candy shop, maybe Pinkie can throw me a line over at Sugarcube Corner. I wonder if he...Ugh! It was then as I raised a hoof to my forehead and let out a frustrated sigh that I realized I could no longer fight back his presence behind my foolish thoughts of rain drops and financial issues. I turned over and laid on my back, staring up at the rose colored and letting out a long sigh which gave me shivers. I hated it, but liked it at the same time. My heart can't ignore what my head tells me to leave alone. That...hatted fool. I didn't even know his name and yet something brought up some sort of interest? He's just some random stallion, probably doesn't even live in town. He looks to majestic to live among ponies like us. "Probably has a big house up in Canterlot..." I spoke aloud, then looked around. Another sigh escaped my lips. The stallion had brought some sort of energy out of me, causing me to talk to myself. What was it about him? What made him different than any other stallion I've ever seen? He was watching me this afternoon while at our stalls. He looked like he was lost in some kind of daydream. I must have startled him due to his sudden realization involving him knocking over some of his equipment. He was watching me, and I liked it. Sometimes I would wonder if he always did. Maybe he does, and this time I caught him. The way his face lit up, the way he lost balanced as our eyes met... I hugged myself, a smile tugging at my lips. I couldn't help it, he was just so...adorable? Cute? How can I describe him? I couldn't think of the word, perhaps it's because I don't even know him at all. I just know him as the fancy stallion who runs the stall across from mine. The way he looked so entranced while he stared, I wonder what he was thinking about that made him so startled as he can to? I had never spoken to him, not a word. Not even a subtle wave, or a simple hello. Only occasionally our glances would meet, he would hide behind his stall and I'd stay behind mine. He always seems so seclusive, always keeping to himself. I would never find him anywhere else, not at the grocery store, the bakery, the park. But everyday I run my flower stall, he was there. His golden brown eyes gazing into mine from only a few yards away, his brown fur, his cute fancy top hat resting atop his head. I wondered what kind of mane he had. Was it matted and messy? Or maybe it was short, neat and tidy like all of those Canterlot ponies? Did he have an accent? You would think I was a filly with her first crush, hearing me obsessed over something as feeble as looks and accents. What hobbies did he partake in? Those watches and hats, did he make them? Was he a craftier, was his home not one of riches but of self created master pieces? Were the walls cover with his own paintings that had showered him with bits from all of those art collectors and fellow artists? Maybe instead of paintings, he has a closet filled with the most handsome hoof weaved suits, tuxedos and possibly...dresses? Maybe he would make me a dress... I foalishly thought. ...maybe one covered in rose petals and the fabric an ivory green... What if he thought about me...I would ask myself, immediately doubting it and casting it aside. Just thinking this sends an all new shiver to my spine, making me arch my back slightly. Why would he be thinking of me, a mare who can barely keep up with the rent let alone a relationship? Why would- My thoughts were cut off by the sound of my door bell, followed by several knocks. I rise up from my chair and approach the red door, opening to two familiar faces.
The Fated EncounterThe Rose In The Background Chapter Three "The Unintended Encounter" Hours into the cold of the night, the Golden Mare was cluttered and noisy with ponies a plenty. I stood outside the establishment, the neon sign flickering at an inconsistent rate. The sky was blanketed with dozens of twinkling stars, each one staring down at me as I stared back, with only the rose mare on my mind. It was damned near torture. How could I have let this mare I've said not a word to, have my every sense by the gall? Her ivory gaze still penetrating my psych, I approach the worn door to the tavern and push it open. Just then, the thick stench of cider and cigarettes filled my nostrils and warmed my senses. With a wheeze and a light cough, I stepped inside and made my way past the many tables towards the bar. "Hey, Tops!" I heard my name and looked forward, my fellow employee Lime Rush waving me over whilst wiping down the bar. "What took you so long? This place is on fire tonight!" "R-Right." I say, lifting the bar latch and walking behind the counter. I already start to pick up glasses and bottles of cider in routine fashion, absent minded to the shouts of 'Bartender!' or 'Hey, past a couple shots this way!' After about ten or fifteen minutes of working, Lime Rush and I stood back and watched over the rowdy bunch. Out of my sight, Rush watches me with a curious glance. "Aye, you alright Tops?" He asks me, I turn to him. "You seem a little more out of it tonight." I let out a sigh, adjust my hat and scratching my neck. "It's nothing." "Wait! Don't tell me!" He says as he held up a hoof and placed one to his chin, looking as if in deep thought. "Hmm...would this have anything to do with a certain flower pony?" I lean against the bar, rolling my eyes. "You know me too well." "Come on, Tops." He tells me, leaning beside me with a hoof to my back. "You come here, slack jawed over this gal, and do absolutely nothing about it!" "And what, pray tell, do you expect me to do?" I ask him. Much to my dismay, he offers the answer I know all too well. "Just ask her out." Ask her out? Me, when I can't even manage a conversation rather a simple hello. I'm left in her wake a babbling fool, a fool who's lost in the seas of love and has no life preserver. She, the golden beacon of my lighthouse, illuminating from behind the hovering clouds and waves of doubt which tempt me not a step towards less I drown. "You make it sound so easy." I tell him, my voice dejected. "Tops, you're over-thinking this a bit." He says, wrapping a hoof around my shoulders. "You've clearly fallen for this mare, yeah?" "Completely." I can't but admit defeat to him. He nods. "Have you spoken to her? And not like a 'Hi' or 'Nice weather we have here', like a full on conversation." "Not exactly." I say. "What are you getting at?" "That's the first step." Lime Rush said, shaking me a bit. "Next time you see her, just walk up and start up a conversation. Compliment her flowers or ask her how the stall's doing." "That's not a bad idea..." I pondered. As negative I looked at the suggested, what did I really have to lose? No one is doubting me but my own self, shoving all possibilities of happiness and a tranquil future with this beautiful mare out of reach like a parent placing the cookie jar out of reach of their child...But why? Why can't I find it in myself to approach such a marvelous pony with any lack of confidence? "Tops?" Rush shook me. "Hey man, I can take care of the bar tonight. Just go home and get some rest, alright?" I turned to him and tried to fight my way to staying, but in that moment it seemed hopeless. Lime Rushed stared me down with a seriousness I've never seen from him. He must realize how much this is to me and finds that it means something to him as well. "Oh...alright." I say, slightly dejected. Before leaving, Lime Rush made me a drink for the road. It was his own specialty, named after himself due to it's lime hinted scent and flavor. As he slid the glass across the bar over to me, I could not ignore one special addition he added to the drink. He topped the drink with a tiny plastic rose as an ordainment. ~*~*~ The rain had finally stopped, my flowers weren't completely flooded by it which lightened the mood a bit. The clouds left the sky naked to the eyes of the world, revealing its stars as they danced above the lands sleeping heads. The smell of wet earth was heavy My hooves squished lightly on the wet soil leaving my cottage with the two unannounced guests that visited me an hour before. Bon Bon and Lyra had talked me into going out for the night, saying it would help me think and relax me. I tried to protest, the only thing I needed was my favorite chair, maybe a cup of coffee while I continue to pick apart my thoughts of him. But alas, it was no use. And I wielded no power against their urging as I know they want the best for me, these nightly fantasies are nothing but a constant distraction from my lonely reality. I didn't tell them exactly what was on my mind, or about the hatted stallion. As we journeyed into the night, both walked beside me. My eyes were straight ahead, but I could feel them scanning my expression. "Roseluck, you haven't said anything since we left." Lyra said, snapping me to attention. I blinked, shaking my head as I came down from the clouding thoughts. "I'm sorry. I guess I was just lost in thought for awhile." Bon Bon walked closer to me to lay a hoof on my back. "Sugar, why don't you tell me and Lyra what you're thinking about?" "I..." I began, but the words dragged their heels and fell from my mouth, landing face first onto the cobblestone roads of town. "It's nothing, really. Where are we going?" Lyra beamed. "Only the best place to go when your head's bugging you!" Bon Bon rolled her eyes. "She's talking about the Golden Mare." She explained. "Have you ever been there?" "No, but I've walked past it once or twice." I said. I had past by the establishment in the past but never thought twice about it. I was never much of a bar pony, or one to dine anywhere other than my own home. "What kind of restaurant is it?" To this, I was a bit confused when Lyra nearly fell backwards in laughter. "It's not a restaurant, Sugar." Bon Bon explained. "It's a bar." "But not just any bar!" Lyra said, her enthusiasm visible in her widening grin. "The Golden Mare is a well-known bar even way over in Canterlot, ponies from there occasionally travel all the way over just to drink here!" Bon Bon shook her head. "And Lyra insists this is the perfect place for you to open up and let out any troubles you have." I looked up towards the sky as we continued onward, imaging what this bar was like and unaware of my surroundings. "Roseluck?" I heard Bon Bon say behind me "Hmm?" I say back, only to bump into something in my path. "Oh, excuse..." I turn to apologize, only to have my words die on my tongue and the life snatched out of me by the hatted stallion who stood before me, us both frozen whilst staring into the eyes of the other.
A Hypothesis To Theorize A Hypothesis To Theorize The Rose In The Background Chapter Four "A Hypothesis To Theorize" Leaving The Golden Mare, the plastic rose now resting under my hat, I ventured forth into the night with a new found confidence...though a mind such as mine coated it in foolishness. My social skills were close to one of a tiny stone sitting in the road, my words simply will not come when the situation beckons them to. My shyness, though never brought up so far but clearly present, was made it's presence clear on numerous occasions in my life. Thus, has me grimacing at the grassing trail leading away from the bar and towards town. Woe is me, a classic line but cliche and over dramatic. Woe is me, repeating it somehow erupted a sad chuckle from my chest. How hard could it really be, to approach the mare of my dreams and simply talk to her? How painful is it really to stand in her presence in cooled expression and advance her as an average pony would? Why does love weaken the heart, and not strengthen it and motivate one to go after their love? Why does love weaken the mind, and not sooth it in waves just thinking of its desired mare? Why does love, in this case, have me questioning my own capabilities socially and not give me confidence? Why do I not feel as though I have a shot at her? That I am unworthy? That if our lives up to at that moment were scaled, I would be in the deep and her skyrocketing of chart? Why do I feel like a lowly clod of dirt resting in the earth, and her a cluster of diamond resting in the center of a cave surrounded by others of her kind? Why does love leave me so hopeless? ...Why does love leave me so scared- "Oh!" I gasped, jumping back as I bumped into something so...soft? "Oh, excuse..." My eyelids snap open and my body froze in fear, fur standing on end and my brain unable to connect to its co-workers. Ears on end and muzzle scrunched, I could see similar shock in the ivory gemstones that stared back. "I...I..." One by one, single syllable sounds fell from my lips like a waterfall. "I'm s-so sorry! I-I wasn't-" Her voice shattered into pieces, picking up her words from the ground like pieces of a broken plate, shattered upon the ground between us. Out of the corner of my eye, I see two other mares behind her. I knew the cream colored one as Bon Bon, the mare who ran the candy stall across the street from Sugarcube Corner. The mint one, however I've never seen before. Bon Bon eyed the rose mare with confusion, while the mint unicorn snickered with a hoof to her lips. My hooves itched, the awkward stammering between us and all around feeling growing unbearable. "My apologies." I say, silencing the mare almost immediately. "I should have been paying attention." She looked at me for a brief moment before turning her gaze to the grass. "No, no! It's my fault, my mind was elsewhere..." "But mine was, as well." I defended her. "I never can keep my head out of the clouds." "No, please. Don't blame yourself." She said, her voice losing panic and softening. "I'm sure you're very busy and have much to think about, being a sales pony and all." "Well, I..." I stalled, taken aback. She knew me, she actually remembered me. "...If you don't mind me asking-" "Not at all!" She cut me off, shocking us both as a red tint flushed her cheeks. "I, uh...go on." "If you don't mind..what is your name?" I asked, cautiously. "It's just, uh...I've ran my stall across the way from yours for awhile now..." "Roseluck." She said, her faltered expression warming to the smile I've only seen in my dreams. "My name is Roseluck, Mister...?" She says, extending her hoof to me. My mind goes blank, it freezing up as if asked to answer a high level algebraic equation in another language. Almost being able to taste the sandpaper dryness in my mouth, I shakily extend my hoof to hers until they touched and we shook. "Topsworth." I answer after what felt like an eternity. "My name is Topsworth, but everyone calls me 'Tops'." "Topsworth." My name rolls off her tongue and dances between her lips, causing the oxygen to leave my lungs in a soft sigh and a shiver to run up my spin. I looked down to see at our hooves were still connected, and look up once more to see that Roseluck noticed as well, her smile growing as heat rose to my cheeks. "Ahem." Our eyes left each others and turned to the two mares off to the side, Bon Bon staring at Roseluck with an all knowing look, again whilst the minted pony was near tears at this point and holding her stomach. "Not to interrupt this little meet and greet, but we were just heading somewhere and it closes in about an hour." She says kindly. "I see." I say understanding, but my heart sank in my stomach knowing the rose mare-Roseluck, would leave without me. "Well it is getting a bit late..." Our hooves departed, my heart wanting desperately to pulled her with it but my mind won that battle. "It was nice to, uh, finally meet you." My words came out relaxed. "Finally..." I hear her say, her voice in a near whisper as I can just make out the reflecting stars twinkling in her breathtaking eyes. "It was very nice." "Um..." Bon Bon hums. "Well, alright then. Let's go, Lyra." She says, walking by us and laying a hoof on Roseluck's back and taking her along with the minted pony I now know as Lyra. "Uh..." I watched after them, heading down the trail out of town. "Bye." Roseluck turned away from the two mares, her lips curled into a warm smile. "See you tomorrow." She says, just before vanishing into the dark of the night with her friends. I stood there, in the midst of the moonlit front side of town, as my heart fluttered and my hooves grew minds of their own. I couldn't fight the smile growing on my face, shaking my head as I felt chuckles behind my lips. Soon, they broke through and I too into laughter, joy filling my heart and tickling my teeth. I had spoken to her! I shook her hoof and held it! I bring my hoof up to my view, using the other to caress where hers was, feeling the spot and remembering the softness of her fur. The love I had for this mare was but an accusation hours before. At that moment forward, it grew to a Hypothesis. One hypothesis I needed to theorize.
Empty Spaces (Non-Chapter)The Rose In The Background Chapter... "Empty Spaces" I awoke from my slumber, opening my eyes to see the beige ceiling above and to feel the warmth of my bed. As I sat up, the usual soreness from my labor of the night before was absent, possibly due to the fact that I was sent home not even an hour into my nightly shift at The Golden Mare. I smacked my lips, the drink given to me before leaving just barely hinting my taste buds. I rolled over, my aching skin and limbs feeling out my empty bed. The dead space always left me cold no matter the warmth of the bedspread or the blissfulness of the morning, with the sun shinning its rays through my bedroom window and casting them over my blanketed form. With my head on my pillow, I closed my eyes and wished for the space to be filled. Somepony, somepony that when I woke up their hooves are wrapped around me and mine around them. Sometimes that's what I wanted the most, what I needed the most. The space that seems to grow and grow, that sits in the pit of my chest and travels down to my stomach. That fogs my mind, keeping my brain from sending messages to the rest of me, telling me food still tastes good and not that of ash. Or that my blankets are warm and cozy and not like sheets of silken ice. Through with wallowing in my early morning pity, I rose from my two pony bed and made my way to the bathroom. The hard wood floor echos clicks and clacks with my hooves, rough on my ear drums but somehow soothing. I soon found myself opening the bathroom door and face to face with my reflection. I had a sudden urge to hug it, or at least tell it to lighten up a bit. But what was the point of saying that? He wouldn't listen, hell I wouldn't. I grabbed my tooth brush and cleanse my mouth of the morning musk, wishing I could taste the drink. Exiting the bathroom, I went back to my room to retrieve my hat when I noticed a small trinket sitting on my nightstand. The plastic rose sat facing my bed, as if it had kept me company in my slumber. The sides of my mouth curling up into a small smile, I turn to grab my case of watches and hats from my stall. Leaving my home, I forgot what made me sad in the first place. ~*~*~ Coffee. When I was a filly I always said it was bitter and gross, icky and nasty and that I was never going to ever even be caught drinking it. That I would sooner eat dirt... I held the mug to my lips and drank down the goddess given essence, tasting the hint of cream and milk. Already my senses were lightly returning to me, my eyes just then starting to adjust to the brightness of the sun. I let out a deep sigh, thanking Celestia that my head ache was gone and the rain had stopped overnight. My garden may have suffered a heavy loss, but I thought if the sun stay out the rest of the day, then there was still hope. And yet..with my mug in hoof, laying back in my chair by the window just like before there was an absence. Something, or in this case, somepony was missing. A frown began to grow on my lips, rolling my eyes as if to say "here I go again." But what of it? Yes, at that moment in time it appeared that I had...maybe. Perhaps, fallen for him. Maybe, I wasn't sure of it. There was something there, that couldn't have been confused with anything but that. But was it truly...that? I stared up at my ceiling, thinking back to the night before, before Lyra and Bon Bon ordered at least twenty martinis. At least, that's how many I counted. I simply stayed with a bottle of the bar's oldest wine while the two mares drank as if celebrating the act of drinking. In that thought, I doubted that I'd be seeing them soon. Their hangovers were pretty legendary, more so than that of Rarity...but that's a chapter to another story. No, this was a different story. One of me now arguing with the fact that I may have affections for a basic, average, handsome...kind, gentle stallion. I sink into the chair's cushions, closing my eyes and placing the mug onto the small table beside me. I lay a hoof over my chest, the same that was held against his the night before. I held it over my heart, a tinge of emptiness burned within, causing a painful sadness to stir. As the loneliness fought within my chest, I could still see his eyes. I could still see the stars within them, my heart fluttered and my hoof drew circles over my stomach. my hind legs rubbing together, my breath caught in my throat as my imagination took control...
RedThe Rose In The Background Chapter Five "Red" Clinking classes kissed my ears and the chattering of the surrounding ponies kept me awake that late night, the drink at my hooves not quite catching me in my fall from sober. My eyes half lidded, staring at the flirting mares across from me, nipping at each others' rosy checks amongst empty glasses. Again, another hollow victory for them, getting me out of my home another evening only to forget my presence and getting lost in each others' blurring vision with every round. The shouts and cheers around by lonely stallions in their direction fell upon deaf ears, for they didn't care. They have done this before, and more, vigorously on occasion. Their love was like nothing I had seen since my own parents, which is a bit strange to compare your friends to your mother and father but I couldn't compare it to anything else. Maybe the moon and the sun. The land and the distant seas. A colt and his furry companion. A love shared between two individuals...one I envy. Which is why a midst my own thoughts, my legs had stood me up and took me to the bar's front doors, and as which then I found myself out under the dozens of stars. I thanked for their presence on this lonely travel home, my head swimming and lips sour from my last drink. Cold cobblestone greeted my hooves, and the rain that had long since departed showed signs of returning, and the wet grass trail through the park was comforting to say the least, but I knew if I stayed out any longer I was destined for a cold. Finding the center of town, I made haste. Who could I have asked to spend the night with? The list grew on and on, from Rarity to Twilight, Fluttershy to The Cakes, The Cakes to Donut Joe and so fourth. I couldn't really decide amongst them despite their well known friendliness. Looking up towards the sky, the clouds had me cornered. I made an attempt to run home before the rain. ~*~*~ I laid in bed, my hat resting on my chest rising and falling with my breathing. My beside lamp lit the room a faint golden hue, across from my bed was a painting of a field of dying grass, pale and yellow worn out by sun and time. At its center was a brightly colored flower, red as the roses that sat full of life at the flower mare's stall in the summer. I turned over to gaze out my window, rain had begun to fall. Rain drop meeting my window and moving like tiny shooting stars. The more I thought about, every thought big or small lead me back to the mare's smiling face. Roseluck. Her name, it alone brought a smile to my lips. As I entered battle with its army, it read through my every strategy to halt its advances and left me and my lips in its control. Her eyes, ivory and infinite. Her hair like a red wine water fall showering down her back and neck, though not staining her flawless soft fur. Her lips curled into a smile that melts me to my core, it soon reaching my heart and melting as well. Melting it until it was but a puddle that flooded my soul which held the adoration I held for her. I sat up, my hat falling from my chest as rubbed my eyes in an attempt to cast out these thoughts of her face. My words only falling to petty poetry when she trots into my mind. It was then I decided I wouldn't think about her, at least for the rest of that night so that I could sleep. Could it be that I was reduced to a simple school colt, left thinking about the mare like a school yard crush? Mind you, I've been with mares in the past. None really seemed to fit the part however, all only wanting me for the reasons I didn't want them. My fashion, income, even simply wanting to take me to bed while I wanted to take them out for dinner, spend a day in peace together, just... I had chosen to dwell no more on the subject and blew out the lantern on my night stand, slipping underneath the covers and laying on my side to face the window. With my eyes closed I slowed my breathing, relaxing as I allowed the sandmare to enter my subconscious and bring me to the land of slumber. ~*~*~ The smell of rain is intoxicating before it actually hits, lingering before the drops fall and send shivers through out your body with the already chilling cold of the late night. I was half way home when I felt a droplet kiss my muzzle, followed by the bites of the others that followed. Not that I hated the rain, on any other given day or time I loved it. Though I do in fact prefer not being caught in it at midnight without so much as a light coat. My mane would defiantly be frizzled by the time I had reached my home. On my journey I pondered whether or not Lyra and Bon Bon had left the bar yet, left alone noticed I had disappeared without as much as I farewell. I didn't think so, as this wasn't the first, both would probably head back to their home to spend the night together. Probably drunk dancing to whatever Lyra owned and played on her record player before the two would pass out on the couch together. At least that's what they did in collage. I sighed, stopping underneath an awning and staring out from within the town. How I had longed for such an en devour, if only for a moment to share a connection like they had with one another. The love they shared together for as long as I had known them never faltered. Even before I had entered our friendship, they told me how they met and each time they did warmed my heart. Maybe one day I too can recall the story of how I met my love. Maybe it'll be cute, or perhaps by accident. How silly I was. It didn't matter. I turned to the sky, it was well past midnight now and I needed to get out of this rain. After a few more minutes of trudging through the rain I had finally met my front door. I was soaked by that point and simply wanted a towel, lay down on my chair by a fire and sleep til morning. If only I could find my key. A single image of it resting on my kitchen table shot through my mind, and my heart fell heavy with the rain. "Damn!" I cursed, laying my hoof on the door. I could have probably climbed in through one of the windows, but there was no guarantee that any of them were unlocked. Which led me to the idea of perhaps staying at someone's home for the night. But I didn't really know anyone as well as Lyra and Bon Bon, and those two were probably either at the bar still or well since slipped away in their slumber. I thought back to earlier, the stallion. Topsworth I believe his name was. It was strange really, how quickly I had fallen into the idea of spending a night at his home. Or how quickly it felt as though it had stopped raining entirely due to how warm I felt at the drop of a hat of his name. I quickly turned back from my home and hurried over towards the center of town where I believed he lived, I had numerous times spotted him walking a few houses from mine and never once thought much of it. But then as I quickened, the rain no longer holding me back with its chilling touch... ~*~*~ My eyes snapped open as sharp knocks erupted from my front door, bringing me to my hooves and out my bedroom. I reached my front door, wondering who could possibly be visiting my home at such an ungodly hour. As my door opened, it seemed as time stopped as a cold and shivering form pressed against me and a pair of ivory eyes met mine. "Oh! I-I apologize!" Her voice sung to me as she stepped back. "It...It appears that I had left my keys in my home and its raining..." She stopped, looking away from me and continuing her conversation with the door step. "I know I'm being intrusive...but do you believe it's possible that-" "You must be freezing!" I found myself saying, operating almost on autopilot. I ushered her inside and shut the door behind her, leading her to my couch. "Wait here, I'll go fetch you a towel." I left her for a moment while I ran to my room and into my closet to grab the first towel I saw, rushing back to find her awkwardly sitting and shivering. "Here you go." I say, wrapping the towel around her and sitting in front of her. "Can't have you catching a c-cold, huh? Heh.." She smiled, and so did I. What was it about this mare? "Thank you.." She said, and began drying herself off. "I'm sorry for showing up at such a late hour." "It is no problem!" I assured her, but she continued. "It's just that my friends from the bar? They're already probably asleep by now and I don't really know anyone else in town, so..." She trailed off, a red tint hitting her cheeks. I lifted a hoof to her forehead, fearing she was sick. "Oh my, you're turning red. Are you feeling alright?" She giggled, pushing away my hoof but not letting go. "No, no. Heh, I'm fine but thank you. You're...so very kind." "It's no trouble at all." I told her, my hoof warmed by her now dry touch. We sat there, in my home. On my couch. Every dream the sandmare had planned for me that night would be put on pause for a little while longer.
