Thorn in Your Side (Anon X Rose one-shot)

>”Anon, can't you see I'm busy? I have some very important calculations to finish for Princess Luna's big eclipse tomorrow and I don't have time for anything else unless it's really pressing!”
>Twilight Sparkle sounds beyond exasperated, but you're not about to take 'no' for an answer
Come on, Twilight, you've been cooped up with those telescopes and chalkboards for like, four days! I think you can afford to step out for a little while!
>”No! Everything has to be set up perfectly if the eclipse is going to go off without a hitch. The Princess asked me personally to see to it that everything goes smoothly and I'm not going to let her down because I got caught up in some crazy scheme of yours!”
>The door slams in your face before you can respond
>Guess you're taking 'no' for an answer...
>You turn and walk down the road, disheartened, kicking a small rock as you go
>That pony might be learning about the magic of friendship, but she can be a real pain sometimes
>You'd taken the day off, gotten tickets to a lecture on obscure unicorn history of magic (a subject which held little interest to you, but you could sit through if Twilight was there with you)...
>Well, it not like you've done the best job with this
>You should have led off with the lecture
>Or better yet, just asked her out
>But no, you went the soft-sell route, and now you've got a night off with no plans...
>Maybe Applejack will be around tonight?
>She's fun to hang out with
1/x

>Your thoughts turn over to Twilight as you round the corner and start down Mane Street
>She's nice enough; she was the first pony to show you real kindness when you got here, so it's only natural that you'd be interested
>Well, maybe not 'natural'
>You've tried not to get too hung up on the whole inter-species thing
>After all, Spike and Rarity seem to be doing just fine
>Still, it's a little weird
>You shake those thoughts from your head
>Twilight's a great mare. She's smart, talented, driven, maybe a little introverted, more than a little bookish, but those traits really only made her cuter to you
>Made...
Can't spare a day to hang out, constantly has her face in a book or a telescope, Celestia, that mare's got her priorities messed up...
>This is the fifth time she's blown you off
>You look up at the sky, reminding yourself that it's really not her fault
Why can't you just be more forward, Anon?
>A breeze picks up and you hear a distressed yelp from behind you
>”nnnnooooOOOOOOO! Come back, come back! Gah!”
>The gust of wind pushes a basket of lily flowers down the street past you
>You turn your head to follow the object, not seeing the pink pony chasing after it until it's too late
>”EEP!” She cries as she looks up to see you standing in her path
>She collides with you as you whip around to find the source of the noise
>The two of you tumble to the ground in a heap
Eugh, watch where you're g-
>You look at the mare who bowled you over
>She looks upset...
>You hold back from telling her off
Are you okay?
>You get to you feet and help her up
>”Yes, sorry...”
2/x

>She looks back at the basket of flowers as it tumbles away and out of sight
>”I guess I'll have to fill a new flower basket now...” she sighs, defeated, ”I didn't hurt you, did I?”
No, not at all...
>You search for a name
>”Lily. We've met once or twice”
Anon. Sorry for being in the way. I've got a lot on my mind, wasn't paying attention
>”I'll bet. You've sure got yourself a challenge, getting to Twilight”
You heard that?
>”Most of it. She's a nice mare, but she's more into books than...well, anything. You're gonna have your hands full”
Yeah...
>”Well, I'm sure you don't want to talk about your personal life with a stranger. I'll see you around, Anon. And if you ever need some flowers, you know who to go to”
>She turns and walks off, leaving you to go on your way

>”Again? Tarnation, Anon, that's fahve tahms now she's brushed ya off and yer STILL trahin?”
Well, yeah...why shouldn't I? I've never given up on things before, why whould I start now?
>”Ah don't know if yer dumb, determined, er both. That mare is not in'er'sted. That's obv'ous ta' me, par'ner”
>You grip your mug of cider defensively
Shouldn't you be more encouraging? Twilight's your friend; why would you not want her to get involved with someone
>”Because that there mare AIN'T raht fer ya, Anon. She's mah friend and all, but she's a piece ah work, Ah tell ya”
>You don't want to agree
>You've put a lot of time into trying to get to Twilight and you really don't want that to go to waste
>Applejack sees your disappointment
>”Hey, buck up, par'ner. Look on the braht sahd: ya got a whole day awff outta this”
Good ol' Applejack
3/x

>You would have hung out with Applejack longer, but she had work that afternoon
>Plus side though, you've got the day to yourself
>...not that you've got anything to do...
>Maybe Applejack's right
>Maybe you DO need to forget about Twilight being anything more than a friend
>You walk down the road with your hands in your pockets
>The lecture tickets bounce around with each step
>You've got no interest in going; you just thought it'd be something Twilight would enjoy
>They were only 5 bits, so no big loss there, but it's more the principle that annoys you
>You're rounding the corner onto Mane Street when you hear aggravated voices
>”Lift your end higher, Daisy. It'll never fit through the door that way!”
>”I know, Lily, I'm trying! Why'd you order so much?”
>”I thought we'd need it! It's nearly summer! How was I supposed to know it'd be this heavy?”
>”It's DIRT AND POTS!”
>”Alright, alright! Just help me get this inside and THEN yell at me, okay?”
>You see the two ponies struggling to lift a large crate into the front door of a shop
>It starts to tilt to one side and the two pink mares let out a nervous squeak which turns into a nervous yell as the crate lists more and more
>Their yells are cut short when you place both your hands on the side of the crate and stabilize it
>”Who- oh, Anon. Fancy meeting you here”
>Lily looks up from the crate and smiles
>'Daisy' looks confused
>”Lily, you know this...I'm sorry, what are you?”
Human. Anon. Nice to meet you...Daisy, was it?
>”Hmm, likewise”
You two need some help?
>”Er, that's-”
>Lily cuts Daisy off
>”YES”
Alright. Let's get started
4/x

>The three of you heave the large crate into the shop after a lot of cross-talk and awkward twisting of the cumbersome container
>Eventually you're able to set it down in the storage area at the back of the shop
>When you emerge from the storage room you see a pale yellow pony with green eyes and a red mane looking at you from the counter
>”I was wondering who else was carrying that crate”
>You wonder why she wasn't out helping Daisy and Lily, but keep it to yourself
Yeah, I was just passing by and saw these two were having trouble
>”That's certainly noble of you. I've seen you around town before; your name's Anon, right?”
>She steps out from behind the counter, revealing a bandage around her torso
>Suddenly you feel bad for thinking she should have been out helping
>”I'm Rose. Pleasure to meet you, Anon”
>She raises a hoof, which you shake
>”I own the shop here. Daisy and Lily help me out running the place”
Pleasure to meet you, too. I work down at the general store. Filthy's got me in the stockroom
>You hear Daisy scoff in the background
>”Well, thanks for your help, Anon. We really ought to get back to work though, right, Rose?”
>Rose looks at the green-maned mare and raises an eyebrow
>”Nonsense. It's a slow day and I think we can afford our helper some time to relax, Daisy. But if you're really itching to unload that crate of Lily's I won't stop you”
>Daisy walks to the back with a sour look on her face
>”Sorry about her, Anon. She must be having a tough day. Can I get you anything to drink?”
Do you have any water?
>”Of course we do. Lily?”
5/x

>You spend an hour or so at the flower shop talking with Lily and Rose
>They're a lot of fun to hang out with
>After a while Rose looks at the clock and turns back to you
>”It was certainly nice of you to help Lily and Daisy with that crate, Anon. I'd love to keep chatting with you, but I've got to go make sure Daisy hasn't hurt herself or broken anything back there.”
It was no trouble, Rose. Thanks for the water
>You get up to leave and Lily pipes up
>”Hey, we're all going out dancing tonight. Vinyl's throwing a party for Octavia's coming back to Ponyville for the eclipse. It's gonna be awesome! You should come!”
>You see a hitch in Rose's step, but she keeps going down the hall
That sounds fun, bu-
>”Come on, Anon. Or do you have plans?”
Well, no...
>”Then there's no problem! Party's at 8. Just come back here and then follow the bass. I'll see you there?”
>You think for a second. You really don't know these mares too well, but it's not like you've got anything better to do...
Sure. See you then
>Almost out of sight, you see Rose flinch again
>Lily looks excited, though
>You're not used to such extroverted ponies
>Then again, you've been focusing on Twilight for some time
>It'll be good to spend an evening with ponies who aren't all about getting calculations and observations done instead of spend time with friends
>You leave the flower-shop happy with how this day is turning out
6/x

>Before you know it, the town clock strikes 8
>You look out the window at the slowly darkening sky
>Final check before you head out:
>Got your keys, got your bits...
>That's really all you need, isn't it
>You head out the door into the late-spring air
>There's a faint, faint sound echoing across the town
>It's so faint that you can't quite place it
>As you walk into Ponyville Center it slowly gets louder
>By the time you get to Mane Street it's recognizable as music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL8qMi4gpiM&feature=fvwrel
>Lily said to follow the bass
>Shouldn't be too hard
>You keep walking to where the music is louder and louder
>Through streets and alleys
>Louder and louder
>Until the ground starts to vibrate and you can feel the music thumping in your gut
>Oh yeah, this is gonna be good
>You finally get to your destination
>An open field on the outskirts
>There are lights all strung up around a seething mass of ponies
>With the sky getting darker and darker you make your way over to the crowd
>You notice ponies coming from the town all around you
>You have a feeling tonight's going to get crazy
>Between the gathering darkness and the deafening music, it might be difficult to fin-
>”ANON! OVER HERE!”
>You see the outline of a mane and a hoof rapidly waving from across the crowd
LILY??
>Goddamn, it's loud...
>You push through the crowd until you find the pink mare sitting at a plastic table with Rose and Daisy
>”You made it!”
>Lily is yelling and you can still barely hear her
Yeah, it wasn't hard to find!
>Lily looks genuinely excited
>Rose looks up at you from her seat with a wide smile
>Daisy gets up and walks into the crowd, muttering to herself
7/x

>The song changes
>You look at the mass of ponies, all clustered around a podium with a white unicorn wearing goggles standing on it
>She flips records onto a turntable and, after a beat, starts up the music again
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiOuEGijfOk&feature=relmfu
>It's not as loud, but there's no less energy
>At least you can hear yourself think now
>”I'm tired of sitting around! I'll see you two on the dance floor!”
>Lily bounces up and bounds into the crowd
>You look down at Rose as you take a seat in Lily's empty chair
>”Aren't you going to go dance?”
I'll wait a bit. Are you gonna get out there?
>She looks out onto the dance-floor before raising a hoof to her bandaged side
>”Maybe later”
You alright? What happened to your side?
>”Oh, this? It's nothing, really, I just strained it a few days ago”
Does it hurt?
>”A little. But don't let me bring you down. Go dance! I'll meet you and Lily out there later”
>You don't really want to leave her alone
>She doesn't look happy as you stand up, but she gives a smile and waves you on
>A picture of Twilight appears in your head when you walk into the crowd and find Lily
>The pink mare is dancing with some others and looks up to see you
>She moves  in time with the beat and dances closer and closer to you
>Twilight fades from your thoughts and you let the music guide your movements
>”Isn't this great, Anon? I told you it was gonna be awesome!”
>She's really close to you now. She jumps onto two legs and takes a hold of you
Lily? What are you dong?
8/x

>”Having fun, Anon! Lighten up!”
>You shrug and dance with the pink mare, getting more and more into the party as you do
>With all the bull surrounding your attempts to get in good with Twilight, you haven't been able to cut loose in a while
>It's nice

>After a half hour of dancing, you decide to check on Rose
>You make your way through the crowd while the bass blasts and find her still sitting at the table
>She sees you coming and puts on a smile, though you can tell she's not really in a good mood
>You take a seat by the mare
Something wrong? You don't look like you're having a good time
>Rose looks downcast as you speak, though you catch traces of a smile
>You've seen that look before
>Twilight comes up in your head again
>Instead of doubt, you feel a little determination come on
You want to get out of here? Maybe get some fresher air?
>She looks up at your suddenly, her face as red as her mane, though it's hard to tell in the dark
>”I- uh- wh-”
Not like that, Rose. You seem down just sitting here, I thought you might want to do something less active, what with your side and all
>You didn't think she could get any redder
>You were wrong
>”...You know, I think I'd like that”
>As she follows you away from the party you look back and see Lily emerge from the crowd, point at you, and...wink?
9/x

>The two of you walk away from the crowd and the music, into the field
>You talk as you go, sharing stories
>Rose is great to hang out with. She's clever and funny and refreshing to be around
>The stars are out. The music fades into the background the further out you go
>Eventually you stop
>Vinyl's tracks are still audible, but aren't pounding in your ears anymore
>Rose looks up at the sky, the stars reflecting brilliantly in her eyes
>She looks back at the party, then to you
>”...I think I'd like to do some dancing now, if you're still game?”
>She comes up to you and you hear the music from the party change yet again
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y02p3UCFNj0&feature=related
Definitely
>Rose hops up onto two legs and grabs you, like Lily had done earlier
>You're not even confused this time
>Your hands find Rose's waist and the two of you dance to the background music under the stars

>The moment lasts for a long time, it feels like
>Rose winces and drops onto all fours
Hey, hey! Are you alright?
>”mmph, I'm fine, really. My side just- ugh, I'm sorry, Anon. I've got to go”
>She trots off before you can react
>You put your hands in your pockets and start walking back to the party when it becomes clear she's not coming back
>Lily's waiting for you at the table
>”How'd it go? I saw the two of yo- where's Rose?”
Her side started acting up and she left
>You're more disappointed than you initially thought and you fall into the plastic chair
>”Ah, don't be so down about it, Anon. The night's still young and I have a feeling you'll see Rose again tomorrow!”
A feeling?
>She taps her nose and winks again
>But she's right; no sense moping the whole night
>”So let's dance!”
10/x

>The next day you wake up at noon
>You partied with Lily until like 4AM
>It was unbelievable; you'd only just met her and Rose and already you felt like they were good friends
>Rose especially. Lily's words from the previous evening repeat themselves
>”I have a feeling you'll see Rose again tomorrow!”
>A little ball of anticipation forms in your stomach
>You'd felt it last night too, when you were with Rose away from the noise of the party
>The same kind of feeling that had drawn you to Twilight in the beginning
>You decide right there that you're not going to make the same mistake twice
>At 12:30 you're out the door, heading to the Eclipse ceremony

>It's a big to-do, the Eclipse
>You get to the stage after five minutes walking
>Twilight is there, running over some figures and numbers with Luna in preparation
>She looks out into the crowd for a second and nods to you when you wave
>Two days ago you'd have felt annoyed that she's being so distant, but you're too busy scanning the crowd for that red mane
>As the town clock strikes 1, the ceremony starts
>Octavia draws her bow across the strings of her cello to provide background music for Luna's Eclipse of the Sun
>You're barely paying attention; you don't even listen to The Mayor's or Luna's speeches
>Finally, just as the Moon is crossing over the Sun, you spot her
>Standing with Daisy and Lily with a big pinhole camera to view the Eclipse
Hey, Rose!
>All three turn and look to see you
>Lily smiles
>Daisy leaves
>Rose looks surprised and crosses her front legs, looking down
>”I'm gonna see if I can find Vinyl. Later, you two!”
>Lily races off before Rose can say anything
11/x

>The pale mare turns back to you, sheepishly
>”Hey...”
How's the side?
>”It's fine today...”
>The sky darkens. It's like night now
>Octavia's music swells to a head as the sun becomes a brilliant ring of fire in the sky
>Rose follows you to a nearby tree trunk and sits down next to you. You took the pinhole camera with you and the two of you stare into it together to see Luna's handiwork
>Feeling determined not to let this chance go to waste, you put an arm around Rose
>She jerks a little in surprise, but quickly leans into you and rests her head on your shoulder
>”Sorry for running off last night...”
Don't worry about it. So long as you don't run off on me now
>She looks at you and smiles
>”Wouldn't dream of it”
So Rose, would you-
>”Do you even need to ask?”
I need to if I'm going to know when to pick you up
>You both laugh
>Today was a good day
End