The Last Son of Dublin: The After Party

by Jazzmania Chronicle

The After Party

It was official. Anon had finally fucked up big time. Sure, he had made plenty of mistakes in his life — when one was known as a “resident drunken bastard,” there were bound to be a few hiccups here and there. Plenty of ponies could attest to that. But this felt worse than anything he’d ever dealt with. And it wasn’t because of the aches and pains.
Anon groaned as he pressed an ice pack to his temple while holding a bottle of wine in the other hand and letting a cigarette hang from his lips. His white button-up shirt was untucked from his dress pants, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. He took a swig from the bottle while he thought back to the night's events.
Smashing a bottle into Prince Blueblood's face had been the best thing to happen that evening. If he had to sit through that idiot's constant bitching for a minute longer, Anon would've jumped out the window. Thankfully, Twilight Sparkle saw how wound up he’d gotten and solemnly permitted him to break their agreement from hours before.
Anon smiled. Oh, how euphoric it was when the taste of alcohol graced his lips once again! It felt as if an eternity had passed since his last drink. He could still remember Blueblood's look of confusion morphing into a mixture of surprise and agony when the bottle cracked against his skull. Oh, how exhilarating it was when his fists also made contact with the stallion's face.
Anon never felt more alive!
The moment didn't last, however, as shortly after, he was suddenly thrown aside by a blast of magic . . . and then tackled to the ground by a bunch of angry guards. Being dog-piled by heavy ponies dressed in equally heavy armor wasn't something Anon wanted to repeat anytime soon. Although, seeing that look of rage on Blueblood's bloodied and bruised face made it all the more worth it.
Pompous arsehole . . . Serves him right, the bastard!
Chuckling, he took a long cigarette drag as he leaned back into his chair. Thank Celestia, one of the patrons from the party was willing to lend him a few sticks. He was sitting outside the throne room of Canterlot Castle, two poker-faced guardponies standing on either side of him. Twilight convinced the Princesses to let him sit here instead of in a cell downstairs. Yet another thing to add to the ever-growing list of things he owed her for. The unicorn in question was speaking with the Princesses . . . and Blueblood at this very moment. She was likely being scolded for the actions of her plus-one. Anon grimaced.
He’d promised her one night of peace. One night that didn't end with him beating the shit out of someone. One night where he didn't drink or smoke or curse . . . and he couldn't even do that. Was he so dependent on his vices that he couldn't even go without them for ONE night?
Tink probably regrets inviting me to this dinner party now. Anon thought as he took another sip of wine. I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't talk to me for a month . . . For fuck's sake, it wasn't my fault that the prince was an egotistical piece of shite. Fucker had it coming!
Anon just couldn't sit through another minute of Blueblood talking. He just couldn't. The way he went on and on about how great his life was, and how amazing it was to have servants waiting on him hoof and... well, hoof. Plus, he had the nerve to insult Twilight — in front of the Princesses, in front of him! To hell with his claim of being their distant relative a thousand times removed, Anon wasn't going to stand for it. He pondered whether or not Celestia would have spoken up to the stallion if things had gone differently. Twilight was her prized pupil after all. Surely, she would've said something to rein in Blueblood.
Still, I should've shown more restraint. Tonight was really important to Twilight . . . and I screwed it up by being me.
The door to the throne room opened, and Blueblood walked into the corridor. He shot Anon a look of disdain as he passed by, his teeth grinding and ear twitching. Anon returned the look with a cheeky grin.
"This isn't over, heathen," Blueblood spat. He was going for an “intimidating” stare, but his bruised face made him look utterly pitiful.
Anon raised his bottle to the stallion. "You know where to find me!"
Blueblood trotted away in a huff, his hoof-steps echoing in the empty hallway.
Not long after, Twilight walked out into the hall, with Luna and Celestia not far behind. Celestia had a look that Anon didn't recognize. Judging by the shameful blush on Twilight’s face, he wasn't sure if he even wanted to know. The elder Princess nodded to the guards, signaling their dismissal.
After they left, she said, "I hope we didn't keep you waiting, Anonymous. How's your head?"
Anon stood up. He wasn't the type to bow to royalty, but he reasoned he could at least stand up in their presence. No need to embarrass Twilight even further. "It’s grand, Princess. Nothing I haven't handled in the past. Um, I'm sorry for what happened earlier. I couldn't take any more of that Blueblood's bullsh– er, nonsense."
Celestia nodded. If she’d noticed his slip-up, she didn't show it. "Of course. We've just finished discussing the matter with Prince Blueblood, and we’ve come to a decision."
Anon nodded, bracing himself. Well, this was it. The consequences of his actions had finally caught up with him. What had they decided for him, he wondered — writing a letter of apology to the prince? Maybe. Cleaning all the corridors of Canterlot Castle? It wouldn't be the first time he had to scrub floors because of his behavior. Spending a sentence in the Canterlot dungeon? He wondered if Twilight would visit him if that happened. She'd probably send letters, at least.
"Though I am disappointed that a friend of Twilight's would react in such a way," Celesta said tentatively, “we’ve decided to let you off with a warning. This isn't the first instance that Prince Blueblood has gotten into trouble because of his . . . conduct."
"Rarity can swear to that," Luna muttered. Celestia elbowed her, and Twilight and Anon both suppressed a grin.
"As I was saying." Celestia recomposed herself, her feathers ruffling. "Count yourself lucky that we came to this decision, Anonymous. Twilight has vouched for you immensely and assured us that you were only defending her honor. Without her, this could’ve gone very differently.”
There was that look again. It vanished as fast as it appeared, replaced with a small smile.
"We'll take our leave." Celestia turned, with Luna following suit. "I need to get an early start for tomorrow, and Luna has to tend to her nightly duties. If there's nothing else you want to discuss . . . "
"No." Anon shook his head. "No. Thank you, Princess."
"Twilight will show you to your chambers," Luna remarked. "Have a good night, you two."
"G-good night, Your Majesties!" Twilight said at last. Her flushed cheeks had reverted to their original hue.
"Good night, Twilight. Anonymous."
The two princesses then departed, leaving Anon and Twilight to themselves. There was a moment of silence before Anon spoke up.
"Did they say anything else while you were in there?"
Twilight rubbed her foreleg. "Other than asking if this was a normal occurrence and whether I felt safe having you living with me? . . . No."
Anon winced. Christ, I really have screwed up big time. Twilight must be really fucking pissed. Usually, he didn't give a damn what others thought of him. He was Anonymous. He lived his life however he wanted to, whether by getting drunk at the bar or by starting fights with other ponies. But seeing Twilight like this made him feel a certain way he wasn’t used to.
“How did Prince Blue-balls react when he realized I wasn’t going to jail?”
“He started shouting about how Princess Celestia was making the biggest mistake of her life and how the situation wasn’t over by a longshot. His face was so red you could’ve mistaken him for a unicorn version of Big Mac.”
Anon laughed. “Fuck, really? I wish I was there to see that!” When he realized she wasn’t laughing with him, he fell silent. The air was thick with tension. He shifted from one foot to the other, trying to think of something else to say.
"Are you okay, lass?" he asked cautiously, preparing for a screaming match.
Instead, Twilight smiled faintly and said, "Yeah, I'm just a little tired.”
He hesitated. He wasn’t expecting that answer. “Tink, I-.”
“We should probably head to bed,” she interrupted. “It's late."
She walked away before anything else was said. He took a moment before following, sticking his finished cigarette into his now empty wine bottle. As they walked down various corridors to get to the guest bedrooms, Anon kept looking over at Twilight.
Why wasn't she yelling at him? She was angry, wasn't she? He made a promise to be on his best behavior for the evening and he broke it. He embarrassed her in front of several ponies, highly privileged ponies who were probably telling their friends all about the incident. Everyone in Canterlot would know of what happened come morning, and it would be months before she could come back without ponies gossiping about her.
So why wasn't she more upset? Why did she look so calm?
They made it to their destination, and Twilight said, "Here we are."
Anon opened the door and stepped inside. The bedroom was exactly how he thought it would look: fancy four-poster bed, fancy nightstand, fancy high ceiling, and equally fancy balcony. He gave the room another once-over before turning back to Twilight.
"I'll be sleeping in the room across from yours," she gestured to the door behind her. "So, if you need anything, just knock."
Awkward silence reigned for a long moment before she spoke again. "Well . . . good night." Before she could walk to her guestroom, Anon reached out to her.
"Wait, Twilight."
She paused, looking up at him expectantly. Anon rubbed at the back of his neck. Come on, just spit it out already, mate! You never had any trouble opening your mouth before. He took a deep breath and slowly asked, "Why do you put up with me?"
She furrowed her brow at him as he continued. "This is something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. Tink, I’m not that great of a person. I'm brash and crude and have a habit of doing things without thinking. I get into fights almost daily, and mostly it’s for the hell of it. I smoke like a chimney, drink like a fish, and we argue constantly. I’ve made life so much harder for you and have given you plenty of reasons to kick me out. But still, you put up with me. You don’t seem the least bit upset even after I’ve fucked things up with the Princesses. Why? Tink, why haven’t you given up on me?”
She didn't respond right away. She just stood there staring. She looked away after a while and began playing with her mane. He could imagine the gears turning in that brain of hers. Finally, she asked, "Do you really want to know?"
He nodded. Sighing, Twilight slowly trotted into the room, magically closing the door behind her. She sat on the bed and motioned for him to sit next to her. When he did, she tapped her hooves together in a steady rhythm. She was trying and failing to figure out how to start. They sat like that for a while before she finally said something.
“Remember when you said I only let you stay in the library because I wanted to impress Celestia, and I made it seem like it was the truth?”
He nodded again.
“Well, that wasn’t the . . . entire reason I let you live with me.” She was once again fidgeting with her mane. “The truth is I probably would’ve let you stay with me whether Celestia was interested in you or not. I know I would have because . . . because . . .”
Anon waited patiently as the mare gathered her thoughts.
“It-it’s just that . . . Stars above, why is this so hard?” She blew out a frustrated breath. “Here, let me start over. Remember the night we first met? When you accidentally came into the library?”
Oh, he remembered that night pretty well. It was a few nights after he first arrived in Ponyville. On the night in question, he was out having a drink when he got into a . . . disagreement with a group of earth ponies. A disagreement that quickly dissolved into a brawl. He was victorious, of course, but not without taking a few kicks to the head. So while he thought he was stumbling into the inn he was staying at, he was actually stumbling into the Golden Oaks Library. He gave both Twilight and Spike quite the scare. He was pretty sure he said something to her before he passed out, but he wasn’t sure. Maybe the memory retention test wasn’t complete bullshit.
Realizing that she was still waiting for him to answer, he pulled himself out of his reverie and said, “Aye, what about it?”
“When I first saw you that night, I instantly wanted to know everything about you. I had never seen or heard of a human before, so the potential of learning more about your species and homeland was too tempting! I’ll admit that in the beginning, I let you stay in the library because I wanted to share what I learned with the Princess. But as time went on and the more I got to know you, I . . .”
Anon furrowed his brow. Just where exactly was this going? Twilight stared at her hooves as she continued.
“Anonymous, you might be the most arrogant and impossible person I’ve ever met.” She smiled softly. “But you’re also sweet and compelling and have a side to you that not everypony sees. You get into fights, but sometimes it’s in defense of others. Rainbow’s told me about all the times you stood up for her at the bar. I mean, you did the exact same thing for me tonight!
“I know you feel guilty for breaking your promise at the dinner. But I meant what I said before. I accept you for who you are and I don’t expect you to change. The fact you were willing to be somepony you’re not just to make me happy is enough for me. Plus, I gave you permission to beat up Blueblood in the first place, so I’m partially to blame.”
He chuckled faintly but said nothing. 
“Even though we argue, I still enjoy being with you. Every day feels like a new adventure. I’d be lying if I said I hadn't grown fond of you over these past few months. At first, I thought it was just a simple crush. But then I saw the portrait . . .”
She trailed off once more, a wistful expression on her face. Anon said nothing, shifting in his seat. He felt a slight twinge of panic come over him but immediately ignored it. She looked up at him, staring deadset into his eyes. He admired those eyes. The eyes of an honest soul.
“It was the portrait that hammered things home for me. That what I’ve been feeling wasn’t just some school-filly crush. It’s so much more than that.” She smiled again, her eyes brimming with tears. “Anon, I think I’ve fallen in love with you.”
Anon said nothing. He stared at her for several long moments, his mind racing. Twilight Sparkle was in love with him? The very notion seemed impossible. He thought back to what Applejack had said to him the day before.
“She likes you.”
“Shut up! She does not! She thinks I’m the biggest pain in the arse. Granted, I am, but at least I’m content in that knowledge.”
“That may be, sugarcube. But that unicorn has a serious soft spot for you.”
“Uh-huh, sure.”
He’d figured Applejack was just pulling his leg. But here he was, the truth staring him in the face. He tried to think of something, anything to say, but he was just caught so off guard. It was as if his brain was tripping over itself as it searched for an answer.
“Tw-Twilight. . .”
“I know it sounds crazy,” Twilight interjected. “But it’s true! I’m in love with you. When I realized this, I wanted to tell you as soon as possible. It’s why I wanted to ask you to come with me to the dinner. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to confess my feelings. But I was worried that you wouldn’t be interested in going with me or feel obligated to go because I've been letting you live with me, so I lied and said that Princess asked for you instead.”
Anon grimaced. The latter of what she said was true. He only went because he felt he owed Twilight for all she’d done for him, not because he wanted to. But what if she had told him the truth? Would he have still gone with her? It was true that she didn’t have to lie to him in the first place. Even so, he went with her as her friend. Could he have gone as something more?
She studied him closely, her ears folded back. “What are you thinking?”
“I . . . don’t know,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I mean, it’s a lot to take in. I guess I . . . I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m thinking. You really caught me by surprise, Tink.”
She looked away. “I know. I’m sorry for dumping all of this on you. But you asked for the truth.”
“That I did.” He ran his hands down his face. Jesus, he needed a drink.
She put a hoof on his knee. “Anon, what do you feel about me?”
He looked at her. He could see that her eyes were filled with hope. Her hope that telling the truth wasn’t a mistake. Her hope that he felt the same way as she did. Anon wanted so badly to keep that hope alive, to give her everything he had to ensure her happiness. But he couldn’t. What she wanted, he couldn’t give. 
“I can’t, Twilight,” he said grimly. “I’m sorry.”
He watched as the hope in her eyes died.
“Oh,” was all that she said. She pulled away from him, her head drooping. She looked on the verge of crying. He cursed himself. He wanted to take it back. He wanted to hold her and tell her something, anything to make her smile again. Instead,  he sat there unmoving, his face expressionless.
Finally, he said, “It’s late. We should probably get to bed if we’re going to catch the train to Ponyville in the morning.”
Twilight sniffed. “R-right, of course!”
She jumped off the bed and quickly made her way towards the door. Opening it with her magic, she looked back at Anon. “Good n-night, Anonymous.”
“Night, Twilight.” But she had already shut the door behind her.

Anon couldn’t sleep. He’d been trying to for the past three hours but to no avail. His mind was too focused on Twilight. I’m in love with you. He ran those words over and over in his head. Every time he tried to push back those words, they would always find their way back to the surface. After failing to fall asleep for the fifth time, he got out of bed, walked to the balcony, and lit another cigarette.
As the familiar and comforting scent of smoke filled his senses, he again went over the events of three hours prior. I’m in love with you. For the life of him, he couldn’t stop thinking about that purple mare. Was she also awake? Or had she cried herself to sleep after practically running away from him?  He took a long pull from his cigarette and exhaled deeply, the smoke exiting his nostrils. He wanted so badly to go to her, to apologize and beg for forgiveness. Instead, he stayed right where he was.
He was Anonymous, and he did not beg. He had made the right decision. I’m in love with you. Hadn’t he? Twilight was kind and smart and innocent. She was always willing to see the good in others, even when some were considered a lost cause. She was everything someone could want in a friend and more, a pony who deserved the world. A pony who deserved so much better than him.
He was the son of parents he couldn’t quite remember and a former ward of the state. The only schooling he ever had was from the orphanage, which ended when he ran away at fourteen. He never made an effort to return to school, and nobody cared enough to notice or help. He was a thief and ex-gang member. He’d blackmailed and robbed a lot of ponies. He even robbed a bank at one point. And because of his hatred for authority, he couldn’t keep a regular job. If he had a bit for every time he’d gotten into fights with co-workers — and even bosses. So he mostly made his living doing odd jobs or selling the occasional painting every once in a while. He was definitely not someone Twilight would want in a relationship.
Anon was a one-night-stand type of guy. The type of guy rebellious daughters invited home to piss off their parents. The type of guy ponies associated with smoky nights and drunken regrets. The type of guy ponies had wild flings with and forgot about once they found someone better. An actual relationship just didn’t mesh with that.
That was who Anon was, and he’d made peace with that a long time ago.
Still, his mind couldn’t help but think back to everything he liked about the mare. Like how adorable she looked whenever she was angry. Or how flustered she got whenever he teased her. Or how crazy her mane got whenever she woke from a deep sleep. Or . . . 
He ran a hand through his hair, cursing under his breath. Jesus Christ, he really was developing feelings for her! He needed to nip this in the bud. Maybe a few mares and some hard liquor would do the trick when he got home. Anon took another drag of his cigarette, the end sparking red in the moonlight. He knew he was being a coward. A piece of him was screaming at him to be a man and admit his feelings to his friend. 
But that piece was overwhelmed by another. A cold, rough, and guarded piece that was beaten down by bad memories and old scars. A piece that haunted him to this day, much to his chagrin.
“Who in Celestia’s great kingdom would ever love a thing like you?!”
“Fuck.” He put out the cigarette and flicked the butt over the balcony railing. Maybe now he could get some sleep before he and Twilight had to catch the train. One could only hope.

The train ride was long and tedious, made even more so by the uncomfortable silence. Anon, irritated by lack of sleep and booze, lounged in his seat with his eyes closed. Twilight was seated across from him in the train car, staring stoically out the window. After leaving the castle, the two hadn't said much to each other.. Celestia had offered to have a carriage take them home, but Twilight insisted that the train would be fine. Anon had been too lost in his own head to join their conversation. 
Cracking an eye open, he looked over at Twilight. The mare didn’t seem to be looking at anything as the world passed outside. She was undoubtedly thinking back to what she'd said to him hours prior. She probably wished she hadn’t said anything at all. Anon surely did. 
When they finally reached the Ponyville train station, their friends were all there to meet them. Twilight exchanged hugs with Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike, while Anon fist-bumped with Applejack and Rainbow Dash. After the pleasantries, Twilight brought the group up to speed on the previous night, promptly leaving out her love confession. The scuffle with Blueblood was mentioned, and Rainbow immediately started laughing.
“Aw, man, I knew he’d crack! Pay up, AJ!” She held out a hoof, a massive grin on her face.
“Consarnit, Dash.” Applejack passed the pegasus a small bag of bits. “I thought for sure he would make it.”
Anon stared at the two. “You girls made a bet on me? Really, Dash?”
Rainbow shrugged. “Sorry, Anon. It’s nothing personal. I just know a good bet when I see one!”
Anon flipped her off with a smile, causing the pegasus to laugh again.
“Well, I’m glad everything turned out okay,” Fluttershy said, turning to Twilight. “Did anything else happen?”
Twilight’s gaze flicked over to Anon. He was joking around with Rainbow and Applejack. She could see that he was purposefully avoiding eye contact with her. A lump formed in her throat, her eyes wet with fresh tears. Swallowing, she looked back to Fluttershy and smiled.
“No.”