The Rose In The Background

by TLC

Red

The 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.

Comments

[The Late Man]

Really awesome man, looking forward to reading more!

[Sipioc]

Thoroughly enjoyable.

At first it was off putting not knowing initially which was talking but it really grew on me and kept my interest.

While it could end here, I hope it doesn't.