"Nothing Personal - Barb (R63 Spike) x Anon - Part 3"
By MLP-CYOA-Writer-Dude (https://pastebin.com/u/MLP-CYOA-Writer-Dude)

URL: https://pastebin.com/cNvn348k
Created on: Thursday 22nd of May 2014 01:39:44 PM CDT
Retrieved on: Sunday 25 of October 2020 10:53:34 AM UTC


>Those were warm memories.
>You’d be lying if you said that you didn’t enjoy your time in Las Pegasus.
>Even if it was brief.
>Though you aren’t quite sure what Barb had tried to tell you before you pretended to sleep….
>Oh well.
>Knowing Barb, she would try and tell you again eventually.
>Fumbling over her words and shit.
>All cute and…
>Shit.

>Ugh.

>You get up from your bed and stretch once more.
>You could easily lie back down and sleep.
>You’d rather freshen up for your day.
>Anyways, you have a “date” to attend to.

~

>You turn the knobs on your shower, shutting the water off.
>You sigh and smile.
“Hell yeah.”
>Showers are nice.
>Your daily shower is actually your favorite pastime.
>Besides a round of eating tacos.

>It makes you feel like you could conquer the world.
>Which is usually NOT what happens.
>No, your days are typically filled with you getting hurt in some fashion.

>You put a towel around your waist and apply some deodorant.
>You were thankful ponies had such a thing.
>You check yourself out in the mirror, flexing your 8/10 muscles and such.
“Yeah. I see you eyeing me, Applejack. You can’t keep your eyes off me, can you sugarcube? Hnng, yeah!”
>A loud knock at your door interrupts your stupidity.
>You jump slightly.
“Oh, what the hell?”
>You exit the bathroom and head to your front door.
“Who is it?”

>”It’s your b-bestest dragon friend!”
>Barb!?
>You don’t recall your friendly “date” being this early.
“I wasn’t expecting you, Barb. At least not yet.”
>Barb laughs nervously behind the door.
>”I know! Uh… Twilight s-sent me over… with some things for you!”
“Well, why didn’t you say so?”
>You open the door for your little dragoness, wondering what task Twilight has for you now.

>Barb stands in your doorway, wearing a cute pink apron and holding up a concealed tray of something that smells great.
>”H-Hey, I wanted thought it would b-be nice to-“
>She stops talking.
>Barb stares at you, her mouth agape.
>”A-Anon!”
>You see her cheeks become enflamed, her legs shaking.
>You raise an eyebrow to her.
“B-Barb? You okay?”
>She doesn’t respond, but continues to stare at you.
“What… what is it?”
>You look around confused.
>Barb begins to stutter.
>You look down at yourself.
>You forgot to put clothes on….
>And Barb was….

>Oh.
>You get it.
>….
>IDEA.

>You decide to tease Barb a little bit.
>You lean coolly against the frame of the door, your wet abs outward and glistening in the sun.
“Whatcha got there, Babs?”
>You rub a hand down your chest, and place it on a hip.
>”Uh… I-I-I-I…. I h-h-h-have…”
>You laugh internally.
>This is too great!

>You flex an arm a little bit.
“Mmmm... that smells wonderful, Barb.”
>She begins to sweat.
>Can dragons even sweat?
>Who cares?

>You give her a wink.
>Her bottom lip quivers.
>”I-I… y-you… A-Anon… w-wow…”
>You smile at her.
“Nice day out. Don’t you think?”
>You pose as if you were a bodybuilder.
>”O-Oh… y-y-y-yes…!”
>Time to finish this.

“It’s a bit hot out, though. Woo…”
>You fan yourself.
“I should… get this towel off... and….”
>You could almost hear Barb’s heart beating in her chest.
>She is sweating profusely.
>Her legs looking like they are about to give in.
>You smirk as you move your towel down slightly, revealing the top of your pelvis.
>Dangerously close to lil’ Anon.

>And that was the final straw.

>”A-A-A-Anon…!”
>Barb drops the tray, causing freshly baked spaghetti to spill all over the ground.
>She stammers like crazy.
>Her eyes roll to the back of her head, and she falls backwards with a loud thud.
>You let out a big laugh.
>Though you feel bad that you made her spill her spaghetti.

>You walk over to her and snap your fingers.
“Yo, Barb?”
>You snap your fingers.
>She groans loudly, her tongue sticking out.
>You spread one of her eyelids apart.
>She must be seeing stars.
>”O-Oh… m-m-m-my….”
>A bit of drool escapes her mouth.
>Perhaps you went a little overboard.

“Oh, Barb.”
>You gently pick her up, careful not to lose your towel.
>You don’t want to imagine what she would do if that were to happen.
>You carry her inside and put her on the couch.
>She mumbles, still knocked out cold.
>Oh, man, you really did a number on her.
>You feel a little guilty.

>Well, when she eventually awakens, you’ll have a surprise for her.
>You shall bake her something!
>You need to head into Ponyville Square to get some ingredients though….
>You quickly dress and exit the cottage, leaving Barb in a cute daze on your couch.

~

>Ponyville Square was quite busy during this time of day.
>You knew what you were getting into though.
>Ponies eyed you nervously as you walked around the various stands, looking for ingredients to bake with.
>You were known to snap at anyone who gave you a hard time.
>Which used to happen more often than not, being a completely different sentient species and all.
>Though random ponies being somewhat fearful of you is no better.
>Ugh.

>You can’t catch a break.
>No complaints though.
>The guilt from causing Barb to swoon and faint earlier panged you.
>Maybe you went a little too far playing with her emotions.
>So, you were going make it up to her no matter what.
>Also, you weren’t entirely ready to deal with her just yet.
>And also, you don’t feel like being scolded by Twilight again.

>After a few minutes of searching, you don’t find anything suitable for baked goods.
>Which is of course a lie.
>The truth is that you didn’t find anything that could easily and effortlessly be made into a baked good. 
>At least one that would be delicious and edible.
>You begin to ponder what exactly you’ll do for Barb now.
>It’s clear that you aren’t actually much of a chef.
>In fact, a majority of your meals consisted of salads and fresh fruit.
>And more recently, fish.
>Actually… you only had fish when Barb brought some for you….
>Which she started doing a few times a week.

>You remember the first time she brought you to go fishing with her….

~

>A few weeks ago….

>”Here! We’re here, Anon!”
>The little dragoness skips happily to the edge of a large, calm river.
>You follow slowly behind, hauling an intense amount of gear.
>Groaning and cursing under your breath, you drop your stuff next to a large rock.
>You immediately feel like a massive weight was lifted off your shoulders.
>Literally.
>You stretch and sigh.
“Ugh, that’s better.”

>You and Barb had been travelling through Everfree for a few hours now and your feet and back were killing you.
>All of this pain to do some fishing.
>You tried not to complain though, as you haven’t had some form of meat in a long, long time.
>You imagined that fishing would only require a few necessary pieces of equipment.
>A rod, a bit of bait, maybe a bucket or cooler of some sort.
>Though the amount of stuff you brought with you made it seem like you were on a camping trip.
>Twilight had forced you to take extra gear with you, just in case.
>Just in case she wanted to slow you down for various predators, or something.
>Barb had sworn that it wouldn’t be much of a walk.
>Your frustration doubled by the fact that you were the pack mule, you decided to keep your mouth shut and let Barb lead the way.
>You were going to try and trust her for once.
>Luckily, it FINALLY paid off.

>Just when you were starting to doubt the girl.

>You walk over to Barb and gander into the water.
>You see a number of large fish swimming about.
>Your stomach rumbles at the sight of the fish.
“Alright, let’s do this. I want to get back before sundown.”
>You begin to unpack some gear, searching for a rod for you and Barb.
>Barb walks over to you and tugs at your sleeve.
>”H-hey, Anon?”
“Yes, Barb?”
>”We brought quite a bit of stuff, ya know?”
“Trust me. I KNOW.”
>You remove a small rod and hand it to Barb.
>”Thanks. Hey, I was j-just thinking… what if we just camp here f-for the night?”
>You nearly drop a bunch of pots and pans.
“Sorry, what was that, Barb?”
>You try and remove the second rod.
>Dammit, Twilight.
>Packing everything so tight and organized.
>”O-oh! I was just thinking… w-we came a long way here and… well Twilight d-did pack us a tent….”
“Finally!”
>You pull the second rod out.
>You wipe your brow and smile.
“Oh, dammit! We need bait.”
>You lay the rod down and begin searching for bait.

>Barb laughs nervously.
>She scoots closer to you.
>”This part of Everfree is really relaxing, huh?”
>You mumble.
>”I mean… nothing d-dangerous ever comes out here.”
“Yeah.”
>”It’s quiet and… calm. I-I-I usually come here when I-I want to be alone….”
“Mhmm.”
>”Hehehe… you probably think I’m like… l-lame or something, huh?”
“Yeah. Yeah.”
>Barb’s ear fins droop.
“Oh… r-really?”

>You are having no luck finding the bait in this mess.
“Dude, I can NOT find this bait….”
>You groan, taking every piece of gear out and laying it on the ground.
>”D-do you want to stay here for the n-night?”
“Huh?”
>Barb tugs at your sleeve again.
>”A-Anon?”
“What, Barb?”
>”Did you … hear me?”
>You’ve gone through every bit of gear.
>No. BAIT.

>You sit back and rub your temples.
>Barb puts and arm around your neck.
>You grumble.
“Yeah… yeah.”
>”So… do you think y-you’d like to camp here, Anon?”
“What? Yeah, yeah, sure… whatever… Barb, do you know where the bait is?”
>Barb laughs nervously.
>”Well, these rods d-don’t need bait.”
>You glare at Barb.
“WHAT?”
>”Twilight enchanted them to w-work without b-bait… Anon, she told you that!”
>You facepalm.
>You vaguely remember her mentioning that before you left.
“Shit.”
>You see her cheeks redden again.
>”Plus… I-I-I liked watching you w-work… hehehe.”
>You try and push her away, but she clings right back.

>Barb rubs your back.
>”Hey, at least you’ve unpacked everything! Now w-we can stay here for the night!”
>She nuzzles you affectionately.
>You shake your head.
“Wait, what?”
>Barb gives you a confused look.
>”You… you just said you wanted to c-camp here for the night.”
>You groan loudly.
>You didn’t want to stay here any longer than you had to.
>But it looks like you were going to be here for the night.
>”Yeah. Fine. Ugh….”
>Barb claps her hands, squeeing happily.
>She glomps you to the ground, giving you a tight hug.
>”Isn’t this exciting, Anon?”
>You grumble and groan.
“Yeah… really exciting.”

>After a few hours of unsuccessful fishing, you decide to call it a night.
>And by unsuccessful, you mean that you had caught literally no fish.
>You did catch a horseshoe though.
>BARB, on the other hand, caught three buckets worth of large fish.
>You’re not sure what kind of luck she had, but it always seemed to work against you.
>And dammit you were embarrassed.
>Once again, you got #REKT by a cute little dragoness.
>You groan and throw your rod down as Barb catches one more fish.
“HOW? HOW!?”

>Barb’s tail wags from side to side as she brings her final fish to you.
>”Ya just gotta be patient, Anon!”
>She gives you a happy smile and playfully punches your shoulder.
>You grit your teeth and glare at her.
“My rod must be fucked up. Thasall. Twilight gave me a busted-ass rod.”
>You put your head down in shame and embarrassment.

>”H-hey, now….”

>She puts a claw under your chin and raises your head.
>Barb gives you a weak smile.
>Her green eyes radiating affection.
>You feel yourself relax a bit.
>Just a BIT.
>”I’m glad that we got so many fish, Anon! We’ll be able to eat this for a while!”
>You scoff, taking the fish and throwing it into a bucket.
“Yeah… WE did good….”

>Barb nervously plays with her claws, giggling.
>You feel yourself calm down more.
>You stand up and stretch.
 “I’m going to set up the tent now. You hungry?”
>Barb nods cutely, her ear fins flopping about.
>You pat her head.
“Alright. Skin some of that fish for me so we can eat some before bed.”
>She puffs her chest out and gives you a thumbs up.
>”You c-can count on me, Anon!”

>You pat her once more.
>She closes her eyes and nuzzles herself in your hand.
>You walk towards the tent, ready to put that beast of a tent together. 
>Barb stands in the same spot, stares in your direction.
>She plays with an ear fin, fidgeting cutely as she usually does.
>Cheeks flushed and a wide smile on her face.

~

>That’s as far that night went, you think.
>You were pretty tired from the lack of catching fish.
>You put the tent together with excessive frustration, while Barb expertly skinned the fish.
>With great teamwork, you cut the fish it up, and she grilled it to perfection with her breath.
>A high five between the two of you on a job well done signaled the end of a good meal.
>As you remember it… Barb had locked her claws in your fingers afterwards.
>She happily held your hand for a while.
>….
>You think….
>You don’t quite remember….
>All you remember after that is passing out and sleeping well.
>And waking up with… Barb… cuddled up next to you….

>You aggressively shake your head.
>That must not be right….
>Oh well.

>You whistle happily as you head back home with a large box in your hands.
>The red velvet cake topped with mint cookies exudes a pleasant scent.
>If it were anyone else, you’d have already dug in to this delicious treat.
>You dropped the idea of baking something yourself and instead picked up the cake from Sugarcube Corner.

>Which, in hindsight, might be the best decision of your life.

>Pinkie Pie even included some large red gems on the side.
>You never were sure why Barb liked eating gems…
>Hopefully she would like these… heart-shaped stones.
>Dammit, Pinkie.

>Pinkie would be the one to instantly insinuate that you had feelings for Barb.
>W-which you don’t!
>Barb just… she helps you a lot, you guess.
>She’s chill, you know?
>Cool peeps.
>Ugh.
>Whatever.

>You get home in record time.
>The spaghetti was cleaned up from in front of your door.
>Either Barb took care of it, or that bear came by and took care of it.
>Hmm.
>Oh well!
>You approach the door, but you don’t walk in.

>You began to think about how much Barb appreciates anything you do for her.
>Which isn’t that often.
>But when you do things for her… she does really get happy.
>She does that tail wag thing and her eyes light up.
>She fidgets and blushes and….

>Man, when the hell did you start noticing that?

>You must have always noticed it.
>The truth is, you just never paid it any mind. 
>Or you chose to not pay attention to it.
>Last weekend was the worst of it though.

>You had to take Barb to the Ponyville Natural Science Museum.
>She had always wanted to go there.
>And they had a new exhibit on rare gemstones.
>Her excitement was… unbearable.
>As if it wasn’t already, yo.

>You actually weren’t planning on going to any museum until Twilight had made you.
>Damn her and her busy schedule!
>Worst of all, you ended up getting stuck inside of the museum longer than you wanted to be due one of those crazy rainstorms that come out of nowhere….
>Ugh, what a frustrating day….

~

>Last weekend….

>The Ponyville Museum is calm and relaxing, completely contrasting to the conditions outside.
>There are awful torrential downpours scheduled for various times of the day.
>Fucking pegasi.
>You’re hoping that it would settle by the time you leave.
>In the meantime, you spend your time following Barb around the gemstone exhibit.
>The two of you spend a couple of hours gazing at the extensive collection of rare gems and pretty stones.

>You can’t say you’re as excited as Barb, as she has to pull you along with her.
>You decide to be nice and let her hold your hand as you explore.
>Though your hands have been occupied for most of your time here.
>You actually don’t mind for once.
>Today is Barb’s day.
>Why not let the gal enjoy herself?
>She had even decided to wear one of those darn blue rose-like flowers behind her ear fin.
>… she thought you would like it.

>You keep checking the time, wondering how long you’d been in the museum.
>Time seemed to be moving even slower than usual.
>Ugh.
>It’s not like you weren’t having fun.
>You were trying your very best to enjoy it.
>You did learn a few things though!
>Some of the rocks were pretty cool looking.
>And Barb’s company was…
>Acceptable.

>You stop at a collection of rainbow-hued stones of considerable size.
>They gleam in their cases, looking quite magnificent.
>Barb’s eyes widen as she ganders at the [spoiler] gneiss [/spoiler] gemstones.

>She squeezes your hand, still looking at the gems.
>”Anon?”
“Yeah?”
>”What’s your favorite kind of gemstone?”
“I don’t have a favorite.”
>”O-oh… ya know what my f-favorite kinds are?”
“Hm?”
>”I like red ones. They usually are really pretty. And they always taste the best! Sweet and savory.”
>She rubs her tummy with her free hand.
>”Now I’m hungry….”
“Don’t get any ideas. I don’t feel like being chased by the fuzz again.”
>”Anon, I t-told you that I didn’t mean to eat those pies without paying for them!”
“Yeah, I know. Too bad I had to still cover for you!”
>”T-they shouldn’t have left them out!”
“You shouldn’t have eaten them!”
>”I was hungry!”
“I almost had to pay a fine!”
>”I know, I know! And I still f-feel bad about it….”
>You give her hand a squeeze, shaking your head.
“Hey, don’t worry about it, alright? I wasn’t going to let those cops try and give you trouble.”
>She gives you a warm smile, her cheeks a fine shade of pink.
“… not my Barb, anyways.”
>”W-what was that, Anon?”
”Uh, nothing. I asked you if you were having fun?”
>”Oh, of course I am! I haven’t had this much fun in… well in forever!”
“Good to hear.”
>”I w-wish we could do this more often.”
“Do what?”
>”This. H-hanging out and-“
“We hang out like all the time.”
>She laughs nervously.
>”Yeah, but we are usually doing something for Twilight!”
>You shrug.
“True.”
>”Y-yeah! I’d rather us actually hang out, ya know? Outside of work.”
“What do you have in mind?”
>Barb blushes furiously, her cheeks redder than her favorite kind of gem.
>”N-n-n-nothing in p-particular….”
>She holds your hand a bit tighter.
>Are your hands getting sweaty?
>They should turn the A/C on.

>Barb pulls you through the rest of the exhibit; her cheeks still red as ever.
>Nothing else was quite as extraordinary as those rainbow rocks, though.
>You reach the main lobby, tired and gemstoned out.
>A few ponies stand by the door, all looking nervous.
>You check the clock again.
>Time has suddenly lurched forward it seems.
“Maybe we should head out, Barb.”
>Her ear fins droop.
>”Aww… a-alright. If you s-say so….”
>You let go of her hand and proceed to open the door.
>Some of the ponies eye your nervously, shaking their heads.
>You get angry.
“What are you all looking at? Sheesh.”
>A young filly cowers behind her parent.
>You open the door, immediately being rained on and knocked backwards by an immense wind.
>A few of the ponies rush to the door, struggling to close and lock it.
>Barb runs to your side.
>”Anon, are you okay!?”
>You get up and shake yourself off.
“Ugh… fuck, dude! Dammit. Looks like we’ll be for a bit longer.”
>You groan and remove your wet suit jacket.

>Barb snickers.
>”How about we check out the gift shop, Anon? Maybe they’ll have a towel for you!”
>You weren’t a massive fan of gift shops.
>Rather, you weren’t a fan of spending money on seemingly useless tat.
>Again, this is Barb’s day though.
>You shrug at her.
“Well it’s not like we got anything else to do. Come on.”
>You extend your hand out.
>Barb grabs it in an instant and leads you to the gift shop.
>To your displeasure, most of the gifts were gemstone-related.
>To Barb’s pleasure, most of the gifts were gemstone-related.
>Her eyes gleam as she sees all of the slightly overpriced gifts.

>She approaches a bin full of expensive gemstones.
>They were cut into various shapes, though they retained their own shimmer.
>”Wow, these are really awesome!”
>She picks up a few and puts them up to her snout, giving them a sniff.
>”And they smell lovely!”
>The pony behind the cash register fidgets nervously.
>”T-those are actually on clearance if you’re i-interested!”
>You walk over and check the price on the side of the bin.
>You feel your bag of bits deflate in your pocket.
“Oof, that’s… is that the sale price?”
>The pony nods to you.
>Oh, man.
>Barb happily digs through the bin, pulling out various gemstones and looking at them happily before replacing them.
“Ugh.”

>You walk over to the pony.
“Hey, is there anyway you can come me some slack on the price?”
>The pony shakes his head.
>”I’m sorry, the prices are set by-“
>You put a hand up to his face.
“Look, buddy. She really loves gems. Like… more than anyone I know.”
>The pony glances over at Barb, who is still smelling the gems with a smile on her face.
“I’ll… I’ll buy her a whole bag of them if you can help me out and lower the price a bit.”
>The pony gulps.
“Don’t do it for me, do it for her. She deserves it.”
>”I-I don’t know….”
“Please?”

>The pony sighs deeply and nods his head.
“Fine. Just because it’s clear you have feelings for her!”
>You glare daggers at the pony.
“I’m not doing it because I have feelings for her, you ass!”
>The pony laughs nervously and puts his hooves up.
>You drop a huge handful of bits on the counter angrily.
>You turn back to Barb, who has begun nuzzling one of the larger gems.
“Barb, I’m gonna check if the rain’s cleared out. Meet me in the lobby in a bit, alright?”
>She nods, licking one of the gems.
>Good thing you just paid for those.
>You instruct the pony to go over there and tell her to get a bag of gems to take with her.
>You exit the gift shop, sighing deeply.
>Hopefully Barb would like her gift.

>Luckily for you, the rain had cleared and the sun was blazing above.
>You couldn’t even tell that there was a tsunami earlier.
>Fucking pegasi.
>Barb exits the gift shop, with a massive smile on her face, and a large bag of gems in her hand.
>She skips happily to you.
>You’ve never seen her this happy before.
>It made her appear cuter than usual.

>… not that she’s always so cute or anything.

>”A-Anon, thank y-“
“Did you have a good time, Barb?”
>”I really did! I really really did!  I can’t believe you got me these!”
>She shakes the large bag, its contents clacking.
>You scoff.
“Well… I didn’t buy you those!”
>Barb gives you a confused look.
>”But… the pony in there said….”
“I didn’t have to pay for them. They uh… came included with our tickets t-today. It was one of those f-flash deals or something.”
>Barb raises her eyebrow at you.
“Look, that pony in there clearly was new and was very confused about his job. That’s it.”
>You fold your arms angrily.
“Are you ready to go now? I’m starving, and I’ve had enough of this museum for one day.”
>Barb looks at the ground.
>”Y-yeah we can g-go….”
“Great.”

>You approach the door, but are stopped by Barb tugging at your sleeve.
>You look down at her.
>”H-hold on… I-I-I…. Uh…”
>Her cheeks immensely flushed, she digs around in her bag.
>After a bit of digging, she pulls out a spectacular red gemstone, smaller than the others, cut in the shape of a heart.
>She pulls your arm down and places it gently in your hand.
>It’s… beautiful, actually.
>She closes your fingers around it, holding onto your hand for a bit.
>”I-I-I know you g-got me those gems.”
>You open your mouth to retort, but you stop yourself.
>Her bottom lip was quivering and her legs were shaking.
>”This… t-this is my f-favorite one. I-I-I want you t-to have it, Anon….”

>Barb grips your hand a bit harder.
>You’ve yet to see her cheeks redder than they are now.
>She pulls her hands away from you, a weak smile on her face.
>”I hope y-you like it…. Thanks for bringing m-me here today.”
>She nuzzles your hand and hugs you around your waist.
>She walks through the door and heads outside.
>You stand still for a few moments, the gem still clutched in your hand.
>You look in the gift shop and see the pony shrug at you, with a shit-eating grin on his face.

~

>… maybe that day wasn’t as bad as you thought.
 
>You still don’t enter your cottage.
>Instead, you reach into your pocket and pull out that same heart-shaped gemstone.
>You’ve… you’ve carried it with you ever since that day last weekend.
>You hold it up to the sun; it’s color shining radiantly.
>This was the nicest gift you’ve ever received.
>You… you never really thanked Barb for it.
>She never brought it back up.
>You put the gemstone back in your pocket and rub your temples.

>You head inside your cottage, and your nose is met with the smell of something very sweet.
“Barb? You here?”
>You head into the kitchen to put the cake down.
>You find the source of the sweet smell.
>There was a bowl of fresh oranges slices left on the counter.
>You take one and eat it.
>It was delicious.
>You exit the kitchen, looking for the missing gal.

“Barb? Hellllllooooo!?”

>You search your entire cottage, unable to find the little dragoness.
>You plop yourself down on your couch.
>Sighing deeply, you reach into your pocket and pull out the gemstone again.
>You fiddle around with it in your fingers.
>The house is quiet.
>You used to enjoy it that way.
>You don’t at the moment.
>In fact, you hate it.
>You sigh once more and close your eyes.
>You clench the gemstone in your hand.

>For the first time ever…
>You wish Barb was there with you.

~

END