Crickets chirped outside, and a damp, cool breeze wafted in through the greenhouse's vents. Roseluck's sisters had gone to bed long ago, but she had not.
She found herself enjoying the light of the moon more and more, after working under it for years in her secret labor of love. She could find solitude in the night, and a calm, cool, connectedness she'd never had in the day. The moon was nearly full tonight, a mature waxing gibbous. She found herself paying far more attention to it these days, something she never would have before.
It had been Nightmare Night, four years ago, that marked the change in Roseluck. That's when she met her. Rose's sisters had been properly terrified of 'Nightmare Moon'... but the magnificent Princess of the Night stirred an entirely different emotion in Rose. Well, she hadn't technically met the Princess, only seen her from a distance, never even speaking to her. Still, by the end of that night, when she saw the approachable, friendly side of Luna, she knew she'd been smitten.
Carefully, she worked the clippers in her mouth and trimmed off another thorned branch – careful of the plant, not mindful at all of the danger of being poked by the thorns. She hadn't gotten a rose cutie mark without a few pokes, anyway. The slightly withering twig fell to the greenhouse floor, a few of its leaves falling off on the way. With it gone, this bush would be able to put more energy into the single bloom Rose had been cultivating for weeks now.
It was still in the bud, with blue and black just beginning to peek through the green outer casing, barely visible even in the bright moonlight. Still, though. The waiting period for a royal audience was long. It was time.
Before leaving, Rose dipped her hoof slightly into the soil at the base of the pot. Good, it was still rich and moist, but not too moist. She didn't dare mess this one up. Of all the potential 'Midnight's Beauty' strains she had been working on, this was the only one to produce pure black blooms and carry over the rare blue tinge on the edges of the petals. It was truly unique, and she wasn't sure she would be able to get it to breed true. This might be the only Midnight's Beauty to ever exist if she wasn't careful. It needed to be cherished and protected.
Satisfied that her flower was safe for another night, Rose turned and left, being careful to close the door of the greenhouse slowly. Her sisters complained about being woken in the night enough already. No need to antagonize them. Rose rolled her eyes. Not as if sleeping during the bright day was any easier, especially back when she was first getting used to it.
She walked down the empty streets of Ponyville, enjoying the cool night air and the peace of the night she'd learned to appreciate over the last few months. She chuckled a little at herself, remembering how she'd cowered from the shadows at first, and jumped at every noise. All it took was experience, though, to put her unfounded fears to rest. Now she walked, completely at ease, up to the town hall's steps.
It was closed, of course. It was well after three in the morning, after all. The building did have a drop box for official business, though. Rose opened one of the many small boxes next to it, pulling out a form and a small, worn pencil.
She set it down on the building's wrap-around porch, and set to filling it out.
Form 502 ~ Request for Royal Audience
Rose's heart fluttered a little faster at those words.
These forms still hadn't been updated after Luna's return, so there was no checkbox with her name... but now, the 'other' checkbox made a lot more sense than it had when Celestia was the only Princess.
Grinning far more than she should from mere paperwork, she filled in Luna's name next to the 'other' box. It felt good.
Rose paused for a moment at 'Reason for request:' and considered her options. She couldn't give away too much, but she didn't dare put in a request under false pretenses. That wouldn't be a good start at all.
In the end, she just scribbled 'Personal.' She hoped it would suffice.
A few lines about herself and a checkmark next to 'as soon as possible' later, it was done. Before she could have second thoughts about it, she folded it and dropped it into the deposit box. She could have just mailed it from home, of course, but this was too important to trust to Ponyville's mailmare, bless her.
That was it. Now she would talk to Luna.
Her heart hurt from how hard it was beating, and all her limbs felt tight. She could barely breathe. But she'd done it! A week from now – exactly a week: she'd been keeping careful watch on the waiting period lately – she would be in line to speak face to face with the Princess of the Night.
It was the most fantastic, most terrifying, thing she had ever done.
* * *
Even though the stone hallway was enormous, arching far above Roseluck's head, the burbling voices of all the ponies around Rose filled it completely. There must have been hundreds of them, all waiting in line to be admitted into the night court.
In front of her, a huge stallion gave off waves of heat, despite the otherwise comfortable temperature of the hall. His brown bulk cut off most of her view of the line ahead, leaving her only informed by the occasional shuffle forward.
Behind her, a group of four mares chattered incessantly about their baby foals. It had been interesting for the first hour, and a little cute for the second and third hours. After six hours of listening to them prattle on about the same thing, Rose considered it an exquisite and ingenious form of torture. She winced as they returned again to the topic of diapers and the consistency of their contents. It was something the magenta one in particular had passionate opinions about.
She shuddered and did her best to tune it out. It didn't quite work.
She wondered how many of the other petitioners were here in groups. Hopefully a lot of them, since the night court would end soon and the line was still long. She desperately needed the line to move faster, yet... in a way, she dreaded being called up next. She felt woefully unprepared; all she had was the rose in her mouth.
It was glorious, though. In full, mature bloom now, since the wait had ended up being eight days instead of seven, it sprawled its magnificent black and electric blue petals wide, at the peak of its beauty. It would never be more presentable than it was now.
That was a problem, though. Another day, and it would wilt slightly. It would still be beautiful, and it would still have gorgeous coloration... but it would be a little past its peak. The lowermost petals would be soft and just slightly wrinkled. The center would begin to show the yellow pollen inside, rather than the maze of black and sharp blue it did now. The impression she hoped to make with it would be lessened, perhaps crucially.
What would Luna think, being given a wilted rose? She was a princess. She would expect the best. And that... well, that would lead to what terrified Rose the most.
Luna would look down at her and smile. She would accept it graciously, and compliment Roseluck on its beauty, but the corners of her mouth would turn slightly downward as she took a close look at it. And, when Rose asked for something more, when she somehow forced herself to ask for a date with a princess... Luna would politely decline. She would give excuses, of course, and compliments... And then Rose would leave. Forever.
She was shaking, she realized, and breathing heavily. The stallion in front of her glanced back. The mares behind her had actually stopped talking for a moment.
The moment passed, and as Rose forced herself to relax, the stallion looked away again. One of the mares behind her told the others she'd found a baby blanket with cute bunnies embroidered on it, and the other three squealed.
Rose took a deep breath. She couldn't let herself get too worked up about it, she knew. That would make her blow the big moment, and it would all be for nothing. Fearing the worst would cause the worst.
The big, golden doors at the end of the hall cracked open again, and two nearly identical stallions walked out, heads hanging low. They wore matching wide-brimmed hats and striped shirts, and both had apple cutie marks. If it weren't for only one of them having a big, red mustache, she would have trouble telling them apart. From the looks of it, though, whatever they'd petitioned Luna about, it hadn't gone over well.
A guard stepped out, not one of the stoic day guards, but one of Luna's terrifying, electrifying night guards. He spread his bat-like wings out and prepared to address the line.
Rose smiled. Good, he would tell the next group to go in. She wasn't far from the doors now. If the next couple petitioners were large groups, she would be in!
“Her Royal Highness regrets to inform you, due to unforeseen duties that cannot be ignored, her night court must be cut short tonight, and that tomorrow will have no open court,” the guard announced. “You may return two hours past sundown the night after tomorrow, and your places in line will be reserved for you. Or, if your business could be completed with either princess, you may return two hours after sunrise, and be placed at the head of the line for Celestia's day court.”
The hallway exploded into a cacophony of aggrieved voices, all of them yelling over each other and all of them incomprehensible in the babble. Hooves were thrust into the air, wings stood on point, and the hall suddenly seemed much smaller and more confining.
Rose just sat down. Her shoulders slumped. So, that was it. She had failed before she even began. After two days of waiting, the rose would be far too wilted to be presentable... and after failing to show up for her first audience, she wasn't likely to be granted a second without an intense bureaucratic struggle that would leave her unable to time her appearance along with a perfect bloom.
She would never be with Luna.
At the head of the line, a blue unicorn mare wearing a purple cape and hat rushed toward the door, yelling something Rose couldn't make out.
Two bat-ponies pounced her before she even got close. They slapped a magic inhibitor on her horn and pinned her down before she could even scream.
As the unicorn was dragged away to places unknown, the first guard called out again, “This crowd will disperse immediately!”
These were good, law abiding ponies, for the most part. Those shouted words quieted them down instantly, and the hallway filled with the sound of shuffling hooves on expensive carpeting.
Still, Rose sat. Everything around her seemed to be shallow, not real. It was as if it was all happening on the surface of a pond, while she looked up at it from deep below, untouched.
She failed.
She would never speak to Luna, never impress her, never date her, and she would definitely never feel that dark blue fur against her own. She had wasted the last three years of her life.
Then again, a life without Luna would be wasted. So perhaps those three years would be the only part of Rose's life she ever put to good purpose. Even if she had failed, those three years were her trying... and that was important, right?
Slowly, the sounds of pattering hooves faded away, decreasing until still silence once again filled the hall, and even the distant echoes of hooves on stone far down the hall died away.
Then, there was one more set of hoofbeats, slowly walking away from the doors. Apparently, Rose hadn't been the only one who simply stayed put at the guard's announcement. The other pony must not have been quite so devastated, though, to be already leaving. Rose herself couldn't even begin to think of moving yet.
The hoofbeats stopped in front of Rose, but she didn't look up. What was the point?
“That is a lovely rose you have.”
Rose tried to smile... but it probably came off as halfhearted at best. “Thanf you,” she mumbled around the stem, thankful that she had carefully trimmed all the thorns off of it.
“You seem upset.” It was a deep voice for a mare, but still lovely and refined. “What is the matter, my little pony?”
Rose looked up.
Her mouth dropped open, letting her precious flower fall free. She couldn't catch it, though. She couldn't move at all.
Princess Luna looked back, her face tilted slightly to the side and her brows knit slightly together. Before the rose hit the carpeted stone floor, Luna caught it in a deep blue magical aura.
Rose kept staring, letting her mouth hang open like an idiot. Her eyes grew wider and wider.
Luna held the rose up. It spun slowly in her magic, looking more beautiful than ever when surrounded by a sparkling dark blue magic and with Luna's lighter blue mane twinkling behind it. “What kind is it? I must admit, I have never before seen the like.”
“It's... It's a 'Midnight's Beauty', and I developed the variety myself over the past few years and... I um... I and...” Rose winced. She knew she would flub it when her chance came.
Luna stared at Rose stuttering in front of her, and her head tilted just a little more to the side. After a moment, though, her eyes went wide, and her mouth formed into a silent 'oh'. She smiled, and her eyes relaxed.
“I... I...” Internally, Rose cursed her throat for clamping down. Why couldn't she just say it already?
Luna looked past the flower, directly into Rose's eyes. “It is very beautiful.”
The sounds that squeezed out of Rose's mouth couldn't properly be described as words, despite how hard she tried to force them out. This could have been – should have been – her moment, the highlight of her life, a turning point leading to a fantastic future at Luna's side. But instead, she just sat there, making noises like a strangled cat. She glanced down, not even able to meet Luna's eyes.
Luna's smile grew. “I am encumbered tonight, and the morn comes all too soon, but would you perhaps enjoy an opportunity to tour the palace gardens by my side?”
The reality of it slapped Rose in the face. She felt like she'd just been doused with a bucket of ice water... except, it was the most wonderful water she could ever imagine. “You... you mean, like a... a...”
“A date?” Luna's eyes sparkled. “Yes.”
Rose nodded, despite the tension in her neck, her whole body wobbling. She didn't trust herself to say 'yes' out loud. She had stopped breathing a long time ago, but now she didn't even want to.
Levitating the rose out from between them, Luna bent her long neck down. “You are adorable.” Before Rose could react to it, Luna placed a quick, chaste kiss on her forehead.
Rose wavered where she sat, afraid of falling over from the shock of it as the Princess pulled back.
Luna turned and sauntered off down the hallway, her hooves once again pattering out a staccato against the plush carpet. Without stopping, she looked over her shoulder, still holding the black rose in her magic. “Meet me tomorrow, at the main gate of the Castle Courtyard when the clock strikes eleven. The guards will let you through.” She winked, then turned and disappeared around a corner.
Giving up the fight against gravity, Rose fell to the floor, her face butting against the soft carpet. Tears welled up in her eyes, and a big, dumb smile spread across her face. Dreams really did come true!
* * *
Luna grinned as she approached the conference chamber where the griffons would be waiting for their emergency summit. It was worth delaying a minute or two to speak to Roseluck.
She couldn't have missed noticing a pony who dreamed about her so often. From watching those dreams, Luna had even begun to feel an affection for the little florist. She wouldn't make herself any promises yet, but if the real Roseluck turned out to be anything like the Dream Roseluck, Luna would be sure to make that sweet little pony's dreams come true.
The End
