Chapters Unrest in the House of Flowers
Winter’s dark chill had crept into the world, and Roseluck wondered if the spring would ever come again. The last leaves had fallen the other week, and now the pegasi had posted a notice for inbound snow. All that remained now were a few precious evergreens, and what little she had in the greenhouse out back. And it’s only December… Rose sighed, looking at the flat grey skies beyond the flower shop’s windows. At least we might get a white Hearth’s Warming.
It was a cold comfort... Literally.
“This really is the worst time of year...” muttered Rose, eyes drifting over the mostly empty tables of the shop from her vantage point at the cash register.
“What was that?” asked Lily.
“Rosey is just jealous we’re hogging all the work.” Daisy said, pointedly, as she breathed on the windows, trying to defrost them. Lily was supposed to be cleaning up the muddy hoof marks on the floor, but was more concerned with her own hooves’ cleanliness. There was a reason her two cousins usually left most of the shop maintenance to her.
“I’m definitely not jealous,” said Rose, “I’m bored! Except the poinsettias, we’ve got no flowers in stock. And the only other things ponies are buying from us right now are mistletoes and wreaths. There’s no sunflowers, or poppies, or tulips, or anything…”
“What’s wrong with poinsettias?” asked Daisy.
“There’s nothing wrong with them, Daisy. It’s just… We’re supposed to be the best at flowers, and we hardly have any! Don’t you think we could have a little variety?”
“I’d love to, but unless you can convince the Princess to get rid of the seasons, I don’t think it’s gonna happen.” Lily shrugged apologetically. “At least our stock of herbs is healthy.”
“I know, I know…” But I’ve got nothing to do with herbs… Rose looked around the shop again, and then outside. The day was cold enough to keep most ponies indoors; the prospects of further customers was dwindling with each hour. “Can you two look after things for a bit? I’m going to check in on the greenhouse.”
“Go right ahead.” said Lily, as she frowned at a speck of mud on one of her hooves. Rose slipped into the back hall, and out the door.
The flower shop’s building served a two-fold purpose: the ground floor was for retail, the top floor was for living. Almost all the other buildings on this block were designed similarly; and over the years Ponville had been around, they’d clustered together, wall to wall. And in the middle of this cluster, and many others in the town, was an enclosed, open area that in theory was free to be used by all the inhabitants. In practice, Rose and her cousins had set up a greenhouse and a garden that took up most of the space. The other ponies were placated with entitlement to free flowers.
Daisy said they were lucky to have a greenhouse, glass panes weren’t cheap, but Rose always thought it was too small. Two benches held all kinds of exotic plants, and the space between them was barely wide enough for a pony to walk through, let alone turn around in. Still, the warm and humid interior was a pleasant change from the biting cold of winter.
“Let’s see…” Rose mumbled to herself. The orchids were alive, the pitchers for summer fly control were alive, everything was alive. But that was it; outside, everything was dormant. She didn’t even need to water anything, she’d done that the other day. For a few minutes more, Rose stood in the greenhouse, basking in the heat. It wasn’t easy to force herself back into the cold reality of Ponyville in December.
The rest of the day was uneventful. Few customers came, and those who did mostly came to chat with Daisy and Lily, as ponies were wont to do. And to chat with her too, of course, but she wasn’t feeling responsive at the moment. By the afternoon, she was looking forward to closing the shop and getting back to her reading. But Carrot Top had dropped in, to talk about… something. Rose wasn’t really listening, and that’s when she asked the question.
“Are you feeling okay, Rose?”
“What?” she asked back, blinking in confusion. “Oh, uh, yeah, I guess.”
“You sure?” Carrot Top raised an eyebrow in concern. “You’ve been frowning off out the window the whole time I’ve been here…”
“I’m fine, really.” She even perked her ears up to try and reassure Carrot. At the time, Rose thought nothing of it, but Daisy and Lily shared a slightly worried look.
“You have been more quiet than usual today, Rosey.” Lily said that evening, as they had a dinner of hot soup and warm bread.
“It’s been a quiet day.” she replied.
“Hmmrphmmm.” grunted Daisy as she chewed. Whatever it was she said, Lily nodded silently.
After dinner, the doors were locked, the shutters closed, the floors swept, the table and kitchen cleaned. The three argued over who got to use the one washroom first, a nightly ritual which usually saw Daisy’s victory. “Can’t we just add another?” Lily asked. “Everyone else in town has added more rooms to their houses than they started with.”
“It’ll never happen.” said Rose. They’d brought this up with Daisy before, but nothing ever came of it.
“Oh, don’t be so dreary.” Lily scolded. But the wait went on.
Rose’s bedroom was tucked away in corner, through a hall so narrow that they’d had to take apart her bed to get it in here when she moved in. She kept everything neat and tidy, from the dried and pressed framed flowers, to the board of ribbons from the annual rose festival, to her assortment of books on the shelves and her desk. The first edition of Lady Clementia Mentha’s Historia Plantarum , written entirely in classical Alicornic, was her most prized volume. Rose didn’t understand most of it, excluding words like historia or plantarum which obviously had descendents in common Equestrian; but it was filled with beautiful hoof-illustrated pictures of said plantarums. She was very careful with the elderly tome, but even so, it was in need of repair, preferably the magical kind. Maybe Twilight could help with that?
Most other books she owned also had to do with her favorite subject. One of those was an eighth edition of Historia Plantarum, wholly translated to the common tongue, and with the wonderful pictures replaced with boring black-and-white woodblock prints. But speaking of Twilight Sparkle, their eternally excitable librarian, Rose had a new interest on her mind: poetry! Well, it wasn’t really poetry. On accident, Twilight had checked out a book full of griffon songs to her, called Traditional Folk Songs of Frithland: An Equestrian Translation .
Sadly, the book didn't come with any hint on how the songs should be sung, so she just treated them all like poems; which wasn’t actually that far off from the mark according to the book’s forward... Rose had no idea where this “Frithland” was, exactly, but the book turned the notion of the dumb, brutish, carnivorous, griffon barbarian she had previously held completely on its head. Sure, many of the poems were about the brave warriors and mighty kings of old, as expected, but there was more to it than that. Gloom was ever-present, yes; but where there was despair and loneliness, there was nobility and spirit. Rose absolutely loved it; she tasted a world completely unlike her own. She’d even written down her favorite poem-songs, as she’d have to return the book tomorrow. Before she went to sleep, Rose put down one last passage in her notebook…
“I’ve been thinking about how Rosey was acting today.” Lily said, keeping her voice low. Of course, their cousin couldn’t hear them over in Daisy’s room, but it paid to be cautious.
“Do you really think something’s wrong with her?” asked Daisy, frowning.
“There has to be!”
“Hmmm...” Daisy fluffed up a pillow on her bed, not saying anything more.
“Carrot Top got me thinking: Rose has seemed a bit down for a while now.” said Lily, pacing about. “Look at how she was today! Mumbling, and sighing, and not being friendly; and just this evening she was being all moody! That doesn’t seem like our Roseluck, does it?”
“No,” admitted Daisy, “not really. Maybe there is something wrong with her. She seemed almost… sad. ” The two sisters started at each other for a moment, before looking in the direction of Rose’s room.
“You don’t think..?” Lily trailed off, raising a hoof in apprehension. She’d heard of ponies who got depressed in the winter, but the very thought of that happening to Rose sent shivers down her spine. That word was so serious that Lily didn’t dare to say it.
“I don’t know, Lily. We’ll talk to her tomorrow and find out what’s going on. If Rosey is unhappy, we’ve got to make things right!”
“There we go!” Rose whispered to herself, finishing her transcription. I really wish I could just buy this, but Twilight would say no. She read over the entire poem-song-thing again, making sure there were no mistakes. And then she looked at her favorite stanza again, circling it as she read:
Fettered by cold
were my feet,
bound by frost
in cold clasps,
where then cares seethed
hot about my heart,
a hunger tears from within
the sea-weary soul.
Grim, but so stirring! There was nothing like these tales in the Equestrian literature Rose had read in school. Perhaps she should have been more suspicious of this outlandish language and foreign darkness; ponies were a bright but inward folk by nature, herself included. But be it winter dreariness or just plain boredom, Rose found this new thing enticing rather than fearsome. She doubted very much her cousins would understand, or anyone other than Twilight, for that matter… Best to keep this to myself.
Unfortunately, at such a late hour, she was only half-aware of that sentiment. Rose forgot to close the notebook, and that despairing passage was what Lily and Daisy found the next day.
Author's Note
Unlooked-for and unhoped-for, John Hood finally writes a short story about his waifu. For new friends entering my magical realm, welcome, and feel free to voice any gripes you have with the story, I do try to act on them. Provided the story is in progress and your gripes are with current material that I can still change without huge effort.
To John Hood regulars, yes, this takes place in the same continuity as everything else, but is that relevant? Beyond condensing the sprawl of Ponyville, stabilizing the schizo tech-level we see in the show, and my shameless stealing of The Seafarer masquerading as a griffon song/poem, no, not really. And we hopefully won't diverge too far from our regularly scheduled programming.
Icy air bit at Rose’s leg, and she pulled it closer to her. There was warmth under the covers, and only cold beyond. The short hand of her clock on the bedstand almost pointed at the VII; outside her frosted window there was the grey pre-dawn light. Rose closed her eyes tightly, and burrowed deeper into her bed.
Sometime later, there was a knock on her door. “Rosey, it’s time to get up!” Lily called.
I don’t want to! she tried to complain, but it just came out as an indistinct mumbling. The door opened, and Lily looked in, wearing a scarf and sweater.
“Are you alright?” she asked.
“Uh…” Rose blinked, and looked at the clock again. It was at the VIII now, and the early morning sun shone clearly outside, frost glittering on the roofs across the street. “Just let me sleep, Lily, I don’t want to get up.” Both of them knew that wouldn’t be happening, though.
“Daisy and I managed it, and we need your help downstairs.” Lily told her.
“Fine...” sighed Rose. The bitter chill made getting out of bed the worst possible experience there was, and she too saw the wisdom in donning winter gear like her cousin had.
“Why does it have to be so cold?” whined Rose, stumbling down the stairway into the back hall.
“The pegasi cleared out the clouds last evening, if you must know,” Daisy said, popping around the kitchen’s doorframe. “They’ve got to drop the temperature before they can bring in the snow tonight.”
Rose sighed. So it was going to be one of those days. She wished they could drag the oven into the shop, but none of the three wanted to bother with making a new chimney. “I heard Mayor Mare has that new electro-city thing.” Rose said, enjoying the lit oven’s heat.
“Electricity , Rosey.” Daisy corrected her.
“Oh.”
“What is that stuff, anyway?” Lily asked.
“It’s like lightning, I heard.” said Daisy. “Someone said in the newspaper it was going to make light so cheap only the rich would buy candles, but I don’t see the point in it. Aren’t candles and lanterns good enough?”
I wonder if electricity could power a stove? Maybe even a portable one that doesn’t need a chimney? It was certainly a radical thought. Rose frowned to herself as she tried to figure out how such a thing could even work. How exactly did electricity work, anyway? She’d never learned about it in school…
“Look at her frown!” Lily whispered.
“I see it.” said Daisy. “Maybe I’m too hard on her… She really does look sad.”
“Let’s get her to work before we do anything else.”
The two sisters got their chance to act when another pair of sisters came in, Flitter and Cloudchaser. “Good morning, Rose!” they greeted.
“Cold morning…” Rose grumbled, trying to sink deeper into her scarf. “Is this weather really necessary?”
“Of course!” Flitter said with a cheery smile.
“Everyone likes a snowy Hearth’s Warming Eve!” Cloudchaser added.
“But that’s not until next week…” Rose put her head on the counter, ears flat. “Well, how can I help you two?”
“Now’s our chance!” Lily pulled Daisy into the back hall, and pushed her up the stairs.
“The chance for what?”
“I saw her notebook open this morning, she had been writing in it.” said Lily, as they went into Rose’s room.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Daisy asked, looking at the books on Rose’s shelf above her desk. “It feels kind of… sneaky, to be snooping around her room like this.”
“It’s for her own good.” Lily stated as firmly as she could. Now what were you writing, Rosey? Her cousin’s writing was clear and elegant, she’d had the best writing of all three, but what she’d written was at total odds with the beauty of her pencraft. “Listen to this, Daisy:
“I can make a true song
about me myself,
tell my travels,
how I often endured
days of struggle.
“How awful!” gasped Lily. “What could have driven her to write this?”
“I wouldn’t call it awful, just dark…” Daisy looked at the notebook with concern. “She circled this part:
“Fettered by cold
were my feet,
bound by frost
in cold clasps,
where then cares seethed
hot about my heart,
a hunger tears from within
the sea-weary soul.”
“Who could have known Rosey was such a poet?” Lily asked herself, her ears drooping. Everything was starting to fit together. Rose’s constant dreariness and complaining about the cold, and now this poetry of hers which bemoaned it so greatly… It made sense! “Why would such a talented mare be so unhappy?” she wondered.
“It is grim.” agreed Daisy. “I think you’re right, Lily. Our Roseluck is troubled, if she felt had to resort to writing how she felt, and we need to help her. But how?”
“Daisy, you can start telling everyone to be more considerate of Rosey’s feelings, we don’t want to hurt her any more. And I know a pony who can help us help her.”
It was a while before Lily found an excuse to leave, but she and Daisy managed to convince Rose to watch over the shop alone for a bit. While Daisy did errands, Lily was off to see the one who was ostensibly the happiest pony in town.
Sugarcube Corner was an odd building, Lily always thought it didn’t quite mesh with the rest of the town’s style. The lumpy roof, the faux-frosting edging, that simply bizarre chimney, the giant cupcake on top… It was all just a bit tacky, and not too pleasant to have just down the street from their immaculate flower shop. Not that she’d ever tell the Cakes what she thought of their home.
“Hello, Miss Lily!” Mister Cake said, from behind the counter. “What can we get for you today? We’ve just finished a lovely batch of gingerbread-”
“Oh, no thanks, I’m actually here to see Pinkie Pie.”
“Really? What for?” asked he. “I wouldn’t say there’s anyone in this town who isn’t a friend of Pinkie, but you don’t come around as often as those other five girls…”
Too gaudy of taste for me, Lily thought, but she didn’t say that either.Pinkie really was a nice pony at heart, and she was exactly the one who could help her now. “Well, it has to do with my cousin, Roseluck. She’s not feeling too great recently.”
“Like, the sick kind of feeling, or the sad kind?”
“The sad kind, I fear...” Lily said. “If there’s anyone in town who can get Rose back to her old self, I’d think it would be Pinkie.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, but I think you’ve come to the right place. I’ll go get her.” Mister Cake vanished into the back, and returned not too long after with Pinkie in tow.
“Hi Lily!” the pink one said, bouncing happily around the counter. “How’s it going?”
“I’m doing fine, Pinkie, thank you. But there’s something troubling me.”
“Really?” Pinkie bounced in front of her, staring expectantly. “It must be the kind of trouble that concerns me, then!”
“You’d be right.” sighed Lily, giving a worried look out the window, back at her own family’s shop. “You know my cousin Roseluck, right?”
“Of course! We’ve still got about a hundred and twenty days till her birthday, right?”
“Yes, how did- nevermind.” Lily shook her head. How does she remember all these things? “Well, Roseluck’s been acting a bit strange, lately. Or at least I thought it was strange. But just yesterday I started to realize she wasn’t acting just strange, but… sad!”
“Oh no!” Pinkie was shocked. “Sad?! In the holiday season?! This is serious, Lily! You’d better sit down and tell me everything…”
And so Lily did. She told her about how Rose had been acting, and what she had said, and that awfully grim poetry they’d found in her room this morning. The more she told, the more worked up Lily got. What were they going to do? Was it their fault Rose was slipping away from happiness? Could they have prevented this? Had Daisy been too cross? Had she herself been too unaware? “I just don’t know what to do, Pinkie!” Lily finally confessed. “We need your help, I can’t stand the thought of our Rosey falling into… into… depression! ” She could barely whisper it, that was not a nice word. But there was an even darker one lurking in the back of her mind...
“This is bad, Lily.” Pinkie agreed, not a hint of a smile on her face for once. She peered at her with squinted eyes. “What exactly did that poetry of hers say?”
“It was… it was… something about her being fettered by cold, bound by frost, her spirit hungry and torn and weary. Oh, I can’t bear to remember it all!” Lily buried her face in her hooves.
“Don’t you worry, now.” said Pinkie, standing up on her hind legs and striking a pose. “There is one mare yet in Ponyville who still brings smiles!”
Another slow day, Rose thought, tapping her hooves on the floor. Many ponies had already done their Hearth’s Warming Eve preparations weeks ago, but she still got a few coming in for last minute decorations of the botanical nature, and some others just for the usual smalltalk. Sun Streak had said something strange when she left, though: “I hope you feel better, Rose!”
“Uh… thanks?” Whatever she meant by that, Rose wasn’t sure. Did she think she was in full winter gear on account of illness?
Then Sassaflash came in. “Hey Rose, how are you doing?”
“Fine, thank you.” said Rose. “Are you looking for anything in particular today?”
“No, I just wanted to see if you were okay.” The pegasus stood silently for a moment, as if she were expecting Rose to speak in turn.
“Well, here I am, Sassaflash.” she said, awkwardness coming over her. “I’m not dead from this cold yet, am I?” Rose tried to laugh, but it fell flat.
“Alright...” And with that, she left.
“Weird…” Rose muttered. Another hour passed in empty silence, she just read from one of her botany books to pass the time. I need to see Twilight after closing, Rose reminded herself.
Then, the shop door chimed as someone stepped through. Aha, another customer- Rose began to think, looking up from the counter. But when she saw who it was, she could only groan internally. Oh Celestia… It was none other than Time Turner, her least favorite pony in the whole town.
“Good afternoon.” said Rose, forcing herself to smile. What does he want this time?
“Rose!” exclaimed Time Turner, panting heavily, as if he had just ran all the way here from Canterlot. “You gotta come with me!”
“Please, call me Roseluck.” she said. That smile was already starting to slip; it wasn’t easy to not grit her teeth when he called her that. Rose had many friends who called her Rose; Time Turner wasn’t one of them.
“This is no time for games!” he said. “The whole world is in danger!”
“What is it now?” Rose asked. Time Turner had dragged her off into the Everfree Forest once, claiming he’d seen an uncommon flower he knew she wanted to collect for her garden. They’d run around for three hours before Rose realized he had made the whole thing up. Then there were the times he’d ambush her on the street and start babbling about some kind of monster being loose in the town; but of course, when he finally pressured her into following him, there was absolutely nothing of the sort. Rose wasn’t an unfriendly or mean pony, and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but...
“We need to go to my time machine, Rose, we have to go back!”
There was only so much nonsense a pony could take! Rose twitched her ears, and tried not to let them fall all the way back. “You can’t time travel, Time Turner.”
“I’m not Time Turner, I’m Doctor Hooves!” he whined.
“And I’m Roseluck.” Rose was trying to keep that smile up, she really was! “I’m sorry, but I don’t have the time for this. I’ve got a job, Time Turner, and I can’t close up shop to follow you around town.” That was about as nicely as she could put it. Even if he was annoying, Rose didn’t want to be mean to a stallion who wasn’t right in the head.
“This is really important Rose-”
Then she heard hoofsteps on the staircase in the back hall, and out came Daisy. Rescue! “Hey, you! Stop bothering my cousin!” Daisy barked. Luckily, she had no qualms about swiftly dealing with hopelessly delusional ponies.
“But-”
Daisy didn’t give him time to speak, and started scooting him out of the shop. “Don’t you know she’s got problems of her own? It’s very inconsiderate to harass her like this. Now go find someone else to bother, Time Turner.”
“I’m not Time Turner, I’m Doctor Hoo-” Daisy slammed the door on him, and Rose let out a sigh of relief.
“Why doesn’t he just go play with Ditzy Doo? She enjoys it.” Daisy wondered, frowning. “Troublesome little colt...”
“Thanks, Daisy. I really didn’t want to deal with that today.”
Suddenly, Daisy hugged her tightly. “I know it’s a rough time for you, Rosey, but remember, we’re all here for you. We’ll do whatever we can to help you get through this.”
“Um, okay..?” Rose gingerly hugged her back, and tried to squirm free, to no avail. This is kinda weird, she thought. Did someone die and I didn’t hear about it?
“If you need anything, just ask me or Lily, alright? We both care about you, don’t think you’re alone.” said Daisy, face so close to hers their noses almost touched.
“Sure?” That was enough for the other mare; Rose was released.
“Lily will make dinner tonight, so don’t you worry about that. Take all the time off you need.” Daisy went up the stairs behind the counter, but turned around before she reached the landing. “I’m going out to the flea market soon, you can close up shop and come along if you’d like.”
This was definitely weird now; Daisy never invited anyone to come with her on her flea market trips. “Oh, thanks, but no thanks. It’s poinsettia season after all, and mistletoe too, you know.” And wreaths, and boughs, and all things Hearth’s Warming… “Best to keep the shop open.”
For a while, Rose was nervous that Time Turner would come back, but he never did, thankfully. No one else came by either, and finally, after sunset, Rose flipped the “open” sign to the “closed” side. At last, it’s the weekend! Most shops would be closed tomorrow, including theirs, on account of a Sunday. She wouldn’t have to go anywhere or do anything at all.
Lily came back from her day out not long after. “How was your day, Rosey?” she asked, seeming genuinely interested for once.
“I don’t know, Lily, some strange things were going on. And that Time Turner fellow came around and started bugging me again; Daisy chased him off.” said Rose.
“We can ban him from the premises if you’d like.” Lily offered, with an almost apologetic smile.
“Uh… I don’t think that will be necessary. He hasn’t done anything wrong, he’s just annoying.”
“Whatever you want, dear. Just tell Daisy or I if you change your mind.”
What was going on today? Why was everyone being so nice to her all of a sudden? Confusion came over her. “Since you’re here now, I’m going to run some books over to the library. I’ll be back in a bit, okay?”
“Take your time, I’m making dinner tonight. But do tell Daisy to hurry back if you see her.” said Lily. Usually, she said something like “Don’t take too long, I’m hungry.” This really was a weird day.
Rose went upstairs and got her two books in question; Traditional Folk Songs of Frithland , which needed to be returned, and Historia Plantarum , which needed to be fixed. It was dark and cold outside, and the clouds were already rolling in. If she wasn’t careful, she might get caught in the first snow of December.
“You’re just in time, Roseluck,” Twilight said, opening the library door for her, “I was about to close everything up. Public buildings close at six in the evening, you know.”
“Yes, I was cutting it close. Anyways, I brought back the folk songs book. I actually really liked it.” she said, dropping it in the returns box.
“Yeah, I noticed I accidentally checked that out to you. I didn’t think you’d like it, though.” Twilight looked down at the cover, tilting her head. “Those griffons sure are a grim lot, huh?”
“I didn’t mind it. But before I go, I have a favor to ask. I know I don’t really know you, but I know that you know about books. Right?”
“Definitely.” nodded Twilight.
“Well, I have this old thing here…” Rose put Historia Plantarum on a table so that Twilight could see it better. Her horn lit up and she opened it, and then gasped.
“A first edition of Historia Plantarum ?!” Twilight squeaked, her eyes lighting up. “Where did you get this?”
“My grandmother gave it to me, actually-”
“Oh, look at this beautiful sixth-century typeface! All these hoof-made illustrations! Everything is in classical Alicornic! Verum peculiare in illis capitulis est, ut matura deorsum inflectantur... ” The unicorn was about to explode. She really is excitable, Rose thought. “This has to be worth more than half of Ponyville! There’s only a few dozen in the whole realm!”
“Wow.” Rose blinked once, and then twice. “Well, it won’t be worth much soon, the binding is starting to fall apart. I was hoping you could fix it.”
“Let’s see…” Twilight levitated the book up, looking at that space between the pages and the spin that Rose didn’t know the word for. “Hmm. Looks like the binding’s been completely replaced once already. It must have been a while ago if it’s falling apart. But yes, I could fix this… For a price.”
“Fair enough. What is it?”
Twilight smirked, and rubbed her hooves together. “A week-long loan should suffice, so I have time to study it.”
“Deal.” agreed Rose. They made for the exit, but paused. “Just remember, this book means a lot. Daisy and Lily think it’s just a silly old book full of plants, but it’s a lot more to me. I want you to take good care of it, okay?”
“Of course, you have my word.”
As soon as Rose was a safe distance away, Daisy emerged from her hiding spot. Had she heard what she thought she just heard? Rose had just given away her favorite book in the whole world! Was she going somewhere? Was she going to do something? A very disturbing notion stirred on the edge of Daisy’s mind.
It wasn’t that she had meant to spy on her cousin, but she’d seen Rose walking to the library with that big old book of hers, she couldn’t help but follow. And now she had heard this.
I want you to take good care of it… Rose had said that like she was going away. Maybe… forever. A horrible chill came into Daisy’s heart. Sad, depressed ponies often did things they would never do otherwise. She had an idea of what Rose might be planning.
“I need to find Pinkie, right now!” Daisy whispered aloud. She dashed off down the street.
Twilight, who still stood at the front door, could only shake her head. “There’s some crazy ponies in this town...”
Author's Note
The journey continues. Wait, this isn't one of my adventure fics, I can't say that here... Anyways, the more observant of you should have a sense for our time frame by now.
I forgot to mention I was stealing Latin for the ancient Alicorn language, because modern English is one of the weakest tongues of men.
The still silence of the town was what woke Rose up that morning. There was always something going on outside in the morning, but not today, and that was different enough to pull her from sleep. Is that clock wrong again? she wondered. Its short hand pointed to the IX; there should have been ponies causing ruckus at this hour.
She pulled herself from bed, despite the cold. “Right…” Rose said, in sudden realization. Snow was everywhere! At least a foot of it on the ground, on roofs and in streets, on window sills and in potted plants, in courtyards and on stoops. A certain kind of beauty was spread over the town, serene for this moment. The kids would wake up soon though, to enjoy their snowy Sunday…
Rose put on her sweater again, and went to the kitchen. Daisy and Lily must have been out on some errand, they were nowhere to be found. She cooked up some oatmeal for breakfast, and huddled near the stove as she ate. I hope portable heaters exist one day, Rose thought, eyeing the falling snow outside. But it was her day off, she wasn’t about to spend it moping around. No, Rose had other plans in mind.
Very quickly, she made sure no chores needed to be done around the shop. All was well in the greenhouse, as well as it could be in this weather. Rose’s teeth chattered in the few short steps between the greenhouse and the green-painted shop, and she could feel numbness in her hooves. What a nasty day to be out in! At this rate, she’d need socks or even boots to keep warm… Hopefully, that wouldn’t be necessary, going outside wasn’t in her intentions again. Back in the kitchen, she made a mug of hot chocolate, and retreated to her own room. She took a book from her self, and wrapped up in a heavy wool blanket.
It was time to get comfy.
“So what exactly was it you saw last night?” Pinkie asked.
“Well, Rosey had gone to the library for some reason.” Daisy began, looking uncomfortable. Lily nodded, trying to give her a sign to continue. The three were in Sugarcube Corner, warm and safe from the freezing snows outside. “And… she gave Twilight a book.”
“Lots of ponies give Twilight books.” said Lily.
“This wasn’t just any book, Lily. It was that ratty old one she loves so much.” Daisy rubbed a hoof on a leg, and glanced away. “You know Rosey really loves that thing, even if she can’t read a word in it.”
“She gave away that plantarum book?!” Lily gasped at the notion, and Pinkie gasped too.
“No way!” Pinkie exclaimed, before narrowing her eyes in thought. “What’s a plantarum?”
“It’s got something to do with plants.” said Lily.
“I knew that. So, Rose gave away her plantarum book to Twilight…” Pinkie frowned. “How do you know this?”
“Because I saw it.” said Daisy. “Rosey told Twilight that it meant a lot to her, and that she wanted her to take good care of it! Like she was… going away, or something!”
“Hmm…” Pinkie put a hoof to her chin. “Not good, not good…”
“Why?” asked Lily, leaning forward.
“Do you think-” Daisy stopped herself from saying anymore. That was the most serious of all topics, Lily knew. If Rosey really is depressed… Then… Then she might… Lily shuddered, and closer her eyes tightly, in the vain hope to banish those dark thoughts.
“It doesn’t look good.” muttered Pinkie, standing up. She paced about the store, strange expressions passing over her. “We need an expert in these matters!”
“Does such a pony exist?” Lily asked.
“Yes, he does… Follow me!” With that, Pinkie darted out of the store, into the storm.
“The things we do for love...” sighed Daisy.
“Sit down on your chair, and look to your kin. With my eyes you will see, with my ears you will hear. You have troubled my night and questioned my strength, now you will learn not to mock the Mistress of Fate!”
Nightmare Moon set Prince Aurelian on his father’s throne, placed upon the tallest peak in the land, and forced him to behold the torment she would send at his lover and his family through.
Far off, Princess Bractea, sister of Aurelian and now rightful Queen of the Unicorns, led her people to safety after the death of their King, by the light of the stars alone. Somewhere in the world, the moon did shine, but it was not on Equestria. “Truly, this is a dark hour,” Bractea said to her companions.
“All is not lost,” said Nivosa the Pegasus. “I see a glimmer on the horizon. Celestia still fights for us!”
“We’re not finished yet.” Valeria of the earth-ponies said. “So long as we trust in each other, not even this unending night can defeat us.”
“Then I know I am in true company. I will not take up my father’s crown until the tyranny of the Moon is overthrown, and my brother freed from her cold grasp. This I swear to the stars above!”
“I am with you!” Nivosa presented her blade.
“To whatever end there may be for us, I am with you.” Valeria bowed. “I will not rest until our Quest is fulfilled.”
Ugly and cruel creatures emerged from their holes, seeing the power of the hated sun vanish; in their hearts was only hate to the ponies of Equestria. But no monster could assail Bractea’s subjects, she and her companions drove them all back. Between the fighting and running, Valeria’s thoughts turned often to Prince Aurelian. Doubt and worry weighed heavily on her mind, and her heart was pained to be so far from him…
Rose stopped reading, sipping the last of her no-longer-so-hot chocolate. “Tyranny of the Moon...” she said to herself. This summer’s disruption by the return of the very same Nightmare Moon was still fresh in memory. Would the redeemed Princess Luna, a fairytale character not seven months ago, react harshly to her portrayal in the historical fiction genre? Because this book was definitely historical fiction, Rose was sure that not even Celestia controlled the fates of ponies, let alone her lesser sister.... Luna wasn’t going to hunt down the author, was she? Since Nightmare Moon turned out to be completely real, then the evil she committed was real too, right? No one ever said a bad word about Celestia, simply because Celestia had never done wrong, unlike Luna. Should Luna be called out for her past sins?
Those were big questions for a simple merchant like Rose. She was happy to be left to her romantic adventure novels.
“Mister Waddle! Mister Waddle! MISTER WADDLE!” Pinkie Pie shrieked, hammering on his front door. The wind was picking up, as was the snowfall, and Lily was sure she was going to get frostbite out there, winter coat grown in or no.
Finally, the old pony opened the door. “Eh..? Miss Pie, is that you?” Lily wasn’t sure if he was grey of fur or just grey with age; his mane was almost completely gone. A rare and unfortunate affliction of stallions, sad as it was. How does he even go outside without being ashamed? Lily wondered.
“Yes, it is!” said Pinkie. “Can we come in?”
“Uh, sure, I don’t see why not.” Mister Waddle stood aside, and let the three mares in. “I know you Miss Pie, but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten your friends’ names.”
“Oh, this is Daisy, and this is Lilly! They’re from the Valley family!” Pinkie said, pointing to each sister in turn.
“Ah, the Valley girls! Your parents moved out to… Hmm, where was it again? No matter, I just remember them handing that flower shop over to you and that cousin of yours. I’ve forgotten her name too, I’m afraid.”
Lily could see that the old stallion’s memory wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. He was one of the town elders, perhaps the town eldest, not counting the Apple’s grandmother. “That’d be Roseluck. And it’s her we’re here to talk about.” she said.
“Well, do sit down. I wasn’t expecting guests on such a nasty day, but I’ve got a warm fire and hot tea…” Mister Waddle led them to his sitting room, where, true to his word, there was a cozy fire going. But it was the amount of royal portraits that caught Lily off-guard. Picture after picture of Princess Celestia, all framed and all covering each and every wall.
“You’re a very loyal subject, Mister Waddle.” Daisy remarked, looking at what seemed to be an ancient icon of their beloved monarch, with the words DOMINA CELESTIA inscribed below.
“Yes, I am.” Mister Waddle agreed. “Most ponies are content to thrive under the rule of our Princess, but some of us have joined her in her sacred mission to bring joy and goodwill to all ponies of Equestria. I spent thirty years learning of the troubles of the mind and helping where I could.”
“Like a psychologist?” asked Lily.
“And a bit more.” The old stallion smiled knowingly, though Lily didn’t know what could be more than a psychologist. They were a strange lot anyway… rather like this pony, come to think of it. “Miss Pinkie here is an inadvertent member of our holy fellowship, spreading cheer where she will.” Pinkie beamed at them.
“Mister Waddle was a great help when I first came here. He knows everything there is to know about the darker side of the pony mind!” The great grin slipped off her face then, and Pinkie grew grimly serious. “Which is exactly why we’re here, Mister Waddle.”
“Yes,” said Daisy, “our cousin Roseluck… Well, we’re very worried about her.”
“Well, I’ve been retired from official business for some time, excluding funeral work, but… if Miss Pie thought it was important enough, I’ll hear you out.”
Daisy and Pinkie told Mister Waddle about everything that had been happening with Rose, the strange behavior and the glumness that had fallen over her.
“It sounds like a classic case of winter depression to me.” Mister Waddle said, when he’d heard them out. “A vacation to sunnier climes would do her good.”
“That’s not all, sir.” Daisy said. “You see, she’s started giving away important possessions of hers.”
“It’s not a light matter when she leaves her favorite book with another pony.” Lily added.
“Ah… That is… troubling.” The old stallion frowned in thought. He leaned forward in his chair, and gestured for the three to come closer. “In my experience, depressed ponies that start giving away such valuable possessions might be coming close to…”
“To?” Lily dreaded what he was going to say, it was too terrible to imagine.
“To suicide! ” whispered Mister Waddle.
Pinkie and Lily gasped again in horror, and Daisy fainted outright. Then, Lily had a horrible, horrible revelation:
“Pinkie… We left Rose alone at home!”
Rose put down her book. This is starting to get a bit improper, she thought. Would ponies like Valeria and Aurelian have been so bold in their courtship, in those ancient times? She didn’t think so. “Why is it so hard to find wholesome romance?” asked Rose aloud. “Does anyone have any decency-”
The front door crashed open downstairs, and she heard rapid hoofsteps on the stairs. What’s got Daisy and Lily in such a hurry? Maybe it was just that cold outside, the storm was getting worse… And then her bedroom door crashed open too.
“Don’t do it Rose!” wailed Daisy, flinging herself onto Rose’s bed where she sat.
“What- ack!” Daisy caught her in her hooves like a snake constricting a mouse. Except, snakes didn’t cry as they strangled their meal. “Lily!” gasped Rose. “Help!”
Instead, Lily jumped onto her bed too, eyes wide in fear. “Don’t worry, Rose, we’re here to help now!” If they were trying to comfort her, it wasn’t working. If they were so upset, why were they concerned with her?
“Get off of here, you’re covered in snow! What happened anyway?” Rose asked, trying to wriggle away from Daisy before she cracked a rib.
“We- we-” Daisy sobbed, unable to speak further.
“We thought you were dead!” said Lily.
“Dead?! What in the name of Celestia are you talking about? You’re the ones out running around in a snowstorm-”
“With how dark and depressed you’ve been this week, we thought you were going to- to- to-” Lily shivered in horror, and swallowed nervously, “to kill yourself .” She nearly whispered those final words.
Bewilderment struck Rose, and now it was her turn to feel worried. “What? No! I’m not depressed! Where did you get that idea?”
“You’ve just been acting so different from usual, and- and- Pinkie Pie said-” Lily shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head and sending half-melted snowflakes flying from her mane. “Oh, it’s just too awful!”
“Pinkie Pie said! ” Rose sighed. Suddenly, everything made a lot more sense, now that the town clown was involved. Good at heart as she might be, Pinkie Pie was hardly a brain surgeon! She didn’t know anything about mental health! Before she could stop herself, Rose muttered: “Maybe I should kill myself, it’d save me the trouble of dealing with you two fools...”
Lily looked aghast, and Daisy swooned, falling straight off the bed.
Author's Note
It's an hour till New Year's here, so enjoy my last upload of 2014. Have some dramatic ponies being dramatic.
I tried my hand at writing a mediocre romance/fantasy here, and it's precisely fantasy. Long-time John Hood readers should not take it to be in any way a part of the ongoing events of Snowyverse.
