The small, cream colored filly lay on the worn blue waiting bench, glancing around at the clean white walls of the waiting room she was in. Next to her, a beige coated pony with pink hair had placed her leg around the filly, holding her close. The filly and the mare had been waiting on the bench for an hour when a doctor in a white coat called the mare over. She reluctantly released the filly and followed the doctor into another room, leaving the filly by herself.
The filly looked down at the flower pot she had laid on the bench. It was filled to the brim with soil, and a slim green stalk had managed to poke its way out of the dirt. She had been tending to it for months, and was expecting it to bloom any day. She watched the clock on the wall, the hands slowly making their way around the black lettering. She tried willing them on, but they continued at the same pace. She could only wait as she waited for her mother to return.
It took twenty minutes, but her mother eventually returned, and it was obvious that something was wrong. There were tears in her eyes, and she called for her to come over. The filly’s stomach turned over, and she carefully picked up the pot and put it in her saddlebag. She slowly walked over to her mother, becoming increasingly nervous as she came closer. She had never seen her mother cry in the hospital before, not even when they had first gotten the news, and to see her break down now…
Her mother lead her to another room, a room they had both become accustomed to over the past few months. Her mother held the door open for her, and as she entered, the now crying mare silently closed it.
On the far side of the room on a comfy looking bed, next to an open window that allowed the midday sun to stream into the room, lay an old mare. The mare had looked towards the door when the filly entered, and her face lit up in a smile when she caught sight of the filly. “Rose, my dear, it’s so good to see you. Come over and sit with your granny, won’t you?” Rose obeyed, trotting over and taking a seat on a chair next to the bed.
Her grandmare’s face was heavily creased with lines, lines that were presently turning upward along with her mouth. “How have you been, Rose? Doing good in school?”
“Uh huh.”
“And you’ve been helping your mother with the flowers?”
“Yes, grandma.”
“You’re such a good little filly, Rose…” Her grandmare suddenly started to cough violently, her body racking as she gasped for breath.
“Grandma!” Rose cried out, reaching out and grabbing her grandmare’s hoof in her own. The mare continued coughing, and Rose’s face was becoming more and more distressed as each cough escaped from her grandmare’s body. Finally, the coughs subsided, though Rose was still holding onto the frail hoof. “Grandma, are you okay!?”
The mare cleared her throat before answering. “I hate to tell you, dear, but I’m not okay.” Rose was looking in her grandmare’s eyes, her own starting to tear up. “Don’t cry, sweetie, you have to be strong for your mother. Goodness knows she’s already cried enough for the two of you.” She managed a chuckle, and Rose gave her a small smile. “That’s my granddaughter. Don’t hide that beautiful face behind such an ugly frown.” She reached out with a loving hoof and touched Rose’s face as Rose did the same. They held each other’s faces for a moment, until the mare broke out into another coughing fit.
Rose once again took her grandmare’s hoof, squeezing it and not letting go until the old mare settled back down in her bed. “Grandma… you’ll pull through this, I know you will…”
Her grandmother smiled softly at her. “Rose, you may not understand it now, but there comes a time in everypony’s life when they must return to the ground from which they came. I know it doesn’t seem fair, and it might not make much sense to you, but that’s how life is. For every birth, there must be death. For every beginning, an end awaits, and it just so happens that my time has come.”
Rose suddenly bolted up, fury and disbelief in her voice as she shouted, “It’s not fair! Why do you have to go now!? Why can’t it be somepony else!?” She buried her face in her hooves, and the only sound that filled the room were her sobs. Her grandmare watched in silence, and turned in her bed to face the window. Perched on the windowsill, bathed in sunlight, was a flower pot, exactly similar to the one in Rose’s saddlebag. In it, a withered rose was bending down, obviously in its final stages of life. Rose’s grandmare carefully picked it up and showed it to her, who wiped her eyes as she gazed at the dying flower.
“See this rose, sweetie? I planted this beauty about, oh, a year and a half ago, and you can probably guess that it doesn’t have much time left.”
Rose looked up from the flower to her grandmare. “Well… yes, it looks like it’s going to die, but…” The old mare put a hoof to her mouth, silencing Rose.
“Yes, it’s going to pass on. Just like every rose. Just like everything that lives, this plant is soon going to die. In its younger days, this rose was the most beautiful little flower, and it brightened my every day. But that was before, and this rose is past its prime, and it is ready to return to the earth.” Rose was listening intently, eyeing the faded red rose. “Do you have that flower I asked you to plant?”
“Oh, yes, I do!” Rose reached inside her bag and pulled out the pot. The stem of her flower still hadn’t bloomed, but her grandmare’s eyes lit up at the sight like it was the most magnificent sight she had ever laid her eyes on.
“Oh, my, this one will be such a pretty little thing once it grows! Excellent job, Rose! It looks like some of your mother and I’s talent rubbed off on you.” She ruffled the filly’s red mane, causing Rose to giggle and brush the hoof away. The mare took both of the pots and placed them on the windowsill. “Take care of that little plant, sweetie. That’s going to grow into a fine little flower one day.” Rose’s spirit lifted a small amount at the old mare’s words, but was brought crashing down as her grandmare was stricken by more sickening coughs. This bout lasted much longer than the others, and by the time her grandmare finally settled down, she was looking extremely tired and weak.
“Grandma, don’t go… I don’t want you to leave…”
Her grandmother closed her eyes, and with an effort that took most of her remaining strength, opened them to look her granddaughter eye to eye. “Rose, my time is up. I’ve already flourished in life, and it’s time for me to return to where I came from, just like this little rose here.” She gently touched the petal of the withered rose. “Just like this rose, I’ve had my days in the sun. I was blessed with your mother, and the day you were born was the day my petals reached out farther than they ever had for all of Equestria to see. You and I’ve had days when we flourished together, and those were the days I cherish the most. Do you understand what I’m saying now?”
“I… think I’m starting to understand what you’re saying… but what about me? What about mom? Where do we fit in?”
“Ah, that’s the fun part! You and your mother have just been planted! You both still have your whole lives ahead of you, and when you two bloom, I’m sure you’ll grace the world like no other flowers before.” She motioned for Rose to come closer, and as she did, her grandmare planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “Don’t worry about me, dearie. I’ve lived a full and happy life, and I’m ready to pass on to another world. To be honest, I’m more worried about you.” Rose’s ears perked up, and she looked at the dying mare with a confused look. “Rose, don’t let this one event tie you down. You must experience the bad to truly appreciate the goodness that life can bring. That’s the magic of it all, and in time, the sun will heal your wounds and allow you to show the world just how special you really are.” Her eyelids were starting to fall. “Goodbye, my little Rose….” Her voice was softer, and it came in longer and longer intervals. “I only regret… not being able… to see you truly bloom…”
“Granny…”
“I… love you… Rose…”
“I love you too, Granny…”
Her eyes closed, and with a soft sigh, her chest fell for the final time. She was still, but her creased face held a smile that almost radiated with happiness. Rose, who had been holding back tears the entire time, finally broke down and threw herself over her grandmare, cradling her in a tight hug as the emotions of the past few months flowed forth in the form of her tears. She wept for what seemed like forever, and when she could finally release herself from her grandmare, she caught sight of the two roses still sitting on the window. The old rose had shriveled up in the pot, and it had lost its last remaining color. However, next to it was Rose’s flower, and with wide eyes she gazed in awe at the amazing crimson of the rose petal that had burst forth from the once closed stem.
It was the most amazing rose she had ever seen, it’s already amazing color magnified tenfold by the brilliant sunlight that graced its petals. She reached a hesitant hoof towards it, trying not to disturb it too much as she carefully picked it up and stared in awe at the amazing little flower that she herself had grown.
With a gasp, she flinched, nearly dropping the beautiful flower, just barely hanging on to the pot. She quickly set it down and looked to her flank, the source of the burst of warmth she had felt. She could hardly believe her eyes as a picture of the same rose that had just bloomed appeared on each side of her flank, both of them somehow retaining the remarkable qualities of the real rose that sat just in front of her. It took her a few seconds to snap out of her stunned state to realize that she had just gotten her cuttie mark.
“A rose… my cuttie mark is a rose…” She looked from the withered rose on the windowsill to the incredible rose next to it, and the advice her grandmare had given her finally clicked in her mind. This was what she had been talking about! She was supposed to bloom in life, and by planting her first rose, she had in the process found exactly what she was best at! Her mind was filled with visions of not just roses, but flowers of all kinds, and she was the one who made planted and grown them!
She had gotten so caught up with her fantasy that she temporarily forgot about her grandmare, whom she was still laying on. She climbed down as quickly and respectfully as possible, but she thought that her grandmare would simply laugh if she could see her now. Somehow, the smile still on the mare’s face confirmed the filly’s suspicion. She walked slowly to door that led back to her mother. Rose wiped the last tears from her eyes, and with a final look back at the peaceful old mare, opened the door and walked out, already planning out how she would carry on her grandmare’s memory in the flowers she was so eager to start planting.
Rebirth
Written by ObeySaturnGod
