Perennial Problemsby RoseluckChaptersPrologue.Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 1Prologue."It's so c-c-cold!!!" Those were the first words Lily had said all day. I had assumed her mouth had been frozen shut, which in these temperatures, I wouldn't be surprised if it was. I'm Roseluck, you're average pony. I'm not a unicorn, so I can't perform any other magic other than friendship itself. I'm no pegasus, either. I wasn't born in the sky, or blessed with wings to even go there. However, I still have a gift.My cutie mark is a Rose, and I do love flowers, but my talent is actually something much deeper than that. Today, that talent wouldn't have come in handy, no not in this cold. "I w-w-ant-t to g-go home..." My friend Lily whined once again. It was Lily, Daisy, and I, and we were selling flowers. Yeah, we're selling flowers.....in Celestia's damned winter. It's as if hell froze over and we're soliciting in it. You're probably wondering what kind of flowers bloom in such extremes. Well, cute little Viburnum shrubs grow around this time. We also have winter violets. Witch hazel tree seeds, Winter-sweet, Oleaster tree seeds (which I don't really care for), and Hellebore. Come to think of it, we were also selling Poinsettias, but we were sold out of those for quite some time. With all of the white snow burdening Ponyville with a blank look, you could say that the only colors emitting from the village was our florist shop, almost as if we were painting a small picture on a large canvas. "Yeah, we should probably go home." I stated. "Nopony is out at this time." We packed up and headed toward our homes. It wasn't a supposed to be a long trot, but we were walking in opposing direction of the below zero winds, thus making our 5 minute trot to a 10 minute visit to a deep freezer.It was too cold out. We got to Lily's house, and without saying goodbye, she instantly rushed into it, searching for warmth. Daisy and I tried to do the same and get home A.S.A.P. Halfway to my house, I caved under the weather. Ironic, it was so cold, I felt like I was on fire. I needed to seek shelter. No way Daisy and I were going to make it. We ran into a nearby bar for warmth. To our luck, the place was packed and we received instant relief from the extreme weather. We rested there for a bit so we could regain our body temperatures. While we were at it, we got ourselves a few drinks. Daisy liked martini and I preferred straight liquor. I also bought myself a bottle to take home. After a few dozen drinks and a long conversation on why ponies should have been born with eight legs,we warmed up. Daisy gave the idea the we should gallop at full speed back home. It would keep our blood flowing and we'd get there quicker. It was a perfect plan. We bolted out of the doors, but I guess I was a little buzzed from the liquor.I galloped in zig-zags and ended up in front of a carriage. I got hit pretty bad,and after that, I don't really remember much. Chapter 2"Miss Roseluck, Come on!" I received strange stares from stranger mares that attend the prison. Stares that beamed at me through the cell doors and the prison balcony high above my head. Stares of jealousy. Heh heh, they mad. I was very grateful to have been picked up by the princess herself. I didn't really know what she was doing picking up a commoner from a prison for. Was it because she felt bad for running me over? No, no... she said she wanted to talk to me about my flower work? I tried to think of a reason as to why I deserved to be chauffeured by royalty. I boarded the pearl colored two-car carriage with gold trimming. There, I saw my two friends, Daisy and Lily. I had just walked in on their conversation on why we were in prison. "We weren't in any real trouble, Lily." Daisy informed. "You guys had me worried sick!" Lily whined. "The princess came to my house and told me you guys were in prison!" "Did she tell you why?" I added myself to the conversation. "No, she just told me it was important to get you." A small chuckle escaped from the royal mouth in the front carriage. The carriage arrived at a small, snowy pasture a mile away from Ponyville. It had not trees and it seemed as if no plants would have naturally grown here in the proper climate. I could tell by how smooth the snow lay on the ground. Like a white polished ballroom floor. The princess got out of the carriage and walked back to open the doors for the flower trio, asking them to step outside. The trio walked onto the snow covered ground and instantly began to shiver. Lucky, Lily brought everypony scarves and sweaters. Princess Celestia didn't seem irritated by the weather. She didn't even shiver. "I've gathered the three of you here today to give you all an assignment." Celestia's voice seemed to make every other ambient noise disperse. The message was clearer than the day that she brings. "The three of you are quite good at what you do. I've seen your works. Little did you know, I've sampled flowers from each of you by having my star pupil, Twilight Sparkle, pick them up for me at your shop." "Really?" Daisy said, eyes widened with awe. "Yes. At most royal gatherings, I like to decorate with flowers. Your flowers." I felt honored to have the princess praise my friends and I for our work. "So, your highness, what's our assignment?" Lily asked, slightly frightened, but mostly curious. "Well," The princess began to speak, "You see this land here? I'm going to have you mares go over seas and find some exotic plants. Plants we simply can't have here naturally. I'm going have you pick up some flowers in Fillitalia and have then planted here." Fillitalia. A very beautiful place. My parents currently live in Fillitalia. However, they are from elsewhere. I don't remember the last I saw them, though. "I'll provide your stay there and cover food expenses as well." Wow... Out of all the florists in Equestria, the princess picked the three of us. I was feeling a bit skeptical. I forgot to hold my tongue and asked why. "Well, Rose, I've been getting some feedback from my star pupil about how your flowers are the most vibrant in Ponyville. And between the the three of you, I really really like flowers." The princess seemed embarrassed. However, she still looked infinitely elegant. "Wow, your highness! I dunno what to say!" Daisy exclaimed. "You three must depart before next winter." The Princess commanded. "Make this place beautiful." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Later that day, Lily was kind enough to host a party for our assignment. It was Herself, Daisy, our friend Cheerilee, her sister, Berry punch, and Berry's friend, Colgate. Some of the mares there I never got to fully meet. I had never gotten a chance to meet Colgate, a blue unicorn with a darker cyan colored mane that reminded me of toothpaste. Her cutie mark was an hourglass, and she had an optimistic personality. Shes tons of fun to be around, especially with those cool bar tricks she does. I also got to meet Cheerilee's sister, Berry, who probably spends most of her time drunk. She resembles her sister. Her mane is messier and darker than hers, plus it's a solid color. She also has a wine colored coat. Her cutie mark is a bunch of grapes and a strawberry. Her bubbly personality is probably the only reason this get together would be considered a party. In any other building, this party would be considered small, but since Lily's house isn't exactly "big" this was a huge celebration. Six mares crowed in a four-roomed apartment. It didn't add up. He all huddled in Lily's living room, which was the biggest room in the house. It consisted of two white lamps, a dark red carpet, pink walls, a wooden table, and a chandelier that was a simple round shape. "Toast to the best florists in Equestria!" Berry cheered. We all raised glasses toward the chandelier which re-colored the room as the light passed through the drinks and had a sip of champagne. "Toast to Lily who hosts this party!" Berry said again. We repeated our action, only quicker. "Toast to Colgate being the only non-Earthpony!!!!" "B-P," Colgate began to speak to berry, "Are you just finding reasons to drink?" "Yes!" We all laughed and cheered. We had a pretty good time. Soon Cheerilee finally began to wonder why we were celebrating in the first place. "Hey, Rose, why are we holding this party? Is there a special occasion?" "I'm glad somepony finally asked. I was starting to think you guys just came here for the drinks." "Is that a problem?" Berry asked. "Well, no, but there is a reason behind this." Lily explained in her usual shy tone. "Yeah, basically, the princess wanted us to do a little deed for her. She wants us to go over seas and pick up some flowers for this field that hasn't been occupied yet. Seemed like fertile grounds to me. Even under all that snow. So the princess is going to pay for our room and board over there." Daisy explained. "That's fantastic! Were exactly over seas?" Cheerilee showed great interest. "Fillitalia. Tons of exotic flowers and rare herbs there." "And great wine!" Berry Punch exclaimed. "This is really cool, guys!" Colgate said. "Yeah, I can't wait to tell everypony that my friend has a royal assignment from the princess!" "Yeah," Daisy said, "Tell everypony." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ After the party was over, I was left with daisy and Lily to clean up. It wasn't a huge mess, but we decided to help Lily anyways. It was only fair. We talked about what we were going to do when we left and what flowers we were going to bring back. We wondered what foods we'd get to taste, who we'd meet, the wild parties we'd have. Never once did it cross our minds on how we were going to get there, or how long it would take to get there or even when we should leave. However, we did agree on when we'd get back. Before Spring. We had to be back before Spring because we needed to plant the flowers in the proper climate. We discussed the whole matter until gradually we fell asleep on the cozy carpet. Chapter 3I finally woke up, the next afternoon. I had overslept. I found myself in Lily's bed room, a white room with dark red walls the bed I was in and a nightstand with a small lamp.Light poured into the room from a window to the right of me and reflected off of the polished wood door to the left of me. I yawned and tried to keep the light of my eyes, but it was useless. I could only keep them open for half a second at a time. I could hear bickering in the room outside of this one. The voices I recognized to be Lily and Daisy. They sounded worried. I tried to let my eyes adjust before I got up to do anything. It took a whole ten minutes. I got out of the bed and folded the covers that matched the colors of the wall so that they had no wrinkles in them by smoothing them out with my hooves. I stumbled out of the room and into the miniature hallway which mind as well been called room. I walked into the bathroom and splashed my face with cool water. As I opened my eyes,I could finally see the details around me without the pain of light entering my eyes. Lily's bathroom had light blue pin striped walls that reached halfway down. The rest of the wall was a whitish red, but not a pink. Her sink was cluttered with mane maintenance tools like brushes and clips. Her shower was a small bathtub with red shower curtains that concealed the interior of it. I walked into the living room and saw Lily and Daisy pacing back and forth and looked nervous. Lily looked sick. Her mane was messy and her eyes had circles around them. "What's going on? What happened?" "Celestia came here a few hours ago and told us not to tell anyone about the Garden!" "So?!" "SOOO?! Well fuck, she came here with like...six of her guards and told us it was supposed to be a secret oasis where she would hold international affairs!" I kinda flinched, because I'd never heard Lily curse before. "I'm not getting what the trouble is here." Daisy then invited herself into the conversation. "Basically Lily is saying that if anyone catches wind of our little project, we are going to be arrested for treason. If the town were to know of the secret garden project, the princess would have no use for it, therefore, no use for us. She told us it was a big deal to keep it a secret. As she left the room on that note, one of the guards told us in a whisper 'the punishment for treason is banishment'" I stared at my friends who I thought had gone crazy. "I doubt the princess would banish.....us..." I said with no confidence whatsoever "Luna." Lily and Daisy said in unison. They looked at each other and nodded. "Well.....we just won't tell anypony of our.....our..CRAP!" I had just remembered telling our friends about our trip and how they were going to tell everyone they knew. This is when I did something very unexpected. I jumped out of the window. We were in a single story building, so it was a safe jump. "Rose! Where are you going!?" I heard Lily scream "Come back!" Daisy added. I galloped at full speed across town. Many ponies watched me as if I were crazy. I passed by many familiar buildings that I suddenly couldn't recognize due to how fast I was running. Minutes into my run, a grey coated pegasus with a blonde mane waddled in my way. It was Derpy. "Derpy!" I yelled to get her attention. She turned around to look at me with her crossed golden eyes. "Move, dammit!" I startled the poor mare, so she didn't move. I took a breath of air and leapt over her. I landed flawlessly and continued running. As I exited Ponyville toward the train station, I switched my gallop into a canter to conserve energy. I was trying to get to Canterlot ASAP and ask the princess a few questions. I knew the quickest way to Canterlot was the train station, which is a small building with a platform where the trains stop for passengers. I ended up near train tracks, and I heard the train coming. I thought if I was ever going to make it to the castle, I'd have to hop onto the train. I galloped parallel to the tracks because I knew the train will be faster than me. The train approached behind me with it's roaring sound that echoed. It was going at high speeds. As I continued, I became so hot from all the running, the weather no longer effected me. The first car of the train surpassed me and continued on. I was waiting for the last car to show up so I could jump onto it. As it approached, I dug my hind hooves into the snow and hopped onto the train. It was a perfect jump. I sat down to catch my breath, but I soon realized that I was on a train heading in the wrong direction. I gasped and cursed at the wind. Luckily, there was a train on the opposite side of the track heading toward my destination. I smiled wide and, quick as a Wonderbolt, I climbed up to the roof of this train and hopped onto the other without hesitation. The landing knocked me off my feet and I fell onto my side. I just laid there until I arrived in Canterlot. I knew this train was heading there because I saw Pinkie Pie pop out of the car and look out of the window. I remember days ago when she told me she would star in a play being done for Hearths warming eve in Canterlot. I laid on the train till my body temperature was brought to normal. The cold metal of the roof was relaxing. About three minutes later, a tunnel appeared. I saw how impossibly low the clearance was. I thought I could just jump off the train, but It was currently passing over a bridge that was one and a half kilometers above an abyss of rocks and rushing water. Examined the mountain above the tunnel and acted fast. I paced over to the front car, hopping every gap in between, and jumped onto the mountain that the tunnel went through. I continued as quick as my 4 legs would care to take me along the diagonal footing. The mountain stooped about 30 degrees. I had to trot consistently and quickly or I would fall to my death. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Soon, the once 30 degree angle on the footing rose to 45 degrees. To my left, there was another mountain. I jumped over to it and continued running faster. Soon the mountain became a cliff ahead of me. I looked back to my right, quickly and noticed a flat foothold on the mountain I was originally on. It was pretty far down, about 17 or so feet, but I jumped over to it and as I landed, I tucked my hooves and rolled across my back so I wouldn't break my legs. I deemed the move to be very effective in depleting impact damage when landing and I thought about using it again in the future. Eventually, I jumped back onto the train and I gave my body well needed rest. Soon, I arrived in Canterlot. I jumped off the train onto a patch of snow and galloped toward the palace. Everything was decorated for Hearths Warming eve and looked festive. I didn't have anytime to see the sights, however. I was in a rush to see Princess Celestia. I got to the palace gate, but was denied by the unicorn stallions guarding it. I tried to tell them how urgent this was but they wouldn't let me enter unless I had a ticket to the play, or had a pass to work in it. I got very desperate and I jumped into the waterfall pond by the palace. I swam through it until I came around back. The water was incredibly cold and I regret ever jumping into it. It was like someone poured a thousand ice-cubes into it. Actually, I was surprised the water wasn't frozen. I got to shore and realized I was behind the castle. I examined the architecture and noticed something. There were a lot of windows to could sneak through. I walked up to the wall and began climbing. I had never been the castle before, so I don't know what room would the princess would be in. I just hoped for an open window. I continued to climb until my legs hurt. Then I rested on a window sill by sitting on it. I wondered how far I just traveled and what Lily and Daisy were thinking. Did they follow me? If they did, then how? Only Lily is as athletic as me, but she would be too scared to hop a train. Daisy is a bit more daring, but not quite as acrobatic to leap from a mountain. I guess only time would tell. When I dried off, I ended my rest and continued to climb. A few stories later, I saw an open window about seven or eight feet to my left and twelve feet down. I peered at it. It was an odd window that opened from the top. I could simply drop into the window, but I have better sense than to jump into a random room where there could be fragile objects inside. Suddenly, I saw a moving shadow of a pony with wings flying in the air. It was a pegasus guard. He was making his rounds around the castle. He hadn't seen me yet, but I needed to move fast before he did. I swung my body weight side to side until I thought I could make the jump. I let go when I was in the right position, and fell into the open window, sliding on the glass. I was in a square, ianthine room that wasn't very big. It was a bit smaller than Lily's bedroom. It was also empty. There was an open door that lead to the bridge that over looked a waterfall. There was another door that was shut and I wasn't sure what it lead to. I was about to cross the bridge when the guard from earlier landed on it. I let out a quiet 'yelp!' and opened the other door. I quickly ran through it and shut the door behind me. I was now in a very long, pearl coated corridor with many many purple doors that lead to unknown places.The floors were perfectly polished and I could see my reflection on the floor. The floor had a purple carpet that stretched across the hallway and to spiral steps that lead downstairs. Unexpectedly, the door I came through slammed open. It was the guard. "I knew I saw something! Come with me, NOW!" Of course my first reaction was to run like hell. I bolted for the stairs. There was no time to trot down the steps, so I dove onto the railing and slid down on my belly. I looked down as I was sliding and realized I was about 17 stories up. My heart skipped a beat. I slid down the railing for a few seconds more, but the guard flew down the eye of the spiral stairs effortlessly. I got scared, so I leaned forward so my body fell off the railing and I landed on the stairs below. I used my fore-hooves to start the landing, but then I tuck and rolled painfully down six steps. The whole stunt gave me about four more seconds to run. Eventually, the guard landed right behind me and he grabbed my left hind leg. I tripped and fell hard on my face. I kicked my free hind leg back at his head and stunned him for a bit.Within the two seconds he was dazed, I felt I had reached my last resort and dove down the eye of the spiral stairs. To my surprise, there was a bunch of boxes filled with packing peanuts at the bottom. I scanned the room I was now in. It was a small, circular room that only had the boxes, the spiral stairs, and a door. I quickly recovered and the random door, bolting through it. I ran while looking back to see if my assailant was still pursuing me. A second later, I knocked into Princess Luna. She looked down at me with her eyes, beautiful as the night itself. "IS THOU....I mean...are you alright?" Luna said, confused, and trying to avoid using the Royal Canterlot voice. I heard quick hoofsteps behind me and I jumped onto my belly and covered my head with my hooves. "No! Hide me, my lord!" Almost instantly, the guard who was chasing me came through the door. Luna pushed me behind a flowerpot with her hind leg. The flowerpot was smaller than my head. I thought I was doomed as I stayed in my 'duck for cover' position with my eyes closed. "Princess Luna! There is an intruder behind that flowerpot." "Wut flowerpot?" "I'm boned." I whispered to myself. "The flowerpot right there! Do you see her?" "I don't." "Look right there, by your hoof." "Which hoof?" "Left hind!" Luna looked to her left, but I was at her right. "Your other left!" Luna looked to her right. "It's a flowerpot." "Now look behind it!" "Oka....HEY! Are you ordering me around!?" "...No....." "Leave." The guard knew he was beat. He looked at me in the eyes and growled. "LEAVE!!!" He ran away with an attitude. I got back up to bow and thank the princess for what she did. "Why are you here, infidel?" "I need to ask Celestia something." "About the garden?" "...yes" "Don't tell any other soul, you could get in big trouble." "*gulp* How do you know?" "I over heard a conversation she was having with the general. She was talking about three mares who will be banished if they utter a word to anyone about our secret garden for conducting international affairs. I'm not too involved in that stuff. I raise our moon and bring forth my night, but I don't get too occupied with mortal problems." I realized I was talking to a god. "Well Princess Luna, I kinda didn't know and I told some of my friends and they will tell their friends an....OW!" I was surprised to be struck hard and fast across the face with Luna's hoof. My lips began to bleed. I looked into Luna's eyes who looked like she was staring angrily at a child of hers who ran in the street or worse. I lowered my head to show I was sorry as droplets of blood rained on the once clean floor. Tears of disappointment followed seconds after. "You are in a magnitude of trouble beyond you comprehension, peasant!" I knew Luna meant no harm, she was just concerned deeply. "Come! We will fix your grand and foolish mistake!" Luna took flight and grabbed my fore hooves. She flew quickly towards the window and opened it with magic from her long horn. She zoomed out of the window and fast toward Ponyville. My adventure to get here was about 2 and a half hours. Luna got me back home in 34 minutes. "My friends are down there! They're gonna help me with the garden!" Luna looked down and grabbed my friends with magic. She did it so effortlessly. She's a powerful being. "AHHHHHHHHCH!!!!!" Lily screamed. She's terrified of heights. "What's going on here?!" Daisy asked, frightened as well. "I ran to Canterlot to ask Celestia what would happen if we done goofed and told anypony of the garden! I wanted to know for myself." I realized I was yelling over the wind so they could hear. "I bumped into Luna and she's gonna help us." "B-but Berry Punch works at the newspaper publishing building! She's gonna get the word out to everypony!" Lily informed me. "WHAT?!" Luna and I yelled simultaneously, only here yell was louder. "How are you going to stop this from occurring, my children?" Luna asked. "Well," Daisy began, " Lily and I were going to the Everfree forest to get some 'Forget-me-lots' flowers. If consumed, It brings amnesia. The consumer will forget everything from the last 30 hours permanently. We were going to slip them in our friend's drinks so they will forget the night before." "Excellent. To the Everfree." Luna said, and with that, she turned 90 degrees and flew toward the Everfree forest. Chapter 4"Can we gather enough of these flowers?" Luna asked with her strong voice. "Yeah, we only need one of them....." Lily said, still shaky from our high speed ride into the forest. We were somewhere in the east side of the forest, and were pretty deep in. Sun light barely snuck in through the forest's thick canopy, and there was no snow on the ground, due to the leafy shield. Despite the lack of light, all sorts of flora decorated the floor, and trees formed a labyrinth that was very difficult to navigate, even if there was light. Daisy and Luna tried to find the Forget-me-lots within a small brush, but Lily had found them in a small patch of sunlight. "They need sunlight to thrive." Lily explained as Luna nodded her head. "Yup. Now lets get down to business..." I wanted to get out of the forest, and so did everypony else. "Yes, Lets." Luna said, raising her eyes. I spoke up. "We need to poison 3 mares. A unicorn named Colgate, an Earth pony named Cheerilee, and her sister Berry Punch. One of them works at a school and will be going on a lunch break soon," "Superb." Luna said, kneeling down so as to let my friends and I soar back into the sky with her. Daisy leapt on with out hesitation. I climbed on carefully so I didn't hurt the princess. Lily shivered and glared at the Princess. "I-I don't wanna..." Suddenly, a squirrel came running out of the bushes, making a rustling sound that startled Lily. Lily sprung onto Luna, eager to escape the dark forest. Luna was kind enough to take flight and exit the Everfree before asking for the destination. We told Luna that Colgate was scheduled a lunch break from work at this time, and I found that Colgate really enjoys the hot chocolate from sugar cube corner when I met her. Luna set the course accordingly, and she didn't feel the need to fly as fast as she did earlier. As we landed in-front of the confectioner's shop, I quickly paced in. I didn't see Colgate in the homely pink room until I fixed my gaze at the counter. I had made it just in time. I got back outside to climb the building as quick as possible. I then tip-trotted along the roof and above the door. I ground the forget-me-lot leaves in my hooves and waited. About five seconds later, I saw the top of Colgate's head and the brown, steaming liquid in a white mug being levitated besides it. I saw my opportunity, and took it. I gently blew the leaves into the air and hoped they reached their destination. Sure enough, they did. Flawlessly. I was actually kinda stunned, and apparently, so was Lily and Daisy because they applauded Luna quickly teleported onto the roof with me, so as to not be discovered. "Oh hai, girls!" Colgate looked over to Lily and Daisy. "Oh...uh, hey Cole." Daisy mustered while Lily waved. "Are you guys going to Sugar Cube Corner? I recommend the hot chocolate!" "We'll keep that in mind." Lily said very calmly, with a bit of a crack in her voice. "Hey, where's Lucky Rosie? Ha! Hey, that works as a nickname for her." Daisy then said something inaudible, however I caught my name in the clause, and the three of them laughed. This gave me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Did Daisy just do something that she'll regret? Acting on impulse, I dropped down easily from the roof, calling attention to myself. "Hey there, Colgate!" I waved to Colgate and quickly paced over to her. "Oh hey, Lucky Rosie!" She giggled. "Wow what a trooper. Coming to visit your friends while your sick." I shot a death look at Daisy. "Yeah..." I muttered. "I don't mean to sound like a doctor, Lucky but you really need to lay off on the dandelions if they're causing you irregularities." I got the sudden urge to punch Daisy in the throat. I mulled the thought over in my mind as I gave my reply: "Yeah. You should drink your hot chocolate." "Oh! You're right." Colgate magically floated the cup over to her mouth and hugged the porcelain rim of her cup with her lips. I only knew Colgate since the party, but I was very upset that she would forget me. Actually, my heart sank when I heard the chocolate run down her throat. Almost instantly, the magic keeping the mug afloat dissipated and the cup crashed on the street, splashing steaming hot chocolate on the ground. Steam arose from the liquid due to the frigid weather. Colgate had a pretty average look on her face when she looked around slowly. "Where am I?" Colgate whispered under her breath. She was about to walk away when I stopped her with my hoof. "Do you remember me?" I asked, knowing what the answer would be. "No, I'm afraid I don't...Should I?" "You must have been around some 'forget me lots'" "What're those?" Colgate looked a bit trippy, but she was just quizzical. "They grow around here and the tend to fog out memory. I met you yesterday. " "Fog out memory?" Colgate was now very concerned. "Oh crap! I've got work!...Right?" "Take a day off." I suggested. "I'm RoseLuck. Call me Rose." I patted her on her forehead. "Heh,can I call you 'Lucky Rosie?'" "Not at all." Then I walked away, Daisy and Lily following me, probably unsure of how angry I was. I could tell how they were walking. "You've wasted precious time, fool." Luna said, unpleased as she floated above me. The wind her wings were kicking up messed up my mane more than it already was. "Sorry, princess. It won't happen again." "See that it won't." Luna swooped down and grabbed the three of us with magic, very abruptly causing us to scream a bit. @->-,->'->______________________________________________________________________________________________ Luna had found herself a nice rest spot on an oak tree infront of the School Lily and I were infiltrating. Daisy stayed behind with the princess, due to fear. "It's here, I think." Lily stated, but unsure of herself. She was very tired, and didn't want to think. About anything. I walked up to the door that I hopped to be Cheerilee's class room. I looked at the number on the door. 13. I have a huge fear of superstition, and magic. Unicorn magic, I'm now okay with, but other kinds tend to scare me. That Zecora incident last year made me look like a fool. I continued to gaze at the door when suddenly it opened, causing me to jump back. "Oh!" It was Cheerilee. "Didn't mean to frighten you." She had a paper airplane in her hair, and it told me that her class was in session, and that made me question how long I've been up. "Hi Cheerilee..." just before I could strike up a conversation, my hooves acted on their own. I had zero control. I grabbed Cheerilee's head and threw it into the wall. Before she could get up to defend herself, I grabbed the emerald-green forget-me-lots flower and smothered her with it. My hooves held the flower on her face until she took a big gasp of air. Her eyes rolled to the back her head, and she blinked furiously. "Ugh......whoa." She stood up quickly , and darted back into her classroom, slamming the door behind her. I stared at my cream colored hooves and wondered with grave worry, and wondered why I did what I just did. Then a thought popped into my head. "Lunaaaa..." I moaned, in defeat as I paced slowly outside. "You've taken too long." Luna lectured as she fluttered down from the tree. I didn't bother to argue. I just climbed on her back and waited to be brought over to our final target. My body longed for sleep. This day was going by so slowly. It felt like yesterday I was in Canterlot running from an imperial guard when really that was just this morning. My body ached and my eyes stung. My head had a vacillating pain that beamed angry messages to my body: GO TO SLEEP. I simply could not sleep, not matter how comforting it was to soar on Luna's back. My legs were stiff and the vision in my left eye was blurry. After what felt like an eon, we arrived at the bar. I found it funny that we landed at a bar to locate Berry Punch. The laughing made my body feel a lot better, but it soon returned to it's pained state. "Be swift." Luna commanded. I leapt off her back and lost my balance, causing me to land on my face. I heard Lily and Daisy gasp, but I didn't have the energy to tell them I was alright. Perhaps my body didn't want me to lie to them. I stumbled carelessly in the bar, looking drunker than everypony in their. Ponies tend to drink at this time of day. It only took me 3 minutes to locate Berry punch. She was drunk off her plot and was sitting on the counter. "Hey, Berry..." "Came to get wasted?" I didn't, but I quickly grabbed the glass besides Berry and downed it to numb my pain. It was hard liquor mixed with some type of rum. It didn't taste too good. "Berry, do you remember what we celebrated about yesterday?" "No. Funny you brought that up, Rose...I wanted to tell everyone but the thought slipped my mind. Was it a birthday?" "It was my aunts birthday." I lied. "Okay! Now I remember! I think." Berry sat up and blinked. She was sobering up pretty quickly. She's probably such an alcoholic, she needs double the amount to stay tipsy. "Yeah, a birthday, that must've been it." On that note, I just left. I wanted sleep. Badly. I walked outside and climbed on Luna for a ride home. @->-,->'-> ______________________________________________________________________________________________ I woke up the next morning...er...afternoon on my bed. I awoke very abruptly, and felt extremely comfortable. With very little investigation, I saw that I was snuggled under Luna's wing. She was sleeping soundly. I was stunned by her essence and was confused as to why she felt the need to sleep in my house. As honored as I was, I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. I smelled something awesome cooking in the kitchen. Normally, you wouldn't smell anything cooking out of my kitchen but tea. I can't cook at all. I once burnt myself preparing ice cream. I wanted to get out of bed and see what was cooking, but Luna's wing held me close. I laid back down and listened to Luna's breath. I laid there for a good hour 'till Luna woke up. She lifted me with ease using her magic and threw me softly on the bed. She walked into the kitchen without saying anything. I writhed on my back, struggling to get back onto my hooves, and set for the kitchen myself to see what was cooking. When I got there, I saw a bowl of hash browns in the middle of my table, and they were very well cooked. I also saw a plate of biscuits and honey roasted pineapple crisps. There were a bunch of other bowls with steam rising from a few of them, but I couldn't tell what their contents were. It all looked delectable. Sitting at the table, I was surprised to see Colgate. She was munching slowly on a biscuit drizzled carelessly with maple syrup. She was using both her hooves instead of her magic and stared into blank space. It was an odd sight. Lily and Daisy were also in the kitchen and they were carrying a conversation with her. Colgate answered questions, but seemed as if she were in another world. Cheerilee was also there. She was eating toast and looked pretty happy with it. I would have asked what was going on, but if I did, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the morning as much as I did. Chapter 1Hundreds......thousands......maybe millions of roses painted a large, beautiful valley. I didn't know where I was, nor did It matter. I was in heaven, as far as I was concerned. I was standing on a multi colored rose bathed hill standing by a brook of cerulean blue water. The sky was the same color, and was just as peaceful. All I could do was watch in awe. On the other side of the brook was a rose that stood out from the others. It was of a vibrant color that I hadn't recognized. A color that probably wasn't part of the original light spectrum. A color so beautiful, it is impossible to explain. I wanted it. Bad. I tried to slowly walk down the hill, but since there were roses everywhere, I stepped on one. The pain was intense. I've stepped on rose thorns before, but this felt like stepping into large thumbtacks. To make it worse, I tripped on a rock and began rolling down the hill. It was like I had gotten very intimate with a porcupine. There was no relief when I fell into the brook. The water was unfathomably cold. I was able to climb out of the freezing steam and make it to land. There I saw the rose. All of my pain had dissipated and the sight of the rose gave me butterflies. As if I were looking at someone I fell in love with. I even began to speak to the rose. "H-hello..." I stammered. "Wake up." I did a double take. The rose talked to me. This was the best thing that could ever happen! I was so shocked to have found a talking rose, that I had forgotten what it had said. "Could you repeat that, beautiful?" I was able to say with much more confidence and with a genuine tone. "WAKE UP" Within a split second, I blinked my eyes and as they opened, the beautiful valley had turned into the interior of a carriage with street lights flooding through the windows. My beautiful rose was no longer there. It was all a dream. "Oh, good! She's awake!" I turned my head to see who could have said that, I heard the voice some place before. To my utter surprise, I found myself next to Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria. Her Beautiful mane flowed like the rays of the sun, bright and warm. I was shocked. What was I doing in a carriage with the Princess? "Your highness?" I tried to usher a bow, but it came up a clumsy, drunken stumble in place. "Easy there," The princess neighed. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." "What am I doing here?" I mumbled. "Well you see, SOMEPONY wasn't being careful and hit you while you were crossing the street..." A loud 'Hmph' came from the front of the carriage in objection. "I brought you inside the carriage and we took a route to the doctor. I tried to wake you up by poking you with my hoof, but realized that my jewelery was rather sharp at the ends and didn't realize I was jabbing you with it. Then I tried to splash some water on you. Eventually you came to, and here we are." The story I was given explained a lot about the dream, but I was disappointed a little about not receiving my awesome rose. "Oh!" I just realized,"Have you seen my friend Daisy? She'll freeze to death out there." "The lovely young mare with the green mane? Oh well, She was dropped off a few minutes ago. She was a little too drunk to keep in this carriage, so we dropped her off at the prison to rest." "Prison?" I asked, worried. "Well, yes. She's not in any trouble, but the prison has a place for people who are too drunk to know where they live. They sleep there for the night, then somepony comes to bring them back home." She was talking to me as If I were a foul. "Oh..." "So, now that you're okay, we can take the route back to your home. Where do you live?" "I don't remember. A pineapple under the sea I s'pose" "....Alright," My drunken mistake made the Princess tell the stallions who were pulling the carriage to head for the Ponyville prison. "You know, I've been meaning to talk to you and the other two about your hard work with flowers. But as it seems, I can't really talk to you, so I guess I could pick you and your friend up from the prison tomorrow after you've sobered up." "Oh, okay. Thanks a bunch." I said. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I woke up the next morning on a cold, hard bed in a dim lit grey cell with a heavy head ache. I remembered most of what happened the night before, so I assumed I was in prison with a hangover. My cell consisted of one bared window, a bed without blankets and a barred door the size of any ordinary door. Though the door, I cold see an older stallion walking down a hall with a similar color scheme to my cell. He came to my door. "You awake?" He asked, slightly annoyed. "Yeah, I'm awa-" "Alright, then get out." The stallion with a black coat and a chalk colored mane opened the door and yanked me out of the cell. He ushered me into a room with 6 other mares. One of which was Daisy, and she looked like she was in an unpleasant mood. The room was slightly smaller and darker than my cell and had no windows. It did, however, have a mirror that I quickly thought to be a two-way mirror. This thought was confirmed once the stallion left the room and I heard a door open somewhere else. He was in the room behind the mirror. "ALRIGHT..." My ears rang, and so did everypony else's. A very loud intercom was speaking to us above our heads. All the mares in the room began to whine and cry from the pain. We all sounded sick, but knew we all were just hungover. "THIS IS A SOBRIETY TEST. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE UNTIL YOU CAN PASS IT." That message was followed by more whining that I contributed too. "THE FIRST PART OF THE TEST IS TO CLOSE YOUR LEFT EYE, PUT YOUR RIGHT FORE LEG UP AND LEFT REAR LEG BACK." Nopony did anything. We were all too dazed. The loud voice wasn't empathetic enough to understand that, so it repeated itself, but louder and more stern. "CLOSE YOUR LEFT EYE, PUT YOUR RIGHT FORE LEG UP AND LEFT REAR LEG BACK!" We didn't want to hear the voice again so we complied. I put my fore leg up and rear leg back. I almost forgot to close my left eye, but a kind young mare winked at me to do so. "VERY GOOD. NEXT PART OF THE TEST IS TO STAND ON YOUR HIND HOOVES FOR 5 SECONDS" This command left my ears ringing. I watched everypony else follow the command, but as I attempted it, the ringing in my ears caused me to lose balance and I toppled over onto the mare next to me. We all fell like dominoes. It was painful. "YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE." The voice was losing patience. I tried again and I was able to do it. It took a lot out of me, however. "THE FINAL PART OF THE TEST IS FOR YOU ALL TO LINE YOURSELVES UP IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY NAME. FEEL FREE TO COMMUNICATE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE" "This is bull-crap!" I heard somepony exclaim. I nodded in agreement. "TIME STARTS NOW." We all exchanged worried and confused looks. I walked over to the young mare who reminded me to close my eye earlier. "My name's Rose, what's yours?" "Apple Strudely." She said in a tired southern accent. "Okay, nice to meet you." I said. "You too..." I ended up at the end of the line, and just waited for the remaining 13 seconds to pass. "ALRIGHTY THEN.." The door was opened by another stallion. "YOU MAY EXIT THE BUILDING. IN THE FUTURE BE MORE CAREFUL." We all left the dark room quickly. I darted toward the exit where I saw a crowd of ponies. They all had their heads bowed. "Oh, there she is! Miss RoseLuck, come here."
Prologue."It's so c-c-cold!!!" Those were the first words Lily had said all day. I had assumed her mouth had been frozen shut, which in these temperatures, I wouldn't be surprised if it was. I'm Roseluck, you're average pony. I'm not a unicorn, so I can't perform any other magic other than friendship itself. I'm no pegasus, either. I wasn't born in the sky, or blessed with wings to even go there. However, I still have a gift.My cutie mark is a Rose, and I do love flowers, but my talent is actually something much deeper than that. Today, that talent wouldn't have come in handy, no not in this cold. "I w-w-ant-t to g-go home..." My friend Lily whined once again. It was Lily, Daisy, and I, and we were selling flowers. Yeah, we're selling flowers.....in Celestia's damned winter. It's as if hell froze over and we're soliciting in it. You're probably wondering what kind of flowers bloom in such extremes. Well, cute little Viburnum shrubs grow around this time. We also have winter violets. Witch hazel tree seeds, Winter-sweet, Oleaster tree seeds (which I don't really care for), and Hellebore. Come to think of it, we were also selling Poinsettias, but we were sold out of those for quite some time. With all of the white snow burdening Ponyville with a blank look, you could say that the only colors emitting from the village was our florist shop, almost as if we were painting a small picture on a large canvas. "Yeah, we should probably go home." I stated. "Nopony is out at this time." We packed up and headed toward our homes. It wasn't a supposed to be a long trot, but we were walking in opposing direction of the below zero winds, thus making our 5 minute trot to a 10 minute visit to a deep freezer.It was too cold out. We got to Lily's house, and without saying goodbye, she instantly rushed into it, searching for warmth. Daisy and I tried to do the same and get home A.S.A.P. Halfway to my house, I caved under the weather. Ironic, it was so cold, I felt like I was on fire. I needed to seek shelter. No way Daisy and I were going to make it. We ran into a nearby bar for warmth. To our luck, the place was packed and we received instant relief from the extreme weather. We rested there for a bit so we could regain our body temperatures. While we were at it, we got ourselves a few drinks. Daisy liked martini and I preferred straight liquor. I also bought myself a bottle to take home. After a few dozen drinks and a long conversation on why ponies should have been born with eight legs,we warmed up. Daisy gave the idea the we should gallop at full speed back home. It would keep our blood flowing and we'd get there quicker. It was a perfect plan. We bolted out of the doors, but I guess I was a little buzzed from the liquor.I galloped in zig-zags and ended up in front of a carriage. I got hit pretty bad,and after that, I don't really remember much.
Chapter 2"Miss Roseluck, Come on!" I received strange stares from stranger mares that attend the prison. Stares that beamed at me through the cell doors and the prison balcony high above my head. Stares of jealousy. Heh heh, they mad. I was very grateful to have been picked up by the princess herself. I didn't really know what she was doing picking up a commoner from a prison for. Was it because she felt bad for running me over? No, no... she said she wanted to talk to me about my flower work? I tried to think of a reason as to why I deserved to be chauffeured by royalty. I boarded the pearl colored two-car carriage with gold trimming. There, I saw my two friends, Daisy and Lily. I had just walked in on their conversation on why we were in prison. "We weren't in any real trouble, Lily." Daisy informed. "You guys had me worried sick!" Lily whined. "The princess came to my house and told me you guys were in prison!" "Did she tell you why?" I added myself to the conversation. "No, she just told me it was important to get you." A small chuckle escaped from the royal mouth in the front carriage. The carriage arrived at a small, snowy pasture a mile away from Ponyville. It had not trees and it seemed as if no plants would have naturally grown here in the proper climate. I could tell by how smooth the snow lay on the ground. Like a white polished ballroom floor. The princess got out of the carriage and walked back to open the doors for the flower trio, asking them to step outside. The trio walked onto the snow covered ground and instantly began to shiver. Lucky, Lily brought everypony scarves and sweaters. Princess Celestia didn't seem irritated by the weather. She didn't even shiver. "I've gathered the three of you here today to give you all an assignment." Celestia's voice seemed to make every other ambient noise disperse. The message was clearer than the day that she brings. "The three of you are quite good at what you do. I've seen your works. Little did you know, I've sampled flowers from each of you by having my star pupil, Twilight Sparkle, pick them up for me at your shop." "Really?" Daisy said, eyes widened with awe. "Yes. At most royal gatherings, I like to decorate with flowers. Your flowers." I felt honored to have the princess praise my friends and I for our work. "So, your highness, what's our assignment?" Lily asked, slightly frightened, but mostly curious. "Well," The princess began to speak, "You see this land here? I'm going to have you mares go over seas and find some exotic plants. Plants we simply can't have here naturally. I'm going have you pick up some flowers in Fillitalia and have then planted here." Fillitalia. A very beautiful place. My parents currently live in Fillitalia. However, they are from elsewhere. I don't remember the last I saw them, though. "I'll provide your stay there and cover food expenses as well." Wow... Out of all the florists in Equestria, the princess picked the three of us. I was feeling a bit skeptical. I forgot to hold my tongue and asked why. "Well, Rose, I've been getting some feedback from my star pupil about how your flowers are the most vibrant in Ponyville. And between the the three of you, I really really like flowers." The princess seemed embarrassed. However, she still looked infinitely elegant. "Wow, your highness! I dunno what to say!" Daisy exclaimed. "You three must depart before next winter." The Princess commanded. "Make this place beautiful." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Later that day, Lily was kind enough to host a party for our assignment. It was Herself, Daisy, our friend Cheerilee, her sister, Berry punch, and Berry's friend, Colgate. Some of the mares there I never got to fully meet. I had never gotten a chance to meet Colgate, a blue unicorn with a darker cyan colored mane that reminded me of toothpaste. Her cutie mark was an hourglass, and she had an optimistic personality. Shes tons of fun to be around, especially with those cool bar tricks she does. I also got to meet Cheerilee's sister, Berry, who probably spends most of her time drunk. She resembles her sister. Her mane is messier and darker than hers, plus it's a solid color. She also has a wine colored coat. Her cutie mark is a bunch of grapes and a strawberry. Her bubbly personality is probably the only reason this get together would be considered a party. In any other building, this party would be considered small, but since Lily's house isn't exactly "big" this was a huge celebration. Six mares crowed in a four-roomed apartment. It didn't add up. He all huddled in Lily's living room, which was the biggest room in the house. It consisted of two white lamps, a dark red carpet, pink walls, a wooden table, and a chandelier that was a simple round shape. "Toast to the best florists in Equestria!" Berry cheered. We all raised glasses toward the chandelier which re-colored the room as the light passed through the drinks and had a sip of champagne. "Toast to Lily who hosts this party!" Berry said again. We repeated our action, only quicker. "Toast to Colgate being the only non-Earthpony!!!!" "B-P," Colgate began to speak to berry, "Are you just finding reasons to drink?" "Yes!" We all laughed and cheered. We had a pretty good time. Soon Cheerilee finally began to wonder why we were celebrating in the first place. "Hey, Rose, why are we holding this party? Is there a special occasion?" "I'm glad somepony finally asked. I was starting to think you guys just came here for the drinks." "Is that a problem?" Berry asked. "Well, no, but there is a reason behind this." Lily explained in her usual shy tone. "Yeah, basically, the princess wanted us to do a little deed for her. She wants us to go over seas and pick up some flowers for this field that hasn't been occupied yet. Seemed like fertile grounds to me. Even under all that snow. So the princess is going to pay for our room and board over there." Daisy explained. "That's fantastic! Were exactly over seas?" Cheerilee showed great interest. "Fillitalia. Tons of exotic flowers and rare herbs there." "And great wine!" Berry Punch exclaimed. "This is really cool, guys!" Colgate said. "Yeah, I can't wait to tell everypony that my friend has a royal assignment from the princess!" "Yeah," Daisy said, "Tell everypony." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ After the party was over, I was left with daisy and Lily to clean up. It wasn't a huge mess, but we decided to help Lily anyways. It was only fair. We talked about what we were going to do when we left and what flowers we were going to bring back. We wondered what foods we'd get to taste, who we'd meet, the wild parties we'd have. Never once did it cross our minds on how we were going to get there, or how long it would take to get there or even when we should leave. However, we did agree on when we'd get back. Before Spring. We had to be back before Spring because we needed to plant the flowers in the proper climate. We discussed the whole matter until gradually we fell asleep on the cozy carpet.
Chapter 3I finally woke up, the next afternoon. I had overslept. I found myself in Lily's bed room, a white room with dark red walls the bed I was in and a nightstand with a small lamp.Light poured into the room from a window to the right of me and reflected off of the polished wood door to the left of me. I yawned and tried to keep the light of my eyes, but it was useless. I could only keep them open for half a second at a time. I could hear bickering in the room outside of this one. The voices I recognized to be Lily and Daisy. They sounded worried. I tried to let my eyes adjust before I got up to do anything. It took a whole ten minutes. I got out of the bed and folded the covers that matched the colors of the wall so that they had no wrinkles in them by smoothing them out with my hooves. I stumbled out of the room and into the miniature hallway which mind as well been called room. I walked into the bathroom and splashed my face with cool water. As I opened my eyes,I could finally see the details around me without the pain of light entering my eyes. Lily's bathroom had light blue pin striped walls that reached halfway down. The rest of the wall was a whitish red, but not a pink. Her sink was cluttered with mane maintenance tools like brushes and clips. Her shower was a small bathtub with red shower curtains that concealed the interior of it. I walked into the living room and saw Lily and Daisy pacing back and forth and looked nervous. Lily looked sick. Her mane was messy and her eyes had circles around them. "What's going on? What happened?" "Celestia came here a few hours ago and told us not to tell anyone about the Garden!" "So?!" "SOOO?! Well fuck, she came here with like...six of her guards and told us it was supposed to be a secret oasis where she would hold international affairs!" I kinda flinched, because I'd never heard Lily curse before. "I'm not getting what the trouble is here." Daisy then invited herself into the conversation. "Basically Lily is saying that if anyone catches wind of our little project, we are going to be arrested for treason. If the town were to know of the secret garden project, the princess would have no use for it, therefore, no use for us. She told us it was a big deal to keep it a secret. As she left the room on that note, one of the guards told us in a whisper 'the punishment for treason is banishment'" I stared at my friends who I thought had gone crazy. "I doubt the princess would banish.....us..." I said with no confidence whatsoever "Luna." Lily and Daisy said in unison. They looked at each other and nodded. "Well.....we just won't tell anypony of our.....our..CRAP!" I had just remembered telling our friends about our trip and how they were going to tell everyone they knew. This is when I did something very unexpected. I jumped out of the window. We were in a single story building, so it was a safe jump. "Rose! Where are you going!?" I heard Lily scream "Come back!" Daisy added. I galloped at full speed across town. Many ponies watched me as if I were crazy. I passed by many familiar buildings that I suddenly couldn't recognize due to how fast I was running. Minutes into my run, a grey coated pegasus with a blonde mane waddled in my way. It was Derpy. "Derpy!" I yelled to get her attention. She turned around to look at me with her crossed golden eyes. "Move, dammit!" I startled the poor mare, so she didn't move. I took a breath of air and leapt over her. I landed flawlessly and continued running. As I exited Ponyville toward the train station, I switched my gallop into a canter to conserve energy. I was trying to get to Canterlot ASAP and ask the princess a few questions. I knew the quickest way to Canterlot was the train station, which is a small building with a platform where the trains stop for passengers. I ended up near train tracks, and I heard the train coming. I thought if I was ever going to make it to the castle, I'd have to hop onto the train. I galloped parallel to the tracks because I knew the train will be faster than me. The train approached behind me with it's roaring sound that echoed. It was going at high speeds. As I continued, I became so hot from all the running, the weather no longer effected me. The first car of the train surpassed me and continued on. I was waiting for the last car to show up so I could jump onto it. As it approached, I dug my hind hooves into the snow and hopped onto the train. It was a perfect jump. I sat down to catch my breath, but I soon realized that I was on a train heading in the wrong direction. I gasped and cursed at the wind. Luckily, there was a train on the opposite side of the track heading toward my destination. I smiled wide and, quick as a Wonderbolt, I climbed up to the roof of this train and hopped onto the other without hesitation. The landing knocked me off my feet and I fell onto my side. I just laid there until I arrived in Canterlot. I knew this train was heading there because I saw Pinkie Pie pop out of the car and look out of the window. I remember days ago when she told me she would star in a play being done for Hearths warming eve in Canterlot. I laid on the train till my body temperature was brought to normal. The cold metal of the roof was relaxing. About three minutes later, a tunnel appeared. I saw how impossibly low the clearance was. I thought I could just jump off the train, but It was currently passing over a bridge that was one and a half kilometers above an abyss of rocks and rushing water. Examined the mountain above the tunnel and acted fast. I paced over to the front car, hopping every gap in between, and jumped onto the mountain that the tunnel went through. I continued as quick as my 4 legs would care to take me along the diagonal footing. The mountain stooped about 30 degrees. I had to trot consistently and quickly or I would fall to my death. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. Soon, the once 30 degree angle on the footing rose to 45 degrees. To my left, there was another mountain. I jumped over to it and continued running faster. Soon the mountain became a cliff ahead of me. I looked back to my right, quickly and noticed a flat foothold on the mountain I was originally on. It was pretty far down, about 17 or so feet, but I jumped over to it and as I landed, I tucked my hooves and rolled across my back so I wouldn't break my legs. I deemed the move to be very effective in depleting impact damage when landing and I thought about using it again in the future. Eventually, I jumped back onto the train and I gave my body well needed rest. Soon, I arrived in Canterlot. I jumped off the train onto a patch of snow and galloped toward the palace. Everything was decorated for Hearths Warming eve and looked festive. I didn't have anytime to see the sights, however. I was in a rush to see Princess Celestia. I got to the palace gate, but was denied by the unicorn stallions guarding it. I tried to tell them how urgent this was but they wouldn't let me enter unless I had a ticket to the play, or had a pass to work in it. I got very desperate and I jumped into the waterfall pond by the palace. I swam through it until I came around back. The water was incredibly cold and I regret ever jumping into it. It was like someone poured a thousand ice-cubes into it. Actually, I was surprised the water wasn't frozen. I got to shore and realized I was behind the castle. I examined the architecture and noticed something. There were a lot of windows to could sneak through. I walked up to the wall and began climbing. I had never been the castle before, so I don't know what room would the princess would be in. I just hoped for an open window. I continued to climb until my legs hurt. Then I rested on a window sill by sitting on it. I wondered how far I just traveled and what Lily and Daisy were thinking. Did they follow me? If they did, then how? Only Lily is as athletic as me, but she would be too scared to hop a train. Daisy is a bit more daring, but not quite as acrobatic to leap from a mountain. I guess only time would tell. When I dried off, I ended my rest and continued to climb. A few stories later, I saw an open window about seven or eight feet to my left and twelve feet down. I peered at it. It was an odd window that opened from the top. I could simply drop into the window, but I have better sense than to jump into a random room where there could be fragile objects inside. Suddenly, I saw a moving shadow of a pony with wings flying in the air. It was a pegasus guard. He was making his rounds around the castle. He hadn't seen me yet, but I needed to move fast before he did. I swung my body weight side to side until I thought I could make the jump. I let go when I was in the right position, and fell into the open window, sliding on the glass. I was in a square, ianthine room that wasn't very big. It was a bit smaller than Lily's bedroom. It was also empty. There was an open door that lead to the bridge that over looked a waterfall. There was another door that was shut and I wasn't sure what it lead to. I was about to cross the bridge when the guard from earlier landed on it. I let out a quiet 'yelp!' and opened the other door. I quickly ran through it and shut the door behind me. I was now in a very long, pearl coated corridor with many many purple doors that lead to unknown places.The floors were perfectly polished and I could see my reflection on the floor. The floor had a purple carpet that stretched across the hallway and to spiral steps that lead downstairs. Unexpectedly, the door I came through slammed open. It was the guard. "I knew I saw something! Come with me, NOW!" Of course my first reaction was to run like hell. I bolted for the stairs. There was no time to trot down the steps, so I dove onto the railing and slid down on my belly. I looked down as I was sliding and realized I was about 17 stories up. My heart skipped a beat. I slid down the railing for a few seconds more, but the guard flew down the eye of the spiral stairs effortlessly. I got scared, so I leaned forward so my body fell off the railing and I landed on the stairs below. I used my fore-hooves to start the landing, but then I tuck and rolled painfully down six steps. The whole stunt gave me about four more seconds to run. Eventually, the guard landed right behind me and he grabbed my left hind leg. I tripped and fell hard on my face. I kicked my free hind leg back at his head and stunned him for a bit.Within the two seconds he was dazed, I felt I had reached my last resort and dove down the eye of the spiral stairs. To my surprise, there was a bunch of boxes filled with packing peanuts at the bottom. I scanned the room I was now in. It was a small, circular room that only had the boxes, the spiral stairs, and a door. I quickly recovered and the random door, bolting through it. I ran while looking back to see if my assailant was still pursuing me. A second later, I knocked into Princess Luna. She looked down at me with her eyes, beautiful as the night itself. "IS THOU....I mean...are you alright?" Luna said, confused, and trying to avoid using the Royal Canterlot voice. I heard quick hoofsteps behind me and I jumped onto my belly and covered my head with my hooves. "No! Hide me, my lord!" Almost instantly, the guard who was chasing me came through the door. Luna pushed me behind a flowerpot with her hind leg. The flowerpot was smaller than my head. I thought I was doomed as I stayed in my 'duck for cover' position with my eyes closed. "Princess Luna! There is an intruder behind that flowerpot." "Wut flowerpot?" "I'm boned." I whispered to myself. "The flowerpot right there! Do you see her?" "I don't." "Look right there, by your hoof." "Which hoof?" "Left hind!" Luna looked to her left, but I was at her right. "Your other left!" Luna looked to her right. "It's a flowerpot." "Now look behind it!" "Oka....HEY! Are you ordering me around!?" "...No....." "Leave." The guard knew he was beat. He looked at me in the eyes and growled. "LEAVE!!!" He ran away with an attitude. I got back up to bow and thank the princess for what she did. "Why are you here, infidel?" "I need to ask Celestia something." "About the garden?" "...yes" "Don't tell any other soul, you could get in big trouble." "*gulp* How do you know?" "I over heard a conversation she was having with the general. She was talking about three mares who will be banished if they utter a word to anyone about our secret garden for conducting international affairs. I'm not too involved in that stuff. I raise our moon and bring forth my night, but I don't get too occupied with mortal problems." I realized I was talking to a god. "Well Princess Luna, I kinda didn't know and I told some of my friends and they will tell their friends an....OW!" I was surprised to be struck hard and fast across the face with Luna's hoof. My lips began to bleed. I looked into Luna's eyes who looked like she was staring angrily at a child of hers who ran in the street or worse. I lowered my head to show I was sorry as droplets of blood rained on the once clean floor. Tears of disappointment followed seconds after. "You are in a magnitude of trouble beyond you comprehension, peasant!" I knew Luna meant no harm, she was just concerned deeply. "Come! We will fix your grand and foolish mistake!" Luna took flight and grabbed my fore hooves. She flew quickly towards the window and opened it with magic from her long horn. She zoomed out of the window and fast toward Ponyville. My adventure to get here was about 2 and a half hours. Luna got me back home in 34 minutes. "My friends are down there! They're gonna help me with the garden!" Luna looked down and grabbed my friends with magic. She did it so effortlessly. She's a powerful being. "AHHHHHHHHCH!!!!!" Lily screamed. She's terrified of heights. "What's going on here?!" Daisy asked, frightened as well. "I ran to Canterlot to ask Celestia what would happen if we done goofed and told anypony of the garden! I wanted to know for myself." I realized I was yelling over the wind so they could hear. "I bumped into Luna and she's gonna help us." "B-but Berry Punch works at the newspaper publishing building! She's gonna get the word out to everypony!" Lily informed me. "WHAT?!" Luna and I yelled simultaneously, only here yell was louder. "How are you going to stop this from occurring, my children?" Luna asked. "Well," Daisy began, " Lily and I were going to the Everfree forest to get some 'Forget-me-lots' flowers. If consumed, It brings amnesia. The consumer will forget everything from the last 30 hours permanently. We were going to slip them in our friend's drinks so they will forget the night before." "Excellent. To the Everfree." Luna said, and with that, she turned 90 degrees and flew toward the Everfree forest.
Chapter 4"Can we gather enough of these flowers?" Luna asked with her strong voice. "Yeah, we only need one of them....." Lily said, still shaky from our high speed ride into the forest. We were somewhere in the east side of the forest, and were pretty deep in. Sun light barely snuck in through the forest's thick canopy, and there was no snow on the ground, due to the leafy shield. Despite the lack of light, all sorts of flora decorated the floor, and trees formed a labyrinth that was very difficult to navigate, even if there was light. Daisy and Luna tried to find the Forget-me-lots within a small brush, but Lily had found them in a small patch of sunlight. "They need sunlight to thrive." Lily explained as Luna nodded her head. "Yup. Now lets get down to business..." I wanted to get out of the forest, and so did everypony else. "Yes, Lets." Luna said, raising her eyes. I spoke up. "We need to poison 3 mares. A unicorn named Colgate, an Earth pony named Cheerilee, and her sister Berry Punch. One of them works at a school and will be going on a lunch break soon," "Superb." Luna said, kneeling down so as to let my friends and I soar back into the sky with her. Daisy leapt on with out hesitation. I climbed on carefully so I didn't hurt the princess. Lily shivered and glared at the Princess. "I-I don't wanna..." Suddenly, a squirrel came running out of the bushes, making a rustling sound that startled Lily. Lily sprung onto Luna, eager to escape the dark forest. Luna was kind enough to take flight and exit the Everfree before asking for the destination. We told Luna that Colgate was scheduled a lunch break from work at this time, and I found that Colgate really enjoys the hot chocolate from sugar cube corner when I met her. Luna set the course accordingly, and she didn't feel the need to fly as fast as she did earlier. As we landed in-front of the confectioner's shop, I quickly paced in. I didn't see Colgate in the homely pink room until I fixed my gaze at the counter. I had made it just in time. I got back outside to climb the building as quick as possible. I then tip-trotted along the roof and above the door. I ground the forget-me-lot leaves in my hooves and waited. About five seconds later, I saw the top of Colgate's head and the brown, steaming liquid in a white mug being levitated besides it. I saw my opportunity, and took it. I gently blew the leaves into the air and hoped they reached their destination. Sure enough, they did. Flawlessly. I was actually kinda stunned, and apparently, so was Lily and Daisy because they applauded Luna quickly teleported onto the roof with me, so as to not be discovered. "Oh hai, girls!" Colgate looked over to Lily and Daisy. "Oh...uh, hey Cole." Daisy mustered while Lily waved. "Are you guys going to Sugar Cube Corner? I recommend the hot chocolate!" "We'll keep that in mind." Lily said very calmly, with a bit of a crack in her voice. "Hey, where's Lucky Rosie? Ha! Hey, that works as a nickname for her." Daisy then said something inaudible, however I caught my name in the clause, and the three of them laughed. This gave me an uneasy feeling in my stomach. Did Daisy just do something that she'll regret? Acting on impulse, I dropped down easily from the roof, calling attention to myself. "Hey there, Colgate!" I waved to Colgate and quickly paced over to her. "Oh hey, Lucky Rosie!" She giggled. "Wow what a trooper. Coming to visit your friends while your sick." I shot a death look at Daisy. "Yeah..." I muttered. "I don't mean to sound like a doctor, Lucky but you really need to lay off on the dandelions if they're causing you irregularities." I got the sudden urge to punch Daisy in the throat. I mulled the thought over in my mind as I gave my reply: "Yeah. You should drink your hot chocolate." "Oh! You're right." Colgate magically floated the cup over to her mouth and hugged the porcelain rim of her cup with her lips. I only knew Colgate since the party, but I was very upset that she would forget me. Actually, my heart sank when I heard the chocolate run down her throat. Almost instantly, the magic keeping the mug afloat dissipated and the cup crashed on the street, splashing steaming hot chocolate on the ground. Steam arose from the liquid due to the frigid weather. Colgate had a pretty average look on her face when she looked around slowly. "Where am I?" Colgate whispered under her breath. She was about to walk away when I stopped her with my hoof. "Do you remember me?" I asked, knowing what the answer would be. "No, I'm afraid I don't...Should I?" "You must have been around some 'forget me lots'" "What're those?" Colgate looked a bit trippy, but she was just quizzical. "They grow around here and the tend to fog out memory. I met you yesterday. " "Fog out memory?" Colgate was now very concerned. "Oh crap! I've got work!...Right?" "Take a day off." I suggested. "I'm RoseLuck. Call me Rose." I patted her on her forehead. "Heh,can I call you 'Lucky Rosie?'" "Not at all." Then I walked away, Daisy and Lily following me, probably unsure of how angry I was. I could tell how they were walking. "You've wasted precious time, fool." Luna said, unpleased as she floated above me. The wind her wings were kicking up messed up my mane more than it already was. "Sorry, princess. It won't happen again." "See that it won't." Luna swooped down and grabbed the three of us with magic, very abruptly causing us to scream a bit. @->-,->'->______________________________________________________________________________________________ Luna had found herself a nice rest spot on an oak tree infront of the School Lily and I were infiltrating. Daisy stayed behind with the princess, due to fear. "It's here, I think." Lily stated, but unsure of herself. She was very tired, and didn't want to think. About anything. I walked up to the door that I hopped to be Cheerilee's class room. I looked at the number on the door. 13. I have a huge fear of superstition, and magic. Unicorn magic, I'm now okay with, but other kinds tend to scare me. That Zecora incident last year made me look like a fool. I continued to gaze at the door when suddenly it opened, causing me to jump back. "Oh!" It was Cheerilee. "Didn't mean to frighten you." She had a paper airplane in her hair, and it told me that her class was in session, and that made me question how long I've been up. "Hi Cheerilee..." just before I could strike up a conversation, my hooves acted on their own. I had zero control. I grabbed Cheerilee's head and threw it into the wall. Before she could get up to defend herself, I grabbed the emerald-green forget-me-lots flower and smothered her with it. My hooves held the flower on her face until she took a big gasp of air. Her eyes rolled to the back her head, and she blinked furiously. "Ugh......whoa." She stood up quickly , and darted back into her classroom, slamming the door behind her. I stared at my cream colored hooves and wondered with grave worry, and wondered why I did what I just did. Then a thought popped into my head. "Lunaaaa..." I moaned, in defeat as I paced slowly outside. "You've taken too long." Luna lectured as she fluttered down from the tree. I didn't bother to argue. I just climbed on her back and waited to be brought over to our final target. My body longed for sleep. This day was going by so slowly. It felt like yesterday I was in Canterlot running from an imperial guard when really that was just this morning. My body ached and my eyes stung. My head had a vacillating pain that beamed angry messages to my body: GO TO SLEEP. I simply could not sleep, not matter how comforting it was to soar on Luna's back. My legs were stiff and the vision in my left eye was blurry. After what felt like an eon, we arrived at the bar. I found it funny that we landed at a bar to locate Berry Punch. The laughing made my body feel a lot better, but it soon returned to it's pained state. "Be swift." Luna commanded. I leapt off her back and lost my balance, causing me to land on my face. I heard Lily and Daisy gasp, but I didn't have the energy to tell them I was alright. Perhaps my body didn't want me to lie to them. I stumbled carelessly in the bar, looking drunker than everypony in their. Ponies tend to drink at this time of day. It only took me 3 minutes to locate Berry punch. She was drunk off her plot and was sitting on the counter. "Hey, Berry..." "Came to get wasted?" I didn't, but I quickly grabbed the glass besides Berry and downed it to numb my pain. It was hard liquor mixed with some type of rum. It didn't taste too good. "Berry, do you remember what we celebrated about yesterday?" "No. Funny you brought that up, Rose...I wanted to tell everyone but the thought slipped my mind. Was it a birthday?" "It was my aunts birthday." I lied. "Okay! Now I remember! I think." Berry sat up and blinked. She was sobering up pretty quickly. She's probably such an alcoholic, she needs double the amount to stay tipsy. "Yeah, a birthday, that must've been it." On that note, I just left. I wanted sleep. Badly. I walked outside and climbed on Luna for a ride home. @->-,->'-> ______________________________________________________________________________________________ I woke up the next morning...er...afternoon on my bed. I awoke very abruptly, and felt extremely comfortable. With very little investigation, I saw that I was snuggled under Luna's wing. She was sleeping soundly. I was stunned by her essence and was confused as to why she felt the need to sleep in my house. As honored as I was, I couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. I smelled something awesome cooking in the kitchen. Normally, you wouldn't smell anything cooking out of my kitchen but tea. I can't cook at all. I once burnt myself preparing ice cream. I wanted to get out of bed and see what was cooking, but Luna's wing held me close. I laid back down and listened to Luna's breath. I laid there for a good hour 'till Luna woke up. She lifted me with ease using her magic and threw me softly on the bed. She walked into the kitchen without saying anything. I writhed on my back, struggling to get back onto my hooves, and set for the kitchen myself to see what was cooking. When I got there, I saw a bowl of hash browns in the middle of my table, and they were very well cooked. I also saw a plate of biscuits and honey roasted pineapple crisps. There were a bunch of other bowls with steam rising from a few of them, but I couldn't tell what their contents were. It all looked delectable. Sitting at the table, I was surprised to see Colgate. She was munching slowly on a biscuit drizzled carelessly with maple syrup. She was using both her hooves instead of her magic and stared into blank space. It was an odd sight. Lily and Daisy were also in the kitchen and they were carrying a conversation with her. Colgate answered questions, but seemed as if she were in another world. Cheerilee was also there. She was eating toast and looked pretty happy with it. I would have asked what was going on, but if I did, I probably wouldn't have enjoyed the morning as much as I did.
Chapter 1Hundreds......thousands......maybe millions of roses painted a large, beautiful valley. I didn't know where I was, nor did It matter. I was in heaven, as far as I was concerned. I was standing on a multi colored rose bathed hill standing by a brook of cerulean blue water. The sky was the same color, and was just as peaceful. All I could do was watch in awe. On the other side of the brook was a rose that stood out from the others. It was of a vibrant color that I hadn't recognized. A color that probably wasn't part of the original light spectrum. A color so beautiful, it is impossible to explain. I wanted it. Bad. I tried to slowly walk down the hill, but since there were roses everywhere, I stepped on one. The pain was intense. I've stepped on rose thorns before, but this felt like stepping into large thumbtacks. To make it worse, I tripped on a rock and began rolling down the hill. It was like I had gotten very intimate with a porcupine. There was no relief when I fell into the brook. The water was unfathomably cold. I was able to climb out of the freezing steam and make it to land. There I saw the rose. All of my pain had dissipated and the sight of the rose gave me butterflies. As if I were looking at someone I fell in love with. I even began to speak to the rose. "H-hello..." I stammered. "Wake up." I did a double take. The rose talked to me. This was the best thing that could ever happen! I was so shocked to have found a talking rose, that I had forgotten what it had said. "Could you repeat that, beautiful?" I was able to say with much more confidence and with a genuine tone. "WAKE UP" Within a split second, I blinked my eyes and as they opened, the beautiful valley had turned into the interior of a carriage with street lights flooding through the windows. My beautiful rose was no longer there. It was all a dream. "Oh, good! She's awake!" I turned my head to see who could have said that, I heard the voice some place before. To my utter surprise, I found myself next to Princess Celestia, Ruler of Equestria. Her Beautiful mane flowed like the rays of the sun, bright and warm. I was shocked. What was I doing in a carriage with the Princess? "Your highness?" I tried to usher a bow, but it came up a clumsy, drunken stumble in place. "Easy there," The princess neighed. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself." "What am I doing here?" I mumbled. "Well you see, SOMEPONY wasn't being careful and hit you while you were crossing the street..." A loud 'Hmph' came from the front of the carriage in objection. "I brought you inside the carriage and we took a route to the doctor. I tried to wake you up by poking you with my hoof, but realized that my jewelery was rather sharp at the ends and didn't realize I was jabbing you with it. Then I tried to splash some water on you. Eventually you came to, and here we are." The story I was given explained a lot about the dream, but I was disappointed a little about not receiving my awesome rose. "Oh!" I just realized,"Have you seen my friend Daisy? She'll freeze to death out there." "The lovely young mare with the green mane? Oh well, She was dropped off a few minutes ago. She was a little too drunk to keep in this carriage, so we dropped her off at the prison to rest." "Prison?" I asked, worried. "Well, yes. She's not in any trouble, but the prison has a place for people who are too drunk to know where they live. They sleep there for the night, then somepony comes to bring them back home." She was talking to me as If I were a foul. "Oh..." "So, now that you're okay, we can take the route back to your home. Where do you live?" "I don't remember. A pineapple under the sea I s'pose" "....Alright," My drunken mistake made the Princess tell the stallions who were pulling the carriage to head for the Ponyville prison. "You know, I've been meaning to talk to you and the other two about your hard work with flowers. But as it seems, I can't really talk to you, so I guess I could pick you and your friend up from the prison tomorrow after you've sobered up." "Oh, okay. Thanks a bunch." I said. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ I woke up the next morning on a cold, hard bed in a dim lit grey cell with a heavy head ache. I remembered most of what happened the night before, so I assumed I was in prison with a hangover. My cell consisted of one bared window, a bed without blankets and a barred door the size of any ordinary door. Though the door, I cold see an older stallion walking down a hall with a similar color scheme to my cell. He came to my door. "You awake?" He asked, slightly annoyed. "Yeah, I'm awa-" "Alright, then get out." The stallion with a black coat and a chalk colored mane opened the door and yanked me out of the cell. He ushered me into a room with 6 other mares. One of which was Daisy, and she looked like she was in an unpleasant mood. The room was slightly smaller and darker than my cell and had no windows. It did, however, have a mirror that I quickly thought to be a two-way mirror. This thought was confirmed once the stallion left the room and I heard a door open somewhere else. He was in the room behind the mirror. "ALRIGHT..." My ears rang, and so did everypony else's. A very loud intercom was speaking to us above our heads. All the mares in the room began to whine and cry from the pain. We all sounded sick, but knew we all were just hungover. "THIS IS A SOBRIETY TEST. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO LEAVE UNTIL YOU CAN PASS IT." That message was followed by more whining that I contributed too. "THE FIRST PART OF THE TEST IS TO CLOSE YOUR LEFT EYE, PUT YOUR RIGHT FORE LEG UP AND LEFT REAR LEG BACK." Nopony did anything. We were all too dazed. The loud voice wasn't empathetic enough to understand that, so it repeated itself, but louder and more stern. "CLOSE YOUR LEFT EYE, PUT YOUR RIGHT FORE LEG UP AND LEFT REAR LEG BACK!" We didn't want to hear the voice again so we complied. I put my fore leg up and rear leg back. I almost forgot to close my left eye, but a kind young mare winked at me to do so. "VERY GOOD. NEXT PART OF THE TEST IS TO STAND ON YOUR HIND HOOVES FOR 5 SECONDS" This command left my ears ringing. I watched everypony else follow the command, but as I attempted it, the ringing in my ears caused me to lose balance and I toppled over onto the mare next to me. We all fell like dominoes. It was painful. "YOU HAVE ONE MORE CHANCE." The voice was losing patience. I tried again and I was able to do it. It took a lot out of me, however. "THE FINAL PART OF THE TEST IS FOR YOU ALL TO LINE YOURSELVES UP IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER BY NAME. FEEL FREE TO COMMUNICATE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE" "This is bull-crap!" I heard somepony exclaim. I nodded in agreement. "TIME STARTS NOW." We all exchanged worried and confused looks. I walked over to the young mare who reminded me to close my eye earlier. "My name's Rose, what's yours?" "Apple Strudely." She said in a tired southern accent. "Okay, nice to meet you." I said. "You too..." I ended up at the end of the line, and just waited for the remaining 13 seconds to pass. "ALRIGHTY THEN.." The door was opened by another stallion. "YOU MAY EXIT THE BUILDING. IN THE FUTURE BE MORE CAREFUL." We all left the dark room quickly. I darted toward the exit where I saw a crowd of ponies. They all had their heads bowed. "Oh, there she is! Miss RoseLuck, come here."
