Night of Roses

Rose was a young mare who was on a search for a cure. She was frail and limited in her abilities due to a strange illness. Her crimson eyes matched beautifully with her dark grey coat and white mane. She was a unicorn who had still not found her cutie mark despite her age. After being disowned by her parents due to her research in the occult and supernatural she was left with little choice but to find a cure for her illness to survive.

The moon was full and bright as it hung in the sky giving dim light to those below. Being Nightmare Night it was indeed a good idea to have moonlight during such spooky and festive events. Such events were generally not of interest to Rose as she was to busy with her research to bother with them. She  was currently doing research in Weatherville which was none for it's chaotic and unpredictable weather all year round.

"Hmm..." She mumbled as she closed another book she was reading. Stacks of books were surrounding her as she teared through them one by one looking answers. Long ago a great unicorn named Thunder Heart study many things which included legends and myths. All of his books were donated to the local library for all to see including a few personal journals of his. The journals themselves were locked in a display as they were a rare item worth a small fortune.

"For something worth a small fortune they don't seem as great as expected." Rose mumbled to herself.

She was reading under the dim moonlight that was shining through the windows. Turning on the lights would cause attention, which would be bad considering she both broke into the library while it was closed and also picked the locks to the journals. While there were indeed some things that piqued her interest she couldn't seem to find anything related to a cure for strange illnesses. She wasn't all that disappointed though since she got to learn much about rare myths and legends.

She soon noticed an entry that talked about having a wish granted. Thunder Heart went into detail as he explained about a field of roses that existed in a clearing inside the Phantom Forest near Wheatherville. According to local legends the field can only be found during Nightmare Night. The reason it has never been confirmed is likely because of the other legends which say the Forest is haunted by ghosts on Nightmare Night, which is how it got it's name "Phantom Forest".

"Hmm...This might work."

"Oh? You found something?" Whispered a mares voice from behind.

Startled Rose jumped a bit as her gaze shifted to the purple unicorn who was behind her. She never heard anyone come in through the doors but then again she might have been to focused on her reading to notice or even think that another might come into the library this late at night. She recomposed herself while trying to hide the journals she had taken out.

"H-Hello. I wouldn't have thought another would visit the library so late on a night such as this."

"Your not from around here are you? You also stole those journals when you picked the lock on the display cases."

"I didn't steal them!...But you saw me from the start? You were here the entire time?"

"Actually I come here every year to sneak some looks at those journals too. They were my grandfathers but the library is stingy and won't let me read them normally."

"Is that so? Couldn't you break in on any night though? Why pick Nightmare Night to look at them?"

"The security is really lax on Nightmare Night. Besides I have other reasons for avoiding Nightmare Night. This makes a nice place to hide from a friend of mine you see. He usually tries to drag me around everywhere with him."

"I apologize, I should introduce myself. My name is Rose."

"Hello Rose, I'm Winter Heart. So what were you looking for?"

"Oh, I'm searching some legends you see. I'm rather sick and am searching for a cure."

"From what you mumbled a bit ago it sounds like you found it."

"I found something that might be a clue yes. A local legend about a field of roses that grants a wish."

"Oh, I know that one. It's in the Phantom Forest during Nightmare Night right?"

"Correct. Although it also mentioned rumors of ghosts haunting it."

"No, they aren't rumors, there real. I've seen them before but only on Nightmare Night."

"Is that so? I should be a bit careful then. Would you have any suggestions?"

"I would say don't go but I don't want to stop you. This cure is important right? You should decide to go after it or not. Although I will say the ghosts are a bit odd."

"Odd? How so?"

"They all seem to have deformed shapes and look almost...stereotypical. It feels like the only thing they want to do is scare you although I never stuck around to find out."

"I see. Thank you for your help. So you will be staying here then?"

"Yeah. I'm just going to relax and enjoy some more reading. If you need some energy before you go, try buying some cookies. There is another legend that you can trade some cookies to a ghost pony for coffee at the nearby river."

(That has to be one of the most ridiculous legends I have ever heard.)

Rose began her walk as she strolled through the town passing the famous "Thunder Tower". The machine at the top of the tower was shut off for tonight to make sure the skies would be clear. The tower itself looked rather magnificent as it reflected some of the moonlight shining on it. Rose soon found herself at the entrance to the Phantom Forest just outside of Wheatherville.

As she entered through the forest the large trees began to block out the moonlight making the area almost pitch black. After letting her eyes adjust a bit she continued on deeper inside the forest. It didn't take long for her to hear sounds coming form within. She might have been scared normally if the sound didn't sound like a stereotypical ghost any filly could do. Sure enough some stereotypical ghosts appeared around her as they glowed in the dark forest.

"OoooOOoooOOOoooOhhhhh...."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Rose not being effected at all stood in the awkward silence that now lingered. The ghosts seemed to be a bit disappointed as well when nothing was happening. They looked like typical ghosts you would find from a book you read when you were younger except they seemed a bit deformed in areas. Soon one of the ghosts started to move again as it repeated it's moaning.

"Are you really ghosts? You really don't seem like them..." Rose said with a bit of a tone in her voice.

"W-Waaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!" The ghost cried while flying around deep into the forest.

"You made him cry!"

"You should apologize!" Said the other ghosts who were still around before leaving to find the one that ran off.

(I guess I don't have much of a choice do I. Maybe they will know something about the place I am looking for.)

Rose soon followed after them deeper into the forest while still keeping track of her path so she could get back okay. After awhile she caught up to the ghosts that had ran off. In a clearing was what could be called a small lake along with a hut near the water. Outside the hut was a white mare dressed up in what appeared to be a witches cape and hat. She seemed to be cooking something in a giant pot that made her look even more like a witch.

"Excuse me." Rose said as she approached the "witch".

"Hmm? Oh my. I wasn't expecting any visitors. Please sit down and relax."

"Oh, thank you...umm..."

"Nature. You can call me Nature. The spirits call me Mother Nature."

"Hello Nature, my name is Rose. Also, you mentioned spirits?"

"Ah, yes. This forest normally has a lot of spirits in it. During Nightmare Night though the moon gives them more power then normal and it lets them change their shape. They usually like to act like ghosts and scare fillies and colts who wander in for dares."

"I see. They did seem a bit...stereotypical. So are you a witch?"

"Oh, no. I just like to dress up and play along with them during Nightmare Night. We have a lot of fun together. Did you come into the forest for something?"

"Actually yes. I came in search for a field of roses mentioned in a local legend."

"Oh that. It exists but you can only find it during Nightmare Night. The moon also causes special white roses to grow in a clearing in the forest. They hold some rather special magic in them."

"If it wasn't trouble, could you show me the way to them?"

"Sure, although it might not be what you expected. You might get a 'wish' out of it but it might not be what you expected."

After awhile Nature had shown the way to the opening for Rose. She stopped before going in and told Rose she had nothing to gain from going in so she would part ways here. After entering the clearing Rose sure enough found a field of white roses on a small hill. She made her way to the center as she thought of how the wish was supposed to work. Soon magic lights began to fill the area as a crimson rose appeared in front of her.

"T-This is...fake?"

The crimson rose in front of her was just an illusion created from the magic. She was confused at first and didn't understand how this was her wish. Then she realized what it was that the roses were doing. This rose was the "answer" she had been looking for. It didn't exist in the forest but it did somewhere else. Her wish of finding the cure was granted, if in a bit of a roundabout way.

After making her way back out of the forest Rose stared at the moon that still hung above the town in the night sky. She tried to recall any legends she might have read that talked about a crimson rose. She would also need to find more legends about it if she wanted any hope in finding it. She could feel that she was on the right track. All she needed was to find information about that rose. As she headed back into town she recalled a story mentioning an "Immortal Rose".