Thornberry kicked at a stone as he walked through Whitetail Wood. He kept his head down, as if all he wished for in life was wrested from his hooves. In reality, it wasn't so far from the truth. For sure, Thornberry was a content stallion. All he ever needed was his garden, his small house in Ponyville, and a few appreciative words for his floral art.
At least, that WAS all he needed until recently. These past weeks, Thornberry discovered something that he was missing from his contented life, but he wanted it desperately. Thornberry was missing love.
"She probably doesn't even know I exist," mumbled the downtrodden stallion.
Much to his misfortune, his disease of love couldn't have come at a worse time. That day was Hearts and Hooves day. So humbled by the many couples that were out together in the the streets of Ponyville, he couldn't bear staying in town. Yet even a mile into the forest, Thornberry was haunted by the affliction of the heart.
"Don't even know what I was thinking yesterday," he continued, keeping his gaze on the ground. "Why would she want roses? She's the best rose vendor in Canterlot Valley."
Roseluck was everything Thornberry admired in a mare. She was friendly, had a wonderful smile, and shared his appreciation for gardening and flowers. He tried to approach her before, but only ended up buying yellow roses after psyching out and quickly trotting away with a significantly reddened face.
Another rock met his hoof, skittering away from the path. On the whim of a thought, he absent-mindedly glanced over to where he kicked the stone. "Huh?" Something was glittering in the underbrush, a sparkling violet light. Curious, Thornberry pushed aside the thorny plants to investigate.
"Sweet Celestia…"
Thornberry thought he knew every flowering plant in Equestria, magical or not; he had earned highest marks in his class on the subject. But what he saw before him was something new, even to his extensive floral bestiary.
The flower looked like a rose by the flower, but was colored an odd royal blue, with violet on the edges of the petals. Within the bell of the flower, a purple glow radiated from the center, belying a magical property. Contrary to a rose, the solitary plant grew on a long stem, with thorns that appeared blunt and harmless.
"It's beautiful," Thornberry whispered, as if not to disturb the glowing plant. Cautiously, he put his nose up to the flower and inhaled softly. It smelled sweet, like a clover, yet had a sharper tangy odor. Not unlike the taste of strawberries. He sighed. "I don't think I've ever seen such a pretty rose."
Thornberry beheld the mysterious rose for a few minutes longer, the glow holding his engrossment, the smell swirling around him.
Something in his mind clicked, an epiphany striking him broadside. "If I can't get Roseluck a normal rose…" reasoned Thornberry. "I'll get her the most beautiful rose in Equestria!"
With a practiced motion, Thornberry turned his head sideways to grasp the stem of the glowing rose, using his hoof to separate the plant from the ground. The flower continued to glow, unabated. Some oddly newfound confidence in his system, Thornberry trotted hurriedly back toward Ponyville.
•^•v•^•
Rose between his teeth, Thornberry inhaled slowly. Here goes everything… He walked out from the stall he was hiding behind.
Roseluck was there, her own rose stand having a line twenty ponies long. Hearts and Hooves day was, after all, the busiest day for flower vendors all across Equestria, and Roseluck was certainly no exception.
As Thornberry approached from the side, he couldn't help but stare at the mare. Aside from her amazing personality, Roseluck was decidedly pretty for a mare her age. Especially her eyes, Thornberry decided. Her eyes, the same color of her namesake, sparkled like a rose covered in morning dew. He wished he could just lose himself in those eyes.
Thornberry, lost in thought about the mare of his dreams, paid little mind to the waking world, which unfortunately included a display of yellow roses directly in his path. "Oof!" he grunted as the corner of the wooden display struck him in the chest. This, inevitably, got Roseluck's attention.
"Thornberry?"
Buckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuckbuck… Thornberry began to panic. "H-hi, Roseluck," he stammered around the rose in his teeth, a redness rising to his face. "I-I can see y-you're kinda busy right now. I can c-come back l-later." He turned around to make a hasty escape.
"Hold on," the mare stopped him. "Can I see that flower you have?"
Thornberry stopped, turning back slowly and holding up the glowing rose, which had been forgotten in the moment. "I j-just found it in the woods. I-it's really nothing special…"
"Nothing special?!" Roseluck exclaimed. "That's a Braveheart! They're the rarest rose in existence!" She looked at the glowing flower with awe, the violet light reflecting in her eyes. Blinking, she smiled at the stallion holding it. "Whoever it's for must be one lucky mare, Thornberry. That's the most beautiful thing I've seen."
Thornberry stared into her rosy eyes, watching the light of the Braveheart sparkle within them. "Actually…" he started before she could return to her stand. "I was… kinda hoping…" He inhaled deeply. "IwaskindahopingIcouldgiveittoyou!"
There was an abrupt silence in the immediate area, broken only by the ponies standing in line 'd'awwing' in unison at the scene.
Roseluck stared wide-eyed at the stallion. "M-me?"
"R-Roseluck," he began, trying to keep a hold on himself. He couldn't stop now; this was the moment! The one thing he'd wanted to say all day! The moment he would finally gain what he desired most. Gathering what little courage he had left, he set the Braveheart at her hooves and spoke. "Roseluck, would you like to be my special somepony?"
Stunned by this sudden development, Roseluck didn't respond initially. Her gaze went from Thornberry, to the glowing rose on the ground, back to the stallion. Then, with a warm smile, she picked the Braveheart up with her hoof and placed it in her mane, behind her ear. "Yes," she answered. "I would love to be your special somepony."
Before Thornberry could respond, Roseluck pecked him lightly on the cheek, enticing another sigh from the onlookers, and an impatient grumble from the mare at the front of the line. As Roseluck blushed and went back to her stall, Thornberry pressed a hoof to his impossibly flush face. Her lips barely brushed his face, yet it was a sweet, soft touch, one he would cherish for a long time.
Thornberry smiled. He expected nothing less of a kiss from a rose.
