Amethyst Star walked down row after row of roses, the dark soil beneath her hooves was full of nutrients and absolutely perfect for growing these most luscious of flowers. A glance to her right showed an orderly garden of red roses, a glance to her left showed white, and more and more colors the further she walked and looked. It was an orchard that would make the flower trio from Ponyville green with envy. Amethyst Star had never seen such an immaculate and beautiful ocean of roses. Or any kind of flower for that matter. Not just the quality but the quantity of the roses was extraordinary, whenever she was between rows and planters she could look all she wanted and still saw nothing but rolling hills of roses in every direction. It was a mesmerizing beauty that she would love to appreciate more if it wasn’t for one simple problem. She had no idea how she got here.
“Okay. What?” Amethyst Star frowned as she stood at a four-way intersection between four different colors of rose. “Am I just going crazy now because how did I even get here? I stepped off the barge, I started walking down a dirt road that followed the river, I saw some palm trees, and then I blink and I’m suddenly surrounded by roses. Last I checked, giant rose gardens didn’t suddenly sprout out of the middle of the desert. Ugh, what do I do now?” Amethyst Star spun around a few times to check to see if one of the paths had anything else or different down them. But it all just looked like endless roses. Her eye started twitching in annoyance. “This doesn’t make any sense! Where am I?!”
Throwing up her hooves in defeat she kept walking the direction she was originally going in. She couldn’t be sure if she was still heading north towards the City of Opportunity and the sun was hanging perfectly still in the sky at high noon and hadn’t moved at all ever since she had found herself among these roses so all she could do was hope it was still the right direction to walk in.
Red roses looked like they made up a good quarter of all the roses here. White, orange, and yellow roses also took up a huge amount though too. What was strangest to Amethyst Star was how many off-color roses there were, ones that she was pretty sure weren’t natural. Like dark-green, deep ocean blue, purple, and even midnight black. Some of them were so big too, growing on stalks that looked more like corn with a single huge flowering rose on top and thorns down the stem as big as a unicorn horn. Amethyst Star went from being confused to how she got here to unsettled by how weird the rose garden was becoming the further in she traveled.
Some parts still looked like they just held ordinary roses but more and more those were being displaced by the odd ones. Amethyst Star kept looking back and forth between the rows of fantastical roses, sweat dripping from her brow as her nervousness grew, that she didn’t notice she had come to a dead end until she almost walked face first into a wall of black roses that towered over her. Gulping, she slowly back away from them as she kept her eyes trained on the blooming black petals. She had the nagging feeling the black roses would lean down and eat her if she turned her back on them.
“Dear, there’s no reason to be scared.”
Amethyst Star’s head swung to her left to see a mare kneeling down and using a watering can on the black roses right next to her.
“Uhh...” Amethyst Star was slightly lost for words.
“Hehe~” The mare giggled in amusement at her confusion, holding a hoof to her mouth as she put the watering can down and stood up to face Amethyst Star.
She was a cream colored earth pony mare that looked no older than Amethyst Star with a bit of a reddish hue to her coat. Her rose red mane was done up in a fancy way with two braids where one of them fell around her neck and shoulders while a smaller tightly wound braid was wrapped around her head and held in place by a black rose hair clip. The mare wore a generous amount of eyeliner and mascara around those big green eyes that were drinking Amethyst Star in. The makeup also helped draw attention to the beauty mark under her right eye and the large fake eyelashes. At least Amethyst Star was pretty sure they were fake. And her clothes, just wow. It was an outfit that Rarity would squee over. A lacy black blouse with a bell shaped skirt that covered her entire flank, the shoulders of the blouse were puffy orbs with a series of black ribbons that increased in size going up the chest. It was such an elegant and fancy look that one would never expect to see on a pony watering plants in a garden.
“Would you care to sit with me for a moment?” The mare asked Amethyst Star as she walked over to sit at a white lawn table that stood in the middle of the path Amethyst Star had just walked down.
“I’m pretty sure that table wasn’t there a second ago,” Amethyst Star said but went to sit down anyways, her chair facing the other mare’s.
“Thank you so much for joining me,” the mare smiled at her. “It’s been ages since I’ve allowed anyone in here.” Her eyelids lowered slightly as she leaned a bit across the table. “But you’ve just been such a great source of entertainment I had to say hello, Miss Amethyst Star.”
Amethyst Star in return leaned back and furrowed her brow at the strange mare. “How do you know my name? Who are you?”
The mare giggled again and playfully waved her hoof at Amethyst Star. “Dearie, please. The Undiscovered West is my home, it’s only natural that I know about everything that goes on here. Oh and where are my manners? My name is Cauliflower. My apologies, it’s been a good long while since I’ve spoken with anyone else.”
“Right...” Amethyst Star shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
“Now, now. I said there was no reason to be scared or worried and that was the truth. Consider this a rare safe haven for you today,” Cauliflower covered her mouth while she yawned. “These lands have just been so dull for years thanks to a certain someone you’ve already had the misfortune of meeting. I’m glad you’ve gone on your little adventure to shake things up, even if it’s turned out rather disappointing for you.”
“Uh, thanks?”
Cauliflower put her elbows on the table and rested her face between them. “Yes, and now you’re going to the City of Opportunity. Still not satisfied with your adventure? Still have something to prove?”
“Well yeah, obviously. If you’ve been paying attention I think you’d know that,” Amethyst Star scowled at the rose garden mare.
“Very true,” she giggled slightly again. “Well I hope you have some fun in the City of Opportunity. But tell me, if things don’t go well there or you still aren’t satisfied with your journey, where will you go next?”
Amethyst Star shrugged. “West. Same way I’ve always gone until now.”
“Hmm...” Cauliflower sat back and tapped her chin. “Really? I don’t think that’s the best way to go if I’m being perfectly honest.”
“Why?”
“Well you already have heard about the Citadel of Al-Karamaretel. That’s really the only place still west of here and it’s such a dreary place that’s absolutely no fun at all. Once again thanks to a certain someone. You won’t enjoy it at all, for you Miss Amethyst Star it would be nothing more than a dead end completely lacking in adventure. No, I think you could have far more fun elsewhere,” Cauliflower smirked.
Amethyst Star scratched her head, considering what Cauliflower had said and what Latch told her earlier maybe there wasn’t really a point to keep heading directly west from here. “Okay? Maybe, I don’t know. It’s not like I had a real plan coming out here, or was going to Al-Karamaretel for sure. Where do you think I should go instead? I already figured there was a ton of stuff out in the Undiscovered West that I hadn’t seen yet.”
“Well, my dearie, I would suggest you keep going north if you still don’t feel like returning to Ponyville after the City of Opportunity. You’ll definitely find some fun things going on in the northern parts of the Undiscovered West. There’s plenty of real adventure just waiting for you there.”
The pink and purple unicorn thought for a second about that. “I guess I would already be on the road north if I’m going to the City of Opportunity. In some ways though I kind of hope that that city will be just what I’ve been looking for for this whole adventure. And then maybe I can end things there.”
“A place to prove you can be just as good as all the special ponies in Ponyville? An admirable goal,” Cauliflower grinned.
Amethyst Star snorted. “No, not quite. I’m one of those special ponies already. I just need to convince the non-believers. Not myself. I already know that I can do what they do, I just haven’t had the opportunities to show it.” The fact that what she was saying didn’t make sense was lost on her.
“I see, I see,” Cauliflower nodded. “And going north has other benefits. That direction you’ll have an easier time losing that pony that’s been on your trail for a while now.”
“Wait, what?” Amethyst Star suddenly perked up.
“Hehe, you forgot? Or didn’t think they had kept coming after you?” Cauliflower held her hoof in front of her mouth to hide her teasing smile.
“Who...” Realization suddenly hit Amethyst Star. “The Red Hornet?”
“Indeed, although that’s not the name I know her by, she’s still tracking you down. More accurately she just wants what’s in that box you’ve been carrying from the beginning of your journey. She really wouldn’t want it to fall into the wrong hooves,” Cauliflower lowered her hoof as her smile widened. “Although. Who’s to say her hooves aren’t the wrong ones? It’s not like you could possibly know. You don’t even know what it is you’re carrying.”
Amethyst Star frowned and looked down at her bag and then back up at the mare. “Do you know what’s in that box?”
“Possibly,” Cauliflower shrugged. “Why don’t you look and see for yourself?”
That was something she had considered doing but Amethyst Star didn’t want to betray the trust put in her by opening up someone else’s package. Even with all the mystery surrounding this now and the threat from The Red Hornet. This was a duty entrusted to her and so far on this adventure it looked like the one quest that she might be able to complete without mucking it up. If she opened up the package… even if it wasn’t something dangerous she would feel guilty and know she had done something wrong.
“I… no. I’m not going to do that,” Amethyst Star shook her head.
“Really? You might be able to avoid some trouble with The Red Hornet if you knew what was inside there.”
“That’s fine. I’ll just… deal with that as it comes.”
“Well you’re almost sounding like a real adventurer. That’s something of a shame, your bumbling has been most enjoyable to me.”
“Oh, well that makes me real happy,” Amethyst Star rolled her eyes.
“I do wish you well though, dearie. I’m a bit worried about you,” Cauliflower frowned, although her eyes were still smiling. “I could take that thing off your hooves? You’d never have to worry about The Red Hornet or anyone else bothering you about it again. Or… if you’re so curious. I could tell you what’s inside. But.” She held up a stopping hoof. “If I do tell you what’s inside you have to give it to me. Whether you want to or not. Whether it’s dangerous or if I’ve just been pulling your leg, that thing in the box will be mine. So? Keep it, give it to me because you’re in danger, or let me tell you what it is and then give it to me. I think that’s a fair set of choices.”
Amethyst Star’s eyes pivoted back and forth as she thought about what Cauliflower had said. It made her annoyed and she kept glancing from her bag, to her own hooves, to Cauliflower. “Okay, wait. So you’re saying you do know what’s inside that box?”
“Maybe.”
“And it is dangerous?”
“Perhaps.”
The unicorn glowered at the earth pony. “For someone who says they’re worried about me you’re not doing a good job of showing it.”
“Sorry,” Cauliflower mirthfully giggled. “Like I said I haven’t had a visitor in so long. You’ll forgive me for wanting to play around a bit, won’t you?” She fluttered her long eyelashes.
“Yeah, sure...” Amethyst Star grimaced and scooted slightly away from her. “But anyways, just… no. I am not giving up that box, okay? I don’t care what’s inside it, I was asked to safely take care of it and deliver it to some pony who… uh… whose name I can’t remember right now-”
“Coin Flip.”
“Yes, him, thank you,” Amethyst Star cleared her throat and tried to keep herself from blushing in embarrassment. “And that’s what I’m going to do! Understand?”
“Oh it’s crystal clear to me,” Cauliflower grinned. “I can’t wait to see where this goes.”
Amethyst Star frowned. “Yeah—so—yeah. Thank you, but no. And if it’s alright with you I’d like to be getting on my way now.”
Cauliflower gave an exaggerated pout, sticking out her lower lip and looking as glum as possible. “Aww, really? You don’t wish to stay for a day, or a year or two? I’ve got cookies!”
“I’m sure. How do I get out of this rose garden?” Amethyst Star looked around from the table, trying to see over the rows and stalks of roses.
“Oh fine, I’ll let you go in a second,” Cauliflower huffed in disappointment. “Really though I wish you would take up more of my offer to use this safe haven. Since you’ve proven to be such a lightning rod for trouble and strangeness on your adventure you should want to stay and relax here as long as possible. I have tried to help you in other ways but you’ve also established yourself to be quite thickheaded when it comes to heeding warnings.”
“Warnings? What are you talking about? And I know a lot of weird stuff has happened to me so far but that’s just part of being on an adventure! If I got scared or something and ran off then it would be like I really wasn’t as totally awesome as I definitely am!” Amethyst Star folded her forelegs in front of her chest and slouched down in her chair. “I can do anything they can do.”
“But you did run out of the place I tried to warn you about. That’s why I didn’t want you to go in that mine, it was nothing but a big scare for you,” Cauliflower hummed thoughtfully to herself, a more serious expression taking over her features for once.
“The mine...” Amethyst Star thought about it. “That voice telling me not to go in? That was you?”
“You didn’t recognize my voice?” She smiled. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. You’re at least lucky that that thing responsible for what happened in the mine was long gone by the time you arrived.”
Amethyst Star really didn’t want to think anymore about that mine. She shook her head to try and push her memories of it away. “Well, thanks for trying to warn me at least. But I still really do want to get back on my adventure.”
“You know that wasn’t even the first warning I gave you that you ignored either? But oh well-” Cauliflower sighed and stretched her neck. “When I make my garden disappear you’ll find yourself back on the road to the City of Opportunity. No worse for wear. I don’t intend to bother you anymore after this, you’ve made your choice and you clearly want to prove yourself on your own. I’ll be watching you but nothing more.”
“Still kind of creepy but thanks I guess,” Amethyst Star shrugged.
“Don’t mention it. I merely wish you would want to stay a little longer. My poor tea and cookies are never going to get any use. You really don’t want to stay even just for a snack?” She stared longingly into Amethyst Star’s eyes.
Amethyst Star felt a grimace pulling at her face that she tried to control. “Sorry, but no.”
“Oh, very well. I suppose it’s time then.”
Cauliflower pushed her chair away from the table and hopped off it, Amethyst Star doing the same. The earth pony mare then made a shooing gesture to each group of roses around them and the strange roses started shrinking away, half looking like they were sinking into the ground and half looking like they were a wave of water receding with the tide. It was a crazy thing to see especially with how many roses there were, an entire ocean of flowers was just vanishing before Amethyst Star’s eyes.
“It’s been quite fun to talk to you, dearie. The best of luck to you out there,” Cauliflower smiled.
Rose petals were falling around Amethyst Star now like rain. She found herself unable to talk with the rainbow of colors encompassing her, unable to move while a million natural and unnatural colored rose petals poured and breezed as if in a sudden typhoon. Even if she could open her mouth it would’ve just been filled with petals before she could get a word out. The red, pink, white, yellow, and black petals piled up at her hooves and kept piling up more and more until her legs were covered completely and the petals threatened to crawl up her neck.
“One last warning.”
Amethyst Star could hear Cauliflower’s voice as the mare walked through the storm of petals to affix Amethyst Star with a serious gaze. She looked troubled, more thoughtful than she had been when speaking with Amethyst Star earlier.
“I know you’re likely to forget or ignore this considering your nature but I do have a serious warning for you. If you keep going on this adventure you may soon find yourself in a dangerous predicament. So please, if you ever happen to come across a yellow pony with an electric blue mane and tail and a white star painted on his cheek, run away and don’t look back.”