It was mid-afternoon.
The weather patrol had cleared away all the clouds and the sun was exceptionally sweltering hot. Fire Heart wipes his brow with a hoof and thanks Celestia that, after many days of trekking through the EverFree Forest, he finally reached the town outskirts of Ponyville. Taking out his water canteen, he takes a swig from it and puts it back in his saddlebags. His light blue eyes darting back and forth, searching for the Inn. Not finding it, he sighs and walks further into town. An hour passes and he still couldn’t find the Inn. Fire Heart pushes on, but begins to lose hope of finding the inn on his own. Finding a vacant seat near the market stalls, he places his saddlebags on it and sits down next to them. Thinking that he’d only close them for a few moments to rest, he closes his eyes, but soon drops off to sleep. Soon after he feels a tap on his shoulder, and wakes up to see a blue Pegasus with a black mane and tail that has a hint of dark red streaks, standing near him and smiling.
“Hello there, friend.” The Pegasus says with a smile, “I’m sorry to have woken you up, but it generally isn’t a good idea to sleep out in the open and leave your saddlebags unattended.”
Fire Heart yawns and stretches his legs, “Thank you, I should have known better to close my eyes. I really didn’t mean to fall asleep, just, you know rest my eyes for a bit.” He gets up and picks up his saddle bags.
“It’s quite alright, say, I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. What’s your name? Mine is Speed Lane.” The Pegasus says, holding out a hoof for Fire Heart to shake.
“Mine is Fire Heart. Umm Speed Lane?” Fire Heart asks, shaking Speed Lane’s Hoof.
“Nice to meet you Fire Heart.” Speed Lane says with a big white smile, “What can I do for you?”
Fire Heart looks down and shuffles his hooves, “Do you think you could please show me where the inn is? I’ve tried looking, but I can’t seem to find it.”
Speed Lane laughs and points to where the inn is.
“Thank you, well if you ever want to catch up, I’ll most likely be there.” Fire Heart says and walks off in the direction of the inn.
He reaches the inn and looks up, notices the big sign hanging out the front and facehoofs himself.
Sighing, he opens the door and hears the speakers playing “Inn Ponyville” by The Griffons, and smiles to himself, as it was his favourite song. He walks up to the book desk and notices that the pony at it is busy writing in the log book. While waiting patiently, he takes a closer look at the pony, and notices that the pony is a unicorn like himself, but with a cream coloured coat, light brown mane and tail with blue streaks, and to top it off, the pony was a female.
“Oh wow, she’s pretty.” Fire Heart thinks to himself.
The mare at the book desk finishes writing in the log book and looks up at him with very beautiful violet eyes and long eyelashes.
His heart pounding in his chest, Fire Heart has trouble speaking, “Forget pretty! She’s absolutely beautiful and radiant.” He starts sweating.
The mare notices and hides a smile behind a hoof.
“Hello dear, welcome to the Prancing Pony Inn. I am the Inn Keeper, how may I help you?” She says with a smile.
“Oh um hello, I’d like to book a room please.” Fire Heart says, finally being able to speak again. He takes out his bits bag and starts placing the bits on the counter.
“Very well dear, what name would you like to book under?” The mare asks him.
“I’d like to book under my name, Fire Heart.”
The mare smiles and pushes his bits back towards him, “There’s no need to pay then, honey. My cousin told me to expect you sometime soon.”
Fire Heart looks up at her, “I’m sorry, but do I know your cousin?”
“Well you should, she told me that you and her pretty much grew up together, and that you two were best friends.” The mare says with a slight hint of laughter in her voice.
Fire Heart stumbles back a bit in surprise, “You mean, that you’re Briar Thorns’ cousin?”
The mare smiles even wider this time, “Yes dear, my name is Rosebud Thorns. Well here’s your key.” She says giving him the key to his room, “You’re also welcome to stay as long as you need to.”
Fire Heart thanks her and makes his way to his room.
After about an hour of navigating twisting corridors, and sometimes bumping into walls, from not looking where he was going, due to checking the number of his key, he finally reaches his room. He looks around and notices that there is only one room next to his.
He looks at his key again and sees a note on it, “VIP Room, oh so that’s why there aren’t any other rooms next to mine except this one.” He thinks to himself, shrugs in confusion and opens the door to his room. Throwing his saddlebags to the floor, he lays down in his bed and tries to get to sleep.
A few hours later, Fire Heart tosses and turns in his sleep.
“Oh great, I just can’t stop thinking about Rosebud. She sure is beautiful.” He says to himself with a sigh, “I wonder if she likes me? I mean sure, she would like me because I’m best friends with her cousin, Briar, but would she like me, as in love me?” He rolls over, trying to get comfortable, “Of course she wouldn’t! Who could love a plain grey unicorn like me?” He heaves a heavy sigh, sits up in his bed and starts crying. His crying is so loud that Rosebud could hear it from the book desk. She finishes what she was writing and closes the log book. She walks up to his room and knocks on his door. Not hearing an answer and being worried about him, she opens the door and walks in.
“Is…Is everything alright dear?” She asks him.
“I’m fine.” Fire Heart simply replies, trying to put on a brave face.
Knowing that he wasn’t, but not wanting to press the matter, Rosebud starts to leave the room.
“Wait!” He shouts, “No, I’m not fine.”
Partly knowing why, Rosebud closes the door behind her and sits next to him, “Is this about your parents, honey?” she asks, holding his hoof in hers.
He wipes away a tear, “Well, partially yes.”
“Please tell me, I mean Briar told me a little bit, but I want to hear it from you.”
Fire Heart tells Rosebud about how when he was only a few moons old, his parents had gone out for the evening, leaving him with his favourite foalsitter. When they didn’t come back home when they said they would, he started to get scared. His foalsitter waited with him all night, and when his parents still didn’t come home, the next day the whole town went searching for them. Nopony could find them, nor any trace of them, and so he was put into the orphanage. He then tells her that as soon as he was old enough to leave the orphanage, he did and set out to search for his parents.
“And I’ve been searching for them ever since.” He says with a hint of sadness in his voice.
“You poor thing, losing your parents like that, and at such a young age too.” Rosebud says, with tears in her eyes, “You said, that it was only partially the reason why you were crying. What’s the other reason?”
Fire Heart shuffles his hooves and looks down, “Well it’s just that… oh never mind.”
“Oh come on, you’ve gotten me all curious now. You can tell me, I promise not to laugh.” Rosebud says, now holding tight onto Fire Heart’s hoof, and placing it over her heart.
“Well, it’s just that from the very moment I saw you, I saw how pretty you were, but that was just before you looked up at me from the log book. When you did look at me, my heart skipped a beat, because you weren’t pretty at all, but beautiful and radiant, with your beautiful violet eyes, long eye lashes and gorgeous smile. I was crying because I think I like you, but thought that a beautiful mare like you, would never like a pony as plain as me.” Fire Heart says, with a sad voice.
Rosebud smiles, leans in to give him a kiss on the cheek and places hi hoof on the part of her chest, where her heart is.
“Do…do you really think I’m beautiful?” She asks, with a little smile.
“Yes, from the very moment I saw you behind the desk, and no, I don’t think you’re beautiful. I KNOW you’re beautiful!”
Still holding his hoof to her chest, Rosebud gives him another kiss on the cheek and thanks him, saying that nopony has ever said anything nice like that to her before.
“Well, some have…” She begins, “But they only wanted to sleep with me. You’re not like that though, are you?” She stutters, trying her best not to cry.
A little shocked and upset that she would ever think that of him, Fire Heart replies,
“No, of course not! I would never take advantage of anypony, especially you!”
“I’m sorry, that came out wrong, what I really meant to say was that I know that you’re not like that. Briar said that you were caring and kind, but she never said you had such a beautiful way with words.” Rosebud apologizes, scooting closer to him, “Oh and dear, I don’t know if you noticed, but your room is right next to mine. I’m not suggesting we share the bed, not just yet anyway, but if you ever need anything, or you just want to talk, love. I’ll be there.”
Rosebud leans in and gives him a hug, and gets up to leave the room. She is just about to close the door behind her, when she looks back and says, “There’s something I must confess to you too, Fire Heart.”
Fire Heart looks up and asks what it is, Rosebud then clears her throat,
“Well, Briar told me that you were cute, but that was also an understatement. You’re absolutely gorgeous!” She says, leaving the room and letting the door close slowly and quietly behind her.
Fire Heart just sits there, blushes and watches her leave, “Oh great! Now I REALLY can’t stop thinking about her!” He thinks to himself, as he lays back down to try to go sleep again.
Now absolutely smitten with Fire Heart, Rosebud sighs and walks back to the bar, to see to the other patrons of the inn. With a loud and clear voice, and to the dismay of many a stallion hiding from their wives and children, after a hard day’s work, announces that it is closing time, and that if they hadn’t booked a room or aren’t going to book on, they will need to leave. About half the bar, which were the grumbling stallions, complaining about having to leave, pay for their drinks and leave. The other half pay for their drinks also and make their way to their rooms, leaving only two ponies left, Rosebud and the blue Pegasus known as Speed Lane.
Rosebud is about the lock the doors, when she notices him.
“I’m sorry dear, but its closing time, do you have a room booked?” She asks him with a smile.
The pony nods his head and asks for the room to be booked under his name,
“And what name would that be?” Rosebud asks him, opening up the logbook and dipping her quill in the inkwell.
“Um… Speed Lane.” He says, spotting Fire Heart looking at her, “Um… I think you have an admirer, that grey unicorn over there.”
Rosebud looks over her shoulders and sighs, “Oh that’s Fire Heart, isn’t he dreamy?”
Speed Lane smiles and replies, “Well yes, I know who he is, I bumped into him earlier today, and well I can’t really say ma’am. I’m a guy after all, and it would just be awkward. But he certainly is a nice pony.”
Fire Heart walks over to Rosebud and gives her a kiss on the cheek, saying that was for helping him to feel better, he then gives her another kiss, saying that, that was for being so beautiful. Rosebud blushes and thanks him. She gives Speed Lane the key to his room.
Speed Lane thanks her, walks past Fire Heart and says with a big smile, “You’re lucky mate. She’s definitely a keeper!”
Fire Heart smiles and sighs, “I know, but I’m too scared to ask her out. Oh and what are you doing here?”
Speed Lane smiles, “Well firstly, I was meant to meet my brother today, but he couldn’t make, the silly dolt missed his train, so I have to stay here the night, and secondly, why are you scared?”
“Oh well, I hope you get to meet your brother soon, and well, I’m scared, because what if she says no?” Fire Heart replies with a heavy sigh.
“From what I’ve heard mate, she is more likely to say yes, not no, so you should go for it! And my brother will be coming down from Canterlot tomorrow.” Speed Lane says and makes his way to his room.
Fire Heart thanks Speed Lane for the encouragement and goes to his own room.
After watching Fire Heart and Speed Lane return to their rooms, Rosebud sighs as she locks up the Inn and tidies up the mess that the patrons had left.
She passes Fire Heart’s door and hesitates for a moment, then thinks twice about knocking on his door, “He’s probably asleep now, and if what Briar told me is true, he doesn’t like being woken up. In any case, it shouldn’t hurt just to check up on him.”
Rosebud opens the door a bit, peeks in and sees Fire Heart sleeping peacefully,
“I wonder if he’s dreaming of me. I’ll certainly be dreaming of him.”
She shuts the door to Fire Heart’s room quietly, so not to disturb him, walks into her room, sighs and lay down to go to sleep.