• Published 2nd Feb 2013
  • 1,054 Views, 31 Comments

What We Haven't Had - GhostWriter17



Samael Sundance wishes to find love, in spite of his awkwardness. But in his quest, he will learn of misunderstanding, the kindness of strangers, and how we all touch the lives of those around us more than we know.

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Chapter 4: Wilting Roses and Broken Hearts

What We Haven’t Had





Chapter 4: Wilting Roses and Broken Hearts





A My Little Pony Fanfiction





By: GhostWriter17

* * * *

Roseluck watched as her friend Samael walked out of her shop and into the streets of Ponyville. I really hope he's happy. I hope he finds happiness with that special somepony... He deserves it, much more so than I. She stared out at the door Samael walked through, sadness flooding her thoughts. She was glad Samael had finally been able to pick something out for that mare, whoever she was. She must be beautiful if he's willing to buy flowers from the Crystal Empire... Suddenly, a voice from behind Rose called out to her. It was gentle and loving.

"Rose, whenever you're ready, Lily and I will be waiting in the back. Just come in when you're ready." It was Daisy. Rose nodded, but didn't look back. She sighed heavily, and stared at the door for a while longer before turning into the hallway leading into the shop. Daisy was gone, probably waiting, fixing tea or something to pass the time. Rose sighed again, and began to sweat. Her knees shook slightly, but she took a few steps forward, trying to remain calm. A picture on the wall caught Rose's attention, however. It was of the three flower ponies on the day they all received their cutie marks. Rose was in the middle, her forelegs wrapped around her two friends, a rose between her teeth, grinning. Daisy and Lily planted kisses on Rose's cheeks playfully. A few months ago, this would've looked adorable, but now... Now it's just disturbing. Her focus shifted, and Rose saw her reflection in the glass. She didn't realize just how shitty she looked. From the way Samael had talked to her it seemed like she was beautiful, perfect. How did I forget to even finish combing my mane, and why the hell didn't anypony say anything about my looking so hideous?

Small, dark circles were under her eyes, a sign of the sleep she'd lost over the past few weeks. Her eyes burned from the tears in her eyes, and her face was wet from crying. When Samael was picking out flowers, she tried not to get emotional, to keep the tears back, but it was for naught. Why am I so sad? I should be happy. For Sammy, and for Daisy and Lily for willing to talk to me. Hell, I forgave them in front of Sammy! I told them I forgive easily. So why does it feel like I didn't mean it? Why does it feel like I lied? Why do I feel so... Empty? She stared into her reflection, taking in the memories that poured out of her mind, memories of happier times...

* * * *

"Aww come on, Rosie, it'll be awesome!" Lily extended a rose to Roseluck's muzzle, tickling her nose with it. Rose giggled, breathing in the sweet scent of the flower in front of her. Lily gave her friend a mischievously playful look, smiling from ear to ear. "Pleeeaaaaasssseeee?" She pleaded, staring into Rose's eyes.

Rose rolled her eyes, then looked around her. It was a marvelous day; the sun was high in the sky, birds were excitedly chirping in the air, and everything was perfect. They were in the rolling hills in between the Everfree Forest and Ponyville. The sky was blue, with not a cloud in the sky, and everything was perfect. To Rose's left, Lily anxiously awaited an answer, while in front of Rose, Daisy and another pony were setting up a camera.

"Now, all you have to do is set the timer, like this, if you want to have a delay before the picture is taken. But for now we're just gonna have you snap the picture by pressing this button. Simple, right?" Daisy was directing the other pony, a young colt, on how to work her camera. She pointed to the little knobs and switches as she talked, going into excessive and unnecessary detail on how anything and everything worked on it. "Okay, I think I've gone through everything. You understand what to do?" She smiled at the colt, who had the camera in his hooves, balancing it on a tripod.

"I think so." He said to Daisy. Daisy nodded and hurriedly ran to where Rose was standing. She beamed at Rose, glancing at her new cutie mark now and again.

"Are you girls ready?" The colt asked. All three looked to him. "Are you ready, Roseluck?" He stared into Rose's eyes. Those pale blue eyes stared into her warmly, sending shivers through her body. That colt, her friend since kindergarten, was none other than Samael Sundance. He was klutzy, sure, but earnest, in a way. He always knew what to say to calm Rose down when she was ever in trouble. She grinned at him, marveling at his ever-growing body. He was becoming quite the strong stallion, even though he was smaller than most ponies his age. Rose didn't mind. It was kinda adorable, in a way. Adorable. What an odd word.

Daisy turned to Rose, a friendly shimmer in her eyes. Rose looked at Lily, who was still waiting a response. "Rose." She said, a hint of whining in her voice. "Can you put the rose in your mouth? Pleeeeaaassee?" Rose was about to respond, but then Samael cut her off.

"Lily, Rose can make her own decision. It's up to her whether or not she wants to put a flower in her mouth." He chuckled, glancing at Roseluck, "either way, she'll look just as pretty." Those glasses. Those eyes. So beautiful. Samael, Daisy, and Lily awaited Rose's answer expectantly. Lily made a dog-like, high-pitched whimpering noise, still holding the rose in her mouth. Daisy nudged Rose on her shoulder.

"Think about it, Rose: This will be the one and only day we'll get our cutie marks! We have to make it special with something we'll remember forever! No matter what!" Daisy exclaimed contentedly, giving her friend a wink. "Besides, I agree with Sammy. However, I also disagree. I think you'd look even prettier with that rose in your mouth!"

Rose pondered the offer for a moment longer. If she went through with this, she'd probably look like an idiot. But, on the other hoof, Rose probably looked like an idiot when she was around her friends, anyway. Plus, Daisy had a pretty valid point. This would be a day the three, well, four of them would remember for the rest of their lives! It had to be a day of happiness, of joy! Roseluck looked back, once more, to Lily. Without thinking, Rose took the flower from Lily's mouth with her own. The two ponies' lips brushed against each other. Rose felt Lily's lips part as she breathed a sharp, surprised gasp. Instinctively, Lily's teeth let go of the rose, using her tongue to push it out of her mouth. Rose happily took the gift, her eyes closed now, concentrating on holding the rose without snapping its stem. Lily's lips were warm against Rose's. Soft.

Rose, the flower in her mouth, pulled away from her friend and opened her eyes. When she opened them, she saw Lily with her mouth agape, eyes wide. Her breathing was uneven, hard, and her cheeks were red. Her eyes went from surprised to confused to sad in a matter of seconds. She tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth.

"What is it, Lily?" Roseluck asked with her teeth clenched around the flowers' stem. "What's the matter?" She didn't understand why Lily looked so pained at first, but then she realized what had happened.

Lily swallowed, tears forming in her eyes. "You... You kissed me." She said meekly. She tried to speak more, but her words faded into whimpers as tears flowed down her cheeks. "I... I'm sorry!" Lily then turned and fled down the hill, sobbing uncontrollably. Rose was stunned, paralyzed. She felt a gust of wind rush past her as Daisy ran toward her friend, yelling her name in desperation to try to catch Lily. Rose turned to Samael, and dropped the rose in her mouth in shock.

Samael looked worried, but did not follow Daisy. Rose took a step forward, toward where her friends went. "Don't do it, Rose." He spoke, an edge to his voice. "Daisy will take care of her. She's always been able to calm Lily down the best when she gets like this. You know how Lily is, always panicking in the worst of times." His face was stern now, "Just give it time." He trotted toward Rose, his eyes mesmerizing Rose with his gaze.

Rose sat down on the grass, while Samael sat beside her. She spoke with her head down, her eyes studying her hooves. "I just didn't know I did something wrong. I didn't realize we were kissing or whatever until after I had the rose in my mouth." Samael put his hoof on Rose's shoulder. A faint shiver tingled through Rose's spine. His hoof was warm, comforting. Why then, did it feel so cold, so foreign?

"It's not your fault, Rose. She just wasn't expecting it, is all. You know as well as I do that Lily is as hyper as she is emotional. Like I said, just give those two some time alone, like us two. Lily's gonna calm down, we'll snap that photo, and we'll have tons of memories to cherish."

Rose looked up at Samael. Her face was a mere six inches from his. "You don't think things will be awkward now between us? She won't hate me?"

Samael laughed and shook his head. "No. In a few days, we'll look back on this and laugh at it. It'll be another perfect moment in our almost-perfect lives." He was always so openly optimistic. Rose wondered if he was like this with his friends, with her, why he always seemed so nervous and insecure in public. "You'll see. I promise."

I promise.

I promise.

That's what he said. He promised.

He was right. Lily did come back, buzzing like a bee. Her and Daisy's tails were intertwined, as usual. We snapped the photo, laughing about a dumb mistake both Lily and I made. We were all so happy. The sun shined. We found our talents. And everything was perfect.

* * * *

Back to reality. Back to pain. Back to the now, where time flows and does not stop. Back to her, Roseluck, the older, wiser, more manic-depressive but very much still sane Roseluck. Back to where everything was clear, but where some things were still shrouded in a fog of mystery, a fog that terrified as much as it blinded. Rose heaved a sigh, and looked to the door where her friends waited. No more of this. No more sadness. I cannot, I will not, let myself be consumed. I need to restore what I once had.

She stepped toward the door, her heart thumping quickly, pounding against her body, as if wanting to break free from the confines of its cage. Just a few steps, and everything will be okay. I must do this. She finally came to the door, her breathing erratic, mouth dry. She took another step, placed a hoof on the door, sighed, and stepped through the door to meet her fate, to conquer her fear, to settle that which has been unsettled, and to right the wrongs in her life. Now was the time for change. Now was the time for Roseluck, the once beautiful Roseluck, the once so-sure-of-herself Roseluck, to become whole once again. Now was the time for Roseluck to take responsibility of her own actions! Now was the time for Roseluck to find herself. Now was the time to end it all.

* * * *

Roseluck skipped merrily through the door of her house, where her parents and grandmother awaited. Her heart leaped like a rabbit. She then yelled at the top of her lungs once she had crossed the threshold. "MOM! DAD! GRANNY PETAL! I'M HOME!" A voice shouted something in a room across the hallway of her house. She instantly ran toward the voice, into the family living room, where Rose's family sat for their youngest family member. Sitting on a couch together were Rose's parents, Sapphire Sunflower and Thistle Berry, and in a rocking chair was Granny Petal. Grampie Leaf had passed away a few years before Roseluck was born.

Her mother, Sapphire, spoke in an excited voice. "Hello there, Rosie! How does it feel to have had your first day with a cutie mark?"

"OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH! IT FEELS-" she stopped suddenly, realizing she was still yelling. Then she pondered how exactly she felt now that she had her very own cutie mark. "Actually, I don't feel any different. EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT I FEEL SUPER-DUPER HAPPY!"

Thistle chuckled at his daughter's excitement. "Well, growing up you normally don't feel very different right away, but in time you'll notice changes in your life. This is just one of 'em. But anyway, how was your day, my little petal princess?"

Sapphire snickered, while Granny just groaned. "Dad! Come on! I told you not to call me that! I'm not that little anymore! I'm a pretty grown-up mare now!"

"Well then, how about I call you my BIG petal princess?" He asked, a gleam in his eye. Sapphire nudged him playfully, rolling her eyes when Thistle looked to her. "Anyway, answer my question. Did you have fun?"

"You bet I did! Daisy and Lily both got their cutie marks, but I think you already knew that, probably cause I told you that this morning, but that's beside the point! We got our cutie marks, and we showed them to Sammy Sun after we showed them to you, and he was all 'Wow!' and I was like 'I know, right?' and we had tons of fun! We showed our classmates and Miss Cheerilee, and she was all 'That's fantastic!' and I was like 'I know, right?' and then we played in the fields after school." She paused to take a deep breath, then continued.

"So we were playing and having fun and stuff, when Sammy came up with a great idea! he said we could use Daisy's camera to take a picture and save the memory forever! When me, Lily, and Daisy thought of that we were all 'That's such a cool idea!' and he was like 'I know, right?'. So we took the picture after some other stuff happened, and we were all on the grass when us three girls came up with this great idea! Wanna hear it?" Her parents nodded expectantly, while Granny simply blinked.

"Well, Daisy and Lily and me thought it'd be great, since we're all really good at taking care of flowers and stuff, that we could run our very own flower shop right here in Ponyville! There are renovations being made to the town, and there is some space to build a load of new houses. We were thinking of saving up the money and buying a house that would also double as a store and the three of us could live together and we'd have fun forever and ever and the best part is we'd never have to leave Ponyville once we'd get back from school!"

Rose's parents gazed into the eyes of their daughter with joy on their faces. Rose awaited an answer from them, but it was Granny who spoke up. "You mean you want to live with those two?" Her wrinkled face was devoid of all expression.

"Well, yeah! They're my best friends in the whole world, other than Sammy, but he doesn't count since he's a colt and not a mare like me."

"Hmm. You do know what they are, right? I assume you've heard the rumors about those two?"

Thistle's eyes grew wide. "Granny!" he exclaimed. "You know that's no subject to bring up to her now, right? And besides, who cares about those rumors? Even if they were true, they'd still be nice, loving ponies, and they'd still be Rosie's friends!"

"Wait, what are you guys talking about?" Rose asked, curious.

Granny blinked slowly. She pursed her old, dry, wrinkled lips. She leaned in closer to Rose. "Rose, have you ever seen any suspicious behavior among your two friends?"

"Granny!" Now Sapphire was appalled. "Please, stop this now!"

"Did you ever see them nuzzle each other a little too affectionately? Ever see them glance at each other from across a room? Pass notes with hearts and little drawings on them? Did they ever blush at each other? Sit close to each other? What about seeing them wrap their tails and intertwine them?"

"GRANNY!" Thistle stood up. "Stop this at once! Rose, go to your room!" His eyes burned with malice, hatred fueling a raging inferno about to explode.

Rose looked back and forth between her father and Granny. "But-but I-"

"Tell me, Rose!"

Sapphire now stood up, as well, tears swelling in her eyes. "Rose, please, do as your father says."

"She deserves a right to know of them! We have a right to know!" Granny rose her voice to match that of Thistle's.

"NO! Not yet, she doesn't! Rose! To your room, NOW!"

"No grandfoal of mine will be subjected to living with fillyfoolers! I shall not allow her to be tainted by their lifestyle!"

"Rose, please!"

"Tell me, Rose!"

"Rose!"

"Rose!"

"ROSE!"

"ROSELUCK!"

No more... Please.

* * * *

Rose entered the room Daisy and Lily were in. They were seated at a round wooden table, a pot of tea steaming in the center. Her friends looked tired, worn out, but nonetheless ready to talk. Roseluck was ready, as well. Rose sat down at an empty chair across from her friends. There was an uncomfortable silence between the free friends. They just stared at each other, none of them making any approach, each too nervous to start the conversation. Roseluck reached for the tea pot and poured each of them a cup. Daisy and Lily quietly took their cups in their hooves, muttering a thanks. A clock tick-tocked in the back of the room. Daisy cleared her throat. Rose put the cup to her lips, wrapping them around the edge and preparing to take a sip.

"Don't worry." Lily said quietly. "It's not spiked this time." Daisy giggled nervously, and Rose had to smile at her comment. The three friends looked at each other, Rose put down her drink, for it was probably too hot to drink anyway. She looked at Lily, a sly smile spreading across her lips.

"So, Lily." Rose began. "You said earlier that I licked something of yours really well. Care to explain?" Rose didn't want to impose on Lily by asking such a sexual question, but Rose was actually a little curious as to what Lily wanted to say a few hours before. Plus, it may lighten the mood a bit. Maybe. Hopefully. If they were to talk about what had happened, they had to at least talk about the actual incident that had occurred.

Lily glanced nervously at Daisy, who had a hoof over her mouth, trying to suppress laughter. "Well," Lily began, "uhm, it wasn't what you think. You never actually licked me... down there... That position is reserved for Daisy only." She blushed furiously.

Roseluck scoffed. "Geez. Thanks for the visual." She said sarcastically. "Now I know what I'll be getting off to tonight." Lily and Daisy looked at what she had just said, stunned. Roseluck broke out into laughter. "I'm sorry! I just... Pfff.... I had to! Come on, girls, that was funny! I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit! But seriously, Lily, what was it that made you so hot and bothered?"

Daisy shook her head, laughing as well. Lily blushed even harder, scrunching her face up in embarrassment and slight annoyance. "Well if you must know, I uh, I don't normally tell ponies this, but... You can't tell anypony, but uhm, I have a hoof fetish." She put her cup of tea to her lips and sipped it nervously.

Daisy was now howling with laughter. Lily scowled at her. "Really?" Rose asked, laughing as well. "Wow, Lil, I never knew you were into that! Oh, Celestia that's priceless!"

"It's not funny!" Lily pleaded. "I'm sure there's something weird and unusual that you get off to, Rose!"

Roseluck rolled her eyes. "Lily, do you know who you're talking to? I'm not into that! You know you two were my first time! I'd never even touch myself at all! Like I said, I'd rather wait until I meet somepony that I really love. Like Sa-" she stopped mid-sentence. Her friends looked confusedly at her. Rose's mouth went dry. Her chest hurt. Her sight became blurred with tears, and she suddenly felt an overwhelming sadness overcome her.

Daisy spoke first. "Rosie? What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Samael. It's him. It's always been him."

Roseluck's friends still looked confused. "What do you mean by that?" Lily asked.

"After all this time, I can't believe I never noticed it before. It wasn't really the booze; it wasn't about my first time being with two other mares, let alone my two best friends; and it wasn't about wondering if I had always been a fillyfooler. It had always been about one thing: My feelings for Samael."

"Rose, we still don't know what you mean. Please, explain to us." Daisy prodded her friend gently, placing a hoof on Rose's. When Rose's crying prevented her from speaking, Lily pushed Rose's cup toward her. Rose took a sip of the warm herbal liquid. It warmed her throat, sending shivers through her body.

Rose stared straight ahead, tears falling from her face. "When I was questioning myself, hating myself, I had always thought that it was some sort of evil inside me that had awakened my rage. I thought of myself as dirty, as a scum of the earth who had no hope for salvation. I was angry at both of you, and I still am, to an extent, but I realized it's not your fault, but that it's mine. Remember when I said I was easy to forgive, but not forget? Well, I still forgive you for your mistakes, and even though I can't forget what happened, we'll look back on this and laugh at it. It'll be another perfect moment in our almost-perfect lives.

"My sadness was not caused by wondering if I had an attraction toward mares. No, rather it was the fear that I would never find true love with the pony I have loved my whole life. It just took me until now to realize that I was afraid of not being able to love Samael. The one pony who, other than my parents and friends, has treated me with kindness. I love him. But now, I'm just a broken mirror, shattered on the floor. I'm like a flower that wilts when it's cold. It's all because his heart belongs to somepony else."

Rose looked up to the ceiling, squeezing Daisy's hoof and finding comfort in Lily, who was now gently rubbing Rose's shoulders. "I wonder what he's doing right about now. He's probably confessing to that girl, whomever she may be, pouring his heart out to her, giving her flowers, talking in that awkward little way he does. She's probably talking to him sweetly, either letting him down gently or embracing his love and giving her own. I really hope he's happy, because that's all I want. If he's happy with himself, I'll be happy with myself. At least, I hope so.

"Did I ever tell you girls of the first time I realized I loved him? Well, I feel like telling you anyway. It all started one year at the Running of the Leaves..."

* * * *

Roseluck sprinted through the forest, the orange glow of the sun warming the hairs on her back. Cool air swiftly entered her lungs, in and out, in and out, in a cyclic rhythm. Her hooves slammed against the dirt, dust flying through the air with every step. Leaves flew by her, reds and oranges and browns and yellows all rushing past her in a blur of motion. She felt weightless, invincible. But she wasn't alone. Samael was running beside her, keeping up with her steady pace. He did not have his glasses on, for he had put them in a satchel he was running with. What was all in the satchel, Rose didn't know. He said it was a secret whenever she asked about it. They were running in the back of the pack, for they had started late, but that didn't matter. From here they could watch the millions of leaves in the forest drop to the ground in a dazzling array of color. Rose and Samael had never really been the athletic types, but they had each other, and that was all that mattered. If one felt tired, the other promised to slow down and help. If one wanted to go faster, the other would keep up as much as possible.

They were about halfway through the race at this point. They were hot, sweaty, and every bit as tired as non-athletic competitors ought to be. They were coming up to a rocky section in the forest, with many stones, holes, and loose rocks. They had to cross a stream, well, more like a brook, to continue the race.

Samael looked to Roseluck. "Now remember Rose, you have to be careful where you step on this next part. The rocks here vary in size and can be dangerous if you fall." His words came in between breaths. Rose nodded, and asked if they should slow down. "That's all up to you," he said.

"Naw, I don't wanna slow down!" Rose said back, a smirk on her face. "No way would I wanna stop this! It's such a rush!" They continued huffing and puffing until Rose felt the ground change beneath her hooves. The soft dirt was soon replaced with many pebbles, then rocks, jagged and helter-skelter on the ground. Roseluck was now skipping rather than running, trying to avoid as many rocks as she possibly could. This is great! It's like going on an awesome adventure! She thought as she ran,now ahead of Samael by a few yards. But, because she was going so fast, and because she was not careful, Rose lost her footing and tripped on a rather large rock! She tumbled toward the ground, and when she hit, her hip twisted violently, and she skidded across the ground, scraping her legs and body.

She couldn't tell exactly what had happened after that, but Rose knew she was injured, badly. Her head throbbed, and she felt warm liquid run down her legs. It was as if her whole body had six or twelve different heartbeats, all in different places. In her delirium, she heard Samael scream her name.

Rose couldn't speak. Rose hurt too much. She just lay there, by the brook, trying to stand back up. When she did, however, a horrible pain caught her at her hips and she crumpled to the ground once more.

"Rose!" Samael sat down beside her in a panic. "Oh Goddess, Rose! Rose, can you hear me? Say you can hear me! Answer me Rose, please!!"

Roseluck was in severe pain, but she still could talk. "I... I hurt. My hips."

Samael took off his satchel and looked over his friend. He calmed down almost instantly when he realized she was safe, for the most part. "Horseapples, you're bleeding a lot... So much... Okay." He muttered partly to himself.

"What?" Rose exclaimed. Bleeding? A lot? "How much? I'm not going to die, am I?"

Samael looked Roseluck in the eye. "No, probably not, but there is a problem other than your scrapes and cuts. You've got a gash on your forehead, your front legs have some flesh scraped on them, and as for your hips..." He observed her body, looking over it intensely. "Damn. I'm afraid your left hip is out of place. Okay then." He opened up his satchel and pulled out several objects. The first was a roll of gauze wrap. Next came some bandages, a small amount of medical tape, a few bottles of water, and what appeared to be a bottle of liquor.

Rose wanted to say something, but Samael interrupted her. "I knew we'd run past this place. I came prepared, just in case something would happen to you or I. Now you need to listen carefully. The cuts aren't too bad, so we need to focus on your hip." His expression was unreadable. He was thinking.

"Wait!" Rose exclaimed. "What are we going to do?"

Samael looked back to Roseluck. "You don't drink much, do you?"

What a weird question. I don't have time for this, Sammy, I'm dying!

"You're not going to die, if that's what you are thinking, Rose. Now please, answer my question: Do you drink?"

"No, I've never had any alcohol before. Why, what does that have to do with-"

"Good." Samael said as he opened the bottle of liquor. "This will make things much easier." He put the bottle to her lips. "Drink."

"What?!" Rose exclaimed.

"Please. Just trust me. Take a swig." Rose did as she was told. The liquid tasted foul and indescribable, but when she swallowed it, it burned. A lot. Rose felt as if her insides were melting away. She coughed, sputtered, and wished for the burning to stop. "Quickly, take another. I need to manipulate your hip, but I can't do it unless you're numbed a bit. But don't go too fast." She did so again, and began to feel lightheaded. Numb. She then took another. Then another. After the fifth big gulp her body felt tingly.

Hee-hee. That's a funny word. Tingly. I feel sick and dizzy and why is Samael touching my leg and oh my he's gonna pop it back into place. Okie dokie, then. Oh, damn, that hurts! Was that my hip that made that popping noise? I think it's fixed now... Well, I guess that wasn't so bad. I guess. Is he rubbing my legs? Nope, he's just using that water to clean the blood. Okie dokie. He's coming closer to my face, now. He looks so beautiful. I feel tired. I think I'll just close my eyes and rest for a bit. My head hurts. My everything hurts... So... Beautiful...

* * * *

Roseluck awoke underneath a tree. Everything was surrounded by an orange glow. She was still near the brook, for she could hear rushing water in the distance. She looked around her, at the odd quietness around her. Her legs were stiff. When she looked down she saw that there were bandages and gauze wrap around where she had been hurt. Her head ached, and she was still a little tipsy, but that was okay.

A voice behind Rose startled her. "So you're finally awake." It was Samael. He looked as if he'd been awake this whole time, watching her sleep. "I was wondering when you'd wake up." He spoke to her gently and softly.

"Oh, uh, yeah." Rose said. Samael lay down beside his friend. "Did you do all of this? Bandage me up, take me up here in the grass, the shade, take care of me?"

Samael looked at Roseluck as if she was joking. "Well of course I did. I couldn't just leave you there. You're my friend."

"But, wouldn't it have been better and safer to call somepony to help?"

Samael shook his head. "No, it would've taken too long. Besides, I'm pretty good with medicine."

"How did you learn to do all this? Healing me and stuff, I mean."

Samael just laughed. "I wouldn't call it healing. Just some simple medical techniques I've learned over the course of my short life." He stared out into the distance, gazing blankly at the trees ahead. "I used to go through these trails a lot when I was younger, even when you, Daisy and Lily went to that college I would come here often. Especially when you girls weren't around. When my dad wouldn't be home, and sometimes even when he was, I'd sneak out and take my mom's medical and nursing books with me. They're the only thing I have to remember her by. I'd come out here and read, and I'd practice on anything I could find, from trees to animals to even myself when I'd... Get hurt. It was good practice when I'd get cut or bruised or a broken bone."

Rose had never seen Samael like this before. He was so calm, like he usually was in private, but something was different about him. He was more melancholic, more reminiscent. "Where'd you get the alcohol from, though?"

Samael looked back at her. His face shimmered in the red-orange glow of the sun. "I would steal some of it from my dad's cabinet. It's not like he'd miss it anyway, since he always has so much of it. I guess it's an acquired taste. You get used to it, kinda like how you get used to a lot of things in life. Eventually, you just learn to accept things the way they are and go with the flow."

Roseluck felt a shiver run down her spine. It was getting late, and when it got late in autumn, it got cold. Out of impulse, Rose snuggled up to Samael to keep warm, to share body heat. He smelled lightly of alcohol and apples. So soft. So warm. So beautiful. And it was beautiful. Rose and Samael lay there, keeping warm against each other as they watched the sun set together. They sighed together, breathed together, and eventually fell asleep together, in peace. Nothing else in the world existed. It was just them, the sun, and nature. And it was perfect.

It was but another perfect moment in our almost-perfect lives. And it was in that perfect moment, that instance of sweet serenity, that I realized that I had fallen in love with the kindest pony I had ever met. It was the moment I fell in love with Samael Sundance.