… Orchid Rose …

Murky waters, an abundance of fatal fungi, creaking trees, and old thorny bushes. Wyldmist forest isn’t home to much. There were no buzzing cicadas, frogs’ croaks in the warmer months, or fish swimming peacefully in the lake when it freezes over. There was nothing but silence in these woods. No amount of rustling foliage could compare to the other forestland of Mythicoria.

The eerie silence scared off most ponies, but the solitude was heavenly to a certain unicorn. A small lakeside cabin is what Orchid Rose called home. Not many would venture this far to notice just how beautiful this place was. Even with the morning mist, she could still see the shimmers reflecting off the lake’s surface.

She sat and watched the reflection on the water, taking in the beauty before her. Every so often some of the forest creatures would venture out of the woods. She liked to think that they found this moment as magnificent as she did, but that was just a lie. They wanted a drink and nothing more. She was alone out here, and that was her choice.
Orchid got up, dipping her hooves in the water before gathering a collection of bouquets she had made. A simple collection of wild plants and seasonal flowers she grew. She hitched a wagon to herself and made her way out of the forest.
She never understood why the townsponies liked her flowers so much. Of course, she liked that she was making a living off of them, making her parents proud, and being a working member of society, but she didn’t like treating her plants like objects. There was so much more to them than looking pretty.
She listened closely to the sound of leaves under her hooves and birds chirping above her, readying herself for the bustling sounds of the villagers to come. It wasn’t anything new to her, she’d grown up in a place similar to Wyldmist. She just hated having to spend most of her time away from the tranquility she loved so much.
It didn’t take her long to set up shop. All she had to do was unhitch the wagon and make everything look nice and presentable. She didn’t even have a stall to call her own, just a jar for what she made and her old wagon full of flowers.
Business went smoothly as usual. Flocks of villagers bought her flowers without much conversation. Others had the occasional question about her broken horn, which she always brushed off, and the rest asked about what flowers she’d be growing next.

That was what stumped her. Orchid Rose wasn’t really the type of pony to think about her future, even the smallest business decision of what flowers ponies would like. Most asked for things out of season or flowers that couldn’t grow properly under their conditions. She spent her time walking back home thinking about the most unique flora she had been asked to grow. It couldn’t hurt to branch out a little. Her business was going well. It’s not like a few bad days would hinder her progress.

She thought back to all of the customers of the day, the ones that seemed excited about plants, just as much as she was. A story from a little filly that she just couldn’t get out of her head. He went on and on about the most beautiful flower in the world. The everbloom or everblossom- something along those lines. He claimed that it could grow anywhere due to its magic. As ridiculous as it sounded, it did interest her a good deal. If she could get her hands on one, she wouldn’t have to worry as much as she did now about caring for multiple plants.

Orchid got home and tended to her small garden. It wasn’t anything special, nowhere as grand as her flower field. It was more like a small plot than anything. It was only home to as much produce as she could fit inside its borders. A few berry bushes, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes, and leafy greens, all crammed together. She wasn’t proud of it, but if it kept her sustained, that was all that mattered.

…

Minutes went by, and she had made no progress on learning more about the flower that colt was talking about. Part of her felt it was too good to be true, but it obviously didn’t stop her. Books upon books were stacked in the corner of her cozy little reading room. She had skimmed through every page, read every scroll, and scanned every picture. There were magic flowers mentioned, but it was nothing like what he described.

Orchid sighed, nearly giving up her search, eating blackberries until she was full. She could accept that it was all just some elaborate story, but she yearned for the truth.

She always had a special connection to plants despite her being a unicorn, always feeling more in common with earth ponies as a filly, especially now that she couldn’t use her magic fully anymore.

It didn’t matter what she was; she was still the same old stubborn pony she’s always been. She wasn’t going to give up this opportunity to learn about what seemed to be the rarest flower in Mythicoria. This was going to drive her insane if she didn’t do something about it.

She cleaned up before setting out again. She enjoyed her peaceful walk through the woods. There was no denying its tranquil atmosphere. It calmed her down enough to stop worrying so much about this flower. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if she couldn’t get her hooves on it.

…

It had to have been around an hour or so since Orchid left, but she had finally made it to Wyldemist’s Grand Library. She huffed as she peered up at the glorious structure, wishing she looked a bit more presentable. It was made up of shining marble and stone. She smiled slightly. If she didn’t like plants so much, she might have gained the talent of a brick mason. But she was content with the little pottery skills she had when making planters and vases.

She scraped as much dirt and grime as she could from her hooves using the coarse doormat that was laid outside. She did the same as she stepped inside. She wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she ruined one of these books.