As the great spires of Canterlot came into view, the last rays of sun dipped below the horizon and shrouded Equestria in night. Stars twinkled in the sky above, and lights from the brightly lit castle glowed just a short distance away.

Right on time, Kydose thought, galloping along the stone road towards the structure. As he neared it, he slowed to a trot and took in his surroundings. There were numerous carriages and ponies already in the area, and everypony was dressed for the occasion. The suits had not a wrinkle and the dresses were lavish and flowing. Looking down at his own suit, Kydose began to feel inadequate.

He shook his head, clearing his mind of any demoralizing thoughts. He hadn’t come this far just to beat himself up over nothing. Taking in a breath of mountain air, Kydose gathered his courage and began walking forwards, trying to blend in with the crowd. All the while, his eyes darted around nervously as he looked for guards.

Surprisingly, there weren’t many at all.

They must be preoccupied inside the castle, he thought, approaching the very building. He trotted alongside his group until they had gotten to the doors of the main hall, which opened  as they got near. Once inside, he took a quick glance to make sure no one was watching and then branched off from the others. That was when he noticed the room he was in.

The castle's entry hall was nothing short of enormous.  The ceiling towered above him, and the walls were draped with beautiful banners depicting various patterns and shapes.  A royal red carpet with gold trim led from the door to across the room and up the stairs, where Princess Celestia herself stood, greeting each guest as they approached her. Behind her were two large windows, one blue and filled with stars and the moon and one yellow with a burning sun. Even though there was no light flowing through the windows, she still seemed to be radiating the sun’s glow.

Kydose gulped. Normally he wouldn’t mind seeing the Princess of Equestria, but not under his current conditions. Not only had he snuck into the most prominent ball of the year, but he didn’t even care for it. He couldn’t imagine the princess would approve.

He shifted his eyes from her and looked around the rest of the hall. Many ponies idly walked about and spoke, while others stood in small groups for their conversation. Not wanting to seem out of place, Kydose glanced around for somepony to talk to. Anypony, really, just so that he looked like he was supposed to be here.

He caught sight of one stallion, dressed in a suit and top hat, who walked towards him. As the stallion got closer, Kydose put on a smile. “Hi, how are yo–”

“Do I know you?” the stallion asked, raising an eyebrow and walking past. Kydose could only stare in awe as the pony turned and made his way down one of the hallways.

“Okay…” Kydose mumbled, his attempts at socializing failing miserably. I guess I can try again… He looked around the room once more and found a group of two mares talking to one another, each wearing a dress that Kydose didn’t want to think about the price of. As he approached them, their conversation slowed and they slowly turned their heads to look at him.

The first, a light blue pony with a cream-colored mane, cocked her head to the side. “May we help you with something?” Her Canterlot accent was heavy, and she had the same air of superiority around her that the other high-class ponies had. Kydose was already beginning to regret his decision coming here.

With a nervous grin, Kydose said, “Hi, my name’s Kydose. How’s, uh… the Gala?”

The two of them blinked at first, seemingly bored with him. “Not nearly as good as last year,” the second one said. She had a poofy brown mane and a similar light blue coat to the first, but it was paler in comparison. “They don’t even have catering staff outside the banquet hall. Hmph!” She turned up her nose as if the thought disgusted her, then turned to the other mare. “Speaking of, I’m simply parched. Come along, we should be getting some refreshments.” Without another word, the two turned and left, leaving Kydose alone in the entry hall yet again.

I sure hope the mare I’m looking for isn’t like these ponies, he thought, looking around with tired eyes. Among the crowd he saw numerous stallions, all expertly groomed and dressed. Kydose couldn’t even imagine how he looked in comparison to them. Idly, he stroked a hoof through his mane. And how am I supposed to get her attention? How can I compete with all of these other stallions? He frowned softly. Would she even give me a chance?

As he stood in the hall worrying about how he would win over his mystery mare, the familiar sound of the entry doors opening filled the air. Kydose’s ears perked up and he spun around, his eyes instantly widening at what was before him. It was her!

She stood there, front and center with another mare—a purple unicorn—and behind her were five more colorful ponies, all in elegant dresses. Their style reminded him of somewhere, but he couldn’t put his hoof on where. He was too busy gawking at the white mare’s beauty anyway.

Her pink dress shimmered in the light, and was adorned with numerous glinting gems. It complimented and proudly accented her shape and features, making her stand out from all the rest. The crown sitting atop her head was polished until it was mirror-like, yet it still failed to match the beauty of her eyes. They were like big, blue diamonds that stared around the room, filled with just as much awe as his when he had entered.

Kydose felt himself grinning like a fool. Realizing what he was doing, he quickly regained his composure and stood tall, not wanting to get lost in his thoughts as he did earlier. His entire purpose for coming here stood right in front of him, and all that separated them were a few small steps. Okay, Kydose. This is the moment.

Using all the courage he could muster, Kydose walked towards her. She was still enamored with the room and didn’t immediately notice him, but he figured an introduction would solve that. “Hello, my name is Ky–”

Before he could finish, she had gasped and run off, as did the rest of them. He reeled around, looking for what had caused her to gallop off so quickly, and the answer made his heart sink. The mare now walked besides another stallion, just as white as she was. Kydose vaguely recognized him as Prince Blueblood, and that was only because his name and face were brought up so much he couldn’t possibly avoid it. She… she didn’t even notice me...

His worst fears had come to life right in front of his eyes. All the searching he had done, all the running around and looking – it was all pointless now. Without even taking another glance at the two of them, he stormed off down the opposite hallway. Kydose needed to get as far away from them as possible.

He wandered aimlessly through the castle halls until he found himself in an empty corridor. It was full of large windows, and through any of them one could see the vast landscape of Equestria. Some of the windows had stained glass designs while others were still blank canvases, waiting for a story to be painted on them. Kydose stood near one of the unstained windows, choosing to look at the view outside.

There was mostly darkness across all of the land, save for the rest of the castle below. Scattered lights from towns and cities dotted the countryside, like fireflies during a summer night. After observing the land for several moments, Kydose turned his gaze to the night sky. It almost mirrored what was below, but there were far more lights up there. The stars twinkled in the night, and the moon hung low in the sky. The scene would make for a remarkable painting.

Despite the beauty before him, Kydose could only bring himself to sigh. You know, I’ve never felt like this about somepony before, he thought, staring blankly into the darkness. Not once. Not until I saw her for the first time. I guess that’s what they call love at first sight. He studied the stars, finding a few constellations. And it’s just my luck… she had her eye on somepony else. 

He looked around for a moment, making sure that he was alone. Then, he sat down and continued observing. Maybe it just wasn’t meant to be. That’s certainly a possibility. He sighed, spotting Orion in the stars. To the left, he spotted Gemini, the two ponies holding hooves. His neutral expression slowly faded into a frown and he did his best to avoid that part of the sky. Soon, he found a particular star in the center of a patch of nothingness. It was just one lone twinkle in the vastness of space. I know how you feel.

Kydose’s vision moved to the ground in front of him. He was tired of looking at the stars. He was tired of being alone. He was tired of being in Canterlot. All he wanted to do was leave, and go somewhere else. Anywhere. But he no idea where he could go. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then gave himself some quiet time.

- - -

I want to go outside. His eyes fluttered open, and he found himself standing up. Maybe the fresh air will help me clear my head. Turning back the way he came, Kydose began a light trot down the hall.

He wasn’t familiar with the layout of the castle at all, so he found himself getting lost or going in circles more than once. Eventually, after some trial and error, he found himself back at the entry hall. He avoided looking at or talking to anypony as he walked, as the thought of having any conversation right now made his stomach turn. He just wanted to be outside, where he could breathe in the night air and feel the grass on his hooves.

The entrance to the garden—or one of the entrances, at least—wasn’t too far away from the main hall. The moment his hooves went from stone to grass, he immediately felt better. That’s more like it, he thought, relishing the familiar feeling. Traveling was what he did, and having dirt under him brought him just a little closer to home.

He decided to take a walk around the garden and see what the castle had in store. He passed various plants and animals as he walked, finding some he recognized and some that he didn’t. He took care to enjoy the ones he didn’t, as he wasn’t sure when he would ever encounter them again. It was a good feeling, discovering something new. It was one of the reasons he never stayed in one place for too long.

Kydose continued exploring, feeling his mood gradually getting better. Perhaps Canterlot wasn’t that bad after all!

Then, Kydose turned a corner and halted in place. No, Canterlot was that bad.

In front of him was an all too familiar scene. The white mare and Blueblood stood next to each other near a rose bush. They were talking to each other, but Kydose was too far away to hear, and even if he was close enough, the anger bubbling up inside of him might have drowned it out. He grit his teeth and watched them from afar, trying to find out what was so great about the prince.

She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. Every moment was like she was staring at her lifetime idol, and she wanted every second to count. Of course… good looks, wealth, and royalty… How couldn’t she fall for him? he thought, his brows furrowing.

Kydose watched as Blueblood leaned over and bit a rose off of the bush. Even from here, he could see her expression brighten in anticipation for the gift. Hmph. I would have done the same, he thought, continuing to watch them. It looked as if he was about to pin it to her dress, but suddenly Blueblood moved back and pinned it into his own coat.

Wait, what? Kydose blinked and shook his head. The rose was definitely in his coat still, so it did happen. He leaned forward in anticipation, waiting for Blueblood to perhaps take another rose and give it Rarity. Several seconds passed, but it never happened. Why would he… That doesn’t make any sense! 

Her expression said it all. Her beaming smile turned to a frown, and she glanced away from him as disappointment washed over her. Meanwhile, Blueblood looked happy as a clam and didn’t pay her a second glance.

Kydose bit his lip. The fact that she was with somepony like that and Kydose couldn’t do anything about it was like a stab to the chest. He was forced to sit on the sidelines and watch.

The mare and Blueblood spent a few more moments in the garden before walking off. Once they were gone, Kydose walked over to where they stood previously and looked over the rose bush. A new sense of resolve flowed through him, replacing the anger he had. No matter what, I’ll show her the respect she deserves, he thought, looking through the flowers. And it all starts with the perfect rose.

Hmm… no, too big… not symmetrical enough… uneven… He continued scouring through the bush, but came up with empty hooves. No, no. I can do better than this. Kydose glanced around, finding that there was more to the garden than he had thought. He stepped away and decided to do some exploring. Moving past the rose bush, he found a path to the side that lead to some other various flowers. Looking over them, he found that they were planted in a pattern: Rose, lilies, sunflowers, green orchids, morning glory, then lilac. They were all arranged in patches, creating a row of rainbow foliage. Looking farther down the line, he realized that the pattern was repeating backwards, and at the very end was another rose bush.

Kydose galloped towards it, then skidded to a halt as he neared it. Okay, perfect rose, where are you? He circled around the bush, trying to observe all of the numerous roses as best he could. They came in all shapes and sizes, some very small and some blooming with life, but none were what he could consider perfect.

He circled the bush for the third time, and he was about to give up and just choose whichever one was closest, but then he spotted something. Deep within the bush was a splash of red, and while it was a long shot, it was one he had been missing this whole time. Taking a deep breath, he plunged his head into the bush and was immediately met with dozens of thorns prodding his face. “Ow, ow, ow!” he cried, through gritted teeth. When he emerged from the bush, however, he had the most perfect rose in his mouth. It’s petals were perfectly spread, and it was the most beautiful shade of crimson he could ask for. Delicately he took it in his hooves and looked over it.

It was worth the scratches, he thought, pinning it to his tuxedo for safe-keeping. Now, I need to find her! He looked into the sky and found the moon was far higher than when he last looked. His eyes widened in fear as the possibility of him being too late became very real. He gathered his strength and took off into a gallop, heading to the main ballroom as fast as his legs could carry him. That’s probably where I’m most likely to find her, he thought, running past the original rose bush.

His path found himself going through the hallways, and he soon came across a large, golden door. A small plaque at the side read “Ballroom.” That has to be it! Wasting no time, Kydose rushed towards the door and all but kicked it open.

Where he expected to find ponies dancing to classical music and eating expensive hors d'oeuvres, he found nothing short of a disaster area. A golden alicorn statue lay in pieces at the far side of the room, surrounded by the rubble of fallen columns. Small woodland creatures roamed the area, nibbling at the various foods that plastered the floor. Above all, it was completely empty except for him. In fact, he hadn’t noticed it on the way, but the entire castle seemed to be devoid of ponies.

W-What!? He stared in awe at the destruction before him. He had no idea what happened, but he never thought chaos like this could happen within Canterlot’s own halls. With a sigh, he looked down at his hooves. I knew I spent too long looking for this… this stupid rose.

Without another thought, Kydose turned around and slowly began to walk towards the entrance of the castle.

- - -

Defeated and dejected, Kydose found himself at the Canterlot train station. A train sat at the platform, fresh in the station waiting to be boarded. Kydose walked towards the ticket booth, head hung low, and took his money pouch out. Shuffling through it, he produced his last bit, then placed it on the counter and slid it towards the pony behind the desk. “One-way ticket to Ponyville, please,” he mumbled. After several seconds, a ticket was pushed back to him. “Thanks.” Kydose then turned around and headed towards the nearest car.

When he boarded the train, it was empty, as usual. Sighing, Kydose walked to the far end of the car and took a seat, thinking about the night. He took a look into his bit pouch, frowning as it contained nothing but dust. He turned it over and shook it a few times just to be sure, but nothing fell out of it. Shaking his head, he stretched his aching legs out and tried to get comfortable. Then, he took the rose from his jacket and looked at it, thinking of the white mare.

It wasn’t his body that hurt the most, but his heart. He could only look at the flower and think of what could have been, but the reality of the situation only made things worse. Before his mood got any more sour, he tucked the rose back into his coat and looked out the window.

With a screech, the train jerked forward and began it’s relatively short journey to Ponyville. As it pulled out of the station, Kydose watched Canterlot castle shrink behind him and eventually get lost behind the mountain as the train descended. After the lights of the city had disappeared entirely, Kydose turned away from the window and closed his eyes. He delicately put his hoof over the rose and listened to the railroad tracks.

Every so often he would nod off, but bumps in the tracks seemed keen on keeping him awake. Each time he awoke he was a little closer to Ponyville, so he had that to look forward to. Eventually, what woke him wasn’t a bump, but the loud whistle of the train that signified he had arrived. With a yawn, Kydose shook his head and stood up, trying to get rid of the drowsiness.

The doors to the car opened and he stepped out. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but based on where the moon hung in the sky, he guessed it was around midnight. Yawning again, he looked down at his suit. I suppose I should return this, he thought. It’s no use to me anymore. He began walking down the platform, and once he had stepped off of it, he headed in the direction of Carousel Boutique.

While he hadn’t memorized Ponyville’s layout, he recognized enough landmarks to find his way, even at night. The town was lit up nicely with firefly lamps, so he found it much easier to navigate than expected. He found himself walking past familiar places like Sugarcube Corner, Town Hall, and The Three Clovers. The sights brought a smile to his face. I’ll miss this town.

He eventually reached Carousel Boutique, and was surprised to see that the lights were still on. They’re still open this late? He approached the door and glanced to the side, seeing if he could see inside. There were curtains up, however, so all he saw was a faded yellow glow. He raised his hoof and gave a quick knock, then patiently waited. He glanced down at the rose again, then plucked it out of his coat. Maybe I’ll give it to Sweetie Belle. She was quite helpful earlier. It’s the least I could do for disturbing her at this hour, anyway. Several moments passed and there was still no answer at the door. “Hmph.” Again, he lifted his hoof to knock, but just as he was about to swing his hoof forward, he heard a voice behind him.

“Excuse me, may I help you with something?”

Kydose’s ears perked up and he turned around, only to have his eyes widen. He was face to face with her! He was rendered completely speechless, and had no idea what to even do.

She glanced at the rose and giggled. “That wouldn’t be for me, would it?”

He felt the heat rising in his cheeks, but his mind was still completely blank. After everything he went through today and after having his hopes seemingly devastated, fate decided to give him one more chance. One more opportunity to show his feelings for her. Here she was, right in front of him… and covered in cake. That little detail cleared his mind just enough.

Kydose tried to put on a smile. “H-Hi, I’m uh, I’m… K-Ky—”

“Oh, goodness, where are my manners?” she said, rolling her eyes and flashing a perfectly white smile. “My name is Rarity. You may call me “Miss” or “Rarity”, or even “Miss Rarity” if you’re so inclined.”

Rarity. Where had he heard that name before? Rarity… Rarity… That’s when it clicked, and he remembered what Sweetie Belle had said to him. This is Sweetie Belle’s sister! It was no wonder that the building she worked in was so beautiful, or the work she produced was so high quality. Even the simple suit he had purchased was leagues above any other suit he had seen in a store. He only wished he had known earlier.

Kydose then blinked, his thoughts coming back to him. Clearing his throat, he pulled himself together and presented the rose.

“Miss Rarity, would you take this rose?”