With great care, you place a single drop of your meticulously-made growth solution onto the seedling in the flower pot. Magically, the frail little plant grew straight upward, its stem thickening and a beautiful purple rose appearing at the top end.

Quickly rooting around in your saddlebags, you whip out a small pair of clippers and nick the flower before carefully inserting it into the very center of a meticulously-shaped violet and magenta bouquet of pansies, tulips, and amaranth.

You’re still fidgeting with the bouquet when you hear hoofsteps echo from the main hall and into the makeshift greenhouse. Quickly, but taking great care to keep your gift to Twilight hidden behind your back, you slip back into the foyer. Turning and glancing up the main staircase, you see Twilight descending slowly. She’s holding her head high in a very regal fashion, but the small creases around her eyes and her sad smile don’t seem to fit into the rest of the picture well.

Time advances very slowly as she makes eye contact with you and finishes her descent to the ground level of the castle. Neither of you say anything, the only sounds being the echoes of occasional hoof clicking against the crystal stairs.

When Twilight steps off of the last stair, she pauses for a moment before stepping toward you. She halts her approach just slightly closer than normal speaking distance from you.

You can’t help but reflect her solemn smile back at her.

Proceed to Chapter 38.

Next Chapter: Chapter 29 Estimated time remaining: 58 Minutes