> Flower Petals > by Undead Parchment > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The Seed > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Poppy Seed rested her chin on the armrest of her couch. A sigh escaped her lips as she stared through the window at the rainy world outside. Poppy was worried about her little flowers getting pounded in the steadily pouring rain. Though she knew well enough that plants can take a lot of punishment, she she just couldn't help but worry about her flowers. Her delicate, beautiful flowers. She loved them like they were her children. Young Poppy Seed is a pinkish-red earth pony mare with a poppy red mane and tail and the softest pink eyes. Her cutie mark depicted the head of a poppy flower with a thin green stem extending just underneath the flower's petals. It symbolized her love of flowers. Poppy rolled over onto her back and stared blankly up at the ceiling. It had started raining just as she woke up that morning. It isn't that she didn't like the rain -in fact she loved the rain; it's much better for plants rather than that revolting tap water- it was that she was looking forward to spending some time with her beloved plants that day. As she pouted, a knock sounded at the door. Lightly grumbling to herself, adding in a few choice curses, Poppy got off the couch and sauntered to the door. She yanked it open as hard as she could to express her agitation. In the doorway stood a soft orange earth pony mare with a bright yellow mane and tail and turquoise eyes. She was sodden with the freezing rain, her mane dripping as she strolled into the house, shivering and teeth chattering. Poppy gave the mare a confused look before asking, "Forget your key again, Dandelion?" Dandelion smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her neck with a sodden hoof. "Yeah..." She replied, teeth still chattering. It was rather chilly out there, opposed to the inside of their warm townhouse. Dandelion looked to Poppy and pulled off the cutest smile she could manage. It worked, making Poppy thankful that her coat was the same color as her blush. "Can you get me a towel, please?" Again with the smile. Poppy happily obliged, nodding she headed off to the bathroom. When she returned, she held two towels; one for Dandelion's mane and the other for her body proper. "There you go, Dandy," Poppy said, taking a seat on the couch once more. She watched in silence as Dandelion completely ignored her presence and began drying herself in the middle of the living room. Dandelion wrapped the first towel around her mane. She then ran the towel under tail and between her inner thighs then the rest of her body. Poppy blushed at the sight, once again thankful that Dandelion was unable to see it. Dandelion wrapped the towel around her midsection and started for her bedroom, closing the door behind her as she walked in. 'That was quite a sight,' Poppy decided, standing up on wobbly legs. Poppy hated to admit it, but she had a bit of a crush on Dandelion. She had asked in the most discreet way possible, without giving any sort of hint as to her sex preference, if she would go out with another mare. Dandelion, while she was sweet and kind, was not at all subtle, saying, "No, if another mare asked me out, I would slowly walk away from them and hide away. Why?" Poppy never did respond, only giving Dandelion a sheepish smile before backing away quietly and heading to her room. That was when they were teenagers, though. So who knows? She might have a chance with her now. Dandelion and Poppy -if it hasn't already been made clear- lived with each other in a townhouse just near Horseshoe Bay Docks, not as lovers, mind you. Dandelion had been invited to stay with Poppy until she could get back on her hooves. After losing both her parents to cancer and getting fired from her job as a baker in Manehattan, Dandelion was lost. But her best friend was there to help. It had been five years since Dandelion moved in, of course Poppy doesn't mind one bit. Poppy could feel the heat of her arousal linger. It didn't look like Dandelion was going to take a shower tonight, so Poppy took the advantage to use the hot water for once. Pushing away thoughts of the past, Poppy trotted off to the bathroom. She twisted the knobs and let the water warm up before stepping in and relishing in the warmth. ** Dandelion picked up a book from the shelf next to her bedroom window and lay down on her bed, flipping it open and started to read. After a few moments, Dandelion could hear soft moaning coming from the bathroom down the hall. The yellow mare rolled her eyes, giggled and went back to reading. 'Have fun in there,' She thought to herself as she flipped the page. ** Poppy stepped out of the steaming bathroom, towels wrapped around her midsection and mane. She trotted off to her bedroom and closed the door behind her. With a sigh, Poppy let both towels fall to the floor before picking them up and hanging them on a rack on the other side of her door. She sighed in relief and slipped into her bed wear. She climbed into bed and was just getting comfy when she felt something missing. Tossing to the right, she found the little stuffed bear Dandelion got for her on her birthday a while back. She wrapped her arms around the little bear and inhaled its scent. Even after three months it still smells like her. She knew it was foalish to still be sleeping with a stuffed animal, but something about it just felt... Right... That, and her inner foal demanded it, and who was she to deny the wishes of her inner foal? She smiled and cuddled the little bear, closing her eyes, she was soon fast asleep. > A Soft Patch of Dirt > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dandelion awoke the next morning, found herself sprawled awkwardly on her bed, her comforter and pillows on the floor. What happened last night? Dandelion pushed the question aside for now and preceded to sit up, stretched and yawned. Dandelion slipped out of her bed and made her way into the main room. She was surprised to see Poppy already seated at the kitchen table, a bowl of Sugar Bombs(1) in front of her and a book on the side. She shoveled spoonfuls of the sugary cereal into her mouth, her eyes never leaving the pages of her book. 'Odd,' Thought Dandelion as she prepared herself a bowl of the unnecessarily sweet cereal. Indeed it was odd. Usually Poppy was still fast asleep on the weekends. Shrugging, Dandelion preceded to sit down at the table in front of her roommate. "Good morning," Dandelion greeted the distracted mare, spooning some cereal into her mouth and chewing. "Morning," Poppy returned the greeting, her eyes still glued to her book. Dandelion took a peek at the cover: "A Game of Thrones"(2). She had seen Poppy reading this book a few times, mostly when she had nothing better to do. Dandelion figured it was still raining, why else would Poppy be reading instead of tending to her plants? Dandelion grinned and continued to eat her breakfast. ** Dandelion was certain something was off with her roommate. Her bed head? No, that was the norm for her. The book? Nope. Once again, normal. The socks? Bingo. "Uh... Poppy?" Dandelion gazed at the pink striped socks Poppy was wearing. She had no idea why Poppy would wear socks in the middle of summer. "Hm?" Poppy asked through a mouthful of apple juice. Dandelion thought of a way to approach the situation without seeming rude. "Any reason you're wearing socks?" She cocked her head at the mare before her. Poppy looked up from her book and gazed at Dandelion. "They're comfy. And they make me look cute," She responded with a touch of finality. Dandelion had to admit, Poppy did look kind of cute in those socks. "But..." She began. "Why do you want to look cute?" As if to respond, Poppy slipped out of her chair and brought her bowl to the kitchen, dumping it in the sink, all the while swaying her flanks at Dandelion. The confused mare had no idea why she was doing so, but she couldn't but feel... Excited... Dandelion couldn't help but blush, said blush apparent on her bright orange coat. Dandelion shook her head as if to clear it. "Um..." Dandelion mused. "Okay, but why?" "Why, what?" Poppy queried, took a seat on the couch, cocked her head. "Why do you want to look cute?" Dandelion eyed the socks on each of Poppy's four legs. Dandelion couldn't get over the image of Poppy swaying her hips. It just... It was just so... Exciting... Dandelion blished again, unaware. Poppy tapped her chin with a hoof as if deep in thought. After a moment, she said, "Dunno." This earned a blunt expression from Dandelion, who had no idea why Poppy was actually wearing them. Of course, Poppy knew what she was doing, and so far, her mission had just become easier. Poppy grinned inwardly. She went back to reading without another word. ** After several more bowls of Sugar Bombs, Dandelion sauntered back to her room and came back out with the book she had from last night and walked back into the main room, took a seat next to Poppy on the couch and began reading, occasionally scribbled something in the book. About thirty minutes later, Poppy dog eared her book and closed it, stood up and walked to the door. She pulled it open and peeked her head out. When she pulled her head back in and closed the door again, her mane was dripping slightly, a frown on her muzzle. It was still raining. Poppy shook her head and sat back down on the couch. She gazed at the sleeping Dandelion, smiled. Dandelion was just so cute when she slept. As Poppy made to open her book again, a glint from somewhere next to Dandelion. Poppy looked in her roommate's direction and saw a little book with a silver padlock reflecting the light from a lamp on the table next to the couch. Putting her book back down on the armrest and slipped off the couch again, picked up the book, eyed it. Poppy noticed on the table a quill and ink pot. The quill's nib in the ink pot. Odd, Poppy thought. She hadn't seen Dandelion writing anything that morning. Then again, she was too engrossed in her own book to notice much of anything. Poppy gazed at the book in wonder. She knew exactly what this book was. And oh how she wanted to take a peek. Just a teeny tiny peek... But she couldn't! Dandelion was her best friend! Poppy just couldn't betray her best friend like that. Oh but the lock wasn't even locked! It would be so simple, so easy to just open the cover and take a small peek... But she wouldn't. No. Angry with herself for thinking these vile things, Poppy clicked the lock, making it impossible to give in to temptation. Poppy sauntered to Dandelion's bedroom and placed the book on her roommate's night stand and left the room, closed the door with a click and head back to the main room. Dandelion searched frantically for something. Poppy had an idea what. "Oh!" Dandelion turned her attention to her roommate as she walked in. "Poppy, have you seen my diary?" Poppy raised a hoof in the direction of Dandelion's room. "I took it to your room while you were asleep." She then quickly added, "Don't worry! I didn't read it!" Dandelion grinned and giggled. "I didn't think you would. You're too good a friend to do something like that." Dandelion smiled and grabbed her quill and ink pot, walked to her room. 'That would have gone differently had I actually read that thing...' Poppy thought, flushing at the image of Dandelion's sweet smile. "By Celestia I love that mare..." Poppy sat back down on the couch, lost in thought. ** Dandelion sighed and closed her bedroom door. She sat down at her desk and placed her diary in front of her. Her right hoof wrapped around her hawk feather quill and dipped it in the ink before unlocking her diary with a brass key and opening the book to the latest, empty page. Nib met parchment as she wrote: "Well, my plan failed. Poppy is just too good A friend to read my diary. I should have figured. Letting her read my latest entry would let her know about my feelings for her... I should have figured she would have never given into curiosity. Oh how am I going to do this? I love Poppy more than I love my garden. And for me, that's saying something! Oh well... I guess I'll try again some other time..." With a sad frown, Dandelion closed her diary, locked it again. She replaced the quill back in the ink pot. Dandelion yawned; that little nap on the couch left her drowsy. She glanced at the wall clock above her door: Two-ten. How long had she slept the night before? Dandelion shrugged and stood, slipped into her bed and climbed under the covers, closed her eyes. A little more sleep never hurt, right? It was only Saturday, after all! No sooner had she thought that, her breathing softened and her heart rate slowed and she was asleep almost immediately, snoring gently. > A Little Water > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Poppy Seed found herself staring blankly out the window, her mind far, far away. The rain had long since stopped, but Poppy was too busy thinking about what kinds of mind-jarring information could be held amongst the pages of her best friend's diary to notice much of anything. Images of that little brown book flashed through her mind. The sound of hoof steps on the hardwood floor coming from the corridor snapped Poppy out of her trance. She swiveled her neck and failed to stifle a giggle at Dandelion's adorable bed head. The orange mare failed to stifle a yawn as she walked into the main room. Dandelion rubbed her eyes and yawned again as she asked, "How long was I asleep?" She took a seat on the couch next to Poppy. Poppy thought for a moment before she replied, "About an hour and a half." Poppy stifled another giggle as she bounced a bunch of Dandelion's poofy mane in her hoof. Dandelion batted her hoof away and giggled. Poppy giggled as well and took another swipe at her best friend's mane. "I see it finally stopped raining," Dandelion noted. "'Bout time." "Yeah," Poppy replied. Poppy eyed the slender form of her beautiful roommate, her blush somehow filtering through her coat. Dandelion noticed this and grinned, her own blush shown through. Poppy blushed harder and looked away, a smile growing on her own lips. ** Poppy grasped a stubborn root in her mouth and pulled back as hard as she could, but to no avail. The root held fast in the ground it had made it's home. Poppy groaned as she glared at the nuisance. The root was still slick with two days worth of mud, making Poppy's job of pulling it out far more difficult. Grasping the root once more, she began to tug again, only to accidentally release her grip on it, sending her sprawling across the ground in a heap. Dandelion noticed this from where she stood across the yard. The gardener trotted over to her fallen friend, offering a hoof. Poppy gave a wry smile and took her hoof, heaving herself back to her hooves. Dandelion eyed her friend, a small smile on her muzzle. Poppy huffed and turned to glare at the root that had defeated her in battle. "Need some help?" Dandelion asked and she walked over to the root. Poppy sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Stupid root is crowding my flowers." "Have you ever thought of using shears, perhaps?" Dandelion gave her friend an inquisitive look. The expression on Poppy's face told her she had not tried that. Dandelion giggled as Poppy groaned and brought her hoof to her face. Dandelion strolled over to the shed and walked back out with a pair of shears, just about the length of Poppy's foreleg. Dandelion then went to work slowly cutting away at the root that had caused Poppy so much headache. After about an hour of snipping, Dandelion tugged the root from the hole that now existed in their yard and tossed it into the compost bin. She wiped the sweat from her brow and sighed in relief. Then, with sudden realization, she groaned. The hole that now existed in their yard, still existed in their yard. That would need to be fixed soon. "Poppy, do be a dear and fill that hole for me, please," Dandelion said as she sauntered over to the porch. She sat down in a lawn chair and sighed. Poppy nodded once and without a word, grabbed a trowel from nearby and began working to fill the hole. Dandelion could not help but watch in an admiring manner as her secret crush bent down to scoop the dirt in the trowel and toss it in the hole. Little did she know, however, that Poppy had done the same when she was working on the root. After a few minutes of scooping, dumping and packing, the hole was finally filled and Poppy was somehow sweating afterwards. "Rain made it hotter than usual," The red mare said as she joined her friend on the porch. Dandelion nodded in agreement and reclined further on the chair. It was only two o'clock, but the two mares were already somehow tuckered out. Perhaps the humidity had a role in exhausting them. "I'm gonna go get some iced tea," Dandelion announced, standing. "Want some?" "Yes, please," Poppy asked as she stretched out in her own chair. She watched as Dandelion's flanks disappeared through the doorway before sighing sadly. Watching Dandelion work made her consider if her secret crush would ever have her. With each passing day, Poppy grows to love her best friend even more than the previous. She wished so much that she had the courage to ask, but courage was something she lacked when it came to admitting her feelings to somepony. However, little did Poppy know, her secret crush was already making plans to admit her true feelings without using words; instead, actions will play a huge roll in her great unveiling. Dandelion came back out with two glasses of iced tea on a tray balanced on her back. She offered one to Poppy, who accepted the beverage with glee and took a sip. She sighed as the cool liquid ran down her throat. Dandelion took a seat on her lawn chair again and took a sip of her own tea. She did as her friend and sighed. They sat there for the rest of the afternoon, sipping tea and chatting. Eventually, the sun began to sink beneath the horizon, the sky turned different shades of orange and purple with its decent. The two mares watched in awe at the marvel. It was a common sight in Horseshoe Bay, but tonight, it looked exceptionally gorgeous. 'Just like Poppy,' Dandelion thought, turning her gaze to Poppy. 'Just like Dandelion,' Poppy thought at the same moment, her own eyes wandering over Dandelion. The two mares suddenly realized what they were doing and quickly turned away, shaking their heads and blushing. Poppy sighed and stood up. "I'm gonna go shower and get some sleep." Dandelion nodded in agreement, standing as well and following Poppy into their home, closing the door behind them.