//------------------------------// // The Last Words They Spoke Together // Story: Lure of the Flower // by Impossible Numbers //------------------------------// Daisy watched the drops patter and splatter the window of the florist’s, and was thankful she wasn’t one of them. When was a raindrop ever going to get peace to itself, sharing airspace with countless others? She was alone in the shop, far away from anyone. Just in case, she kept behind the counter, comfortable on her seat and shielded should any wandering hooves come in. Her elbow dug into the countertop. Doing nothing had its own charms, but her back was bent after so many hours had passed. Grimly, she broke her silence by flicking the till open. Cha-ching! went the cash register. As though on squeaky axles, she ground her head on her neck to peer inside. She winced. Her gaze darted to the ceiling before she pushed the thing shut. Barely a rattle of coins. I know it’s not their fault, she thought. So why do I feel like banging their heads together? I know them. They can’t help it. Roseluck’s always on a harebrained scheme, and Lily’s always overreacting. I’m supposed to keep us together. So why are we arguing more and more? And now she’d seen the result, right there in the till. No matter how many times she tried to resist, she always got the urge to look, as though her brain were hoping more money would materialize if she could catch it out. If I can’t even keep things together, then why am I here? How do I know they wouldn’t be better off if some other flower girl – I dunno, Junebug – took over? How do I know whether or not I should give up and let someone else take over? Is this a sign? Is it just a temporary thing? What? The rain pattered on, too busy mingling on the windowsill to even notice her there, let alone ask any questions. Unexpectedly, the bell tinkled. “Daisy?” “Hm?” said Daisy. Hooves tapped the floorboards: definitely Lily’s hooves. No one else moved as though afraid every step would yell at them to shut up. “I’ve been thinking,” said Lily. Not even Daisy’s groan stopped her. “Just because we’re very careful about everything –” “Scared witless,” corrected Daisy, her voice muffled by the hoof she was leaning against. Her elbow was starting to go numb. “– doesn’t mean we don’t have a point, right? Look at it this way; if we weren’t very careful about things, we’d be in all sorts of trouble, now wouldn’t we?” It was the “now wouldn’t we” that turned Daisy’s stomach. Without it, she was merely listening to Lily’s carefree rambling. With it, she was being forced to go along with whatever she’d cooked up. “And?” she said brusquely. “And… well, we don’t want to be too successful, right? We’re happy to break even, aren’t we? So long as we’re together and the shop’s not getting too big for itself and ponies don’t start seeing us as upstarts and hating us and steering clear of us and leaving us to die come the next apocalypse –” “Lily, get to the point, please.” Daisy sighed. Reluctantly, she levered her head round to Lily’s quivering irises. What little gold there was within those eyes had corroded to jaundice; Lily didn’t sleep enough these days. Lily’s beaming smile clashed against those eyes. There was the smell of sweat in the air. “I’m saying,” said Lily, “that we’re not gonna let this affect us, right? We’re not, you know –” she made the mistake of chuckling “– going mad, or anything. Right?” After a while, Lily leaned forwards and tilted her head. She probably thought she had a kitten’s charm. Clearly, she hadn’t looked her reflection in the eye recently. “Go outside, Lily,” said Daisy, her voice one long sigh. “I promised I’d look after the shop, and I will. Lucky you get to enjoy… whatever it is you enjoy when it’s raining.” A natural born fidget, Lily retreated from the counter, paced, glanced around the shop, and smoothed her mane down. Under her breath, Daisy counted the seconds. Once she reached fifteen… “How can you stand this?” Lily’s voice, normally as stable as porcelain on a table’s edge, started cracking. “This, this, this… this!?” Daisy refused to move. A moot point in any case, considering she had the same inclination to shift as a stack of boxes in a backroom, but this time her mind fully endorsed the placement. “What is it this time?” she mumbled. “Another Pinkie Pie party?” “She always sends the three of us an invite! Every time, without fail! Roseluck’s going. Why won’t you?” “Why won’t I?” Daisy’s defiance struggled like a sapling in a black box, but darn if it didn’t struggle. “All those bodies getting close all the time, moving everywhere… It’s like one confrontation after another. I don’t mind a get-together, but not that close together.” Her gaze flicked to the window again. She’d say this for the raindrops; they at least didn’t bother her. They didn’t crowd her with questions like how the business was going, when or if she thought Goldengrape might pop the question, and what was all that hullabaloo about with the broken stems today? Slowly, she encouraged the air to visit her lungs, and then gently guided some more out and let her slouch deepen over the countertop. “It’s peaceful,” she said. “Alone with your thoughts… you never know. It might do us some good in the long run.” Weighing her down, her brain slowed to a crawl. After a while, the patter tapped her ears and the splatter twinkled like stars. Her eyelids eclipsed the woodwork all around her. Why not, when all was said and done? Perhaps another nap was exactly the thing she needed… She had to be on top form… Lily batted the tabletop until the tremors battered their way through. “Earth to Miss Wishes! Come on, Daisy. You’re not doing yourself any favours. If anything, you’re gonna go mad. You know what they’re saying?” “What?” Daisy crushed her eyes trying to blink out the sleep. They were almost muzzle to muzzle when Lily said, “Roseluck says you’re acting funny in your sleep, and frankly I ain’t saying different! All the kicking and talking… You’re going earlier and getting up later too. That’s not natural!” “Leave me alone.” Daisy yawned. “Nothing to worry about. Just… just need to think straight…” I’m certainly not telling you what really goes on. Come on, Lily. Take a hint. Go away. Please? For pity’s sake. Lily’s hoof stretched over the counter. “But we are worried about you. Why wouldn’t we be? You’re supposed to be joining in.” For a moment, anger surged through her and invaded her mouth. “I’m not going to any parties! And I don’t want you getting yourselves into a tizzy over this! I’m fine. It’s just time to think. Is that OK?” To her surprise – and to her friend’s credit – Lily barely even flinched. “You’re being silly! Anyway, it’s my job to get into a tizzy over this. Roseluck’s too. This has gone on and on and on for long enough. Sooner or later, we will call in a specialist.” Funny, Daisy thought, how someone who faints over snapped azaleas can take and give a shout without fuss. After a few seconds, Lily patted her on the forelimb and held her hoof there for long enough, as though two flowers were twined by a change in the wind. Through the ever-present mist of encroaching sleep, Daisy glared at her, seeing her fading away. Then the bell tinkled. The shop was empty. At last, Daisy was alone, surrounded by splashes of colour, and as still as the blurring petals.