"Love Speaks in Flowers"
"Go, Sakura! Go!"
The cheer from Sakura's friends invigorated her to push through her exhaustion and up her galloping. It helped her rush past one of her classmates to cross the finish line. A roar of cheers and applause erupted as all the younglings did the same. Not just from their peers but from adults present as well standing with them.
"Way to go, Sakura!" Sweetie Belle walked up next to her friend, carrying a flag. "You got first place!"
Sakura smiled happily. "It was thanks to all the cheering…."
The pink filly then felt a familiar presence and turned around immediately as she became excited. "Yukito!"
Here to meet Sakura, Yukito stood by stamping his hoof in praise. Touya was with him too, not that Sakura minded. He brought with him two bags carrying bento boxes for lunch. The young filly felt a wave of joy to see them both, even if she only focused on the silvery Earth pony. Her big brother did not seem to mind. Sakura rushed over to them to speak with them.
It's Parents' Day at Ms. Cheerilee's school! After showing how she teaches us, we have a field day outside where we get to show our physical skills. It's my favorite part!
As flower petals listlessly fell all around the schoolhouse, a crowd of ponies had gathered as they watched the yearlings participate in various physical activities. Many, of course, are the parents of some of these young equines. Everyone cheered on both their offspring and the other fillies and colts, many friends with their own kid. It was a one-of-a-kind day for Ms. Cheerilee's students, and they could not be more excited about it.
"Hey there, Sweetie!" Sweetie Belle looked over to see her parents, Hondo Flank and Cookie Crumble, approaching.
"Mom! Dad!" The little unicorn rushed over to see and greet her parents.
While the two families conversed, two more entered their vicinity as they tagged along with their youngest member. Apple Bloom came with her big – in every sense – brother Big Mac and her grandmother, Granny Smith. The other family belonged to Scootaloo but consisted only of her two aunts, Holiday (Earth pony) and Lofty (Pegasus). As the groupings noticed each other, they gathered and overlapped their picnic blankets to share in lunch. Most of the adults sat near each other with the youngest fillies across from them. The three stallions sat separately from the others.
Lofty coyly eyed a particular dish from the Apple family meal. "That wouldn't happen to be your famous Apple Family pie, would it, Granny?"
"Darn tootin' it is." The old mare then got a wily look. "Trade ya for yer tater cakes…."
"Deal!" Both mares then handed the other their requested item.
Holiday rolled her eyes at her partner. "Oh, you and your sweet tooth…."
Content with her acquisition Granny Smith turned her gaze to the stallions nearby. “Oh, Touya-boy, Yukito-kid. I hope you two will be available to help with the apple-bucking season coming soon. We're gonna need some extra hooves with Applejack off adventurin' and what-not…."
Yukito smiled and nodded. "We'll make time, right?" He looked over at Touya, just to be sure.
"Eeyup." Touya knowingly borrowed Big Mac's phrase, making the older stallion chuckle.
"Glad to hear it." Big Mac raised his mug of cider in celebration to which, Touya returned with the same gesture.
Apple Bloom became excited hearing the news. "That's great! Gonna be a good hull this year!"
Sakura felt enthused as well. "I can't wait to get some of your family's apple cider! Everyone in my family loves it!"
"Speaking of," Sweetie Belle began looking around curiously, "Is your dad going to be joining us?"
The pink filly nodded. "He will. He promised to make it by lunch."
"What about Tomoyo?" asked Scootaloo. "She didn't arrive with you guys?"
"She's meeting with her mother." Sakura started beaming with delight. "I've never met her mom before."
Before anyone else could speak, a voice echoed over the area. "Sakura…!"
"Dad!" Sakura recognized it instantly and became overjoyed.
Trotting around the other families, an adult stallion unicorn showed up looking for Sakura (and his other kid, technically). Fujitaka had not found them yet, and he appeared worried. It did not last long as he soon saw his daughter waving to him, joined by all of her group. Now relieved and smiling, the light-purple pony walked over to the group. Sakura quickly got up and met her father just before reaching their blankets, enwrapping him in a loving hug.
"You made it!" Sakura felt incredibly happy.
Fujitaka smiled as well, warmed by his daughter's greeting. "The meeting ran a little long, but I wouldn't want to miss this."
"' Bout time you got here!" Granny Smith let out a chuckle. "We done nearly ate all the food."
Granny then looked over at Yukito as she expressed her surprise. "For a skinny feller, you sure pack away a lot of food."
Big Mac held the same regard for his friend. "Eeyup."
Yukito sheepishly laughed. "Sorry…."
Holiday, smirking, held up a plate of sandwiches. "She'll be apples. We got plenty more! Here, have some cut lunch, honey."
"We brought the potato salad!" Cookie Crumble added gleefully.
"Thank you. I don't mind if I do" Fujitaka accepted the food with gratitude and moved to join the group.
As Sakura sat down with her friends, all the fillies took notice of the flower petals falling between them. Sweetie Belle made an observation. "There sure have been a lot of petals today. I thought all the trees had already blossomed for the year…."
Sakura agreed but also had a pleasant notion. "But it does make everything feel a little bit more festive, doesn't it?"
On that, the other Cutie Mark Crusaders agreed. Before they could all continue their lunch, they all suddenly spied a large group of ponies trotting around the other families. An all-female and Earth pony group standing around the only two not dressed similarly. Most of them wore black suits and sunglasses. The older of the pair had her brown mane styled to be short with the right side slightly longer. She trotted alongside Tomoyo, who looked content and cheerful.
"There's Tomoyo!" Scootaloo, though, became curious about the mare next to her. "But who is that…?"
Sweetie Belle had a guess. "Could that be…?"
Tomoyo soon spotted the group, and her smile brightened. She rushed over to greet them immediately. "Hello everyone, sorry we're late."
Apple Bloom asked, "Tomoyo, is that…?"
The slender mare caught up with her daughter and greeted the fillies pleasantly. "Hello, I'm Tomoyo's mother, Sonomi Daidouji."
All the fillies greeted her. "Hello!"
"Now, let me see…." Sonomi looked over each of the fillies before pointing to them one by one. "You must be Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Sakura."
"Wow! On the dot!" said Scootaloo.
Sonomi smiled. "Tomoyo has told me about all of you. Thank you for looking after my daughter."
"No problem." Apple Bloom then added sheepishly, "Though, it's more like she takes care of us sometimes…."
"It's nice to finally get to meet you." Sakura smiled excitedly at the mare.
"And you as well. My daughter tells me a lot, especially about you, and I can see why. You're very cute."
The compliment made Sakura embarrassed. "Oh, shucks.
"You actually remind me of a girl I used to know…." The mare began smiling fondly towards the filly, nostalgically so. It confused Sakura, but she was soon drawn away by a distraction.
None other than Granny Smith as she welcomed the mare with folksy hospitality. "Well, welcome, youngin.' Why not pull up a seat by Sakky's pa and join us for what's left of lunch."
"That sounds lovely…." As she looked around, Sonomi seemed confused. "Who is Sakura's father?"
Fujitaka turned around, revealing his face to the newcomer. "That's me…."
A moment of pause as Fujitaka's and Sonomi's eyes connected. Each pair widened as they recognized the other, like seeing an old classmate. “Sonomi/Fujitaka-senpai?!”
All the group watched on in surprise at the familiarity these two parents held for each other. Neither Sakura nor Tomoyo knew of such a connection to their friends' astonishment. Quickly, both adults excused themselves to have a private conversation. They did not travel far, but they were just out of hearing distance. While the adults paid little attention to it, the Cutie Mark Crusaders watched on with intense interest. From what they can see, the two ponies' talk looked polite and mature. Then, Sonomi became more passionate and animated with childish rage and stubbornness. Fujitaka accepted all of it calmly.
An announcement soon came from Cheerilee. "Our next event is the family member 100-meter race! All participants, please report to the front of the school building!"
"Oh!" Sweetie Belle became excited upon hearing the call. "You got to get ready, Dad!"
Hondo Flank eagerly stood up. "You got it, sweetie."
Scootaloo looked to her aunts with a thrilling smirk. "Let's go, Aunt Lofty! You gotta race to win!"
"You got it, kiddo!" The Pegasus stood up ready.
Apple Bloom, too, got up. "You ready, Big Mac?"
"Eeyup!" The big Earth pony stood up readily.
Before Sakura could say something, she saw her father and Sonomi heading back to them, the latter keeping her distance. Fujitaka rushed up to his daughter quickly, looking confident. "Are you ready, Sakura?"
Sakura held a minor concern, however. "Do you sure you want to run today?"
Surprisingly, Touya, too, felt the same. "Maybe I should do it instead."
Fujitaka smiled warmly at his children. "No, I want to. Besides, Sonomi made me promise to run."
The pink filly's mood changed to excitement. "Let's go then, Dad!" She and Fujitaka then went to join the others.
Before they could head to the spectators' area, Granny Smith stopped Touya as she expressed her own concern. "So, are you gonna explain what all that was about earlier, Touya-boy?"
“Sonomi Daidouji used to be Sonomi Amamiya….”
Granny Smith recognized the surname and became sad. "That's your mother's family name…."
"They are cousins." Touya continued with the explanation.
"Mom was part of a rich family, and Sonomi and her were best friends since they were little. She met Dad when they visited Canterlot University, and they fell in love. None of her family approved with Sonomi being the most outspoken, so they eloped…."
The elder pony shook her head disappointedly. "Shame…." She understood well the pigheadedness that families can maintain.
"That is pretty sad." Yukito looked at Touya and began to smile softly as a thought came to mind. "But from the pictures I've seen, your mother always looked happy…."
Yukito's pleasant expression and compliment made Touya silent. He remained stoic and tried to immediately draw attention away. A small flurry of flower petals listlessly falling around them made for a perfect distraction.
"There sure are a lot of flower petals around…."
Yukito played along knowingly. "You're right…."
"Come on, boys." Holiday enwrapped the stallions in a friendly hug. "Let's go cheer them on!"
The group joined the crowd around the field each student's family member took their place. Each yearling stood along the sidelines to cheer them on. Of the students, Cheerilee handed Sakura and Tomoyo a task. They would hold the tape that would mark the finish line. The track would be one long loop around the schoolhouse. As Cheerilee made sure all was prepared, the adults waited to take their gallop.
Tomoyo soon took notice of who stood at the front of the group. "Mother?!"
Sakura saw as well. "I didn't know your mom was running?"
"N…Neither did I." The young prim filly, for once, expressed her own surprise. "I thought she didn't want to…."
Though curious about the rivalry going on, Sweetie Belle took notice of the increased flurry of flower petals. "Whoa, there are a lot of petals falling now…."
"Yeah. What's up with that." Apple Bloom felt a little worried as it seemed to be nearly raining petals.
At the starting line, Sonomi was not alone; Fujitaka stood next to her. The mare glared daggers at the stallion, trying to psyche her opponent out. None of their other colleagues from their group felt that they could intrude. Fortunately, Cheerilee soon came onto the field, and everyone prepared for the race. The yearlings readied and watched with eager anticipation. The cherry-colored mare stepped aside to clear and readied to send the racers off. And with a wave of the flag, the competition began.
"Go!"
On Cheerilee's call, every participant took off. Sonomi came out ahead immediately, showing form like an athletic runner. The rest of the competition could barely keep up with her; the mare smirked confidently and felt assured of her victory. A pony soon passed her, however. To her shock, Fujitaka had overtaken her lead. Her confidence quickly changed to childish rage, and she pushed herself to catch up.
At the same time, the falling flower petals seem to increase in number. No longer a rainstorm but now a full-blown blizzard of colorful petals. They became so numerous that they began piling up like snow and quickly.
"What's going on?!" Scootaloo covered her head, trying to keep the petals away from her eyes.
Sakura already had a thought. 'This has to be a Clow card!'
Now piling higher, many of the yearlings sought cover by tall adults. It would be only minutes before the flower petals would engulf them in a sea of colors. Many of the racers had to stop as they could not get past the accumulating piles. However, that did not stop Sonomi and Fujitaka. The two adult ponies pushed through as Sonomi tried surpassing Fujitaka.
A sight Sakura could not believe. "I can't believe they're still racing…."
"My mother is very competitive." Tomoyo did not seem too surprised by the display.
There came a shout from Apple Bloom, "Sakura!" Both fillies looked over to see Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo waving at them. They could not push through the piles of flower petals between them.
Before long, Big Mac came by, having abandoned the race. He quickly picked up the fillies and placing them on his back. Apple Bloom expressed the group's gratitude, "Thanks, Big Mac."
Big Mac smiled and nodded. "No problem."
The sturdy stallion began making his way towards Sakura and Tomoyo. Unfortunately, the flurry of flower petals blinded Big Mac from continuing his rescue. Everyone began suffering the same problem, as well as their movements being hindered. Sakura knew she had to do something, and she pulled out her key.
Tomoyo took notice of the action. "Are you going to use magic here?"
"No one can see…." A quick look around proved her observation correct, and Sakura released her key.
"Key that hides the forces of darkness, show me your true form! Release!" Sakura's magic expanded her key into a long wand. And just as quickly, she used one of the Clow Cards.
"Fly!" The wings on the staff grew out immediately. Sakura and Tomoyo hopped onto the staff and began to fly.
Apple Bloom was about to again to their friends when she noticed the white tape fall from the sky. She then heard Sakura's voice, "Hold on to this, would ya?"
The three Cutie Mark Crusaders looked up. All of them saw Sakura and Tomoyo flying above them. Neither Apple Bloom nor Sweetie Belle said anything, not wanting to reveal their friend's ability. They also trusted that Sakura knew what she was doing.
"Hey, wait!" Scootaloo, on the other hand, felt indignant seeing them. "I thought Fly was my card!"
Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle quickly hushed their friend, "Shhh!"
Sakura and Tomoyo flew higher until they were above the storm of flower petals. They could see everything clearly now. More than just the track, the entire area was a sea of colors rising ever higher. The Cardcaptor had to find the source of the flower petals and quickly.
"Should we check in with Kero?" Tomoyo held up her communication compact, smiling.
A quick press and a moment later, Kero spoke through the device. Sakura gave a short explanation, and the guardian of the Clow cards agreed with her notion. He thought it best to give some advice, "First things first! Where are the flowers coming from?"
"On the roof!" There, a softly glowing orb could be seen, producing the multitude of flower petals falling. It took only Sakura a second to find the source.
Below, the race was still going for Sonomi and Fujitaka. The flower petals had risen to their barrel but neither let it stop them. Pushing through the petals, the two neck-and-neck racers could see the finish line. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle held the lineup as best they could as they stretched their bodies to remain above the petals. Scootaloo stayed with Big Mac as they watched on with worry. Before long, the two were in trouble, but help soon came to them.
Yukito took one end from Sweetie Belle. "I've got this. You should evacuate with your friend."
Before Apple Bloom could say something, Touya took the other end of the tape from her. "We'll take over…."
With their height, both young stallions could withstand the piling of petals. They kept holding the finish line as Fujitaka and Sonomi pushed through the flower petals. Of the two, Sonomi appeared desperate to beat the stallion.
"No! I can't lose! Not this time!"
Fujitaka said nothing, remaining calm despite the adversity. He, too, did not want to lose this race.
Meanwhile, Sakura and Tomoyo flew up to the roof of the Ponyville Schoolhouse. They landed and dismounted to approach the light orb. It changed its shape as it revealed a figure making the flower petals appear. A mare with a pink mane in corkscrew pigtails danced delightfully and whimsically. She had a horn with a flower-like symbol around it. Her hooves appeared to be flowers and produced the same items covering the area. Both fillies watch on astounded.
Tomoyo looked to Sakura curiously. "Is that the card?"
"I think so…." Sakura looked at the pony; she saw her and spun over to her.
Unsure what to do, Sakura watched cautiously as the mare approached her. She came face to face with the filly, unafraid and curious. A moment later, the pink pony smiled and took the student by her front legs. The mare began to dance with Sakura cheerfully. It confused Sakura, but it seemed that the mare controlling the flower petals meant no actual harm.
"What's happening?" Kero asked through the communication compact.
Tomoyo answered with surprise, "They're…dancing."
A chuckle escaped from Kero. "That sounds right. There should be no worries then. This card just likes to have fun."
Dizzy from the dancing, Sakura hollered out in distress. "What should I do?!"
"Why don't you capture her?" An obvious answer, but Tomoyo felt more than happy to help her best friend.
A little embarrassed, Sakura used her magical telekinesis to bring her wand over. "Return to the form you were meant to be…Clow Card!"
The being soon lost her physical shape as it reshaped itself. No longer a pony, the mare became a card that floated over to Sakura. The former equine's form appeared on the front with a title below her. Tomoyo approached Sakura as she read aloud the name.
"The…Flower?"
Kero heard her. "Yup! That's the one! The Flower Card. She loves stuff like celebrations and events, but she does get a little overexcited. I bet she just wanted to liven things up a bit."
"Liven things up…?" Sakura could not help but believe otherwise.
Still, as far as Clow cards went, Sakura felt her new capture suspiciously underwhelming. "So what can this card do? Like, in battle?"
"Well, she can materialize all different kinds of flowers!" Sakura's disbelief grew further before releasing it as one sigh.
"Oh no!" Tomoyo spoke with a gasp.
"What's wrong?!" Sakura's worries came back.
But it was all for naught as Tomoyo explained, "I forgot to record your deeds!" Her response made the pink filly fall from shock, making her end the call with Kero.
Back below, the flurry of flower petals had ceased falling like snowflakes. Everyone began to recover, but the race between Fujitaka and Sonomi neared its conclusive result. Wading through the petals to cross the finish line, Fujitaka became the winner of this personal competition. He moved to greet his daughter but became surprised to see his son and his friend holding the line. The moment of victory did not last long as all the stallions felt a heated gaze directed at them, particularly Fujitaka. Sonomi could not be angrier at the result.
With everything now settled, it came time to clean up all the flower petals. Cheerilee spearheaded everyone to help out. Even the parents and guardians took part. Of course, Sakura and Tomoyo returned before anyone outside the Cutie Mark Crusaders' group could be aware of their disappearance. They joined in sweeping away the piles of flower petals along with their friends and family.
Except, two of them had disappeared; but, Touya had an answer. "Dad and Tomoyo's mom went behind the school building…."
"I'll go check on them!" Sakura immediately left with Tomoyo in tow.
The other three Cutie Mark Crusaders quickly went after them. "We're going too!" said Apple Bloom to the others.
Neither Touya nor Big Mac could say anything to stop the group. They hoped the group of rambunctious children would not cause any trouble for the adults. It took no time for the fillies to find the missing parents having another conversation. Remaining hidden, the Cutie Mark Crusaders watched and listened in on the conversation. Sonomi still seemed angry, while Fujitaka accepted it all with a calm smile. It still looked like they were in a tiff.
Worried, Sakura wanted to do something, but Tomoyo had an idea. A quick whisper, and Sakura brought out her wand and new card. Softly, the Cardcaptor gave a command. "Give them both Nadeshiko blossoms…."
"Flower!" The being appeared above the group, surprising the other three Cutie Mark Crusaders. All it took was a quick click of her flower hooves, and above the adults, two flowers floated down between them.
Sonomi's anger dissipated as she caught the flower. She stared fondly at the blossom, as did Fujitaka. What had been childish rage of jealousy turned to reminiscence and sadness for Sonomi. Fujitaka shared the same feelings; they both loved Nadeshiko in their own right. In that, they both could share in both pain and memory of the long-past mare. All their tension disappeared, but the rivalry remained only now a bit friendlier. Sakura and her friends left, feeling content with this resolution.
"That was a good idea, Tomoyo," said Sweetie Belle.
Scootaloo agreed. "And that new card really made it work…even though it is kinda lame…."
Apple Bloom immediately had a thought. "I guess the girl Tomoyo's ma was talking about was Sakura's ma."
"Yeah, I guess so." Sakura looked over at Tomoyo. "It sure looks like your mom loved my mom a lot. Just like my dad."
Tomoyo warmly smiled back. "Well, you know, there are all kinds of love. Like how I love you, Sakura."
"Me too, Tomoyo!" The pink filly then pulled in all the fillies in their group for a group hug. "I love all you guys too!"
"Aw, shucks." Apple Bloom's cheeks flushed with red.
Sweetie Belle appeared less embarrassed. "Thanks, Sakura."
"Geez…." Scootaloo tried her best to remain aloof, but her reddened face and hidden smile betrayed her attitude.
The little Pegasus filly soon separated after a moment. "Enough of the mushy stuff already. We're wasting time to find our cutie marks!"
As everyone separated, Tomoyo decided to be coy with her friend. "So, you want a cutie mark for 'petal sweeping?'"
Scootaloo quickly expressed her disdain which made all her friends laugh. Regardless, the group would continue to help with the cleanup. Despite the unusual circumstance, Parents' Day had been a complete success and a good time had by all.
Unbeknownst to everyone, someone was watching from afar. A light-brown colt stood in a tree gazing over the area with purpose. The pony raised an eight-sided board shaped like a star with four symbols like a compass with different colors and held it out. A light appeared in its center and moved forward. Through the colt's messy dark brown mane, he gazed in the direction to see the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"I found them…." The colt's voice filled with determination, "The Clow cards are near."
To Be Continued...