//------------------------------//
// Chapter 21: Flower Friend 
// Story: Equestria Girls - The Tale of Two Sunsets 
// by HumanSunset63 
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Sunset immediately recognized the shop owner as the director of  Camp Everfree, from the time she and the rest of her friends went to  summer camp. She began to feel that this would be an intriguing aspect  of her extended visit to Equestria, seeing familiar faces she knew back  in the other world as these pony counterparts. Momentarily after taking  this in, Sunset was greeted by the pony Gloriosa Daisy, welcoming in to  her business shop.

"Hello there!" Gloriosa said with enthusiasm. "I take it you're here to order some flowers for a special somepony?"

Despite  how she technically already knew the human Gloriosa, Sunset merely  played it safe by pretending they've never actually met before. She felt  that she would come across as strange to these ponies by acting like  she already knew them from her interactions back in the other world.  Plus, for all she knew, their lives here in Equestria would likely  differ from their human counterparts. For example, it didn't seem likely  that this Gloriosa was worried about Filthy Rich taking over a campsite  in the Everfree Forest. Coupled with the fact that Sunset knew that  most ponies don't even reside in that particular forest from the  dangers, she decided it was most likely the pony Gloriosa was simply a  flower shop owner with no intents of using magic to cause destruction.  With this in mind, Sunset continued the conversation.

"Hi, I've heard about you, actually." Sunset began. "You're Gloriosa Daisy, right?"

Gloriosa  responded in a somewhat surprised tone. "Oh, wonderful to hear you've  heard about my shop and the many flowers I've grown over the years!  Though, most ponies only know me by 'Gloriosa'. I'm curious how you know  my last name as 'Daisy', exactly?"

Sunset's  eyes widened, feeling like she completely messed up her plan to play  things cool and pretend that these ponified humans were beings she had  never met before. She swiftly looked around, trying to come up with a  cover, before she noticed the cutiemark Gloriosa had.

"Erm... your cutiemark!" Sunset blurted out. "It looks like a daisy to me, so I guess that was just a lucky guess."



Gloriosa looked back at her flank before speaking up. "Oh, okay. I guess that makes sense, thank you for being so... observant."

"Yeah,  sure. Anyways, about the flowers, I was mostly just checking to see if  you had any pink roses in stock?" Sunset questioned. "I have a friend  waiting outside who's been expecting to pick up an order of them, and  she's been waiting out there for nearly an hour. Plus, I looked around  the shop and noticed there weren't any pink roses at all."

"Oh,  yes!" Gloriosa confirmed. "I actually just went to the back after my  lunch break, and found the last batch we have in stock. The pony who  ordered the bouquet informed me somepony named 'Maud' would be here to  pick them up. I presume that's you?"

"No,  that's actually the pony waiting outside." Sunset clarified. "I'm just  here to browse for a little bit, but alright. Good to know you do have  the flowers she's looking for. But come to think of it, I might check  out what you have as well."

"Very well then,  I'll bring out the pink roses for my little friend outside!" Gloriosa  said before going back into the storage room.

Sunset  turned around and examined the many flowers around the shop. She was  surprised to see Gloriosa even had Poison Joke for sale, which made  Sunset more cautious to not accidentally come in contact with those  weeds. But she suddenly remembered that Princess Twilight mentioned  through her journal that she did generally enjoy flowers, although she  never really specified which flowers. After some thinking, she also  recalled Twilight mentioning yellow was one of her favorite colors.  After browsing enough, she eventually found a pot filled with numerous  yellow tansies. They seemed like the only presentable flowers that  Twilight would most likely enjoy, and being in the same color she  preferred. With this in mind, Sunset picked a nearby batch that were  already within a bouquet and went to the front counter to pay.

Gloriosa  just came back with the batch of pink roses for Maud, before she took  notice of Sunset holding a bouquet of tansies. "Ooh, excellent choice!  Tansies are one of my favorite flowers as well. I take it these are for  somepony special?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Sunset said jovially. "How much are these?"

"Well...  these normally sell for about 16 bits per bouquet..." Gloriosa began.  Sunset immediately winced at the price before Gloriosa continued.  "However, since they are more popular this season, I've discounted them  to 4 bits each. Would you still like to buy?"

Sunset  felt that 4 bits seemed a lot more reasonable, before shaking her head  in approval. She took off her saddlebag and reached in to find four  bits, before setting them on the counter.

"Thank  you very much!" Gloriosa said as she took the bits and picked up Maud's  order. "These pink roses have got to be an extra-special gift for this  Maud pony. These are incredibly rare to find in Ponyville, even  throughout Equestria as a whole. Whoever ordered these, they were  willing to pay 200 bits for this bouquet."

Sunset's  eyes widened upon hearing this. She certainly got the impression that  Cheese Sandwich, or whoever ordered those pink roses really loved  Pinkie. "Let's just say the pony who's getting those pink roses is one  lucky pony indeed." Sunset said, happy for Pinkie.

Just  as Sunset had finished her sentence, Maud entered the shop, ringing the  bell from the door opening. Both Sunset and Gloriosa looked toward Maud  before the rock expert pony spoke up. "Did I just hear my name? And  pink roses?" Maud asked, before she noticed the pink rose bouquet  Gloriosa was holding, and approached the counter.

"Ah,  yes. You must be Maud, and I see you have the order receipt on you.  Very good, here are your pink roses." Gloriosa announced, as she handed  over the bouquet.

"Cool. Thanks." Maud said as both she and Sunset exited the shop. 

Sunset was about to head off further into Ponyville, before Maud stopped her.

"Wait a second, before you go..." Maud began.

Sunset turned around and looked curious. "Yes, Maud? Did you need something else?"

"I never got your name, who are you by the way?" Maud asked.

"Oh!  How silly of me to not introduce myself, it's Sunset Shimmer." Sunset  introduced herself. "I only mostly knew who you were because I heard  Pinkie talking about you a lot."

"Sunset  Shimmer." Maud repeated. "That's a pretty sedimentary name. You don't  look familiar at all, so I'm guessing you're new around here?

"Err,  yeah, I guess that's true." Sunset responded. "I'm also mostly here to  attend Princess Twilight's coronation ceremony, she's another good  friend of mine."

"Well, it looks like the  coronation is starting in about an hour." Maud said, as she looked at a  nearby clock on the shop's building. "I need to go catch the train if  I'm going to make it in time. Since you're new around here, would you  like me to show you around?"

"Oh, sure." Sunset agreed. "Maybe I can also come with you on the next train. Lead the way, Maud."

With  that said, Sunset put the bouquet of tansies into her saddlebag, before  both she and Maud went toward the train station. Sunset felt rather  satisfied that despite what Starlight mentioned earlier about how showing up  at the coronation would've been enough of a gift for Twilight, she  still managed to find a gift of flowers for her on such short notice.  However, Sunset was completely unaware of how Princess Twilight had a  fear for ladybugs, and that tansies were a flower that attracts them.  There were even a few active ladybugs living underneath the tansies' stems.  Sunset didn't know about this at all, and only imagined how happy  Twilight would be after seeing the flowers she got her.