//------------------------------//
// A Little Water 
// Story: Flower Petals 
// by Undead Parchment 
//------------------------------//

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.