A great wind blew through the orchard, shaking loose a sea of petals which the current carried across in a pink flurry. Their movements erratic, they tumbled through the air, slaves to the wind’s direction, before finally coming to rest on the soft, green grass some distance away. There they lay, coating the ground in a blanket of pink, waiting for either another current to pick them up to parts unknown, or to eventually return to the soil. A few petals had the privilege of being wrapped in telekinesis and lifted up to meet the scrutinizing gaze of one plant-obsessed unicorn.
“Yes, these will do nicely,” Lilligold said with a simple, satisfied smile. She opened her saddlebag, levitating out a test tube topped with a cork. She popped off the cork, put the petals in the tube, and placed it back into her saddlebag.
“You’ve finally got what you came for,” Mizuko noted joyly.
Lilligold nodded. “Mhmm.” She turned to gaze at the scenery before them. “It’s as beautiful as I imagined it would be,” she said softly.
Several columns of sakura trees stretched out in front of them, ending next to a grassy oasis, beyond which sat a series of rolling hills. Celestia’s sun had dipped out of view below them, creating a perfect contrast of pink, orange, and yellow between the fading daylight and the trees. The entire area looked straight out a master artist’s painting.
Mizuko could only give a slight nod in response. Truthfully, the scenery had little effect on her. Having grown up accustomed to seeing sakura trees everywhere had afforded her the opportunity to see a sight as beautiful as what they were currently witnessing on more than one occasion. Her appreciation of such beauty was diminished as a result, but all the same, the view was indeed a sight to behold.
“Hey, Mizuko?”
Mizuko turned to her. “Yes?”
“Thanks again for all your help.” A slight blush adorned Lilligold’s cheeks as she rubbed the back of her head. “If you don’t mind, do you think I could spend the night with you? The return ferry back to the mainland has surely left by now, and I don’t have a place to stay.” She chuckled sheepishly.
Mizuko blinked, slightly off-put by the question. After a moment, she smiled and nodded. “Of course.” She gestured back the way they’d come. “My house is by the waterfront, so we’ve got a bit of a walk ahead of us.”
Lilligold let out a purposely exaggerated sigh. “Of course we do.”
With that, the two set off back the way they’d come.
“Actually, would you mind if I traveled with you back to Elmshire?” Mizuko suddenly asked, turning to her. “After I’m done talking with Yadame’s parents in the morning, that is?”
Lilligold returned her gaze with a cocked brow. “You want to come?”
Mizuko nodded. “It’s my goal to visit as many places as I can before I die, and I haven’t been to Elmshire yet. Plus, I really want to see this ‘purewater lily’ for myself.”
Lilligold stared blankly before smiling. “You know what? I’d like that very much.”
Both mares returned their gazes forward, focusing on the road in front of them amidst the quickly darkening nighttime sky. They remained silent for several minutes, letting the nighttime ambiance of crickets and wind fill their ears. The city was mostly barren when they reached it; the few ponies that were out were shuffling along at a quick pace, clearly intent on returning home as soon as possible.
“Hey, Mizuko?”
“Yes?”
“... We’re friends, right?”
Mizuko’s hooves carried her of their own accord as her mind tried to process Lilligold’s question, finding it more difficult than it should’ve been. Perhaps it was the other mare’s rather uncharacteristic boldness in stating her query that threw her for a loop. Eventually, she stopped and turned to face Lilligold, who mimicked her action.
Lilligold had been a fish out of water that morning. A stranger in an unfamiliar land, trying to make sense of her surroundings and fit in to complete her set objective. It had shown in her eyes that morning. But the eyes that stared back at her now were different. They held a desire, no, a resolve to change. To become stronger in spirit. The underconfident mare from that morning was gone, buried under a newfound growth of character that Mizuko greatly appreciated.
But through all that, the kind, gentle mare that Mizuko had come to admire was still there. Reflecting on their time together, Mizuko realized she’d spent more time with Lilligold than anypony else ever since moving out of her parents’ house, barring those she worked with on a professional basis as a freelance scuba diver, and she’d loved it wholeheartedly. A genuine bond had formed between them, she realized, one that could only exist between true, honest-to-goodness friends.
“Of course we are,” she replied with a smile. “I’m proud to consider you a friend.”
Lilligold’s mouth turned up into her own smile, and she held a fore leg up. Confused at first, Mizuko quickly recognized the gesture as wanting a hug, and she complied with her friend’s request, careful not to knock the bonsai plant off of her back.
After a moment, they broke apart. Mizuko gestured with her head that they should get going, and the two set off through the town once again, the fire of friendship strong and radiant in both of their hearts.