Lure of the Flower

by Impossible Numbers

Her Knight in Golden Armour

Daisy’s tongue turned coward. She found nothing she’d dare to say, even once the muffled steps stopped downstairs.

“Well,” said Goldengrape, looming closer, “that was a fine how-do-you-do to two friends who just saved your life.”

“I wanted to talk about them,” said Daisy. She locked eyes with his, and now he was this close, she smelled the heavy damp of his concern, as though he’d pressed wet fur against her nose.

Goldengrape’s frown flipped round. “Can’t tell them to their faces?”

Regret crept up on Daisy, however much she knew about the weight on her chest, probably still probing for a way back. She’d been prepared to go this far, without the other two, with someone like Goldengrape – she could confess to a murder, and he’d still take it in stride – only now she was actually here, she realized she’d been waiting for a cue she’d assured herself was there. Yet there was nothing. No words. Nowhere to start. Nothing but the realization that she could muck this up so, so easily…

Then like magic, Goldengrape changed her world.

“You know, you’re a lot closer to those two than you think,” he said, barely managing to suppress a chuckle under his comfortably sitting voice. “And you’re about as sensitive as a daisy in a stampede. Put them together, and whaddaya got?”

“I didn’t mean to offend them,” said Daisy, grasping at the only thing she was sure of right now. “I just –”

“Didn’t want to hurt them. I could tell. You were twisting yourself in knots trying not to hurt them.”

“You make me sound like a saint.”

“Well, aren’t you?” He barked a laugh. “You don’t think I go for the femme fatale type, do you?”

“Goldengrape!” she snapped. If not for the numbness keeping her down, she’d have covered up her mouth at that slip. “Please. I’m trying to be serious.”

“So am I. You’re enough of a martyr to be a saint.”

Hoping he was at least listening and not merely thinking up his next joke, Daisy said, “I don’t know what to do. I thought I’d come back here, alive and kicking, and I’d know what to do. But here I am, and I don’t have a clue. And anyway, I can’t while I’m –” she looked down at her unresponsive legs “– like this.”

“It’ll wear off.”

“I shouldn’t have pushed them away –”

“Daisy, Daisy, Daisy.” Goldengrape shook his head and leaned closer, and Daisy felt herself threaten to slide as his weight sagged beside her and her head tipped towards the calm blue of eyes like skies, skies of summer lounging and the sweet smell of blossoms in the wind.

Now her heart beat to his. “No. I’m doing it again, aren’t I?”

Goldengrape hummed innocently.

“No more feeling sorry for myself.” Oh, if only she could sit bolt upright! “No more misery. I’ve been guilting myself over and over for too long. No wonder I was prime Baku food!”

“My word, is that a joke? I never thought I’d see the day.”

“I’m serious! It’s time I stopped trying to feel helpless and weak. I’ve got to do something for them. I’ve got to set things right. They’ve always been my best –”

One hoof delicately touched the tip of Daisy’s chin and raised her eyes to his more squarely, more directly. For once, Goldengrape spoke without the joke peeking out from behind his tones and giggling.

“This is about your flower shop, isn’t it? Daisy, it’s OK. Suppose the worst happened and you, Lily, and Roseluck went out of business tomorrow.”

“It’ll be all my fault –” Daisy clamped her lips shut. The words came out without so much as a passing glance at thought. “We could rebuild. We could sell from the street, like in the old days. I’d find a way to raise the money again. Perhaps we’d get lucky the second time, or I could figure a way to earn more money, or we could… I don’t know, but I’d think of something.”

“Supposing you didn’t?”

“I’d have to. If it all came to nothing, I could never look Lily and Roseluck in the face and call myself a friend.”

To her shock, he burst out laughing, shaking so much that his hoof made her jaw drop and slam back up with each rumble.

“Oh me!” he said. “And they say I’m the funny one! What are you, their financial consultant?”

Daisy tried to say too many things at once; all that came out was a confused groan.

“They’d be your friends come rain or shine,” insisted Goldengrape, so emphatic with each word that Daisy felt each tremor through his hoof still on her chin. “You can’t tie that to a business, boom or bust.”

Squirming guilt found new food inside her chest. “I know it sounds silly, but still…”

“Look at me, Daisy.” He hesitated, pouting. “Well, not that you have too much choice there, but anyway.”

“Oh, Celestia, no.”

“I’m gonna say it.”

Daisy wished she could struggle out of his hoof’s hold. “Don’t say it.”

“You’ve left me no choice but to say it.”

“Goldengrape, I will strangle you if you say it.”

“What with?” He winked. “Daisy, you are my princess.”

“Oh, Celestia, no.”

“You were my princess the day I laid eyes on you, and you will be my princess even if you go so blind you have to squint like this.”

“Don’t do the squint, please.”

“Or have your teeth sticking out, lik dis.”

“Stoooop, pleeease.”

“Or haf a hunff bag.” His spine arched horribly. “Lik dis.”

“If I die of embarrassment, I’m going to haunt you for life.”

Mercifully, Goldengrapes relaxed his grotesquery. “Not if I die of laughter first. I don’t love you for your looks or your business skills. I love you.”

Daisy’s jaw burned red hot with the iron effort of not melting into tears. “You cruel monster, you.”

“And so do Lily and Roseluck. I wouldn’t be stupid enough to follow your promise to the letter, Your Highness, if I didn’t love you.”

“That was wrong of me.” Daisy tried swallowing the lump threatening to surge up her throat.

“Then it was wrong of me to follow it. See? We have so much in common!”

It couldn’t be helped; the laugh got out before she could disguise it as a sob. With unerring instinct, he rested the weight of his thick brow against hers, and they closed their eyes while shaking not to do anything so reckless again as to laugh or sob. By the time it occurred to her to check the weight on her chest, she barely felt it.

All too soon, he drew back, and her cheek felt him move away from the bedside.

“If this gets any more sentimental,” she said, “I’m gonna have to step outside.” Coughing herself back to reality, she added, “But I am serious. It’s time I stopped trying to take so much responsibility and started giving Lily and Roseluck the reins.”

“Add in Twilight, and that’ll be four princesses reigning in Ponyville.”

Daisy groaned. “You know, even by your standards, that was bad.”

“Punny is as punny does, mon cherry.”

“You’re not Doc. And French doesn’t work on me.”

“Oh, don’t be so mopé.” He straightened up. “Daisy, I do have something to say, actually.”

“Among the million other things?” She threw him a chuckle of a smile.

“I want you to spend more time out of the shop. With me. Relaxing and partying and dancing might be just what you need to loosen up, don’t you think? Go to more events, if you just stop running the shop all the time.”

Daisy tried to accept this with the smile still in place. The thought of being anywhere near him when he got too carried away with a punchline…

“What?” he said, looking at her expression, and she realized too late she’d let a few muscles sneak out of place.

“Don’t go nuts, OK?” she said.

“That’s kind of the point of parties.”

“Goldengrape. Just keep your jokes in check.”

“No pain, no gain.”

Daisy chewed her lip in thought. Supposing she was here for a few days at most, then only a handful of events were laid out before her.

“I could come with you to Junebug’s birthday bash,” she ventured. “That’s not too far away.”

Goldengrape hopped, skipped, and jumped about the room, whinnying all the way. “Abso-hallel-ootly!” Wincing, she saw him thump back to her side. “Hey,” he said, showing off his teeth. “Maybe I can make you jealous by dancing with her?”

“Hm, maybe I can make you jealous by dancing with her?”

Innocence gaped back at her before Goldengrape’s senses caught up with her. Oh, it was a sight to behold.

Her gentle giggle met his surprised chortle. Both sounds left them brighter, almost higher, as though the joy had placed them on a cosy plateau overlooking the world, and they had a moment to contemplate the fields of possibility.

Goldengrape looked about, himself looking a tad lost, yet he rallied magnificently. “Well,” he said, “I believe my work here is done.” A quick kneel. “Fare-thee-well, Princess Daisy.”

“Most gracious, um… Sir Goldie?”

“Practice makes perfect, or in this case makes perfect even more so.” He made to leave, getting as far as gripping the door’s edge to swing it back, before pausing to check sidelong with ear cocked. “Something on your mind, Your Highness?”

Daisy briefly felt the weight on her chest. How soon Luna might remove it, she had no idea. Surely not too long, given what had almost happened, what she’d almost let happen.

She tried to shrug, and to her surprise felt a slight tug along her shoulder blades.

“Want me to send up Lily and Roseluck?” he said.

Daisy sighed. “Not yet. Just give me some time. Anyway, they’ll come see me soon enough.”

“I could ask them to leave you alone for a bit?”

She shook her head; only by inches, but she managed it nonetheless.

“I don’t suppose you could come over sometime later?” she said. “Maybe to talk, or maybe we could read a book together? While I’m recovering?”

“Sure! I’ve got lots of books!”

“Just no joke books.”

“I’m sure I can find a book!”

“And no comedies.”

“I’ll… ask Twilight.”

“Or romances.”

“Sheesh, give me a couple of weeks to order.” He winked at her, and then saluted and slipped out. “There is a flower within my heart, Daisy, Daisy…”

While she heard the hoofsteps of her friends down below, she heard the hoofsteps of her knight descending to earth, singing at the top of his voice a poem he’d promised he’d written for her eyes only. He always looked for loopholes.

Inevitably, she paid attention to the window. Lights dimmed outside. Vague voices came up from below. She wondered if Lily and Roseluck were among them.

After what felt like hours, the silence became unnerving. Even the weight on her chest seemed to have disappeared. Yet she didn’t dare sleep. She lay in the darkness, staring at something beyond the ceiling and its all-too-mortal damp. Whether she felt it or not, a weight would be there somewhere.

She was trying to get used to it.

---

Comments

[Impossible Numbers]

I wish I hadn't put this off for eight months, especially since it's mostly wrapping up plotlines at this point. I haven't exactly been in the best of moods for most of those months, for a variety of reasons, but still, to drop the ball like that isn't good practice.

That said, I'm so close to the finish. One last push, right? Before the new year, or so I hope.

[Sypher]

Both sounds left them brighter, almost higher, as though the joy had placed them on a cosy plateau overlooking the world, and they had a moment to contemplate the fields of possibility.

I have to marvel at the similes and metaphors in this story. They're some of the most evocative I've seen on the site and really cool to read.

[Eternal Samson]

9414329
Not just the site. I have been in many fanfic sites in many fandoms and this story itself is on the top tier out of the hundreds of fanfic of many fandoms I have read. The way you made the flower trio the focus and the way you portrayed the doc was absolutely perfect. Your logic and plot made lots of sense and overall the emotions and responses of the characters were very realistic