Ponyfinder: The Lost Flowers

by David Silver

17 - Seatbelt Sign

"I can ask," is all Tree would offer. "It is up to her. Like you, I am barely a single hoof past initiation and have no right to argue with her."

Rose shook her head. "If we're all at the same point, then why should you ask?"

Daisy's head was busy bobbing. "We should all go."

"Together." Lily nudged against Bold warmly and began for the door. "Let's go talk."

The four of them headed out onto the branches, though most of them slowed. Tree advanced to the fore. "You have no idea where she is." Well, she was there, so she led the way towards their ultimate boss. "She may not even want to talk to us, we didn't set an appointment, and while important, to you, doesn't reflect an emergency for anyone else involved."

"Hi!" A butterfly flutter had seen them on the move and was waving excitedly at them. "I really like the way you look."

Rose blinked softly. "Am I being propositioned?"

Tree turned an ear back towards Rose. "Fairly sure they mean your outsider appearance."

"Yes," agreed the flutter with a quick bob of his head. "You are all so charming! Except you." He was looking at the not-Equestrian Tree. "You are pretty the normal way. So round and simple, like a little child. I want to squeeze those cheeks." He drifted in closer as if ready to do just that.

Bold growled softly at the incoming Flutter. Lily inclined her head at the beaver. "That was a warning. We're druids now, show some respect."

"You are?!" He recoiled with wide eyes. "Amazing! I have to tell... everyone!" And off he flew in a streak. The news of their accomplishment would not stay hidden for long.

"Hope that wasn't a secret." Tree was winding down some stairs along a tree's trunk. "Because it isn't now."

Rose shrugged softly. "Should it have been? We're not embarrassed about it."

Daisy giggled softly. "Maybe it means we'll meet more creatures."

"Is that a good thing?" Lily edged closer to Bold Support as they marched. "They may not appreciate us, if we went and rushed through everything."

They went right back up another winding path, taking them higher than they started. "There aren't elevators between all the floors." Tree looked back at those behind her. "If you had wings, not really a big deal. The rest of us get to enjoy our walks. The flutters are kind folk, overall. If you look like you're having a hard time, they will at least lend a moment to help."

Daisy nodded quickly. "They seem nice, even if they called Lily a biter."

Lily began to blush. "I was just channeling my future!" She threw a leg over Bold, drawing him closer. "He can handle all the biting from now on. I'm out of that game." He bore his great incisors as if in threat. "Like that!" Lily was not intimidated, hugging her dear beaver friend all the firmer.

Tree chuckled softly as she pulled herself up off the stairs. "Just that way." She headed across a moderate branch. "She is often busy, so I have to inform her that I want to talk to her, often through another. They tell me when to come. That we are already here breaks with that tradition, but you are an unusual case." For the outsiders, perhaps time would be found. Tree wasn't certain. "Don't feel bad if you are sent away."

Rose accelerated to Tree's side. "At least we know the way now, appreciate that. Is that the place?" She saw a few flutters and two ponies chatting before an opening into the tree. "Looks fancy enough." Large windows were visible, clear and clean. The ones talking blocked much of the ground view from that angle.

"I'm not even sure I know what I want the answer to be." Daisy quirked a lopsided smile. "Like a fire, I guess, I just want to know if I can get out."

Tree nodded softly at that. "Your words carry wisdom. Like a fire, you may be contained to prevent harm where you are not needed. But also like a fire, you are welcomed where you are, kept safe and cozy in the right place." She turned to the flower mares. "I can't say what she will say, but--"

Lily waved it off, marching forward with Calm. "We are ready either way. We just want to know where we stand."

"Good, great, wait here." Tree kept in front of Lily, preventing her forward momentum. "Let me ask at least."

Rose hiked a brow at that. "You're not expected anymore than we are. You became a druid about the same time as us. Not seeing how you going first helps." She casually went around Tree, outmatching her with multiple flower mares coming from different angles. "I say we all go."

Tree was run over, if gently, by the three. Lily was giggling with joy. "That was daring of us."

"Madness," agreed Daisy, though she was smiling all the same. "This world has changed us."

Rose shuddered at the idea. "For the better, I hope..." With a tail flick, she nosed open the door leading inside. "Hello?"

"Hello." The head druid was right there, watching them come in. "You are giving poor Tree Whisper an attack."

Tree went still, just behind the flower mares. "I tried to get them to slow down!"

"I know you did, relax." She pointed to the side. "Now, what brings you all here?"

Rose perked up. "I thought you might be busy?"

"I often can be." The butterfly approached on sedate steps. ~I am told you know the way?~

Daisy inclined her head. ~We can sing, yes,~ she sang out, as if the language could only be sung, even if the head druid had just spoke it evenly.

Lily threw one arm around Daisy and the other about calm. ~Everyone here but him. He doesn't speak.~

"And you were not instructed?" She was watching them evenly, face stoic. "Not even one word?"

Rose skewed an ear to the side. "We didn't even know we knew it. It was just part of the song, nature's song." She struck a dynamic pose. "Good for spells but not much else, but I was informed otherwise." ~Who could know?~

"An invasive species." Though she was smiling as she said it. "Whatever barriers are erected are not enough. What would you do then, adventure? I am told that is a common pursuit among your kind."

All three paled as one. Daisy began to wave wildly. "No! No no no! We're fine not doing that!"

Lily bobbed her head. "We don't mind helping out, and getting word of how to go home, but adventuring..."

"--Not for us," completed Rose, shaking her head quickly. "We've heard how the others did..."

Daisy stuck out her tongue. "Not rushing to do battle with suits of armor."

Lily blanched. "Or angry dragons."

Rose rolled a hoof. "Or the angry minions of opposed gods. Keep us up to date on ways to get home, but we can skip on all of the rest." All three nodded in solidarity with the idea. Better the safety one knew than the risks of the unknown. "One thing!"

"Hm?"

"As a mayor." Rose leaned forward with a big grin. "We want to start a flower stand."

Daisy began to clap excitedly. "We'll make such pretty arrangements for creatures to enjoy. Please let us!"

Lily nodded softly. "There are plenty of flowers down there, Rose confirmed that. If we have permission..."

The head druid raised a brow. "You win your freedom just to turn it aside and ask to start a business instead?" All three of them nodded in unison. "Not sure I've seen a fire behave that way..." She fetched a bit of paper and got to writing with a quill in her mouth. "This will permit you the space in the marketplace." She slid the paper over. "But the rest is up to you."

They had no bits, but their sparkly eyes revealed they weren't very discouraged by that. "One thing!" Lily waved a hoof at the elder. "We are allowed out now, right? Gotta fetch things for the stand."

Tree inclined her head softly. "Are they?" That it seemed to them to be as much a surprise to her.

"They are." She turned to Tree. "Keep them safe, since you are friends. I do not think they will wander far of their own will." All three were shaking their heads quickly. "So be a good friend and prevent them from being blown in the wind."

A secret code? Tree seemed to grasp it, calming quickly. "As you request. Sorry for interrupting you." she dipped her head low at the highest ranking member of their community. "We will stop bothering you then."

The flower mares joined in the bowing. "Thanks," chimed Daisy, turning for the exit with the others. "She seems really nice." Tree led them out as quickly as possible before they could say more to endanger things. The elder was watching it all with an amused expression, not too put out by their behavior.

Tree let out a rough breath outside. "There, you're allowed out... Are you pleased?"

Rose inclined her head. "Why wouldn't we be? Now we can get started." She held up the paper permission. "We can build a stand."

"We can stock it," continued Daisy.

"We can sell from it," sighed out Lily, all three of them melting with satisfaction. "It's thanks to you too."

"Yeah, thanks." Rose nudged against Tree. "I know we didn't... quite work out at first, but you didn't give up, and we all got a friend for it."

Tree waved off the compliments. "As if you did not assist me, you strange ponies." She inclined her head left and right. "You remain... strange. I mean that in the kindest way, but it remains true." She raised a hoof to her cheek. "You are as if a child described a pony with the loosest terms"

Daisy smirked at Tree confidently. "And you look like a pony if somepony just couldn't shut up and kept spewing out extra details because we just have to know every little detail, even the parts I didn't even know existed."

Rose peered at Tree with fresh eyes. "Wow, that is... kind of what this is like. I didn't think of it that way. How do you even function with so many extra... details?"

"How do you work with so few?" countered Tree Whisper, clopping the ground. "But we are... We are getting off topic. I am told ponies from your plane have gained our details before and didn't go mad, nor die, from the experience. I can only... assume it isn't as awful as either of us is imagining it."

Lily hugged sideways to her beaver. "You first. Let's see you looking proper. You pull that off , then I guess we can try it the other way."

Tree took a fearful step back. "I would rather not! Now... You wish to make a flower stand?" All three mares approached with hope in their eyes. "Let me see the slip." They quickly surrendered the paper to her arcane grip. "Hm." Her eyes wandered, quickly reading. "It is not a large space you have been given, but a space. Let's go take a look at it." She began leading the way to the same marketplace they had gone food shopping at. "The mayor is clever, but I think she thought the flowers were for snacking."

Rose laughed at the very idea. "You could, I suppose. Flowers can be delicious, but enjoying their look and smell is our usual focus."

Lily raised a hoof as she walked. "If it smells good, it probably tastes at least alright."

Daisy snorted at that. "There are nice smells that don't taste good, Lily, and a lot of flowers fit into that." They began, all of them, debating the tastiness of various flowers.

Author's Note:

A stall! The flowers! Finally!

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Comments

[Venerable Ro]

A stall at last! They shall have the prettiest of flowers!

[Dravkwn]

11162320
One might say the stand was stalled long enough in the story.

[Booster Spice]

One of the longest bits of character creation.

SHOPPING.

[geomease]

Aahhh yes, as we learned recently with Dry Whisper, going from one to the other tends to either lose or gain bits and bobs.

[David Silver]

11163158
I did it long before Centaurworld made it cool.

[FridayPie]

She threw a leg over Calm

I think, you meant Bold. If Calm would become bitey, whole order is in trouble.

[David Silver]

11238830
Oops, fixed!