Just off the center square of town is the Sprout and Bloom Garden Shop.  At its base, it started off like any other house or shop in Ponyville, a tan shell with wood supports and a thatched roof.  But this particular house is almost buried beneath all the plants.  The front windows have window boxes above a set of shrubberies, and in front of them extensive flower beds filled with a rainbow of blooms.  Two pots stand on either side of the entrance, each with a rosemary topiary.  Pots also peppered the flower beds outside.  The top floor has more window boxes, and the walls are covered in an out-of-control climbing ivy.  Baskets hang from the corner beams.

On the side of the building, Pansy, the owner, has added a conservatory, the glass walls and ceilings jutting out from the main part of the shop.  This is where ponies could find early seedlings in the winter, or most of Pansy's plants that weren't already outside.

The door to the shop is painted bright pink to make it easy to find among the foliage.  Once inside, the shop front is neat and tidy.  Stacks of pots, tools, and fertilizer stand on shelves along one wall.  Bags of soil are stacked near the back.  The main counter is near the door, with prettily growing houseplants arranged in a row along its surface.  An arrangement of seed packets hangs on the front of the counter for people to sift through at will.  A water fountain gurgles happily in another corner, with a selection of pond plants.  Everywhere that a plant could fit, there was a place there, even from the ceiling.

The conservatory is Pansy's workshop, and is much dirtier than the main store.  Tables of seedlings or more potted plants take up most of the space, but there is a dirty workbench that is obviously her workstation with her own personal tools. An old notebook, covered in dirty hoofprints sits to the side, indicating Pansy's personal notebook.  A selection of vases and pots sit on a shelf below the workbench, for putting together custom arrangements for special events or customers.  Customers really only come in here if they want to buy their own plants, or if they're consulting Pansy on an arrangement, or want to talk to Pansy while she's working.

Upstairs is Pansy's home, a personal apartment.  There aren't nearly so many plants, but there's at least one in every room.  It's small and cozy, with just enough space for one pony, maybe two if she has a guest.  But Pansy isn't big on entertaining, so it's enough for her.  It's basically all one room, with her bed in one corner, a kitchen in the other, and a cozy sitting area in the center.  Lots of windows look out on the town; despite the size, Pansy has a decent view.

From Town Square--->

Pansy came home to her little shop at last.  First, the pony went up to her home to drop off the delicious tart, and tidy up a few things, and then she came back downstairs to open the shop.  Pulling on a gardening apron and a broad sunhat, she propped open the top half of the pink front door to indicate she was open.  Grabbing her bucket of tools and seeds, she went outside to plant the cucumber seeds.

A trellis was on the opposite side of the house from the conservatory, and already had a small watermelon plant climbing up it.  The cucumbers would go right next to it. Pansy settled next to the trellis and began working, humming a bit to herself as she worked.

From Town Square-->

Fung entered the small store in a bit of a flurry, one hoof still replacing bits in his...wherever it is he got them from.  Once he had calmed down a bit, he began to look around the store and seemed to be quite impressed.  He had assumed it to be some sort of flower shop, but there was actually quite a bit inside, from small berries to watermelon vines.
Once this business with the Princess is done, I might have to start a small garden again.

After a few minutes of thoughtlessly shifting around and looking at the arrangements, Fung spotted Pansy next to the trellis with the watermelons growing from it.  Assuming her to be the owner, considering she was up to her ankles in soil, he approached and coughed into his hoof modestly.
"Pardon me, but I could use a little assistance.  I've got a...well, a rather important purchase to make, but I'm not exactly well versed in floral arrangements.  Uh, do you sell floral arrangements?"
He hadn't actually considered that she didn't when he first came in.  This could just be a shop that sells them for planting.

"Hm?  Floral arrangements?  Oh, yes, of course!"  Pansy scurried right up, brushing her hooves off on the apron.  She motioned for him to follow her into the conservatory where she began pulling out tools, and pots, and vases.  "First of all, who's the arrangement for and why are you giving them flowers?  And do you want a cut bouquet, or do you want a potted arrangement they could keep growing?"  The conservatory was full of all manner of plants; there were many Fung Shui could choose from.  She was so excited, she hadn't done one of these in a while.  Most ponies just bought gardening supplies, or plants to grow.  There wasn't much bouquet giving around here lately.

Fung watched as the mare began pulling out tools and pots, impressed by her work ethic.  Either she took her work very seriously, or she just loved what she did.  Judging from the cutie mark, probably both.  He followed after her and answered her questions as they came.
"The arrangement is for Princess Luna.  I didn't have time to prepare something more elaborate or fitting for her station, but I believe an arrangement will be more than appropriate considering the casual nature of her visit.  It's meant more as a show of respect than anything else..."
For a few moments, he pondered his choices between bouquet or potted.  On one hand, a bouquet would be more portable, and was the more typical gift.  However, there were several symbolic meanings in a potted gift.  It implied leaving room to grow, and in light of how he planned to present it, might be more appropriate.
"I think potted may be more fitting.  If all goes as planned, I hope Princess Luna will see me as a friend.  At the very least, a live arrangement will have more impact."

"Princess Luna, hm?  Just a friend or something more romantic?"  The gardening pony started moving through the rows of plants.  She knew she had a couple of perfect things hiding in here, it was just a matter of finding them.  She really should get in the habit of labeling things.

"Aha!"  She surfaced from the sea of green, and brought a small selection of plants back to the workbench.

"Romantic!?"
Fung's voice actually broke slightly as that exclamation erupted from his mouth, and he covered it with a hoof out of embarrassment.  The question had just caught him off-guard, and was so far from his mindset.  Courting a princess of Equestria?  Was that even possible for a normal citizen?  Almost against his will, Fung's mind began to wander, imagining Luna's long ethereal mane and lustrous coat...

Viciously, Fung shook his head and dispelled the thoughts.  Luna was beautiful, yes, but well beyond his league.  He would not embarass her and himself with such a foolish gift.
"No, no just friends.  Well, not friends exactly...we have never met before, though that's more my fault than hers.  I suppose this is both an apology for the belated introduction as well as a gift of friendship."

Pansy nodded, smiling.  "In that case, we'll go with a Four O'Clock flower around the base, and a couple Night Gladiolus in the center.  The Four O'Clocks won't bloom until evening, so it will look simple until night time, and then it will be spectacular."  She arranged the plants to give a rough approximation of how the arrangement would look.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Gladiolus: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKcwq3RTV7E
Four O'Clocks: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirabilis_jalapa

---

Now Fung really was impressed.  From what Fung knew about Princess Luna, this arrangement would be absolutely perfect.  The nighttime blooms would be an excellent fit for Luna.  In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, the Night Gladiolus conveyed sincerity or strength of character in some aspects.  This was quite lucky considering this was a purchase made on short notice.
"That is perfect!  I'm sure she'll find it appealing.  The symbolism isn't bad either."

Considering he had already confided his idea with this pony, Fung decided to go a bit further and ask her advice on the gift.  She was obviously a more seasoned member of town, so she may have more insight into Luna's character.
"Do you think she'll appreciate a gift like this?  I confess, this was all I could think of with so little time to prepare, what with this surprise Moon-raising tonight."

Pansy grinned and then started to pick out a pot.  The flowers were white and multi-colored.  Luna was a dusk-color...did she have a pot that matched?  Digging, digging, ah!  Yes! There it was.

"Well, I haven't actually met Princess Luna.  But hopefully she'll appreciate the gesture, even if she's not a plant lover,"  Pansy replied, as she worked on putting the pot together.  Since the plants had already been positioned, it was just filling in the pot now.  She added a little bit of mossy cover on the soil surface so dirt wouldn't go everywhere, and tied a ribbon just under the rim of the pot.  "She seemed very nice when I saw her earlier, talking with some of the other local ponies while walking through town.  She doesn't seem like the kind to want something super fancy just because it's fancy."

The finishing touch was a care card.  Some ponies didn't need them or want them, but Pansy always included them with all her arrangements.  In this case, the four o'clocks could get out of control if they weren't trimmed back regularly.  She filled it out, using the pencil deftly with her mouth, and tucked it in among the foliage with the shop logo facing out.

"There we go!  I hope she likes it.  I'm excited about the Moon-Raising tonight too.  Maybe I'll see you there when you give it to her."  She found a strong basket to set the pot in so that Fung Shui could carry it easily.

Her judgement made sense, and followed along the same general lines as Fung's.  He took the basket from her gratefully, balancing it in his mouth quite easily.
"Thank you very much.  I am certain Princess Luna will appreciate this.  If you would tell me your name, I'd happily tell the Princess where I purchased the arrangement when I present it to her."
Plant lover or not, he was sure Luna would want to know where he had gotten such a wonderful arrangement on such short notice.  Unless she assumed he'd been growing it in anticipation of her next visit.  Which would be unfortunate.

"Oh, I'm Pansy.  I'd shake your hoof, but it's a little dirty," she replied, happily.  Pointing to the card hidden in the foliage, she added, "My shop's name is also on the card.  I'd be honored if you mentioned me when you give it to her."  Pansy accompanied Fung to the door.  "And of course, if you have any other plant needs, I'm your pony!" The mare beamed a little.  She was very proud of her little shop.

In place of the hoof, Fung bowed his head slightly as a show of thanks, careful not to drop the basket.
"I am Fung Shui.  You can be sure I will be visiting again.  I have been contemplating a small garden for some time, but couldn't find the motivation.  With such a well stocked shop in town, I don't have much excuse.  It was a pleasure meeting you!  Perhaps I will see you at the Moon-raising."
Offering up a small smile and a wave, Fung exited the shop with his flowers in jaw.

-->Exit to Ponyville Town Square

Well, that had been a nice little interlude.  And a gift for Princess Luna, from her shop, no less!  It would make any pony skip as they went back to their work.  And she couldn't very well leave those cucumber seeds just sitting out there.  She needed to finish planting them, and then give them a nice healthy drink of water.

Pansy spent the whole day working around the shop.  It was a slow day, probably because everybody was excited for the Moon-Raising tonight.  As the day went to mid-afternoon, she started to close up the shop.  Maybe she'd have a chance to wander the square and see the Princess before the ceremony.

--->From Ponyville Business District

Arriving at the flower shop Rook had to suppress a spike of panic as he saw the shopkeep already getting ready to close her store as well.

Galloping towards her he shouted, "E-excuse me, Miss! Wait please!"

He hoped he wasn't too late. His date with China hadn't even begun yet and it was already starting to looking shaky.

Pansy looked up from where she had been watering the peonies outside, one of her last chores.  "Hm?"  She set the watering can to the side.  "Oh, I'm not closed just yet.  What do you need?"  Of course she wasn't going to turn away a potential customer.  Especially when she had so few to begin with.

Rook cantered to a stop a short distance from the mare. He paused for a bit raising his hoof in a 'one moment' gesture, and steadied his breathing before speaking again.

"I was wondering if you could make a flower arrangement for me. A, ah, bouquet if you'd please."

He explained further, a hint of nervousness creeping back into his voice. "You see, its... its for my date tonight and I'm kind of playing this whole thing by ear. S-so I thought that some flowers would be a good thing to give her. On the date. Tonight. With her. _Yeah," he finished lamely.

'Steady, Rook, steady.'

"Oh, a bouquet!  Never a bad choice.  Come in, come in," Pansy replied with excitement as she motioned for the young stallion to follow her.  "Do you know what colors she likes?"  Pansy went into the conservatory and started gathering supplies.  For a bouquet, she needed ribbon, and probably some tissue paper, and something to protect the bottom so it didn't drip on the lucky lady.

Rook followed the florist inside her shop. Inside he looked around; he never knew a store could be so... green. There were so many plants that he didn't recognize.

Her question jarred him out of his observations. China's favorite color? "I- well um no. We- I... It was a spur of the moment kinda thing. China and I were kinda only regular acquaintances before this and..." Was... was it getting hot in here? "D- do you know a, ah, a general arrangement I could use?" he asked weakly.

"Well, you can never go wrong with roses, but a full dozen would probably be a bit much," Pansy mused as she snipped a few things from the various plants. "For a first date, let's keep it small. A pair of pink roses and some blue forget-me-nots. Oh! And some baby's breath." The gardening pony placed the flowers together to give a rough approximation of the arrangement.

Rook just nodded along with Pansy's explanation, too busy trying not hyperventilate to provide any real commentary.

'Easy there, Rook. Deep breaths. Just stick to the plan and everything will turn out alright.'

"W-well if you think that would be the best way to go about it."

"Don't be so nervous! Everypony loves flowers!" Pansy tried to reassure the obviously nervous pony beside her. Best to just make it so he wouldn't stress about if he made the right choices.  She selected a bright red ribbon and tied the little bundle together.  It was a little rustic, but this was Ponyville, not Canterlot. And it would be easier to carry this way. "Here you go.  Try to have a good time and don't fret too much."

'She's right you know. You're fretting too much. Relax.'

Rook took a calming breath and nodded. "You're right. I-I need to stop worrying about the date itself and-and enjoy the my time with her."

'Not fooling anyone kid.'

Rook ignored the voice and pulled out his wallet. "So, how much is it for the bouquet?"

"You're taking her to the Moon-Raising tonight?  Then it's on the house.  My roses needed a little pruning anyway."  Pansy gave Rook a wink and then a smile.

Rook waffled for a moment, debating to himself if he should pay anyway. Deciding for once to just take the offer, he reluctantly put away his wallet. With a glow of magic, he accepted the bouquet from the mare.

He gave a short bow then smiled back. "T-thank you for the generous gift, Miss. I hope you get to enjoy the Moon Raising as well."

With that, he turned and made his way out of the store, gift in tow. For once he felt confident that maybe, maybe things will go well tonight.

Exit to Ponyville Business District--->

Pansy waved goodbye to Rook, mentally wishing him good luck.  She cleaned up the mess she had made from the bouquet, and then went to finish watering outside.  Her chores were soon finished, and she soon trotted off to see what else was happening in town.

-->To Town Square

The day after the Moon Raising, Pansy slept in late.  It was a lazy morning, and the events of the night before were a happy memory she rolled around in her head as she worked through her morning chores.  The mare hummed a happy tune, wondering how late Wordsmith was going to sleep in.  The thought of his goodbye kiss last night made her cheeks flush pink all over again.

She hoped that wouldn't make it awkward later, as she was sort of going to end up being his boss.

-> From Summer Song Cafe ->

Wordsmith hummed a small tune as he used his magic to carry the coffee so carefully made by Merriweather.  He had almost forgotten his notebook too, from when Fung Shui sat down, but he had remembered it at the last moment.

He'd have freaked, honestly, if he forgot the thing.

Now he was in sight of Pansy's shop, though he didn't recall her offering the name... could be he had just forgotten she told him

But, as she was doing her chores, he spotted her sweeping the front step.

He trotted up and smiled, "Good morning Boss Lady" he chuckled again, lightning teasing her.

Pansy's head shot up as she stopped sweeping.  She leaned the broom against the door frame as she trotted out to meet him.  "Good morning!  I hope you slept well.  Let me show you around."  She proceeded to lead him into the shop.  "This is the shop, and through that door is my conservatory.  Around the back is the real garden.  The plants in here are a little more delicate."

Wordsmith smiled warmly and nodded as he followed her into the shop. "Very cute place." He commented, inhaling gently, "huh? Oh... I didn't sleep.  After you left I just wandered around but -um- I ended getting a second wind... so, yeah." He blushed sheepishly.

He looked around, smiling, "such vivid colors and gentle scents.  Delicate but distinct.  I'm not a gardner but I can certainly appciate the hard work you put into all this." He sipped his coffee, the brew smelling strong, "Though I'm sorry not to have brought you breakfast or something."

"Ah-- I have to admit... I'm not sure what a conservatory of plants is or does.  Is that like a hot-house or something similar?" Again he blushed, a little embarrassed he didn't know.

"Oh, yes.  It's basically an attachment to the building that acts like a greenhouse.  It keeps things warm and humid, which is good for young plants, or plants that don't like cold."  She decided to demonstrate by opening the door, and a great puff of warm moist air entered the room.  "A lot of my rarer plants are in there.  Things from the Everfree forest, far off plants from other countries.  A lot of the flowers I use for bouquets."

He peeked his head in, looking around, "oooh. Pretty spiffy, boss lady."

Moving back so she could close the door, Wordsmith wiped some sweat that had started to bead, "dang. That was fast!" He laughed.

Pansy laughed as she closed the door behind him.  "Yeah, it gets hot working in there.  But you probably won't be in there very often.  You'll be in here, helping customers, most likely.  Sometimes getting the heavier items out is a little hard for me."  She pointed a hoof at the sacks of soil along the back wall, sitting next to some giant ceramic pots.

Wordsmith hunkered down, jutting out his bottom jaw and furrowing his brow.

He grunted.

"Me Wordsmith move big thingies!" he snorted, "Me lift heavy thingies!"

Pansy couldn't help but bust out laughing.  It was such an over-the-top act.  What other reaction was there?  Once she calmed down a bit, she managed to say, "Now, don't go hurting yourself.  They really are heavy."

After getting him settled in, Pansy went to work in the conservatory for a little while.  The plants in there needed a lot more care than just a bit of watering.  But after being in there for only a few minutes, she came back out.

"Oh dear.  It appears I'm out of one of my most important herbs.  And it only grows in the Everfree.  You wouldn't mind coming out there with me, would you?  It's dangerous to go alone, and you had said that you wanted to explore it."

He grunted at her laughing, "No laugh!  Word smash!!" though he couldn't keep from grinning.  Giving her a nod at her warning he straightend his face up, "don't worry Pansy, I'll be careful."

Then... they got to work.  She showed him what to do and he listened, then she went to the hot house while he minded the store.

He looked up from his notebook as she came in, "Sure!  Sounds like fun." he smiled.  He put his notebook back into his cargo vest pocket, tossed away the double-layer to-go cup, now empty, and moved to the door to open it for her like a gentlestallion would.

"Shall we?" he smiled at her.



=> Exit to Adventure Zone 006 - Into The Woods =>

Pansy nodded, grabbing a sack with her usual supplies for going into the Everfree: a small shovel, a field journal, ink and a couple quills, and some lightweight fabric and twine for wrapping the plants.  She wasn't going to go to the Everfree unprepared.

To Adventure Zone 006 - Into the Woods -->

Coming up to the shop, Poppy took off her skates, and reached for the door handle, about to burst with excitement - she could smell all of the wonderful plants from out here.

<<< FROM: Ponyville Schoolhouse

Xing followed Poppy at a brisk pace, not wanting to slow the wheeled pony down too much by her own short legs and their limited stride. She could smell the scents as well from the outside, unusual flowers that didn't bloom in Shanghay, along with still familiar scents of compost, dirt, and fertilizer.

"What kind of... flowers do you grow here? Or is it... is it just 'all kinds'?" she asked curiously. She knew nothing about plants or gardens, and didn't know if different types of plants had to have different places to grow or not.

=> From School! =>

Bumblebee landed, looking around with the other young ponies and blinked, "Ah... Ah don' think anyone is here..."

"Guess not," Poppy agreed. "Bummer - I guess I'll have to try again tomorrow." She brightened a bit. "But if you wanna see what kinds of flowers we have here, Xing Ming, you guys could come over to my house and I could show you? I've got the flowers all planted," she giggled.

"Sure, I would... like that," said Xing with a smile. She turned to Bumblebee. "Are you coming, too?"

Bumblebee nodded, "Ah'd love ta!  Mighty kinda ya Poppy." she grinned widely

"No problem - let's go," Poppy giggled, putting her skates back on.

-->To Avagadra's Treehouse

With a smile and an eager sort of giddiness only a pony who loved to learn could display about a subject she was totally foreign to, Xing followed Poppy and Bumblebee at a quick trot to keep up with the older girls.

>>> To: Ava's Treehouse

=> To Ava's Treehouse =>

Bumblebee hovered over the group, making sure Xing could keep up with them, zipping back and forth so neither would be lonely on the walk to Poppy's house

--> From Adventure Zone 006

Pansy chose to return immediately to her garden shop.  They'd been gone at least a couple days, and her poor plants, while resilient, would need her there for special care.  "I'm sorry, guys, I need to set my shop to rights.  Who knows what's happened while we were gone."  And she had the two new plants in her pack.

In fact, that's what she started to do immediately, finding a few simple pots for the new flowers and setting them in a secluded place away from her others.

As Pansy went about tending to her plants, she'd find them all a bit different than she remembered.  Her plants were all in wonderful condition and looked as though they'd been tended to in the meantime.  Some of the blossoms she'd had just as buds before she left the shop were in full bloom, or ferns had grown several inches taller.  That sure was odd... and more notably, she'd catch a curious sound coming from behind the main counter.

SNNRRRRRK~!  Whooooo~  SNNNRRRRRK~!  Whoooo~

Snoring?  Peering behind the counter would reveal a Pony Pansy knew well -- Roseluck; a friend, neighbor, and fellow gardener.  The mare was fast asleep slumped over the counter and had been hidden from sight at first by all the potted plants laden about.  But why in the world was she there in the first place?
This message was last edited by the player at 06:39, Tue 01 Jan 2013.

Pansy was surprised at the state of her plants.  Surely two days away without regular watering would have left them worse off.  The state of her shop was much better upon discovering Roseluck there.

The gardening pony nudged her sleeping friend gently with a hoof.  "Roseluck.  Hey, wake up sleepy-head."  If that failed to work, she'd grab a particularly ticklish leaf and tickle Roseluck's ears.

It did indeed take a few moments of tickling to get the sleepy gardener to rouse, leaving her snorting and mumbling as she jostled herself into wakefulness.  For a second she blinked blearily at Pansy while her faculties returned to her, but once she realized who it was that had woken her up, she snapped to attention.

"Pansy!" Roseluck yelped before she caught the other Earth Pony in a tight squeeze.  "You're finally back~!  Where have you been?!  Where's your beau at?"

Pansy was more than a little surprised at Roseluck's enthusiasm.  "Finally back?  My beau?  What do you mean?"  The young mare was very confused.  She knew they had been gone for a few days, but, did that really merit that response?

"I just got lost in the Everfree forest for a couple days.  A little longer than usual, I know.  Did I miss much?"

"Oh c'mon Pansy, you don't need to keep up an act around me~!  Wordsmith!" Roseluck insisted as she relinquished her hold on her friend.  "You skip town with a Canterlot stallion for more than a week and you don't expect me to want details?  C'mon, spill~!  Were you dating him before?  Or was this some kind of whirlwind romance?"
This message was last edited by the player at 22:12, Thu 03 Jan 2013.

"A--A week?" Pansy stepped back, visibly alarmed.  "It was only a couple days--we couldn't have been gone a week!"

"And Wordsmith and I aren't dating!  We just met!  He just offered to keep me company while I went to get new plants!  He was new in town and I wanted him to feel welcome--"  She was babbling.  She'd never been the subject of any rumors before, so to suddenly come back to not only having lost a week, but also a story of wild romance centered around her and Wordsmith...It was more than a little startling.

"Look, I know time flies when you're having fun, but it shouldn't go by that unnoticed." Roseluck gestured to the calender on the wall and, by the red X marks crossed through the days, showed that time was indeed much further along than Pansy first thought.  "Now you've gotta tell me what you two were up to~!  Did you go on a trip?  Somewhere romantic?  Are you two a serious item?  Does he have a brother?"

The eager Earth Pony let Pansy explain herself, though her enthusiasm notably deflated once her friend set the record straight.  Her ears flopped back and she gave a disappointed pout that things weren't really what they seemed.  "Aww... really?  Geeze, and here I went and got my hopes up.  That's no fun."  she grumbled as she rubbed at her chin thoughtfully.  "Well, if you two didn't run off together, where the hay have you been all this time?  You can't honestly have been walking around in the woods for that long and not noticed it?"

Pansy couldn't tell Roseluck where she had really been.  The Queen herself had said that everyone would think she was crazy.  "Well, it was the Everfree.  You know how that place can turn you in circles over and over."  It was a weak explanation, and she knew it.

"Look at what I found though!"  A distraction, that's what she needed.  She quickly found the two new flowers that she had brought home.  "Tell me these weren't worth getting lost for a week."

"Fine, fine... I guess a mare needs to keep her secrets."  Roseluck obviously didn't buy the story but at least backed off her interrogation since it seemed she wasn't going to be getting anywhere with it.  When Pansy presented her with the little folded paper boxes containing those unusual flowers, however, quizzing her about her love life was set as the furthest thing in her mind.

"Whoa!  Pansy, these are beautiful~!  What are they?" she marveled over the vibrant colors of the blossoms.  She'd never seen anything like them in her life!

"Well, I don't know for sure.  I've never seen anything like them!  I want to call this one a Gilded Lily, and this one a Prism Bloom," she pointed to each of the flowers in turn.  She was, of course, stealing the names, but certainly nobody would mind.  It was always best to call something by its real name, right?

"I'm hoping I can grow more of them."  She gingerly touched one of the leaves with her hoof.

"Well, let me know if you manage it.  I'd love to try and grow some of my own, or maybe cross-breed this rose with my variety~!" Roseluck seemed entirely captivated by the brilliant colors of the blossoms.  Part of her really wanted to ask to try a petal and see how they tasted, but if those were the only samples Pansy had, then it would be too risky to damage them.

"Ooh... Daisy and Lily are going to want to hear about this too.  But they're gonna be really disappointed that you didn't elope.  We were all excited about it." the gossip-mare couldn't help but pout as she cast her friend a sidelong look.  "Are you sure you two aren't in some kind of whirlwind romance?"

"I'm sure.  As I said, we've only known each other a couple of days.  That kind of thing doesn't happen in Ponyville," Pansy replied.  "If you don't believe me, you could always find Wordsmith and ask him."

She set about transplanting the flowers into proper pots.  They couldn't stay in the hastily assembled paper boxes forever.  "Of course if I get more I'll share.  After all, we all love flowers."

Roseluck stuck around to help Pansy out with the transplanting.  She'd tried to keep the shop in the same sort of order that Pansy had left it earlier that week, but she was running a little low on supplies like fresh mulch and soil conditioner by that point.  Once the two unusual flowers were safely in their own planters, she gave her friend a warm hug about the shoulders.

"Thanks, and it's really good to have you back again.  Any longer and I would have figured you'd moved to Canterlot."  she winked playfully even though the whole matter had since been cleared.  "I'm gonna get home now, but if you need anything else, you just give me a house call, okay?"

"Of course,"  Pansy replied as she warmly returned the hug.  "Thanks for covering the shop for me.  Think I'll be able to show my face around town tomorrow without causing a stir?"  She made a face as she momentarily wondered how Wordsmith was taking the news.

"Don't worry -- I'll spread the word that it was just a false alarm." Roseluck assured her friend as she headed for the door.  "Besides, you know how Ponyville is.  In another day or two everypony will have forgotten all about it for the next bit of gossip."

This message was last edited by the GM at 03:04, Tue 23 June 2015.