“And you’re sure these ain’t from you?”
The flat look that Fluttershy gave Applejack was the exact same look that she had given her the first and second times she’d asked, and was just as effective at answering the question as a verbal response would have been. Actions often spoke louder than words, and that counted double when dealing with a pony who tended to keep her words on the quiet side to begin with.
“I kinda wish they were from you, Shy,” Applejack mused, turning the vase around to inspect the other side of the flower arrangement. “I reckon they’re the second-prettiest thing in the room right now.”
“Are you saying I don’t give you enough presents?” Fluttershy asked. She did her best to sound serious and intimidating, but the little smirk gave her away.
“You’re all the present I need, sugarcube,” Applejack replied, smirking a bit herself. “But you gotta admit, it’s a real nice bouquet. Real fancy-like.”
“They must be from Roseluck’s” Fluttershy mused. “She and her friends grow the most beautiful flowers.” The pegasus leaned in to sniff the flowers for the fifth time since they’d set them on the table and the seventh since they’d discovered them on the farmhouse porch. They still smelled the same, but when the same was this fragrant, it was okay to want to experience the same again and again.
“Could be,” Applejack answered, her nose almost touching Fluttershy’s. The idea of sniffing the flowers again was apparently contagious. “Think she’ll tell us who bought them?”
“It depends,” Fluttershy responded. “She might feel strongly about customer confidentiality.” Another sniff. This time, it was the little patch of lavender on her side, a patch which she felt was being neglected for the gardenias in her previous sniffs. It was always nice to spread the attention around. “Mmm…”
“Guess that’s possible,” Applejack said. “Though I don’t really see why.”
“You don’t give away your customers’ information,” Fluttershy offered as she trotted around to Applejack’s side of the table. There were far too many sniffing opportunities that she hadn’t explored on this side.
“Well of course I don’t,” Applejack said. She leaned in to sniff again, but was met with a squeak and a faceful of pink mane for her efforts. She sniffed anyway. Fluttershy had the best taste in shampoo. “Why should it be anypony’s business what kinds of apples each pony ord-“
Applejack was sure that Fluttershy was giving her a side-eye, but was unwilling to remove her face from her partner’s mane to verify.
“…Ohh. Right,” the farmer said, chuckling softly. “Fair enough.”
“You’re a silly pony,” Fluttershy said, turning away from the flowers to plant a kiss on Applejack’s cheek. “I really am curious about who sent them though.”
“And who they’re for,” Applejack said. Just then, the sound of the front door being flung open finally pulled the two away from the flowers and each other.
“Land’s sake, where are they?” Granny Smith exclaimed, moving about as fast as one would have expected her to move. Although maybe it was the tiniest bit faster. The Apple family matron had a frantic look in her eyes as she scanned the room, before finally settling her gaze on the vase and the two ponies flanking it.
“You…uh…looking for these, Granny?” Applejack asked, giving a nod towards the flowers.
It was rare for Granny Smith to be at a loss for words. The old mare could give Pinkie Pie a run for her money in the talking department, although Pinkie had her soundly beaten as far as talking speed went. Right now, though, not a single syllable was leaving her mouth.
“Is everything okay, Granny?” Fluttershy asked, deciding to break the awkward silence after a few moments.
“Of course!” Granny replied, just a bit too quickly. “Why wouldn’t it be? Everything’s peachier than punch!” It wasn’t one of her stronger colloquialisms, but the two let it slide.
“Well,” Applejack said, one eyebrow raised firmly in the air. “You kinda went quiet on us soon as we asked you ‘bout these here flowers.”
“Yeah, course they’re for me!” Granny shouted, shuffling over to the table and snatching the vase. A helpful slide into position from Fluttershy stopped the momentum from toppling the older mare and nudged her back to her hooves proper. “Why wouldn’t they be? You think a pony my age can’t have a suitor? Love ain’t just for the young, you know! Thinkin’ I can’t get a nice bouquet just on account of I got a lotta mileage on these bones…fiddle faddle, that’s what it is! Fiddle faddle and malarkey!”
Applejack and Fluttershy stared at each other, dumbfounded. Granny could have a temper at times, but this was something else.
“Nopony said that, Granny,” Applejack offered, doing her best to try and calm the situation. “In fact, I think it’s plumb sweet that you caught somepony’s eye.” Fluttershy nodded in approval, and as if a switch had been flipped, Granny’s mood changed from dour to pleasant.
“Well good!” Granny said, now having finally balanced the vase on her back–whether or not she was aware of Fluttershy’s wing steadying it was uncertain. “Then I’m sure y’all won’t mind not asking me ‘bout it anymore.”
“Uh…sure?” Applejack responded.
“That’s a good filly,” Granny said, giving Applejack a smile. “Always did know how to respect your elders. Hey Flutterbutter, you mind helping an old mare with her flowers?”
“Already on it, Granny,” Fluttershy replied.
“Good!” Granny said, starting to head towards the stairs. “And would the two of you mind picking up some syrup from the market?” Whatever else Granny was asking faded into the distance as she and Fluttershy headed upstairs.
Applejack stared after the two as they left. In all her years, she couldn’t remember Granny ever looking for a partner. If she had, she certainly hadn’t mentioned it before. Which made sense, in all honesty. She could see how talking to one’s granddaughter about potential love interests might feel just a bit peculiar. But that made more sense for when she was younger. Of course she could handle it in a mature fashion now that she was a grown mare.
“What a lovely bouquet that was,” Fluttershy mused as she returned from upstairs. “It’s so nice that Granny’s found a love interest.”
“Yeah,” Applejack stated. “And we gotta find out who it is.”
“We do?” Fluttershy asked, head cocked to the side. “Why?”
“You can’t tell me you ain’t the tiniest bit curious,” Applejack said, now pacing back and forth. “Not even a little?”
“Oh, of course I am,” Fluttershy responded. “But, um, didn’t Granny Smith tell us not to ask about it anymore?”
“She told us not to ask her ‘bout it anymore,” Applejack said, grinning almost diabolically. “Never said not to ask others.”
“I…guess you’re right about that,” Fluttershy conceded.
“Sure am!” Applejack insisted. “We’re heading to the market now anyway, right? Couldn’t hurt to ask around.”
“If you’re sure…” Fluttershy said, smiling awkwardly.
“Then let’s go!” Applejack said, striding towards the front door and holding the door for her partner. “We’ll find this out yet!”
“I guess we will,” Fluttershy responded, plodding out of the farmhouse.
~~~~~~~~~~
When trying to gain information from an unwitting or unwilling source, there were many schools of thought on just what was the best way to do so. It was a subject that ponies all across Equestrian debated, with some even holding seminars on the topic. Throughout all of the discussion, however, there was one fact that was almost unanimously agreed upon: subtlety was key.
“So…sell any bouquets goin’ to Granny Smith recently?”
Applejack and subtlety hadn’t been introduced.
“Excuse me?” Roseluck asked. The question was incredulous and her tone of voice purposely accentuated that fact, but even a facehoof from Fluttershy didn’t manage to bring that to Applejack’s attention.
“I was just wondering if you’d sold any flowers that were gonna be a gift for Granny Smith,” Applejack responded. “A beautiful bouquet came to Sweet Apple Acres and she said it was hers, and Fluttershy and I were just wondering who might’ve bought ‘em on account of-“
“Are you joking?” Roseluck asked. The discussion had gotten the attention of Daisy and Lily, who had stopped arranging the chrysanthemums once they heard their bestie raise her voice. Fluttershy was currently attempting to turn invisible as the fact that this might have been a bad idea started to dawn on Applejack.
“Uh…” Applejack muttered. “…No?” It wasn’t like Applejack to cow away, especially from a pony that typically wasn’t known to be an intimidating force. Roseluck was a sweet little pony most of the time, but there was a particular fire in her eyes that seemed to steal the farmer’s voice.
“Applejack,” Roseluck said sternly. “You sell your apples in the market, right?”
“Yeah?” Applejack answered, feeling almost like a little filly under a grown pony’s judging gaze.
“Then you should know that you shouldn’t give away your customers’ information,” Roseluck stated. “Why should it be anypony’s business what each customer orders and what they’re doing with it?”
“I tried to tell her that,” Fluttershy said quietly, though just barely loudly enough to get a nod of approval from the flower salespony.
“Yeah…you’re right,” Applejack said, keenly aware of the eyes on her. “I’m real sorry, Roseluck.”
“It’s fine, Applejack,” Roseluck said, the brief fire in her eyes having been quelled by the apology. “I guess I could forgive you on one condition.”
~~~~~~~~~~
“She can be scary sometimes,” Applejack groaned as she walked down the road towards the farm.
“Mhm,” Fluttershy said, sniffing her newly-bought daffodil bracelet as she flew lazily alongside her partner. “Thank you, by the way.”
“Any time,” Applejack responded, before letting out a sigh. “So I guess we ain’t gonna find out who bought those flowers for Granny Smith.”
“We could still figure out a way,” Fluttershy answered. “But we’re not going to do it by just asking directly.”
“You got another idea?” Applejack asked, giving Fluttershy a side-eye. It wasn’t like her to be devious, but the way she said that certainly sounded that way.
“In the bushes,” Fluttershy whispered.
“Fluttershy,” Applejack said, “This is hardly the time for a secret smooching.”
“In the bushes!” Fluttershy said more urgently, nudging her partner. Applejack decided not to question further and ducked into the nearby azaleas, Fluttershy quickly following her.
“Well, if you insist,” Applejack said. She started to kiss down Fluttershy’s neck, but was quickly rebuked by a wing.
“Look!” Fluttershy whispered, using that wing to point towards the road. Applejack fought off her disappointment at the rejected smooching and looked where Fluttershy was pointing. Two sets of eyes gazed out of the bush, and both sets widened as they caught sight of a pony further up the road and heading towards them. The pony was too far away to make out exactly who it was, but the silhouette of a vase on their head was much clearer.
“That must be our pony!” Applejack whisper-shouted. “That vase is the same kinda vase that Granny’s flowers came in! Good eye, Fluttershy!”
“Thanks, hon,” Fluttershy responded, smiling proudly. “Now come on. If we move quickly and quietly enough, we can follow this convenient line of shrubbery and find out who that is without being seen.”
Half of Fluttershy’s sentence had been spoken for a grand audience of zero ponies, because Applejack had already taken off through the greenery. Fluttershy rolled her eyes and smiled, then followed suit.
The two ponies bounded through the bushes, trying their best to make haste without making too much noise. Applejack’s propensity for stealth was about on par with her typical level of subtlety, but she was focused, and many things were possible when one focused on them.
“So why are you so interested in who’s sending flowers to Granny Smith anyway?” Fluttershy whispered as she ducked under an errant branch.
“Cause she’s my granny!” Applejack replied, just barely avoiding scratching her hat on a bramble.
“Of course,” Fluttershy said. “But she’s a grown mare who can make her own choices.”
“Course she is,” Applejack said as she slipped into the last bush in the line. “But I’ve still got my concerns.” She peered between the branches, all ready to catch a good look at the pony. “And maybe there are some ponies I ain’t willing to call Grampy.”
“I guess I can see that,” Fluttershy said, sliding into place next to Applejack. “But still, you should let her handle things, shouldn’t you? I get being concerned, but I mean…if a member of my family was involved, I wouldn’t get as flustered as you are right now, and I would prefer to let them do their thing.”
“Uh…Fluttershy?”
“Yes, AJ?”
“You might want to think about that statement a bit.”
Fluttershy raised a brow, then followed Applejack’s pointing hoof and looked through the branches, finally catching sight of the pony in question. The colors and frame of said pony made the pegasus’s jaw drop.
“”Zephyr Breeze?!”
~~~~~~~~~~
“It doesn’t make sense…it just doesn’t make any sense.”
The befuddled Fluttershy flopped onto her rump, hooves pressed against her temples. The look of despondency on her face was unmatched by anything Applejack had seen before. The moment to intercept Zephyr had come and gone, the vase-carrying pegasus now nearly out of sight.
“Now…c’mon, Shy,” Applejack offered weakly. “What happened to not getting as flustered as I was?” She was trying to keep strong for the moment, but she was feeling about as miserable as Fluttershy looked right now.
“This is different!” Fluttershy exclaimed, causing a nearby raccoon to scamper at the noise. “My brother is trying to court your grandma!”
“Yeah…” Applejack muttered. “You put it that way and I can’t really blame you for the reaction.
“The age difference alone!” Fluttershy moaned as she paced back and forth. “I mean, they’re both adults, but…but…really!”
“I ain’t arguing with you on that, sugarcube,” Applejack offered.
“And what does this mean for us?!” Fluttershy shouted, grabbing Applejack by the shoulders and pulling her close with a degree of power that she usually saved for more private situations. “If they get married, that would mean that I’m dating my step-grand-niece!”
“Whoa whoa, slow down!” Applejack interjected, hoping that the volume and force of the shout would counteract the shiver that the statement sent down her spine. “Let’s not go talking ‘bout marriage! Maybe…maybe…”
The farmer’s eyes lit up. “Maybe we got it all wrong! Maybe he’s just bringing that vase to the market for another reason!”
“Most ponies put flowers in vases!” Fluttershy insisted.
“Well, yeah,” Applejack conceded. “But heck, we don’t know for sure that he’s getting flowers for Granny, do we? All we know for sure is that he’s bringing a vase to the market. Maybe he’s getting flowers for somepony else?”
“Maybe!” Fluttershy said, a bit too loudly and a bit too desperately. “Come on! We need to sneak to the market and find out if that’s the case!”
“Alright…” Applejack said. “But, uh, I don’t reckon there’s enough bushes to go back that-“
Applejack’s thought was interrupted by a loud ripping sound. The farmer let out a yelp and fell to the ground, covering her head. It was then that she noticed the roots of the bush. As a farmer, she knew quite a bit about plants, and one of the principal things about most plants was that their roots were buried underground. This had formerly been true of this particular bush, but judging from the evidence in front of her, it appeared that Fluttershy had decided to see to that.
“Let’s go!” Fluttershy demanded, holding the uprooted bush in her forelegs.
~~~~~~~~~~
If Zephyr Breeze was aware of the seemingly-sentient bush following him into the market, he certainly wasn’t showing it. Nor was anypony else, for that matter. On a busy market day, ponies often focused on nothing but the tasks at hoof, and to the benefit of Applejack and Fluttershy, today was a busy market day. The bush zipped and zoomed from stall to stall, but there was commerce going on, and commerce didn’t simply stop for shrubbery.
“Goooood afternoon, Miss Rose!” Zephyr sang as he strode up to the flower stand, the bush parking itself at the tomato stand just nearby. “Daisy, looking sharp as always! Lily, is that a new flower in your mane? Filly, you always know how to smell as sweet as you are!”
In the bush, Applejack held back a retch. Their cover would have been the second thing that was blown if she didn’t.
“Hello again, Zephyr,” Roseluck replied, giving him a sweet smile. “Back again so soon?”
“See?” Fluttershy whispered to Applejack as the two watched from their inexplicably-successful hiding spot. “He was here recently! That proves it!”
“Not necessarily,” Applejack responded. “He could have been here getting flowers for somepony else.”
“Doesn’t that seem too coincidental?” Fluttershy asked.
“Just…let me stay in denial a bit longer, hon?” Applejack requested as she anxiously rubbed her hooves together.
“You know it!” Zephyr answered, putting on an award-winning smile. What award it would have won was uncertain. “Half here for the flowers, half to see the smiles on your faces, and I can’t decide which is prettier.”
“Maybe the flowers are for one of them?” Applejack offered.
“You think he’s buying flowers from them to give right back to them as a gift?” Fluttershy asked. “What would you do if somepony did that to you with your apples?”
“I’d pocket the bits and enjoy a tasty treat,” Applejack said matter-of-factly.
Fluttershy updated her mental Rolodex of potential everyday gifts for her marefriend.
“So charming,” Roseluck said, though a salespony like Applejack could recognize a customer service smile anywhere. “Are you sure you should be flirting with us when buying flowers for somepony else?”
“Ohh, come on now, fillies,” Zephyr chuckled. “Its just some nice words for some nice ponies. You three all know my heart belongs to another.”
“Is he like this all the time?” Applejack asked.
“He once asked the mailpony if she’d fallen from heaven,” Fluttershy said. “He was 8.”
“That’s somehow both adorable and disturbing,” Applejack muttered.
“There you go!” Zephyr said, depositing bits into the trio’s jar and leaning his vase-topped head down.
“And there YOU go!” Roseluck responded, filling the vase with a lovely arrangement. “Thank you so much!”
“No no, thank YOU,” Zephyr said as he turned to trot away.
“See?” Fluttershy said, watching her brother pass their bush.
“I mean…” Applejack stammered. “We still don’t know if those are for Granny or not…”
“You know,” Roseluck shouted after Zephyr, “Next time we can just deliver them to Sweet Apple Acres for you!”
Applejack and Fluttershy stared at one another. There was no denying it anymore.
“AFTER HIM!!!”
And with that, the two took off.
“Did that bush just shout AFTER HIM in two different voices?” Mr. Waddle asked from his table across the plaza, nudging his glasses up into place.
“You’re not getting out of this checkmate that easily, you old fuddy-duddy!” Mr. Greenhooves insisted, directing his rival’s focus back to their game.
~~~~~~~~~~
Zephyr could feel his heart racing as he strode along the road to Sweet Apple Acres. He knew that he had only just recently delivered a bouquet of flowers and hoped bringing another so soon wasn’t overdoing it, but he just couldn’t help himself. He was always quick to show affection to ponies in whom he was interested, but many of them typically weren’t keen on showing affection back. It was likely that they were just too intimidated by how charming and excellent he was, but the reason didn’t matter too much in this case.
Now, though? He knew just how much the target of his affection appreciated it, and with that in mind, he just couldn’t help himself. If flowers made them happy, then he would shower them with flowers. Whatever it took to know that he was making the object of his desires happy, he was more than willing to do. It wouldn’t be long now before he arrived at the farm and left the flowers on the porch once more. Nothing would get in his way.
Except that bush maybe.
Zephyr skidded to a halt as an errant bush zipped in front of him in a very un-bushlike manner. The vase, jostled from its perch, tumbled off of his head, and he quickly dove to save it. He was quick enough to throw his forelegs around it before it hit the ground, with the added consequence of landing not only in the bush, but on top of the two ponies who were apparently hidden inside.
“Ouch!” Applejack shouted. She assumed Fluttershy had shouted something similar, but it was currently being muffled by a faceful of her brother’s chest, so she couldn’t verify.
“Flutterbutter? Applejuice?” Zephyr asked, climbing off of the mares and dusting himself off. “This some kind of Nightmare Night practice? Think you might need a bigger costume.” Then his eyes widened, and he quickly shifted the vase behind his back. It was a futile effort, as the flowers were tall enough to remain seen, but the effort was there.
“It ain’t for Nightmare Night,” Applejack said, stepping out of the bush and helping Fluttershy do the same. “Though I think I’m dealing with a nightmare right now.”
“Oh yeah?” Zephyr asked, grinning awkwardly. “Anything I could help out with? You know how much I love helping my big sis and her marefriend, right? That’s the kind of pony I am, you know? The helpful kind!”
“You can start helping by explaining those flowers,” Fluttershy said.
“And why you’re bringing them to Sweet Apple Acres,” Applejack added.
“Ha ha, what?” Zephyr stammered, his voice cracking. “Now, heh, what in Equestria would ever give you that idea?”
“Maybe the fact that you’re walking down the road to the farm?” Applejack offered.
“There’s plenty of other stuff down this road!” Zephyr near-shouted. A bit of sweat began to form on his brow.
“Like…?” Fluttershy asked.
“Uhhh…” Zephyr responded. “The…uh…old…well?”
“The old well,” Applejack repeated.
“Who are you giving flowers to at the old well?” Fluttershy inquired, one brow raised perilously in the air.
“…A ghost?” Zephyr eventually responded. The scrutiny in the two mares’ stares caused him to take a step back. “You know…just because a pony’s passed on doesn’t mean they don’t deserve affection, right?”
“Colt, you’d best not think we’re gonna fall for a whopper like that,” Applejack said. Her eyes, dangerously narrow by this point, were focused squarely on the liar in front of her. While Fluttershy was not employing The Stare, she might as well have been with how effectively it was freezing Zephyr in place.
The lanky stallion stammered quietly. Zephyr was typically quite the talker. His ability to weave a verbal tapestry had gotten himself out of more than one tight situation in the past. With his big sister and her marefriend staring at him with fire in their eyes, though, that particular loom seemed to be temporarily indisposed. Despite his height, he felt like the two were towering over him, and before he could stop himself, he snapped under the pressure.
“Okay, fine!” Zephyr shouted, whipping the vase from behind his back. “Yeah, I’m bringing them to Sweet Apple Acres, okay? You got it! You caught me. But you know what? I don’t care! I’m not gonna let you two intimidate me out of bringing these flowers there! Yeah, maybe it might be weird for you two since you’re dating and all, but when you grasp true love in your hooves, you don’t let it go, and you don’t let anything stop you! I’m gonna fly there and make ‘em happy with these flowers, and there ain’t a pony in Equestria, from the littlest foal to Princess Celestia herself, that’s gonna get in my way!”
And with that, Zephyr leapt off the ground and took to the skies, taking off like a carefully-coiffed bullet. The two mares stood in silence for a moment as they watched him fly.
“Fine speech,” Applejack finally muttered, rubbing the back of her head with a hoof.
“Very impassioned,” Fluttershy agreed. “I wish he’d be that passionate about finding employment.”
“Mhm,” Applejack concurred.
The wind blew gently past the two.
“So are we following him?” Fluttershy asked.
“Darn straight we are,” Applejack asserted. And then the two of them zipped off as well.
~~~~~~~~~~
Granny Smith sat at the kitchen table. It was rare for her to catch a moment of silence in this house. At least one of her grandchildren was usually around, often with a friend or two in tow. And if it was Applejack, then Fluttershy tended to be right there as well, although she wasn’t one to make a lot of noise in most situations. Still, another pony present meant another source of noise. While Granny wasn’t the kind of pony to demand silence–far from it, actually–she wasn’t about to take this moment of peace for granted. Even Winona was keeping quiet, napping in her bed off in the corner of the room.
Granny sighed happily as she took in a sniff of the tea she’d just steeped. It was an apple cinnamon blend, ordered specially from her cousins over in Appleloosa. She could usually hear Braeburn’s voice shouting the town’s name every time she thought about it, but even that voice in her head stayed quiet for her today. She leaned in carefully, using the cinnamon stick poking out of the cup to take a small sip. The flavor was impeccable. The apple flavor dominated, but the cinnamon was still determined to make its presence known, poking through the tartness of the apple to add a hint of spice. It was perfect.
Granny’s eyes drifted closed as she savored the heavenly blend. If the dictionary included pictures with every definition, this exact scene would be found next to “serenity.”
And then the door flew open.
“Granny!” Applejack shouted, the first to make it through the door. “We gotta talk!”
“Granny!” Fluttershy exclaimed as she trailed behind Applejack.
“Granny!” Zephyr bellowed as he burst in behind his sister.
And then all three began talking. The dumbfounded Granny Smith stared at the three younger ponies as they tried to talk over one another. The din was cacophonous, and the poor mare could barely make out a single word from any of the three. The wild flailing limbs weren’t really helping either. It only took about ten seconds of this before Granny had enough.
“Consarnit, will y’all shut yer yaps?!” Granny shouted, silencing the three. “If y’all’re all talking at once I ain’t never gonna understand the lot of ya!”
“Sorry, Granny Smith,” the three said in unison.
“There you go again!” Granny spat. Her hoof collided with the table, and were she a more able-bodied pony, she might have even jostled her teacup. “Give an instruction and they go against it half a second later. I swear, what’s the world coming to?” She thought about it for a moment, then pointed at Applejack. “You! You’re first, child! Speak your mind!”
Applejack glanced over at the siblings. Fluttershy gave a supportive nod, while Zephyr didn’t look quite as pleased. Both of these were quite alright with Applejack as she turned back to Granny.
“Well, Granny,” Applejack began. “You know how we were asking about your flowers before? Well, we found Zephyr Breeze here buying flowers from the flower ponies and they said he was bringing them to Sweet Apple Acres and they were the same flowers and the same vase as your flowers so we realized that he was bringing the flowers to you and frankly Fluttershy and I have a problem with that because even if we take the age difference out of the equation there’s still the fact that Shy and I would feel real weird if my grandma was dating her brother and also I ain’t gonna call him Grampy no matter what anypony says so we were really hoping the two of you would reconsider?”
An utter silence filled the room. One might have expected a tumbleweed to pass through. A bit of sweat formed on Applejack’s brow as Fluttershy came up to pat her shoulder supportively. It wasn’t usually like her to speak up against her elders, but if there was ever a moment to do so, it was this one.
After a painful few seconds, the silence was finally broken by an outburst of laughter.
“What?” Granny said through her chortles. “Filly, are you pulling my leg?”
“Wha…no?” Applejack stammered, looking more than a bit taken aback. “Granny, I’m serious. I know I’m supposed to respect my elders but I just can’t feel comfortable with this.”
“Well that’s great!” Granny said, beaming. “Because that tall drink of water sure ain’t buying these flowers for me!”
Applejack and Fluttershy exchanged baffled stares, before turning them at Granny.
“But…you said those flowers were yours earlier,” Fluttershy said. Technically, she was speaking out of turn, but she wasn’t too concerned with that right now.
“I know what I said,” Granny replied. “And Applejack, I know how you feel about lying, so I’m awful sorry, but I had to keep a promise!”
“What kind of promise?“ Applejack asked.
“Why, the one I made your friend Zephyr over there!” Granny said. “Told him I’d keep all this a secret. These ain’t the first flowers he’s brought here! I’ve been hiding ‘em as they get here, but y’all found that bunch before I could get to them. So then I had to make up a story to keep my promise! So no, you ain’t gonna have to call him Grampy. Truth be told, he ain’t my type.”
“The feeling’s mutual,” Zephyr muttered. His face was bright red by this point.
“Oh, thank Celestia,” Applejack said, breathing a sigh of relief in tandem with Fluttershy. “That sure would have made things awkward for us, huh?”
“Mhm,” Fluttershy agreed. Then she glanced back at the flowers in Zephyr’s forelegs. “Though I am still curious about who they’re really for.”
Before another word could be spoken, another pony entered the room, reaching over to take the flowers from Zephyr.
“Aw, my favorite.”
The tall red stallion gave Zephyr a kiss on the cheek before continuing past the others with his flowers and heading to his room. Zephyr simply gave Applejack and Fluttershy an awkward smile and a shrug.
