“So what are you here for?” Princess Cadance sipped on her drink. The outdoor cafe had relatively few patrons at this hour, after lunch but before the dinner rush would begin.
“I… need help. For my girlfriend. Marefriend. Whichever.” The green earth pony with darker green hair sighed and tried to pick up a glass with her forehoof again.
“I see. Do you require advice, or… ?” Cadance took another sip of her drink, letting the question linger.
“It’s… it’s not a relationship problem or anything. You know Sunset Shimmer?”
“We lived at the palace together for a while. I understand she’s quite a bit different, now, though.”
“Yeah.” Wallflower gulped. Sunset had probably been Cadance’s enemy in the past. This was probably a bad idea. She should…
“Don’t be nervous. I would never go against my values just to hurt someone I haven’t seen in years. And you seem like a lovely pony. Err, person.”
“Thank you. I’m trying to locate something of her home that I can provide her. I’ve got a talent for plants, so I’d like to find something I can grow for her.”
“Ah.” Cadance took yet another sip, closing her eyes and taking her time. “Well, there is one thing I can think of.”
“Oh?” Wallflower leaned in.
“Yes.” Cadance opened her eyes. “I remember she liked to study under the Red-gold roses that Celestia had in the garden at the time.”
“Ah. Had at the time?”
“I don’t think she still has them, but I could ask her.”
“Oh, those? I know Sunset did like them, but I’m afraid I had to get rid of them. Luna is terribly allergic.” Princess Celestia was majestic, immense, and also very harried. The little unicorn, Raven Inkwell, was waving about a schedule sheet as she took time to talk to them. Wallflower knew she was taking up her precious time, as if she’d barged in on the president to ask about a friend of theirs they hadn’t seen in years.
“That’s all right thank you for your time gotta go.” With surprising strength, she picked up Cadance in her forehooves and rushed out of the room.
After she set her down, Cadance turned to give her a look. “Wallflower?”
“Ohmygosh I’m sorry. I just panicked, I didn’t want to be a bother to her, she’s so busy!”
“Ah, well, I suppose that’s up to you then. I do know that the gardener was originally from Glendale, a town near Applewood.”
“Applewood?”
“It’s out West, near Las Pegasus. It’s a community in the hills where motion pictures are made.”
“Oh, like Hollywood!” Wallflower nodded. “I suppose it’s as good a place as any to find a fancy plant.”
One perk of having the Princess of Love helping you, Wallflower reflected, was that there were quite a lot of things she could provide.
The great crystalline train they were riding, for instance. It was owned entirely by her, for her official use. Wallflower wished she hadn’t gone out of her way so far for her, but at this point it seemed Cadance was in for it. She wondered if the princess had some sort of suppressed desire to help Sunset.
There was a restaurant on the train, and a chef that prepared their meals. Wallflower had heard of “courses” in dining, but it was another thing entirely to have dishes swapped out in front of you. It was so indulgent and fancy.
There was even a bedroom for her! Not just a bed, a bed ROOM. The bed had posts holding up a canopy.
Sleep came surprisingly easy on such a lavish bed, and soon she woke to Cadance barging in to announce they were there.
The town of Applewood reminded Wallflower of old silent movies that her parents would sometimes show her. Apparently back in their day, before streaming was a thing, they’d watch them on late-night tv. Whatever that was.
The town consisted mostly of two-story wooden structures and the odd larger structure that must have been a soundstage. She could see all sorts of movie sets peeking over the walls of the studio lots, with dozens of pegasus ponies pushing clouds around a fake volcano they were passing as she heard the muted shouting of some director.
Beside her walked two crystalline-armored guards, and in front of her hovered the magnificent tail of Princess Cadance, as she led the posse towards their destination. Celestia’s former gardener had apparently gone into business out here, providing plants for productions and other occasions.
Wallflower was conscious of the many ponies rushing in and out with paperwork and packages or plants.
“Plants for Productions” was in fact the name of the establishment they entered. An earth pony mare looked up at them from behind racks of flowering bushes in pots. “Welcome to… Princess Cadance?”
“I rather doubt the establishment is named after me,” the princess teased, “but I’ll take your word for it. We’re here to speak with Ceanothus Lilac.”
“Oh, the senior gardener? He’s not here right now, he’s semi-retired so he only works half-weeks unless there’s a big job. I’d guess if you want him he’s at his house up in Thornhill, it’s easy to find. If there’s anything I could help you with, I could see what I can do.”
Wallflower’s eyes darted from harried runners coming and going to the small queue of nervous ponies standing around watching what was going on. She felt as if all the nervous energy was concentrated on her, and realized she was sweating when a bead of it came down her forehead and onto her muzzle. It was happening again, she needed to get out of there. “Thank you very much I’ll go to Thornhill right away see you later!” rushed out in a torrent, and she attempted to pick up Cadance again, only for the princess to take off into the air and fly alongside as she trotted out instead.
“Huh, wonder what’s up there. Think they’re saving the world?” the mare they’d been talking to asked the pony who handed her an order form.
“That was a princess, so maybe?” The delivery pony shrugged.
Thornhill lived up to its name, a rocky hill covered in thorny bushes above a railroad junction, with a smattering of houses perched on outcrops. Ceanothus Lilac lived near the top of the hill with his house surrounded by the only non-thorny plants in sight. Cadance knocked on the door, and an elderly green earth pony opened the door.
“Whatcha want – oh, excuse me princess!” His initial crotchety annoyance gave way to wide-eyed reverence at the alicorn in front of him. He didn’t even see Wallflower standing beside her.
“Ah, Ceanothus! It’s been a while. How have you been?”
“I’m getting older, but I’m still doing well for myself.” He kicked against the doorframe with a forehoof. “I work at Plants for Productions sometimes, mostly I handle whenever they need something tricky.”
“Ah.” Cadance poked her companion forward. “Wallflower here has a request for you.”
“Uh, he…hello.” Wallflower was shaking and starting to sweat, having been suddenly put on the spot like that.
Cadance caught her eye for a moment, and pressed a hoof to her chest while breathing in, then brought it out to full extension while breathing out. Wallflower tried the exercise herself, and found that she was feeling a little calmer. “I’ve been looking for a rose that used to be at the palace, the Red-gold rose.”
“Ooooh, I remember those! I’d love to help you, but it wasn’t actually my work.” He shook his head.
“What?” Cadance expressed the surprise Wallflower was feeling but was too shy to express.
“Yeah. It was one of her students who made it, she did it as just a little filly. I think she liked the color because it matched her own mane?”
“Sunset?” Wallflower blinked in surprise.
“Yeah, that was her name. I don’t have any cuttings of it or anything, because it’s not something I made.”
“Oh.” Wallflower frowned in confusion. “Now what?”
“Did you check in Canterlot?”
“We came from there, Celestia had to get rid of it when Luna turned out to be allergic.”
“Oh, that’s a shame. It’s possible she just moved it though?”
“I…” Cadence considered. “I don’t know. I suppose we’d have to head back.”
Another night on the train passed fitfully. Wallflower wondered if anything remained of their quarry. It wouldn’t do to manage to get a week before Christmas to search for the perfect present, then have nothing to show for it.
She turned over for what felt like the fiftieth time that hour. Eventually sleep came.
The second time she walked up to the pony princesses’s castle seemed a little more manageable. Probably just because she’d done it before without anything bad happening. Except for wasting some of Cadance’s time on a foolish errand. She shook her head and clenched her muscles. Cadance didn’t mind, so she shouldn’t dwell on that and recriminate.
After passing through the various checkpoints and hallways, they found Celestia in the gardens, looking at a planting of Moon lilies.
“Auntie. We’re back.” Cadance nudged Wallflower forward.
“Uh, sorry, your majesty.” Wallflower repeated the breathing exercise she’d learned. So far, so good. “We learned that the plants we were looking for were actually created by Sunset herself.”
“Ah.” Celestia lowered her head to ponder. “I should have remembered that when you asked. It’s unfortunately a little hard to recall all of Sunset’s youth.”
“I’m not sure what to do now. Without the plants themselves, a cutting, or a seed there’s no means of getting the flowers for her.”
“Well, I may not have any of the plants remaining, but now that you’ve jogged my memory, I believe there would be a supply of seeds with her notes.”
It felt good to have hands again. Wallflower had been thinking that for a little while, but she wasn’t sure how to knock on doors with hooves and knocking on Sunset’s door brought that thought to the surface.
“Merry Christmas, Wally.” Sunset pulled her girlfriend into a hug as soon as she opened the door, then fully pulled her inside her apartment.
“Space.” Wallflower squeaked out, discombobulated.
“Sorry.” Sunset released her girlfriend and took a step back.
“Don’t hug me without warning, it gets me all flustered.” Wallflower wobbled forward and used the advantage of surprise to initiate a hug herself.
“Ha. It’s nice to see you too. Where were you all week?”
Wallflower released the hug “I was getting you your present, silly.”
“Oh?” Sunset quirked an eyebrow.
“Here.” Wallflower handed her a small, brightly wrapped packet.
“Hmm.” Sunset looked at it, took it, held it up, then shook it. “Seeds?”
“Yeah.” Wallflower nodded. “It’s from Equestria. Remember when you made a set of roses?”
“The Red-gold roses.” Sunset lifted the packet, looking reverently at it.
“I figured you might want a little taste of home.”
“Yeah. I’ll need to find a good place to plant them, but for now, that’s really the best gift I’ve gotten in a while.”
“Well.” Wallflower felt a little more confident. She might as well try teasing Sunset a bit. “What did you get me?”
Sunset was sweating. She picked up and handed over a package of her own. From the size and shape of the present, and the way it folded in Sunset’s hands, she knew it was a sweater. Still, she did need a new one.
