Blooming Fabulousby AppletasticChaptersChapter 1 - TroubleChapter 2 - The Battle BeginsChapter 3 - Came to MePrologue - We Do Not Sell Those HereChapter 1 - Trouble"Who cares what you say, Rose?! I certainly don't, and I say we should sell more daisies." "Daisy, daisies smell awful! Do you want to drive away paying customers?" "Hey! I'll have you know, I showered just this morning!" "That's not what I- oh, forget it! We're not planting anymore daisies, and that's the bottom line!" "Hey, would you two shut it back there?! I'm trying to make a sale here!" Rose and Daisy crossed their forelegs and turned pointedly away from each other. They were sitting in the garden behind Ponyville Flowers bickering animatedly. A few moments later, hoofsteps sounded from behind the back door, and it was flung open to reveal Lily wearing a cross expression on her face. "Well, isn't that just blooming fabulous. If you two don't stop that, we won't be selling any flowers at all, regardless of what kind they are," she snapped. Daisy hung her head in shame, but Rose just dragged her hoof across the ground angrily. Lily rolled her eyes, and with a dramatic sigh left the garden. "You're right, Rose. Daisies may be pretty, but I guess they don't smell very nice. Let's plant some dahlias instead," said Daisy, her head still hanging low. Rose shook her mane and grinned. "I knew you'd see sense eventually. Now, let's get back to work," she said. The two ponies went back to scraping the earth with their trowels. "Lotus, why won't you see sense? We simply must offer these treatments. They are to die for." "I told you, Aloe, I'm not touching any flowers! I don't care how good they smell, or how in demand they'd be, a flower is a flower!" "Hmph! In that case, why don't you just leave the business all together? The customers must get what the customers want, you are useless in this business." "I will then!" shouted Lotus, then turned and stormed out of the building. Aloe stood there blinking for a while before she realized what had happened. She ran out of the spa to follow her business partner. "Lotus, wait! Come back! I did not mean it!" she shouted after the retreating blue mare. "You meant it," was Lotus's offhand reply. "But Lotus, I cannot do it without you!" screamed Aloe. "Should've thought about that before you said what you did, then," snapped Lotus. Aloe was at a loss for words, and could only stand in the street with her hoof sticking out and her mouth agape. Only when her former partner had disappeared from view did she turn and drag her hooves back to the spa. Three days later, the bell on the door of Ponyville Flowers jingled. "Hi, welcome to Ponyville Flowers how can I- YOU!" screamed Lily. She had just noticed that the pony entering the shop owned by her and her friends was rather familiar. "Hello, Lily," said a rather disheveled Lotus disdainfully. Rose and Daisy had come into the shop from the back at the sound of Lily's scream. Rose narrowed her eyes at the sight of Lotus. "I thought we told you that you weren't welcome here, Lotus," said Rose coldly. Lotus sneered at her. "I'm not too happy to see you girls either, if you hadn't noticed," snapped Lotus. "Then what'd you come in here for, you two-timer?!" shouted Lily. Daisy backed up slightly. "For your information, I need a job. And you know I must be desperate to come in here," replied Lotus. "Oh, your precious little spa finally turned you out, and now you come crying to us? Yeah right! If you think you can just waltz in here after what you did to Lily, you must be insane!" shouted Rose. Lotus rolled her eyes. "I should have known better than to come here. Your flowers are awful, anyway. I'll grow my own," she sneered, then turned and galloped out of the building. Rose draped a hoof over Lily. "Forget her. She's just jealous of our shop," she told her. Lily turned up her nose and nodded. "I don't know, girls. I have a bad feeling about this," squeaked Daisy. Rose shrugged. "You worry too much, Daisy." As it turns out, her worries were not so unwarranted after all. "Water lilies, water hyacinths, and all of your water flower needs!" shouted Lotus from her cart. It contained several buckets of water, all of which had flowers growing out of them. Ponies flocked around the small cart, ooh-ing and ah-ing at the blossoms. Lotus had taken the liberty of setting her cart up right outside of Ponyville Flowers. Daisy, Lily, and Rose watched her from their shop window. "Who does she think she is? We're the flower sellers in Ponyville!" shouted Rose, slamming her hoof down on the windowsill. "We're ruined! Ruined!" wailed Lily, throwing her hoof to her forehead and collapsing on the ground. Daisy closed her eyes as tears threatened to spill out of them. "We're in trouble, girls," she cried. Chapter 2 - The Battle BeginsAloe pulled a black scarf out of her wardrobe and wrapped it around her head. She poked her head out of the spa and glanced around furtively before trotting out onto the street. She was on a mission. Well, technically, two missions, but she didn't want to admit the second one to herself. First thing first: she had to find a new business partner. A good masseuse was hard to come by these days, and Lotus was the best around. But Aloe had given her a week, and she still couldn't see sense. Aloe needed a new partner, and fast. It was just as busy as ever at the Perfection Spa, but it seemed doubly as busy without a partner. Aloe let out a long, sad, sigh. What had that ridiculous Lotus gotten herself into this time? That, in fact, was her second mission. She wanted to figure out what Lotus was doing. She cared deeply for her former partner. They were like sisters. It could be expected that they insulted each other now and then. That was how sisters worked, wasn't it? As it turned out, Aloe's second mission was completed before her first. She spotted Lotus standing happily behind her cart. A new flock of ponies had replaced the last one. As Aloe stared at the scene, a tear rolled down her cheek. Lotus looked so... independent. Aloe had always felt like the older sister, looking out for Lotus when she made a mistake. But there was Lotus, on her own, just fine, or even better, without Aloe. Aloe's heart began to crack. She turned away before she could be hurt anymore. Besides, she still had to find a partner. Lotus watched the pink pony trudge away. A tear fell from her eye to mirror her ex-partner's. She wiped it away and looked back to her customers. Rose and Daisy were sent out on advertising duty. Both ponies wore sandwich boards around their necks. While Daisy rang a bell that she held in her mouth, Rose shouted advertisements to passersby. "Ponyville Flowers! For all of your flower needs, come to the best flower sellers in Ponyville!" As Lotus had done to them, they did to Lotus: they had chosen to advertise right in front of her cart. Lotus growled in frustration as more and more ponies streamed into Ponyville Flowers. "Hey! Stop stealing my business, losers!" she shouted, waving her hoof at the two advertisers. Rose stuck out her tongue in a childish manner. "Why don't you stop stealing our business instead?" She continued shouting out advertisements. Lotus glowered at her from behind the cart. "GET OUT OF MY SHOP!" roared Lily from inside the shop. All of the ponies on the street turned to watch as a young colt ran out of the shop, tears streaming down his face. Lily chased him out. "AND DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!" she screamed. Suddenly, she seemed to notice the ponies all around her, staring at her silently. A forced smile came onto her face, and onto those of her fellow shop owners. "Lily! What was that for? Nopony likes a pony who's mean to foals!" hissed Rose out of the corner of her mouth. Lily's smile grew wider. "He said my mane looked funny," she hissed back. Rose rolled her eyes. Lotus saw them at a loss for words, and took her opportunity. "Here at Lotus's Fabulous Water Flowers, we are kind to all ponies! Unlike these three cruel mares!" The crowd began murmuring and smiling at Lotus. The crowd around her cart grew larger than it had ever been before. Lily facehoofed. "Why must I be so impulsive? Whyyyyyyyyyyy?!" she wailed. Rose snorted in disgust. "Girls," she growled, "this means war." Daisy nodded, and the bell in her mouth rang like a call to arms. When Lotus arrived at her cart the next morning, she found half of the buckets of water tipped over, and the plants they contained shriveled and dried. Lily grinned at her from the doorway of Ponyville Flowers. "Hi, two timer!" she beamed, "I noticed that you had some water lilies there. You see, since my name is Lily, I'm in charge of all of the lilies in Ponyville, and I didn't like those ones. So I just killed them. Hope you don't mind!" Lotus gritted her teeth. "Well, I'm in charge of all of the lotuses in Ponyville, so I demand you bring the ones in your shop out here right now!" The smile dropped off of Lily's face. "We don't allow those horrible, ugly, vulgar things in our shop." Lotus glared at her. "Okay, I get it, you hate me. But here's something to consider: you'd probably pay better than my own business. So. You give me a job, I stop stealing your business." "Like I said. No horrible, ugly, vulgar things in our shop," Lily sneered. She turned and stalked back into the shop. Lotus began wracking her brain for revenge plots. Later in the day, Daisy heard a commotion coming from the back garden. She emerged from the shop to find Lotus covered with dirt, digging up their newly planted dahlia bulbs. "What are you doing?! Get out of our garden!" she shouted. Lotus shook the dirt out of her mane. "Oh, sorry. I didn't want these ugly excuses for flowers that you sell in your shop tainting the background of my cart. I took the liberty of eliminating the problem before it arose." Daisy began shaking. Whether with anger or frustration, Lotus couldn't tell. Either way, she didn't want to be there when the emotion showed itself. She quickly trotted back to her cart. Daisy's emotions became apparent when she burst into tears. Rose and Lily burst out of the shop at the sound of her wailing. As they moved to comfort Daisy, they glared pointedly at Lotus. Lotus ducked her head. She felt a bit bad for Daisy. She didn't have any real quarrel with the green-maned pony. Just with the other two. But all's fair in love and war, right? She would apologize to Daisy after she had run their business out of town. Chapter 3 - Came to Me"Okay, this has gone too far! Anypony who makes Daisy cry is just... sick! Just a sick, sick pony!" ranted Rose, pacing back and forth in the flower shop. It was late at night and the store was closed. Daisy had been sent to bed with a mug of hot cocoa, still whimpering from the dahlia incident. Lily and Rose, on the other hoof, had stayed up discussing revenge plots for Lotus's latest move on the board. So far, most of the night had been devoted to Rose ranting about Lotus's flaws. Any ideas that were put out were immediately shot down by Lily. "We need something really bad. After what she did to me, she deserves it," growled Lily. Rose nodded in agreement. As they continued to confer, Daisy crept down the stairs in the back of the shop. She sat on the bottom step listening to the conversation of her two friends. After a few minutes had passed, she stalked silently into the main room. During a pause in the conversation, she stated, "I'm not a child, you know. I am a part of this business, just like the both of you." Lily and Rose whipped around to face her. Lily tried to interject, but Daisy continued. "Now, I may not know what Lotus did to you two, but since she is affecting our business, I feel I have the right to know. Furthermore, I want to be included in this and any future discussions regarding this problem or any other business decisions." Content with her demands, Daisy sat down and nodded once as if to assure herself. Lily tried to smile at her, but couldn't quite manage it. "Daisy... dear... You are our friend, and a part of our business, but you don't sell the flowers. You plant them, and grow them. It would really just be more of a hassle for you if you were to be included in discussions like these. You see-" "Oh, I see how it is," interrupted Daisy, getting to her hooves, "I don't matter to the business. No, I'm just paid labour. Yep. Here I thought you were my friends, that you would understand, but I guess I was wrong. Right. Maybe Lotus could use a business partner." Without waiting to hear any arguments from her friends, she stormed out of the shop. A few moments later, she stormed back in. "I don't know where Lotus is living," she snapped, "but tomorrow, I'll start working for her." Lily and Rose heard her stomp up the stairs, and the slamming of her bedroom door. They shot worried glances at one another. Daisy would come around in the morning... right? Wrong. When Lily and Rose woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of a bell ringing. The source of the sound was Daisy, who was in the street ringing the bell previously used to advertise Ponyville Flowers. Currently, it was being used to advertise Lotus's cart. Daisy wore a hat in the shape of a lotus blossom, and was parading up and down the street with the bell held in her mouth. Ponies who shot her questioning looks were directed, with a point of her hoof, to Lotus's cart. The crowd around the cart had grown bigger than ever, and the box Lotus was using to collect money was overflowing with bits. Rose stormed out of the shop and out onto the street. "Daisy! You had better stop that right now! You're consorting with the enemy!" she shouted. Daisy put down her bell. "No, I'm consorting with your enemy. I can make my own decisions. Lotus only ever did one mean thing to me, and she's been kind enough to apologize. That's more than can be said for you. Now if you excuse me, I have advertising to do with my partner." Daisy picked up the bell again and restarted her parade. Rose stomped over to Lotus. "What you did to Lily was bad enough... and what you did to me... but you had to steal Daisy? Is that all you ever do? Steal?" hissed Rose. Lotus stayed collected. "I have never stolen a day in my life. Daisy came to me asking for work. She came to me. Just like-" "Don't you dare say it!" "-Lily's coltfriend. Yes. He came to me. I'm prettier than her, and nicer than her, so he came to me." "Just shut up! What the Tartarus did we ever do to you? You take all the business in Equestria, and see if I care, but don't you ever talk to us again!" screamed Rose. She galloped back into her shop, tears flowing freely from her eyes. When she had gone, Lotus looked down. "If only you knew what you did to me. If only you knew," she whispered. She looked up at the next customer and smiled. Aloe sighed and waved away another hopeful candidate for the position of her partner. None of them were what she was looking for in a partner. None of them were good enough masseuses, none of them could correctly apply a facial, none of them could do anything right. None of them were Lotus. Aloe felt she would never be happy again. Without Lotus, nothing was the same. Her head drooped. Suddenly, an idea formed in her head. It was so crazy, so far-fetched, so absolutely insane that it just might work. Aloe raised her head. She was going to get Lotus back. Prologue - We Do Not Sell Those HereA quaint little shop stands proudly on the main street of Ponyville. Ponyville Flowers, it says on the sign in looping cursive. Outside the storefront are displays blooming with beautiful flowers of every hue and aroma. If you were to enter the shop, the lovely smell would become almost irresistible, and you would be very tempted to buy something, anything. But it is unfortunate for you if your favourite type of flower is a water flower. For if you were to ask for that at the counter, the clerk, a pretty pink pony with a blonde mane, would narrow her eyes and state bluntly: "We do not sell those here." No amount of begging or protest by anypony or everypony could persuade the three ponies who ran the shop to offer them for sale. As it turns out, though, the favourite flower of many ponies is a type of water flower. When you're a small business in a small town, losing one customer is losing a considerable percentage of the clientele. This business is in trouble. If you work your way far enough through the town, you will find a rather extravagant building standing tall. The sign of this one reads Perfection Spa in similar lettering. But upon entering this building, you would be greeted not with a beautiful aroma but with an ugly sound. The sound of squabbling would emerge from a back room, and you would be tempted to cover your ears with your hooves. Finally, two ponies would come out from the back, and welcome you. But if you were to ask for a lavender scrub, the blue pony with a pink mane would narrow her eyes and state bluntly, "We do not offer those here." This is of little consequence, though. Most ponies simply shrug it off and choose another treatment. Even if a few were to leave, it would not leave a dent in the clientele. This is an upscale spa, after all. Though it may not look it, this business is in trouble, too.
Chapter 1 - Trouble"Who cares what you say, Rose?! I certainly don't, and I say we should sell more daisies." "Daisy, daisies smell awful! Do you want to drive away paying customers?" "Hey! I'll have you know, I showered just this morning!" "That's not what I- oh, forget it! We're not planting anymore daisies, and that's the bottom line!" "Hey, would you two shut it back there?! I'm trying to make a sale here!" Rose and Daisy crossed their forelegs and turned pointedly away from each other. They were sitting in the garden behind Ponyville Flowers bickering animatedly. A few moments later, hoofsteps sounded from behind the back door, and it was flung open to reveal Lily wearing a cross expression on her face. "Well, isn't that just blooming fabulous. If you two don't stop that, we won't be selling any flowers at all, regardless of what kind they are," she snapped. Daisy hung her head in shame, but Rose just dragged her hoof across the ground angrily. Lily rolled her eyes, and with a dramatic sigh left the garden. "You're right, Rose. Daisies may be pretty, but I guess they don't smell very nice. Let's plant some dahlias instead," said Daisy, her head still hanging low. Rose shook her mane and grinned. "I knew you'd see sense eventually. Now, let's get back to work," she said. The two ponies went back to scraping the earth with their trowels. "Lotus, why won't you see sense? We simply must offer these treatments. They are to die for." "I told you, Aloe, I'm not touching any flowers! I don't care how good they smell, or how in demand they'd be, a flower is a flower!" "Hmph! In that case, why don't you just leave the business all together? The customers must get what the customers want, you are useless in this business." "I will then!" shouted Lotus, then turned and stormed out of the building. Aloe stood there blinking for a while before she realized what had happened. She ran out of the spa to follow her business partner. "Lotus, wait! Come back! I did not mean it!" she shouted after the retreating blue mare. "You meant it," was Lotus's offhand reply. "But Lotus, I cannot do it without you!" screamed Aloe. "Should've thought about that before you said what you did, then," snapped Lotus. Aloe was at a loss for words, and could only stand in the street with her hoof sticking out and her mouth agape. Only when her former partner had disappeared from view did she turn and drag her hooves back to the spa. Three days later, the bell on the door of Ponyville Flowers jingled. "Hi, welcome to Ponyville Flowers how can I- YOU!" screamed Lily. She had just noticed that the pony entering the shop owned by her and her friends was rather familiar. "Hello, Lily," said a rather disheveled Lotus disdainfully. Rose and Daisy had come into the shop from the back at the sound of Lily's scream. Rose narrowed her eyes at the sight of Lotus. "I thought we told you that you weren't welcome here, Lotus," said Rose coldly. Lotus sneered at her. "I'm not too happy to see you girls either, if you hadn't noticed," snapped Lotus. "Then what'd you come in here for, you two-timer?!" shouted Lily. Daisy backed up slightly. "For your information, I need a job. And you know I must be desperate to come in here," replied Lotus. "Oh, your precious little spa finally turned you out, and now you come crying to us? Yeah right! If you think you can just waltz in here after what you did to Lily, you must be insane!" shouted Rose. Lotus rolled her eyes. "I should have known better than to come here. Your flowers are awful, anyway. I'll grow my own," she sneered, then turned and galloped out of the building. Rose draped a hoof over Lily. "Forget her. She's just jealous of our shop," she told her. Lily turned up her nose and nodded. "I don't know, girls. I have a bad feeling about this," squeaked Daisy. Rose shrugged. "You worry too much, Daisy." As it turns out, her worries were not so unwarranted after all. "Water lilies, water hyacinths, and all of your water flower needs!" shouted Lotus from her cart. It contained several buckets of water, all of which had flowers growing out of them. Ponies flocked around the small cart, ooh-ing and ah-ing at the blossoms. Lotus had taken the liberty of setting her cart up right outside of Ponyville Flowers. Daisy, Lily, and Rose watched her from their shop window. "Who does she think she is? We're the flower sellers in Ponyville!" shouted Rose, slamming her hoof down on the windowsill. "We're ruined! Ruined!" wailed Lily, throwing her hoof to her forehead and collapsing on the ground. Daisy closed her eyes as tears threatened to spill out of them. "We're in trouble, girls," she cried.
Chapter 2 - The Battle BeginsAloe pulled a black scarf out of her wardrobe and wrapped it around her head. She poked her head out of the spa and glanced around furtively before trotting out onto the street. She was on a mission. Well, technically, two missions, but she didn't want to admit the second one to herself. First thing first: she had to find a new business partner. A good masseuse was hard to come by these days, and Lotus was the best around. But Aloe had given her a week, and she still couldn't see sense. Aloe needed a new partner, and fast. It was just as busy as ever at the Perfection Spa, but it seemed doubly as busy without a partner. Aloe let out a long, sad, sigh. What had that ridiculous Lotus gotten herself into this time? That, in fact, was her second mission. She wanted to figure out what Lotus was doing. She cared deeply for her former partner. They were like sisters. It could be expected that they insulted each other now and then. That was how sisters worked, wasn't it? As it turned out, Aloe's second mission was completed before her first. She spotted Lotus standing happily behind her cart. A new flock of ponies had replaced the last one. As Aloe stared at the scene, a tear rolled down her cheek. Lotus looked so... independent. Aloe had always felt like the older sister, looking out for Lotus when she made a mistake. But there was Lotus, on her own, just fine, or even better, without Aloe. Aloe's heart began to crack. She turned away before she could be hurt anymore. Besides, she still had to find a partner. Lotus watched the pink pony trudge away. A tear fell from her eye to mirror her ex-partner's. She wiped it away and looked back to her customers. Rose and Daisy were sent out on advertising duty. Both ponies wore sandwich boards around their necks. While Daisy rang a bell that she held in her mouth, Rose shouted advertisements to passersby. "Ponyville Flowers! For all of your flower needs, come to the best flower sellers in Ponyville!" As Lotus had done to them, they did to Lotus: they had chosen to advertise right in front of her cart. Lotus growled in frustration as more and more ponies streamed into Ponyville Flowers. "Hey! Stop stealing my business, losers!" she shouted, waving her hoof at the two advertisers. Rose stuck out her tongue in a childish manner. "Why don't you stop stealing our business instead?" She continued shouting out advertisements. Lotus glowered at her from behind the cart. "GET OUT OF MY SHOP!" roared Lily from inside the shop. All of the ponies on the street turned to watch as a young colt ran out of the shop, tears streaming down his face. Lily chased him out. "AND DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK HERE AGAIN!" she screamed. Suddenly, she seemed to notice the ponies all around her, staring at her silently. A forced smile came onto her face, and onto those of her fellow shop owners. "Lily! What was that for? Nopony likes a pony who's mean to foals!" hissed Rose out of the corner of her mouth. Lily's smile grew wider. "He said my mane looked funny," she hissed back. Rose rolled her eyes. Lotus saw them at a loss for words, and took her opportunity. "Here at Lotus's Fabulous Water Flowers, we are kind to all ponies! Unlike these three cruel mares!" The crowd began murmuring and smiling at Lotus. The crowd around her cart grew larger than it had ever been before. Lily facehoofed. "Why must I be so impulsive? Whyyyyyyyyyyy?!" she wailed. Rose snorted in disgust. "Girls," she growled, "this means war." Daisy nodded, and the bell in her mouth rang like a call to arms. When Lotus arrived at her cart the next morning, she found half of the buckets of water tipped over, and the plants they contained shriveled and dried. Lily grinned at her from the doorway of Ponyville Flowers. "Hi, two timer!" she beamed, "I noticed that you had some water lilies there. You see, since my name is Lily, I'm in charge of all of the lilies in Ponyville, and I didn't like those ones. So I just killed them. Hope you don't mind!" Lotus gritted her teeth. "Well, I'm in charge of all of the lotuses in Ponyville, so I demand you bring the ones in your shop out here right now!" The smile dropped off of Lily's face. "We don't allow those horrible, ugly, vulgar things in our shop." Lotus glared at her. "Okay, I get it, you hate me. But here's something to consider: you'd probably pay better than my own business. So. You give me a job, I stop stealing your business." "Like I said. No horrible, ugly, vulgar things in our shop," Lily sneered. She turned and stalked back into the shop. Lotus began wracking her brain for revenge plots. Later in the day, Daisy heard a commotion coming from the back garden. She emerged from the shop to find Lotus covered with dirt, digging up their newly planted dahlia bulbs. "What are you doing?! Get out of our garden!" she shouted. Lotus shook the dirt out of her mane. "Oh, sorry. I didn't want these ugly excuses for flowers that you sell in your shop tainting the background of my cart. I took the liberty of eliminating the problem before it arose." Daisy began shaking. Whether with anger or frustration, Lotus couldn't tell. Either way, she didn't want to be there when the emotion showed itself. She quickly trotted back to her cart. Daisy's emotions became apparent when she burst into tears. Rose and Lily burst out of the shop at the sound of her wailing. As they moved to comfort Daisy, they glared pointedly at Lotus. Lotus ducked her head. She felt a bit bad for Daisy. She didn't have any real quarrel with the green-maned pony. Just with the other two. But all's fair in love and war, right? She would apologize to Daisy after she had run their business out of town.
Chapter 3 - Came to Me"Okay, this has gone too far! Anypony who makes Daisy cry is just... sick! Just a sick, sick pony!" ranted Rose, pacing back and forth in the flower shop. It was late at night and the store was closed. Daisy had been sent to bed with a mug of hot cocoa, still whimpering from the dahlia incident. Lily and Rose, on the other hoof, had stayed up discussing revenge plots for Lotus's latest move on the board. So far, most of the night had been devoted to Rose ranting about Lotus's flaws. Any ideas that were put out were immediately shot down by Lily. "We need something really bad. After what she did to me, she deserves it," growled Lily. Rose nodded in agreement. As they continued to confer, Daisy crept down the stairs in the back of the shop. She sat on the bottom step listening to the conversation of her two friends. After a few minutes had passed, she stalked silently into the main room. During a pause in the conversation, she stated, "I'm not a child, you know. I am a part of this business, just like the both of you." Lily and Rose whipped around to face her. Lily tried to interject, but Daisy continued. "Now, I may not know what Lotus did to you two, but since she is affecting our business, I feel I have the right to know. Furthermore, I want to be included in this and any future discussions regarding this problem or any other business decisions." Content with her demands, Daisy sat down and nodded once as if to assure herself. Lily tried to smile at her, but couldn't quite manage it. "Daisy... dear... You are our friend, and a part of our business, but you don't sell the flowers. You plant them, and grow them. It would really just be more of a hassle for you if you were to be included in discussions like these. You see-" "Oh, I see how it is," interrupted Daisy, getting to her hooves, "I don't matter to the business. No, I'm just paid labour. Yep. Here I thought you were my friends, that you would understand, but I guess I was wrong. Right. Maybe Lotus could use a business partner." Without waiting to hear any arguments from her friends, she stormed out of the shop. A few moments later, she stormed back in. "I don't know where Lotus is living," she snapped, "but tomorrow, I'll start working for her." Lily and Rose heard her stomp up the stairs, and the slamming of her bedroom door. They shot worried glances at one another. Daisy would come around in the morning... right? Wrong. When Lily and Rose woke up the next morning, it was to the sound of a bell ringing. The source of the sound was Daisy, who was in the street ringing the bell previously used to advertise Ponyville Flowers. Currently, it was being used to advertise Lotus's cart. Daisy wore a hat in the shape of a lotus blossom, and was parading up and down the street with the bell held in her mouth. Ponies who shot her questioning looks were directed, with a point of her hoof, to Lotus's cart. The crowd around the cart had grown bigger than ever, and the box Lotus was using to collect money was overflowing with bits. Rose stormed out of the shop and out onto the street. "Daisy! You had better stop that right now! You're consorting with the enemy!" she shouted. Daisy put down her bell. "No, I'm consorting with your enemy. I can make my own decisions. Lotus only ever did one mean thing to me, and she's been kind enough to apologize. That's more than can be said for you. Now if you excuse me, I have advertising to do with my partner." Daisy picked up the bell again and restarted her parade. Rose stomped over to Lotus. "What you did to Lily was bad enough... and what you did to me... but you had to steal Daisy? Is that all you ever do? Steal?" hissed Rose. Lotus stayed collected. "I have never stolen a day in my life. Daisy came to me asking for work. She came to me. Just like-" "Don't you dare say it!" "-Lily's coltfriend. Yes. He came to me. I'm prettier than her, and nicer than her, so he came to me." "Just shut up! What the Tartarus did we ever do to you? You take all the business in Equestria, and see if I care, but don't you ever talk to us again!" screamed Rose. She galloped back into her shop, tears flowing freely from her eyes. When she had gone, Lotus looked down. "If only you knew what you did to me. If only you knew," she whispered. She looked up at the next customer and smiled. Aloe sighed and waved away another hopeful candidate for the position of her partner. None of them were what she was looking for in a partner. None of them were good enough masseuses, none of them could correctly apply a facial, none of them could do anything right. None of them were Lotus. Aloe felt she would never be happy again. Without Lotus, nothing was the same. Her head drooped. Suddenly, an idea formed in her head. It was so crazy, so far-fetched, so absolutely insane that it just might work. Aloe raised her head. She was going to get Lotus back.
Prologue - We Do Not Sell Those HereA quaint little shop stands proudly on the main street of Ponyville. Ponyville Flowers, it says on the sign in looping cursive. Outside the storefront are displays blooming with beautiful flowers of every hue and aroma. If you were to enter the shop, the lovely smell would become almost irresistible, and you would be very tempted to buy something, anything. But it is unfortunate for you if your favourite type of flower is a water flower. For if you were to ask for that at the counter, the clerk, a pretty pink pony with a blonde mane, would narrow her eyes and state bluntly: "We do not sell those here." No amount of begging or protest by anypony or everypony could persuade the three ponies who ran the shop to offer them for sale. As it turns out, though, the favourite flower of many ponies is a type of water flower. When you're a small business in a small town, losing one customer is losing a considerable percentage of the clientele. This business is in trouble. If you work your way far enough through the town, you will find a rather extravagant building standing tall. The sign of this one reads Perfection Spa in similar lettering. But upon entering this building, you would be greeted not with a beautiful aroma but with an ugly sound. The sound of squabbling would emerge from a back room, and you would be tempted to cover your ears with your hooves. Finally, two ponies would come out from the back, and welcome you. But if you were to ask for a lavender scrub, the blue pony with a pink mane would narrow her eyes and state bluntly, "We do not offer those here." This is of little consequence, though. Most ponies simply shrug it off and choose another treatment. Even if a few were to leave, it would not leave a dent in the clientele. This is an upscale spa, after all. Though it may not look it, this business is in trouble, too.
