1. Remember where you came from, or you might double back...
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1. Remember where you came from, or you might double back...
Forget Me Nots had been in business for almost five years now, and was doing surprisingly well. Across the street from Sugarcube Corner, it sold flowers, decorative plants, and herbs, alongside various knick knacks and keepsakes. The place owed much of its success not only to its proprietress, or the three sisters employed therein, but to the figure that now approached its front door after hours when just a sliver of daylight remained.
Sunset… at sunset… she thought to herself as her key turned silently in the lock. She eased the door open, just a crack at first, so as to grab the bell on the frame and keep it silent. That was not how she intended to announce her presence. For all the years the shop had been there, and a couple before that, this had been one of her simpler pleasures. After all, her fiancée had a thing for being snuck up on.
She grinned as she made her way past the displays and planters towards the back of the shop, where scent and familiarity directed her. ...The humming helped. The one responsible for it had come a long way from tending a garden no one ever visited, and yet she was somehow frequently surprised by that fact. The little garden she now tended was effectively the shop's best showpiece, and as such couldn’t be up front where the exterior lighting wasn’t good enough. A grander vision of the old garden she’d designed back at Canterlot High, this masterpiece was Wallflower’s finest work to date. Sunset almost hated seeing pieces sold from it, except that it gave her lover a chance to redesign it again and again.
It was hard to say if it was design or luck that had Wallflower facing away from her as she snuck closer. How surprised she was by these little ambushes was as much a game as a truth: she set herself up to be snuck up on, and yet she still seemed surprised when it happened. Even now, nearly seven years (more than that, Sunny, keep it straight!) after they’d met, Wallflower was consistently surprised at being noticed, much more so singled out as a target… and may it never end…
Sunset closed the distance, and slid her arms slowly around her quarry. Wallflower stiffened, then relaxed, melting against her. ...And then stiffened again as Sunset brushed her nose against Wallflower’s ear. “Hi,” she said, making the word as breathy as possible and letting her lips follow the same path her nose had just crossed. She’d learned long ago just the right spots… and a trembling gasp leading into a cute little moan were her just rewards for getting this one perfectly.
“Nngh… if you’re not Sunset Shimmer, I’m going to scream really loudly.”
Sunset chuckled. “But I am, of course… which means I’ve heard you scream… loudly...” she waggled her eyebrows, even if Wallflower couldn’t see them. “...Blush…”
“Is that a command or do you just like saying my name?”
“Yes.”
Wallflower laughed softly, and turned in Sunset’s arms, showing off a light coloring in her cheeks. The years had been very good to her, partly because of me, Sunset thought with no false ego. The sort of flower that flourishes astonishingly well with just a little light. Like the light of a sunset… aaand that’s my years of knowing Pinkie talking. “So,” Wallflower began, shaking Sunset out of her reverie. “How’d it go?”
Sunset grinned. “Knocked it out of the park, naturally. We’ve got the lab space we wanted, and more funding than even I was hoping for. Rich knows a good investment when he sees it. Sparky’s probably still sitting there in a daze.”
Wallflower’s smile widened, and she leaned in to kiss Sunset. “Congratulations! Not that any of us had any doubt… well, other than Twilight. But that’s just her being her.”
“Yeah… honestly it’s really great news. She still wants to work on her doctorate, and I support her in that… but this will be us working towards something big!”
“Heh… and here I am… working in a flower shop,” Blush muttered, looking away as her smile slipped a bit.
Until Sunset’s fingers gently led her face back forward. It was artifice; she knew. Wallflower wasn’t the least bit unhappy with the success of the shop. However… “Running it…” she corrected, “but yes, I’m sure it’s a bit frustrating at times, since the most beautiful flower in here has always been the one in charge.”
Wallflower rolled her eyes, though her flush deepened a bit. “...Roseluck?”
“Hah…” Sunset replied quietly, tightening her arms around her partner, who grinned nervously at realizing she’d made a mistake. “Your jokes about your own false modesty are… forgettable.”
The nervous grin fell away to a flat expression and a level gaze, with a slowly raising eyebrow.
Relentlessly, Sunset continued. “Really, I don’t even remember the last time I heard such a weak attempt at humor.”
A sigh like a growl followed that line. “...You’re a demon.”
Sunset didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, not in years now, I’m surprised you can recall. But it’s to your credit then that you can love me the way you do.” She grinned, lowering her eyelashes. “Because you do… love me,” she lightly tapped Wallflower’s nose. “And I love you. Because you are.” A light kiss on the lips. “The most.” Another. “Beautiful flower.” A third. “Anywhere.” A fourth. “Ever.” She kissed her again, the last lingering on for several moments before Wallflower pulled away, a slightly goofy smile on her face. Still got it.
“I know why you’re doing this,” she said, finally breaking their embrace. “And it’s not the high of the presentation being a success.”
“It’s because you led me into it by pretending to be feeling a lack of self confidence?”
“...Yeah, ‘pretending’...”
Sunset smiled wryly. “Look, hun… I would love to spend the rest of the night reminding you of every reason why you don’t need to pretend anything. And I will… once we get back.”
Wallflower sighed. “We could tell them you and Twilight went out to celebrate, got too drunk to make the drive, and we have to reschedule…”
Sunset frowned, tilting her head to the side. “Why couldn’t you drive?”
“I… don’t like driving at night?”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Okay, better question. Why are we lying to your parents after finally setting this up?”
“Why not? I’ve already been lying to them for years. Why change now?”
“Because we’re getting married in three months and it’s probably better they know about the whole ‘two brides’ thing before your father gives you away?”
“At least he wouldn’t yell at me in front of a crowd,” Wallflower muttered.
“He won’t yell at you while I’m there, either,” Sunset replied darkly.
“Please don’t threaten my father with violence.”
“No promises.”
Wallflower snorted, and walked into the break room to sit down. Sunset followed and plopped down on the couch next to her. “Blush…”
“I’m fine. Heck I’m even packed. I won’t avoid this; we agreed. I just… I don’t know how to tell them anything. I never did. And this is… well it’s a pretty big deal.”
“Yes,” Sunset agreed, her lips curving in a small grin. “We are.”
Wallflower smiled. “Yeah…” and then grimaced. “You know they think you’re a guy, right? I'm pretty sure they do.”
“Hence my ‘two brides’ comment, yes. Don’t worry though, I have just the shirt and skirt combination to get the point across.”
Wallflower’s eyes widened. “No, you do not.”
“Oh come on,” Sunset said, grinning lasciviously. “I want to make an-”
“Nnnooo.”
“-unforgettable impression.”
“...Dammit, Shimmer.”
“Wha-at?” she asked, still grinning. “If you’re going to tell them you’re into girls, might as well do it next to a hottie that won’t make them question it.”
“Right… because you won’t make them question anything, I’m sure. I know you’re teasing, but this is a big deal.”
Sunset reached out, touching her face softly. “I know it is. And you know I’m going to dress nice, and be respectful. And I know you’re going to handle this just fine, despite waiting years… and years… to have the talk with them.”
“Subtle.”
“Eh. I’m a former unicorn slash magic student of a princess that has saved the world with exploding rainbows... several times. Subtle is good… but it’s definitely more your talent than mine.”
“So… I’ll do the talking then?”
“As you should, hun, and you know it. But I won’t be shy about answering anything they ask, or standing up for my girl.” Sunset’s eyes gazed lovingly into Wallflower’s as their fingers intertwined. “Because I’m very proud of who I’m with, and the life we’ve built together.”
Wallflower smiled, nodding while waiting on the knot in her throat. “Me, too.”
“Good… then this will be… well, not easy, I know that. But hey, no worse than meeting my parents, right?”
Wallflower blushed, looking away. “You are a horrible person… and a more horrible pony…”
“Aww, come on… I’m just susceptible to temptation… are you were the most adorable little earth pony mare I had ever seen. Ever. Zero competition. Nopony even close. Not my fault I felt the need to express that.”
“Pretty sure my left ear’s never been the same.” Her eyes narrowed at Sunset. “...Sinister.”
“Ooh, Latin joke, nice. ...But really, that went fine, and so will this. ...They only caught us once.”
Wallflower rolled her eyes. “And now I can never go back there…”
“Lies. They loved you. Besides, they’ll be at the wedding.”
“...Yeah, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” She took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. “Okay. I really am packed and ready. We can go… I’m good.”
“Good,” Sunset said, getting up from the couch and pulling her along. “No more hiding from them. Your parents will know just how amazing their daughter has become, and they’ll love it. ...Or I’ll hit them with rainbows until they do.”
“No, you won’t.”
“I probably won’t.”
“Sunset…”
Wallflower’s parents lived out of town as of a few years ago, about half an hour’s drive. To Sunset it felt far longer, since Wallflower was quiet for most of it. That in itself would have been fine; neither of them had ever been the sort to chatter in order to fill the space between. Two hands holding each other were enough company during quiet drives. In this case though…
“So… what can I expect, really? From them?” Sunset asked when they were less than ten minutes away.
“I… I think they’ll be okay… with you? Maybe. It’s… hard talking to them, Sunset, for me. You know that.”
“Yeah,” she squeezed Blush’s hand. “I know. If I didn’t… I’d want to know how I didn’t meet them in almost six years of dating. They’re not recluses and they’re not crazy. And yet they’ve never visited Forget Me Nots, they never call you, they weren’t at graduation-”
“Neither were yours.”
Sunset smirked, rolling her eyes. “That was my fault and you know it. ...Help me out here. We’re about to be done avoiding this, unless you want to have this discussion in their driveway, so give me something.”
Wallflower sighed, but nodded. “I… was an accident.”
Sunset blinked. “You… huh. Uh… lucky me, then.”
Wallflower actually laughed. “Wow. Okay I didn’t see that response coming.”
“What can I say?” Sunset grinned, squeezing her hand again and trailing her thumb along Blush’s fingers. “It’s true. My Wallflower is a wildflower that they didn’t mean to plant. She grew up great anyway. I call that lucky me. Luckier… I was already lucky.”
“Hmph, yeah fine… But… well… dad’s a career man, or was. I’ve told you he’s a lawyer, right?”
“Yeah. Partner in a law firm, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah. Retired before they moved out of the city, but still the same person. Now he just focuses on golf instead of litigation. Sidebar… was never really interested in being a parent. ‘Children should be seen and not heard’.”
“...You’re kidding.”
“You don’t think I got the name ‘Wallflower’ from parents who wanted me in the spotlight, do you?”
Sunset winced. “...Guess not. Still though, that’s… err... what about your mother?”
“Heh… do ponies have ‘trophy wives’?”
“Uhh…”
“Well, Rosy Thorn would be one. She was an accounting clerk for the same firm, but mostly she’s a former socialite who split her time between high class parties and nothing. Once I was born… well… she did spend some time with me.”
“You know, I really don’t like the way you emphasize ‘some’ there.”
Wallflower laughed weakly. “Why do you think I’ve avoided talking about them? Some of my earliest memories of my mom are asking her to play with me, and being told to just ‘use my imagination’,” she said, finishing in a haughty sounding tone.
“Huh…” Sunset muttered. It was true… Blush never liked talking about them. Sunset had never really pressed on the matter. It wasn’t like she had nothing in her own past she preferred leaving there. This was different though. She was to blame for her own choices, and she was proud of the better person she’d become as a result of growing past those mistakes.
In Wallflower, she’d seen a lot of the same. She’d reached for a power that would let her shape the world into what she wanted, without really thinking through how it could hurt others. And when she’d learned better, she’d grown into someone wonderful. It was something they shared. Hell, it was a big part of what had drawn them together. And Sunset now realized, and felt a bit dumb for not thinking about it sooner, just how Wallflower had reached that low point. Part of it was the old me, and I sort of assumed it was all of it. ...But that was just the old guilt talking. No… with Wallflower this had started far sooner than high school. And Sunset… hadn’t known, because she hadn’t pressed the matter. And now… well, those two better be over the moon for her… or I’ll kick them up to it!
“So… yeah,” Wallflower continued, “I sort of just… did my own thing. I liked school, because it got me out of the house, but I never really knew how to stand out and make friends. And that… stayed that way. Mom and dad overlooked me… why shouldn’t everyone else?”
Sunset pulled over.
Wallflower looked out the window. “We’re like… two minutes away.”
“Four minutes, at least. Because it didn’t stay that way. You run one of the best shops in one of the nicest towns to live in in the whole country! There’s articles that say so. You’re in them! ‘I just work in a flower shop’... hah! I don’t even know how much you make, but-”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Exactly. Because what matters is that you’re happy. And so am I. With you.” Sunset smiled, and leaned across the center console while pulling Wallflower to her. “Don’t forget, too,” she whispered, their lips inches from each other. “You got the attention of an alien.”
Wallflower snorted, and then laughed.
“It’s true! You made an alien fall… madly… in love with you. How’s that for getting noticed?” Sunset pulled her gently the rest of the way, getting no resistance as their lips met softly. Wallflower hummed contentedly as their tongues met, and they both pressed as closely together as they could.
When they finally broke the kiss, Wallflower glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “Okay… at least four minutes.” She turned back and kissed Sunset again, who giggled into her mouth as they continued.
Ten minutes later they pulled into her parent’s driveway. Wallflower was still blushing. “I can’t believe you did that right before coming here!”
“Heh, wait till you see what I do after we leave. Been awhile since I dragged you into the backseat…”
Wallflower’s eyes went wide, then shut as she hummed pleasantly, reminiscing. “Good memories.”
“We’ll make plenty more,” she said as she opened her car door. Wallflower nodded, and did the same.
The man who greeted them at the door might have been in his early fifties. Greying light green hair topped a face lined by scowls and time, and his gold eyes looked too hard to have ever held any sort of affection, even when he looked at his daughter. “Welcome, Wallflower," he said flatly. "It’s good to see you and… who’s this? I thought we were meeting your fiancé?”
Wallflower took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. She took Sunset’s hand. “You are, father. May we come in?”
He looked at those hands, then between the two young women, his face reddening in what certainly looked to be anger. He stifled it, with clear difficulty. “...Why don’t you?”
Sunset’s eyes narrowed as she began contemplating excuses to leave as soon as possible, because this was clearly about to go badly. Not that she’d act on them. This was for Wallflower more than her. Give it a chance... maybe it's just initial shock. We did spring this on him.
“I suppose you could have told me you were… not normal?” Sidebar said without preamble as they entered an ornate, if rather stuffy looking, parlor. His tone was just shy of scathing.
Sunset's eyebrow twitched. Welp, strike 1.
Inside was a woman she assumed was Rosy Thorn. She had her daughter’s skin tone and a similar look about the jawline and cheeks, if Blush were to age poorly for at least two decades and then swallow a lemon. She raised an eyebrow as she looked at the couple, and the slight hint of softness in her eyes faded immediately when she made contact with Sunset’s. Red hair bobbed as she lifted her nose.
“Thorn… were you aware our daughter was marrying another woman?” Sidebar said with clearly faux good cheer. “It seems she neglected to mention she’s… that way.”
“She’s certainly never mentioned it to me, dear husband,” she replied, placing undue emphasis on the word ‘husband’. “I had no idea.”
Wallflower swallowed heavily, and looked away for a moment, until a squeeze on her hand reminded her she wasn’t facing this alone. “You never asked. Either of you.”
“I beg your pardon, young lady?” Sidebar retorted, standing with his arms crossed next to Rosy Thorn.
“I told you, before I had even graduated, that I was seeing someone. You didn’t have a word to say about it. Actually no, you said ‘that’s surprising’ and went back to your paperwork. Mother was no better. ‘If he’s rich, you’d better sleep with him before he finds someone more interesting; if he's not, why even bother?’.”
Sunset blinked. That was why they didn’t know? How did Blush think this could possibly have gone well?
“Since then," Wallflower continued, "I’ve brought her up more than once, and you’ve ignored me, even talked over me. You just want to know how much the shop makes, or talk about what you’re doing. I told you, and you acted like you didn’t hear. You made it very clear you didn’t want to hear me. I hoped we could move past that... since I'm getting married and all. No hanging up here, no pretending you're busy, just facing me, accepting me in the spotlight for once!”
...Oh.
“Well…” Sidebar said, stumped a moment by her reply, “Just as well I didn’t expect grandchildren out of you, but this is simply unacceptable. You’re lucky I haven’t invited any of my friends from the country club; you could have seriously embarrassed me with this!”
...Oh... Strike 2, buddy... you're lucky Rainbow isn't here or this would already be ugly... uglier…
“I…” Wallflower began, her courage flagging as it ran into the wall of not wanting to fight with her parents.
“I’m not finished, young lady! I did not raise you this way, and neither did your mother. I don’t know or care who this strumpet is, but-”
Nope. Strike 3… “Okay… no.” Sunset said, quite firmly. The room may or may not have shook a bit, from magical resonance that came from the empathy she felt toward Blush’s pain. It may or may not have knocked a vase off a shelf. Heh, probably knocked off a knock off.
Wallflower turned to Sunset, her eyes wide but clear. Years together told Sunset what she needed to know, as surely as her gift could have. Blush's expression was conflicted between ‘I don’t want you to have to do this’ and ‘don’t worry, I’ll handle the police’.
Sweet Goddess, Sunset loved her.
“‘Strumpet?’, huh?” She stepped forward. “I’ll have you know Wallflower is the only human I’ve ever been with!”
“Uh, Sunny? Phrasing…” Wallflower muttered, though Sunset could hear the laughter tugging at her lips.
“Not that it’d be any of your business either way. More importantly,” Sunset continued, “Even if you don’t approve of her choices, realize that they aren’t about you! She’s a grown woman with her own life and her own success… and I am very much aware right now how little you had to do with that.”
“You don’t talk to me like that in my house!”
“Fine by me! Wanna step outside?!”
“Did.. did you just threaten me?!”
“No, genius, I asked if you wanted to get insulted in your driveway instead of your living room. But to Hell with it. You’re a self-centered joke of a father who wouldn’t be invited to our wedding if he were paying for it! Which, by the way, I know you haven’t even offered. I get it though… how Blush could become so wonderful. FLOWERS GROW GREAT IN SHIT! And YOU-” she went on, turning to Rosy Thorn…
“So, what’s that old phrase… ‘getting there is half the fun’?”
“I’ve heard that one, yes.”
“I think the ratio is off.”
“Maybe that’s on average?”
“That must be it," Sunset agreed with false cheer. "Like, you have your awful, twenty hour coach flight across the ocean for an amazing trip to Australia.”
“That was a really bad flight…” Wallflower muttered distantly.
“And then you have this… where on the way there we had a good talk about why your parents were awful, and then made out. It was meaningful and arousing… and we like both those things.”
“Usually… although the next time you mention my parents and the word ‘arousing’ in the same sentence you’ll be arousing yourself for at least a week.”
“...More than fair. ...Sorry.”
Wallflower didn’t respond.
“Blush…”
“Shh…” Sunset felt a hand rub her thigh, comfortingly. She took it in her own as Blush continued, “You were great back there. I’m not mad at you.”
“...Even for shouting at your father?”
“Especially for shouting at my father. Uhh… that was most of what you did, really. But it wasn’t… you did it for me, and I know that. I just… never thought he was…” She sighed. "Is ‘bigoted’ the word I want here?”
“Bigoted is never the word you want… but yes, I think so.”
“Yeah… I mean… there’s a reason I avoided this… I said that earlier. And that’s why I’ll be okay… I knew what could... But I’d hoped...” Wallflower sighed, and then sniffled. “They’ve always dismissed me. Why do they get to have some stupid expectations and then I’m upset because I didn’t meet them?!” She sniffed again, and Sunset saw tears running down her cheek.
Oh dammit… damn you, Sidebar, how in Tartarus did you… Sunset blinked. “Hey…”
“Hmm?”
“Why’d we name the shop Forget Me Nots?”
Wallflower laughed softly and suddenly, surprised by the question. “...You mean besides me being comfortable enough with my past to make the joke?”
“I mean what made the joke worth telling. ...Come on, you remember this. It was your idea.”
“...They also mean ‘true and undying love’.”
Sunset nodded. “And loyalty in love, despite challenges.” She grimaced. “...Challenges like finding someone else to give you away at the ceremony. ...You were never his to give.”
“...Yeah... So uh… can we forget this whole thing happened?”
Sunset snorted. “Forget that. Those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it. ...And we’re not doing this again.”
“Good point. ...Sunset?”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to pull over and get pulled into the backseat.”
Sunset blinked, and then flushed. The idea sounded really wrong just then. “Uhh… I sort of forgot about that… but come on, give me a little credit here. Mood is no good and I know that.”
“No, I mean… I just… please take me home and cuddle me until we fall asleep?” She said, her voice getting quieter as the words tumbled out, as though she were shrinking away from the request.
...As though Sunset had ever intended anything but.
She smiled softly, and pulled their hands up to her mouth, gently kissing Wallflower’s. “...For way longer than that, Blush.”
The End
