Chapters The Starswirl Music Festival was quite a doozy for the group of Sunset and her friends. Great music, churros, the return of the Dazzlings, churros, a magical artifact forcing the festival to repeat the same day over and over again, and if it wasn't obvious, churros were quite a big thing as well.
However, what happened at the festival, stayed in the festival, and Sunset's group were taking a moment to relax at the school's cafeteria, where Sunset had finished explaining what happened to her friends.
"So, what ye're tryin' t say happened, Sugarcube, is that one of ta bands used a magical artifact t' repeat ta day until they got ta perfect performance?" Applejack asked, making sure she didn't miss or misinterpret any detail. "An' dat's ta reason ya seemed happy when Pinkie Pie didn't "ruin" ta festival?"
"Yeah, and since I was in close proximity when it activated, I got to keep my memories from each loop," Sunset answered with a nod. "I completely forgot to tell this to you, because I was more focused on finding out what was causing the day to reset."
"Well, that just makes me feel guilty," Rainbow Dash said. "And here we were thinking you were acting weirder than usual for no reason."
"And that you were upset at me for no reason," Pinkie Pie lowered her head and frowned. "I'm sorry that I soured your experience several times, Sunset."
"It's okay, Pinkie," Sunset said, brushing Pinkie's hair affectionately. "You didn't know about the loop, so you couldn't have known any better."
And then Sunset began brushing Pinkie's hair for a bit too long. "Hey, is your hair softer than usual?"
As Pinkie giggled, Fluttershy stood up and gathered her bearings, which quickly caught the attention of her friends.
"Where are you going, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked.
"I'm heading to the Gardening Club," Fluttershy answered, paying little attention to Rarity as she put on her backpack. "I've been a part of that club since last month, remember?"
"Oh right, you joined that club in order to help that Wallflower girl cheer up, right?" Rainbow Dash asked, raising a curious eyebrow. "How's that been working out for you two?"
"It's been good; Wallflower's been smiling more often, and I've found her to be a pretty reliable confidant and just someone I can talk to in general," Fluttershy answered with a shrug. "And Rarity, before you ask, no, she hasn't sported the hairstyle you gave her for a while now."
"It's okay, I'm glad she isn't sporting it: I really jumped the gun when I gave it to her," Rarity answered, flipping her hair to the right. "That's a hairstyle more fitting for formal events."
"Um, what are you talking about?" Sunset asked.
"We didn't tell ya?" Applejack inquired. "Fluttershy 'ere walked up t' ta Gardening Club's doors, talked a bit with it's cap'n, and eventually joined to help save it from bein' dissolved."
"Oh really? That's good to know," Sunset got an idea and snapped her fingers. "In fact, now that I remember it, I befriended Wallflower in order to stop her from continuing her memory stealing spree, so, it's only fair that I check up on her once in a while, right?"
"If you're gonna go see this Wallflower girl, can I come with you?!" Pinkie Pie chirped as she bounced up and down. "Any friend of Fluttershy and Sunset is my friend, and she also happens to be a friend I haven't met yet, so it's twice as exciting!"
"You can come Pinkie," Sunset threw a worried look at Fluttershy. "I mean, if Fluttershy thinks it's a good idea."
"Sure, you can come, but please try to be as subdued and calm as possible, okay?" Fluttershy requested. "Wallflower is quiet and reserved, so your energy could potentially scare her."
"Oh, I see, got it!" Pinkie stopped bouncing. "Alright then, I'll be as still as possible!"
Pinkie went on to get on the tip of her feet, before she went down, then back to the tip, then back down, rinse and repeat.
"Didn't you say you were going to be as still as possible?" Sunset asked, folding her arms with an amused smile.
"This is as still as I can get!"
Sunset and Pinkie stood nearby as Fluttershy knocked the door three times, the third time soon followed by Wallflower opening the door.
"Hi, Wallflower," Fluttershy greeted, earning a smile from the girl as she took off her backpack. "I know it's redundant since you went to the festival as well, but I wanted to give you some souvenirs the girls and I brought with us."
"What a coincidence," Wallflower reached for her back, and took out her own backpack. "I brought some souvenirs for you too!"
The girls laughed in unison before Fluttershy asked, "Say, I brought some friends, could they come inside?"
"Sure, I don't mind."
The girls went inside, and as Wallflower closed the door, Sunset and Pinkie took a look at the clubroom: it was filled with all kinds of flowers and plants, covering the walls and part of the floor, while the ceiling had a couple of lightscreens attached, giving the plants the light they needed to survive.
"Wow! This is amazing!" Pinkie chirped. "It feels as if we were in the middle of a jungle! Or a lawn that's been left without proper maintenance for a long time!"
"Well, thanks, it took some effort to get it to look like this," Wallflower responded, a slight hint of pride in her tone. "Not as much as a normal person would, but still some effort."
"And I'd say it definitely paid off," Sunset said, giving a nod of approval. "Congratulations, Wallflower."
But Wallflower didn't respond; instead she walked to the table in the middle of the room, sitting at the opposite side of Fluttershy. This sudden ignorance of her presence prompted Sunset to raise an eyebrow and approach Wallflower, reaching her side just as she sat down.
This, of course, was quickly noticed by a bothered Wallflower. "Uh, hi, can I help you?"
Sunset frowned. "Wallflower, don't you recognize me?"
Wallflower paused. "Do I know you?"
Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie exchanged concerned looks as Sunset put her hands on her hips and looked sternly at Wallflower. "It's me, Sunset Shimmer! You know, the girl who didn't know you existed before, which got you so mad that you used a memory stone for revenge!"
"Geez, it's one thing to be egotistical, but it's another thing to have an active imagination and waste it on a convoluted story," Wallflower replied sternly. "Listen, if we've met before, then I'm sorry, but I don't remember it."
Sunset flinched, her shock being changed for sadness soon after. "You... really don't remember me?"
Wallflower silently shook her head.
"I..." Sunset lowered her head. "I see..."
With that said, Sunset walked out of the Gardening Club, followed by a concerned Pinkie Pie, leaving a flabbergasted Fluttershy and saddened Wallflower behind.
"Wallflower, were you being honest?" Fluttershy asked. "Do you really not remember Sunset?"
Wallflower once again silently shook her head, this time showing notable regret as she looked away, and Fluttershy frowned with concern.
Outside the clubroom, Sunset leaned against the wall, looking sad at the ceiling while Pinkie tried to get her attention, and failing that, cheer her up.
"C-Cheer up, Sunset! Maybe Wallflower was still suffering from the rush of the festival! You're a very unforgettable person! I-I'm sure that Wallflower meant something entirely different with what she said!"
Sunset, however, barely paid attention to Pinkie's comment. Instead, she was more focused on one thing, which she revealed once she lowered her head:
"Wallflower... has forgotten about me."
Author's Note
Wow, talk about striking while the iron is hot. The "Sunset's Backstage Pass" special was little over a week ago, right? Is that still relevant? XD
Anyway, I thought of this cute little idea involving Sunset, Pinkie, and Wallflower, nothing too long or epic, just a fun little story with a tiny bit of sadness thrown in the mix, though you'll have to read to the end to find out what I mean.
Draxonos135, flying away.
Pinkie and Sunset were at the Sugarcube Corner, drinking smoothies: Sunset was drinking hers at a relatively slow pace, while Pinkie's drinking slowed down until she stopped drinking altogether, looking pretty concerned over the girl.
"Sunset, I know this might be the worst time to ask this question," Pinkie remarked, getting Sunset's attention. "But what makes Wallflower so special that her not remembering you upsets you this much?"
"Pinkie, Wallflower literally messed with everyone's memories because I ignored her: she only stopped and changed her mind once the stone was destroyed!" Sunset explained, taking another sip from her smoothie. "If she doesn't remember me... it makes me feel like everything we went through that day was for nothing."
"Yeah, I guess I see what you mean..." Pinkie lowered her eyelids, before she narrowed her eyes. "But that doesn't mean we can sit here and sulk about it all day."
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "We can't?"
"Of course not! You know how there's a saying that says "good things come to those who wait"? Well there's another saying that says "earlier bird gets the worm"!" Pinkie Pie stated as she stood up. "And if those two sayings ever got together and had a baby, then they would definitely ask us to babysit it for them!"
Sunset paused. "Pinkie, what are you talking about?"
"It's upsetting that Wallflower doesn't remember you, I get that, but nothing's going to change if we don't do something about it," Pinkie Pie pounded her chest once. "So, I'm going to go out and see if I can find out the reason why she doesn't remember you!"
Sunset smiled and played with her hair. "Pinkie, you don't have to do that for me."
"You're right on one thing: I don't have to do it, but I want to do it!" Pinkie clenched her fist and shrugged. "Besides, it's the least I can do after nearly runing the Starswirl Music Festival for you repeatedly!"
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "But that's not the main reason you're doing it, are you?"
"What?! Of course not! Who do you think I am, Sunset?! Anyway, be right back!"
Pinkie Pie bolted out in a flash of pink light, leaving Sunset to continue drinking her smoothie.
"Alright, if I'm going to investigate why Wallflower doesn't remember Sunset anymore, I'm going to need a disguise!" Pinkie Pie told to herself, ignoring the weird looks she got from people. "As well as a decent hiding spot!"
But then, Pinkie heard somebody approaching, and she hid behind a bush just as those people walked by: these being Fluttershy and Wallflower Blush.
"Fluttershy and Wallflower!" Pinkie quietly gasped, before she looked down and covered herself. "I don't have a disguise yet!"
"Listen, Wallflower..."
Pinkie flinched and leaned closer to the bush, taking a peek out of it to hear the girls' conversation.
"I know you don't want to see Sunset after what you said, but we have to go see her," Fluttershy told the vine-haired girl. "You didn't mean to hurt her feelings, I understand that, but whether I understand doesn't matter: Sunset has to know you didn't mean it."
Huh, so Wallflower wants to apologize to Sunset for hurting her feelings? That's good on my book!
"It's just that, you saw how she reacted when I said I didn't remember her, Fluttershy," Wallflower spoke, brushing her arm as she looked away. "She must still be affected by me supposedly not remembering her; she'd likely push me away if I tried to apologize for it."
Supposedly? What does she mean by supposedly? Anyhow, you're getting the wrong idea, Wallflower! Sunset's not like that!
"Sunset's not like that!" Fluttershy stated, Pinkie fighting back a chuckle as she continued. "She's a strong girl, both physically and mentally. Sure, thinking you forgot her hurts, but it'll hurt her even more if you let her think that you don't want to apologize for it."
Wallflower lowered her head, and Fluttershy put a hand on her shoulder. "And besides, this was your idea, right?"
Wait, what?
"That because Sunset Shimmer didn't recognize nor hung out with you on the music festival, you were going to act like you didn't know she was there too?"
Wait, what!?!?!
"I know... I was the one who thought about it in the first place, but... I just didn't think she would take it so badly," Wallflower lowered her eyelids. "I thought she had forgotten about me, just like everybody else eventually does."
"Why would Sunset forget about you just like that?" Fluttershy asked. "Didn't she promise you that she wouldn't forget you again?"
"Just because she made a promise doesn't mean I honestly expect her to keep it," Wallflower rolled her eyes. "I don't know if it's a curse or just general bad luck, but unless people hang out with me often, they don't tend to remember me that well. And it's been several weeks, if not months, since we last spoke."
Fluttershy frowned. "I took several breaks that lasted from days to weeks from the Gardening Club, and I didn't forget you, Wallflower."
"Yeah, but unlike Sunset, at least you kept contact with me. Sunset? I didn't hear from until I heard about the festival and how she was going to go," Wallflower lowered her head. "And then, when the festival came, I... couldn't help but accept that she might've forgotten about me by then. And since she never spoke to me once during that festival, or even noticed I was there..."
Fluttershy tried to gently push Wallflower towards Sunset's location, only for her to free herself from her grasp and run away, Fluttershy giving chase just in time to let Pinkie Pie come out, holding a concerned expression.
"So, that's what she said?" Sunset asked, having been just been told of what happened by a nodding Pinkie Pie. "Man, I can't believe I made such a mistake: no wonder Wallflower chose to act like she forgot about me."
"Don't beat yourself up for it, Sunset," Pinkie put a hand on Sunset's shoulder. "There were a lot of people at the festival: maybe you didn't manage to see Wallflower because she didn't call out to you. See? It can't be entirely your fault."
"Eitherway, Wallflower and I need to talk," Sunset finished her smoothie. "Pinkie, can you do me a favor?"
Pinkie Pie eagerly nodded.
"Convince Fluttershy and Wallflower to meet at the schoolyard. I want to talk to Wallflower about this."
A little bit later after being told Wallflower hadn't forgotten, Sunset stood at the entrance to the park, waiting alongside Pinkie Pie for Fluttershy and Wallflower Blush's arrival.
"Sunset, I know it's a bit late to bring this up," Pinkie Pie blurted, getting Sunset's attention. "But are you sure you want to do this?"
"Wallflower nearly broke my heart by making me think she had forgotten about me, after nearly sacrificing my own memories to save you and the girls!" Sunset stated sternly.
Pinkie Pie raised an eyebrow. "She nearly broke your heart?"
Sunset blushed and flinched. "B-B-By that I mean, she made me upset! And her reason for doing this is because she's angry is because I didn't notice her in the Starswirl Music Festival? When she didn't even try to let me know she was there!? I need to do something!"
"But still, won't she be confused that you're doing this in the first place?" Pinkie Pie inquired.
"Wallflower's a smart girl," Sunset lowered her head. "She'll understand what's going on quickly."
And then, a familiar pair appeared, getting Sunset's attention. "And speaking of Wallflower..."
Pinkie and Sunset turned to see Wallflower and Fluttershy standing nearby, the latter with a hand on the former as she nervously waved hello. Without wasting time, the four girls walked into the park, with Fluttershy pushing Wallflower forward when she tried to back away.
Once at the park, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy ran away and hid behind some bushes, letting Sunset and Wallflower think they were alone so they could talk things out. A long silence passed between the two, before they both gathered the courage to speak... in unison:
"I'm sorry, I-"
The unison nature of the statement caught the girls by surprise, prompting to pause for a moment as they processed what they just said. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, for their part, looked at the fact with surprise and amusement.
"You first-"
Again, the fact the statement was said in unison caught their attention, making them blush as they looked away from each other. As for Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, the former clasped her hands with an approving smile, while the latter held back her laughter.
Sunset waited for a moment and allowed Wallflower to talk. "I'm sorry that I made you think I had forgotten about you. I was angry that you had gone to the Starswirl Music Festival and didn't even notice me. You didn't even say hi or something."
"But I went with the rest of my friends, and besides, you never once came up to me and asked to join us," Sunset replied. "If you had asked to come with us, I'm sure at least most of us would've been okay with it."
"I'm just not good with crowds, Sunset; with your friends, I would've felt like I was just there, rather than being a part of the actual group," Wallflower lowered her head. "And besides, outside of Fluttershy and maybe Rarity, I don't think any of them would want to hang out with me after what happened with the memory stone. That's assuming they still remember me, of course."
Sunset lowered her eyelids and brushed Wallflower's head. "Well, I'm sorry that I made you think I had forgotten about you too. I mean, me and the girls weren't the only ones who went to the festival; most of our classmates went, and since you're among them, I should've expected you to be there as well."
"Well, to be fair," Wallflower smiled a little. "Knowing you and your friends, you were more than likely busy dealing with another magical artifact, weren't you?"
Sunset gasped. "How did you know?!"
"It just seems to be something that happens to you and your friends a lot: you go anywhere at all, and before anybody can point out the coincidence, someone just happens to have a magical object at hand."
Sunset joined Wallflower. "And they just happen to misuse its power-"
"Which also just happens to give them a boosted ego and start messing around with it-"
"Which happens to give me and the girls a reason to transform-"
Wallflower and Sunset finished in unison, "And focus on dealing with it above everything else!"
The girls exchanged a couple laughs, with Wallflower's slowing down faster than Sunset's as she thought about it, stopping as her face lowered. "I guess with that in mind, and how I didn't try to get your attention, maybe I should've expected you not to see me during the festival."
"Well, you have my attention now," Sunset folded her arms and smiled. "So, how about we have a little dance, right here, right now?"
Wallflower flinched. "But, aren't you angry at me?"
"Oh, I am angry, but before I scold you for making me worry about you not remembering me," Sunset grabbed Wallflower's hands and pulled her closer to herself. "I want to do one thing first and foremost: have a moment between us that'll make sure you never forget me again."
Sunset briefly let go of Wallflower's hand to snap her fingers, prompting Pinkie Pie to began playing music similar to the music played at the festival on her own.
The reason this was possible? 'Cause it was Pinkie Pie, what more reason was needed?
With the music now at play, Sunset put a hand on Wallflower's waist and began dancing with her, Wallflower blushing and avoiding eye contact with Sunset as she pointed out, "Sunset, this is the public park. What will we do if people spot us?"
Sunset grabbed Wallflower's chin, pulled her up so they would see eye-to-eye, and with a sultry tone answered, "Let them think whatever they want to think. Right now, I only want to focus on you."
Wallflower's blushing intensified, before she smiled with a look of joy, and began dancing the night away along with Sunset.
And dance the night away they did, as when they had finished dancing, the sun was about to completely set over the horizon, a sight that the girls watched from under a tree. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy were still around, sitting next to the girls in fact, just in case something else happened.
"I didn't think you would go as far as to do this, Sunset," Wallflower spoke, lowering her head a little. "But... thank you."
"It's okay, Wallflower, everything to make memories that won't make you forget about me anytime soon," Sunset looked back at the sunset. "Although, we should head back home now. It's getting pretty late."
"Yeah, I agree," Wallflower reached for Sunset and grabbed her chin. "But before I go, there's something I want to give you."
Sunset was pulled to look at Wallflower face-to-face. "And what is tha-"
Suddenly, Wallflower leaned closer to Sunset, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie blushing as red as tomatoes as Wallflower kissed Sunset... just not on the lips, although she did it so close to them she might as well have kissed them.
"And there's a memory that won't make you forget about me anytime soon," Wallflower giggled as she released Sunset and stood up. "Anyway, I'm going home. See you tomorrow, Sunset!"
Wallflower cheerfully strolled out of the park, a still-blushing Fluttershy chasing after her as Sunset lowered her eyelids, blushed, and with a wide smile waved goodbye, saying:
"See you tomorrow, Wallflower!"
Author's Note
And that's the end of this story. Talk about a short story, huh?
Now, I wanted to try write something to coincide with the release of the Backstage Pass special, but then it kinda became "Sunflower" shipping out of a sudden.
I don't mind this, though, and I hope you enjoyed this story nonetheless.
Draxonos135, flying away!
