Hope in the Face of Adversity
It was summer in Canterlot City, which meant that all the schools were out. Naturally, the students of Canterlot High were out and about, strolling through the streets and partaking in whatever pastimes they desired to engage in. And among those youths was a unique girl who'd once been a unicorn from another world.
Sunset Shimmer walked down the sidewalk with a spring in her step that was reminiscent of Pinkie Pie. Her jubilate gait was matched only by the ridiculously wide smile on her face. Those who knew Sunset closely knew exactly why she was in such a good mood, since she'd told them her plans for the rest of the day. While she enjoyed the time spent with her friends, for the past few months, she'd been delighting in the company of another.
She eventually reached the tiny blue household, and climbed up the steps, before balling her hand into a fist and knocking. A few seconds later, the knock was answered by a freckled green girl, wearing a bright red t-shirt and a pair of blue jeans.
"Hey, Sunset," said Wallflower Blush, holding her arms open and allowing Sunset to eagerly embrace her. "You're here early."
"What, I can't rush ahead to see my girlfriend?" asked Sunset, but her tone of voice made it clear she was joking. "Seriously, though, it's not a problem, is it?"
"No, it's fine," Wallflower insisted. "Mom and Dad are out for the day, so I don't have any constraints on my time or anything. Plus, this does mean we get to spend more time together."
"I am grateful for that," replied Sunset, giving Wallflower another hug. "Are you sure you just wanna get milkshakes? I really don't mind paying for a whole lunch."
"Nah. I'm not very hungry, anyway. I'd rather just have a quick treat right now."
"Alright, if that's what you want. Though I should warn you, next time, when it's my turn to pick, I'll probably go with something bigger."
Wallflower enjoyed a small laugh at the statement. "Don't worry, I know your appetite. And I've been saving up my money, so it's not like I'm gonna have trouble paying."
"Well, if you're happy, I'm happy," said Sunset.
After a brief walk to the mall (Wallflower still refused to ride on Sunset's motorcycle), the two teenagers found themselves sitting in the food court, downing an milkshake apiece. They weren't racing to see who could do it faster, like Rainbow and Applejack would've done, but rather enjoying the experience. Plus, racing would've resulting in some nasty brain freeze.
"So is there anything new going on with the girls, lately?" asked Wallflower. "I haven't heard of any magical chaos unfolding recently, at least."
"Nope, and I haven't heard of any catastrophes happening in Equestria, either," replied Sunset. "What about you? I know you and Trixie have been hanging out more since the whole Memory Stone debacle."
"Pretty good, I'll admit. Trixie's fun. And she is a pretty good DM in Ogres and Oubliettes sessions. Tends to go a little overboard with the titles, though."
"Seeing how many synonyms of 'great' and 'powerful' she can jam into her characters? That doesn't surprise me one bit."
Wallflower laughed a little, taking another sip of her milkshake. "Still, it beats her forgetting I exist."
The two girls continued their small talk, discussing their plans for the summer, as well as what the next year of school would bring in a few months. Soon, both their milkshakes were empty, and they each got out of their chairs. They dumped their cups in the garbage bin, before beginning to make their way out of the mall.
"I don't suppose you'd be willing to spend the rest of the day together. Maybe just stare at the sky for a little while?"
Wallflower elbowed her girlfriend in the ribs. "You are such a dork," she joked. "I'd really love to, but I've got a shift to cover at work. I'd rather not, but I need the cash. You know why."
"Alright, I understand." Sunset gave Wallflower another hug, then leaned in for a kiss.
"Hey!"
The teenagers nearly smacked their heads together in surprise. Then they pulled apart from each other, before turning towards the source of the voice. They found themselves staring down a woman neither of them had ever seen before.
"Don't do that in public, you freaks!" the woman snapped again.
"Don't do what?" Sunset asked. "What did we do wrong?"
"You know exactly what you did! You're perverting the laws of nature and the word of God! What if there had been children watching?!"
It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what this bystander was getting at. Sunset began to feel the rage boil in her veins, her fingers curling into fists.
"What does that have to do with you?!" she demanded, taking a step towards the woman. "All I'm doing is spending time with my girlfriend, who I love, and expressing that love! How does that affect you?! Why do you feel the need to insert yourself?!"
"You should be thanking me, young lady!" the woman spat back. "I'm trying to save you from sinning and eternal damnation! Not to mention the disgusting display you're putting out for all the world to see!"
Sunset took another step towards the woman, but was stopped when Wallflower grabbed her by the arm, pulling her back.
"Let's go, Sunset," said the green girl.
Sunset turned her head to glare at her girlfriend. "Go?" she asked. "You're gonna let this scumbag walk all over us?! You're gonna let her—"
"Sunset," Wallflower continued firmly, "she's not worth it. Let's go."
Sunset attempted to pull away again, but she soon noticed that people were beginning to stare. Sure, most of them looked sympathetic to them and not their harasser, but they were staring nonetheless. Reluctantly, she took several deep breaths to calm down, then allowed Wallflower to drag her along, while the woman shouted various expletive-loaded phrases after them.
"Well, that sucked," Sunset grumbled, as the two girls made their way back to Wallflower's home. They'd been silent for much of the walk, even after Wallflower had let go of Sunset's arm.
"Yeah, but it could've been worse," Wallflower added. "At least it was only one idiot, and not a whole gang of them."
"True." Sunset sighed to herself. "I just wish we could go out without risking some nutcase doing that every time. Why do some people have to suck so bad? Even as a former jerk myself, I don't understand it."
"Neither do I," admitted Wallflower. "I bet you never had to go through something like that in Equestria, huh?"
"Well, no, but not for the reasons you're thinking," replied Sunset. "I was never in a relationship as a pony, mostly because I was still focused on myself and getting all the power I 'deserved.' Homosexual couples, even in Equestria, still get pestered by certain ponies who think it's unnatural. Especially from the noble ponies of Canterlot. The whole religious thing doesn't really exist in Equestria, so ponies have a harder time coming up with justifications for their hate, but it still exists."
Wallflower turned to Sunset, looking shocked. "Wait, it's just as bad in magical pony land as it is here?! I never would've guessed that."
"Maybe not quite as bad," said Sunset. "In Equestria, you're much more likely to have somepony jump in to defend you if you're getting harassed because of that. I know it does happen here, and I'm always happy when I see it on the news, but it doesn't seem to happen as often. Also, ponies who do that don't have a lot of political power. Princess Celestia gets a demand that she outlaw homosexual marriage every few years, but those always get torched. Even if she did agree to that, the vast majority of ponies would turn on her for it."
"Oh, I see," said Wallflower. "So it's more like what this world is approaching right now." She sighed. "I suppose I don't have the right to complain, things are way, way better than they were a few decades ago, but—"
"Of course you have the right to complain," Sunset insisted. "No one deserves to get told you're going to Hell just because you're different."
"True, but things were much worse not too long ago. We wouldn't have even have been allowed to marry in certain states." Then she blushed, realizing what she'd just said. "N-not that I'm saying we should get married now—"
"Don't worry, I know what you meant," Sunset assured her. She couldn't keep the sadness from entering her eyes, though. "It was kind of a culture shock when I got here. I was terrified of being outed in a place that was more hostile than my home. That's one of the reasons I dated Flash. I thought a cute guy would attract less unwanted attention to me than a cute girl.”
"At least you don't have to worry about that now," Wallflower replied. "Canterlot High is pretty good about it. Even when everybody hated each other, nobody got bullied for being LGBTQ+."
"But things still aren't perfect," Sunset continued with a sigh. "Parents still kick out their children for being different, people still refuse to issue marriage licenses then go on the news and act like they're some kind of defender of liberty, and crap like that. It makes me sick."
"I agree, don't get me wrong," Wallflower insisted. "But if you'd gotten into a fight with that old hag, it wouldn't have done any good. At worst, you could've been charged with assault, and that lady would get a platform to spread her hate. We have to show we're better than them, and drown them out with positivity."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Sunset admitted. "I just wish it wasn't such a lengthy process to get the system fixed."
"Me too. But things are getting better all the time. The bigots are losing power. Eventually, they'll realize they can't impose their views on the world."
The two remained silent for the rest of the walk back to Wallflower's house, and reached their destination without further incident.
"Well, I guess this is good-bye for today, then?" Sunset asked.
"Pretty much," Wallflower replied. "It sucks things didn't work out like we wanted them to, but I did enjoy myself. I got to spend time with you, and that makes me happy."
"Good enough for me." Sunset then cast her eyes around, looking up and down the street.
"What are you doing?" Wallflower asked, confused.
"Making sure we won't be interrupted again," said Sunset. "Unless you don't want to kiss me?"
Wallflower rolled her eyes. "Just get on with it, you dweeb."
Sunset couldn't help but chuckle a little at her girlfriend's joke, but she eventually leaned in and the two pressed their lips together for a quick moment, before pulling apart.
"That always feels nice," said Sunset. "Screw anybody who says we're doing something wrong."
"I know, right?" Wallflower responded with another laugh.
The two teenagers shared another, all too brief hug, before Sunset let go. She turned around, walking off into the distance, as Wallflower waved.
Sunset briefly reflected on their conversation. She knew Wallflower was right, and that things in the human world would eventually be even better than they were in Equestria. Love was stronger than hate, after all, and people were working hard to make sure that people like Sunset and Wallflower could be together without being harassed. Eventually, things would be better.
