Shaking Off Bad Memories

Chapters

Monday Blues
In These Pages You'll Last Forever
We Only Want What We Deserve
Me and You, You and Me
A Helping Hand Goes Farther Than You Can Dream
Epilogue: We Push Through the Weather

Monday Blues

Author's Note

Quick note: If you haven't read the original "Late-Night Conversations" story since it was originally posted in November 2021, keep in mind a significant epilogue chapter was added in February.

Narrative Background/Recap: It’s been just over a year since Forgotten Friendship. Sunset has been experiencing nightmares about the events of the special, admitting to Rarity she resents Wallflower. Today is the last day before graduation that they’ll have to be in the same room together; with Rarity’s encouragement, Sunset has decided to make it count.

Monday Blues

It wasn't unusual to see Wallflower Blush walking to school. She lived just down the block from campus, after all; while she had a driver's license, it would've been pointless to take a car over, even on a sweltering near-summer day like today. For a long time, it had meant that she could stay in the school garden—her home away from home—for long periods after hours without raising much skepticism, since security rarely checked in on it and she could be home in mere minutes if her family got concerned where she was. She'd once told Roseluck how, the previous year, she'd often snuck out at night to relax there, even falling asleep one time, which made for an awkward moment when she stumbled into the house the next morning, covered in dirt and being discovered by her alarmed mother.

(More somberly, she'd noted her mother had no recollection of such an incident ever occurring.)

So it didn't strike Roseluck, glancing through the window slat at the back exit door, as odd when she saw Wallflower emerge from the garden path that morning, walking up to the gap in the gate behind the back parking lot. What was unusual, though, was her posture. She looked slumped, as though her backpack, which didn't appear unusually large, was filled with bricks and throwing her off-kilter. She'd stopped at the fence and was now leaning against it. Roseluck looked closer. Wallflower's eyes were looking downward, but she wasn't staring blankly. She was focusing on a spot on the asphalt in front of her.

Worried Wallflower might be getting a bit of heat exhaustion, Roseluck abruptly stepped away from her other friends, Muffins and Raspberry Fluff, and pushed the door open. "Wallflower!", she shouted, which seemed to snap the green girl out of her stupor. "Are you okay?"

Wallflower darted forward, slipping deftly between the parked cars as she made her way to the building. "I'm fine!" she called. "Sorry!"

"Sorry for what?" Roseluck asked as Wallflower made it to the door, panting a bit. "I'm the one who should be apologizing—I wasn't trying to get you to run when it's already this hot out."

"Oh, it's fine," Wallflower replied sheepishly they stepped inside, Roseluck letting the door close behind them. "I guess I just need a moment out there. Nothing to worry about."

"A moment?" Roseluck asked, tilting her head slightly. "How come?"

"Nothing," Wallflower said, surprisingly forceful in her tone. She disengaged from that line of discussion by turning to Muffins and Raspberry and greeting them. Roseluck wasn't amused.

"How was your weekend?", Raspberry asked Wallflower.

"It was okay, mostly studying and stuff. But hey, last week of high school, right?" The two girls, joined by Muffins, threw their arms in the air excitedly, Wallflower's right accidentally knocking into Bulk Biceps as he walked behind them. "Oops, sorry Bulk."

"Aw, no worries, Wallflower." He looked up and waved to Muffins, who excitedly waved back before the musclebound student carried on towards class.

"I still can't believe you two are going to prom together!" Raspberry nudged Muffins as the grey girl blushed and gestured an expression agreeing with her sentiment. She turned back to Wallflower. "Did you ever ask anyone?"

"No, I... didn't feel up to it. I'm not feeling very excited about dating right now, even just for this. But we'll all see each other there, right?"

Raspberry nodded as Muffins and Roseluck put a hand on Wallflower's shoulder. "Of course we will, Wallflower," Roseluck replied.

"And hey, y'know, it wasn't that long ago that I wouldn't have even had you girls there to look forward to. So, I mean..." Wallflower's smile faded, her eyes drifting to Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash walking past them out of the corner of her eye. "I just feel..."

"Wallflower?" Roseluck asked, as Wallflower appeared lost in thought.

"I gotta go. I've got my big calc exam in four minutes. I'll see you later!"

"Wallflower, the bell hasn't rung yet…" Roseluck trailed off as Wallflower tore away from them toward class. She sighed, dissatisfied, as she, Raspberry and Muffins dispersed to head for their own first-period rooms.

Being finals week, each of the last two days of class were extended-period days, with Wallflower having her odd-numbered classes on Monday and even-numbered on Tuesday. That had meant she'd gotten to kick the day off bright and early with her extra-long calculus final, the studying for which had taken up a good chunk of her weekend. It had paid off, though—she felt reasonably confident in her performance. She even found herself a bit disappointed as the bell rang for third period, not especially excited to get up and leave.

She'd rather take a second calc exam than go to third period.

Ironically, Wallflower had been the one to push for a move into third period government at the start of the semester. She'd initially had it at sixth period, but when she learned a special half-year earth sciences elective was being offered at that time only, she'd petitioned the principal's office to drop her original third period elective and move government to that time. In her excitement, she hadn't thought to check who any of her new classmates might be, and so it came as a nasty shock on her first day when she turned the corner and blundered right into Sunset Shimmer, quite literally, knocking them both to the floor (again).

And things had only gotten more uncomfortable from there.

To be a student at Canterlot High meant to be surrounded by the image of Sunset and her celebrity friends, even if they continued to act as though they were ordinary students. And for the senior class in particular, it usually meant you were in class with at least one of them. Wallflower shared calculus with Fluttershy, literature with Rarity, regular physics with Rainbow Dash and home economics with Applejack and Pinkie Pie; even her earth science elective had Twilight Sparkle. And having Sunset in government gave her the complete set of seven, leaving only one class, pottery, Rainboom-free, as well as lunch.

With the destruction of the Memory Stone now a year in the past, her relationships with the six girls she'd made into her targets were... not the strongest. They were civil, to be certain, and Wallflower remained grateful that they'd kept the details of why the entire school had inexplicably forgotten the redemption of Sunset Shimmer for three days vague (Wallflower had only opened up to Roseluck and Muffins about exactly what happened). But they interacted infrequently, and the forced politeness in those interactions often had the effect of leaving Wallflower feeling infantilized. Rarity was the only one she felt treated her like a functioning human being; they'd developed a more organic acquaintanceship, though discomfort could quickly ensue if the topic of discussion led Rarity to an anecdote involving her core friends.

Sunset, though...

Nominally, she and Sunset engaged with each other on a relatively frequent basis. Government was a class that necessitated a lot of group projects, such as political campaign simulations, mock court sessions and more; even if the two were assigned to separate teams, they would usually have to interact at some point. Once, they'd been selected to work with each other on a partner quiz, and they'd done so while acting perfectly civil and reasonable. A stranger watching from the outside would never suspect they had a history beyond "schoolmates".

That stranger could not have been more wrong.

With no assigned seating in class, Wallflower did everything she could to avoid sitting too close to Sunset, who would usually sit next to Trixie; since Trixie was usually the first of the three to reach class each day, Wallflower had started studying her seating habits to help keep her distance. When they did have to interact, Sunset and Wallflower would generally both speak as though they were addressing a casual acquaintance they hadn't kept in touch with, filled with false positivity and vague allusions to "catching up sometime." Wallflower would often spy a hint of nervousness in Sunset's voice, while usually missing the resignation audible in her own.

She hates me, she would think. She despises me, she can't stand the sight of me. And why shouldn't she?

And so the two of them had silently decided to simply run out the clock on their obligatory relationship, waiting for graduation to sever their ties for good.

Until today.

Wallflower had first picked up on something odd with Sunset during class. Exams had been held the previous week, so for this prolonged period, they were simply getting to watch a classic civics-themed movie. Midway through, out of the corner of her eye, Wallflower noticed Sunset wasn't watching the film. She was staring directly at her.

Wallflower rubbed her eyes and turned her head. Sunset was now looking at the movie, focused intently. Wallflower shifted back to the screen. Was that real?

She would get her answer just half an hour later, as she left the classroom to head to pottery, when she heard a familiar voice exclaim "Wallflower, stop!"

Her blood froze as she recalled the last time she'd heard those exact words. She turned around to find Sunset standing directly behind her. "Sunset Shimmer?"

"Wallflower, I... I wanted to ask if you had some free time after yearbook today. I wanted... I was hoping we could talk. Just for a bit."

"A-about what?" Wallflower stammered. She could see the gears in Sunset's head turn as the redhead tried to figure out how exactly to answer that question.

"Just... something important."

"Oh..." Wallflower replied, knowingly. The truth was she'd secretly wanted to ask Sunset for this opportunity as well, though she couldn't have imagined she'd ever find the courage to do so, terrified of the shame that would ensue when Sunset told her No and removed all ambiguity from their status. "I... I guess so. I can stay. I-I-I'll see you then."

She turned and walked away as fast as she could before Sunset could reply.

"So you're staying after yearbook to talk to her?" Roseluck asked.

It was lunch. Wallflower, Roseluck and Muffins were all quick eaters (Raspberry didn't share their lunch period), so they'd gone out into the garden for the rest of the time, Wallflower being concerned that the plants weren't getting enough water in the heat. After a good few minutes of watering, though, they were getting a bit too warm themselves in the early afternoon sun and were headed back across the parking lot.

"Yeah," Wallflower sighed. "I don't really know what exactly she wants to say. I don't know if she wants to try being nice to me again, or make some kind of friendship speech like she does, or if she just wants to scream at me. I'd probably just scream at me."

"Wallflower..."

"It's her right. There's no horrible thing she can say about me that I can defend against. What I did..." They passed the spot where, one year earlier, Sunset Shimmer had collapsed onto the ground, drained of years of memory, and begged for help on all fours as Wallflower watched. She stopped and stared mournfully. Muffins came up from behind and hugged her, joined by Roseluck, as tears started to slip down Wallflower's face.

"It was wrong, yes." Roseluck replied. "But you know that already. Sunset knows you know that. We know how you can be around her, but I don't think she genuinely believes you're still that person anymore. She's not the kind of person to kick someone while they're down."

Wallflower sniffled. "Not like me..."

"Wallflower," Roseluck replied much more sternly as the hug broke apart. "Listen to me. I know talking to someone you have a bad history with can be upsetting, maybe even scary. But you owe it to yourself, and to her, to be strong. Don't just sit there and feel sorry for yourself; you won't get anywhere that way. If you're genuinely afraid Sunset doesn't remember how much you've changed, remind her. Show her the new you. The you that we've gotten to know this past year."

Wallflower felt a chill down her spine, even as beads of sweat began to run alongside the teardrops. "But that new me... it wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for what I did to her. Everything about who I am now is because of what happened." She hung her head in shame. "And she knows it."

"You’re not being fair to yourself! You can’t define yourself forever by something like that! Think about who Sunset used to be! Think of what she had to build herself back from! Do you really think she can’t understand what it’s like to want a do-over for who you are?"

Muffins mimed playing a guitar. "Great point," Roseluck added, "she literally made a whole song about exactly that!"

Wallflower swallowed. There were counterarguments she could make, but she didn’t want to drag this out. "I hope you’re right," she sighed.

As they reached the door, Muffins patted her on the head. "You'll do great," she whispered.

"Thanks, I... I’ll try. I’ll really try."

In These Pages You'll Last Forever

Sunset's phone buzzed as she fumbled with the keys to the yearbook room, the door in even more desperate need of repair a year later. It was Rarity.

You sure you don't want me there, darling?, it read.

"Oh, geez, she actually wrote 'darling'!" Sunset laughed to herself as she typed out her reply. I'll be fine, Rares. See you later. She stuffed the phone away as she finally managed to get the right key in the lock and open the shoddy door.

She switched on the lights and was greeted with the familiar sights of the room, with the chalkboard on the left and the computers on the right. Scootaloo, Vice President of the Yearbook Committee (Rarity having exited the club at the start of the year due to other obligations) and the holder of the other set of keys, had come by earlier with Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom to drop off the boxes of newly delivered yearbooks; one was prominently placed on the counter in the center of the room, while the rest were to the side under the computers. They'd also set up three rows of chairs, packed closely in the small area behind said counter. Today's meeting would be Scootaloo's show, with her being introduced as the incoming president by Sunset before taking charge of moving the yearbooks to where they'd be dispensed the next morning. The seniors on the committee, except for those who had joined for the first time this year, were not obligated to help with that process, per yearbook tradition, so that'd be the point where she could split off and talk to... her.

Sunset swallowed. Why is thinking her name still so uncomfortable? It had been an effort to say it when she'd been talking with Rarity the past weekend, and it had been even more of an effort calling out to her in the hall that morning.

It was in this room, a little over a year ago, where Sunset had had her first recognizable interaction with a girl who, unbeknownst to her, had become crazed with jealousy over Sunset's social rehabilitation and popularity and sought to extinguish it. But it wasn't the first time they'd met; they'd had English together in freshman year, where the other girl had fallen beneath the notice of the ascendant queen of Canterlot High, and she had a vague recollection of sharing chemistry with her in sophomore year, where she would have melted into one of the numerous voices jeering Sunset for months in the wake of the Fall Formal. But, from there, she'd disappeared into the shadows, with the help of a magical object of terrible purpose from Sunset's own homeworld. She joined yearbook in junior year, the same year Sunset became president of the committee, but she'd made use of the object so many times to cover up embarrassment that there were only vague fragments of her in Sunset's mind prior to...

To...

Wallflower Blush, Sunset thought. Her name is Wallflower Blush. She's a real live human being. And if I can't bring myself to remember that, then this really can't go well. So stop acting like this. She'd already chastised herself that day for visibly gawking at Wallflower in gov class like she was a particularly odd animal at the zoo, having gotten lost in thought about how this part of the day was going to go. She sighed.

But still, another voice insider her whispered, does she really even deserve—

Sunset jolted suddenly as she felt a finger tap her on the shoulder. "Wha—oh, hey Scootaloo," Sunset exclaimed as she whipped around to find the source of the touch.

"Hey, Madam President—you're kinda blocking the door a bit."

"No, I'm... whoops. My bad." Sunset realized she hadn't really moved since turning the lights on and was still in the doorway. She peered outside down the hall and saw a bit of a line behind her, including the other CMCs, Micro Chips, Sandalwood and a few of the younger committee members. No sign of Wallflower.

"Hey, everyone!" Sunset called down the hall to the rest of the line. "Chairs have already been set up, so go ahead inside and find a seat! It’s a bit of a tight fit with everyone here at once, but there should be enough for all of you!" She walked into the room and the others filed inside. Scootaloo followed behind Sunset, joined by Apple Bloom.

"Do you have a sec?" Scootaloo asked. "We wanted to talk about a few ideas that we could implement for the club next year based on how things went this time."

"Uh... now doesn't really seem like the right time, Scoot..." Sunset replied.

"Not too long, I just don't want to forget because you'll be pretty busy with, like, graduation stuff soon."

"Um, okay." She called out to the rest of the room again. "We'll get things started in about five minutes, so feel free to mingle!" She turned back to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom as she noticed an unmistakeable head of green hair enter through the doorway and head for the seats out of the corner of her eye. "Alright, what's up?"

"Well, I had some ideas about how we can rethink our social media strategy."

Sunset sighed. "Scootaloo, we talked about this before. I know you're big into SnapGab and HayTube and want yearbook to dump MyStable, and I agree not many people here use it—I don't—but it helps us reach some of the parents! And they're the ones paying for yearbooks!"

"Not many is an understatement," Apple Bloom, who had run the yearbook's social channels for the past year, scoffed. "And even with all the promotions I ran across all our feeds, that was the only platform where we lost followers."

"Exactly," Scootaloo cut in. "We just think we can make better use of our time not dealing with some junky old platform that people remember more for that silly cyberbullying PSA comic than for anything they actually like about using it."

"I still don't get why Mistress Mare-velous's evil sister thought tricking the Power Ponies into thinking Hum-Drum was leaking all their secrets on the internet was such a brilliant plan," Apple Bloom mused.

Sunset's eyes wandered around the room as she lost whatever speck of interest she'd had in this line of discussion. Eventually they landed on Wallflower, who was sitting alone in the back row, her backpack occupying the seat next to her, as the rest of the club filled in the front two rows. She exhaled again. "Look," she said to the two younger girls before her, "this really isn't that important. And besides, it'll be your call next year anyway. You won't need my approval for that decision. We're about to run over the five minutes I gave. Can we get started?"

"Oh..." Scootaloo said. "Sure, of course, Sunset. I mean, Madam President."

Sunset smiled and rolled her eyes. "Take a seat, Madam Vice President."

Apple Bloom ran off to the second row of chairs while Scootaloo sat in one beside Sunset facing the crowd. "Alright, everyone," Sunset announced, standing up. "Welcome to this year's last formal meeting of the Yearbook Committee! Yes, after two long years, my reign of terror over this club is coming to a close!"

A round of cheers from the audience ensued, including a stray "We love you, Sunset!"

"Thank you, thank you, I know you all can't wait to see me run out of town. But before we get to the torches and pitchforks, I figured we should at least enjoy the fruits of our labor! It's time to pass out the yearbooks!" Scootaloo stood up, grabbed a pair of scissors and cut through the tape on the box of yearbooks sitting on the counter. Sunset grabbed one sitting on top, grateful this year’s batch didn’t smell suspiciously of benzene.

"Behold, artistry!" Scootaloo announced to another round of applause as Sunset held up her copy.

"Okay everyone, Apple Bloom will now start passing you your personal copies!" Sunset declared. "But before you get excited opening them up, we have a few announcements to make!"

As Apple Bloom got back up and grabbed the box to start dispensing the contents, Sunset kept speaking. "Firstly, can everyone who's graduating this week please stand up!" At that, Micro Chips, Sandalwood, Photo Finish, Lavender Lace and Cherry Crash stood up, followed hesitantly by Wallflower. "I want to congratulate all of you for your hard work. Some of you joined this year, some of you have been here from the beginning, but each and every one of you left a mark and all of your contributions are visible here. Wondercolts forever!"

"Wondercolts forever!" several of the seniors cheered back, to applause from the younger students.

As everyone sat back down to accept their yearbooks from Apple Bloom, Sunset went on. "But, of course, I'm a senior as well, which means it's time for us here at the Yearbook Committee to usher in the next generation of leadership! And today I'm proud to announce the one, the only Vice President Scootaloo will be taking over my duties as your new club president!"

As Scootaloo stood up once again to address the room, Silver Spoon called out from the crowd. "Hey, she can't be president of two clubs! She's already president of the Rainbow Dash Fan Club!"

"First off," Scootaloo replied, "that's not an actual rule; second off, that's not an officially recognized school club; third, it's the Rainbooms Fan Club."

"Then why do you never talk about anyone but—"

"Moving on," Scootaloo interjected, shouting her down. "Thank you for that amazing introduction, Sunset. We all wish you the best! Don't we?" she asked the crowd, to a responding cheer as Sunset blushed slightly. "It's been an honor to serve as VP, and I'm so thrilled to be taking over as president. We've had a great year this year, and together we've chronicled it all here," she said, holding up her copy. "Pet shows, snowball fights, diorama-rama, fire drill follies—plus a minor robot rampage..."

Everyone turned and glared at Micro Chips.

"Oh, will all of you let that go?" he huffed. "I reprogrammed JVJ-24601 top to bottom! I even had Twilight Sparkle review all of my coding. He's not gonna go berserk and try to 'get the humanoids' again!"

"Sure thing, Micro Chips, and we'll keep all the poor souls joining you at your internship next year in our thoughts," Scootaloo snarked.

"And furthermore, I did not appreciate having my superlative change from 'Most Likely to Invent Cold Fusion' to 'Most Likely to Instigate a Cybernetic Apocalypse'…"

"Anyway, by now I believe Apple Bloom has given everyone their copies. But before we get to play, we have to work, so everyone—except for seniors who've been at this club for more than one year—we need you to start helping us move these boxes of yearbooks! We'll be emailing out the schedule of who's managing which yearbook stands this evening—don't forget! And for those of you who are now done for the day, we'll all see you at the yearbook afterparty tomorrow evening!"

And with that, everyone except Sunset, Micro Chips, Photo Finish, Cherry Crash and Wallflower were up and scurrying about, helping move boxes out of the room. Photo Finish decided to catalog the goings-on with her camera for posterity, while Micro Chips and Cherry were each looking through their new copies. Wallflower, meanwhile, slouched in her chair, looking up at the ceiling, apparently trying not to think about something.

Or look at a certain someone.

Sunset swallowed. Her hands tensed. She knew now was when she had to do it, as the last of the worker bees filed out of the room with the boxes. She'd asked for this. It was time to follow through. To reconcile. To end the nightmares. To build a happier future, possibly for both of them.

And, after a prolonged moment's hesitation, as a voice in her head whispered for her to simply leave and be done with her, Sunset finally found her resolve, walking over to the back row of chairs. Wallflower was sitting in the middle of the row; Sunset climbed about five chairs over, leaving a gap of just a few between them. Startled, Wallflower whipped her head around to face Sunset, seemingly caught off-guard.

"Hi, Wallflower."

We Only Want What We Deserve

"Oh... h-hi Sunset," Wallflower stammered out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you," Sunset responded. "I figured you could hear me climbing over the seats—I didn't realize you hadn't noticed me."

"Huh," Wallflower said, the ghost of a smirk on her face. "Isn't that a change of pace." Sunset tensed up at the comment and, apparently noticing this, the green girl lowered her face into her hands. "I'm sorry, I really shouldn't have said that."

Sunset tried to respond No Wallflower, that's perfectly okay, but something stopped the words from escaping her mouth.

"I've just gotten into a bad habit of being, uh, self-deprecating—that's the phrase, right? Roseluck's been trying to help me break out of it. Y'know, so I can see myself more positively, or something. But it's kinda hard."

"No, I..." Sunset finally spoke. "I get it. It's fine. I didn't really mean to..." She didn't really want to finish that sentence. "How are you?"

"Me? Um..." Wallflower looked over, and Sunset's eyes followed. Cherry Crash was standing up to leave, but Micro Chips was still engrossed in his yearbook two rows in front of them—definitely within earshot. "Do we want to do this here?" Wallflower asked.

Sunset pondered for a moment. "Is there anywhere else we can go? Most of the rooms are locked up or about to be. And it's probably too hot to really sit outside..."

Just then, Micro Chips flipped to a particular page, stood up and looked over at Sunset and Wallflower. "This is excellent, you guys, really. Best-looking yearbook we've had. I mean, just look at the Robotics Club!" He held up his copy to the aforementioned page, which had prominent pictures of himself, Twilight and several of their projects (though JVJ-24601 had been conspicuously omitted). The next page, Sunset noticed, was the Gardening Club, with Wallflower and her new friends.

"You handled layout on all the club pages, right Wallflower?" Micro Chips asked. Wallflower nodded. "Great work. And you too, Sunset."

"Thanks," Sunset replied. "Sorry about that superlative thing."

"I was mostly joking about that. Mostly. See you at the party tomorrow!" And with that he strode off toward the exit.

"I... guess that solves that problem," Wallflower mused. Sunset, meanwhile, had grabbed Wallflower's yearbook, searching for the page Micro Chips had just presented to them. After a moment, she found it.

"He's right, by the way," Sunset commented. "I really do love how this year's edition turned out. You did a great job."

"Thanks," Wallflower replied.

"How is the garden, by the way?" Sunset asked, staring at the photo in the center of the page, which showed a very different place than the one she'd seen on Wallflower's computer screen—and eventually visited in person—a year prior. "It doesn't even really look like the same garden."

"Oh... in a manner of speaking, it really isn't. A lot of the plants didn't really stand up to the heat last summer, especially since I wasn't around to take care of them most of the time, so when we started the club again last fall, we basically started from scratch. Different plants, new designs..."

"You even took out that rock formation?" Sunset asked, noticing the three tall stones that had once given away the location's significance to her were no longer anywhere to be seen.

"Yeah," Wallflower replied. "I... wanted the whole place to look different. I loved the old garden, I really did, but I guess... when I saw I had the opportunity, I just wanted to let the past die. Build something truly new."

Sunset nodded. "You didn't want the reminder."

Wallflower shuddered. "It was too much."

Sunset tried to change the subject. "Why were you gone for so long last summer that you couldn't keep watch over the place?"

"Well..." Wallflower replied. "You remember I told you we were going up to my family's old cabin, up by the beaches at Silver Shoals?"

"Yeah?"

"Well... we ended up staying for longer than our usual week. I kinda, well, fell apart up there."

"Wallflower..." Sunset asked, the discomfort evident in her voice.

"It wasn't anything, like, scary-scary, in case you're worried. I... wouldn't. But it wasn't good. I was finally starting to feel the weight of everything that had happened those last weeks of school. What I did. I just kept thinking about it... not even just about you. That would be horrible enough. But there were also the memories I'd taken that were never coming back.

"I'd spent nearly a year with that stone," Wallflower continued, lifting her feet onto the chair and shifting herself into a fetal pose, her forehead resting on her knees. "And I just used it so casually... for so many pointless, stupid things. On so many people. And not even just for recent stuff... remember how Trixie said she didn't remember me from third grade? She really should, because I went to her birthday party that year. And I ruined it. Right in the middle of little Trixie's magic act, I got sick from the food at the crappy roller skating rink we were at and puked on the floor. And one day, 8 years later, I pointed a stone at her and removed all memories of me in elementary school from her mind, just because I happened to recall that moment."

Wallflower started to sniffle. "But it wasn't just other students... I used it on my parents, too. My parents. And when we were up there, alone, at that cabin... they kept talking about how they wanted to reconnect with me, because they felt like they hadn't seen me all year. I was so trigger-happy with that stupid stone that I'd estranged myself from my own family without even realizing it. And once I could do something like that, to people I love... it was only a matter of time before I did something unforgivable."

Sunset started to reach out to place a hand on Wallflower, but drew back. There was something dark in her, the same something that had stopped her from saying a reassuring word earlier, that wanted to see the girl who had hurt her so dearly, who had inflicted so much pain, in an agony of her own. To see her on the ground, pleading for contrition, and have the ability to decide whether to grant it. But Sunset was still struggling to see that part of herself for what it was.

"So I would just hide away, at that cabin," Wallflower went on. "Anytime I had the chance, I just went to my room, shut the door and cried. I couldn't stop myself, and if my parents tried to ask what was wrong I would make them leave, because I wasn't able to face them. I couldn't tell them what I'd done. What I'd become. And when we were supposed to go back, I begged them not to; I convinced them to stay there for weeks longer because I was too scared to go back to Canterlot. They both had to take sick leave from work because their daughter was having a nervous breakdown. And they never understood why."

Sunset finally forced herself past the dark cloud and reached out, but the second her fingers made contact with the other girl, Wallflower drew back, curling tighter into fetal position. "No! P-please don't! I don't want you to see my thoughts right now! They're... they're too..." And tears flooded her face as she broke down.

"I wasn’t trying to... I'm so sorry. I didn't know. I never reached out... I should have reached out. I'm still trying to figure out why I stopped contacting you. I never should have. It was wrong."

"N-n-no, Sunset," Wallflower choked out, "it would've been pointless... I wouldn't have said anything back..." She stood up and ran to grab a tissue, blowing her nose. "I... didn't deserve your help last year. Even after the stone was gone, I still tried to blame you, like you should have somehow noticed me even when I was erasing myself from everyone around me... I couldn't see myself for what I was and I took it out on you. And everything I've done since—the life I built—was only possible because of what I put you through. You shouldn't have to deal with me in your life."

Sunset could see that any effort Wallflower had been putting into trying to be calm and collected had utterly crumbled. Pain and anguish that had clearly been bottled up for some time was pouring out in those ugly sobs.

And the monster inside Sunset was hungrily lapping it up.

She could feel it whisper inside of her. The hatred, the sickening sensation she'd finally found the courage to admit to Rarity and to herself that weekend, was still there, still creeping in her mind and poisoning her thoughts. It told her to take it further. Make Wallflower suffer. Make her miserable. Remind her of every horrible thing she's ever done and remind her that she'll never escape those things. She deserves it. It's only a fraction of the pain you went through, after all.

But another thought crept through the storm in her mind, reminding her that once upon a time, she'd been in almost the exact same position as Wallflower. Haunted, guilt-ridden, terrified of the future, afraid to face her classmates, spending night after night wishing she could take everything back...

It wasn't a new thought. It was a thought, the only thought, that had kept her from blowing up in Wallflower's face more than once. It'd been a fate she'd wanted Wallflower to avoid in those first few weeks of sympathy. But once school ended and Wallflower went away, the darkness had emerged to try and smother that thought. To whisper in her ear that Wallflower didn't deserve her help, that she was beyond empathy, that dwelling on her would only hurt herself.

And now she knew that the voice was a lie. And that singular thought that had inspired her to mercy so many times was the only thing she should have ever listened to.

Ignoring Wallflower had done nothing for Sunset. It hadn't made life better or easier. It had made every moment the two of them were near each other painful. It had tricked her into swallowing her anxieties and putting on a false face of bravery in front of her friends, as if it would make them forget about everything; an illusion Rarity had shattered the past weekend. It had built a wall around Sunset, trapping her where she could never escape the fear and horror of those three days, leaving her to scream perpetually at a mocking facsimile of Wallflower that looked less and less like the real thing in every successive horrible dream. But that wall was giving way.

And now the real Wallflower was right there, falling to pieces in front of her, just as horrified by what had happened as she was. Her past was not today. She wasn't the monster of Sunset's nightmares. And she needed help.

"Wallflower," Sunset said as she stood up, walking over to the other girl. "I wish I could have been able to push past the pain on my own. I wish I could have been there for you the way I tried to be last year, helping you make friends and move on from who you once were, the way my friends did for me. I'm truly sorry I wasn't. But the truth is it was too much."

Sunset swallowed as Wallflower stopped crying, staring expectantly at her. "I, well..." she went on, "I think about those days a lot, still. What the Memory Stone took from me... what you took from me... I couldn't handle reflecting on it. It was my life. Everything I'd worked so hard to build, every relationship, every facet of who I was... gone, overnight. Watching my friends live their lives without me, not even missing me, thinking I could never win them back hurt me in a way I couldn't even articulate for so long. And when I got it all back with maybe minutes left to go, I just couldn't process it.

"After their memories returned," she continued, looking blankly off to the side, "my friends were desperate to make amends with me. Pinkie Pie kept throwing me surprise apology parties, Applejack got me a season pass for her favorite cider mill, Twilight started programming her Selfie-Bots with special cues to recognize me. Some of it was nice, at first, but in truth it was just scary and horrible. Like seeing Rarity just refuse to forgive herself, saying she was a monster. I didn’t want them to keep blaming themselves for what they said when it wasn’t really them. So I pushed my own feelings away, so I could be strong in front of them. But all that did was make the pain and bad feelings fester and grow."

She looked back at Wallflower, whose gaze hadn't faltered even after Sunset had broken eye contact. "After the sophomore Fall Formal, I used to think that I deserved everything bad that happened to me. That it was just karma for what I'd brought into this world, and how I spent my first few years here. The Memory Stone changed that, in a way it took me months to realize. It was the first time since I started trying to become a better person that I truly felt I'd been wronged. Deeply, personally wronged. And the more I realized that, the more I resented you for it. And I let that resentment turn into hate." She shuddered as Wallflower's eyes widened.

"You... really do hate me?" Wallflower asked.

"I did. Or rather, I hated a version of you. I blinded myself to the real you. I stopped trying to pay attention to who you really are and how you were evolving and let you become something twisted in my mind. Something as demonic as what I became at the Fall Formal. But no more. Rarity showed me—reminded me—that it was wrong for me to hide away from how I felt and not express it. But that doesn’t mean I have to accept those feelings without question." Sunset reached out in her mind and grasped the whispering, malevolent spectral thing. Summoning all her inner strength and empathy, she tore it apart like cotton candy and watched it dissipate underneath her. No more. No more control.

She stepped forward in front of Wallflower, who looked nervously at her but held firm, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think... we needed this time together. To really start to actually see each other. I think it's time I got to know the new Wallflower Blush."

Wallflower stared for a moment, and, after some hesitation, smiled weakly. "Maybe... maybe we can talk more in the garden?"

Sunset nodded and slowly returned the smile. "I'd love to."

Me and You, You and Me

After days upon days of heat, clouds were finally beginning to emerge in the sky as Sunset and Wallflower stepped out the back exit of Canterlot High, bringing the promise of the light rain that had been forecasted for that night. However, said rain was still some hours away, and the temperature was still very high as they stepped out into the near-empty parking lot.

"There's still a lot of shade in the garden, right?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah," Wallflower replied. They crossed over towards the gap in the gate leading to the garden path. As they reached the edge of the lot, Wallflower slowed, her eyes drawn yet again to the all too familiar space in the parking lot.

Wallflower could feel the disappointment Roseluck would have had in her performance in the yearbook room. Don't just sit there feeling sorry for yourself... be strong, her friend's voice had whispered, but it had fallen on deaf ears. She'd crumbled, her grief over the person she'd been swallowing any hope of projecting the person she'd become. Weak. Cowardly. It was pure luck Sunset hadn't torn her apart in there.

Yet somehow, Sunset had managed to peer through the tears and self-pitying and see something new in Wallflower. Maybe just a glimpse, but it must have been something meaningful; Wallflower knew this conversation wouldn't still be going otherwise. But she had no idea where things would go from here. And staring woefully at the scene of the crime probably wasn't helping.

"Y'know," Sunset said (bringing Wallflower back to earth in the process), "I can point to the exact spot where I landed at the Fall Formal, over on the other side of the building. I still try to walk around and avoid it, sometimes."

"I fell into that crater, once," Wallflower replied, without turning her head. "It was dumb. Like that one doofy guy on the park services show. I didn't get hurt or anything, it was just embarrassing. Well, it would've been embarrassing if anyone had cared."

"Oh, yikes. I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay," Wallflower replied, exhaling. "That was kinda the first time I realized people just weren't noticing me anymore. I was never popular or anything, but I used to at least feel normal. Every now and then someone would say hi or I'd get called on in class. But I just never really tried to make friends, and soon I was no one. Even you mostly left me alone those first years at school.

"For a little while," she went on, "there was a part of me that enjoyed it. Feeling hidden, never really having to mind myself because no one seemed to care. But another part of me was furious and bitter. And when I found the stone, those two parts of me teamed up. I figured if people were going to ignore me now, then it was my right to pick and choose how I was remembered. To be in charge of who I was to everyone around me. At least that was how it started. Soon it just became a reflex, a thoughtless action, without a single moment to consider the consequences. I was stuck at the bottom of a pit and somehow thought I could dig my way up. Or at least drag someone else down with me."

She groaned and laid her face into her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm just making excuses for myself. Again."

"No, that's okay. If it helps to say it, then you should say it." Sunset put her hand on Wallflower's shoulder again, causing her to finally swivel her head around. "But maybe we shouldn't linger here," Sunset said, and Wallflower nodded. They continued past the gate into the shade of the trees.

Soon they reached the garden, and Wallflower held back to let Sunset look around the new setting. True to the yearbook, the three tall stones were nowhere in sight, and the lavish, almost ethereal design of the original location was gone. The new garden was much simpler in aesthetics, with plants that could perform better in the hot climate of summer without an especially high need for constant attention. The colors weren't as striking, but they were still vibrant, and the raised beds for some plants added some visual variety as well.

"I love what you've done with the place," Sunset said. "It's less ornate, but it still stands out."

"Thanks," she replied, grinning modestly. "We worked hard to make this something that was our own. A lot of the design was actually Muffins' idea. I mostly figured out what plants should go where."

Another new addition to the garden was a small bench, around where one of the rocks had been, and the two of them sat down on it. The trees were casting a shadow over it, so it was nicely shaded.

"How come you stayed in yearbook, even with everything else?" Sunset asked.

"College applications, mostly," Wallflower replied. "It was the only established club I'd been part of last year, and my counselor told me it'd look good if I was able to show I was a member of something long-term. She didn't think gardening would count since I was the only member for most of it."

"Oh. What are your plans for college?"

"Canterlot State. They have a really great horticulture program. I'm pretty excited, honestly. What about you?"

"CrysArts. Graphic design."

"Yearbook must have left a bigger impact than I thought," Wallflower laughed a bit. "I always thought you were more of a science type."

"Field research, maybe. But I can't sit still long enough to read or write those huge scientific papers. I'm no Twilight."

"There's nothing wrong with graphic design, or anything," Wallflower said. "It's just odd to me, knowing, like, who you are and where you're from and stuff. To think of you in a regular old job like that."

"That's humanity for you, I guess," Sunset chuckled. The two of them fell into silence, which started to grow a bit uncomfortable.

"You know..." Sunset started, then hesitated. "Maybe not."

Wallflower turned and made eye contact with Sunset. "Hey, ummm... whatever you want to say, I'll listen."

"Well..." Sunset said after a moment, "I try not to really talk about, uh, who I used to be very much. Even to my friends. And... a lot of that is because I feel afraid that I'm going to try and make up excuses for that person, for how I behaved. I hurt a lot of people, and I don't want to trivialize that hurt by writing a sob story for myself.

"But the truth," she said, finally facing Wallflower head on, "is that I really do know what it's like to just not think about the ways you're hurting people, the way you described. How the idea of consequence can just never manifest, until you've gone past what seems like the point of no return."

"In... in what way?" Wallflower asked, nervous but also curious to see where this line of thought was going.

"When I first came from... the other world," Sunset continued, "there was a moment where I genuinely thought I had died. That I was in some kind of personal, ironic purgatory. I think it's mostly because I started seeing all these counterparts of people I knew from my homeworld, but in these strange bodies I didn't recognize. Especially Principal Celestia. That was what really made me think this was some kind of punishment; even in this other realm, I couldn't escape the image of the mentor I'd deserted."

"Your mentor?"

"Where I come from, Celestia is basically the ruler of the world. She can even move the sun. And I was her personal pupil."

"That is weird..."

"It's even weirder when that's the version of her you know. But anyway, I... what it meant was that, for a long time, I never understood most of the students here to really be people. Betwen the alien bodies, the uncanny familiarities and this world without magic, something that had been such a huge part of who I was... even when I figured out that no, this wasn't some hell dimension, I never saw anyone here as truly my equal, or even the same species as me. I don't say that as an excuse; everything I did was wrong, regardless of what I thought of the people I was doing it to. It was thoughtless, mindless cruelty. But I started to define myself through that perception. I didn't really think of how I was hurting anyone, because they weren't fully real to me. And, well, you know how that ended."

"The Fall Formal," Wallflower replied.

Sunset nodded. "When I took over everyone's minds... I saw everything. I felt everything. I felt screams, I felt pleading, I felt fear. So much fear. As far as I can tell, no one really remembers being under my control. And I'm so grateful. Because if they hadn't forgotten, I don't think they'd ever have forgiven me, no matter what. It was a nightmare. It was horror beyond anything I ever expected... and it broke my mind apart. I finally realized what my ambitions had done to me, what a monster I'd become in every possible way. A part of me was frozen in my mind, pleading with myself to stop, to let go of everyone and end the pain, but all it could do was watch as I kept crossing every line I could think of. And when I wound up in that crater, I was shattered, left with nothing but what I'd done. And the only way to push past that was to become someone new. To redefine who I was and who I could be.

"I've heard that some people think that what Princess Twilight and my friends did erased the old me," she continued. "That I'm literally a completely different person who happens to have her memories and body. But it's not true. Changing took effort. Serious, conscious effort. I just tried my best to never show what I was going through, because that was when I was first starting to become really sensitive to other people's emotions as a human. And I knew that one slip could destroy everything I was trying to rebuild." She paused to take a few deep breaths before going on.

"It's true that, like I said earlier, I became so angry and resentful toward you because the Memory Stone deleted all of what I'd done to build a new life for myself. That it was something I truly didn't deserve. But saying all this out loud, I think there's something else to what I felt. Because the more I think about it, the more the version of you that I raged against in my mind looks a whole lot like my old self. And the fact is I've never forgiven myself for who I used to be. I've focused so heavily on repentance and maintaining who I am now that I still don't think I've truly moved on from that part of my life. I've just pushed it aside and said it doesn't matter, it's not today. But forgiving you... that would mean that I could forgive myself, if I allowed it. And I'm still not sure I'm ready for that."

Wallflower was trying to process this huge volume of information. And slowly coming to the realization that she was now being situationally pressed into the position of the comforter, not the comfortee. But that wasn't a role she could really handle. She steeled herself as she tried to form words in response.

"Sunset... I really appreciate that you were able to say this stuff. I can't imagine it was easy. I'm glad we're being honest together, really. But I'm really not sure how much I can agree with you thinking we were similar. I mean... yeah, I was blind to a lot of the damage I was doing to people like my parents. But I wasn't under any delusion when I attacked you. I didn't think you were incapable of suffering—I knew you would suffer. And that was why I did it." She sighed. "I really am sorry. Truly. For everything. But you have every right in the world to hate me, regardless of what I've done since then or what I want.

"I just figured, knowing you," she went on, "that that’s probably not what you want to feel."

Sunset shook her head. "No. I don't want to hate you. I don't want to ever hate anyone. It's just such a horrible feeling to have; it makes me sick if I dwell on it too long." A lone tear rolled down her face, and a few friends followed behind closely.

Now it was Wallflower's turn to reach out. "Well... the thing is, I'm not a therapist. And I don't know much about therapy; my parents tried to get me some after the summer, but money got a bit too tight for that and, honestly, I have no idea how I would explain the Memory Stone to a therapist without sounding crazy." She smiled as Sunset giggled a bit at the thought. "But you said earlier that you really started to change when you stopped seeing other people as weird hell beasts and started to feel what they really are. So maybe, if it's a monster you've been seeing when you look at me..."

She grasped Sunset's hand and placed it on her own forehead. "Maybe you should feel me, instead. Feel who I am."

"But..." Sunset gasped. "You were so afraid before... do you really want me to look inside you?"

Wallflower nodded. "I didn't think it would help, then. I do now."

Sunset swallowed. "Okay."

Wallflower watched as Sunset focused. Her eyes went bright white, like an ethereal light had switched on behind them. Then, just as suddenly, they returned to normal, and she was looking right at her.

"Wallflower..."

And she leaned forward and embraced the green girl in a tight hug.

A Helping Hand Goes Farther Than You Can Dream

"Why should you notice me? After all, you're Sunset Shimmer, everybody loves you now..."

"I'll just finish up, in the dark."

"Why can't they see you haven't changed?"

"I wanted to teach you a lesson by erasing your friends' good memories of you..."

Sunset was reaching inside of Wallflower's mind, probing, fishing for something. But she was quickly realizing she was out of her depth.

"I've been trying to get your attention for, like, half the song."

She was beginning to realize how rare it was for her to use her power for a nonstrategic purpose. Whether it was Gloriosa Daisy, Juniper Montage, Twilight, a crying child on the yacht or Wallflower herself the year prior, Sunset had known what she was trying to find. In a flash, she could identify the thread of relevant memory and follow it to its source. But this was different.

Sunset was flying blind. Where before she'd sought to find the moment someone had found a specific item, identify a cause of pain or trace a known sequence of events, here she was trying to use memory to understand the totality of another person. And she was lost amid mountains of indecipherable remembrances, and the only threads she was able to pull on were leading her straight to where she didn't want to be.

"But what if I erased all their memories of high school?"

No, Sunset thought. Not there. What am I really trying to find?

She realized that she was instinctively searching for what she recognized. More specifically, the moments of Wallflower's life that were most directly imprinted on her own life. Which was inevitably going to lead to...

"They'll think of you the way you think of me. Which is not at all!"

Sunset nearly broke the connection, nearly pulled away. It was too hard, too much, I don't know where to even start...

She thought back to the snowflake she'd caught the past winter, while executing Rainbow Dash's poorly conceived plan to get out of taking a test. Tracing its life history, its journey through the water cycle. She hadn't even known she could do something like that at the time. And she certainly hadn't been looking to find anything specific. People obviously aren't snowflakes, despite the rather impassioned and incoherent argument to the contrary she'd once had directed at her on social media. But could the simplicity of that experience help her find a path here?

She pushed the threads that were normally essential to her process away, trying to find a new way to understand the information in front of her. Soon she was finding patterns, keys to what the mental imagery within a given memory might contain. There were clues—emotions, people, locations, objects—harder to implicitly decode than a thread, more generic, but still noticeable. She entered into a memory with a happy marker and heard her own voice.

"I've got a yearbook delivery for Best Gardener!"

So now she'd started to figure out the marker that indicated her own presence in a memory. Now it was time to find one without her. She found one that fell at a later point in the timeline. Inside, she saw Wallflower and Roseluck outside Canterlot High on what appeared to be the first day of senior year.

"Wallflower!," Roseluck called. "You do remember me, right?"

"Huh? Uh, yeah, definitely," Wallflower replied uncomfortably. "Are you... coming back to Gardening Club this year?"

"That's your first question? Wallflower, I've been worried about you! We barely talked all summer! Muffins and I tried to invite you over like five times at least!"

"Oh, uh, I'm sorry. I guess I just, um..."

"Anyway, what's your last class of the day?"

"Um... physics? Regular physics?"

"Awesome." Roseluck patted her on the shoulder. "After class I'll meet you there, we've got something really fun in mind and we all thought you should get to join us. See you later!"

And as she left, Wallflower started to beam, her lips reshaping into a genuine smile.

Sunset exited the memory. A happy one, to be sure, one that had portended the end of Wallflower's summer of isolation and the growth of her strongest friendships. But she wasn't sure exactly what insight into the girl she could glean from it. She moved to a new memory.

Wallflower, Roseluck, Raspberry and Muffins were at their campsite outside the Starswirled Music Festival. Wallflower was pulling her luggage out of the car.

"I wanted to show you all something, if you have a moment," she asked. The three approached. Wallflower unzipped her case and pulled out the top two items, a new red top and a floral-patterned skirt.

"What do you think?" she asked. "I wanted to follow your advice a bit. I've been wearing that one sweater for a while, and... I thought something a bit brighter like this might be a good... change of pace."

"Wallflower," Raspberry replied, "it looks fantastic!" Muffins nodded firmly in agreement. The grey girl pulled out a sunflower hairclip, similar in style to those on Wallflower's skirt, and handed it to her.

"You... you want me to have this?"

Muffins urged her to put it on, and she obliged. She was met with applause from the both of them and a warm smile from Roseluck. She got a little bit misty-eyed.

"Wow... thanks so much. I just know tonight is gonna be great. It's too bad we only get to do it once..."

Now things were becoming clearer. Much like the snowflake, Sunset realized she was following Wallflower's journey as she blossomed from the broken, self-loathing wretch of the post-Memory Stone period into a happier, healthier person with a set of friends as true to her as the Rainbooms were to Sunset. But there was one memory, looking ahead, that caught Sunset's eye. One that she could tell also featured Roseluck and Muffins, but was a bit more emotionally mixed. She peered in.

It was the night of the Fall Formal, senior year. Wallflower was sitting on the front steps in front of the school, crying. Muffins and Roseluck were sitting beside her.

"...but that's what happened," Wallflower told them. "I-I've never told anyone about it, before. But you deserve to know..."

Muffins pulled her into a hug, startling Wallflower.

"How can you be so c-c-casual about this?" she wailed. "I was so cruel, so thoughtless, I hurt everyone around me—I've taken memories from you before! Both of you! And not all of them came back!"

"Because we're your friends, Wallflower," Roseluck replied, scooting closer to her. "Of course we know what you did was wrong. It's definitely a bit of a shock. But you were brave to tell us. It was obviously really hard for you."

"B-but—"

"If you could do it again, would you?"

"What? No!!"

"Then it's settled. And... we don't have to go in there if you don't want. I know facing all of them must be hard. I don't want you to feel forced into anything uncomfortable."

Wallflower sniffled. "You have no idea... but you shouldn't skip it because of me. It's your last Fall Formal, I don't want to ruin it for you."

"Knowing we left you out here would be worse. Besides, this dance never seems to go well. Remember last year when there was that gas leak and they cleared us all out? Or when someone pumped grease into the vents freshman year? There must be a curse on that stupid crown."

Wallflower laughed a bit. "Yeah..."

Roseluck extended a hand and Wallflower took it. "Come on, I know where we can go that'll be way better." And together the three of them walked down the steps toward the parking lot.

The magic of friendship had been hard at work on Wallflower Blush. Sunset was amazed that, in the span of just two months of actively being their friend, Wallflower had found enough trust to tell Roseluck and Muffins her darkest secret. And yet she'd proven to be such a meaningful relationship for both of them that they'd not only accepted her, but comforted her in her hour of need.

But, as she was thinking, she noticed something new. There was now a thread, a different kind than what she was used to, linking the memories together. But there were other threads branching out from all of them, all over the place. She realized with a start that she was starting to see all of Wallflower, that the source code of her mind was no longer an unreadable mess but something clear, recognizable. She drew back, observing the totality of the girl's mindscape. And what she saw amazed her.

It was a garden. Vast in scale, not as well-tended as the ones Wallflower managed in real life, but clearly a garden nonetheless. And inside were trees of memories. Many were very large; memories of family, education, basic experiential learning. Some trees were withered and decayed; bitter memories, remembrances of her dark deeds. But near the center was a new tree. The roots weren't deep, but they were growing fast. And so were the branches. And the life contained inside was beginning to outshine everything around it.

Wallflower's tree of friendship.

And Sunset found a thread extending from the tree, and when she followed it, she realized it was taking her all the way to the center, to the memory at the very heart of it. A part of her already knew what would be inside, but she opened it anyway.

"Everyone matters, Wallflower. No matter how insignificant or invisible they feel."

"Uh, Sunset?"

Sunset was back in reality, and had wrapped Wallflower in a tight hug as she continued to process the experience of being in her mind. After a moment, she drew back, smiling at the confused girl.

"So..." Wallflower asked. "What did you see, exactly?"

"It's hard to explain. But it's like you said. I saw you. I felt you. In a way I couldn't really achieve through talking. I saw memories of your past year, of you, Roseluck, Muffins and Raspberry. Of you... finding your way forward. They were simple memories, simple moments of warmth, of levity, of heartbreak, of comfort—but after the way I've been letting myself think of you for so long, it really did mean something for me to see you like that." She watched as Wallflower started to smile.

"And at the center of it all, I traced those memories back to one moment, last year, in that parking lot. When, if just for a moment, I did the right thing, and assured you that your world hadn't ended. That maybe there was something bright ahead for you."

Wallflower's face fell. "But don't you see?" she asked grimly. "That's the whole thing. Everything I've built this past year has been on top of this mountain of hurt I caused. You wouldn't have offered me that help if I hadn't attacked you and your friends in the first place. I wouldn't have been this blank slate for Roseluck and Muffins to take under their wing if I hadn't taken away nearly the whole school's ability to recognize me... I don't deserve it!"

"Wallflower," Sunset said sharply. "Do you think I don't know how it is to feel that way? Whether I like it or not, my life would not be what it is now if I hadn't ended up in that crater. I put myself there. Other people helped me up, even though I'd wronged them. That's how you rebuild. I know it can be rough to remember our darkest moments, but we can't change what happened. That part's over. But this weekend, Rarity reminded me of something I should have kept in mind all along. Sometimes we let our mistakes and our guilt get the better of us. But if we let them control us, they'll destroy us."

She calmed down and put her hand on Wallflower's shoulder. "I don't think what we've said to each other this afternoon will fix everything between us. It won't instantly make us best friends. But I think it was crucial that we did this. There were points today where I wanted to give in to my anger, to yell and blame and deflect and do everything that I've been doing in my head for so long. But instead I exposed to myself how wrong I was to let that darkness control me so much. Maybe for the first time ever, I don't feel like there's anything invisible about you, the real you. I'm sorry I avoided this for so long, that I kept myself so distant. Now, though, I feel... like I can forgive you, truly and honestly. The way so many others have forgiven me, and the way that maybe I should forgive myself."

At that last sentence, Wallflower started. "Sunset... I don't need you to forgive me, and I don't want you to think you have to forgive me. And I definitely don't need an apology for keeping your distance. But I won't pretend I'm not happy that you can look at me in a different way. And the truth is I've been scared of you this year. Scared to face you, scared of what it would mean if you'd rejected me, told me I'd never be more than who I was. Maybe I made you into a bit of a monster, too. But seeing you... bare your soul like that to me... it really does mean a lot. If forgiving me means that you can feel a little bit better about yourself... then I'll accept it. And, truth be told, I hope this isn't the end."

"Huh?" Sunset asked.

"Of us. Of being able to talk like this. I..." Wallflower swallowed. "I hope maybe we can keep being honest like this. I've always felt like I couldn't be a real friend to you, that there'd always be this huge gap between us, that I could never be myself around you; but after today, I feel really different. I feel... free."

Sunset thought for a moment. It's true she was feeling a lot better about how this had gone than she'd been afraid of, but had it really gone so well that Wallflower didn't want this to be the last time they met?

Could they really be friends one day?

Rarity's words echoed in her mind. "...working through that ill will I had about you changed my life—really, truly changed my life—for the better. Because I know for a fact that I would be in a much different, far less fulfilling and far less happy place in my life if I hadn’t made friends with Sunset Shimmer.”

"Yes," she replied after a few moments. "I-I think you're right. I'd be happy to get to know you more."

Wallflower beamed, and eventually Sunset reflected her smile.

Just then, Sunset felt a drop of water on her head, followed quickly by two more. She looked up. The clouds were now directly overhead. The change in weather had arrived ahead of schedule.

"Rain!" she shouted as the droplets began to bombard them.

"I think that's our cue to go home," Wallflower replied, laughing a bit incredulously.

"Agreed, I've got a ton of studying tonight anyway," Sunset replied, as they started to run back to the main path. "Do you need a ride?"

"I'm good," Wallflower responded. "See you at the yearbook party?"

"Definitely." They turned in different directions, Sunset towards the parking lot and Wallflower towards the main sidewalk, but they both looked back after a moment.

"Thanks for everything, Sunset."

Sunset smiled. "Anytime, Wallflower." She walked off toward her car, confident for the first time in a long time that she'd sleep well that night.

Epilogue: We Push Through the Weather

"So, do you think she's coming, or..."

"Give her time, dear. She'll be here. She is Scootaloo's guest of honor, after all."

Sunset and Rarity were standing by Sunset's parked car in front of Scootaloo's home. Rainbow Dash had assured them she didn't need a ride and would be there in a flash. But now the yearbook party had already started, and there was still no sign of her.

Finally, Sunset caught a glimpse of a figure on the horizon. She was running, but not at geode-powered speed. She was wincing a bit as she finally reached them.

"Rainbow, are you okay?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah, I, uh... I kinda wasn't looking where I was going and banged my foot at super-speed. Stupid wishing well..."

"Goodness," Rarity said. "Should we get some ice on it?"

"I think I'll be fine. With how long I've been in sports, I know what it feels like when it's something serious."

"Still, though," Sunset mused. "At that speed, shouldn't that have disintegrated all your bones or something?"

"I try not to think about the physics of that stuff. Or about physics."

"Is that what you wrote on your final?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Sunset. Can we go inside now or what?"

With that, they all went up to the house. Scootaloo's parents were out of town on business—according to her, they were practically always out of town—so it'd been the perfect spot for the yearbook committee afterparty. It wasn't particularly wild or rambunctious, given yearbook members tended not to be party animals, but people were spread out all over the downstairs floor, most having brought a friend each. A table full of snacks had been set up in the living room, and the three were just about to get some when they heard a shout from across the room.

"Rainbow Dash!"

In an instant, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were upon them, the former tackle-hugging Rainbow as Canterlot High's star athlete could only feebly resist. "Hey, Scoot, mind getting off my foot?"

"Oops, sorry." Scootalooo and Rainbow Dash both stepped back, Dash stumbling slightly. "You okay, Dash? You look a little unsteady."

"Nah, I'm fine, just bonked my foot a bit—"

"What? Come on, I'll go get you some ice!" And Scootaloo grabbed Rainbow Dash by the arm and dragged her into the next room as she feebly protested, Apple Bloom following behind.

"Rarity?" Sweetie Belle asked. "I didn't know you were coming!"

"Sunset asked if I'd be her plus-one, after it became clear a certain sibling of mine wasn't going to..."

"I didn't think you were interested! And, wait, Sunset invited you over Twilight?"

Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a series of scoffing noises and indecipherable gibberish.

"I'd have been happy to invite them both," Sunset said, stepping in, "but Twilight's still working at the Smart Station at the mall right now. Besides, Rarity did used to be vice president of this club, in case you forgot."

"Yeah, last year! And you can't have two plus-ones!" Sweetie replied, flustered.

"We can't?" a quiet voice from behind asked. "Uh..."

Sunset turned around to see Wallflower, who was there with Roseluck and Muffins, the latter waving hello to everyone.

"Don't listen to Sweetie Belle," Sunset told her. "That was a recommendation," she said as she turned her head and cast a slight glare towards the younger girl, who backed away sheepishly. "We just didn't want too big of a crowd getting things out of control."

"Oh, that's alright," Roseluck replied. "I don't think you'll have too much to worry about with us."

"We only just got here a few minutes ago ourselves, so we haven't really gotten a chance to check out what's going on," Sunset told the three girls standing in front of her, as Sweetie Belle left in a huff. "Feel free to explore the place, I think Scoot will start some events in a little while."

"Sure!" Roseluck replied. She and Muffins started to walk off, but Wallflower stayed where she was. "Are you coming?" Roseluck asked.

"One sec, I'll join you," Wallflower replied, motioning for them to leave; after a momentary pause, they did.

Sunset frowned slightly and cocked her head. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

"Not exactly," Wallflower responded. "I just... there was a moment where I was worried we were back to talking the way we'd been for the past year. Like yesterday had all been some kind of weird fever dream."

"Oh," Sunset replied. "Sorry, I... I haven't hung out with Roseluck and Muffins all that much before, so I guess I kinda went into my standard politeness mode. You know, like how people get when they're talking to someone they should know better, but don't?"

"No, yeah, I get that. I'm sorry. I'm just, well, everything happened so fast. I'm still trying to process it a bit."

"I get that. It's a little weird for me, too."

"Is Rarity staring at us?"

They both looked over at the fashionista, whose face instantly turned crimson. "Oh, uh, don't mind me, darlings! I just, uh... oh who am I kidding, yes I was staring." She walked over to the two of them. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, it's just, well, Sunset had told me some about what's been going on recently and—"

"You wanted to see if we really had changed?" Wallflower asked.

"Uhhhh..."

"It's okay, Rarity," Sunset said, patting her on the shoulder before the awkwardness could consume her.

"Yeah, no," Wallflower added. "I'll admit it does feel nice to be looked at sometimes."

Rarity nodded. "That is a lovely outfit you're wearing, I must say."

"Oh, this? I got it for Starswirled last fall. I only wore it a little bit then but it's nice to break it out. Raspberry and I are going again this year, since we'll still be in the area... what about you?"

"Us?" Sunset replied. "We, well... the Rainbooms actually got an offer to perform this year, which was awesome, but we had to turn it down. Some of us are just gonna be too far away for it to work out," she said, motioning to Rarity.

"Zephyr Heights is a bit much of a distance for me to travel for just a weekend, I'm afraid," Rarity noted. "But..."

Sunset smirked. "What Rarity means is that they then asked if some of us could perform there individually, and I took them up on it."

Wallflower gawked. "That's amazing! I know Vinyl and Micro Chips got to play there last year, but you... they might even put you on the main stage!"

Sunset laughed a bit. "Maybe. But I'm trying to work on some new material beforehand. I was hoping to do mostly acoustic stuff. I actually got a bit of inspiration after yesterday."

"Oh?"

"When it started raining at the end, after everything. It felt poetic. I'm trying to find a way to put that into words. But I already have a basic tune in mind."

"I'm glad I could be so inspirational," Wallflower said, a wry smile gracing her lips.

They both heard an awwww slip out of Rarity and turned toward her.

"Apologies, I couldn't help it. I'm just... so happy for the both of you." And then she sprang forward and wrapped both of them in a hug.

"Uhhhmmmm..." Wallflower moaned as she squirmed uncomfortably.

"What is happening?" Sunset asked.

Rarity pulled back, blushing furiously. "Sorry. I, uh, must need to get my feelings under control a bit. I, well, I think I'm going to go find Rainbow Dash." And she darted off as Sunset and Wallflower both started to laugh.

"I should probably go find Roseluck and Muffins," Wallflower said after they calmed a bit. "But, uh... if I don't really see you again here today, I'll text you. I will text you."

Sunset nodded, smiling. "And I'll text back. I promise."

Wallflower blushed, then darted off into the next room. Sunset just stood there for another minute, thinking, as an idea for a lyric popped into her head. She couldn't help but sing it aloud.

"Know it gets better, know it gets better, we push through the weather, weather..."

And she strode off to find Rarity and Rainbow Dash, feeling as assured in herself as she'd ever been.