Potted Plant

“Wallflower! WALLFLOWER!”

Anon’s voice echoes through the empty Ponyville streets. Basically everyone in town is attending the Exhibition, making the atmosphere eerily quiet. If only she hadn’t gotten such a huge head start on him!

“Wallflower, please! Can’t we talk?”

He stands by himself in the middle of the abandoned market. He looks around, confident that wherever Wallflower went, she can definitely hear him. After several more moments of silence, he finally relents. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he lets out a deep sigh.

“Okay. I know you prefer to be alone, so… just take care of yourself, you hear? If you need anything, anything at all, I’ll be in the garden, alright?”

After receiving no response, Anon gives himself a somber nod and begins to trudge back home. A gentle breeze washes over him, but he barely registers it. It wasn’t even his competition, and yet, Wallflower’s reaction to Sweet Pea and Spice Berry won’t leave his mind. Like a bright light burned into his retinas, every time he closes his eyes, all he can see is that look she had. That awful, terrified, destroyed expression.

He just wants to tell her that–

“Don’t go.”

He freezes. His eyes widen as he glances at his surroundings, but he doesn’t see anything.

“Wallflower?”

“Don’t… don’t move, please.”

“Why?”

“I’m right behind you. P-please don’t turn around.”

He takes a second to process her words, but ultimately decides to acquiesce.

“O-okay.” He clears his throat before continuing. “Wallflower, I’m so sorry.”

“I… I should have seen it coming. It’s fine. Don’t worry yourself with my troubles.”

“I’m not going to do that. You’re my friend, Wallflower. Your problems are my problems.”

“There you are again with that bleeding heart of yours,” she chokes as she fails to stifle a sniffle.

“Maybe if I’d just given you better tomatoes, you could have–”

“Shut up!” He feels a punch on the back of his leg, but although there’s an obvious frustration in her voice, said punch has almost no force behind it. “Don’t you dare try to blame yourself for this! I’m just… I’m just…”

Anon hears Wallflower slump to the ground behind him. Without a moment’s hesitation, he finally turns around. Sure enough, she’s fallen to the dirt below, tears falling freely from her eyes. He doesn’t say a thing as he drops to his knees, lifts her up from underneath her front legs, and pulls her into a tight, wordless hug.

“I’m not good enough!”

There it is. The answer to everything. He had a feeling this would come to light eventually, but…

“I’m not talented enough to be an artist, I’m not likable enough to be social, I-I can’t even say three freaking sentences without you there to help me!”

“Wallflower, you–”

“I’m worthless!”

“You’re not!”

Wallflower sniffles, but her tear-filled eyes open for the first time in a while. She can’t see Anon’s expression with her head resting on his shoulder like this, but she can feel him tightening his grip on her. This is the first time she’s ever heard him raise his voice.

“You’re not worthless. Sure, you’re quiet. And yeah, maybe you’re a bit awkward. But that doesn’t make you any less of a pony! Your art was incredible!”

“...T-tell that to the crowd.”

“What, the crowd that was made up of everypony in town? Look around you! Everyone and their mother was there! They weren’t looking for something deep, they were looking to be entertained by the cool new thing in town! Do you really think Pipsqueak or Applejack understood what you were going for?”

“No, but that’s because I didn’t do a good enough job conveying my meaning.”

“‘Potted Plant.’ A representation of what it’s like to be Wallflower Blush. To feel like you’ve been reduced to almost nothing, like you’re little more than an abstraction amidst a sea of darkness and confusion. But even then, even as you cry out for help, for someone to notice you, all you get is more backlash, more confusion, more ponies that don’t, that can’t, understand you.”

“H-huh?”

“I’ll be honest, I figured you’d just eat the tomatoes I gave you like a normal pony, but frankly, your use of them was genius. And let me guess. As time passes, the tomatoes will age, and the piece will only become more rotten? The image will blur more and more until even your plea for someone to notice you in the form of a piece of art is unrecognizable.”

Wallflower freezes. For several seconds, the air is silent.

“How?”

“Hm?”

“How did you get all of that from my painting?”

“I know you, Wallflower. It didn’t take more than a glance for me to feel the emotions pouring out of that piece.”

“But… but nopony else–”

“Nopony else understands you. I hate to say it, but in that regard, your piece was correct.”

“...”

“That’s why you shun everyone around you, isn’t it?”

“Hmph. They shunned me first.”

Another sniffle, though her tears aren’t running quite as freely now. Anon relaxes his grip on her and pulls away just enough so that he can look into those hazel eyes of hers.

“I know I’m not much of a consolation prize, but for what it’s worth, I love being around you. I… I know how hard it is to connect with others, but I swear to you, it’s worth it. And I hate to say it, but that art competition isn’t the place to be seeking validation.”

“...Heh.” For the first time since leaving the Art Off, she lets out an incredulous laugh as she wipes at her tear-stained cheeks. “You could have said that before I dragged you there hours early.”

“I didn’t really get it then. Your art changed that,” he whispers with a wink. “It really meant something. To me, at least.”

After a moment, she lets out another chuckle.

“Then I guess it was worth something.”

“And so are you.” Wallflower blushes at his comment, but doesn’t avert her gaze as he gives her a warm smile. She happily returns it as he helps her back onto her hooves. “Anyway, it’s really darn hot out here. Care for some lemonade?”

“Lemonade?”

“Sure. I happen to know where we can find a healthy tree full of lemons to use, too.”

“Hmhm! Sure. Lead the way, Anon.”

The two of them smile and laugh as they make their way down the quiet Ponyville streets. The results of the Art Off might have been disappointing, but Wallflower isn’t going to let that hold her back. With her head held high, she walks with a confidence she hasn’t felt in a long, long time, and with Anon at her side, she feels ready for whatever tomorrow might bring. In fact, she thinks she might already have an idea for a new art piece!

…

“N-no! What happened?!”

Her thoughts are interrupted by Anon’s panicked voice. Standing quietly there before them is Anon’s garden. The gate had been left wide open by somepony wanting some free vegetables, and thanks to this opened gate, countless rabbits are scampering around the property. At the arrival of the large human, they all sprint out of the yard from the gate behind him, most carrying dirt-covered vegetables in their mouths.

The garden has been picked clean.