//------------------------------//
// 11: Mallflowers (Pt. 3) 
// Story: Blooming 
// by Bookish Delight 
//------------------------------//

Juniper, Lemon, Vinyl and Wallflower stood in front of Make My Video's lobby screen, watching Wallflower's completed music video. It was just the same as Wallflower had seen inside the booth, with her moving dramatically against several shifting backdrops of natural greenery. 

"This is the cheesiest, hokiest, most retro thing ever," Juniper said, with a huge smile on her face. "I kind of love it."

Wallflower considered sinking through the floor in embarrassment. "I kind of hate it."

Juniper wrapped her arm around Wallflower. "Of course you do! Every actress hates how they look in front of the camera once the take's over. But trust me, no one else ever notices. She nodded to her left. "Some people might like it a little too much."

Wallflower followed Juniper's gaze towards Vinyl and Lemon. They two stared, entranced, at the music video while holding studio headphones to their ears. They bobbed their heads to the music, while looking... really into it. Wallflower dared not ask.

The video finished, with Wallflower jumping and stomping in place. After weathering one more impulse to sink through the floor, she looked over at Vinyl and Lemon again. They'd stopped bobbing, but were still staring into space.

"That... was... killer," Lemon said, her voice just as spaced out as her gaze. 

"Yeah," Vinyl added. "What she said."

Wallflower did a double-take. "You're being serious?"

Vinyl nodded. "We've got kind of an ulterior motive going on with this place. People come in here, karaoke their brains out, and we don't have to pay to host a multinational TV reality show with snarky judges. Put another way, this place is how we find out who in Pedestria's got talent." Vinyl put her headphones down on the counter, and walked to Wallflower. "And you have totally got talent."

"You're kind of the only one we've found who does," Lemon chimed in. "Your singing voice is awesome—and, dude, that track? That was, like, liquid lemonade going into my ears! With all the sugar!"

"Lemonade is liquid, hon," Vinyl said. 

Lemon blinked. "Oh, right. Yeah. Well, doesn't change anything."

Vinyl held up a finger, then let it down with an exhale. "Yeah, guess not." She turned back to Wallflower. "So, spill. You a ringer in disguise? Some pro secretly visiting our booth to get back to their amateur roots?"

Wallflower shook her head. "I just like singing. And I composed that track in my spare time," she said.

"Wouldja check out this chick?" Juniper said with a cackle. "Humble bragging all over the place."

"S-shut up!" Wallflower's face flushed red, and she elbowed Juniper, who kept laughing. "I'm totally not!" 

"Either way," Vinyl said, reaching grabbing Wallflower's flash drive from off the counter and giving to back to her, "I know a good sound when I see it. You could seriously get big with stuff like this in your arsenal." Vinyl tilted down her shades, just enough for Wallflower to see magenta eyes staring into hers. "If you wanted."

For the briefest of moments, Wallflower flashed back to her fantasy of singing live in front of a massive Sugarcube Corner audience. She closed her eyes, allowing her to relax into it for just a few more precious seconds. It was a very nice fantasy, one that she'd never thought she'd been capable of—and as far as fantasies were concerned, she was capable of a lot.

But a fantasy was all it was. As much as she wanted to believe Vinyl's words, real life presented overwhelming evidence to the contrary. She held the drive back out to Vinyl. 

"If it helps? Since you seem to like the song so much, go ahead and have it. It's the least I can do for..." 

Wallflower trailed off, realizing just in time that "repeatedly wiping your memory so you kept playing the songs I actually liked at what few gatherings I attended" might have ruined the moment just a little bit. With an inward sigh, she forced a smile, and righted her conversational ship. "From one musician to another. Just remember when Team Harmonix makes it big, to remember the little people you met on the way, and we'll call it even."

Vinyl grinned back, and took the drive. In return, she grabbed a business card from the counter and gave it to Wallflower. "Heh. No way we're waiting that long. Whenever you want samples from us, or even a score, just shine the signal. You can use the info on that card, or just ring up Sunset. Either one works."

"It's the same offer we give your girlfriend for her movies," Lemon said, also grinning, "but I get the feeling we'd have a lot more fun with you."

"Oh my goodness, favoritism all over the place," Juniper said, grabbing Wallflower's arm with both of her hands. "Are you ready to go? I'm ready to go."

"I guess we're going," Wallflower said, waving as Juniper tugged her out of the store. "It was nice meeting the both of you."

"Stay melodic, you guys!" Lemon said waving back before turning to Vinyl. "Oh my gosh, we could totally use that as a slogan!"

Vinyl didn't look very impressed. "Meh. I feel like it's only halfway there."

"Whaddaya mean, 'halfway there'?" Lemon flailed her arms. "It's literally everything we stand for!"

"Exactly." Vinyl leant back against the store's counter. "It means more to us than it will to anyone coming off the street."

"Oh yeah? You wanna put it to the test? Wait here, 'cause I'm gonna go find someone off the street right..." Lemon's voice trailed off as Wallflower walked out of earshot.





It mercifully only took a couple of minutes before Wallflower could think again. 

"That... was an experience," Wallflower said. "I'll probably never do it again, but I'm glad I gave it a shot. Vinyl and Lemon are really nice, too." She turned to Juniper. "Even if they seem to be able to wear you down."

"Whaaaat?" Juniper waved her hand dismissively. "Nah. I mean, Lemon's loud, and Vinyl's almost too Zen, but I wouldn't give either of those things up for the world. That's just who they are, and who they are makes 'em great." Juniper chuckled. "I just make sure to give them as much heck as they give me. Like with Photo and Sunny, we've got a really cool working relationship. Just helps that I like 'em as people, too."

Wallflower nodded. "I'm starting to think that's part of your secret to living life."

"Pretty much." Juniper sighed. "Beats the old way, lemme tell ya. But yeah, that whole music video thing was totally, seriously, amazing! Way better than I was expecting. Not to mention, the more I'm around you, the more I find out that there's way more to you than meets the eye." She fed Wallflower a slanted grin. "Not that what meets the eye is any slouch."

Another minute, another blush. Wallflower was beginning to wonder if her parents had simply suffered an overwhelming bout of serendipity when they named her.

"But seriously, though, you've got one fantastic set of pipes. To the point where I'm pretty sure you've got Vinyl and Lemon wanting to be your bodyguard," Juniper said. "Were you ever in glee club at CHS? I feel like Sunset or Photo would have told me if you were, but it never came up."

"I tried out," Wallflower said. "Once. Just to see how I'd do."

"Yeah?" Juniper said. "So how did you do?"

Wallflower shrugged. "It was freshman year, so I was awful. Fortunately, I'm a pretty forgettable girl, so it's not like anyone noticed for long. I was just another drop in the pond. Besides, Photo and Sunset, though, even back then, always had their own..." 

Wallflower thought of her past run-ins with both girls during freshman year at Canterlot High. Sunset, of course, was still an unholy terror back then, and would be utterly committed to that role for a few years yet. Meanwhile, Photo had even less self-control back then, constantly getting in peoples' faces to capture the right frame, as well as running late to our outright missing classes to take photos of scenery and birds. 

"They kept busy with their own things," Wallflower finished. "But yeah, after that, I practiced a bunch. Even though I flubbed tryouts, I still realized that music was one of my loves. By the time I got good at singing, though, I didn't really feel..."

Wallflower trailed off upon noticing that she was alone. She looked back to see Juniper behind her, wearing a pensive, thoughtful expression. "What's going on?" she asked, walking back.

"You keep using that word," Juniper said, staring half at Wallflower, and half through her.

Wallflower tilted her head. "What word?"

"'Forgettable'. It keeps coming up whenever I see you." Juniper stepped closer. "I don't think it means what you think it means. If you don't mind my saying so."

Wallflower bristled, grasping her arm and looking away. "I actually kind of do."

Juniper shook her head. "Hey, I'm not about to drop some massive lecture on you. But I am worried. 'Cause I've done that dance. It caused me to make some really bad life choices. 

"Back in the video booth, that look you had? I know that look, because I've had that look. I've even sang your song. When nobody was looking, of course. But it was years before I made any friends who would tell me that it was worth it to be myself."

Wallflower hesitated for several moments before saying, "It's been a lot of years for me, too."

Juniper sighed, and took Wallflower's hands. Wallflower didn't pull back. Their eyes connected, and Wallflower saw nothing but concern and caring in Juniper's. Wallflower could also tell that Juniper was doing everything in her power to make sure those eyes stayed dry.

Which was, at the moment, yet another thing Wallflower saw that they had in common. 

"Look, all I'm trying to say is... granted, I've only known you for a week, but still," Juniper said. "You may say you're 'forgettable', but I have yet to see a single thing about you that proves it. Meanwhile, I've loved hanging out with you today, I loved hanging out with you last week, and... I'd really like to do it again. I-if it's okay with you, I mean."

Wallflower nodded. She sniffled and wiped her eyes with one sleeve. "Yeah. I'd really like that, too."

An extra-joyful smile spread across Juniper's face. "Sweet. It's official, then. And if you ever want to talk about this stuff—or anything, really—you've got my number."

Wallflower nodded again. "And you've got mine. For the same reasons."

"Which makes me so happy to know." Juniper sighed overdramatically, and looked away. "Gonna be honest, this is where I'd hug you, but I just know I still smell like processed buttered popcorn, and I don't wanna inflict that on—"

Wallflower darted forward, wrapping her arms around Juniper as tightly as she could. 

"Thanks for being there for me," she whispered, resting her head on Juniper's shoulder.

"Y-you too," Juniper managed, slowly embracing Wallflower in return. They stayed there for several moments, the noise of the mall crowds completely muted as they basked in each others' warmth. 

This is exactly what I've wanted. The words echoed through Wallflower's mind. This is all I've ever wanted. Please don't let it end.

The two broke away, and Juniper stretched. "Anyway! Wow, this has been one killer afternoon, as Lemon would say. I sure could use a piping hot totally-bad-for-my-diet cinnamon bun to cap it all off. What do you think?"

"Wait, what?" Wallflower said, before doing a double take as her mind suddenly made a connection. "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

Juniper's sly grin was back. "I saw you making googly eyes at the Cinnamon Paradise when we passed by the far end of the lobby. Have you ever been there?"

Wallflower did her best to hold back drool. "Only once ever. It was kind of one of those transcendent, life-changing experiences. I was only half our age back then, and I still remember it now, in bits and pieces."

"Oh gosh, then, are you in for a treat," Juniper said. "The first time I had a Paradise Surprise during an on-location shoot in Vanhoover was the last day of my life I could live without them." She leaned into Wallflower's ear. "I petitioned for them to open up here," she whispered with a giggle. 

Wallflower stared at Juniper, mouth hanging open. "Seriously?"

"All of the serious. It didn't take much, honestly. Some badgering of my uncle, a presentation of box office numbers sent to a couple corporate offices. You'd be shocked just how many people love getting an ooey, gooey dessert right after a movie."

Wallflower laughed. "I probably wouldn't."

"Yeah, good point. Anyway, when I started actually working here, it ended up being a doubly good investment. An escape from the drudgery of seat ushering and snack cleanup."

"Oh my gosh." Wallflower's eyes sparkled. "I think you're my hero right now."

"Wow, no kidding?" Juniper looked up towards the upper levels, and sighed again, this time in earnest. "If I'm your hero now, you should've seen me when my name actually meant something."

"Huh?" Wallflower asked.

"Nothing." Juniper took Wallflower's hand again, causing Wallflower's face to overheat. She looked up at Juniper, and saw that her face had done the same. "Let's go get some. My treat."

The two walked, hand in hand, towards the other side of the lobby.