//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Invisible no more // Story: The Time Wallflower Blush WISHED She Was Invisible // by ThePinkedWonder //------------------------------// Wallflower Blush is a good teenage girl. A quiet one, but good. Well, she usually is good. There was that memory stone fiasco last month when Wallflower stole her fellow students’ memories of Sunset Shimmer, post-reformation. It was part of her plan to get revenge on Sunset, due to a maddening combo of jealousy and lingering resentment toward her. Teenagers don’t go through phases, said no adult ever. But outside of that brief not-so-good phase, Wallflower is a good girl. So why did others keep failing to notice her whenever she was nearby? It was like she was invisible, and she even wrote a heartfelt song about it. However, there was good news for Wallflower. She was both forgiven for her memory-stealing shenanigans and befriended by Sunset and her friends (Do I even need to tell you those six other pretties’ and their little dog’s names?) Unfortunately for the green-haired introvert, old habits die hard, and others simply take a long time to end. While she was seldom outright forgotten, she was still...wait, what am I doing? You might get bored and read something else if I keep spouting exposition like this and don’t get to the good stuff. For all our sakes, let's move on to the real story and see how bad things are going to go wrong. Ten minutes after the final bell rang throughout Canterlot High School, CHS for short, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset, and the five other pretties met up at a pedestal in CHS’s courtyard. It used to proudly hold the Wondercolt statue, but the statue had a bad encounter with the Midnight Sparkle kind. There was someone else there too, but who was it? Oh, right, Wallflower Blush was also summoned, standing beside Sunset. Sh*t, now I’m getting into the act! What kind of narrator am I? At any rate, as a desperate idea from Twilight and Sunset to use as a stopgap measure, Wallflower wore a bell around her neck to help others notice her more easily. Wallflower had no other ideas, so she chose to roll with it. “Okay, we're all here,” Twilight said, holding a closed brown case in her hands. “Now, I’m sure you all are aware of how the school and even us still tend to...not always notice Wallflower, even when she has her bell on?” “Yeah, and, Wallflower, we promise we aren’t doing it on purpose!” Sunset assured with pleading eyes. “Yes, darling,” Rarity said with sympathetic eyes of her own. “You are our friend now, but you just don’t have much...presence.” Fluttershy gently tugged on her hair. “But we are trying our best to not make you feel like we don’t care about you.” “Yep, because we do!” Pinkie laid a finger on her cheek and rolled her eyes up in thought. “Well, sure, there was the time I bumped into you and your potted plant because I didn’t see you. Oh, and two weeks ago Sunset ‘wallflowered’ you when she cut the lights off of a room that you were still inside, again–” “B-but at least after I remembered you were there, I came right back to cut them on and apologized,” Sunset said with a sheepish grin. Rainbow crossed her arms and chuckled. “I had never seen Sunset run so fast before. She would have literally ran through somebody if they were in her way and she didn’t see them.” Wallflower sighed, but forced out a weak smile. She had started to think of and accept it as an unintentional punishment, so she genuinely didn’t resent the more recent oversights of her person, mostly. “It’s okay. Besides, that new verb may mean ‘to forget’, but it’s kinda flattering to have one named after me.” “But the days of you being wallflow–uh, overlooked will soon be over, all thanks to this!” Twilight opened her case, her head held high in pride. Inside rested a dark-purple bracelet, decorated with small multi-colored gems. Wallflower walked toward the bracelet and stared at it with big, curious eyes. “What is that? Some fancy watch or bracelet?” “It’s a bracelet, but not just any bracelet, but a…” Twilight frowned, her eyes widening. “Uh...okay, I haven’t thought of a name for it yet, but that’s not important.” She cleared her throat and continued, “What is important is that if you wear this bracelet, it will magically trigger you to release something akin to harmless artificial pheromones, which will raise your noticeability.” Applejack lightly smacked her forehead in astonishment. “Artificial what now? Not tryin’ to doubt yer bracelet, Twi, but how could you, a teenager, whip up somethin’ like that?” “Without my geode, it would have been impossible, but this bracelet is operating through some magic I infused into it.” Rarity gazed at the bracelet and nervously rubbed her chin. “That would go nicely with Wallflower’s usual attire, but I don’t know, Twilight. This sounds like it could be dangerous.” “I know, but I ran a series of tests first. I even experimented with a prototype yesterday, but I kept it hidden.” Rainbow gasped, followed by a snap of her fingers. “So that was why you felt different and why students talked to you more yesterday! I almost thought you were Princess Twilight pretending to be you for a while.” “Yes, my prototype was a complete success. This final version will be even better, be perfectly safe, and be far more effective at countering Wallflower’s...lack of attention than wearing a bell. It’s Twilight Sparkle approved!” Twilight snorted and smiled after her words, showing her inner, yet endearing, dork. Wallflower stared down at her bell, then back at Twilight’s bracelet. A smile slowly curled on her lips. “Oh, I like the sound of that. I never wanted that much attention, but it would feel great to not fall into the background all the time without my bell.” “Also, despite the prototype’s success, I considered the very slim possibility that even this final version could malfunction. It will automatically shut down if it detects itself functioning beyond acceptable parameters, but if that built-in safeguard fails, all you will have to do is either turn off or take the bracelet off. The same goes for if you just want its effects to stop for a while.”  Twilight pointed at her arm, leaving the non-pointing arm outstretched to keep holding her bracelet’s case. “I programmed it to only operate when around an arm or wrist. Anywhere else, it’s no more than an ordinary bracelet.” Despite Twilight not saying them in a song, the words were music to Wallflower’s ears. The melody deepened her smile into an ecstatic grin. “If it’s ready and safe, let me have it! Uh, please?” Twilight nodded in approval. Wallflower swiped her new bracelet from its case and immediately fastened it onto her arm. She playfully raised the arm with the bracelet in the air, as if she had put on an omnipotent bracelet, or glove. “There! Do I have to do anything else?” Twilight shook her head. “Other than keep it near you for the rest of the day, you’re set, and it’s already turned on. It will require a little time to adjust itself to you and become functional, but you should start noticing the effects when you get to school tomorrow morning. If you have any questions, come find me.” Meanwhile, in the library of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s castle in Equestria… Snuggled comfortably in a chair while levitating a book with her magic, Princess Twilight rubbed her cheek with a forehoof. A peculiar, unsettling sensation quivered throughout her belly, and not due to indigestion. “That’s odd.” Spike turned his head from his comic book and toward Twilight. “What’s wrong, Twi?” “I got the strangest feeling that I just did something I’m going to regret.” Starlight Glimmer’s mane flapped twice, coaxing her to lay down a half-finished kite in her magic to the floor. “My ‘crazy but well-meaning plan with magic’ sense is tingling too. It never fires when I’m the one with the plan, so it can’t be me this time.” Spike said, “Wow, that is odd. Maybe it’s in your heads? You two can be a little...overcautious.” “Maybe.” Twilight peered at the towering, or short to her, bookshelves lining the walls of her library. “All I planned to do was read, and I doubt it’s because of something my human self did. From what Sunset told me, she is rarely reckless with her magic, at least not after she learned how it works. I can't even claim to have such a near-perfect magic track record, and I was born with magic!” “She’s that smart with her magic despite still being relatively new to it?” Starlight asked, her eyes bulging in amazement. “Oh, I envy her.” Spike buried his head in his comic book as he thought, ‘I envy my other self. That lucky dog.’ The next morning, after she ate breakfast, Wallflower hopped out of her front door and skipped to Canterlot High School, with her bracelet smugly around her wrist. She didn’t know it, but the joyful girl made history by becoming CHS’s second student to look forward to going to school. Twilight Sparkle was its first student to do the highly improbable deed. She skipped through the school’s front doors, but a sudden wave of uneasiness signaled that she was acting too unnaturally for a teenager in school that wasn't named “Pinkie Pie”. She forced herself to cease skipping and merely walked down the halls.  The students wandered about, but not a single one glanced in Wallflower's direction. She waved at a couple of them, but received results that she was all too used to: none. Wallflower sighed, her steps slowing as joy deflated from her body. “Well, at least Twilight tried her be–” The bracelet flashed in a dim purple light. Wallflower stopped walking and stared at her bracelet. “What was that?” “Hey, Wallflower!” a green-haired boy called out, waving a hand. Wallflower lifted her head toward the boy. She bashfully stroked her hair with a matching bashful smile. “Oh, um...h-hi.” A blue-haired girl also called out, “Hi, Wallflower! Have you planted anything good lately? You’re one of the best gardeners I know.” “Yep! Ya weren't named ‘Best Gardener’ for nothin’!” A younger red-haired girl, wearing a pink bow on the back of her head, chimed in. “Oh, some Hibiscus that I planted had bloomed a few days ago.” Wallflower rubbed her index fingers together. “I can show you them after school if you want.” “Really?” the blue-haired girl asked. “You don’t mind?” “No,” Wallflower answered, a blissful, fuzzy warmness building in her heart. “I love to show my garden to anyone that wants to visit it.” “Great, then I'll see you then!” the green-haired boy said. The three students left Wallflower and each went to their respective classrooms. Wallflower walked down the hallway, reached her locker, and took out the textbook for her first class. As she did, some students waved or verbally greeted her (or both) and Wallflower answered with a friendly wave or greeting of her own.  More fuzzy warmness bubbled within her, and she fought to refrain from resuming her previous skipping. However, a few skips still broke themselves free. Upon semi-skipping into her half-filled class, Wallflower took her usual seat near a window. The sun shone the same as always, yet its warmth felt ten times more pleasant.  A girl sitting at a desk near the front got off her chair and moved to a desk beside Wallflower. “You know, we never spent any time together, so do you mind if I sit beside you today?” “Oh, o-of course not.” More students entered the classroom, and most waved at Wallflower as they took their seats. After the last student entered, the class’s teacher, Miss Cheerilee, entered the room and sauntered to her desk, laying a book on top of it. “Good morning students. I hope you all had a good night’s sleep.” She looked toward Wallflower, who was still smiling from her recent attention. “Oh, did you change your hair, Wallflower? Something about you seems different.” Wallflower rolled a finger through her hair. ‘Oh, right, Twilight’s bracelet,’ she thought, then said out loud, “No, my hair is the same as before.” “Hmm. Maybe it’s just me.” Miss Cheerilee walked to the chalkboard and picked up a piece of chalk. “Anyway, as you all should remember from yesterday...” Wallflower leaned back in her seat, her face beaming. Not only wasn’t she ignored, but dare she think she had some popularity? Her? ‘Twilight, I owe you big time for this.’ Things were borderline paradise for Wallflower. She didn’t once feel the awful feeling of being invisible to everyone but herself. After years of being overlooked, even by the nicest and most considerate of students, she had this coming for a long time. After the final bell, Wallflower, willing herself to not skip, ambled out of CHS. Her smile was threatening to lock permanently on her face. Outside the school’s main door, Twilight and Sunset chatted with each other. “Oh, hi, Wallflower,” Twilight said as she turned toward Wallflower and waved her hand in greeting. “Is my bracelet operating correctly?” A gleeful high-pitched “squee” squeaked from Wallflower’s mouth. “Yes, and it’s working better than I ever hoped! I can never thank you enough for this!” Wallflower wrapped her arms around Twilight, who returned the motion. While she was smiling, Sunset fiddled her fingers as she watched Wallflower and Twilight in their embrace. Wallflower and Twilight let each other go, and Twilight said, “I’m glad my bracelet is functioning as it should, but I knew it would. Have you needed to turn it off?” “No, I haven’t even thought about turning it off.” Sunset ceased with the fiddling of her fingers. “That’s great, but while I’m glad you’re doing so well, don’t be afraid to give that thing a break sometimes.” “I will,” Wallflower said, but she thought, ‘As if!’ The next day, Wallflower again skipped to school. Like before, she cooled it and calmly walked once inside the school, but this time it was to keep her ankles from becoming sore. Unless it was to a gardening store during 50% off sales, she seldom skipped anywhere, let alone with so much energy. Ahead was a female student with striped dark-blue and light bluish-gray hair, named Minuette, leaning her hand against a locker. She called out, “Hey, Wallflower! I’m glad you’re here! Do you want to sit together during lunch? You can tell me more about your garden!” “I’ll be happy to,” Wallflower answered. The heavenly warmness that she might never get tired of swelled from within. “I’ll see you th–” A second female student with pink and dark-blue hair, Bon Bon, ran over to the two. “Can I join you too?” “Me three?” another girl with light-blue hair, Lyra, asked as she ran to the group. “Sure. I wouldn’t mind sitting with all of you during lunch.” “Okay!” the three students cheered. They walked away, but muttered to each other. Lyra shoved Bon Bon, who shoved back, but they continued their trek with no further pushing. Wallflower shrugged her shoulders and headed to her locker; like most CHS students, she had seen far weirder things happen. Along the way, more students walked or ran up to and greeted her. In all, over twenty students played the role of fanboy/fangirl. With her textbook in hand, Wallflower made her way to her first class. Only five students had arrived already, but they all sat at desks closest to the one Wallflower always sat in–one near the window. They waved in her direction; she weakly returned one, tittered, and traipsed by them and to her seat. A sinking feeling buried in Wallflower’s stomach. Something about this felt wrong. Not even Princess Twilight had drawn this level of attention during her visits. Then again, being ignored felt worse. It felt not only wrong, but bad. The bell for lunch rang. Wallflower crept out of her class, smiling timidly while receiving more hand waves from her new fans in the class and out in the hallway. She gazed at her bracelet, and Sunset’s advice about occasionally shutting it off nagged in her mind. No, not yet. This will just take some getting used to. It’s still better than barely being noticed at all. With her decision about tempting fate made, Wallflower slunk down the hallway and into the cafeteria. She froze at the sight of Minuette, Lyra, and Bon Bon sitting at one of the numerous cafeteria tables, who were waving at her with huge grins. Her lips broke into an awkward smile, and she willed out an equally awkward titter.  She shook her head to snap out of it and went to pick out her lunch, a salad, a pack of pineapple chunks, two carrots, and a pint of orange juice–I would have taken a pint of apple juice in case Applejack was around. The tray with her lunch in hand, Wallflower dawdled to the table with the waiting students and sat in one of the table’s chairs. The nearest student, Lyra, inched closer to Wallflower. From her other side, Bon Bon inched even closer to fall a finger’s width of tapping shoulders with her. A sense of uneasiness struck, imploring Wallflower to lean away. “W-what are you doing? Can I have a little sp–” “I just wanted to be the closest to you,” Bon Bon said. Her eyes, while friendly, sent an icy chill down Wallflower’s back. Wallflower scooted her chair away. “W-well I’m flattered, but–” Minuette hopped off her chair and yanked Bon Bon off hers. “Hey! Don’t you see she doesn’t want you so close? Besides, I want to sit closest to her!” “No, I am going to sit the closest!” Bon Bon shot back. Lyra jumped from her seat and motioned toward herself. “Then how about I be the one? She was already moving toward me!” Bon Bon countered, “Why don’t you instead read your notes on ponies? You’ve been obsessed with them for years!” Wallflower stared at the three and said, “Um, how about if you took tu–” “I have an idea,” Minuette proposed. “How about we play ‘rock-paper-scissors to settle this?” Bon Bon and Lyra glanced at each other, then both nodded at Minuette in agreement. The three girls positioned themselves in a circle so they could all face each other. “Rock, Paper, Scissors, shoot!” Minuette and Bon Bon threw down their hands in “paper” position, but Lyra played “scissors”. “Yes! I win!” Lyra yelled, hopping in joy. Minuette groaned and snapped her fingers in disappointment. However, Bon Bon declared, “Then I call dibs for next time!” Three boys wandered to the table, opposite the side Wallflower sat by. “No, no, you had your chance. How about I get one?” “Or me?” “Well, you should have been here sooner!” Bon Bon pointed toward herself. “Besides, I already called ‘dibs’.” More students flooded over to Wallflower’s table like an unwanted downpour of rain. “Fine, then I call dibs on hanging out with her after school!” “I call dibs on doing homework with her later! You don’t mind, right, Wallflower?” Yet more students jumped from their chairs and joined in the arguing. Wallflower grimaced and shrank in her chair. She yearned to say something, but she wasn't sure what to say. Rainbow Dash hurried into the cafeteria and, fitting of her name, dashed toward the growing crowd. “Hey, what’s going on over here?” Wallflower sprang off her chair and yelled, “Rainbow Dash! Everyone won’t leave me alone and want to–” “What?!” Rainbow scowled and stormed through her peers. “Okay, bozos, back off! None of you could even remember Wallflower’s name a month ago, and now you’re fighting over her?” “Like you were much better, Rainbow?” Lyra shot back. “W-well at least I don’t wallflower her anymore. Anyway, I’ll make this real easy.” Rainbow wrapped her arm around Wallflower and pulled her close. “She will have lunch with me, every day, for the rest of this week! No ‘ands’, ‘ifs’, or ‘buts’ about it!” “Ands”, “ifs”, “buts”, and a lot more were yelled all over. Sweat flowed down Wallflower’s face. She wasn’t the Element of Empathy, but the suddenly over-popular girl still sensed that Rainbow wasn’t quite herself either. It was time. She couldn’t delay it any longer. Wallflower twisted a knob on her out-of-control bracelet to turn it off. But the knob wouldn’t budge. She twisted it harder while gritting her teeth, but it stubbornly remained locked in place. She pulled on the bracelet to slide it off her arm, but it tightened to become unmovable. It, like her, was stuck. Her eyes darted around the bickering mob surrounding her, followed by a big, nervous gulp. Faced with her unprecedented dilemma, a thought that Wallflower Blush had never imagined flashed in her mind. ‘For once, I wish I was invisible.’