//------------------------------// // Miss You // Story: Crossroads to You // by The Lone Doctor //------------------------------// “Did you remember to pack everything you needed, Sunset?” Wallflower asked Sunset, pulling her focus away from Meadowbrook’s sleeping form on the couch. “Hm? Oh yeah. Made sure to pack the lunch you made me, as well as some of the worksheets and textbooks I’m planning to work on during break.” She looked back to Meadowbrook’s sleeping form. “Still, I’m not sure if I should take some time off. They’ll understand if I said some family came over.” There it was again, the same maelstrom Wallflower felt when Meadowbrook arrived. She tried to shove it down as she shifted her focus back to the pan on the hot plate containing some baking pancake batter, vigilant for the telltale sign of bubbles signifying their readiness to be flipped. Try as she might, the feelings she had when Meadowbrook first got there hadn't gone away. Given Wallflower and Sunset still had to worry about school, Meadowbrook’s first few days in the human world were spent in their flat while she and Sunset went about their normal school day. It didn’t seem like it bothered her that much, and it wasn’t like her entire time was spent in one room. She and Sunset would always find Meadowbrook reading one of Wallflower’s books on plants and their uses. And one of the first things they would do once they got home was to take Meadowbrook out to somewhere in Canterlot for an hour or two. Whether it be a bookstore or the Sweet Shoppe, every single night was a surprise for the healer, her face lightening up in wonder with each new discovery. Wallflower liked these nights as well. She fondly remembered the first time Sunset had taken her somewhere. It was shortly after she moved in with her, after she settled down. Pinkie had decided to celebrate her moving with one of her famous parties, though at Wallflower’s request, she kept it to only their circle of friends. For the first time in her life since her father left her, Wallflower had left that party with a warm satisfaction of fulfillment, friends, and a family. Nights like those made the stresses of school that much more bearable, especially when the Garden Club grew along with the responsibilities that came with it. But lately, as the school year drew closer to the end, Sunset had been acting… off. A blank stare here, a little daze there, one time Sunset nearly rear-ended a car when they were driving home on her motorcycle. At night she would move around in her sleep, muttering something to herself, lost in her own turmoil. Wallflower lost sleep worrying about it. So when Sunset got a message from Princess Twilight that someone from Equestria wanted to stay with them for a few days, Wallflower was surprised when Sunset agreed. On one hand, it made sense. The pony (person?) Princess Twilight had sent them was a friend, though she was a complete stranger to Sunset. And Sunset would talk for hours on how much Princess Twilight helped guide her through when she was being reformed. Twilight even helped Wallflower by identifying what made her lose her memories. They owed a lot to Princess Twilight. It only made sense for Sunset to do her a favor as well. Wallflower gripped the pan’s handle harder as she grabbed a spatula, gently shifted it under the bubbling batter, then flipped it over, coming face to face with the brown, well-done side of the flapjack. “Sunset, I already told you, I’ll be able to take care of her while you’re gone.” Her grip on the pan tightened again. “You just focus on your job, okay?” As much as it felt wrong for Sunset to accept Princess Twilight’s request, in the end it was Sunset’s flat, meaning it was her call to make on whether or not she’d be able to handle taking someone else in besides her. Maybe, just maybe someone from Equestria could understand Sunset better, help her feel right again. That notion felt like a stab in the gut. Sunset helped her through her worst of times, why didn’t she ask her for help? They promised they’d face the future together. Why would she need to ask someone from Equestria for help? Not like I’d even begin to understand what’s wrong with her, Wallflower thought as she stacked the pancakes onto a plate on a tray, and repeated the process with some more pancakes. She couldn’t say that Meadowbrook’s presence didn’t help Sunset somewhat. Sunset was always lost in conversation with Meadowbrook about what Equestria was like thousands of years ago whenever they went out on the town. She leaned in to take in every detail Meadowbrook described about her time as a Pillar. While there were still some periods where Sunset lost herself in thought, she seemed to be more herself these past few days with Meadowbrook. It just added salt to the wound. Wallflower was supposed to be the one to take care of Sunset. She didn’t know how, but she had to. She owed that much to her. And the fact that Meadowbrook, mature, graceful Meadowbrook was able to make Sunset close to herself again… The way she would stare at her sometimes… It made her heart sink, it made her think back to the days mother would call her useless. It made her wish she still had the Memory Stone with her. But still, the past was the past, the stone was destroyed. The most she could do was focus on the here and now. And now Sunset was acting more herself again, the bright, smiling beauty she fell in love with that month ago. So what if she felt the tight pull from her heart whenever Sunset smiled at Meadowbrook? Wallflower placed the final flapjack on top. She padded over to the fridge and took out some fruit and whipped cream. With condiments in hand, she shook the can and sprayed the finishing touches, alongside some scattering of blueberries. With a tiny smile, she finished the set by placing a glass of milk on the tray, alongside two sets of cutlery and then picked it up. She carried it over to Sunset, plopping down across from her after setting it in front of her. Sunset’s eyes brightened in delight as she looked up and smiled at her beloved. “Something special happening today?” Wallflower shook her head. “Just felt like treating ourselves for a bit.” She nodded to Meadowbrook. “I’ve got some ready for her as well.” Sunset chuckled and she leaned in for a chaste peck of Wallflower’s lips before breaking off after a few seconds. “You’re spoiling me,” she whispered. Wallflower shook her head. “You deserve it Sunset, all of it,” she returned with another small tight-lipped smile. They both ate in relative silence, Sunset periodically looking over to Meadowbrook as she did so, much to the detriment of Wallflower’s continuing maelstrom of emotions. Wallflower gave herself another small smile, seeing Sunset was still at least a little at ease as she continued eating, instead of pausing as she was lost in thought. She giggled as Sunset gave herself a moustache drinking the glass of milk and soon Sunset joined in on the laughter. Just that once, it felt like home again. Soon, the magic ended, they were both done with breakfast. Wallflower took the tray to the sink to wash the dishes as Sunset changed into her work uniform and did one last check to make sure she didn’t forget anything for the day. In a matter of seconds, Sunset was at the doorway, getting ready to leave as Wallflower scampered up to her. Sunset paused to turn towards Wallflower, wrapping an arm around her waist as she leaned in and gently pulled her into a deeper lip lock. Wallflower smiled as for a moment, just a moment, the giddy, tingling sensation managed to outshine the ongoing storm before they broke off with dopy smiles. “Sure you’ll do fine without me?” Wallflower smiled back reassuringly. “Positive Sunny.” She looked back to Meadowbrook. “I’ll be sure she’s ready to go when you get home.” Sunset nodded, then leaned in for a quick peck on the cheek. “Thank you so much Wally. I’ll see you soon.” Wallflower flushed, still slightly focused on the twinge of turmoil making a comeback. “U-Uh, yeah... See you soon, Sunset.” And with that, Sunset quietly left through the door. The rumbling of a motorcycle engine filling the air, then quieting as it left. As Wallflower turned to look back at Meadowbrook again, she frowned as her heart sank in dread again, unsure of what she could do. The silence was starting to grate on her mind. Predictably, there was some time left to herself while Meadowbrook was asleep. Seeing as she still had enough pancake batter in the fridge for Meadowbrook when she woke up, Wallflower took the time she had to herself to work on the homework she needed to do by Monday. When she was done with that, she worked on keeping the flat tidy. At some point mid-sweep, Wallflower heard some groaning from the couch. She set aside her broom, and quickly went over to check on Meadowbrook as she shifted to look up at her. “Mornin’ Wallflower.” Wallflower nodded as Meadowbrook sat up and looked around the room. “I’m guessin’ Sunset already left for work?” Wallflower nodded. “Y-Yeah... I’ve got some pancake batter ready though. Would you like some breakfast?” Meadowbrook smiled warmly at Wallflower. “That would be lovely, thank you dear.” Hearing that made Wallflower’s heart race, as she felt a fluttering in her stomach, adding into the swirling mess that was her emotions. “O-Okay, I’ll get started.” She nodded to the bathroom. “Feel free to freshen up while you wait.” Meadowbrook nodded. She got up and raised her hands up as high as she could, yawning as she stretched out, then padded over to the bathroom as Wallflower took the bowl of pancake batter out of the fridge and set up the hotplate and the pan. Her focus locked onto the pan for the next few minutes to herself. Soon, Meadowbrook left the bathroom with steam in her wake. Wallflower tensed as she could feel Meadowbrook staring from behind her as she continued focusing on the task at hand. She heard some rustling as Meadowbrook sat back down on the couch. A quick look over her shoulder confirmed that she indeed was watching her as she cooked. She was still focusing on cooking, but Meadowbrook hasn’t said a word to her in the minutes since she woke up. Thinking back on it, Meadowbrook hardly shared a word with her in the time she came in from the portal. Most of the time she talked to Sunset, and the very few times she did talk to Wallflower, it was through cordial greetings and polite reminders. Nothing more than that. It just added to that fear Wallflower had, Meadowbrook had nothing in common with her. Sunset did. Of course they’d hit it off. Why would she talk to someone as dull as her? It only added to the sinking of her heart. A sinking she tried to ignore as she continued to focus on cooking. Eventually, finished the last of the pancake batter, and dressed it all up to the nines like she did with Sunset’s breakfast. Meadowbrook’s eyes widened in surprise as she took in the results of Wallflower’s elaborate efforts. “My my, Wallflower, each and every time you do not fail to astound me with your cookin’.” Wallflower tried to hide her blush behind the curtain of her hair. “I swear, it’s nothing special.” Meadowbrook picked up the fork set out for her, cut out a small triangle from the stack, and took a small bite, making sure to take in as much of the whipped cream and the berries with it. She hummed in delight as she closed her eyes in bliss. “The results speak otherwise, my dear.” She held her fork out in offering. “Wanna have a bite? I can’t possibly eat all of this.” Wallflower felt her cheeks heat up even more as she tried to put her hands up defensively. “N-No, that’s alright, I can get my own fork.” “Oh don’t worry about that, let me.” Meadowbrook offered as she stood up. Wallflower tried to get up as well, only for Meadowbrook to gently push her back down. After fetching the fork, they both ate in relative silence. Wallflower paused to take a look at Meadowbrook as she continued eating. Maybe it was the way she held herself with grace, like someone from Pride and Prejudice or A Streetcar Named Desire, maybe it was the way she warmly smiled at her and Sunset, radiating the same kind of warmth Sunset’s cuddles would bring. Either way something within Wallflower made her collect her fears and anxieties, and put them into a single question. “Why?” Meadowbrook looked up mid-bite. Quickly swallowing, she replied, “Hmm?” “You’ve been here for a week. Most of Sunset’s friends here talked to me the minute Sunset introduced them, but you’ve hardly talked to me. Why?” Meadowbrook set her fork down. “I’ve… seen how jittery you act around me. I just thought it would be best if I let you talk to me on your own time. When you felt like it.” Wallflower’s eyes widened in surprise, of all the responses she was expecting, that wasn’t one of them. “Really?” Meadowbrook nodded. “If you feel like you’re ready to talk, I’m ready whenever you are.” “Oh… Okay...” The realization hit her like a train. Wallflower’s shoulders sagged in relief, but her heart had sped up again, and those butterflies in her stomach hadn’t flown away. Waiting. She continued to watch Meadowbrook as she tried to figure out what to say next. A simple question came to mind. “What’s Equestria like?” Meadowbrook took the time to chew and swallow as she thought of a response. “It’s… pretty peaceful, quiet. There aren’t as many monster attacks as there were back in my day.” She looked back up to Wallflower. “I’m sure Princess Twilight told you that I lived over a thousand years ago, right?” Wallflower nodded as Meadowbrook continued. “A lot has changed since then. The Griffons are at least a little warmer to us, from what I’ve been told so are the dragons.” Meadowbrook bit her lip. She wasn’t keen on keeping up to date on current events. “The Hippogriffs made a comeback, so did the Abyssinians, they’re these cat people…” Meadowbrook shook her head of her thoughts. “Long story short, there seems to be more harmony to go around with Princess Twilight there.” Wallflower nodded, then decided to ask another question. “What did you do back in Equestria?” She nodded to her plant books. “I kinda figured it was some sort of gardening. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you put any of my books down. Not that I mind.” A light pink flush dusted her blue cheeks. “Oh, sorry about that. I’m a healer. I usually study plants and use them to make herbal remedies.” She poked at the stack of pancakes. “Before the Elements of Harmony came to being, I was a part of the Pillars of Harmony.” “The Pillars of Harmony?” Meadowbrook nodded. “Rockhoof was strength, Somnambula was hope, Mistmane was beauty, Flash Magnus was bravery, and Starswirl was sorcery. We also had Stygion, he helped form the group together.” She put her hand over her chest. “I was healing.” “What did you guys do?” “Like I said before, Equestra wasn’t always a safe place. Whenever there was a threat against harmony, we’d always be there to stop it.” Wallflower tilted her head. “So basically what Sunset and her friends do?” Meadowbrook nodded. “I’ve never heard of Sunset before now, but something like that.” Wallflower slightly tensed back up again, yet another thing both Meadowbrook and Sunset had in common. Meadowbrook glanced over to her blue and yellow bird’s mask, safely kept on the coffee table sitting next to the couch. Wallflower followed her gaze, before she looked back at the healer. “Is that a part of the whole Pillars thing?” Meadowbrook stared at the mask for a few moments, before slowly turning back to the green girl. “In a way, yeah. I wore it when we traveled around. It was one of the items we used to put ourselves in limbo.” Wallflower’s eyebrow raised in confusion. “We were fightin’ against the Pony of Shadows, a strong, mystical being that threatened to bring darkness and despair to Equestria.” She looked morosely back at the mask. “We managed to push him into limbo, it was supposed to be his prison. Unfortunately, we had to sacrifice ourselves doin’ so.” She sighed. “The rest is history.” Wallflower frowned, pausing for a few moments. “I-I’m sorry…” She meekly said. “I-It must’ve been difficult, finding out everything’s changed.” Meadowbrook gently nodded back, biting her lip. “Somewhat, yeah. It’s the reason why I came here.” She looked back at her mask. “Still, that mask wasn’t all bad memories. My ma made it for me, gave it to me when she thought I was ready to follow in her footsteps.” She stood up, and walked over to pick it up, gently stroking the beak. “It’s all I have of her…” Wallflower followed Meadowbrook closely behind, taking a closer look at the mask. Meadowbrook turned back to Wallflower, holding the mask out to her. “Wanna take a better look at it?” Wallflower slightly nodded, reaching out before freezing. “A-Are you sure it’s fine? That mask’s got to be thousands of years old. A-And I’m a klutz usually and... “ Wallflower looked down in shame. Meadowbrook gently took her hand, and placed it on the mask. “Fluttershy helped me repair the mask first thing after I left limbo. It’s practically brand new.” The healer gently took Wallflower’s other hand and firmly planted it further back in the mask, confidently letting go once she was sure the mask was in safe hands. With the mask securely in her hands, Wallflower pulled it closer to her, taking a good look at the plumage, gently stroking on its beak just as Meadowbrook did. “And you said your mother made this for you?” Meadowbrook nodded. “I felt so happy the day I got that mask.” Wallflower sighed, staring at the mask as it stared back at her. Meadowbrook frowned. “Somethin’ the matter, dear?” Wallflower looked away from Meadowbrook, absentmindedly rubbing the beak of the healer’s mask with her thumb, still tense as a shiver ran down her spine, she was frozen there, unsure what to say. Meadowbrook’s eyes widened in realization, then understanding as she gently laid her hand against Wallflower’s. “Wallflower, honey, you don’t need to say anythin’ if you don’t want to. I can tell it’s a pretty touchy subject for you.” Wallflower looked back to Meadowbrook. “Really?” Meadowbrook nodded. “Like I said the last time, I’ll be ready whenever you are.” Wallflower sighed in relief, her shoulders slightly relaxed, but the butterflies in her stomach increased tenfold. She felt warmth emanating from Meadowbrook’s eyes, warmth and kindness. Warmth not too different from Sunset’s, as she tried to help her through her problems. Gingerly, Wallflower looked back up from her curtain of green hair, first off to the side, then directly to Meadowbrook. Meadowbrook was being kind and considerate enough to be patient with her, it was the least she could do. “My mother… she wasn’t really the nicest of people…” She paused. “She’d usually say things about how useless I was, how useless dad was… how I’d never be able to survive when she’s gone, that kinda stuff…” She looked back down at the mask. “It didn’t help that dad left when I was young, he did his best to give me the love mom usually wouldn’t give. He’d take me out to dinner when I did something good in school, he’d read to me, he’d listen to me…” She paused for a moment to brush her finger against the plume of the mask. “When he left, he tried to take me with him, but mother wouldn’t let him. I was alone with her beratements for all of middle school and a lot of high school.” She looked back up at Meadowbrook. “It made me become too scared to talk to people, y'know? Even if I wanted to, no one usually noticed me anyway.” Meadowbrook nodded as Wallflower bitterly sighed. “Not like she minded. In fact, she said it was good I didn’t talk to anyone, the lower profile I kept, the better. ‘People wouldn’t see me as the disappointment I really was,’ she said.” Wallflower unconsciously laid a forearm out as her hand stroked it compulsively. “I… I started to do things... Harmful things… just to make the pain go away.” Her focus switched to a framed photo on Sunset’s desk, of her and Wallflower sitting close together at a picnic. “But then I met Sunset. When I first knew her, she was the queen bee of the school and ruled over everyone with an iron fist. After this year’s Fall Formal though, things changed. I thought she was putting up an act, but then I saw how there were still some classmates that didn’t even trust her, even months after the formal.” She looked at Meadowbrook again. “The more I looked at Sunset, the more I noticed the lengths she went through to try to reform herself. It inspired me to try to make a change for myself, to open up.” Wallflower shuffled her foot against the floor. “It didn’t work out for me though. It got to the point where I couldn’t take it anymore, how others ignored me, how they put me down.” She rubbed her forearm a little harder, the scars still apparent through the pads of her fingertips. “There was this stone I found… in the school gardens? It had the power to get rid of memories. I used it to make people forget any time I screwed up at first, but seeing Sunset own up to her mistakes made me stop using it for a time… until… well...” Meadowbrook nodded. “You used the stone on yourself.” “Something like that,” Wallflower replied. “I’m still not sure myself sometimes. But yeah, that’s how Sunset found me. She saw me laying in the garden, unconscious.” Wallflower looked back at the picture frame. “For three days, she did everything she could to get my memories back, she helped me leave my mother.” She looked back at Meadowbrook, vision blurred as she felt herself begin to tear up. “She made me feel like I could do anything if I wanted to. A-And… she made me feel safe…” The tug at her heart tightened and bloomed into sadness as she came to an epiphany, on why she felt so bothered about Meadowbrook being here, she looked away from the healer in shame. “W-We were able to get my memories back, and she helped me grow. She helped me find new friends, she helped my club grow.” A single tear trickled down her cheek. “She helped me find a home... With her.” She felt her chest tightened as she felt more tears trickle down her cheeks. “I-I love her, she means so much to me, but seeing how quiet she is now, how she seems lost, how she lights up when you talk to her.” She looked back at Meadowbrook. “You two have so much in common, you both are practically heroes back in Equestria, you’ve helped so many people… yet here I am, not even sure what to even do when she feels down… I just feel...” She rested her head against her hands as she continued to sob. She felt warmth as a pair of arms engulfed her, encompassed her into an embrace, as she felt gentle fingers comb through her hair. “There there, my dear. I think I understand.” They both sat there in each other’s arms for several minutes as Wallflower continued to cry in a downpour until the storm in her chest settled down into a calm sea. “I was just as lost as you were when I came out of limbo.” Meadowbrook stared morosely back at her mask. “So many ponies I knew before I went into limbo are gone.” She looked back at Wallflower. “I still have kin, but they're so distant from me, it just doesn’t feel right at times… like I don't even belong.” Meadowbrook gently stroked away an errant teardrop mid-fall on Wallflower’s cheek. “But then I saw what you and Sunset have. You two work together as if you could read each other's minds.” Meadowbrook felt some heat return to her cheeks. “You two share a moment of bliss just by looking at each other.” She gently rubbed Wallflowers back as she continued to cry on her shoulder. “What you two have is beautiful, special. You two complete each other , like peas and carrots. Give her some time, like she and I did with you. She’ll come around to tell you eventually.” Meadowbrook held Wallflower close to her, like a mother would to her foal. “And don’t you ever think you’re not enough for her, she chose you for a reason. She looked back to her mask as a twinge of wistful sorrow shot through her. “Take joy and confidence in that, and never take it for granted.” Wallflower felt herself being pushed away momentarily, before she felt the soft caress of fabric against her cheek, before it rested against her hands. “Feel free to clean yourself up with it, I can wash it later.” Meadowbrook explained. Wallflower nodded as she dried herself with Meadowbrook’s handkerchief, still leaning against Meadowbrook’s embrace. “Feel better?” Meadowbrook asked. Wallflower nodded, as she felt her eyes droop in fatigue. “I-Is it okay if we stayed like this? Just for a little longer?” She felt Meadowbrook nod behind her. “For as long as you need, chère.” And soon the warmth engulfed her into a deep sleep.