//------------------------------// // Chapter 3 — Dream Girl Evil // Story: Love Me Like You // by Scampy //------------------------------// The sound of Sunset's key in the door shook Wallflower awake.  Within moments, she scrambled to sit up, rubbing the last bits of sleep from her eyes. The nap hadn't been intentional, unlike several other "surprises" that Sunset would soon see, but it would help her cause regardless. In any case, the Wallflower of today took that little snooze as a purely selfish choice in contrast to whatever pre-ring Wallflower would have done. Just as the world stopped being fuzzy, Sunset slammed the door open. She dragged herself inside, work boots slung by their laces over one shoulder, both her bags over the other. Somehow, she seemed even more exhausted today than she had the previous evening. Rather than rush to grab one of the bags, Wallflower launched herself straight at her wobbly girlfriend. "You're home! Finally!" Then, to complete the perfect picture of a selfish, whiny little brat, Wallflower buried her face in Sunset's shoulder and faked some tears. "I missed you so much! Why were you gone so late?" More feigned sniffles followed. "Didn't you know I'd be missing you?" Hidden from Sunset's gaze, Wallflower felt a resigned acceptance settle over her. Now that she had her hands on Sunset, she wasn't going to let her get a moment to herself. After all, the only thing worse than a thoughtless girlfriend was a thoughtless, clingy girlfriend. In response, Sunset only straightened up, not saying a word. Wallflower remained steadfast, her hands gripping tightly at Sunset's shoulder. Taking this as a sign Sunset was annoyed, she decided to dial it up a notch. "You, me, couch, right now! I've been waiting on cuddles all day and—!" The heavy thump of boots and bags hitting the floor startled Wallflower. The sudden sensation of two strong arms sweeping her into a bridal carry—of all things—and ferrying her over to the couch completely silenced her. For a moment—just a moment—all of Wallflower's intentions were interrupted by a gay hiccup in her brain brought on by one thought rising above all others. Oh my God she can carry me that's so hot. The wonderful image of Sunset's smiling face and captivating eyes as Wallflower crawled on top of her, settling into a close cuddle on the couch, brought the gears in Wallflower's scheming brain to a screeching halt. "Mmmm, I missed you too, baby." After giving her a swift kiss, Sunset pulled Wallflower's face into her chest. "I know I've been working late a lot this past month, but I promise it'll be worth it." From between Sunset's breasts, Wallflower abruptly remembered what she had been thinking about literally up until this moment. Oh, yeah. Great. "W-well, um…" After shifting to a less distracting position, Wallflower looked up at Sunset's weary smile. "You have to get up at six, right?" Sunset sighed. "Yeah, I know it's early." "And what time is it now?" "Almost eleven. Honestly, we should probably start getting ready for bed soon and—" "No!" Again clinging, literally, to Sunset's arm, Wallflower put on a bratty pout. "Not yet! I just got comfy." "Hmm, I dunno…" The smile on Sunset's face shifted into a telltale smirk that made Wallflower's cheeks burn. "Seems like you were pretty comfy a few seconds ago, right here." With that, she shifted so that Wallflower's face was right back in her chest again. "Uh—um—uh…" A flurry of stutters escaped Wallflower's lips. This was so not fair. She struggled again to think of her next move, but found herself lost in a sea of warmth and softness. Way too much softness. "F-five more minutes?" Holding her tight, Sunset nuzzled the top of her head. "Honey, I'd let you stay there all day if I could. Walk around with you clinging to me like some kind of boob gremlin." "Um… Ten more minutes?" Sunset's happy sigh enveloped Wallflower in even more warmth. "Deal." Although she could have bargained for longer, wasting even more of Sunset's time—that was her only intention, of course, sticking to the plan—Wallflower decided to leave it at that. Either way, she had more tricks up her sleeve; Sunset wasn't going to get the rest she needed after a long day at work this time. No way, no how. "S-so, um…" This was much more difficult than Wallflower had expected, but she pressed on. "I fell asleep after having some leftovers and didn't make dinner."  It was quiet for a moment, Wallflower noticeably forgoing her usual string of apologies in a situation like this. Before, she would offer to make Sunset something quick or run to a fast food joint. Now? Sunset would just have to make due with her thoughtless girlfriend not even bothering to whip up a sandwich. "That's okay, Wally. The boss got pizza for everyone working tonight, so I wouldn't have had anything anyway." With a kiss to her cheek, Sunset added, "I saved a couple slices for you in my lunchbox." "...Pepperoni?" Wallflower hoped. Wait. Not important.  Mentally chastising herself, Wallflower nevertheless couldn't help but feel a little spark of joy when Sunset answered, "Of course!" Dammit. Why did Sunset have to be so perfect? Holding back a sigh, Wallflower closed her eyes. Might as well enjoy these last few minutes before they had to start getting ready for bed. However… Just because they had to go to bed didn't mean they had to go to sleep. Though Sunset was clearly happy to be home, Wallflower could only imagine how much she wanted to just crawl under the blankets and catch up on as much sleep as possible. Wouldn't it be terrible if Wallflower kept needling her for even more attention? She'd keep Sunset on the cusp of slumber, never allowing her to slip away, dooming her to a scant few useless hours of sleep. Yawning loudly, tossing and turning, yapping away about things no one cared about. Clinging to Sunset and ruining her sleep because Wallflower stupidly took a nap in the middle of the day despite having done nothing but a shift half as long as Sunset's followed by a lot of pouting and flopping. And now that she couldn't fall asleep because of her own bad decisions, she just had to make that Sunset's problem. Mentally and physically drained, Sunset would doubtlessly take note of what a selfish, thoughtless, entitled bitch her girlfriend was for keeping her up all night, after not making her dinner and demanding Sunset pay attention to her the literal second she walked through the door. With any luck, Sunset might even ask that they start sleeping separately after tonight, which would only hasten the downfall of this unequal union and finally free Sunset of the useless parasite— "Ten minutes is up, babe. Time to get ready for bed." Putting on a frown and a resigned huff, Wallflower got off the couch and followed after Sunset. Though she fell into the familiar steps of getting ready for bed, Wallflower did so with little enthusiasm. The plan at the forefront of her mind, she breezed through getting into her pajamas, taking her meds, and brushing her teeth before joining Sunset in bed. "Alright, let's—" Sunset let out a heavy yawn— "turn off the light, okay?" She glanced over at Wallflower, who reluctantly leaned up to do so. Once the light was off, Wallflower was instantly at Sunset's side for another bout of clinginess. "I wanna cuddle," she whined, using both hands to grab at Sunset's arm. "I'm not tired yet, and I don't know why." "Didn't you take that nap?" "Maybe," Wallflower grumbled. There. Sunset surely had to notice how ridiculous Wallflower was being. How she was making her self-inflicted inconvenience into Sunset's problem, despite Sunset herself being exhausted. Wallflower could already hear the couch calling to her once Sunset banished her to it. The couch's call was quickly silenced when Sunset simply pulled Wallflower closer. "Okay, sweetheart, we can still cuddle." Another yawn punctuated her movements as Sunset embraced her, leading Wallflower once again to lay against Sunset's chest. Between the comforting cushion below her, and the sensation of Sunset's strong arms around her, so safe and warm... Wallflower's eyelids grew heavy as she forced out an involuntary yawn. Shit. "Um—" Wallflower's brain briefly short-circuited before seizing upon a distraction—"s-so my day was really hard. My supervisor wasn't there, uh, and she left me a note for all this stuff I had to do—" "Uh-huh," Sunset murmured, lazily tracing circles over Wallflower's back with one hand. That had no right to feel as nice as it did. Nice and safe and comforting—all the things her body cried out for whenever anxiety took hold. Focus, dammit. "A-and it wasn't super boring or anything, and it wasn't that much, but it felt like it was a lot? Like, you know when you don't have a lot to do, but it feels like a lot to do, because it's the only thing between you and not having anything to do, and it's hard to get started on it, and you know it's not hard, but you psych yourself out and think it's gonna be really hard, and—" With a dreamy sigh, Sunset replied, "I know what you mean, baby." "Well, I know you know what I mean, 'cause of course you know what I mean, but… Um…" As she trailed off, Wallflower snuggled into Sunset's chest. Sunset was so, so soft and impossibly comfy. The best pillow Wallflower could ever ask for. "Um… yeah… uh…" Now Sunset's fingers were running through her hair. "What's that, sweetie?" "...You're so warm… and…" The last coherent thought Wallflower had before slipping beneath the veil of sleep tumbled past her lips. "Soft… and… boob…" Sunset hugged her even closer. "You're soft and boob too, sweetie." Rather than be awakened by stomping footsteps, noisy traffic, or the rumble of her own empty stomach, Wallflower found her eyes pried open by a much more pleasant surprise. The featherlight touch of lips on her forehead, accompanied by a warm, safe presence, brought the world back into view. "Hey, sleepy girl."  Hazily, Wallflower realized Sunset was holding her hand. "Mmm," was all she could muster in response, reality still feeling distant and difficult. "I don't know if you remember, but we fell asleep cuddling last night," Sunset whispered, a bright smile on her lips. "We haven't done that in a while—it was wonderful. I slept so well, I had such nice dreams…" Sunset gently squeezed her hand. "I'm so glad you thought of doing that, hon. Thank you." Somehow, these nice words from a beautiful girl sounded… wrong. Wasn't Wallflower supposed to do something last night? Better just mumble another "Mmmm," for now, to be safe. Sunset kissed her cheek, then squeezed her hand again. "I made some extra eggs with my breakfast and put them in the fridge, just for you. You can microwave them whenever you get up, okay? No rush, sleep as much as you want." After one last kiss, this one a sweet peck to her lips, Sunset added, "I love you, Wally. I'll see you tonight, okay?" "Muh-huh, love…" Wallflower rubbed at her eyes. "You… mmm…" The bedroom door closed, soon followed by the front door. The combined sounds in succession made Wallflower bolt upright in bed. It took a moment, but Wallflower's stupid, sleepy brain finally put the pieces together and remembered what she had been trying to accomplish.  "...Fuck," she muttered, before falling back against the pillows and promptly passing out again. The rest of Sunset's work week passed by with Wallflower making little, arguably zero, progress on the persuasion front. Between Wallflower's other work shifts, she did her best to do as much nothing as she could. No major cleaning, no picture-perfect meals, no going out of her way to preemptively do whatever she could to brighten Sunset's day. While she didn't become a slob overnight and refuse to lift a finger, she did her best to behave more like the useless burden she knew herself to be. She did this even as Sunset's late nights and long hours continued. If she was being honest with herself, slacking off so much wasn't even difficult. Now that she'd stopped lying to herself about being better than she truly was, she didn't have the energy to stay on top of her usual tasks anyway. With the exception of one evening where Sunset hung out with Rarity after classes, Sunset never got home before nine o'clock. And yet, despite all of Wallflower's efforts, Sunset didn't seem bothered in the least. By the time the weekend rolled around, Wallflower was scrambling for a new plan. Although Sunset hadn't surprised her with a one-kneed offer she couldn't refuse yet, the clock was working against her. Each day that passed without Sunset so much as getting frustrated with her was a day closer to Sunset inadvertently ruining her own life. It was time to try something a bit different. On Saturday morning, Sunset suggested they go to the mall while they were having breakfast. Eager to make an impact, especially in public, Wallflower immediately knew what her next step would be. "Sure, whatever," Wallflower replied with a half-hearted shrug, shoving a syrupy bite of pancake into her mouth. "What do you want to do at the mall?" "Hmm, nothing serious." Chewing a bite thoughtfully, Sunset offered a shrug of her own. "We just haven't been doing much this week other than going to work or school and coming home, y'know? I think it would be good for us to get out. Do a little shopping, get some lunch at the food court, maybe catch a movie…" "So… Like a date?"  From across the table, Sunset entwined her fingers in Wallflower's own. "Something like that," she said, smiling.  Ice settled into Wallflower's stomach. She'd only just started her breakfast, and already her appetite was ruined. A date? Surely, Sunset wasn't planning on… At the mall, of all places?  Plate in hand, Sunset stood up from the table. "I'm gonna go get ready." She left her dishes in the sink before heading into the bedroom. Frozen in her seat, Wallflower tried to focus on her breathing. "Oh, okay… I'll be, um, right behind you! I'm just gonna finish up," she called after her. As soon as she was alone, Wallflower pushed the rest of her pancakes into the trash and tossed her plate in the sink. Think. Wallflower almost smacked her stupid head as she racked her brain. Think, and think fast. First things first, she needed to get back in the bedroom once Sunset was done getting ready and check under that dresser. Whether or not a certain tiny box was at the bottom of it dictated the rest of her day. If it was still there… Great, move forward with making a fool of herself at the mall. If not? Well… Wallflower wouldn't have to worry about feigning illness to convince Sunset to let them stay home, because she would be absolutely sick with anxiety. Willing herself to try and stay calm, Wallflower took a deep breath as she stood up. At the very least, she needed to put on a happy face in front of Sunset. While she waited for her girlfriend to finish up in their bedroom, she gathered up the dishes and turned on the sink. In silence, she focused on soapy suds and scrubbing away syrup, while Sunset happily hummed a tune in the other room. Just as she was setting the last dish on the mat to dry, Wallflower realized with a mental facepalm that she could have left the dishes in the sink to "soak". Her slacking was slipping again. Shaking her head, she vowed to pull out all the stops today—once she'd checked that dresser. "Okay, all done!" Sunset called from the bedroom. Purse over her shoulder, Sunset walked back into the kitchen, that same smile on her face. While she wasn't exactly dressed up, she didn't look bad. Not that Sunset could ever look bad. Not even in her dirty work uniform or a set of baggy pajamas. The plain black shirt paired with jeans and her usual leather jacket looked great on her, as anything always did, because Sunset was just too beautiful and perfect and— Shaking away those thoughts, Wallflower muttered, "My turn," before rushing past her into the bedroom. After a quick glance over her shoulder to ensure Sunset wasn't nearby, she beelined to the dresser. Hands shaking, she yanked the bottom drawer open and peered into the darkness below. The tiny box was still there. Wallflower let out a withered sigh of relief, once again checking to make sure she was alone. She closed the drawer and moved over to her own dresser. Rather than painstakingly select an outfit, maybe trying on several before settling on something that looked good enough, Wallflower just grabbed an oversized hoodie that she often slept in and a pair of wrinkled leggings. After a quick change and brushing her teeth—not even bothering with her hair—she returned to the kitchen. Sunset looked her up and down, grinning. "Ooh, you look cute." She offered Wallflower her hand. "Ready to go?" Letting Sunset take her grimy little hand, Wallflower replied, "Let's do it." After meandering around the mall for a couple hours, poking around in stores without buying anything, Wallflower found herself sitting at a table in the food court. Across from her, Sunset was busy talking about everything that had occurred the past week in between texting friends and shoving greasy fries into her mouth. Determined to be a poor conversationalist, Wallflower mostly focused on her own lunch rather than her date, offering a smile and nod here and there where it seemed relevant. "...Have you checked the group chat lately?" "Mmm?" Wallflower slurped loudly at her soda. "Uh, no." "Dash keeps going on about that stupid bus-jumping thing," Sunset said with a roll of her eyes. Gesturing to no one in particular, she waved a hand in disbelief. "I mean, c'mon! Is she really gonna line up twenty buses, jump them on a dirt bike, then dive into a pool of—of whatever flammable liquid, I dunno, I swear she changes it every time she brings this up!" "Huh." Tilting her head at Sunset, Wallflower feigned interest before returning to her burger. Which was a monumental task, given how her eyes kept wandering all over Sunset, taking in just how beautiful she looked today. Goddammit, why did Sunset have to be so pretty all the time? It made ignoring her basically impossible. "I mean… Okay." Sunset slammed her empty soda cup down on the table. "Do I think Rainbow Dash can do it? Of course, she's Rainbow Dash. It's not that I doubt her, I mean—she could probably jump thirty buses! It's just… Could she talk about literally anything else? Ever?" Geez, Sunset was even cuter when she was grumpy. A part of Wallflower wanted to poke the bear, just a little, to see her get all flustered. "She'll probably finish with a triple backflip out of the pool of whatever—lava or something, I dunno! And then she's gonna dab. Because she always dabs!" Groaning, Sunset shook her head. "When did that become a thing with her, anyway? She's gotta be the last person on the planet still trying to keep that stupid fad going!" "Sounds pretty lame," Wallflower agreed. "I know, right?! It's like, super lame! Because everything she does has to be super, apparently." Sitting back in her chair, Sunset crossed her arms and sighed. "I mean, don't get me wrong. It's not like I wanna see her fail. Just… You know when someone is acting really dumb, but they don't seem to notice, and you wish something would happen that would make them realize it?" Blinking, Wallflower broke away from observing just how great of a pose Sunset was making right now. For once, she was actually a little invested in the conversation. "Yeah…" She rested her cheek on her hand. "I know what you mean." "Anyway…" After one more heavy sigh, Sunset's frown softened. "Thanks for listening to me ramble. How was your lunch?" "It was fine." Wallflower shrugged. "What do you wanna do now?" "Well, I'm finished with mine too, so how about we walk around a little more?" Sunset's smile grew. "Maybe check out a toy store, see what all the kids are into these days?" For a split second, an image of a little red-haired girl flashed in Wallflower's mind. Acting quickly before any sense of longing could seize her, she stiffly rose from her chair. "S-sure, I think there's one downstairs, right? Maybe we could go there for a little while then—" "Great!" Sunset clasped their hands together as she joined Wallflower's side. "I wonder if they have those, uhh… Those foam shooter things?" "...Dart guns?" "Dart guns!" Sunset's eyes lit up as she led Wallflower out of the food court and into the crowded hallways of the mall. "I saw a commercial for one of those once. I wonder if they're as cool as they look. Do you think they only sell them to people with kids? I'd love to…" Sunset kept talking, but Wallflower's sense of hearing faded out as she followed closely behind. Her vision went with it, and again all she could see was that little girl's face, all she could feel was love for that bright smile, all she could think was how desperately she wanted to dedicate every day of her life to— Wallflower shook her head, hard. Anything to get that face out of her head. It was all a lie anyway, it would never work out, she could never make it work out. Better to not let herself think about it. As they waited in line for an escalator to the bottom floor, Sunset still prattling on and on about some dart gun she saw online once, a grim realization dawned on Wallflower. If she followed Sunset into that toy store, surrounded by bright, shiny toys for little girls and promises of a future and family that Wallflower didn't deserve, she would lose her fucking mind. She still hadn't found an opportunity to aggravate Sunset yet. Now was definitely as good a time as any—whatever it took to keep them away from that store. Reality settled back in around Wallflower as the two of them reached the bottom of the escalator. The main floor of the mall was even more crowded than the upper ones, leaving them surrounded on all sides by people. Everyone was going about their business, weaving in and out of stores, chatting along the edges of the hallways and politely waiting in line for kiosks. A quick glance around the area showed Wallflower nearly a hundred people following every expected social norm… and just as many people to notice if Wallflower herself didn't. With that in mind, she summoned every scrap of courage she had in her cowardly heart and stopped in place, tugging on Sunset's hand. "Huh?" Sunset turned around. "What's up, Wally?" She peered over Wallflower's shoulder and added, "Maybe we should move over a bit, I think we're blocking—" Before Sunset could finish her sentence, Wallflower grabbed her by the shoulders, leaned forward, and pressed their lips firmly together. "Mmm-mmmph!" Sunset made a noise somewhere between being startled and pleasantly surprised. Wallflower felt Sunset's hands settle on her hips, just as surely as she felt the stares of all the mall patrons around them. Eventually they had to part, if only so Wallflower could catch her breath. Her eyes drifted briefly, scanning for any awkward stares that may draw Sunset's ire, but she soon found her gaze locked squarely with her girlfriend's. Sunset had such pretty eyes. Just as Sunset opened her mouth to speak, Wallflower kissed her again, and this time Sunset reciprocated fiercely. Gosh, Sunset was such a good kisser, something she credited Wallflower for, even though Sunset had been Wallflower's first kiss, just as she had been Sunset's, both of them novices to love, yet everything always working out so perfectly because Sunset was just so perfect and she made Wallflower want to try her hardest to be better and… and... Why was she kissing Sunset in the middle of a mall again? Oh. Oh yeah. To make her uncomfortable. Considering how much Sunset was getting into it, Wallflower's efforts didn't seem to be working very well. Maybe she should try something else— "Mmm, W-Wally," Sunset breathed between kisses, "c'mon, this isn't fair." —Or maybe she should stick to the plan and see it through. "What's not fair?" Wallflower gave her best attempt at a clueless stare, only to lock lips with Sunset again the second Sunset tried to answer. "Th-this!" Sunset managed to get the words out, her eyes darting around the crowded space. "Kissing me like this, here…" Wallflower just blinked. "But I want kisses," she said. At that, something in Sunset's expression shifted. Without a word, she turned on her heel, took Wallflower by the arm, and started dragging her towards the mall's exit. Something heavy and bitter settled in Wallflower's chest when she realized the job was done. Perfect. It had taken a bit of effort, but Wallflower finally found where the red line was and brazenly crossed it like the thoughtless piece of human trash she had always been, even if Sunset had been blind to it until now. Surely Sunset would cut their date short, take Wallflower home in a tense drive full of scoldings and exasperations, then finally reevaluate whether she truly wanted to spend the rest of her life married to someone so awful.  Surely she would see how incompatible Wallflower was with her. She would see that Wallflower was, at her core, a bad person for Sunset to spend her life with. Even if it took years for that immutable truth to finally claw its way to the surface, it would happen eventually unless Sunset walked away. And if she didn't, she would spend the rest of her life stuck married to a stupid, selfish, self-destructive idiot— Before they were even halfway to the mall's exit, Sunset changed course and pulled Wallflower into a single-user restroom. As soon as they were inside, she locked the door, then spun around and closed in on Wallflower. "So you want kisses, baby girl?" Sunset asked, her voice low and quiet. Wait, what? A familiar look settled in Sunset's eyes, those pretty blue eyes… Looking directly at Wallflower, trailing up and down, like she was the only girl in the world who mattered. The storm clouds in her mind parted in an instant, blown away by all the fluttering butterflies in her tummy. Heat billowed between them, the tension thick and heavy with a desire that was now brimming just beneath the surface. Wallflower tried to reply, her throat dry and scratchy, everything simultaneously going a million miles a second and slower than molasses. Whatever meaningless words she'd intended to speak faded on her lips as the sheer magnitude of Sunset's presence evaporated every thought Wallflower had except one. God damn it, she loved Sunset Shimmer so much. When Sunset took another step towards her, her hands moved to Wallflower's hips. A tiny squeak escaped Wallflower's lips as Sunset lifted her off the ground again, this time by her rear, leaving Wallflower up against the wall with her legs wrapped around Sunset. Oh. If Sunset carrying her to the couch had caused a mental gay hiccup, this was more like a magic gay rainbow that stopped time entirely. With a smug grin on her face, Sunset asked again, "Well? What do you wanna do, Wally? Kiss me?" Wallflower did exactly that. Throwing her arms around Sunset's neck, she pulled Sunset flush against her as she brought their lips together. Mind blank, heartbeat thundering in her chest, her entire world shrank to nothing but Sunset's lips against hers and Sunset's touch on her body as her girlfriend shifted to hold her up with one arm, freeing her other hand to explore. Lost in Sunset's arms and kiss and touch, Wallflower couldn't even remember what had brought them to this moment, and she could not have cared less, either. Nearly half an hour later, Wallflower stumbled out of the restroom, clinging to her girlfriend for balance. Sunset herself was a bit wobbly, and both of them wore giddy expressions as they touched and hugged and held each other in the way they always did after being together. Given that they had to do so while making their way to the car, it was a bit tricky for Wallflower to get all the post-love cuddles and comforts she wanted, but that hardly mattered. A smile was glued to her face as they passed through the mall's exit doors into the brisk winter air. While the bit of surprise-restroom-lovemaking hadn't been something Wallflower expected to happen today, it was exactly what she needed. The gray, heavy fog of anxiety and discomfort that had followed her to the mall was gone entirely. It was like as soon as she stared into Sunset's eyes, so full of love and lust and magic, the rest of the world ceased to exist and it was just Sunset and her, right there in the moment, and nothing else mattered. Any worries and anxieties she'd had just melted away beneath a big gay rainbow of passion and joy, to the point where she couldn't even remember what had her so upset in the first place. Having made it back to the car, Wallflower climbed into the passenger seat, though it took a bit of effort. She was a little sore, and she definitely needed a shower, but none of that could possibly detract from her mood. Sunset got behind the wheel and turned on the heat, Wallflower leaned over to rest on her shoulder, and both of them sighed happily. All was right in the world. What had she even been worrying about before they'd—? Wait… An image of a ring flashed through her mind, and, all at once, the lie of stability came crashing down all around her. Hadn't she come to the mall with a plan in mind? Wasn't she trying to make Sunset have doubts about marrying her?! And instead she… She… Sunset glanced over and smiled. "You're so perfect, Wally," she said, the immense depth of love in her eyes as plain as day. Oh. …Shit. This wasn't working. The cellphone's screen blurred in front of Wallflower's eyes as her thumb flicked across it over and over. Colorful images flashed across the screen of one of her usual distraction pages, uselessly scrolling by. A collection of saved funny comics didn't work either. Even when Wallflower put on her headset and tried to drown out the world with one of her favorite podcasts, the thought still remained. This wasn't working. Wallflower set her cellphone down on the arm of the couch and sighed. She pulled her legs up and tucked herself against the cushions. She was alone in the living room, their empty takeout containers still on the coffee table in front of the couch. Sunset was doing something in the bedroom. Cleaning, probably, given that they'd both been putting off most of that all week. Which left Wallflower alone to her thoughts. Their sudden romantic rendezvous at the mall had only served to make Sunset love her even more—which was kind of a miracle, honestly. Sunset had told Wallflower several times that she loved Wallflower as much as it was possible for anyone to love anything, yet Wallflower found a way to break that great gay ceiling. Sunset was positively glowing throughout the drive home. Hell, even before today, Wallflower's earlier attempts to put a wedge between Sunset and herself were worse than fruitless. No, instead of making things worse, Wallflower went and made things better. This was the one time in her life that she was actually trying to screw things up, and suddenly she was a paragon of healthy relationships, all because she couldn't keep her hopelessly sapphic ass under control whenever her stupidly perfect and gorgeous girlfriend was being stupidly perfect and gorgeous. Wallflower buried her face in her hands and let out a muffled groan. God, how could she be this incapable of doing right by the woman she loved more than life itself? What could she even do that wouldn't mess this up even more? How did she know Sunset wasn't about to come out of that bedroom with that little box in her hands? What if she— "Uhm, W-Wally?"  Her heart hammering in her chest, Wallflower slowly looked up from her hands to see Sunset standing beside the couch. "Um, yeah? Wh-what's up?" She hated hearing the anxiety in her voice; Sunset would only probe further if she wasn't careful. She sat up straight and added in a bit more even tone, "Need some help with the cleaning or something?" "Uh…" Taking a seat beside her, Sunset regarded Wallflower with a nervous glance. She fidgeted with her hands, one after the other, an obvious tell that only made Wallflower's stomach churn even further. "I was, well… I wanted to ask you something…" Swallowing the lump in her throat, Wallflower managed to squeak out, "Yeah?" "So, um…" The fidgeting intensified as Sunset bit her lip. "I—I was wondering if you would, uh…" As Sunset stared anxiously at the floor, Wallflower gripped the arm of the couch so hard that her knuckles turned white. "Would you be okay with having Princess Celestia over for dinner?" Sunset finished with a shaky breath. While that wasn't the worst question Sunset could have ended on, Wallflower felt her eyes widen nonetheless. "From Equestria?" "Yeah, so, she's kinda my mom—er, no, sorry, she's not my mom, but like, I never really had a mom and she's the closest thing I have to family." As soon as Sunset started to speak, her fidgeting resumed anew. "She kinda raised me, even if she didn't exactly know how, but, uhm… Anyway…" As Sunset trailed off, Wallflower’s gaze fell to a red journal emblazoned with a fiery sun that was resting on her girlfriend’s lap. Only now noticing that Sunset had brought it with her, along with a pen tucked inside the pages, Wallflower did a double-take at the sight of it. She'd seen the magic journal before, of course, and knew that Sunset wrote every so often to the "other" Twilight in it. Could Sunset write to other people—ponies?—with it too? Had she been consulting the other Twilight, or even Celestia, about the ring, too? While Sunset continued to speak, Wallflower had to mentally shake herself from falling down the spiral those questions would lead. Besides, Sunset's gaze was fixed on her; Wallflower needed to smile and nod before Sunset got too suspicious. "—I know she did her best, and of course I'm really grateful, and, well… Things between her and I are still kinda shaky, I guess, but I dunno, I just…" Sunset's hand reached over for Wallflower's own, tracing circles over her palm. "It's really important to me that she meets you, y'know? And I guess she finally got some time off, since Twilight's running things over there now—the other Twilight, of course, uh, not that ours couldn't, heh… Anyway… So…" The conversation finally seeming to circle towards an ending, Sunset paused for breath before holding both of Wallflower's hands in hers. "Anyway, I know she's not really my mom, but, uhm… Is it okay if she comes over next Saturday night? For dinner? The th-three of us, I mean?" Looking at Sunset's apprehensive smile and wide, bright eyes brimming with hope, Wallflower couldn't bear to say no. Yet, she could read between the lines. The significance of Sunset inviting Celestia now, for the first time in all these years, to come and meet Wallflower was not lost on her. That realization made her heart stop cold for a split-second—until another kickstarted it again. If Sunset was going to bring Celestia—the closest thing to family she'd ever had—to meet Wallflower in hopes of getting the Princess's blessing or approval…  Well, that was a perfect opportunity to show Sunset what a mismatch she had made, wasn't it? If Wallflower could make Celestia realize that Wallflower was nowhere near good enough for Sunset, leaving Sunset disappointed, even upset at Wallflower… That would make Sunset see things differently, far more than a few hours of lost sleep or some weird looks at the mall ever could. The light touch just wasn't working. As much as she wanted to avoid deeply hurting Sunset, ruining her dinner with Celestia was a small price to pay to avoid ruining her entire life, which is exactly what would happen if she asked Wallflower to marry her. Filled with a new avenue of determination, Wallflower gave Sunset's hands a squeeze, smiling as she looked into her eyes. "Go ahead and invite her."