Memories Best Kept

by bahatumay

The Dance

The school atmosphere was bright and happy. The Spring Fling was tonight, and most of the students (and some of the teachers) had clearly already checked out.

Sunset expelled air through her nose. “Ok, so, someone explain to me, how is it that the ace of our group is the only one with a date tonight?”

Pinkie shrugged. “We’re just going as friends. My mom really, really, really, really wanted me to go with somebody.” She brightened. “But, if you really wanted a date, you could go with Fernando?” She held up a striped straw, which had a mustache cut out of black cardstock taped to it.

Sunset smiled wryly. There was no situation Pinkie couldn’t help make a little brighter (and a little weirder). “No offense, but I think I’ll be ok with just our group.”

Pinkie shrugged again. “Suit yourself!”

Sunset glanced around. She hadn’t seen Wallflower at all today. Sure, ever since their breakup, she had just seen glimpses of her disappearing around corners and such, but still. She hesitated, then pulled out her phone. Wallflower’s name was pretty low on her list of recents now, but she still found her easily. >Hey! Any fun plans for tonight?

The answer came surprisingly quickly. >>Yep. Booked solid.

Sunset felt a flash of regret. Maybe if she’d asked before, they could all have gone as friends. And maybe have that talk about what had actually happened. She pocketed her phone again and tried to catch up on Pinkie explaining how she’d accidentally caused (another) explosion in her home ec class.

Meanwhile, in an empty classroom, Wallflower grinned. Operation Make Sunset Shimmer Jealous Enough To Regret Breaking Up With Me was coming together nicely.

...ok, so the title was long. And needed a little work. And technically Wallflower herself had ended it. But still, she felt oddly satisfied as she put her phone back in her pocket.

---

Sunset Shimmer spun around, looking at herself in the mirror. It was strange how clothes could really change a person. It was even a little ironic, because even as a pony, she’d never been much for fashion or clothes in general. But now she was going to a dance with the six best dressed girls in the school. She probably would be a little happier if she were going with someone in particular, but she pushed that feeling aside. She was going to have fun tonight.

Sure enough, when the limo pulled up to her apartment, she could already see flashing lights and hear music coming from inside. The party had already started. She grinned and headed downstairs.

Pinkie threw open the door and Sunset slid inside. “Hi, girls!” she said. “Thanks again for the ride!”

“Oh, like I’d let you go on your motorcycle,” Rarity scoffed. “If Rainbow hadn’t rented this luxurious coach,” she ran her hands across the leather seats, “I’d have picked you up myself.”

“Heh,” Applejack chuckled at that thought. “You’d show up covered in more flies than a pig in the mud in the dog days of summer.”

“That’s a mental image I really didn’t need,” Sunset said pleasantly. She paused, as she noticed something was off. She counted and someone was missing. “Pinkie, didn’t you have a date?”

“He got food poisoning!” Pinkie punched the air excitedly. “I am home free, baby! Flying solo!” She spread her arms like an airplane and made engine noises with her mouth.

Fluttershy gasped. Apparently, she hadn’t known this. “That doesn’t sound very nice,” she protested.

“Ha!” Rainbow nudged her and held out her phone. “Food poisoning nothing. Check his SnapGab. You don’t paint stuff like that when you’re helicoptering on the pot.”

“D’aww!” Fluttershy smiled at the picture of the squirrel.

Sunset grabbed a drink from the cooler and noticed Rarity almost vibrating in her seat, staring out the window. This was behavior Sunset would expect more from Pinkie. “You seem oddly excited,” she observed.

“Who, me?” Rarity said with faux innocence, resting a hand on her chest. “Well, of course! I’m going to a dance with all my friends and get to show off my work.”

Sunset doubted that was it, but was distracted by an impromptu soda drinking contest between Pinkie and Rainbow.

---

Wallflower climbed out of the car. “Thanks,” she said, looking back over her shoulder.

Her ride-share driver paused and did a double-take at her, as if not recognizing the girl who’d just ridden in his car. Wallflower rolled her eyes and started walking towards the school.

School had never seemed so far away. The nearer she got, the slower she walked, until finally she came to a dead stop on the sidewalk.

It wasn’t the first freaky thing she’d done today. She’d had to go to Rarity’s house to get her dress. She was fairly certain that it had been cut a little lower than that last line Rarity had drawn, but it had fit her well. Rarity had also been really excited to do her makeup. It had been just a little bit, but Wallflower had been awestruck when she looked at herself in the mirror. Rarity said she was accenting her features instead of covering them. Wallflower assumed she was lying, as she didn't really have any good features. Rarity was probably just being modest at her cover-up job, because, if she were being perfectly honest, she did look pretty good.

But none of that would do any good if she just remained out here all night. The thought did cross her mind. Her garden would be empty. Her plants would be inviting and nonjudgemental.

But Sunset Shimmer would be in there, with her friends. The thought of upstaging Sunset Shimmer gave her the courage she needed to keep moving forward. She climbed the steps and reached the gym door and pulled.

The door was stuck. Wallflower pursed her lips and tried again. This time, the door opened with a loud squeak. She walked forward and let her eyes adjust, and realized that that had been loud enough that people were staring.

At her.

Including a group of seven friends gathered in a small semi-circle.

“Yeahhh,” Pinkie said, slurping her drink. “That is anything but invisible.”

“Wow,” Sunset said slowly. “She looks really good.”

Rarity squeed like a ready teapot. “Doesn’t she, though?” she hissed almost leadingly.

Sunset gave her a sideglance. Rarity quickly looked away, doing a very poor job of appearing nonchalant.

Wallflower glanced around, walking slowly. It was so strange, being looked at like this. She quickly headed over to the drinks table, a place she knew very well.

As she did, she heard the whispers.

“Whoa.”

“Hottie alert!”

“Think she’s from Crystal Prep?”

“I dunno. I don’t recognize her.”

“Does she even go here?”

Wallflower looked down and glared into her cup, feeling the beginning of rage building up inside her. They wouldn’t know who she was. Why would they? No one ever paid attention to her. Even dressed like this-

“Of course she does,” another voice broke in.

Wallflower turned, surprised, to see Trixie of all people defending her.

Trixie looked witheringly at the last person to speak. “Wallflower is a part of the yearbook committee, and the founding member of the CHS Gardening Club. While Trixie wouldn’t be caught dead digging in the dirt like that, Wallflower has provided many beautiful flowers for Trixie’s magic shows.”

Well, defending her as well as Trixie could, anyway. Wallflower cracked a wry smile and kept walking.

It was strange, drawing attention as she walked around the edges of the gym. This was what she wanted, to somewhat upstage Sunset Shimmer, but actually having it happen was a different story.

By the table, there was a voting box, for student's choice for Spring Fling Princess. Wallflower couldn’t suppress a tiny scowl. There’s really no need for that, she thought with a hint of bitterness. Sunset Shimmer would win. Either her or one of her friends.

She slowed to a stop. On a whim, she decided she would vote for herself. She wrote her own name down on one of the sheets, and slid it over to the student behind the desk.

Fuschia Blush gave her a sympathetic look. “Sorry, but you actually have to be a student here to vote,” she explained.

“I- I am. I'm in your English class,” Wallflower protested.

Fuschia slowly shook her head, not recognizing her.

“With Miss Cheerilee? I sit in the back right corner of the class?”

Fuschia looked sideways at her.

“I'm literally the one called after you in role!”

She shook her head again. Still nothing.

“We have the same last name!”

Fuschia smirked. “Now, that I'd remember.”

Wallflower crumpled the paper and dropped it. She should have known.

She retreated to a familiar corner and watched the couples dance. Song after song cycled through Vinyl’s playlist, and as usual, she both wanted desperately to go out there, and feared she’d die of embarrassment on the spot if she did. As it was, people kept glancing at her, so that was a little fun but a little uncomfortable.

Then she heard someone approaching slowly. She turned and saw the one person she did and didn’t want to see: Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset chuckled wryly. “I think I twisted my ankle a bit out there. It’s funny. I've been walking on two legs for I don't know how long, and sometimes I still mess it up.”

Feelings of wanting to upstage her returned. She’d show her a ‘project’. But there was no reason she couldn’t be polite. “Yeah. It happens.” Wallflower cracked a wry smile. “Last week, someone who presumably has been walking for a decade and a half tripped and spilled their coffee on me.”

“Oh no!” Sunset empathized.

Wallflower shrugged. Hadn’t been the first time. Probably wouldn’t be the last time, either. “It wasn’t too bad. He apologized, said he’d go get napkins for us, wiped himself off at the counter, and then walked out. Guess he just forgot about me.”

“That… is kinda bad, though,” Sunset said.

“Well, not everyone remembers me like you can.” It was a simple conversation, but nice. She’d forgotten how easy it was to talk to…

Wallflower took a small sliding step back. She suddenly remembered she was still supposed to be mad at Sunset. “I'm still mad at you, by the way,” she said, as if saying it aloud would make it true.

“Sorry,” Sunset apologized. She looked up and smiled wryly. “Maybe I shouldn’t have come over, then. I guess I miss you more than I realized.”

“Ah ha!” Wallflower crowed. “So you do miss me!”

“Of course I do,” Sunset said slowly. “I didn’t want to break up with you.”

Wallflower didn’t know what to say, so she just crossed her arms.

There was a brief pause.

“You look great tonight,” Sunset said earnestly.

Self-doubt crept into Wallflower’s mind. Her walls started rising again. “Yeah. It’s a little more attractive than the sweaters I usually wear, right?”

Sunset took a steadying breath. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” she said firmly.

“It’s fine,” Wallflower said, crossing her arms. “Flattery won’t work on me.”

Sunset gave her a quirky smile. “Can’t be flattery if it’s true.”

Wallflower snorted and looked away. It was probably Rarity’s makeup job.

The next song was a line dance. Wallflower brightened. An escape opportunity! She’d seen this one enough times that she could do it. She waved goodbye at Sunset and headed out on the floor. She followed the moves, and actually found herself having fun.

Vinyl seemed to be having a thing for line dances. The next one was also a line dance. Wallflower could again follow the moves.

And then a familiar song started. People cheered and scattered as they quickly found a partner for the friendship line dance.

Wallflower didn’t have a partner, but she had done all the other ones. Why change a good thing? She glanced around, hoping to see someone else alone.

Unfortunately, everyone she could see already had a partner. Pinkie was dancing with a gray girl she seemed to know well. While Pinkie’s moves were wild and carefree, her friend’s were much more subdued and closer to her body, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Wallflower slowed to a stop, feeling self-conscious again. She was not enjoying herself.

And then Sunset Shimmer held out her hand in invitation.

Wallflower hesitated. She really didn’t feel like ‘owing’ Sunset anything.

As if reading her mind, Sunset countered, “Hey, it’s either me, or you can keep dancing alone.”

Wallflower didn’t like either of those choices, but being alone was worse. She took her hand and started.

Sunset was a pretty good dancer. Again, Wallflower felt tinges of inadequacy, or jealousy, she wasn’t sure which.

But that faded away in the music. She had to focus on the steps, otherwise she’d trip.

When the song ended, she paused. That had been fun. And it looked like Sunset thought so, too.

“I gotta go to the bathroom,” Wallflower cut off whatever Sunset was going to say and turned and ran.

---

Wallflower had retaken her spot by the bleachers. People had been noticing her, and it was getting kindof strange.

And then Octavia’s accented voice cut through. “Ladies and gentlemen, it's time for us to crown our Spring Fling Princess!”

The crowd cheered.

Wallflower, who didn’t particularly feel like cheering for Sunset Shimmer right now, rolled her eyes and went for another cup of punch.

“Although royalty doesn't get you much these days, our winners will receive a lovely tiara.”

Vinyl leaned in and nudged her.

Octavia rolled her eyes. “Yes, and their picture in the yearbook.”

Vinyl shrugged.

Octavia gasped. “Vinyl! Watch your language!”

The crowd giggled.

Wallflower made it to the table. She picked up a cup and turned to face the stage.

“She's been on everyone's lips tonight, the cutie in the corner, this year’s Spring Fling Princess is… Wallflower Blush!”
Wallflower froze, her drink still halfway to her lips. She had to have heard that wrong.

But a spotlight lit up her world. She brought a hand up to shield her eyes. People were cheering for her!

What she’d give to be invisible again!

Somehow, she managed to regain control of herself and make her way up on stage. People kept clapping. She caught sight of Sunset Shimmer. She had her fingers in her mouth, whistling her approval. Wallflower cracked a wry smile. She’d done it, she’d upstaged Sunset Shimmer… but she seemed to be ok with it.

Octavia placed a small tiara on her head, and a camera flashed.

And then, just like that, it was all over. Vinyl chose another song, and people went back on the floor.

It had been only a brief moment, but Wallflower couldn’t help but smile. That had been a success.

Comments

[AetherToast]

Meanwhile, in an empty classroom, Wallflower grinned. Operation Make Sunset Shimmer Jealous Enough To Regret Breaking Up With Me was coming together nicely.

Wait..... stupid Wallflower. She broke up with Sunset Shimmer, not the other way around.

[AlexTFish]

Trixie looked witheringly at the last person to speak. “Wallflower is a part of the yearbook committee, and the founding member of the CHS Gardening Club. While Trixie wouldn’t be caught dead digging in the dirt like that, Wallflower has provided many beautiful flowers for Trixie’s magic shows.”

Cool! Nice touch. Trixie is still a self-centred so-and-so, but she's got that nice streak we saw in FF.

My headcanon is that Fuchsia Blush is Wallflower's little sister, who's rather better at getting attention than Wallflower, which is part of why she ended up how she did.

I love the "dialogue" between Octavia and Vinyl! That's delightful.

And yay, I had been hoping someone would submit an entry for Wallflower as the princess. Was it Rarity?

[Skye Stinger]

9135056
Yes, and they acknowledge that in the very next paragraph.

...ok, so the title was long. And needed a little work. And technically Wallflower herself had ended it. But still, she felt oddly satisfied as she put her phone back in her pocket.