Blossoming Wallflowers

by Isseus

Chapter 1

Sunset Shimmer looked at the selfie she'd gotten in a message. There was Wallflower Blush in a dirty, muddy and worn dungarees over her striped sweater. She was giving a toothy smile while standing shoulder to shoulder with Tree Hugger and Sandalwood in the tiny grotto that had become the Gardening Club's very own garden. The eco-kids of CHS had taken Wallflower Blush under their wing and their new club already had over half a dozen members and had found a sponsor in Ms. Feathers, the biology teacher.

R we still on 4 coffee 2nite? the text next to the picture asked.

Sunset checked the time and answered. sure. meet U @ sugarcubecorner at 7?

Wallflower sent a thumbs up, so that meant Sunset needed to stop lazing about in her loft and start getting ready. She'd only returned from Equestria late the night before and had slept in, and thanks to Princess Celestia, she'd done that on her belly. Right now she was not wearing anything, like she usually didn't when she was home. She walked to her bathroom to brush her mane. In front of the mirror she turned around and winced when she saw her bottom. A deep pink covered her whole bottom from almost her waist down, with the occasional darker red spot where the Princess's hoof had made a stronger impression. She could see the darkest parts exactly on her sit spots, the mark of an experienced spanker. "She really didn't go easy on me," she muttered. For a moment, she thought Twilight Sparkle (either of them, really) would be interested in knowing how a roasted rump carried over through the mirror, but decided that science could do without said knowledge. She returned back to her living/bedroom and tossed the hairbrush on the table.

After putting on her other clothes, she looked at her skirts, then at her tight jeans... and finally opted for long yoga pants instead. Even those she had to put on quite gingerly, not helped by the tight panties she usually wore. Not the most fashionable choice for socializing, but as long as she didn't run into Rarity, she could probably pull the yoga look off. She grabbed her favourite biker jacket and pulled it on, sniggered at herself in the mirror and left for Sugarcube Corner before she could change her mind.

Outside, she could feel a cool breeze on her face. Some cute birds were chirping in the trees and she stopped to pet the furry puppy her neighbour was out walking. All in all, she felt a hundred pounds lighter, almost as if her feet were barely touching the ground. She took a huge inhale, lifted her hands up high and breathed out. She hadn't felt this good in years with all that heavy guilt having been left on Princess Celestia's lap the day before.

It wasn't long before she arrived at the Corner. The sweet smells of freshly baked goods only served to widen her grin, and she decided not to care about her carb intake for today. She grabbed a huge slice of chocolate cake with extra whipped cream and a large soda from Mrs. Cake at the counter. After scanning the room for a moment, she saw Wallflower Blush seated in one of the corner tables furthest from the door. If she hadn't known to look for her friend, she would have blended completely to the background. Even her long, messy green hair looked a bit like the yucca plant she sat next to. The girl had changed from her gardening gear to a more normal pair of jeans.

"Hey, Blush!" Sunset Shimmer said as she arrived at the table. Without much thought, she put her treats on the table and sat down on the hard, wooden chair. She winced and let out a little yelp as her sore rump made contact with her seat.

"Hey... uh, you okay?" Wallflower Blush said. Her brow was slightly furrowed in worry.

Sunset Shimmer could feel her face grow warm. "It's nothing." For a moment she thought of saying "Oh, this? I went through a magic portal to a magical land of ponies where the winged unicorn Princess ruling the place gave me a loud spanking yesterday. How was your Saturday?" and had to hide her grin from her new friend behind a cough into her hand. "Ahem. It looked like you were making good progress with the garden?"

Wallflower Blush's expression went up at least a few hundred lux as she started telling everything about what the Gardening Club had gotten up to. Apparently some other clubs had already started asking if they could hold meetups there and the club was busy working on cleaning up the path behind the school so students could even find there. As she spoke, Sunset Shimmer could not help smiling warmly as she looked at the glint in Wallflower Blush's eyes. "We were thinking of putting up a few nest boxes that Sandalwood has made."

"That sounds like a good idea. I've always liked to listen to birds chirping... even though Fluttershy once told me what they're actually saying." She felt another blush come on her cheeks. "They say quite a lot of R-rated stuff."

"Fluttershy can talk to animals?"

"Yeah. She learned it when we were at Camp Everfree."

Wallflower Blush leaned forward. "I remember all sort of weird things happening there, especially that Gloriosa Daisy turning into, well, a tree?"

"Yeah, it was pretty wild." Sunset Shimmer looked at her with a raised brow, before the pieces clicked. "Oh, yeah, of course, you were there too."

"I liked it there. I could spend a lot of time walking in the forest. Alone." Wallflower Blush tried to hide the hurt expression on her face, but Sunset Shimmer still picked it up.

"I'm sorry. I really am," Sunset Shimmer said. "I wish things had been different back then."

Wallflower Blush shook her head, more to clear her thoughts than to disagree. "It's behind me now. I'm just happy I've made so many new friends." They sat in silence for a moment and sipped their drinks. "So do you have a strange power too?"

Sunset Shimmer looked around, but was sure that nobody around could hear what they were talking about. "Yeah. Me and the other Rainbooms all got some sort of power at the camp. I can, well, I can see into people's thoughts and memories if I touch them. It's pretty—"

Wallflower Blush quickly pulled her hands off the table. She fidgeted with her hands for a moment before crossing them over her chest. "I... I didn't mean to do that. I mean... I trust you and didn't want to be rude."

"Hey, I totally get it. I wouldn't want anybody snooping inside my head either. Don't worry, I've only used it in an absolute emergency."

Wallflower Blush still kept holding her hands against her chest, almost like she was hugging herself. "Is that how you figured out I was the one using the Memory Stone?"

"I..." Sunset Shimmer hesitated for a moment, but decided that the truth would be her best bet to get Wallflower blush to relax. "Yeah. Our hands touched in the editing room and I saw a glimpse."

"I didn't even notice," Wallflower Blush said. "At least it doesn't hurt." She offered a weak smile.

"At least, yeah," Sunset Shimmer offered weakly.

They sat in a heavy silence for a moment, both of them feeling like their faces were burning and lost in their own thoughts. "I, uhh, I need to use the bathroom," Wallflower Blush said.

"Yeah, I, uhh..." Sunset Shimmer said and started to get up to make room.

That's when everything happened at the same time. Wallflower Blush accidentally pushed the small table they were seated around, which in turn bumped into Sunset Shimmer's leg as she was getting up. Their half-finished drinks and snacks started sliding off the table, and they both lunged after them desperately. Sunset Shimmer caught her plate, but they both went for Wallflower Blush's tall glass. Their hands landed on top of each other, and as the shattering sound of the other glass reached Sunset Shimmer's ears, she could feel the familiar tug of a vision starting. "Oh no..." she muttered.

The room was a mess. Clothes, pillows, stationary, a game console, even a computer chair were strewn everywhere, clearly thrown in anger. Half-ripped posters hung from the walls and even the window curtains had been torn away, bathing the room in the last rays of the evening sun. And against the wall in the corner, hunched into a small ball, knees hugged against her chest and head hidden, Wallflower Blush was crying. In a tiny whimper, she asked "Mom? Dad?" but knew nobody would be home to answer. They never were.

Another room, which Sunset Shimmer recognized as their school's toilet. A red-eyed Wallflower Blush was shouting at her reflection in the mirror. "You almost... you almost... killed her! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

The garden in the afternoon, the receding backs of the other Garden Club members walking down the path back to the school. Wallflower Blush collapsed against a tree and slid down to the muddy ground. "I don't deserve this. I don't deserve them. I don't deserve any of this

Sunset Shimmer pulled her hand away at the same time as Wallflower Blush did. The other glass, now unattended, fell to the floor and shattered as well. "I... I..." Sunset Shimmer stammered.

Wallflower Blush covered her eyes and ran into the toilet next to them.

"Oh, my. Is everything okay here?" Mrs. Cake asked as she arrived. She looked over the shattered remains of the glasses and the plate, and the shaking Sunset Shimmer. "Are you alright, dear? Did you get hurt?"

Sunset Shimmer definitely was not alright. Those visions kept running through her mind. With them she could feel the anxiety, the sadness, the guilt and the utter self-hatred she could never have imagined the demure Wallflower Blossom to be carrying. She muttered something to Mrs. Cake about her friend not feeling well before running after her. She barged into the tiny toilet with only one cubicle. "Wallflower?" she asked, her voice barely holding out.

"GO AWAY!" the voice from the cubicle shouted, followed by a huge sob.

"I didn't do it on purpose. I promise."

The sad sobs continued.

"We can... we can deal with this. We can talk through this," Sunset Shimmer said. She was frantically fidgeting with her cellphone, not sure if she should call her friends or not. "Nobody should have to feel like you do."

"Well I do, okay. Now you know so... please go away."

"I'm..." Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath. "I'm not going anywhere. No matter how long it takes, I'll be here for you. I'm not leaving you alone."

There was a long silence, only broken by the tiny sobs coming from the stall. "Why?" a tiny voice finally asked.

Sunset Shimmer put her hands on the door of the stall. "Because right now you shouldn't be alone. And I'm here for you." She had to gather her courage to continue. "I'm your friend. Let me help."

"I don't deserve friends. After what I did..."

"You almost killed her!" echoed inside Sunset Shimmer's mind.

"Everything is okay now. Nobody ended up getting hurt." Sunset felt her own tears start burning behind her eyes. "Please, just open the door."

There were several more sobs and silence to answer Sunset Shimmer. She was about to speak again when she heard the faint click of the door. As she pulled the door open, she found Wallflower Blush sitting on the toilet with her knees held against her chest. Her face was a mess of tears and snot. Sunset Shimmer grabbed a wet paper towel and started wiping her friend's face. Wallflower Blush didn't resist.

Sunset Shimmer tossed the paper away. "I live close by. Would you like to come over and talk?"

Wallflower Blossom sniffled, but got up. Sunset Shimmer guided her out the door of the toilet. In the cafe Mrs. Cake was sweeping away the shards of glass from the floor and gave a worried look at Sunset Shimmer. She tried to smile and nod to ease Mrs. Cake's worries but apparently she wasn't very convincing as she only got a sad shake of head in return.

Comments

[RoyalBardofCanterlot]

Very engaging. Love Sunset's care towards Wallflower.