Rainbow Wallflowers

by Sunsets and Storms

3. Rainbow Wallflowers

❀ ❀ ❀

3

❀ ❀ ❀

“I hope this blue crap doesn’t stain my hair,” Rainbow complained, raking her fingers through her bangs and coming away with fingernails full of blue pollen.

Wallflower glanced over, equally coated in the stuff, and shrugged. “I’m surprised you’re worried about your hair. I didn’t think that was your thing,” she said.

Rainbow scoffed. “It doesn’t matter if it’s clean, dirty, brushed, or messy. But if it’s not rainbow, we have a problem.” She shook her head. “Can you imagine me with blue hair? What would you call me then? Blue Dash? No thanks, totally not awesome,” she said, still scraping at her head.

“It is kind of your trademark. Very eye-catching,” Wallflower agreed. She guided the car into a turn lane and tapped her chin. “I wonder if I would’ve had less problems being remembered if I had brighter hair, too.”

“Ha! Well, if you want me to help you dye your hair, I will. Not rainbow, though. Like you said, my trademark.”

Wallflower laughed and shook her head. “No, no that’s okay. Not gonna change my appearance for attention. I’ll figure it out the hard way,” she said. “I like me.”

“Me, too,” Rainbow said, softly. She glanced at Wallflower.

Wallflower heard, and they shared a smile. Then, Wallflower sighed. “Wish I could’ve got one of those blue flowers, though. They were pretty. Instead I just got enough pollen samples to kill a thousand allergy sufferers.”

Rainbow grimaced. “Well, I would say ‘next time’, but I’m hoping we don’t have another trip to Everfree for a while. That was. . . well, it was awesome, but that place is scary every time.”

“I feel like ‘scary’ doesn’t do it justice. I don’t know if I’ll ever trust vines again.” Wallflower shivered as the image of the plant-thing clambering up the cliff toward Rainbow replayed in her head.

“You won’t. I haven’t trusted vines since the Friendship Games, and it just keeps getting worse,” Rainbow confirmed. “This is like the third time I’ve run into evil vines. I’m cursed.”

Wallflower laughed as the car trundled to a stop in front of Rainbow’s house.

“Here you are, home sweet home,” Wallflower said, throwing the car into park. Rainbow started to get out. Seized by a sudden reluctance to see Rainbow leave, Wallflower pointed into the passenger side floorboard. “Wait, hold on, let’s look at these flowers we almost died for!”

“Oh, right!” Rainbow leaned down, unzipped the backpack and pulled one of the bagged flowers out. The large rainbow-petaled climber was still bright and colorful, though the sparks that had danced on the stamens had ceased. “Here ya go. They’re really pretty, aren’t they?” she asked.

Wallflower gasped and clapped her hands together with a grin. “Yeah, they are! Wow, they’re actually prettier than I even imagined!” she said. She glanced at Rainbow and pointed at the flower.“They’re not from around here, are they?”

“Probably not,” Rainbow confirmed. Most of the other plants that had been growing out there were Equestrian in nature, so the rainbow flower likely was too. Maybe there’s a portal out there, like there was out on the island? Before she could voice the thought, Wallflower shifted in her seat.

Grinning devilishly, she plucked the bagged flower out of Rainbow’s hands. “We should name them!” She looked too excited. “If they’re ‘not from here’, they probably don’t have a name here, so we get to pick!”

Rainbow grinned back. “How about ‘awesome rainbow zap flowers’?” she suggested, pulling another one of them out of the bag. “They got all sparky when the storm rolled in.”

Wallflower’s crafty grin didn’t fade. “We could. . . but I had an idea.” Her shoulders shook with a suppressed laugh, and if anything her grin grew.

Rainbow made a twirling ‘get on with it’ motion with her hand. “Lay it on me,” she said.

“Well, they’re rainbow flowers. . .” Wallflower began.

“Yes?” Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her.

“. . . and they grow on walls. . .”

Rainbow’s face fell. “. . .No.”

Wallflower’s grin was massive and utterly cheesy. She nodded once.

“Ugh. Ugh. I’m leaving. Let me out, I’m leaving, this is over.” Rainbow pulled the handle and pushed the car door open.

“Oh, come on! It’s perfect!” Wallflower protested, still grinning madly. “I’m absolutely labeling them that in the garden,” she insisted.

“Never speak to me again,” Rainbow joked. Stifling a laugh, she clambered out of the car. She paused before she shut the door, though, and leaned back in.“Um,” she lingered, leaning against the car as she searched for the right words. Crap. I hate sappy stuff. What do I even say?

Wallflower raised an eyebrow at her. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing wrong! Just--I did have fun,” Rainbow admitted, as much to herself as to Wallflower.“This was really cool. You’re cool. And I hope you like the flowers.”

Now, Wallflower beamed. Her whole face lit up in surprise and she gave the biggest smile Rainbow had ever seen her wear. “Thanks, Dash. And, I love the flowers. They’re awesome. Maybe even radical.”

Rainbow snorted, nodded, started to say something more, then shook her head and ducked out of the car. Enough sappy crap for one night. “G’Night!” She turned and jogged up to her front door, smiling the whole way.

“Good night!” Wallflower called after her.

The car door swung closed with a thunk!, and Wallflower couldn’t stop grinning as she shifted the car into drive and pulled away from the curb.

What a trip!

❀ ❀ ❀

Wallflower carried her backpack into the house and laid it out on her desk.

She pulled the flowers out, unbagged one of them, and lowered its viney stem into a vase filled with water. On contact with the water, the flower’s stamens flickered with a faint blue spark of energy, and the petals twitched and opened wider. These are amazing! She stared at it, awestruck.

Her phone buzzed twice in her pocket before she could walk away, and she pulled it out to check the message. It was from a number she didn’t know, but the message made it pretty clear who it was from.

She grinned at the sight of it, and had to press her knuckle into her mouth to keep from laughing.

Rainbow Dash had sent a picture of herself. She was still raking blue pollen out of her hair in front of the bathroom mirror, with a big pile of the stuff in the sink already. She had scraped it away from her eyes, too, creating two small circles of lighter blue skin in the middle of her face.

She looked absurd.

‘Hey, Wallflower!

This blue crap is like glue, I think the rain made it all sticky. Good luck with your hair, you’re gonna need it. I’m going to be here all *night*.

I got your number from Sunset! I just wanted to say that this was a *real* adventure! I’ll garden with you any time. If you have another job like that one--or you just want to grab a soda or something--give me a call! Don’t be a stranger!

Oh, and I totally left my freaking hiking bag at the base of the cliff. Bummer, right? I’m just gonna chalk that one up as a loss. The vines can keep it.

Talk soon!

-R.D.’

Wallflower pressed the phone to her chest and bounced on the balls of her feet, glowing with delight. She wasn’t sure, but she was pretty sure she had made a friend. A friend she very much wanted to see again, and soon.

She read the message and then re-read it, struggling to decide how best to reply. She wanted to sound cool, or at least clever, but she was drawing a blank. Glancing around the room for inspiration, her eyes eventually settled on the vase again.

She grinned, struck by sudden inspiration, and yanked open her desk drawer. She pulled out a roll of masking tape and a marker, then tore off a strip of tape. She scrawled the name she’d come up with earlier onto the tape and plastered it to the side of the vase.

Wallflower picked her phone back up, centered the vase in the camera, and snapped a photo. She added a quick caption and sent it to Rainbow Dash. With her job done, she shrugged out of her blue-stained sweater and made for the nearest shower, whistling a Rainbooms song.

‘Hey, yourself, Rainbow!

I named our flowers! I hope you like what I picked!

Call me tomorrow! We’ll hang out and see whose hair looks worse! :)

-W.B.’

❀ ❀ ❀

Rainbow Wallflowers

❀ ❀ ❀

Comments

[Typoglyphic]

Really impressive debut! This felt like it could be an actual EQG special for the most part (save a couple risqué jokes) and a good one at that. The pacing was great, the prose solid, especially during the climbing and action sections, and the scope felt completely appropriate. Altogether a very pleasant short read.

[Sunsets and Storms]

10263625
Thank you! I'm glad you liked it. I'm also glad it came across like a special, that's what I was (mostly) going for. I appreciate your read!

edit: I'd also be happy to hear if there was anything you didn't think was good.

_{Practice, practice, practice.}

[SilverStar7]

I'm a real sucker for stories that would work as actual episodes in the show, and this one fits the bill. While I haven't watched more than the first 4 EQG movies, that movie episode thing with Starlight in it, and Forgotten Friendship, I could easily imagine this being an episode. (In fact, if every episode of the EQG show is as good as this story, I should probably give it a chance.)

This story was great! The action was well written. The couple of DBZA references in the story should've felt gratuitous to me, but I actually felt like they worked for Rainbow's character. While Rainbow holding a grudge like that wasn't the easiest sell for her character, I was willing to buy it for the sake of an all around solid story. It makes for great conflict that leads to a satisfying fight scene and conclusion... Almost...

Truly, the only thing I wish was included was an epilogue for what the Poison Joke did to the two of them. Do you have plans for a sequel then? The story must be told!

For those wondering about the references...

Reference 1:

Then, her face soured and she shook her head. “I hate how I know you’re playing me, and yet I’m still going for it,” she complained.

Reference 2:

“Crapbaskets!” She pushed off from the wall and out into the open air.

Also...

After much digging, she finally pulled on a clean striped sweater and a pair of battered jeans.

Oh, and great work on the cover art, by the way!

[Sunsets and Storms]

10268566
Thank you for reading, and moreso for commenting! I am happy that you liked it.

Now, I do love a conversation, but feel free to ignore all of this:

While Rainbow holding a grudge like that wasn't the easiest sell for her character, I was willing to buy it for the sake of an all around solid story.

Agh, yeah. Okay, I'm glad you brought that up, because I dithered on this. I do think Rainbow might hold a mild grudge for something like having her brain played with--Loyalty being made to turn her back on a friend and all--but I think I could have executed it better.

I was tinkering with what I affectionately referred to as "jerkbutt Rainbow" right up until the contest deadline, and I still wasn't happy with it. My thought was that I just made her a bit too harsh to be believable, and so oversold it. Maybe if she was a little more mild?

Truly, the only thing I wish was included was an epilogue for what the Poison Joke did to the two of them. Do you have plans for a sequel then? The story must be told!

Soon^TM

Another casualty of the contest deadline, and also the word count (that I went over). I had to choose whether to wrap that up in a weak and unsatisfying way, or leave myself the chance to write it even better later. I like my options open, and hate a wasted idea!

Ah yes, the references.
1; I was so trying to remember where I got that from. I knew it was from something I had watched, but couldn't remember what. I kept thinking it was from a Youtube Let's Play for some reason? Even more embarrassing considering that:

2; was an intentional borrow. Not necessarily because I wanted a DBZA reference, but because I wanted a mild 'curse' for Rainbow to say. And it's just so fun to say. Crapbaskets. That's good stuff, right there.

3; I wish this was intentional, instead it's just a striped sweater. I need to up my pop culture game, yo.

[Typoglyphic]

10268328
I suppose I have two very minor critiques. I didn't mention them because neither of them are necessarily bad in the context of the story.

There are a few scenes where the POV hops between characters a bit suddenly. It never quite felt like we were in third person omniscient, so suddenly changing heads was kind of jarring. Admittedly this is a bit of a pet peeve of mine and some authors incorprate that kind of head hopping into their style, so again, not necessarily a bad thing.

The other thing is that I often feel like writers, both fanfiction authors and show writers, position Rainbow Dash as the mean one or the unreasonable one too much. In the show itself that lead to her character deteriorating a bit as episode after episode cast her as a negative example. Aside from just burying a good character, it also kind of speaks to the default assumption that more masculine characters are naturally insensitive and cruel, which sets a pretty bad example in my opinion. I don't think there's anything to that level in this story, but again, in the greater context of the show and fandom it's something that irked me slightly.

Seriously though, very all-around solid story, and a very pleasant front page surprise.

[PingZing]

This was fun, and I'm kinda shocked it hasn't gotten a better reception! And upvote for you good sir, madam, or otherwise. I bought the character voices, and I feel like you sold Rainbow's grudge well enough. Your descriptions were great too--I really felt the claustrophobia of the Equestrian section of the forest.

You sort of have to write a follow-up with the effects of the poison joke though. I'll keep an eye out for it =P

[Sunsets and Storms]

10269146
Thank you again for the insight!

Par 1:
The 'head hopping' was an intentional stylistic choice I made, but I did intend for it to be smoother than it came out. I'm still figuring out smoothly transitioning between internal voices without some kind of hard break in the narrative. I can't say I won't do it again, but I'll try to make it better next time!

Par 2:
Ahh, 'jerkbutt Rainbow'. I agree completely! She does get kind of a toxic/bad reputation. I had always attributed it more to her being a stubborn and somewhat egocentric character rather than a masculine one, but I see that angle now and it's hard to unsee. Something for me to think about with writing her in the future, for sure, because I really felt there was something off in that part.

10269191
Thanks! I'm happy with the reception its received. Not a lot of attention, but friendly and constructive attention. As far as I'm concerned, that's a net win!

You sort of have to write a follow-up with the effects of the poison joke though. I'll keep an eye out for it =P

Soon^TM

I'm outlining for another contest, so not immediately. I like to write for contests, the deadlines motivate me to finish work. But I will revisit that.

[Cipher Balance]

...
...
...
... I absolutely need more of this pairing. Whether it be friendshipping or romantic shipping, I don't care.
I
Just
Want
MORE!!!
🖤🖤🖤