Maybe Things Will Be Okay?
It all began with a sip of coffee.
“Did you know that coffee is a fruit?” Wallflower asked.
Sunset cocked a brow as she pulled the cup away from her lips. “It is?”
Wallflower nodded. “Coffee trees grow little cherries that need to be husked. Then the seeds inside get roasted.” She paused to take a sip of her own brew. “And those are where we get our coffee beans from.”
She tapped a finger against the side of her cup, seeming to develop some little pattern; a game maybe?
Pinkie, pinkie, ring, pinkie, pinkie, ring, middle…
She then seemed to notice that Sunset picked up on this little quirk and immediately stopped, placing her hands firmly upon the table. A little red entered her complexion and her eyes briefly fell away and off to the side.
“What do the cherries taste like?” Sunset asked.
She took another sip.
Wallflower shrugged. “I don’t really know. I’ve heard that certain hipster places will actually put them into their baked goods but I can’t imagine they’re easy to get considering that all the coffee growing regions are so far away and the cherries are kind of a waste product.”
“Coltlumbia?” Sunset asked.
Wallflower nodded. “Along with Brayzil. Though it originates in Abyssinia.” She flashed a smile and pointed at Sunset with her coffee cup. “It’s actually really interesting to read about how coffee spread around the world. There’s a whole lot of intrigue involved: pirates, spies, and warlords.”
That smile.
Sunset wasn’t sure that she’d ever actually seen Wallflower smile before. Maybe she had but the emotion was strangely refreshing. It was a smile that obviously didn’t get to see a whole lot of exposure but it was kind of cute.
Though the smile soon slipped and with it Wallflower’s gaze sunk down to the cup of coffee in front of her.
“Sorry, I’m uh… I’m doing that thing I do,” Wallflower murmured.
“Thing?” Sunset asked, placing her cup down. “What thing?”
Wallflower nodded. “I have a tendency to hyperfixate on my special interests and if I don’t catch myself then I’ll ramble on and on and on and...”
“I think that’s called being human,” Sunset teased. “Though what do I know, I’m the alien here.”
Wallflower chuckled. “Still can’t believe that.”
“Trust me, most people I meet just ignore that fact and pretend that they don’t know,” Sunset replied.
She leaned back in her seat.
“Not that I’m complaining,” she added. “It makes hiding a whole lot easier.”
Wallflower smiled again. Though it was a bit more constrained this time.
“Turns out that if the aliens ever did invade, we’d just gaslight ourselves into ignoring them for the sake of convenience,” she joked.
Sunset chuckled. “Well thankfully Equestria isn’t prone to committing too many hostile takeovers.”
“Well, maybe your Equestria,” Wallflower said. “This one is neck deep in overthrowing leftist regimes around the…” She blinked. “Sorry, I’m doing that oversharing thing again.”
Sunset smirked and placed her cup of coffee on the table. “You don’t have to apologize so much, Wallflower.”
“Sorry, it’s just a habit of mine,” Wallflower replied. “I kind of feel bad about a lot of things.”
“Like what?” Sunset asked.
Wallflower looked off to the side. “Taking up space.”
Sunset pursed her lips together, unsure of how to really respond to something like that.
“Well…” she eventually started, working her jaw. “Well, how about I make you feel better by oversharing about something I’m passionate about?” She flashed a smile. “Then you can see that it’s really not that big of a deal.”
Wallflower nodded slowly. “Alright.”
“How do you feel about shooters?” Sunset asked. “The video games not the uh…” She waved her hand. “Disgruntled youths who…”
Wallflower shrugged. “They are an effective means of propaganda that help funnel Equestrian boys into joining the Imperial Guard when they come of age by telling them glorified stories of...”
Sunset cocked a brow and Wallflower sheepishly grinned.
“Sorry,” Wallflower said.
Sunset nodded. “Anyways, I’ve been really getting into Counter Strike lately. Been playing that a lot on my streams.”
“You stream?” Wallflower asked.
“Three days a week,” Sunset answered before motioning with her hand. “So, anyways, last night, I was playing a match on Rust where I’m watching mid with my AWP. When suddenly, I shit you not, all five of the counter-terrorists pop around the corner with scouts and light me up like nobody’s business. But they’re shit at the game so they miss and I proceed to ding them one after another.”
Wallflower nodded along.
“So inevitable, they all get really butt hurt and start hurling insults at me for being a girl,” Sunset continued, sighing fondly. “I really do love making nerds salty. It’s one of the finer joys in my life.”
“That does sound like fun,” Wallflower quipped. “I’m mostly into strategy games myself.”
“Oh, you’re a gamer?” Sunset asked.
Wallflower nodded slowly. “I mean I’m a social recluse who hasn’t had a friend since middle school.”
“So, it’s either that or anime?” Sunset teased.
Wallflower snickered. “Actually, both in my case.” She looked Sunset in the eye. “Can I tell you about One Piece?”
Sunset paused for a moment and pursed her lip together. She then slapped a hand against the table as she stood up.
“I uh…” she began, “I actually have to go. It’s been great meeting you but…”
“Kidding kidding,” Wallflower teased, giggling to herself. “I don’t even watch anime.”
Sunset sat back down and reached for her donut, taking a bite from it.
“So anyways,” Wallflower said. “You were owning sweaty tryhards?”
Sunset held up a hand as she chewed, taking a few moments before swallowing her mouthful.
“That was actually the entire story,” she admitted.
Wallflower smirked. “You’re bad at oversharing.”
“Would it make you feel better if I described the cool skins I got on my gun and knife,” Sunset offered, resting her chin in the palm of her hands. “Because let me tell you how many loot boxes I had to open in order to get those.”
“Did you seriously spend money on loot boxes?” Wallflower asked.
Sunset smirked. “It’s more like my simps spent money on loot boxes which I just had the benefit of opening. Though I am greatly appreciative of each and every one of them.”
“Sunset Shimmer, queen of the simps,” Wallflower teased.
Sunset frowned at that, looking off to the side.
Queen.
The word was still white hot.
“Too much?” Wallflower asked.
“Eh, just brushed against something from my past,” Sunset admitted, waving her off. “Don’t exactly have the best history with that word.”
Wallflower cocked a brow.
“Queen,” Sunset explained.
“Oh right, you kind of tried to…” Wallflower giggled nervously. “Kind of tried to brainwash the entire school and send them on a crusade of vengeance into another dimension. Nearly forgot about that one.”
Sunset hissed and ran a hand through her hair. “You were around for that?”
“Happened like two weeks after I transferred schools,” Wallflower explained. She then wagged her finger at Sunset. “Credit where credit is due, you guys really know how to one up Crystal Prep on petty bullshit and drama.”
Sunset actually chuckled at that. Her gaze then drifted towards the window, looking out at the greyish day that had currently besieged Canterlot.
“I guess it is kind of reassuring,” Wallflower continued, “knowing that I’m not the only genuinely evil bitch who used a magical artifact like that.”
Sunset snorted. “I’d hardly call you evil. You were scared and the stone offered you a way of coping with that fear. Maybe it wasn’t the most productive coping mechanism but I’m not going to criticize you for clutching onto the first one you found.”
Wallflower was silent for a moment and when Sunset looked back, her gaze was affixed to the cup of coffee in front of her. She drummed her fingers against the side of it, returning to her familiar little pattern.
Pinkie, pinkie, ring, pinkie, pinkie, ring, middle, pinkie, pinkie…
“You’re way too nice to me,” Wallflower said.
Sunset smirked. “Walk a mile in someone’s shoes and what not.”
Wallflower opened her mouth to speak and for a moment it seemed like some coherent phrase would form. But it was crushed at the very last second; replaced by a huff and a shake of her head.
“Plus,” Sunset said. “A lot of the people I screwed over were willing to bury the hatch in an effort to redeem me. It’d be pretty shitty of me not to not offer the same to someone else who needs it.”
Wallflower sighed. “But I nearly ruined your life.”
“And for me that was just a Tuesday,” Sunset teased.
“Being your friend sounds kind of dangerous,” Wallflower replied, offering a thin smile. “Don’t think I’m unaware when it comes to the amount of magical bullshit that goes on around you.”
Sunset shrugged. “You learn to roll with the punches pretty quickly. One second you’re a she demon, the next you’re fighting three world renown popstars, and after that you’re cleansing the soul of the girl you end up fingerbanging at the Fall Formal.”
Wallflower blushed.
“Life can be a funny thing,” Sunset said as she shrugged. “Anyways, can I ask you a question?”
Wallflower nodded. “Sure?”
“Just wonder if you want to do anything after coffee?” Sunset asked. “Not that I don’t enjoy the scenery but…”
She wiggled her empty cup.
Wallflower bit her lip and was obviously mulling something over in her head. It was kind of adorable, watching her lost in her own thoughts like that.
Sunset then promptly blushed.
Gods, she was such a helpless little bisexual.
“Could go back to my place if you’d like,” Wallflower offered.
Sunset smirked. “Oh sweet, most girls wait until the third date.”
Wallflower’s eye roll told Sunset one thing but the amused smile told her something completely different.
“Are you always this flirty?” Wallflower asked.
Sunset smirked and went half-lidded. “Only with reformed villains.”
Wallflower flushed even more, giggling to herself as she ran a hand through her hair. The red in her cheeks really did add something to her complexion.
“Do you enjoy bullying poor lesbians?” she asked, trying her best to hide her snicker but failing miserably.
Sunset’s expression turned quite dangerous as she winked at Wallflower. “I enjoy it immensely.”
Before Wallflower could mentally brick, Sunset stood up and reached for her jacket.
“Come on, let’s get out of here,” she said.
The apartment building reminded Sunset a lot of where she lived. Same brickwork, same cast iron signage, same dirty windows, same incredibly sad lawn, and same flowery name that didn’t really mean anything.
Her place was known as Pemberton Estates, this was Rosewood. But besides that, they were pretty much the same.
“Are your parents home?” Sunset asked.
“No, they aren’t.” Wallflower said, winking at Sunset. “Are we going to take advantage of that?”
Sunset flushed and Wallflower promptly started to laugh, snickering into the back of her hand.
“Sorry, sorry, couldn’t resist giving you a taste of your own medicine,” Wallflower teased. “But nah my mom is working shifts up north and my dad is out of town doing…” She shrugged. “Something.”
“Oh wow, so you must get a lot of time to yourself,” Sunset commented.
Wallflower nodded. “It is what it is. I’m pretty introverted so I don’t mind.”
“I get what you mean,” Sunset said. “I haven’t lived with my parents since I was like… six?”
Wallflower cocked a brow.
She didn’t wait for a response as she went for the door, grabbing her keys out of her purse.
“I was accepted into a pretty prestigious private school back home,” Sunset explained. “So, I lived on campus until I well….”
“Had a psychotic breakdown and leapt into the multiverse?” Wallflower asked.
Sunset snorted. “Yeah, that. Guess I kind of seem like a cliché, huh? Poor little rich kid with her poor little rich kid problems.”
“Not my place to judge,” Wallflower said. “You’ve got your problems and I’m not going to make fun of them just because I don’t understand them.”
She unlocked the door and pulled it open, motioning for Sunset to go inside.
An invitation which Sunset gladly took, slipping in and waiting for Wallflower to come in after her. She then followed Wallflower up the stairs, towards one of the middling floors.
“I should warn you,” Wallflower said. “My room is a bit of a mess.”
Sunset smirked. “I kind of figured.”
“Wow, rude,” Wallflower pouted. “How dare you make a totally valid assumption about me based on an extremely predictable personality trait.”
She turned down the hall on the fourth floor and then headed towards a door that was a few units away. Once more, she unlocked it and pushed inside, ushering for Sunset to follow.
As Sunset entered, she was stricken by one thing and one thing alone.
There were a lot of freaking plants in this apartment. Like way more than any human being should feasibly possess or be able to put inside of a unit of this size.
There were four windows inside of the apartment’s main living space, three in the living room, and one in the kitchen. Every single one of these windows was surrounded by all sorts of plants, a forest of greens and evergreens with bulbs of red, orange, blue, purple, and a dozen other colours.
“Holy shit,” Sunset said.
Wallflower nervously smiled. “I might have a thing for plants.”
“Just a little bit,” Sunset whispered, still sounding in awe. “I think you and Fluttershy would get along nice.”
“I wouldn’t know about that, she’s uh…” Wallflower chuckled. “She’s kind of intimidating to be around.”
Sunset snorted. “Fluttershy’s intimidating to be around?”
“Have you seen that girl, she has it all put together,” Wallflower said, waving her hand. “Like she has cool friends, and does all this volunteering work, and is acing her classes. That is really impressive and kind of makes me feel…”
She failed to finish that thought and simply sighed.
“Huh, guess I never noticed,” Sunset said.
Wallflower nodded. “And then there’s me, this bundle of mental health issues and self-deprecation.”
“I hear not self-deprecating is pretty cool,” Sunset offered.
“Yeah, I kind of suck,” Wallflower admitted before flashing a cheeky smile. “Kidding kidding, promise I won’t do that anymore.”
Sunset nodded and approached the living room, though paused as Wallflower cleared her throat. This confused Sunset until she realized that she still had her heavy boot on and that it had been wet outside.
So, she kicked them off and then resumed her journey.
The plants gave off a pretty nice vibe, really bringing the place together. Without them, this would’ve been just an average Equestrian home but the plants made everything kind of brighter and livelier.
“Why so many?” Sunset asked.
Wallflower shrugged. “A friend bought me one a couple of years ago and I thought that he looked kind of lonely on his own. So, I bought one more and then I thought that plant would get lonely. And well, here we are like four years later.”
“Doubt they’re lonely now,” Sunset quipped.
She reached out and was about to touch one but looked to Wallflower before doing so. When Wallflower nodded, Sunset touched the leaf and felt it between her forefinger and thumb.
“This is pretty cool,” Sunset said
Wallflower snorted. “You think so?”
“Yeah like…” Sunset shrugged. “It’s always cool getting to see the product of someone’s passion project. It’s kind of like seeing Rarity when she finishes with a design.”
“Never really thought about it that way,” Wallflower said. “Just kind of felt like this really dorky hobby for me to be involved in.”
Sunset moved over to one of the couches and plopped down upon it.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” Wallflower asked. “We have water and beer?”
“Are you even eighteen?” Sunset asked, chuckling.
Wallflower shrugged. “I have liberal parents who have a very feral child outlook on parenting.”
“Well, in that case…” Sunset snorted. “Beer it is.”
Wallflower went over to the fridge and opened it, popping out two bottles of the local cheap stuff before cracking them open on the counter.
“Are your parents okay with all the plants?” Sunset asked.
Wallflower sheepishly grinned. “This is going to make me sound like a terrible person.”
Sunset cocked a brow and studied her for a moment. Though she quickly understood where this was going.
“Ah,” was Sunset’s only response.
“Whenever they’d think about bringing up the issue, I would uh…” Wallflower sighed. “I would utilize the tools at hand to make it a non-issue. And after enough time, the issue actually did become a non-issue.” She nodded towards the nearest window. “Mom thinks it livens up the place and dad’s just happy that I have a hobby that isn’t listening to emo rock.”
“You listen to emo rock?” Sunset asked.
Wallflower smirked and motioned past Sunset, drawing her attention towards a table that had a plant upon it. But beside the plant was a bunch of picture frames, including one which displayed a far younger Wallflower.
And this Wallflower had a MCR T-shirt, a skirt that said scene kid, and a hairstyle that was peak mid-2000s.
“I love it,” Sunset teased.
Wallflower blushed and plopped down in a chair across from Sunset, placing the beers between them.
“You now know my darkest secret,” she said, chuckling. “I was once a moody teenager.”
“Truly something I’ll have to take to the grave,” Sunset joked.
She then noticed another photo next to the one with a moody Wallflower. This was of a slightly more grown-up Wallflower next to another girl with cream-coloured skin and a soft blue hair.
“Who’s this?” Sunset asked, picking up the picture and looking at it closely.
Wallflower looked at it and then took a sip of her drink. She seemed to be using the sip as an excuse to remain silent and collect herself. Thus, the sip went on longer and longer and…
“Are we chugging beers now?” Sunset chuckled. “Because if we’re chugging beers…”
Wallflower drew the bottle back and cleared her throat. “Sorry, just… that’s…”
“Tough subject?” Sunset asked.
Wallflower worked her jaw. Though when no words came forth, she threw back her head and let out a nearly feral growl.
“It just feels like everything is a really tough subject when it comes to me,” she complained. “You know?”
Sunset nodded and took a sip of her own beer, smacking her lips together.
“That’s some good piss water,” she said.
“Piss water?” Wallflower asked.
“It’s what Flash used to call cheap beer back when we were dating,” Sunset commented. “I think he picked it up from his older brother.” She sighed. “Anyways, yeah I know what you mean. I felt the same way after my…”
She rolled her hand, trying to search for the right word.
“Defeat?” Wallflower suggested.
Sunset snorted. “Yeah, let’s go with that. My defeat. It felt like everything was a livewire, every topic and conversation. It was like I was in a constant state of PMS-ing. And the weirdest part is I don’t even get those.”
“Wait…” Wallflower began, squinting at her.
Sunset smirked. “Perks of my Equestrian biology, baby.” She motioned with her hand. “But! I learned that just letting something fester is maybe not the best course of action to take. Though I will not push the subject if you don’t want me to push it.”
“I just…” Wallflower tensed. “I just…” She sighed. “Have you ever lost a friend?”
“I didn’t even have friends until two years ago,” Sunset answered. “But I guess I did when… you know?”
Wallflower winced. “Yeah, sorry about that.”
“Eh, it happens,” Sunset teased, waving her off. “Or well, no it doesn’t, but it’s all water under the bridge and whatnot.”
“I had exactly one friend before now,” Wallflower said. “This girl at Crystal Prep who I could genuinely call a friend.” She snorted. “Which is lowkey kind of a miracle when you consider what a hellhole Crystal Prep is in the first place.”
Sunset nodded but didn’t speak, motioning for Wallflower to continue.
“Her name was Coco Pommel,” Wallflower said, sighing at the memory. “If you think I’m shy, you should’ve seen this girl.” She chuckled fondly. “Like I swear she would’ve jumped at her own shadow if she wasn’t careful.”
She laughed. Her gaze was unfocused but remained straight ahead and not on Sunset. It was like she was looking directly at this Coco even if the years made that impossible. A warm smile soon formed upon her lips and tears glistened within her eyes.
“We were pretty much the only friends each other had through most of middle school and were pretty close going into grade nine.” She took a sip of her beer before pointing the tip of the bottle at one of the plants. “That’s when she bought me one of those.”
“She sounds nice,” Sunset commented.
Wallflower nodded. “But then my parents made a couple bad investments, we lost the house, and well…” She motioned around her. “We didn’t quite have the money to send me to private school anymore.”
“Did you and Coco stay in touch?” Sunset asked.
“We did,” Wallflower said. “For a little while, at least. We tried to keep in touch online but well… not seeing each other everyday slowly had its toll on our friendship. She started making other friends and I guess I kind of kept taking on more and more of a backseat in her life until I wasn’t even in the backseat anymore.”
“I’m really sorry, Wallflower,” Sunset said.
Wallflower shrugged. “Life happens.” She then sighed. “I saw her at the Friendship Games, you know?”
Sunset nodded.
She couldn’t recall seeing Wallflower at those games but she assumed that was kind of the point. There were probably a lot of similar memories. Memories altered by a girl who didn’t want to be remembered, who didn’t want the baggage of being remembered or missed.
“I talked to her,” Wallflower continued. “It was… it was pretty good actually. But…”
“It wasn’t perfect?” Sunset asked.
Wallflower nodded. “I started to cry and admitted how lonely I had become. And just seeing the pity in her eyes… it broke me.” She snorted. “So, I wiped her memories and for her that never happened. And for me, I got to play pretend.”
She allowed herself a dark smile and stood up, making her way back towards the kitchen. Though she didn’t linger in there for long, merely pacing around and bleeding off excess energy and angst. It wasn’t long before she returned and plopped back down in her seat.
“See why I apologize for oversharing so much?” she asked.
Sunset smirked. “I actually think that was a pretty good vent.”
“You’re nicer to me than I am,” Wallflower teased.
“I mean…” Sunset shrugged. “Somebody has to.”
Wallflower closed her eyes, a tired smile forming upon her lips. “It’s been a while since I’ve actually had something like this.”
“Well, I’m happy that I could provide,” Sunset said.
She leaned forwards and reached out, resting her hand upon Wallflower’s and giving it a tender squeeze.
The gesture seemed to awaken something in Wallflower as she shivered. She looked down at the hand and her tired smile seemed to grow a mite more genuine. An awkward sound that was halfway between a giggle and snort escaped her lips.
“Not what I thought would happen when I took a girl home,” Wallflower teased.
Sunset smirked. “I can rock your world next time, if you’d like. It just seems like you honestly needed this more.”
“Yeah.” Wallflower chuckled darkly. “Yeah, I honestly did.” She then looked Sunset in the eye. “But just know that this is a two-way street, okay? You’re allowed to cry on my shoulder whenever you need it.”
“Sure thing, Wally,” Sunset said.
The nickname seemed to strike at something deep, something raw and painful. Those two syllables were enough to knock those tears brimming in Wallflower’s eyes loose.
Wallflower drew her hand back and wiped at them, forcing her gaze away.
“Been awhile since someone called me that,” she whispered.
Sunset frowned. “Coco’s old nickname?”
Wallflower nodded and drew in a deep breath. It took a couple of these but she seemed to crest the horizon, approaching something that neared emotional stability.
“I tried picking out a nickname for her at some point but that didn’t work out nearly as well,” Wallflower explained. “You can’t really shorten Coco.”
“Kind of a short name already,” Sunset agreed.
Wallflower nodded. “We tried Co, but well, that just didn’t jive the same way that Wally did.” She sighed. “God, friends drifting apart really fucking sucks.”
“Yeah…” Sunset frowned. “Yeah, it really does.”
“And I’m just getting to meet you and I’m already worried,” Wallflower explained. “Like we’re in senior year. How long until you and your friends graduate and go to university or something? And then I’ll be back at square one.”
Sunset shrugged. “I try not to think about it.” She smirked. “If it makes you feel any better, I’m not going to university.”
“Why not?” Wallflower asked.
“Because I don’t trust my fake documentation nearly well enough to get into one,” Sunset explained. “And I honestly don’t think I want to explain to immigration authorities that my homeland is through a magical portal.”
“Could be a little awkward,” Wallflower murmured.
Sunset smirked. “Very awkward.”
“But what are you going to do after high school?” Wallflower asked.
Sunset shrugged. “Like I said, I try not to think about it. Just know that you’ll always have a friend in Canterlot.” She snorted. “Now, if you were to move, on the other hand, I can’t be held responsible for your friendship decisions at some distant campus town.”
Wallflower snorted. “I never even really thought about going to university before.”
“Oh yeah?” Sunset asked. “Why’s that?”
“Honestly, because I thought I would be dead,” Wallflower stated.
There was no humour behind her words; no sarcasm.
Sunset drew in a sharp breath and looked at Wallflower.
The tired smile had returned and her gaze was once more unfocused as she stared vacantly ahead. She then sighed and picked up her beer, taking another sip.
“But now I’m not so sure that’s set-in-stone anymore,” Wallflower said before shaking her head. “Sorry, that kind of got a little fucking heavy, didn’t it?”
“Just a little bit,” Sunset answered.
Wallflower chuckled. “What’s the saying about putting two queer women in a room together?”
“That we’ll expend all our collective traumas in the first twenty minutes?” Sunset answered, smirking to herself. “Feels pretty apt.”
“It does,” Wallflower said as she nodded slowly. “But maybe we can save that discussion for another time?”
Sunset nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
There was a pause, a tick, a moment of silence.
Finally, Wallflower spoke. “You want to know something?”
Sunset nodded and motioned for her to continue. She didn’t trust herself to speak so hid her muteness behind her beer, taking a lesson from Wallflower’s book.
“I think…” Wallflower smiled. “I think I’m going to be okay.”
Sunset smirked. “Hey congratulations, you’re already onto the second stage of being a reformed villain. You beat me there by a whole three weeks.”