Helianthus

by I-A-M

-Flower

---

Wallflower Blush

---

I haven’t been able to stop crying since the doors opened and I saw Sunset in her wedding tuxedo for the first time. It’s barely even a tuxedo! She doesn’t look like a groom she looks like some kind of Princess-Knight come to sweep a proper princess off her feet!

“So uhm, who goes first?” I ask. “I’m… I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Good,” Sunset laughs wetly. “Me neither.”

Nodding with a quiet laugh, I take several deep breaths, then look up at her and smile.

“A-Actually, okay, uhm… I… I think—” I look over at Rosary who gives me an encouraging nod before I look back at Sunset.

My eyes come to rest on the broach at her throat.

It looks beautiful on her.

Sunset told me once that it was tradition to exchange small gifts between betrothed where she’s from. Not necessarily rings, but something that means something to them both. That was why Sunset had gotten me the topaz ring. Because she thought it looked like a flower.

A sunflower.

So I got her a broach made in the same style. She looks better with a broach than a ring anyway, I think.

“Sunset Shimmer,” I start, and Sunset stiffens in surprise before relaxing as I reach out to take her hands. “You are… are absolutely crazy.”

Laughter ripples through the crowd and out of Sunset too.

She knows I'm not wrong.

“And I wouldn’t have you any other way,” I continue with a broad grin. “All my life I’ve never been anyone or anything.

“No one has ever looked twice at me, and for all that time I thought that was all I was ever meant to be: Wallflower Blush, the invisible girl. I thought no one would ever see me, and uhm, and I was okay with that… right up until I met you, and you saw me, and I… even from the beginning I never wanted you to stop looking at me.”

Sunset is crying now too. She looks like I feel: like she’s barely holding it together.

“And I never want to stop looking at you,” I say with a quiet sob. “I want to wake up next to you every day and go to sleep beside you every night. I want to laugh with you and cry with you, and grow old with you, Sunset!”

I take another deep breath and squeeze Sunset’s hands gently as I swallow back the last of my nerves.

“Sunset Shimmer,” I say her name like a prayer, smile as broad as I think I ever have. “When you look at me, you look at me like I’m the most beautiful girl in the world, but the best part isn’t even that… it’s that when you look at me, I actually kind of feel like I am.”

Sunset’s hands tighten around mine and she blows out a slow breath that comes on a trail of weak laughter as she briefly reclaims one hand to wipe at her cheeks before taking mine again.

“Wow,” she says. “Okay, I uh… nope, I’m not uh… I’m pretty not okay, but I guess we’re doing this, huh?”

She closes her eyes, takes a few sharp breaths, then breathes deep and nods, mostly to herself I think, before she opens those beautiful cerulean eyes of hers to look at me.

And I fall in love again.

“I uh…” Sunset stammers, then swallows thickly and laughs. “Okay, wow, crap, I uh… I swear I knew this…”

The crowd laughs again, and I can’t help laughing along with them.

“Okay, uh, let’s try this dance again,” she says, then straightens.

“Wallflower Blush, I love you with all my heart,” Sunset says shakily, and I swear my chest feels like it’s about to break open. “We had a rocky start, but I knew you were worth it from the beginning, and when I fell in love with you for real I knew I’d never be truly happy unless I got to spend the rest of my life calling you my wife.”

Nope, that’s it. It’s time to start blubbering. Rarity is never gonna forgive me because this dress is going to be damp.

“I’m gonna repeat myself a lot here, so bear with me,” Sunset continues. “But you’ve probably noticed that I repeat myself a lot anyway, so I guess you’re used to it by now.”

“Wallie, I told you this years ago, and now it means something completely different, so I’ll say it again: Where you sleep, I sleep, because I’m never going to leave you, and I’m never going to want to because without you I’m missing my heart.”

Sunset laughs weakly and plucks a bromeliad bloom from the bouquet to tuck it into my hair. As she does, she lowers her hand until her palm is resting on my cheek, and I lean into her touch.

“And this next thing? This next thing means the same thing now that it did the first time I said it to you, okay? Wallflower Blush, I said this so many times because I couldn’t bring myself to tell you that I loved you like crazy, but I did… I always did… and what I said then? It was just me being a coward about saying I love you, so I’ll say it now, one more time, and then I’ll say it again as many times as you want me to for the rest of our lives.”

Leaning forward, Sunset presses her forehead to mine, and I feel a faint patter as her tears trickle onto my cheeks.

“Wallflower Blush, you are precious to me.”

Laughter wells out of me, pure and happy. I let go of Sunset’s hands and reach up to cup her cheeks as she slips her arms around my waist and pulls me close. Our lips meet and it feels like the very first time we kissed, only better. Her lips are soft and warm, and I can taste the gentle tang of salt from our mingled tears.

All around us I’m vaguely aware of the crowd cheering, and Rosary declaring us officially married, but I can’t pull my attention away from the woman in front of me.

In a thousand, thousand years I never thought I’d get here. I never thought I could. I was always Wallflower Blush, the broken girl. The invisible girl.

The forgotten girl.

But not today.

Not today, never again.

Today I’m not just Wallflower Blush. Today I’m Sunset Shimmer’s wife, and she’s mine. Now and forever, two stories as one.

As we slowly part, Sunset is smiling down at me, and I think I fall in love three more times in that space.

“Hey,” I say softly.

“Hey,” Sunset replies with a laugh.

“We made it.”

Sunset nods, smiling, then nuzzles her nose against mine.

“Yeah,” she says wetly. “You and me.”

“Yeah,” I nod back and then pull myself up to press a fierce kiss to her lips, and relish the squeak of surprise that comes out before pulling back and grinning like a fool. “You’re… You’re my wife!”

Sunset does reply, not verbally, she just starts laughing as she wraps her arms around me, lifts me up, and spins me around, whooping with glee while our friends cheer.

If someone had told me this was where my life was heading four years ago, I would never have believed them. Past me was wrong about a lot of things though, and thanks to Sunset, and to a lot of other people, and… and maybe a little bit to me, that past me is going to stay there.

My past is not today. My today, and the rest of my life, is so, so much brighter.

Author's Note:

We Have Come To Terms

Comments

[LoverOfStories]

*whistles* Wow. That was something. Loved it!

[Darth Gundam]

This is by far exactly the catharsis that was due to these two after all they went through during this series, and I love how you tied it all together so perfectly with the the quote from 'Running Out of Air' for the end of Sunset's vows. Just proving for all her struggling against it that she always has and always will love Wallie. Good gravy did I love reading through this series, your character building is amazing in ever story that I've read from you, as well as the perfect balance of drama and sappiness to make a romance believable.

Bravo on this fantastic set of stories I will now eagerly await what you put out next.

Also I saw that 'Big O' reference for the ending.

[Resurgent Wanderer]

Absolutely beautiful.

[Kagitaar]

And I'm crying even more now. Thanks for all of this.

[Reese]

Sun-:
"is definitely me I’m looking back"
"is definitely me I’m looking at"?

"the weight in comfortable"
"the weight is comfortable"?

"tightening it until it rested securely at my"
"tightening it until it rests securely at my"?

"as she claps aa hand against"
"as she claps a hand against"?

"escaping my voice as put my hand across"
"escaping my voice as I put my hand across"?

"and Rainbow husky cackle joins in a moment"
"and Rainbow's husky cackle joins in a moment"?

"Rainbow said breathlessly. “Got the jitters outta"
"Rainbow says breathlessly. “Got the jitters outta"?

"that neither of use ever overcame"
"that neither of us ever overcame"?

"Turning back to Wallflower, open one shaky hand"
"Turning back to Wallflower, I open one shaky hand"?

Also: Eeeeeeeee! :D

-Flower:
"A Sunflower."
Capitalization deliberate?

"Laughter ripples through the crowd and out of me too.

She’s not wrong.

“And I wouldn’t have you any other way,” she continues with a broad grin. “All my life I’ve never been anyone or anything."
...Er. Did the point of view shift back to Sunset for those three paragraphs? If so, was it supposed to, and if not, what's going on?

"has ever look twice at me"
"has ever looked twice at me"?

"looks like I feel; like she’s barely"
"looks like I feel, like she’s barely" or "looks like I feel: like she’s barely"?

"and squeeze Sunset’s hands gently as"
"and squeeze Sunset’s hand gently as"? She only took the one before, I think?
Ah, though given "Sunset’s hands tighten around mine" further down, perhaps it would be better to add the plural to "as I reach out to take her hand."? Or I may be missing something.
Ah, yes, and then further down than that "she reclaims one hand", so it appears it wasn't definitely meant to be or become both at some point before that.

"smile as broad as I think I ever have"
"smile as broad as I think I've ever had"? Not sure about that one, though.

"that comes on a trail of trails and weak laughter"
...A trail of trails? I'm not sure what you meant to mean there, sorry.

"laughs again, I can’t help laughing"
"laughs again, and I can’t help laughing"?

"dance again,” She says, then"
"dance again,” she says, then"?

"until her palm is rest on my cheek"
"until her palm is resting on my cheek"?

"I let go of Sunset’s hands and"
This, though, should perhaps be the singular? Or did Sunset's other hand return there at some point?

"around me, lifts, me up and"
"around me, lifts me up, and"?

Also: Much much more eeeeeeeee! :D
Beautiful. :) Nicely done, and thank you for writing!

[I-A-M]

10471804
Fixed and fixed, and as always, Reese, you're a scholar and I appreciate you. I'm glad you've stuck with me since that whole Featherfall mess that I wrote.

[TasermonsPartner]

Very beautiful! I loved the take on the vows and how they fit with Harmony.

But...no Pinkie Pie? Maybe in a sequel for the after party? Followed by Sunny and Wallie's private after after party?

Also, I too, spotted the Big O reference. (And this ending made alot more sense than that one did, thank Celestia.)

[Reese]

10472636
Heh, well, thank you, for all of that. :)

And as I recall, I did happen to enjoy that mess. :)
...Hm. You know, I don't actually recall at present what led me to start reading Featherfall, though? Whatever it was, glad I did. :)

10472765
"But...no Pinkie Pie?"
Hmm. Now that's an interesting point. She's explicitly involved in the wedding, but doesn't actually seem to explicitly appear on screen, particularly notably, now that you've brought it to my attention (I was a bit distracted at the time :D), in the list of people in the audience. I wonder where she was?

edit:
Oh, wait, I see Pinkie Pie's there now. :)
(Still pretty sure she wasn't before, but looks like that was just an oversight or something. Mystery solved, anyway. :))

[Scampy]

This is such a special and wonderful series. It's everything I've ever wanted, honestly. It makes me feel genuinely happy and hopeful at a time when little else can.

Thank you so much for writing it

[Gay For Gadot]

Okay, first:

There is a flower that will always face the sun, no matter how dark the night.

Talk about a short description. That just sums up the entire series... and the entire ship. Pat yourself on the back for this sentence. It's up there with the best sentences I've read from you.

I cried all the way through the rest of this story. I have nothing else to add. You've left me speechless.

“You’re… You’re my wife!”

One of the best four-letter words in the world.

Thanks for writing this, Yammy. You truly are the SunFlower God.

[MidnightFMare]

I'm crying so hard and now my cat is trying to paw my sad away, thank you so much for this Yam.

[TamiyaGuy]

In a way, Helianthus feels like what this whole saga has been leading towards, the payoff that both the pair and the audience hope is coming. But there's enough new content here to keep things feeling fresh - you're not just rehashing old stuff here. All in all, it makes for an easy-going, feel-good read. Happy smiles, happy tears.

I wasn't expecting Dash to be the one by Sunset's side. But you make it work so well, pinpointing her character in a way that few fanfic authors can. You very nicely walk that line, conveying her as typically brash while having her make enough valid points to keep her in the reader's good books - that brief exchange about messing up is a perfect example, and the added vulnerability from taking us through her own failures was a great touch. Hell, in plenty of ways you've shown Dash in a more respectable light than some of the show's own writers, all in a simple scene where on the surface she's nothing but her own cocky cliché.

Unless I've missed a lot in the world of EqG, you do an impeccable job of weaving your own little world building into the story with the Scribe's vows and wedding traditions - I gotta second Gadot's and SomeKindaPete's comments. Much like your intro to Chrysalis, I had to do a double take to realise that it wasn't part of the canon. Speaking of, your descriptions of the pair's dresses has so much care and detail put into it I must ask: Were you using a reference for their outfits, or was it all purely in your mind's eye?

Sunset's reaction rings true to your interpretation of her throughout the saga - hiding her fears and insecurities behind stuttering laughter. Of course it's cute here, but I'm always amazed at how consistent you're able to keep a narrative thread throughout such a lengthy arc as this one.

And... I honestly can't say anything about the vows that hasn't already been said. It has the potential to be saccharine, sickly sweet, but you add just enough human moments to stop it being a cliché. It's just lovely. That's really the only word I can think of.

Top stuff, mate.

[Koolgy23]

Ok you magnificent being off an author, I read this series once and you’re getting on to my true favorites shelf. I have no idea how you did it, but I’ve fallen head over heels for this, and that’s something that I think has only happened once in the past, so amazing job. I really don’t know how else to say it. You’ve touched my heart, and I refuse to lose this story.

[Ice Star]

This was a beautifully written wedding story that absolutely splurged on well-placed positive messages and continuity galore. The fact that absolutely none of these installments have been written from the approach were you have to slog through some kind of a recap or unnatural callback to what has happened in order to handhold people who should have realized that they needed to read the prequels is a fucking blessing. Nothing is more bothersome than a sequel that can't bother with proper storytelling like that and losing the ability to progress and let the new unfold. While I hadn't expected you to suddenly switch to writing that way, it is an issue that I've found in a lot of both professionally and fan-published media and it's always a relief when I find a series that breaks away from that mold. Doing so really allows for the maximum enjoyment of the story. I said on one of the previous entries that these have excellent flow, and that the facets of the characters' lives are organic. Well, this series has really exemplified that. Over the course of this story alone, I got to marvel at the progress of the characters as far back as Running Out of the Air and within this story alone. At the high point to usher in the rest of the girls' lives, we see the intensely personal fruits of their recovery made known, uninterrupted and in a well-warned happy ending.

[Flameo326]

Honestly this entire story from start to finish us just beautiful.

[Evil Fairy]

I just binged through all of these, and truly, they're wonderful. An emotional rollercoaster of a story that hit me in some deep places, but ended up with such a beautiful ending. Thank you so much for sharing this tale.

[Resurgent Wanderer]

I routinely come back and reread the Sunflower saga, and this time around reaching this chapter coincided with a song on my Playlist that I think sums up the series rather succinctly;

I love this saga, and just want to say how thankful I am it exists, because it's a great read for me when my head gets fucky and down.