After years together, a daring question on Sunset's part, and an even more daring 'yes' from Wallflower, they both now live in the after-bliss of life. They have a house, they own a gardening shop, their daily routine is one and the same, always together. Sunset even ditched the motorcycle for a car — Wallflower thinks it's safer.
The memories of the last time they fought or disagreed are non-existent. Maybe they never did.
There would be little point in reminiscing those times, anyway. What mattered was that they were happy. Always.
An entry for \o/ Scampy's SunFlower Shipping Contest \o/
Sex tag is for one reference only.
Winner of 'Posh didn't hate this' award! Thank you, Posh (your comment was on point, I loved it).
Great story
Also who made the cover art?
The memories of the last time they fought or disagreed are non-existent. Maybe they never did.
Long description left some hints as to what the story was about.
Good story. The atmosphere is so... quietly smothering. Prose was on point. The dots took another read for me to connect, and I'm still not sure I got them all.
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Click the source, it links to a derpibooru page. Artist is ponyretirementhome on tumblr.
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Thank you!
There is a source in the image, but you can also check artist:ponyretirementhome on derpibooru! It's where I found it.
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Thanks!
In future, to prevent herself from being ever tempted to try this again, Sunset Shimmer needs to sit down and watch Charlie Kaufman's Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind...
Huh. Interesting premise. Wallflower's last dialogue felt like a weak justification for the whole 'ignorance is bliss', but overall can not blame her since I am guessing she is not seeing what Sunset is seeing. Or maybe she is and I didn't pick up on it.
Also, something else I am wondering, but I will spoiler it since it is going beyond the text did they put the memory stone in their rings at their own wedding, or sometime after?
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Hey, thanks for reading!
Wallflower doesn't know anything. If you look closely at Wallflower's dialogue and Sunset's response, they are actually talking beyond each other (but similarly enough for neither to notice).
Also, their wedding rings didn't have the stones initially. That is a development that happened after (check their summer trip picture!)
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I don't know what is it with stories that mess with the theme of memories, but I find them so intriguing to see.
Also, I'll consider it a personal crime that I haven't watched that yet. Damn, it's been a long time since I sat down to watch a movie.
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Hmm. Okay.
Congrats on Posh’s judge award on the contest!
This is, in my opinion, very effectively written.
The horror of what they are continuing to do to (and for!) each other is made all the more vivid for the adorable moments here... the life they lead. Also, superb execution of developing Sunset's sense of panic and dread.
I really wish I knew what was going on here.
A loud what, exactly?
Maybe I'm reading too deep into this, but this story is actually horrifying. The sweet and tender moments paint a beautiful picture of a fairy tale romance, but this illusion obviously isn't exactly perfect. If it were, Sunset wouldn't freak out over those breaks. She wouldn't even notice them, to begin with.
On a surface level, it might seem okay-ish, because it only works with both their consent, sure. But the stone doesn't exactly ask, does it? It just... does it's thing and leaves them to pick up the pieces afterwards, probably getting its 'consent' from their subconscious or something like that. And Sunset almost running a red light proves that it could actually endanger them (or others) severely.
But the real horror - at least for me - stems from that inevitable question of: What did I miss?
Because the stone doesn't seem to work quite as precisely as it used to. It cuts away too much. And not knowing what I 'lost' at all would drive me nuts, anyway. Someone else mentioned the entire 'ignorance is bliss'-thing, and... that's an attitude I never understood. The bad stuff doesn't go away just because you want it to. You learn from mistakes. Relationships are strengthened through ordeals like having an argument. (Or broken, but even that has its purpose.)
I like to think her friends would have some very harsh words for her/them if they ever found out. This suppression isn't healthy.
Having said all that, or rather 'having rambled on long enough', I did enjoy reading it a lot. Everything just... fit.
Thank you.
aww, very nice buildup of the flowery imagery before the undercutting! a great start
hehe such a cute way to think of her, love it
perfect
i mean if you’ve shared mouths what else is new on that toothbrush?
augh that sounds like a wonderful state to be in
hehe, im sure that never gets old
pfft, love it
perfect
augh an interesting way to end such a beautifully described scene! feel like there is a lot of symbolism in the dance ending with the smell of unattended burnt pancakes. or… it’s just the natural payoff to the earlier setup?
it’s the intangible benefits you really gotta keep in mind!
oof, definitely a straight line from the earlier scene. Wallflower’s meekness and going-along-with, and Sunset not seeming to have that fully in her mind…
and oof, that Sunset temper! combined with the stresses of driving and paying for gas, oof, can definitely see how all that comes together unfortunately
yeah that is definitely worrying!
very worrying!
huh, now the idea of grilled apples intrigues me
and, oof. definitely worried about where this is going!
love the metaphor here with the thorn! and that sense of needing to do this separately from her life with Wallflower, as it would be an admission of something less than total trust, oof…
and augh. heading where i was afraid it would head! it’s a horrific thought, and all of the metaphors about needing to hide it away in a box and not look at it are so very appropriate, because oof.
the duality of the Memory Stone and the Empathy Geode, there really is something special there, isn’t there?
very introspective and good
love this paragraph
aaaaaa
okay, i adored this a lot, wow! how each of the scenes cut off just as they hit a downward turn, the slow and sickening realization, the indirect heart-to-heart, the decision. the beauty of the prose, the visceralness of the dread, how the characters just feel whole and subtle and real.
finding meaning and even happiness in extreme circumstances that seem oh-so-awful is a theme near and dear to my heart, and this story struck that idea dead-center. this is not a choice that i would have made or would recommend making, but i don’t think it can be reduced to a negative thing. i can see very well why both Sunset and Wallflower had initially made that choice, and why Sunset makes it for a second time now. it feels complicated, you know? beautiful, even.
honestly, i loved what this story drew out of me, and it is one i definitely plan on rereading from time to time. when i come across a concept i love, i naturally get the urge to think of what my own version of it would look like. i don’t for this one, because i can’t think of a version i would rather read than the one that i just have.