Calaveras

by Nesfex

Rating: everyone
Tags: Rainbow Dash, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 12593

Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle do a trip to Mexicolt during one of the biggest celebrations there.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash decided to go on a trip to Mexicolt to visit the location of one of Daring Doo's books. But they didn't know they arrived in the eve of the Day of the Dead.
What kind of things will they see?

(This story features words, phrases, and references to Mexican culture. The notes to their meaning can be found at the bottom of each chapter.)

Co-author:
http://www.fimfiction.net/user/Rocinante

Cover art: Marking
http://ihaterenweb.deviantart.com/

Published 2014-10-17 00:40:16 UTC
Last updated 2014-11-11 04:58:48 UTC

Chapter 1

Celestia’s sun shined strong as always. As princess of the Sun, Celestia was responsible for making light get to every corner of the world, including the far away from Equestria land of Mexicolt. The Friendship Express train had come a long way from the Ponyville train station to this foreign land. Almost three days of travel had taken it cross Appeloosa, the Macintosh Hills, and all the wild lands that most ponies knew nothing of.

After the countless hours of nothing but the sound of the wheels beneath the train, the train manager All Aboard finally spoke through the microphone. “Attention, everypony. We are arriving to the city of Mexicolt City. Have everything ready when you leave the train.” The stallion close the transmission and went to prepare everything for the arrival.

At any other stop, most ponies would have stood up—the noise from the hooves and their talking filling the room. Instead an eerie silence filled train car; because there were only two passengers left on the train.

“Finally! It’s been like for ever since we took this train. I feel like my wings were going to fall off.” Rainbow Dash flew to the limits of what the train carts let her.

“It wasn’t that long, was it?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Because you’ve been reading this whole time. I bet I can fly faster than this pesky train.”

“You do actually, but you can’t go as far as it.” Twilight got up from her bet, stretching her wings and legs.

“Oh! Is that a challenge I hear?”

“We already got here, let’s just get out.”

Rainbow Dash darted to the main door of the train, while Twilight carried floated her and Rainbow’s, baggage out from its storage space.

The train’s door opened, releasing a rainbow flash that streaked into the sky as high as it could. A moment later, an alicorn stepped out with luggage in tow. The streets were filled with ponies walking around; their coats a little darker than the bright colors than Twilight was used to seeing. The buildings too, had their own style.

She felt oddly alone and out of place for a moment. Taking a deep breath, Twilight closed her eyes and calmed her nerves: this was a new place and with that came new experiences. The little ritual helped, but hearing Dash land nets to her made her feel even better.

“Feel better?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, I needed a good stretch,” Dash said, frowning a bit as she looked around. “So, we are in Mexicolt… This isn’t as I imagined.”

“What did you expected?”

“Ponies with big round sombreros, cactus, saloons, and stuff.”

“Oh, Rainbow, those are just stereotypes from long time ago. Mexicolt is kind of like Equestria, their culture is just a little different.” Twilight giggled at the thought of what her friend had expected.

Rainbow Dash looked confused. “What’s a stereotype?”

Twilight levitated their baggage again with a sigh. “We should get going to the hotel, I’ll fill you in later.” Using a location spell she pinpointed the hotel on her map.

The plaza outside the train station was ringed with colorful storefronts. A few diners, some local speciality shops, but mostly little knick-knack shops catering to tourists. Curiosity brought them into some of the more cluttered shops.

They couldn’t help but be amused with the gift shop's verity: a miniature statue of Princess Celestia with sun lights coming from her back, another statue of Princess Luna with a skeleton mask, hoof painted landscapes on porcelain, a shirt with an angry gray pegasus with crossed eyes and the phrase “Mi familia fue a Mexicolt y lo único que me trajeron fue ésta maldita camiseta de Mexicolt.”1 They didn’t know what the later said said, but assumed it was some sort of joke. And of course.nearly every item in the store had the Mexicolt flag painted onto it; with is green, white, and red stripes baring a brown griffon with a snake on it’s peak.

Back out in the streets they saw decorations hanging from the buildings, papers of every color, confetti, streamers, even the light bulbs were painted displaying a very strange color of light.

“Looks like these ponies had a crazy party. Too bad Pinkie didn’t come,” Said Rainbow.

Twilight looked closer at the decorations. They had a freshness to them, the care they had been put out with hand not yet been disturbed. Letting the bigger picture sink in, she realized the roads had been sweeped with extra care recently too. “It’s too clean for there to have been a party. I think they're preparing for one. I wonder who their party pony is?”

Their eyes wandered as the walked around a city they didn’t know, but they kept their baggage close; they were still strangers here. Rounding a corner, the point on the map marked the hotel as being just down the road. At first they were not able to see it, but after a few more steps they finally saw a building with the sign “Hotel La Siesta” near the top.

Dash pointed up to the sign. “There it is, Sleep Hotel”

Twilight blinked, looking to Dash with a mix of confusion and admiration. “You can read that?”

“I know how to say sleep in five languages.” Dash paused a moment to puff out her chest. “It’s cysgu in Griffon.”

Twilight could only shake her head.

The lobby of the hotel was generally familiar, but still steeped in local flavor. Pictures of the city littered the walls, some old they were in black and white or sepia. Painted pots, and colorful blankets, rounded out the sampling of local art.

At the end of the path there was a front desk where a brown coated mare with pink mane was sitting.

“Hey, Twilight, they speak Spanish here, right?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yes, they speak Spanish, why?”

“Because I know a little Griffon, but I don’t know Spanish. How are we going to ask for our room?”

“I don’t know Spanish either, but I have this book,” Twilight Sparkle levitated a book from her saddleback titled My First Spanish Dictionary. “I took some notes too, don’t worry.” The alicorn approached the front desk, using her magic she skimmed across the pages until she found the one with the bookmark.

“Saludos, mi nombre es Crepúsculo Chispa. Reservado una alcoba por dos,”2 Twilight recited with confidence.

The mare gave them a confused look, taking a moment to find a response. “You are not from around here, are you?”

“Oh… Yes… I mean no,” Twilight answered.

“It’s nice to have visitors from Equestria around here. Welcome to Mexicolt City.”

Relieved to hear the pony speaking her native language, she flew over to stand next to Twilight. “Nice, somepony that speaks our language.” Rainbow said

“Actually, most of us do. But, where are my manners? My name is Flor del Desierto3,” The pony opened a book on the desk, she skimmed through the pages until she got to the last page “So, you said your name was… Crepúsculo?”

The alicorn shook her head “Oh, well, is actually Twilight Sparkle.” She smiled nervously.

“Twilight, oh yes here you are. Your room is the penthouse suite, the princess was quite clear about who you are.” Flor winked.

Twilight groaned. Celestia had insisted on handling the reservations for the trip. She hoped her mentor hadn’t been in one of her mischievous moods at the time.

“Here’s your key, if you need anything just ask,” Flor said smiling as she laid the brass keys on the counter between them.

“By the way, what’s the deal with all that decoration?” Rainbow asked.

Flor turned her head towards where the pegasus was pointing. There was an old picture in that wall; the centerpiece of that side of the room “Oh, that is Pancho Pezuñas. A bandit who stayed in this very hotel almost a hundred years ago.”

Rainbow Dash put her hoof on her face in frustration. “Not that, the decorations outside.” A better look from the pegasus revealed that she was pointing out the window.

“Ahh... That is for el Día de los Muertos. It’s a big holiday here.” Flor answered.

Twilight looked for the meaning in the dictionary as she walked towards the elevator. She knew Dash wanted to ask more questions, but the sun was about to set and they had a lot of things they wanted to do before night came.

“You found the meaning of that holiday?” Dash asked as they waited for the elevator to creep it was down to them.

Flipping another page in the little book, Twilight perked up. “Here!” Twilight took a moment to make sure she wasn’t mistaken “Día de los muertos means… Day of the Dead.”

Rainbow Dash gawked at her friend who still had her nose in the book. “So, what the deads just come out of their grave and attack everypony, like in that movie?” She asked with nervous laughter.

“No.” Twilight waved a hoof dismissing the idea. “Remember, tonight is Nightmare Night back home. This is like their version of the celebration, only the name is more… Dramatic.”

In their room Twilight carefully unpacked her luggage. Her bathroom items carefully arranged just like home, her study materials organized on the writing desk, and what little clothes she brought hung in the closet with care.

“Can we go now?” Dash asked, standing over her still closed suitcase. “The temple where Daring Do got her first clue about the Golden Skull isn’t far from here. I really want to see it.”

Twilight frowned a little. Walking to the window, she opened the curtains to reveal the dark night outside. “Sorry Rainbow, we'll go in the morning.

“Darn it. I’ve been cramped up all day. Now what?”

“We could just walk around, and see the night life. Then we go to this restaurant Flor suggested.”

“Is better than nothing,” Dash said with a shrug. Opening the door, she lead the way back to the elevator.

Outside the hotel, Twilight took out her map and marked some places on it as they started to walk.

More interested in simply being outside and moving, than where they were actually going; Rainbow absently followed her friend. It was a bad decision for her, as the first place they stopped was a small museum.

“Seriously Twilight?! You go to a vacation and the first place you decide to go is a museum?”

“This is not an ordinary museum… This is the museum of the magic and history of Mexicolt!” The alicorn announced.

With nowhere else to go, and the afraid of getting lost in this city, the Dash followed Twilight in the museum. The entrance was dark. The only thing she could make out, was the candle lit desk against the wall.

A figure emerged from the shadows, and stepped into the dim light. His expressionless eyes focused on them. “Welcome. I’m sorry, but the museum will close shortly.” It was donkey, similar to Cranky, only taller with a hairstyle Rarity would have classified as vintage.

“S-see? We should get going… Now!” Rainbow Dash pulled from Twilight’s tail.

On their retreat back to the entrance, the donkey spotted wings on her sides; which confused him for a moment, as he had clearly saw a horn before. “Wait, by any chance are you… Princess Twilight?”

“Why yes, yes I am.” Twilight didn’t like using her title to her advantage. But when it comes to books or history, there are no rules.

“My apologies,” he said taking a bow. “If you desire, you are welcome to stay as long as you like.”

Smiling at the invitation, Twilight walked past the desk, and into the museum. She was a little surprised to find it in near darkness. The windows offered the light of the moon, but it did little to illuminate the space.

“Hey, why is this so dark?” Asked Rainbow

The donkey stepped in front of them with a lantern in his mouth. Setting the lamp beside him, he adopted the tone and posture of tour guide. “This is the oldest house in Mexicolt; built during the foundation of the city. It hosted many important meeting during the revolution. It was also the hiding place of many bandits. Basically, this place is history, We want to keep this house just as it was when those ponies lived here.”

“What about the magic part?” Twilight asked.

“The last owner, El Corcel Zapata, lived here. He was a wanted fugitive that fought against the unfairness of the government. He was a brave soldier, but he also was very superstitious. He hired a zebra enchantress who told him what to do in order to win every battle”.

The donkey turned from them, and adjusted the lantern to shine on a portrait of Zapata. “However, when the zebra fell in love with him, she found out that he never cared for her. She cursed him, and two days after that he died in battle. Ponies say that his spirit still linger around this house.”

“Oh… So, it was just that.” Rainbow Dash giggled nervously.

“Is dangerous to go in the dark. Take this,” The donkey said, pushing the lantern towards them.

“I’m good,” Twilight said, lighting her horn with her magic, and illuminating the area around her. “You take it, Rainbow. That way you you can look where you want.”

Reaching down, Dash took the lantern as the donkey kept staring at her.

“Enjoy the tour,” he said before returning to his place behind the desk.

Just as the donkey said, the museum was just a big old house. The first room was an old style parlor. Old furniture, that would probably crumbled if you sat on it, was placed as if the ponies who lived there waited for a nice reunion. Pictures hung on the walls, flower pots with dead flowers almost on every corner. Everything was so old, it could easily become dust with the most gentle touch.

“Wow! So, this is where they rebels planned to take over the government. The table still has some marks of where they were going to meet the rest of the resistance.” Twilight squeezed with enthusiasm.

“Yeah, fascinating. Let’s get this over with and get something to eat.” Rainbow Dash felt more than out of place, she felt out of time.

The second room was dinning room. A table that could set a dozen or more ponies dominated the center of the room. On the sides two large cabinets sat against the wall, inside them dishes where displayed. Most of them had cracks showing their age, but a few had avoided the ravages of time.

Here they had two ways to continue the tour. A door going into another room on the ground floor, and a stairway leading upwards. Before Twilight could say anything, Rainbow begin climbing the stairs to the second floor. If her guess was right, the other door in the dining room would lead to the kitchen and some other boring rooms. On the second floor should have the bedroom and private places that my at least have something cool to look at.

At the top of the stairs, Dash found herself in a little anti chamber with four rooms splitting off from it. “Oh, come one! How many rooms this house have?!” Rainbow stomp a hoof in frustrated, the wood floor groaning from the abuse.

Twilight winced, and turned to scold her friend, but stopped when she saw a mark on one of the door frames. “Could this be?” Leaning forward, twilight examined the mark. She has seen it before, in Zecora’s house to be precise. “This mark… Is the on one of Zecora’s books. This must have been the enchantress’s room.”

Pushing the door open, Twilight stepped lightly into the room. It was filled with book of all kind. The books teased her with knowledge she could not reach, as not a one was written in Equestrian. The mixture of Spanish and Zebra could be translated in time, but she had a limited amount of that.

The cauldron, crystal ball, small cages, masks on the wall, all sorts of things littering around the room promised her more accessible information. For Twilight it was a magical jackpot, she didn’t even know the name of this zebra, but she has become a fan.

On the other hoof, Rainbow couldn’t care less about it messy room with it’s tiny bed on one corner. Trotting back where the other doors were and looked around.

“Eenie meenie miney mo,” She said while pointing the doors with her hoof. She decided to go in direction of the door she pointed last, taking the lantern with her. It was a poor substitute for Twilight’s magic, casting harsh shadows, and doing little more that letting her see where she was stepping.

As she stepped through the chosen doorway, she almost stumbled with a chair concealed by the darkness. Shining the lamp around, she found the room different from the other. This one was very clean: a large wardrobe, a writing desk, a chair, a full body mirror, a bed, and a nightstand where the only things this bedroom had.

On the bed there was an old dusty sombrero that caught Dash’s attention. Setting the lantern on the desk, Dash picked it up, and blew the dust off it. Taking a look to her side, she spotted a picture frame on the nightstand, she took a look at it the best she could in the dim light. It was a black a white picture of a stallion, he appeared to be startled as if he wasn’t expecting somepony to take a picture. He had a long bushy mustache, and the same sombrero that she was now holding. Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but laugh at how silly the stallion looked.

“Oh poor guy, if that’s the best you could look I’d hate to see you in your worse. Who would ever frame this picture anyway?”Turning her back to the nightstand, she put the sombrero and put it on, and look herself on the mirror

“Nope, maybe Applejack would make it look good.” She giggled at her own reflection, and struck a silly pose. “Hold it right there partner!” She said, imitating a pony she remembered seeing in Appleloosa “You know who I am? I’m the toughest, roughest, mean ol’ mare who ever jumped a claim!”

“You shouldn’t have done that.” A voice came from the darkness of the room.

Rainbow squealed at the top of her lungs.

Twilight bolted out of the room she was in, and into the lantern lit room she’d heard Dash scream from. Charging into the room, she surged the magic on her horn till it lit up every corner of the room. She found Dash still gathering her senses, and a strange stallion in the room. He was a beige coated earth pony with a green outfit. Nothing about him seemed off, other than perhaps his fatigued eyes and the grin on his face.

“Who are you?” Asked the alicorn

“I’m the museum caretaker. Name’s Ben.” He introduced himself.

“And you just go around scaring ponies?” Rainbow asked.

“I didn’t try, I just told you: you shouldn’t have done that.”

Calming down from the scare, Twilight noticed the hat on her friend’s head. “What’s with that hat?”

“I was just playing,” She answered.

“That’s Mr. Zapata’s hat. He wore it every single day without miss, except the day he… Departed. And you just made him mad.”

His soft tranquil voice and placid grin gave Dash goosebumps. “Oh yeah? What are you going to do about it?” Dash said, steeling herself.

“Me? Nothing, but him… Well, let’s just say he’s a little short tempered.” The stallion winked. “Tomorrow, when the day of the dead begins, I’m sure he will pay you a visit. If I were you, I would apologize now.” Ben gave a polite bow to both mares, before turning towards the door. “If you’ll excuse me,” he said before leaving, with no further comments.

Dash laid the hat back on the bed with the flick of a wing. “Can we go now? These ponies are creeping me out.”

“Yeah, that was weird. Let’s get something to eat and call it a day.”

Doubling back through the house without pausing, they quickly found himself back in the lobby. The donkey bowed his head again as passed him. “Bye, thanks, see ya” The two said making their way to the door.

Safely back outside, Twilight took the map again. Thankfully, the restaurant Rosa suggested her before leaving was just a block over. Making a few notes, both mental and magical, Twilight lead the way to their meal.

The restaurant was full of ponies. A live band in the corner played for the crowd, while waitresses wove their way around tables with food on their backs; their long white and red dresses flickering behind them. It was a little louder than what they were used to for a dinner, but today was a day of new things. It looked more like a party than a restaurant, with colorful waitress that seemed to dance more than walk, and huge portions of food that filled the air with exotic scents.

When nopony came to seat them, they watched the flow of customers and wait staff. Ponies would rise from their table after finishing their meal, and new ponies would slid into their seats before the old dishes had been completely taken away. Seeing a couple stand up from their table near them, Dash and Twilight imitated what they had seen others do.

It didn’t take long for a waitress to leave two menus on the table. She even spoke Equestrian, asking what they wanted to drink. The accent was a bit thick, but Dash appreciated the effort. Leaving to fetch their drinks, she told them she would be right back to take their orders.

“Twilight, do you know what any of these are?” Rainbow asked when she didn’t understand what the menu said.

“Not really, the only thing I understand is tacos.”

“I’ll just pick whatever. Eenie meenie miney mo.” She used her hoof again to pick one of the things the menu offered. Meanwhile, Twilight tried to make out something on the menu, but had little luck with it.

“Can I take your order?” The waitress asked, sitting their drinks down.

“Oh… I want… Chiles Rellenos4?” Rainbow said trying her best to speak clearly.

“I’ll take… Enchiladas5.” Twilight said. The waitress wrote down their orders and left.

The band played some songs the Equestrian ponies have heard on their lives, probably because there were in Spanish. They had to admit it was a catchy sound, and couldn’t help but occasionally nod their heads in time with the music. Even if the hodgepodge of a violin, a trumpet, a guitar, looked strange, the music was undeniably festive.

The waitress returned shortly with their food, and carefully placed it on the table “That’s on the house. Enjoy,” she said before leaving to attend more ponies.

The two friends looked at their plates, not sure about what they had asked for.

“So, I asked for chiles with something in them. I mean, I got the chiles part, but… Whatever,” Rainbow said. She took a bite to the stuffed chile and chewed. There was no taste, only burning.

“Hot! So hot!” she gasped. Taking the drink she had been sipping on, she poured its content in her mouth. Catching her breath, Dash wiped the sweat that had formed on her face.

Twilight looked her food, looked harmless enough, three rolled tortillas covered in sauce and cream. But looking at her friend she knew she didn’t want to feel that pain. Levitating one of them, she gave it a small gentle bite. It was sort of spicy; a subtle warmth, not a burn. The combination of tomato and chilli made it a unique flavor.

“Goodness, this is delicious.”

“What? Gimme that!” Rainbow stole one of the enchiladas off Twilight’s place, and put it on her own. Taking a tentative bit, she quickly understood why was her friend reacting that way “Why didn’t I order that? Can I change the order? Miss! MIss!”

After a good meal, and lively music, the weight of their trip and the late evening began to write on them. Returning to their room for sleep started to sound like the best thing in the world. They had a lot planned for tomorrow, they’d need their rest to make the most of it.

Back in the room, Dash tucked herself into bed. Sleep came, but not as fast as she wanted. She just couldn’t escape the feeling that she was being watched by something.

Author's Note

My family went to Mexicolt, and the only thing they brought me was this damned T-shirt from Mexicolt. (A common joke on souvenirs)

Greetings, my name is Twilight Sparkle. Reserved room by two.

Desert Flower

Chiles stuffed with all sorts of food, each region has their own recipes. Most commonly they are filled with cheese and/or beef (Obviously there is no beef in Mexicolt's food), covered with egg batter. They also can be really hot when the cook wants to be a jerk.

Rolled tortilla on cheese or chicken covered with chilli paper and tomato sauce, some add grilled cheese on top of them or cream in order to make them less spicy.

Chapter 2

Just as the in the land of Equestria, dawn broke upon the land of Mexicolt. As the early ponies started going about their daily routine, the two friends were about to leave the hotel.

“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!” Rainbow Dash fluttered about, wearing the Daring Do costume she had made for last Nightmare Night. “I can’t believe we are actually going to the temple. Come on Twilight, move those legs!”

Twilight shook her head. “First, it’s called the Sun Pyramid, not The Temple.” Cinching her saddlebags, Twilight floated them onto her back. “Second, are you really going to wear that costume out?”

Landing near the door, Rainbow looked at the khaki shirt she wore. “What? it’s practical. The shirt will keep the sun off me, and it has lots pockets,” she said smiling as she pulled a bottle of water out of one of the mentioned pockets.

“And the hat?”

Dash knocked on the helmet with a hoof. “You said we were going to go off the trails. A pit helmet will keep loose rocks for hitting me in the head.”

“Pith, not pit” Twilight said opening the door. “They were originally made of... Oh never mind. Lets go get breakfast downstairs.”

“Buen día1, did you sleep well?” Flor greeted, from the room next to the lobby, where the breakfast was going to be served.

“Like a rock.” Said Rainbow.

“I must say, I didn’t expect you to be up this early.” The earth pony continued.

Twilight stepped into the room, and surveyed the breakfast offerings. “We are-”

“We are going to the Sun Pyramid where Daring Doo prevented Ahuizotl from making everlasting lunar eclipse with the golden skull.” Dash interrupted, butting past Twilight to take a bowl full of oatmeal.

Flor did not understood clearly what the pegasus said, but it was clear what their destination was. “Sounds fun, do you need any help with directions?”

Twilight nodded, floating a curious-looking dish of colorful vegetables, and sunny eggs over to a table. “Actually we do, could you mark the place on my map? The pyramid doesn’t appear here.” Setting her meal down, Twilight fished the map from her bag and hoofed it over to Flor.

“How weird, but don’t worry.” Flor took the map, and went to the front desk to get a quill and some ink “Here, just go across these hills. You can’t miss it.”

“Thanks,” Twilight said floating the map back to where she was eating. Mulling over the map once more, she added Flor’s mark to her guidance spell. “By the way, what is this place in gray? I can’t find a note, or anything that tells what it is.”

A quick look was all Flor needed to know what it was. “Oh, that’s the graveyard. You can stop by if you want to.”

“Err… No thanks.” Rainbow Dash downed the rest of her oats in one gulp, before trotting towards the door. “We gotta go. Move Twilight!”

Twilight sighed, and looked down at her half eaten meal. Shoveled a few last bites in her mouth, she made a mental note to try and make something like it at home. “Rainbow, maybe we should go there,” she said running to catch up with her friend.

“To a boring graveyard?” The pegasus rolled her eyes “Yeah, we should go to a boring graveyard instead of the amazing ruins that Daring Doo went to save the planet.”

"I don't know Rainbow. Maybe-”

Dash rolled her eyes in frustration. “Fine, we can go tomorrow. But right now, is Daring Doo time!” She said with an uncomfortable tone.

Twilight smiled and summoned up her magic to guide to the place Flor had marked on the map. The magic lead them through town, and onto a road leaving the city. One the edge of town, they found a procession of ponies leaving the city on a different path. They made an endless line from the city to somewhere over the hill. It was a colorful march, every pony seemed to be holding either something for a party, or a bundle of marigolds.

“Where are they going? Dash asked. “Looks like something Pinkie would organise.”

Twilight consulted her map. Finding the road they were on, she looked to the one the procession took. “That road leads to the graveyard... ”

Twilight and Dash shared an uneasy glance: that was a lot of ponies heading out the the cemetery. Curiosity sparked Twilight’s desire to see just what was going on over there; while Dash had all the more desire not to find out.

Leaving the city behind them, the walked up on of the many green rolling hills that encircled the city. The land here seemed to cradle the city, as if trying to shield it from some great disaster.

Their path finally brought them to the crest of the on the hill, rewarding their long hick with a breathtaking view. Below them sprawled a massive complex of ancient wonder. There was not just one pyramid-temple in this lush valley, but five. The Sun Pyramid dominated the center of the site, but it was only one piece of the complex. In front of the wonder, four smaller pyramids marked off a massive courtyard with wide stone paths the lead to the temple's stairs.

“That’s a lot of steps,” Dash said gawking at the view.

“Yeah, it is.” Twilight’s hooves hurt from just looking at legendary stairway to the sun.

The two fell silent as they watched a few ponies walking around the grounds and taking pictures. Not as many as they imagined there would be, but that was a good thing. No ponies meant no waiting in lines.

Dash spread her wings, and smiled as the mountain air ran through her feathers. “Good thing we have wings.”

Twilight perked up at the mention of wings. “Oh yeah! We do!”

Dash snickered, and kicked off into the air, Twilight followed right behind her. As they flew their way down the hill, they marveled at how something built so many years ago remained in such good condition. Lost in the beauty of the gardens that they didn’t noticed two pony guards that had flowen up, and placed themselves directly in their path.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?!” Rainbow Dash, barely managing to stop and hover before running over the guard.

The guard on the left cleared his throat “Sorry, ladies. If you want to go to the pyramid you gotta go on hoof.”

“Why can’t we fly there?” Twilight asked fluttering up next to Dash.

“It’s a tradition. When the aztec ponies built these ruins, they had to walk all the stairs to get to the top, no matter the race. It was a symbol of how all of us make our way to the the sun,” Explained the other guard.

“Wow, really?.” Twilight asked.

While Twilight loved to hear about ancient cultures and their beliefs. Rainbow Dash was not as enthusiastic. “Really... ”

Flapping their wings slowly, the both glided back to the ground. The guards gave them a bow of thanks. “If you have any questions, feel free to talk to any guard,” one of the said before turning to return to their posts.

Rainbow Dash raised her eyes looking at the structure, she didn’t remember it being so tall when they were flying, in fact it looked more like a mountain than a pyramid.

“Hey Twi, how many stairs are in total?” The pegasus asked nervously.

“Shoot! I knew I should have asked them that. Guess there’s only one way to find out.” Twilight winked to her friend in an effort to keep the good spirits.

Trotting across the courtyard, they gave a brief glance to the smaller pyramids surrounding them, but their goal was the Sun Pyramid itself. The stoped at its base. Taking time to catch their breath, and admire what they were about to climb.

A crooked grin formed on Rainbow’s muzzle. Twilight was about to ask what she was grinning about, when Dash answered the question for her.

“Race ya!” Dash said, bolting up the stairs.

The two ponies raced their way to the top of the pyramid where the entrance was waiting for them. Their hooves moved quickly from one step to the next, as if they were running for their lives from the evil King Sombra, or trying to catch up to a couch with four stallions pulling it.

The flight of stairs would be easy to run up; or so they thought. As the sun shone with all its might, their hooves started to move slower with every step. Twilight came to a gasping halt only a moments before Dash did. Looking back to see their progress, Twilight found they had only managed to get to the middle and they were both soaked in sweat..

Resuming their climb at a slower pace, Dash set one hoof down, then lifted another; over and over again. It’s like we are walking to the sun, Rainbow Dash thought. The stairway appeared to be endless, or maybe it was that her energy started to deplete. Suddenly, a shadow could be seen casting over the stairs: that only meant the end was neigh.

The top of the structure wasn’t different from the rest of it. But to them, it was the manifestation of the fruits of their labor. Climbing the last few steps to the top, the two looked around. The major difference up here was the imposing stone entrance to the inner temple, and a guard under a small greeting kiosk. Some other tourist ponies, who already made their way there, were taking picture of the scenery around, some others were sitting on the ground taking their breath back.

“Finally!” Dash shouted, when she had all four hooves on the landing.

“And that’s the last one. There are a total of 860 stairs2,” Twilight said.

“Really? They seemed a lot more. Anyway, let’s get in. I can’t wait to see the tomb of the aztec king!”

“Rainbow, is not like in the books. A. K. Yearling may have changed some stuff to make the stories more interesting for the readers.”

“They weren’t in my book” Said Rainbow Dash with a smirk on her face. Twilight ignored the comment and continued towards the entrance.

As they approached the guard, who remained motionlessly on his spot, Twilight got her Spanish dictionary from her saddlebag and opened it. She was determined to at least once say something correctly in the foreign language.

“Disculpa,” She said “Nosotros querer dentro de piramide.3”

“Ustedes ¿Qué?4” The stallion asked with a surprised look.

“Enough of that,” Rainbow Dash said pushing past Twilight. “Hey buddy, can we get inside of that thing?”

“Oh, equestrianas,” The stallion clear his throat to speak clearly “Sorry, girls. Because of preservation reasons, the inside of the pyramid is for authorized ponies only.”

Twilight’s face frowned, she could always read about all the information of the inside of the ruins in any book, but there was something about being there and see it with her own eyes that books could never match.

Rainbow Dash glared at her friend, before flashing a mischievous grin. Stepping closer to Twilight, in a swift motion Dash flared her wings, and pointed at her friend. “Look! Is Princess Twilight Sparkle!” Rainbow yelled.

Everypony turned their attention to the pair, the lowered their heads and bowed before her, even the guards stepped out from his post to show their respect to the princess.

“Dang it, Rainbow! I told you not to do that!”

“Say that again when we are inside of the place.”

A unicorn appeared from around a corner they hadn’t noticed, his outfit seemed similar to the one Daring Doo is portrait as, like the rest of the ponies he took a bow.

“Princess Twilight, is a pleasure to have you here,” He announced in an eloquent voice “My name is Hoofington, I’m a professor from Manehattan museum and leader of the investigation of the pyramid. If you wish to I can guide you to the inside of these ruins.”

Twilight Sparkle put her hoof on her mouth and thought. She did not want to abuse of her influence as princess, but this might be the only time she could have to view it’s interior “I accept your invitation.” She said.

The guard opened the door, letting the princess in, but when Rainbow tried to get in her path was blocked once again.

“Hey! Now what?”

“Sorry, Dr. Hoofington invited the princess only.”

Twilight giggled before she interfere for her friend “It’s okay, she’s my personal guard.” The guard nodded to Dash, and moved quickly out of her way.

The place was filled with darkness. If it wasn’t for the light of the unicorn’s magic, they wouldn’t be able to see their way in. Dr. Hoofington gave them a lecture about the aztec ponies culture and history. But only Twilight was paying any attention to him. Rainbow kept darting around looking at every single thing in awe. The pegasus was trying to find the hoofsteps of her heroine, or at least find the places portrayed on the books, however, she couldn’t find anything as she remembered.

“Hey! Where are the golden statues, and the spears, and the dead traps.” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

“All the artifacts are in the museum being examined or displayed. Now as I was saying…” Hoofington was about to resume his lecture.

“Hey, why is it called the Sun Pyramid and not include Princess Celestia anywhere?” She asked further.

“Well, the ponies who lived here never knew or heard of Princess Celestia until the Equestrian Crusade. These ponies believed that the Sun and the Moon were moved by their gods Huitzilopochtli and Coyolxauhqui. This temple was to honor their Sun god.” The pony clear his throat before going on another lecture about Mexicolt history.

Rainbow Dash had her question answered and felt there was no need for the other pony to stay with them any longer “Alrighty, doc. I guess is time for you to move on.” She said while pushing the pony to the entrance.

“Huh? Why?”

“The princess… The princess…” She bit her lip, thinking of something to say “Needs to… Meditate… Yes!... She needs to meditate and connect with the rest spirits and all that.”

“Can she do that? Hey, what about you?”

“Royal guard, remember? Now go!” She threw the pony to the outside, when the guards her heard they immediately sealed the door letting the two of them have the privacy they wanted.

“Every time I think you can’t go any lower on my expectations, you show me you can.” Twilight Sparkle scolded.

“Well, we can’t reenact the scenes from the book with that professor walking around.” Rainbow Dash reached her saddlebag, from it she took sets of costumes she prepared for that occasion: A regular Daring Doo costume, another one though this one had some aesthetics scratches to make it look fearsome, a generic temple guard set, and a dark robe.

“Did… Did you bring these for this trip?”

“Yup, and also this.” She held a shiny camera, it had a label attached to it that reads Property of Rarity. Rainbow Dash, keep your hooves off!.

Twilight wanted to scold her friend as she had never done before, for taking advantage of every single thing she could; however she couldn’t hide her enthusiasm. Just as her friend she always dreamed to go on an adventure with Daring Doo, and this was the closest thing to that.

“Alright, just this once I’m going to let you get away with this… But only if I’m Daring Doo first.”

“Deal!”

The two of them started their private photo session, taking posses from their favorite moments in the books. They switched roles each time to let the other have her moment on the spotlight. As the free space in Rarity’s camera reached it’s limits, they begin to feel like they had been there for too long. With no windows or open doors, they have no idea what time of the day it was. After packing everything up, they decided to go outside to see what was happening.

As the door opened with Twilight’s magic, they expect the light of the sun to blind them. But they were surprised instead to be greeted by the night covering the sky. Stepping outside, the realized they were utterly alone. There were no ponies around anymore, not even the guards.

“How long were we inside?” Asked Rainbow

“I don’t know. Maybe we over did it. We should get back to the hotel.” Twilight suggested.

With nopony around to say otherwise, they spread their wings, and took a flight back to town. The streets below them were completely barren. Not a hoof step, nor a voice could be heard, only the noise of crickets and the wind in the trees.

The gloom and silence, was starting to unnerve Twilight. She found humming just to fill the silence. “Giggle at the ghosties... ” she sang to herself.

‘You say something, Twi?” Dash asked with an uneasy tone.

“No, just- Hey, what's that?” Twilight pointing to a glimpse of light that caught Twilight’s eye. “Look, there’s light coming from the graveyard.”

“I really don’t wanna go to the graveyard right now. I just wanna lay on the bed and eat something I can actually pronounce.”

Twilight thought about convincing her friend to find out what was there, but she too felt tired as well. Taking pictures for hours, debating about inconsistencies on the books, and just looking around the ruins had drained her out.

Skipping what ever festival was in the graveyard, they arrived the town only to find a similar scenery like the one at the pyramids. A deserted city with no light, no ponies, and no sound. The doors at the hotel were closed, and so was every house and store they could lie eyes on.

“What is going on?!” The pegasus protested.

“I don’t know. Something really weird is happening,” Twilight said, looking around in confusion. By the corner of the street, she saw the silhouette of a pony walking

“Wait!... Espera!” She yelled as she trotted as quick as her hooves allowed, trying to catch up with the pony.

Rainbow Dash followed her, keeping an eye open to try and spot somepony else.

The pony seemed to make a game of dodging their pursuit; turning at every corner, and somehow speed up every time they began to gain. Dash and Twilight, strained their eyes in the dim light to see the pony better. But whenever the moonlight was close to revealing the pony, a shadow appeared, returning the pony to the gloom. Twilight, tried her best to talk to the pony, asking it to stop, but no matter how much she pleaded, the pony never turned back.

Turning yet another corner, the chase lead the ponies into the main plaza. However it seemed like the pony had gotten away.

“Okay, this place just keep going creepier. Whaddaya say we buck the hotel doors open, get in our room, and call it a day?” Rainbow suggested.

“I don’t know what else to-”

The crack of pistol fire and a laughter interrupted Twilight.

Frightened, they crouched and looked around; trying to find the source of the noise, only to find that the plaza was just as empty as the rest of the town. Movement caught Rainbow’s attention. Looking to the roof of a near by building, she saw a familiar figure standing on it: a white stallion, with a long bushy mustache, and the sombrero she worn the day before.

“This… This can’t be.” She mumbled to herself.

“Oye! Morrita colorida. Ya supe que te andas burlando de mí. A ver si te sigues riendo!5” The stallion said while he laughed and fired a couple more rounds from his ghostly guns into the night.

Jumping from the roof, a white vapor trailed him as he fell. Despite the two story fall, he landed as if having only taken a step. Pausing only to give Dash a crooked smile, he fired his guns once more into the air before walking toward the girls.

Rainbow Dash was frozen in place, her bones quivered at the ghastly image right before her eyes.

“Come on, Rainbow! We gotta move!” Twilight used her magic to tug at her friend. Thankfully, that was enough to snap her friend out of her state.

Their saddlebags fell to the ground as the two of them darted to the sky. There was a measure of safety in knowing that an earth pony could not harm them into the clouds: but when they looked, back they saw the ghost following them closely.

“That thing can fly?!” Rainbow asked.

“How should I know? I’ve never seen a ghost before.”

Diving into the clouds, they tried to evade the specter. But for all their struggle, the ghost kept up with them as if it were a casual thing; his laughter always just behind them.

“I got an idea,” Rainbow Dash said “Follow me!”

Twilight followed her friend down, back toward the city. Nearing the buildings around the main plaza, Twilight understood what Dash was thinking. Rainbow had invented a little a little escape maneuver a while back---when Twilight was chasing after her for snatching one of her books before the release date. They will go through some narrow alleyways as fast as they could, and ducking around a blind corner, they would go as high as possible. The pursuer would assume that had kept going forward, and pass them by.

Following their strategy, they soon found themselves watching the ghost fly under and away from them. With gentle wing beats, they landed on the roof of one of the houses, keeping an eye on the ground in case the ghost came again.

“It’s true! It’s all true!” Dash panicked “The day of the dead. They took everypony away! We are doomed!”

“Snap out of it!” Twilight yelled “We just need to find everypony else and see what’s going on.”

“Why do I feel so chilly all of the sudden?” Asked Rainbow, as a chill ran through her spine.

Twilight shivered as she too felt the odd chil. Instinct told them both to look behind them. Turning there was a mare ghost just a hoof span away, waving at them.

“Hola ¿Les puedo ayudar en algo?6”

The ponies yelled from the bottom of their lungs.

Jumping off the roof, the flew as quick as their wings would carry them. A moment later they found themselves catching their breath in the plaza. It was just a void of ponies as in had been a moment ago. Except now there were hundreds of ghosts walked around the place as if they were regular ponies, minding their business in a surreal echo of what they had done in their living bodies.

Rainbow and Twilight hugged each other, tighter than they have done before. The image before them was the scariest thing they have seen.

“Oye!” The ghost of a young stallion called to his friend “Mira eso ¿Qué onda con esas chavas? Andan temblando de miedo.7”

The other ghost squeezed his eyes trying to identify the girls “Nunca las habia visto. Parecen equestrianas.8”

Realizing the girls were from the north, an idea sprung in the young ghost mind’s “¿Qué dices? ¿Nos divertimos un rato?9”

One of the ghosts staggered towards them;, waving his legs around and raising them to the air trying to be scary. “What a nice body,” He said in his best wobbling ‘ghost-voice’. “I think I’m going to posses it!”

The girls yelled in fear once again. They tried to run the other way, but they were quickly stopped by another ghost.

“You cannot escape.” The other ghost said, imitated his friend’s silly voice.

“To the sky!” Rainbow Dash shouted, taking off to the sky once again, Twilight following her closely.

These ghosts did not chase after them like the the first one did. Instead they remained on the ground, and only watched them leave with mild interest. They thought it was odd, but it was better than having some specter coming after them.

Landing on a cloud, that tried gathering their wits again. They had just calmed their breath, when a new voice chirped out behind them.

“Cuantos colores ¿Quién te pinto tu melena?10” A small pegasus filly ghost asked touching some of Rainbow’s hairs.

This time they only slinked away from the ghost a few paces, Watching her with a cautious eye. Weather they were starting to get used to this, or they were just too tired to scream and run, neither knew.

“There!” Twilight pointing to the balcony of a house that had it’s windows closed.

From the balcony, they could see almost every street around the plaza and the ghosts walking them. The doors closed and high perch offered them a place no one could sneak up on.

“Okay… It’s gonna be okay.” The alicorn tried to remain calm.

“Okay? Those ghost want to posses our bodies! No wonder no pony’s around.”

“We just need to stay away from them until morning.”

“Morning? How do you know that?”

“In the time we’ve been here, everypony has said that the dead come in the night, and we didn’t see any ghost during the day. My guess is that they go away when the sun comes.”

“Alright, alright. And how exactly are you planning on doing that?”

Their conversation was interrupted by a humming sound beside them. Turning to see what the noise was, they found a ghost pony leaning against the balcony railing. He had a rose between his teeth, looking at Twilight with a sly smile.

“Hola lindura. Me llamo Potrillo Fernandez ¿Y tú?11” He said.

Pressing themselves against the locked door, they both looked frantically for a better hiding place.

“Can you teleport us in our hotel room?” Rainbow Dash asked

“I can’t, the buildings have anti-thievery spells that prevent ponies to just go inside. Even if I tried to-”

Twilight’s words were cut off by a familiar laugh and gun shots.

“Zapata’s ghost!” They yelled pointing at the ghost in the distance looking at them.

“Let’s do the thing again.” Rainbow suggested, flying to the buildings. However, she was quickly stopped by the other ghosts they saw.

“Found you!” One of the ghosts from earlier said. His wings stopped flapping and he floated to the ground.

“There’s no where to go.” The other one continued.

Twilight’s horn instantly illuminated, casting a shield bubble around them. However, the spell didn’t work against ghosts as their pursuers walked through the bubble without pause. Shrinking into a corner, the two braced themselves for the inevitable.

“Twilight?” Rainbow said.

“Yes?”

“I… I…” She took a deep breath before she continued “Applejack is stronger than me. I always loved Pinkie Pie’s pies even though I always say I didn’t, I actually loved the butterfly thing with Fluttershy, every night I put on one of Rarity’s dresses and wear it until I go to sleep, AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT YOU WERE THE MOST AWESOME PONY IN ALL OF EQUESTRIA!”

Twilight hugged her friend. She respected her for being completely honest with her, even though until the last moment.

The ghosts were so near to them that they could almost touch them. Then a voice in the distance took their attention. It was familiar voice, a voice they were so happy to hear.

“¿Qué está pasando aquí?” It was Flor del Desierto, she saw on the street below, looking up at the scene. “Debería de darles vergüenza, por eso a los turistas les da miedo venir. Vayanse de aqui antes de que le hable a los cazafantasmas.12”

The ghosts evaporated immediately hearing the pony’s threat. The friends, who still hugged each other tight, looked around to see that the ghosts that had been harassing them gone.

“I’m sorry about that. Are you okay, girls?” Flor asked from the street below.

“Huh?! What? How? What?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t process what just happened.

“How did you do that?” Twilight inquired.

“What? Making them go? They are friendly ghosts actually, they just like to prank new folks.”

“But they tried to shoot us, and posses us.” Rainbow Dash protested.

“Posses?” Flor giggled. “Oh silly, they can’t possess or harm you. Look.” She raised her hoof and tried to touching a ghost pony who was passing by, the hoof went across it as if it was touching smoke “See? They can’t do anything but scare you.”

The ponies finally let each other go. Having a familiar and non scary pony around made them feel safe enough to be on their own again.

“Thanks Flor,” Twilight said giving her a bow.

“So, where’s everypony hiding?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Hiding?” Flor raised an eyebrow “They are not hiding, they are celebrating at the graveyard… You do know what Dia de los Muertos is, right?”

The two ponies remained silent and looked away.

“Follow me, girls. There’s a lot to explain.”

Flor guided them to the top of a hill outskirts of the city, from there they could see all of Mexicolt’s graveyard. They were surprised when instead of looking at some gloomy, dark, creepy place filled with tombstones, they saw all sorts of decorations, lights illuminating everything. Bands played in every corner, food, fillies and foals playing around. It was a festival, looking more like a harvest celebration, than something belonging in a graveyard.

“Why…?” Rainbow Dash couldn’t finish her question.

“The ancient cultures that lived here thousands of years ago, believed that in this day the dead come from their graves to visit their families.” Flor stopped for a moment and pointed to a nearby table loaded with candles and food. “They welcomed them by building altars, offering their favorite food and drinks, cleaning up their graves, and spending time with them.

“We understand things better now; but it is still a magic day, and we still believe in remembering and honoring them in this special day. We spend time with our families, bring food, and have a great time with those we love.”

“But if you want to honor them, why do you make a huge party over their grave? Isn’t that a bit disrespectful?” Twilight asked.

“We don’t celebrate the fact that they are gone. We want to remember them as how the lived, instead of how they left,” She put her hoof on her mouth, remembering something somepony close asked her once “Here’s a question: If you die, how would you like your friends to react? Would you rather see them crying all the time, or would your prefer to see them happy and just the way you remember them?”

“So, all the ghosts back in the city… Are the ponies buried here?” The pegasus inquired.

“No, those are lingering spirits with unfinished business. They are around all the time, but on this day they can materialize and we can actually see them. Like I said, it is a magical day---we just understand it better.”

The equestrian ponies looked at the festival in a new light. They were amazed at the idea. The place ponies tend to avoid at all cost, the creepiest thing in the world, was now the center of a big party. Ponies of all ages having a fun time and remembering those no longer with them.

“So,” Flor continued. “I know you don’t have deceased loved ones here. But you can join me and my family if you want to.” She smiled.

Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof with the other. “I don’t know... ”

“If you change your mind, we are on that tombstone over there. I’ll be waiting.” She smiled once again before leaving them there.

They stayed on the top of the hill for a moment, looking around the graveyard. Below them, everypony had a smile on their faces. Some having fun, and some standing silent next to the graves.

“So, shall we go?” Twilight asked.

“Okay,” Said Rainbow “I guess it can’t be worst than the ghosts.”

“Oh, and Twilight…”

“Yes?”

“If you ever tell somepony what I told you… I will destroy you.”

“But I am so awesome,” Twilight raised a hoof over her head dramatically, just like Rarity “I could be silent about it, if you show me that dress of yours.”

“I hate you.”

Author's Note

Good morning.

The actual sun pyramid is about 260 stairs. I exagerated it because that amount wouldn't be hard for a horse to take.

Excuse me, we want inside the pyramid.

You, what?

Hey, colorful girl. I know you were making fun of me. Let's see if you keep laughing!

Hello, can I help you?

Hey! Look at that. What's up with those girls? They are shaking in fear.

I've never seen them before. They seem to be equestrians.

What do you say? Should we have a little fun?

So many colors, who dyed your mane?

Hello beautiful. My name is Potrillo Fernandez, and yours?

What is going on here? You should be ashamed of yourselves, this is why turist are too scared to come. Get out of here, before I call the ghostbusters.

Chapter 3

The festival went on into the late hours of the night. Food, games, and tons of music dazzled Twilight Sparkle. She was quickly recognized as a princess much to her chagrin. However she chame to enjoy the attention as the locals made it a point to introduce her to every facet of their celebration⸺treating her more like visiting family, than royalty.

Ponies asked her to participate in as many activities as possible. The first a dart shooting contest where she had to use her hooves to shoot darts to balloons placed at a wall. In her nine tries she wasn’t even close to pop one of them, but the ponies cheered with every try.

The crowd then took her to some fair rides that had been set up in a clearing. There was one called the “Corona”, that she was directed to. It was a big circular contraption, with seats around the edge of the ring. She didn’t know what exactly what he ride did, but it seemed vaguly similar to a ferris wheel laid on its side.

Sitting in one of the little booths, she strapped herself in. As soon as she and a few other ponies were secure, the great wheel started to spin. First it was soft, strolling the alicorn around, letting her see the festivities around her as she passed. Then it started to speed up. In her head, she knew that the centripetal force was keeping her safely in the seat, but she was still very thankful for the safety belt.

The wheel spun faster with every turn. Twilight had never gone so far before, not even when the fate of Equestria depended on her. After a couple of minutes the ride was over, and Twilight was as white as the ghosts in the town. The ponies once again cheered for the princess as she stumbled off the platform, but she didn’t answered back this time. Instead focusing on not throwing up in front of them.

Twilight then was taken to a dance floor where many ponies had gathered. She didn’t know how to dance, let alone the kind of dance these ponies were doing—but she didn’t care how silly she looked trying. No different than at one of Pinkie’s parties, she relaxed and let herself be moved as the rhythm directed. The locals found her style of dance odd, but no one laughed at her. A few brave stallions even joined her in dance for a moment or two.

While Twilight partied with the locals, Rainbow Dash looked for something to eat. There were several large table brimming with all sorts of delicacies. She tried something called tamales; it was good, if not a little spicier than she normally liked.

“Looking for something?” A small filly asked her.

“I was looking for something sweet to eat.” Rainbow responded.

“Here, try this.” The filly gave her a white skull with pink and blue lines decorated with very small flowers.

“Whoa! No offense kid, but I’m not a cannibal.”

The little pony looked at her strange. “Cannibal?” The filly looked back to the candy in her hoofe. “Oh, you mean…” She snickered. “No, no, no, this is a sugar skull. It’s good,” she said before taking a bite out of it. Flecks of the skull crumbled to the ground as the sweet treat crushed between the filly’s teeth.

The filly offered the rest of the skull to Rainbow Dash. She knew it wasn’t a real skull, but the idea of eating something like that still made her hesitate. After a second, she gave in. Taking the skull, she gave it a nibble. Contrary to her anticipation, she actually liked the sugar skull. As it’s name implied, it was mostly made out of sugar and honey, with a intricate floral decoration made out of a kind of hard icing.

“Nice, thanks kid.” Said Rainbow Dash now with a mouthful of candy.

The filly smiled back, then turned to rejoin her friend, who were calling for her.

Again alone, Dash looked around for a moment. Flor, and her relatives were all talking amongst themselves, following Twilight as she sampled all the festival’s activities. If there’s something Rainbow Dash hated more than waiting, it was being alone. She taped her hooves as her impatience took over her.

“I guess I can go to the dance floor,” She thought. Turning her head towards the bustling dance floor, she watched them for a moment. She shook her head to clear the image of herself dance from her mind “Nope! What am I thinking? I don’t dance. Ugh, I’m so bored... Screw it, I’m heading back to the hotel.”

Rainbow Dash stood up from her chair, as no pony was paying attention to her she didn’t try to hide her intention to leave. Trotting between the gravestones, she passing several tables and families celebrating the holiday. After meandering through the maze of memorials, she came in to a conclusion: she was lost. She hadn’t notice before, but the graveyard was huge, and the festival made it even harder to tell which way was an exit and which was a maze to another section of the place.

“This is why I love wings.” She said to herself as she spread her pair of wings.

Unfolding her winge, Dash crouched to leap into the air. Taking on last took around, she made sure there was nothing near by that would be a flying hazard. He wings wilted when she noticed a nearby family. A pink coated filly stood next to a grave. The festival lights colored her white mane every shade of the rainbow. Next to her was a dark red stallion; their casual closeness, and similar muzzles, told Rainbow he was her father. They were speaking to the grave as if it would answer back; laughing and talk like they would with a pony.

Dash’s stomach lurched. It was all she could do to just sit down. Limp winged, and trembling face, she tried to repress the old memory.

“Miss Dash, are you okay?” A familiar voice asked, snapping her partly from her stupor.

Rainbow wiped the tear from her eye, before looking towards the voice. Spotting Flor next to her, she forced her best smile. “Oh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Flor asked, noticing the filly and her father.

“Of course. I… I just got something in my eye.”

Flor smiled softly “You know them?”

“Huh? No. I don’t know any pony here. I’ve never been here before,” Rainbow Dash said, unable to look away from the filly and her father. The old memories once again haunted her, forcing her to speak.

“Wh- Who are they?” She asked.

“Her name is Paprika, her father there, is Clavo. Her mother’s was Canela.” Flor answered.

“What happened to her?”

Flor looked towards the family. “She was very sick. A strange illness nopony knew about. Despite the doctor’s efforts, they were unable to find a cure. She passed away the last summer,” she said with a sad smile.

Rainbow Dash’s empathy ran deep for the little filly. A part of her want to run over and give her a hug, even though they were total strangers. Then, she focused on the big smile on both her and her father.

“But, why are they so… Happy?” She asked.

“They moved on. Thankfully, they have left the bitterness of the departure behind, they visit Canela’s grave every now and then, and speak to her.”

Dash lowered her head, her eyes went empty, she was lost on millions of thoughts, images of the past, regrets, and wishes.

“What is wrong?” Flor asked.

“It’s just…” She stopped, lowering her head and closed her eyes. Speaking her mind was normally second nature to Dasb, but her own emotions were another thing..

Flor could feel the weight on Rainbow’s mind. She know there was something she need to talk about. Giving her a little nudge, she guided her over to a quieter corner of the cemetery. “It’s okay. I promise whatever you tell me will stay a secret.”.

“You know, I never told anypony about this. Not even my dad.” Dash said.

Flor nodded “Sometimes we just need to get off of our baggage,” Flor said resting a hoof on Das’s withers. “What was she like?”

“Huh?” Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Your mom, what was she like?”

“How did you know?”

“The way you looked at Paprika and Clavo, kinda gave it away.”

Rainbow Dash’s attention turned from the ground, to the sky as memories of her mother returned to her. “She was the best. No matter how bad things were, she always smiled. If I had a bad day at school, or just felt sad, she would took me in her wings and preened me.”

Silence fell over them as Rainbow let the tender moment replay in her mind. Flor stood quiet, her hoof still resting on Dash. After a moment, her wistful expression jerked into a half smile, as a another memory came to mind. “She was also the fastest pony I know. You should’ve seen her, the only thing you could see when she flew was a pink and blue flash.” Before she continued, she snorted “I the only thing she couldn’t do was cook; it’s one of the few things we have in common.” The snort rolled into a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Flor asked.

“One Mother’s Day, Dad had to leave early for work. I decided to make breakfast for Mom, and bring her to her bed. Waffles and fresh squeezed orange juice; nothing really hard, right? Well, turns out the waffle machine was more complicated than it looked. I ended up burning all the waffles, and the orange juice had seeds in it... and probably some hair too.” Dash stopped, her laughed diminished into a smile. “She still ate them. I told her not to, but she ate them all. Then she cleaned up the mess I left on the kitchen… and she didn’t even get mad.”

Flor smiled. “That’s a mom’s job, I guess.”

“But then, She… She-” Dash’s happiness disappeared, her smile now sobs, and eyes glistening with tears.

“When was the last time you went to see your mother?” Flor interrupted.

“Not since right after.” Rainbow said between sobs.

“It’s funny actually,” Flor said with a soft chuckle. “Don’t take it wrong, I know letting go is hard… I know by first hoof it is. But sometimes we don’t let go and make ourselves sadder.”

“What do you mean?”

“Just a couple of minutes ago you were laughing. You remembered the good times with your mother, and for a brief moment you were happy. Then you remembered her last moments, and that happiness went to nothing. If you keep focusing on those bad aspects, you won’t let yourself be.”

“But…” Rainbow Dash tried to say something, but couldn’t form a thought.

Flor again stroked Rainbow’s withers. “There was an old belief here. Ponies say that the more we cry for those who left, the more we tied them to this world, preventing them from resting in peace.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Do what your mother would want you to do: live your life. Be happy of where you are, and most importantly, who you are.”

Flor’s words echoed in Dash’s head. Images of her mother flashed in her mind: the first time she flew, her mother cleaning her wounds, those cold nights when her parents hugged her in their wings to keep her warm, the look on her mother’s face whenever she was going to fly. She felt a warm feeling in her chest, a feeling she thought it was long forgotten.

Taking a deep breath, she wrestled with the wild emotions in her heart and mind. Finally a weak smirk showed in the blue pony’s face “Thanks, Flor,” she said, tackling Flor with her forelegs and wings, embracing the earthpony with hug.

It was the morning of their last day in the city, the equestrian ponies only had a few of days off, and the trip alone had eaten much of it.

The locals were started the labors of cleaning up the town from the celebration in the late morning, when the foreign ponies came down from their room with their luggage. The lobby looked just like it did when they first came, however there was something missing: Flor was nowhere to be seen. Instead there was another earthpony in her place, a brown mare sitting on the front desk. Turning in their keys, and signing the final receipt, curiosity got the better of Twilight..

“Disculpa ¿Donde estar…?” Twilight asked, but she couldn’t try her Spanish any further over the hoof Rainbow Dash put on her mouth.

“We saw how that went,” Dash said to Twilight, before looking to the desk clerk. “Where’s Flor?”

“She left this morning, she went to visit her daughter.” The pony answered.

“Weird, I thought her whole family was yesterday in the graveyard.” Twilight Sparkle muttered.

“Her family is in another town. She spent last night with some friends,” The pony said, before her look of confusion faded to sympathy. “You… You don’t know, do you?”

The two friends looked strangely to the pony in front of them until she continued

“Her daughter passed away, she is buried in their home town.”

“Why… Why does she work here then?” Twilight asked.

“This hotel was inherited to her, it became her only way of income. However, she wanted her daughter to be buried where all her family is.”

Rainbow Dash shook her head, her heart heavy for her new friend. “Why did she stay? Why didn’t she go to see her daughter last night?”

“I asked her the same thing yesterday,” The pony stated. “She said that some ponies might needed her help, and that she wanted to be there if needed.”

Flor’s words from last night echoed into the pegasus mind, “That’s a moms job. I guess.”

Rainbow Dash smiled softly “Thanks.” She said, turning around, and heading to the main door.

“Poor Flor.” Said Twilight, following her friend with her face down.

“Don’t worry, I know she’s fine.” Said Rainbow Dash keeping her head up.

“Anyway, we gotta buy some souvenirs before we leave. Pinkie made it clear that we would regret if we didn’t bring her something.“

The long trip back home was, again, a torture for the pegasus, and for Twilight, it was an opportunity to catch up with the books she wanted to read. A day and a half later, they arrived at the Ponyville train station, where a large crowd awaited. When the doors opened, Twilight and Dash stepped out to the embrace of their friends.

“Hey, Twi, Dash, how was the trip?” Asked Applejack.

“Did you see many animals? What were they like?” Fluttershy asked them.

“Did you miss me?” Pinkie Pie jumped from behind the crowd and disappeared. “I missed you.” She appeared again behind Applejack with a swift move disappeared again. “What did you bring me?” She appeared once again, now behind Twilight.

More and more ponies gathered around them asking dozens of questions at once. Twilight was more than happy to answer them, but Rainbow look around very anxiously.

“Sorry guys, catch up would be for later. See ya!” She flew high up to the sky, leaving her friends behind.

“Rainbow Dash! Give me my camera back in this instant!” Rarity yelled from the crowd.

Rainbow Dash flew for a moment until she found her destination, one of the most barren places in all of Ponyville, if not in all of Equestria. Rainbow approached a specific area of the graveyard with a large cloud shape gate. She opened the gate and slowly walked to the right section of it. She was surprised that she remembered the way after so many years. She stopped when she found the stone she was looking for.

She bit her lip for a moment, staring at the stone and the words, “Here lies Firefly. Beloved wife and mother.” She took a deep breath, and in an almost unhearable voice she said.

“Hi mom.”

Author's Note

I enjoyed writing this story. Writing about my own culture and seeing people enjoying to know more about it made me feel unbelievably. And of cours I thank Rocinante for inspiring to write it.
I wish the staff of MLP try to do something like this in the next seasons.

I may keep writing things like this in the future.

Thank all of you for reading.