Funeral for a friend.

chapter five.

   Meeting the gang at the park.

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy where all at the park when Sunset and the three girls showed up. As they entered the park Sweetie Belle looked up at Sunset and asked.

“Can we go play on the swings Sunset please can we please?”

She looked down at her warmly and nodded saying.

“Of course you can but please no jumping off the swings this time ok i don’t want to clean any sprained ankles or busted legs alright”

“Woohoo Sunset you’r the best babysitter EVER!”

The three of them Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom all raced over to a large metal set of swings and began to play on them. As they did this Sunset heard a kindly familiar voice calling to her from behind her.

“YO! Sunset over here!” It was Rainbow dash who was calling to her.

She was wearing her usual trademark spandex shorts, knee high black and white shoes a blue and pink shirt with a dark blue vest. Sunset turned and saw that she was holding a football in her hands.

“So you wanna play some old “kick the ball”? asked Rainbow as she handed the brown egg shaped like thing over to Sunset.

Sunset wasn’t exactly dressed for that type of rough and tumble game so she respectfully declined. Much to the disappointment of Rainbow Dash who half heartedly frowned but also smiled when she saw the kids.

“Are the others here as well?” Asked Sunset.

“Some of us are, you know Sci-twi can’t resist a good book and there is a new book store opening in the city so she is there with Applejack” replied Rainbow Dash.

“Ah yes bookstores do hold some odd fascination for her don’t they?”  Sunset replied warmly.

“Yeah they do. So umm what brings the four of you to the park today? I thought you were going to be doing some homework or something?”

Sunset smiled and simply pointed over in the direction of the three youngsters playing and whooping it up on the swing set.

“Oh.” Was all that Rainbow Dash said with a sheepish grin on her face.

It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the girls must have driven Rarity nuts yet again. Sunset looked around and saw that Pinkie Pie was coming down a dirt path that led to the swings. She was in full smiles and giggles mode. This could only mean that she was either planning a really big party and couldn’t wait to tell anyone about it. Or it meant that she was about to pull one of her pinkie pranks on one or all of them. Pinkie made her way down the dirt path and up to the two of them looking over at the girls excitedly slightly bobbing up and down.

“You guys know what time it is?” Asked Pinkie who could barely contain her laughter.

Sunset and Rainbow dash booth looked at each other with inquisitively blank looks and shrugged their shoulders in response.

“It’s time to get THIS party started” she replied. Pinkie raised both arms high into the air and suddenly there was a loud noise.

BOOM

From out of nowhere came the loud boom of her famous party canons spraying confetti all over the three of them. Pinkie just grinned from ear to ear at the sight of her two friends covered from head to toe in all sorts of colored confetti. Sunset was not amused. Rainbow on the other hand still had a bit of blank look on her face and the three girls were laughing and rolling in the sand when they saw what had made the loud noise.

“Thanks, Thanks alot Pinkie now I have to wash and comb this stuff out of my hair and clothing thank you so very much!”. said Sunset trying not to show how annoyed she was with Pinkie for doing this.

Rainbow just burst out laughing and completely fell over rolling on the ground at the sight of Sunset covered in confetti.

“I’m glad you liked it Sunset there is way more where that came from” replied Pinkie Pie.

“Look you two stay here keep an eye on the girls while I go and clean up I will be back in a few minutes ok?” Sunset said as she started to head towards the bathrooms.

The two of them nodded and continued to smirk and laugh while Sunset walked up the path a bit and went into the bathroom to clean up. Looking at herself in the mirror she was completely covered from head to toe in all sorts of torn colors of paper. When she finally got a good look at what had caused Rainbow and Pinkie to laugh themselves silly she too couldn’t help it and burst out laughing. She reached into the inside of her coat gently pulling out a black plastic comb which she then used to comb the paper pieces of confetti out of her hair. Still halfway laughing at what she saw in the mirror. She thinking to herself that it was good to have such good friends such as Pinkie Pie and Rainbow dash. Sunset laid a hand over the spot where her cutie mark was and prayed that she could somehow muster the strength to tell them about it. But, for now she was just happy to have them as good friends and to be able to spend time with them. Time that she knew all too well was vastly running out. Seeing that mark appeare to her last night made her realize just how precious life was. And how important it was to spend what time you had with your friends. For Sunset knew she might not be able to so much longer; not if the prophecy of her birth was going to come true. She already knew far too well that there was no chance of stopping Tearagon from coming here. He was absolute EVIL. There were other’s like him, yet they all failed in comparison too him. Nothing could measure up to his sort of evil. This alone was enough to frighten Sunset into wanting to hang out with her friends as much and as long as possible.

When she got back to the others she looked around but couldn’t see fluttershy any where in sight. She looked at Pinkie pie and asked if she knew where or what became of Fluttershy.

“Hey Pinkie do you know where Fluttershy is I thought she was suppose to be in the park with you and Rainbow Dash?” Sunset asked inquisitively.

Pinkie looked up from eating a cupcake which she seemed to have pulled right out of thin air and simply shrugged her shoulders.

“Alright you stay here with Rainbow and the girls I am going to go see if I can find her. Besides there something I wanted to ask her.” replied Sunset warmly.

Even though her reply seemed to be comforting and generally warm hearted Pinkie couldn’t resist thinking that there was something wrong.

“H….hey Sunset is everything alright with you? You seem well kind of distant today not your normal warm hearted self?” Pinkie asked as she finished off her cupcake.

Sunset sighed and looked at the two of her friends then waved them off and turned to walk up the path to find fluttershy. But was suddenly stopped in mid track by a sheering pain in her chest. She covered her chest with her right hand right over where her cutie mark was already forming from last night.

“NO! NOT NOW…... PLEASE NOT HERE! NOT IN FRONT OF MY FRIENDS!” She thought as she grabbed the area of her chest where a burning sensation began.

She knew what was happening another side of her cutie mark was forming. The pain was too much for her to contain it any longer and she let out a loud scream clasping to the ground in front of her friends. Rainbow and Pinkie Pie where both dumbstruck at the sight of their friend screaming and collapsing like bag of potatoes. They never had seen someone callasp like this in front of them. Unsure as to what to do Rainbow quickly pulled her cell phone out of her vest pocket and called for a paramedic.

Pinkie raced over to the three girls who were all looking up at what was going on. She told them to stay quiet and follow here immediately.

"Girls I need you to gather your belongings and follow me me immediately we need to leave and I need you do this quietly."

“Whats going on? What is wrong with Sunset?” Asked Scootaloo.

“What is happening pinkie? Why do you want us to follow you? Where are we going?” Asked Apple bloom.

“Yea! There's no reason for us to leave her, least not like this.” Said Sweetie Belle.

Pinkie had no answer for the three of them as Sunset let out another loud scream of pain and agony.

“Don’t argue with me girls just do as you are told and do it now! Sunset is…..sick.” Pinkie commanded.

The harsh words hit the three girls like a brick through a window. They very quickly got their toys and did as they were told without further objection. Hearing the screaming and thinking an animal might be in real trouble. Fluttershy raced down the path only to see her friend Sunset sprawled across the dirt path clutching her chest and screaming in pain. As smoke began to emanate from her hand and chest. Fluttershy knelt down and managed to grab Sunsets hand. After a few minutes of tug a war with the screaming girl she was able to pry her hand off her chest. Only to be horrified at what she saw. Sunsets chest was blistering and burning; turning a bright crimson red. She looked up at Rainbow Dash who was still on the phone calling for help.

“DO SOMETHING!” screamed Fluttershy.

“I AM! The paramedics will be here soon….I hope.”  Rainbow Dash snapped back.

Fluttershy not having the time or the patetice to deal with Rainbow's attitude started to look around for anything that she might use to help her friend and to help heal her wounds. Fluttershy seeing the crusaders with Pinkie pie and their buckets that the three girls had brought with them and yelled over to the three girls still following Pinkie pie.

“YOU THREE GO FILL YOUR BUCKETS WITH WATER AND BRING THEM BACK HERE NOW!”

Hearing that Fluttershy was indeed yelling for their help Pinkie stopped in mid track from leading the girls out of the park. Without a single word the three girls scampered off to the bathroom and came back each with a bucket filled with cold water.

“What good is that going to do? She needs a medic NOT a bath Fluttershy?” Asked Rainbow dash.

Fluttershy said nothing in reply to this. She grabbed the buckets almost spilling the water in the process. Not having anything to use as a damp cloth she tore a large piece of her skirt off and plunged it into the water. Knelling down and grabbing onto Sunsets arm that was tightly clutched against her chest she said as calmly as she could to Sunset.

“Alright this might sting a bit but, at least it should help with the swelling until the medics get here.”

Sunset continued to thrash about as more smoke emanated from her chest. Unable to apply the wet cloth and knocking over two of the three buckets from her thrashing. Fluttershy yelled to both of her friends, as Pinkie and Rainbow Dash booth looked at her with blank looks on their faces.

“What the hell are you two idiots waiting for!? HOLD. HER. DOWN!”

Without a single word from either of them both Rainbow and Pinkie did as they were ordered. Each taking a different side of Sunset’s body. Rainbow being a bit bigger and stronger than Pinkie took Sunset by the arms and hands while Pinkie held onto her legs and feet. Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and AppleBloom were unable to just stand by and watch as their favorite baby sister thrashed and bucked like a wild mare. Action was very clearly called for! Before Fluttershy could stop them. Or say anything to either of the three of them. They each grabbed Sunset by her waist praying that they would be able to hold her down long enough for the medics to show up. Fluttershy removed Sunsets hand from her chest.  Once again she saw that Sunset's skin was beginning to blister and burn from the middle of her chest. As Fluttershy looked at the burn that was forming in the middle of Sunset's chest it seemed to be completing a Yin Yang symbol.

“Is that a Yin Yang symbol forming in her....chest?” asked Rainbow seeing what was actually causing her friend to thrash and buck about as if she was a horse that had been pent up to long.

Fluttershy looked at it then at Rainbow before answering her friends question.

“Yes! I think it is. But, we have no time for this; we need to apply the cool rage and see if we can get the swelling down” replied Fluttershy.

“Will….is Sunset going to be OK Fluttershy?” Asked Sweetie Belle clearly scared that she was about to lose someone very dear to her.

“I don’t know, I have never seen anyone or anything go through something like this before” Fluttershy said.

As she was finally able to apply the damp rag to Sunset’s chest. The cool rag seemed to calm Sunset just enough for her to pass out from the sheer pain of her cutie mark burning itself into her chest. Her shirt was burned just like the last one she had on when her cutie mark first began to appear to her from the previous night. The screeching of the sirens from the approaching ambulance could be heard from almost four blocks away once they showed up Rainbow looked over her shoulder.

“FINALLY” Exclaimed Rainbow dash as she continued to help hold Sunset down.

She looked over her shoulder and saw a big red and white vehicle pull up alongside the curb. Four paramedics jumped out and headed over to Sunset as the others looked on, hoping, praying, wishing that there was something, Anything they could do to help there fallen friend.