Author's Note

"Sleep the little slices of death...How I loathe it!" Edgar Allen Poe. Circa 1830's.

"See You next time Kiddies! Pleasant screams!" The Crypt Keeper. Circa 1989.

One final Idealic Summer Afternoon

Sunset Shimmer looked out onto the smooth placid surface of the lake, The entire Canterlot High school and a few of the middle schoolers Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootoloo, had all gone for the last two weeks of summer to a Camp, The Kids of Camp Lackawanna had just left when they arrived to use for the last two weeks of summer vacation, and for many; including Sunset, it had been the best time of their lives. Sunset looked around at the familiar faces she had grown so accustomed to for so long. The Dazzlings, now fully accepted into the Canterlot High family, sat on a floating raft taking in a few last rays of sunshine. Aria, Sonata, and Adagio lay sunbathing on the raft in their swimsuits. Content smiles on their faces as their boyfriend John Sweetstuff watched them sleep from the lifeguard chair that had been propped on the raft. A loving gaze in his eyes as he watched his loves sleep. Apple bloom jumped a skip rope as Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara held and swung the ends, Twist, Sweetie, and a few other of the younger kids waiting their turns behind them. Though to be fair the Silver and Diamond of this world hadn't always been the brats their pony selves USED to be.

Spitfire and the Wondercolts and The former ShadowBolts played a game of Soccer on the grass behind the summer camp cabin they were all staying in. Neither team had felt any malice or over comptetive spirt as they played, archaic ideals of wining being the ONLY thing that mattetred, that the winners are supperor and losers inferior stripped away and replaced by that all too familiar equestrian magic...the best one of all, Friendship.

"Enjoying the view?" A familiar voice said to her as she turned to see a blue haired tan boy looking at her with a warm smile as he strummed away on an acoustic guitar, Flash.

"Yeah," Sunset said as she smiled softly and sat down on the lake's dock. He took a seat beside her and continued to strum. "It finally feels like...home. Like everyone is finally getting along and we've all united under the power of Equestria's magic." She said as she watched Gilda Griffin and her boyfriend Peter Page turner break out the wooden swords for a sparring session. "Oh Celestia, those two are going to break each other's noses someday with those things." She said blushing as she placed her hand on her mouth to surpress a blush.

"He's gotten really good, Gilda says. lost a lot of weight too. should look good when we graduate." Flash said as he began to play a few notes of Michael row the boat ashore.

"IF we ever graduate." She said, even though she really wouldn't have it anyother way, she knew why things seemed like some old Archie funny pr the eternal timeline of "The Simpsons." She had vowed to never reveal why though.

"What?" Flash said as she had made her colorful little comment under her breath and mumbled.

"Nothing...nothing at all Flash...So...you ready to go back to school?" She asked as he strummed.

"Yeah, Too be honest I kinda though most of us would be too old for this summer camp thing, but seeing us here, having fun, making memories, it just...It gets me right here you know?" He said placing a hand on his chest. "It's like...when you watch The Lion King for the first time as a kid, or ride a bike down a steep hill, with only the wind rushing by as you do. It's like a painting that captures life when it's so perfect you just want to jump in and live inside it. He said as Sunset leand softly onto his side.

"Can I tell you something?" She asked as she felt his hand running through her long red and yellow soft hair.

"Anything Sunset, what is it?" Flash said as she relaxed and took a moment to look again and see Soarin and Neon, a WonderColt and a Shadowbolt, clinking bottle of Applejack's home brewed, home bottled cider together and toasting as they floated in the lake water on inner tubes.

"I had a dream our first night here. It was...strange." She said as Soarin chuckled and shot a squirt of water from a little Water gun at Lightning Dust, the boys got a good laugh at it but She only smirked as she pulled a heavy duty Super Soaker from the pool toys stacked on the dock and pumped it.

"Oh Shit!" Soarin shouted as he dived from his tube into the lake just as Lightning's jets sent the tube shooting like a rocket across the surface.

"I'm gonna get you for that Soarin you chicken!" Lightning Dust shouted as she watched the surface for him to surface. Meanwhile Flash continued gently stoke and pet Sunset like the pony she truly was deep down.

"Anyway...I dreamed I was outside in the middle of the night, and all around the campground...there were...these...oh I can't!" She said with a soft cry as the memory of her bad dream came back to her.

"What happened? Talking about it will make you feel better babe." He said as he began to use his guitar to play her favorite song, The Beatles hit 'All you need is love.' She relaxed at the tone and the memory became less painful to convey.

"Well..,the camp grounds,,,became the school, by the statue of the Wondercolt, the old one. There were these...black bags all around the school, and I know what they were."

"Body bags right?" He said as he stopped strumming and hugged her close, so close he could hear her heart racing in her chest like like a bird trapped in a cat's paw. "Did you open them?"

"Forget it...It was just a dream, that's all it was...dreams can't hurt you Flash; not here, not like they could in my old world." Though she said that last part so quietly he couldn't hear it. They watched as Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon and Eric Inkpot fed each other from a carton of vanilla Gelato. Lyra giggled softly as Eric licked a bit of the vanilla treat from her nose. Bon Bon mimicked him by licking a bit she deliberately dabbed on his cheek.

Across the camp grounds, Micro Chip, Starlight Glimmer, Adam Link, Bright Idea, Norman, and Ms. Chrysalis where seated at a picnic table, a game of risk underway. Starlight and MS. Chrysalis working as a team with Russia as their starting country, Micro man and the boys as the U.S. of A.

"You fools! I was expecting more troops! Australia is ours Ms. Chrysalis!" Starlight said with glee as she readied the roll of the dice. Ms. Chysalis chuckled softly and reasured the boys of Starlight's only having too much fun with the game.

"It's Okay boys, she'll calm down soon enough. She said as she twirled a lock of her stringy sea-foam green hair.

"My troops aren't going to hold back ladies. For glory and conquest!" Bright Said with a cheer.

"Imperialist pi....Oh sorry I just don't know what got into me..heheh." Starlight said blushing and giggling as she sat back down and resumed the game much calmer and more level headed.

"REmind never to play D&D with her..escpecially if she wants to be dungeon master." Bright Whispered to Micro.

"I hear that man, I'd be more than happy and down with having a girl play some D&D, but she scares me when we play checkers together." Micro whispered back with a shiver running down his spine.

"You done yet Dante?" Indigo Zap asked as she sat in a lawn chair on the grass as her boyfriend Dante Brushstrokes (real honest to Celestia name no lie) dipped his watercolor brush in the pastel and put the final touches on his girlfriend's electric blue hair. He had long abandoned that stupid red hoodie and trashy grungy style. Now he had a red polo and white dress pants, a School WonderColts cap on his head. He still favored the color red for his torso clothes, but at least now he dressed more dignified than before.

"Almost Indigo, just a few more...here and a little blotch of color here and...there! How's that?" He flipped the canvas around and showed her the portriant he had made of her, Indigo's visage captured in a living blend of colors and lines that bled into each other to capture her smiling face in sheer beauty, only the real thing culd compare. Indigo threw her arms around her boyfriend's shoulders and hugged him tightly with a soft squee.

"I love it! You should have never bottled this talent up all that time you know?" She said sighing softly resting her head on his chest. She held the painting in one hand as he rubbed her back softly.

"Guess I just needed a positive influence in my life to show me being expressive is better than shutting my special talent away from the world." His words made her plant a soft and tender kiss on his lips. So warm, so tender, it was perfect....OR..well at least it was, until Mr. Sombra Blew a whistle on them and told them,

"Cut that out and behave you two!" When he saw Dante Slip a bit of tongue into Indigo zap's mouth. "Hormonal and wired on sugar and caffeine teenagers...I knew I should have gone to Vegas for the Summer." He said pinching a (thankfully) non existent Aneurysm.

"Oh lighten up you old sore head! Have some fun for once in your life okay?" Ms. Cheerilee said as she ruffled his hair giggling softly and setting up another canvas for the two of the adults to paint something on.

"I guess you're right Cheer, what do you think I should paint?"

"Well...If it's not too much trouble, I think I could pose for you to find your inner artist." Ms. Cheerilee said blushing and smiling as she took a seat on a chair and stretched her legs out a bit before placing her hands in the lap of her skirt and smiling coyly at the otherwise scowl and super serial Mr. Sombra to paint her.

The students of Canterlot High and Canterlot middle school had one final gathering on that lake shore that night, the students and teachers, former enemies and new friends. One big happy family. All together under the tell tale sunset for the last day of summer before they resumed their life at school together the next day. Photo Finish lined her camera up with the campers, as hot dogs and marshmallows toasted on skewers and forks. She was hoping to get one final C.H.S Photo in before the daylight was lost. The students all huddled with their teachers and younger comrades together in a group as Finish set the timer for forty five seconds. She ran to the others just as the picture was captured, a Kodak moment that forever personified the joy and happiness, the unity and comradery of all these best friends forever. Reformed villians, new and old faces, everyone together for the last idilliac summer's evening...All was well.

For the last time for any of them...ever.