“It’s that time of the year again”
Muffin Top sighed. If anypony had been around to hear him, they would have heard the pain, the sorrow, and even the touch of anger that he felt in that one little sigh. They would have wondered how one who seemed so young, for he was 25 years of age though he looked only to be about 19, could have heaved such a heavy sigh.
After he had gotten out of the shower and attempted to groom his unruly black mane, he knocked on Bevan’s door. She was one of the few ponies he had in his life that knew what the significance of today was, and she was the only one who cared.
When she opened the door, Muffin gave a half-hearted smile. “Ya look fantastic,” he said, for indeed she did. Her vivid red hair was done up in a simple yet elegant bun, her usual ornate bracelets and anklets had been replaced by much simpler ones, and she had removed her hat from her attire all together.
“Thank you. It’s time to go isn’t it?” The pale green Pegasus asked, her usual cheeriness missing from her voice.
The yellow unicorn merely nodded.
As they left the shop, Muffin turned around and stuck a note to the door.
“Attention customers, the shop will not be open today due to personal reasons. I apologize for any inconvenience.
-Muffin Top”
Bevan merely nodded at the note. “You never were one for lengthy explanations. You always liked things simple ” she said.
As they walked to their destination, Bevan recollected when Muffin had first come to live with her in Ireland…
As she looked up at her parents, Bevan, only three at the time, couldn’t understand what had Momma crying. Momma never cried, ever. She looked to her Da’ hoping he would explain it, but he just stood there clenching his teeth and shaking his head, refusing to let his tears spill. Without knowing why, Bevan started to cry too. Her maternal instincts overpowering her sadness, Bevan’s mother picked her up and tried to comfort her.
“There, there Bevvy. What’s wrong?” her mother said.
Bevan sniffled, “Momma’s crying and Da’ is crying and it makes me sad. Why are you two sad?”
“Do you remember Auntie Helen and her family?” Her mother asked. Bevan merely nodded. “Well you see sweetie, there’s been an accident and….” Her mother choked on her words.
“She died.” Bevan’s father finished, “Both her and that good for nothing husband of hers. Her kids will be coming to live with us, since we’re the only family, he spat the word out as if it were poisonous, that they have left.”
Bevan couldn’t understand why Da’ sounded so angry about her cousins coming to live with them, but she knew, even at that young age, to let sleeping dogs lie.
A week later there was a timid knock on the door. When Bevan opened it, there stood two little unicorns, one yellow and one a deep blue, shivering in the rain. They couldn’t have been much older than herself.
“Moooooommaaaaaaaaa!” Bevan called, “there are two little unicorns at the door. Should I let them in?”
Her dad looked around the corner at the two little ones still standing outside. “Oh, it’s them. Bevan dear, these are your cousins; Muffin Top, the yellow one, and Bottle Top, the blue one. No, bring them around back to the barn. I don’t want them tracking mud and dripping all over my house.”
“Okay Da’. Come on sillies…”
Life continued for the children in the same way for years; Bevan’s mother and father having as little to do with Muffin and his brother outside of what was absolutely necessary, Bevan herself being the only one to regularly interact with the two brothers, and the three growing ever closer.
One day, about four years after the two had arrived on Bevan’s doorstep that rainy night, the three were playing near the river. There had just been an enormous rainstorm, so the river was engorged beyond its normal width. Of course, they knew to be careful, for if they fell in it would almost certainly lead to their doom since Bevan was not yet strong enough to carry anypony but her whilst flying and the two unicorns had yet to master their magic.
Bevan decided to take off and stretch her wings for a bit, leaving the two brothers to do what they will.Bevan was enjoying the breeze from the cloud she was sitting on. “Maybe I can take a quick nap…,” she thought to herself. Just as she was about to drift off and meet the sandman, she heard raised voices. “That sounds like Muffles and Bottle” she said aloud, “What are those two arguing about now?”
“You jerk!” she heard Muffin yell, followed by a scream
A sense of dread washed over Bevan. She flew down to where she knew the boys were and looked around. Muffin was hanging over the edge of the water his hoof in the water grabbing at something she couldn’t see and the glow of magic from his horn. What she couldn’t see was Bottle Top, no matter where she looked.
“Oh no!” She whispered to herself. “Muffles? Muffles, where’s Bottle?” Bevan said, now beginning to panic.
The yellow unicorn just looked at her his eyes full of tears. “We…we were fighting and then….and then Bottle…” he sniffed “Bottle shoved me…I got mad and shoved him back….and then…then….the ground fell out from under him…he fell in the river…this is all my fault…help me Bevvy…please….”
She rushed to his side and grabbed Bottle’s other hoof, for indeed he was just hanging on on Muffin’s hoof and being kept above the water, although barely, by what little magic the two unicorns had between them. She gave a mighty pull and…
Bevan snapped out of her thoughts when a drop of rain hit her snout. She looked at Muffin Top and gave a wry smile.
“Just like the first day we met eh Muffles?” she said, attempting to put a bit of mirth in her voice.
“Aye.” He replied, almost mechanically.
The pair had just reached their destination, a clearing a decent ways into the Everfree Forest, when it began to pour.
“Let’s get started then shall we?” the unicorn asked his cousin.
Bevan responded with a nod.
As the two began to chant in Gaelic, tears began to fill Muffin’s eyes. This was always the hardest part of the ritual for him.
“…agus féadfaidh sé d'anam sosa go deo i síocháin*” the two concluded simultaneously.
As they walked away, Muffin stopped and looked up at the sky. He finally let the tears he had been holding back since he awoke this morning fall. Bevan walked over and embraced him, doing what little she could to try to comfort him.
“I miss them too.” She whispered, stroking his mane.
Muffin gave one last sniffle before saying, “Let’s go Bevvy. We’ve spent enough time here”
Once again, he stopped before leaving the clearing. He looked at the empty makeshift grave and whispered “Good-bye brother. I hope one day you can forgive me.”
*this translates to “…and may your soul rest in peace forever”
