It was a cold day when Sunset Shimmer decided to do her visit to the Canterlot Cemetery at the end of town. Autumn had just begun and already the streets were filled with orange and yellow leaves, with the hint of a fall storm on the breeze. The young teenager hugged her loved jacket a little closer to her body as she walked the familiar path, thankful for some of the warmth it gave her.
Markers all around her stood in their ever imposing silence as the flamed haired woman followed the well worn path running through the middle of the graveyard. Some were ornate, large sculptures that stood taller then she did, while others were simple, being little more then a single plaque that was secured in the ground in even spaces. A sparse few even held names of families she knew in town, most notably the Apples.
It was only after walking for a few minutes that Sunset came upon the grave stone she wished to find, a simple granite stone that was half round in its design. There was little decoration on it, baring a single symbol that had been etched above the epitaph. The high school girl couldn’t help but run her fingers across it as she knelt down by the grave, feeling the soft edges of the design. Brushing away some of the yellowed leaves away from stone and its surrounding area, Sunset sat beside the marker, leaning her back against it with her arms hugging her knees.
“Hey… It’s me again...” The young woman started, only to falter after a moment. Even after all this time coming here, talking like this, the pony turned human still found it hard to start. Death was something she wasn’t used to, her original world often only experiencing it thanks to old age. Taking a deep breath, she started once more.
“I know its been a while since my last visit… Life’s been kinda crazy as of late. It turns out there’s a little more Equestrian magic here then I original thought. How it got here, I don’t think we’ll ever know, but I’m starting to grow a little worried.” Sunset said, arching her head back against the unyielding stone, cyan eyes gazing up to the looming storm clouds above her.
“Not that I don’t like having the magic back… but for a world to have existed without it for so long, to see it become more and more prevalent...” She cut off, biting her lip as she thought. “We’ve only seen a little of what kind of effects it has here, and already it makes what I did when I stole Twilight’s crown seem like child’s play.”
She closed her eyes as the memory of what she did replayed in her head, warping the minds of the students of Canterlot High, transforming into a demon. It agonized Sunset to think that her thirst for power had lead her to such a state. Shaking away such painful memories, the young woman continued, clutching her hand around the geode that now hung around her neck. “Still, it’s not like some good hasn’t come from it. All the girls have new powers now, and while its taking a little to get used to, I think in the long run they’ll be a great help… especially if we’ve got more to deal with.”
“You probably don’t want me going on about magic, though, do you?” Sunset said with a grin, turning to look back at the gravestone. “You’d rather hear about the girls again, I bet. Let’s see… Pinkie Pie has been going a bit wild lately… more so then usual. With Christmas only a few months away, she’s already bouncing off the walls in getting everything read for a huge holiday party. If it’s anything like last year, I’m almost certain she’s already bought or made everyone enough presents to last until their birthdays.”
Sunset smiled as the memories of the pink haired girl burst into mind, complete with the sounds of her party cannon going off and confetti going everywhere. Pinkie’s smile was a mile wide, her arms shaking near her face in glee as she checked off another day till Christmas, her room already covered near top to bottom in green and red decorations, boxes taking up the rest of the space. The party loving girl grabbed the nearest present and, with a speed that made her hands blur, wrapped it no time to a perfectly shaped package.
“Rarity, of course, has thrown herself completely into her latest fall fashion design. She wants to do something for the Fall Formal again this year. In fact, she said she’s going to be making a special dress just for me, considering I wasn’t with the others last year. I don’t know, since her designs were always a little… complicated for me, but Rarity’s the kind that you just can’t say no to.” Sunset continued, thinking back to the last time the girls had gotten dressed up in one of Rarity’s latest designs.
The dress that the purple haired fashionista had created was, as always, colorful and bright. In fact, Rarity had done her absolute best to incorporate the flame haired girls colors of red, gold, and cream into the mix. Her fingers glided with needle and thread, incorporating designs and styles that Sunset could only guess were the latest in fashion. The mannequin that stood around her though were all dressed up in the outfits for the rest of the girls, and it was clear that all coordinated perfectly. Putting the finishing touches on the dress, Rarity rolled open a paper for a new design, already drawing down the ideas she had for the winter season coming up.
“Believe it or not, we actually was able to convince Applejack to take a small break from the farm.” The young woman said, biting back a small chuckle. “Most of the harvest was taken care of already, partly in thanks to her powers, so thankfully she was pretty open to the idea. But you know what she did to go relax?” Sunset paused, grinning wide. “Aj actually went hiking. Trust her to see ‘roughing it’ as a form of relaxing!”
The image conjured was in the flamed hared girls this time was that of her blond friend, already covered in dirt and scratches on her bare legs. Despite this, Applejack was more then happy to be climbing up a bunch of rocks, sitting on the top and taking in the sights of the wilderness about her. The blond woman took in a deep breath before jumping off the stones, keeping a hold of her hat as she landed. Smiling wide, she started down the path that would lead her to the top of the trail.
Sunset couldn't help but giggle a little still at the thought. She sighed, turning once more to look at the gravestone beside her, not surprised when she felt a small tear trickle down her face. She wiped it away with a hand, taking a small sniff. It wouldn’t do to get all sad when talking like this. “Anyway, Fluttershy’s been thinking of doing a charity drive for the animals at the shelter. For as quiet and scared as she can be sometimes, I’m always surprised by that girls heart. It seems she always finds the courage to go ahead with anything.”
It was impossible to envision the pink haired teen without her being surrounded by animals. Even before her new magical talents emerged, the connection that she held with anything furry, feathered, and four legged was something to behold. With arms full of fliers and even employing a few of her animal friends, Fluttershy passed out the papers to anyone who’d listen to her, encouraging her fellow students to check out the animal shelter. She didn’t understand why some of them seemed a little uncomfortable taking some of the advertisements from her cuddly bear friend though.
Shaking the image out of her mind, Sunset frowned when she looked up into the afternoon sky, seeing the dark clouds that had been forming above her growing angry. She wouldn’t be able to stay much longer before the rain started. Still, she resolved to at least finish talking about her friends. “Rainbow Dash is still Rainbow Dash, really.” the flamed haired woman said. “At times, I think it’s kinda hard to actually tell what’s changed about her. I know she’s a caring person, but sometimes I wish she’d show that to us a little more. Like when we found out that she’s a Big Sister at the local orphanage.”
The memory of finding the multi-color haired girl in that situation sprang into Sunset’s head. It was hard to forget that look on her face or the blush coloring her sapphire cheeks. She was knee deep in a bunch of kids half her size and age, nearly all of them clamoring for attention. The fact that Rainbow was reading a book to them, something that she tended to wave off as ‘uncool unless it was Daring Do’, just made the picture all the more adorable. Even with her embarrassment though, Dash immediately started back up in her reading for the children when one of the little boys asked her to continue.
“Twilight...” Sunset paused, trying to search for the right words as her eyes went to the grave again. A sad smile crossed her face as she continued. “Well… your Twilight. I think she’s finally starting to come into her own. She’s becoming more social and seems to be actually reaching out to get to know not just the girls, but some of the other students around her. I’m really proud of how far she’s come since the Friendship Games.”
The image that came to Sunset then was one she knew too well since becoming friends with Twilight. The purple haired girl had approached a crying student, sat down beside her, and offered a willing ear and an encouraging smile. Even if she had looked a bit uncomfortable trying to do it, especially when the bawling girl latched onto her and nearly knocked her glasses off, Twilight offered as much friendship as she could, doing her absolute best to make her smile again.
Sunset let out a small gasp of surprise when the sound of thunder echoed through the sky, bringing her out of her memories and thoughts. Above her, the dark clouds had grown to a furious black and already rain was beginning to fall. With an annoyed groan, the young woman stood up from her seat, her hand resting on the stone beside her. “Looks like I’m going to have to cut this visit short.” she said, blinking as more heavy drops started to hit her.
Kneeling to the side of the grave, Sunset gazed at the hard surface of its face. For a moment, her lower lip trembled as water trailed down her face, the girl knowing it wasn’t the rain. “I...” she breathed, sniffing softly. “I wanted to apologize again… I know it’s neither of our faults… that you were gone long before everything… but I want you to know that I cherish my friendships that I have here. And I can only hope that hearing that and the stories about them helps… and even if we never met… that even the two of us are friends.”
Sunset Shimmer didn’t get a reply from the marker, though not she expected one. Still, the young woman felt warmer inside even as the rain came freely now. Kissing her fingers, Sunset pressed the digits against the center of the symbol she had touched before, standing afterwards. “Goodbye… I’ll see you soon..” she said softly, before leaving the grave.
The marker stood alone once more without the young woman by its side, the stone becoming dark from moisture. On its face, there was only a single symbol, that of a stylized sun, a swirl in its center. Below that there was an epitaph that read only this:
Here lies Sunset Shimmer.
May the warmth of friendship always find you.
