It had been several months since Sunny had brought magic back to Equestria with the help of her friends, and if somepony long ago had told her that she’d wind up an alicorn with a castle and a unicorn marefriend, she’d laugh in their face while lamenting that such a future would never be possible for her. Now, she stood on a balcony of a castle built by countless ponies of all races, many of them earth ponies profusely apologizing for siding with Sprout. She would wave them off, insisting that they weren’t at fault for believing somepony manipulating them in their time of fear. The castle was orange with red rooftops, with the interior being different shades of purple and blue, the only real request that Sunny made for the castle that she never quite asked for. At the time, she said that the interior was a tribute to the first unicorn friend she ever made, their friendship growing as Izzy moved in and helped Sunny unpack in her new home. Hitch wasn’t upset by this development, most of his time was spent with Pipp Petals anyway. Sunny smiled as she stared at the sunset, knowing that her very first friendship would always have a place in her heart, even if they had mares in their lives now.
With Sunny and Izzy being the only residents in the castle, the rest of the countless rooms were soon empty, and the two mares would sleep in the same bed. It was Sunny, much to her own surprise, that confessed her feelings to the unicorn. Izzy, for all of her shenanigans, told Sunny that she was terrified of saying anything and losing their friendship. Sunny rolled her eyes, her heart skipping a beat as she kissed Izzy.
Now, Sunny felt her heart thumping away in her chest for an entirely different reason, knowing that now was the time to take Izzy somewhere that she’d always walked to by herself. Even Hitch wasn’t allowed to join her to the place that tore at her insides, the blood boiling in her chest as she knew damn well that her father was robbed of her way too soon. He would never get to meet Pipp Petals, the mare with a voice that made everypony swoon, or Zipp Storm, the mare that defended the ponies she cared about with a ferocity Sunny had never seen before. And then, Sunny gritted her teeth, her father would never get to meet Izzy Moonbow, the moon to her sun. She didn’t even move as she felt a hoof gently press against her shoulder, the smell of berries flooding her nostrils as Izzy spoke.
“Sunny...are you ready?” Izzy asked.
Sunny nodded, feeling Izzy climb onto her back and wrapping her forehooves around her neck. Spreading her wings, Sunny jumped off the balcony and flapped with all the strength she had, flying past the houses of Maretime Bay. It was weeks of practice to fly without a mare taller than her on her back, and months till she mastered flying with Izzy onboard. The bruises on her marefriend’s legs could attest to that. But now Sunny could feel the weight on her back less than ever before, tears barely held back as memories of the doctors knocking on her door flashed in her head. But she could not let the thoughts rampage, she had to keep flying.
After several minutes, she landed at the Maretime Bay Cemetery, the grassy green field filled with tombstones and some trees. There was a centerview of the ocean that could be seen from the entrance they landed at, and Sunny breathed in the ocean air as Izzy lowered herself off her marefriend’s back. She didn’t notice that she was shaking until she felt Izzy’s body pressed against her own, causing her quivering to cease. Sunny walked onward, past the entrance and down a pathway, only Izzy’s hoofsteps reminding her that she was taking somepony to this sacred place. It was a tombstone, underneath a tall tree that gave it shade, where it was written:
Here lies Argyle Starshine
“Together, we’ll do our part. Hoof to heart.”
Sunny pressed her head against the tombstone, the walls breaking as she shook and sobbed, holding the tombstone with her forelegs as she cried out.
“I’m sorry, Daddy!” Sunny shouted. “I wish I was there! I wish I didn’t let you go by yourself!”
Izzy rested her hoof on Sunny’s back, feeling some of her marefriend’s pain transfer to her. But if it helped even a little, Izzy was more than okay with taking on that suffering.
“And I’m s-sorry that it took me so long to visit you a-again,” Sunny hiccuped, letting go of the tombstone and sitting upright. “But look Daddy, I’m an alicorn. And this is Izzy Moonbow, my marefriend.”
For the first time since they arrived at the cemetery, Sunny acknowledged Izzy’s presence as she smiled at her and spoke.
“If there’s anything I’m glad I told him before the incident, it’s that I never saw myself falling in love with a stallion,” Sunny beamed despite the tears rolling down her cheeks. “He hugged me and told me that if he didn’t mind me dating a unicorn or pegasus, then why would it matter if I dated a mare or a stallion? So, I know he would’ve loved you. I just wish he would’ve been here to see all of this.”
“Sunny, I’m sure somewhere, he is watching us,” Izzy leaned against Sunny. “But, despite everything you’ve told me about him, you never told me what happened.”
Sunny closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, and exhaled before she looked deep into Izzy’s eyes.
“Heart attack,” Sunny explained. “He went out to get groceries, and I c-chose to stay home and wait for him to come back. The doctors came to my door and told me that by the time they had arrived, it was too late.”
“Oh,” Izzy’s eyes widened as she realized what Sunny had said. “Sunny, you couldn’t have known that was going to happen. It isn’t your fault.”
“I know I couldn’t have known, but how easy would it have been to say yes? To have gone with him and be there for when it happened?” Sunny looked at the tombstone. “Mom abandoned us when I was a young filly, and h-he was all I had left. And now, he’s gone. All because I chose to stay home.”
“Sunny, you don’t even know if that would’ve made a difference,” Izzy told her. “There’s no changing what has already happened, and if you keep scolding yourself for what you should’ve done, you’re never going to be able to move forward. You have the memories, the pictures of your Dad. And you have us! And I know it would’ve been wonderful to have him and us, but you don’t. And I’m sorry Sunny, it’s not fair. It sucks.”
Sunny had her face pressed into Izzy’s chest now, shaking as tears matted Izzy’s fur. Izzy ran her hoof down Sunny’s mane as she breathed in her scent of sweet mangoes and strawberries. She kissed Sunny’s forehead and broke the silence.
“But I promise to show you everyday that your Dad made Equestria a better place through you,” Izzy whispered, then she glanced at the tombstone. “I promise to protect your daughter for you, and Sunny? I promise that I will help you with whatever Equestria throws at you, after all, they might start calling you Princess Sunny Starscout.”
Sunny pulled away, wiping her tears as she managed a smile at Izzy.
“Only if I can have my Princess Izzy Moonbow by my side,” Sunny remarked.
Izzy smiled, a smile gentler than a quiet river stream, as she replied.
“I promise.”
Author's Note
I write this in memory of my Mom's biological father, my grandfather, as I'll never get to meet him on this Earth. In addition, there is a lot of different experiences of my own written into this story, most of all the anger towards myself for making the wrong choices that hurt people. What if I did this? What if I didn't do this? But staying in that place isn't healthy, especially when what has happened is done.
And past all the grief, anger, and what ifs that can tear you apart, there is hope and love. Thank you for reading.
