It was a dark, cold day in the middle of winter. Snow assaulted the ground, burying it under a huge, thick mat of wintry whiteness. Though it was only around 5 PM, it was already dark as night outside, and everyone was seeking shelter in their homes, hiding from the relentless blizzard roaring about. It was winter break, thankfully, so the students didn't have to suffer through the storm.
However, two students were out and about regardless of the glacial climate this evening. Sunset and Rainbow.
The couple had just met up at the halfway point between their two homes (which fortunately wasn’t a long walk for either girl), and even though Sunset was wearing a winter jacket with a sweater underneath, thick gloves, two snow pants, and a pair of winter boots, the cold still caused her to shiver quite heavily. Once she caught sight of Rainbow and got within talking distance, she immediately asked, "W-why did you c-call me h-here?" The last couple of times they met was always in either of their homes so they could evade the frigidity of winter. Now that they met outside, Sunset was so cold it was difficult to even speak properly. Rainbow on the other hand was simply wearing a winter jacket and some snow pants, yet she seemed completely unbothered by the cold temperature.
"Well, first of all, we should probably find somewhere warm to sit," Rainbow said, her usually so casual attitude nowhere to be found in her voice. She pointed to Sugarcube Corner, which was conveniently located close by, and they quickly walked in. The couple then went to sit down at the very same table they’d shared when they first kissed all those months ago.
After briefly warming up, Sunset again asked, “So, why did you call me here?”
Rainbow sighed, then abruptly kissed Sunset, whose eyes shot wide open in surprise. She could instantly feel her temperature rising, both because of the kiss pushed onto her lips and the blush now present on her face.
After a few blissful seconds, their lips parted. Rainbow let out another sigh before speaking in a solemn tone. "I had to do that one more time.”
Sunset, still somewhat flustered, said, “What do you mean ‘one more time?’”
"I know this must sound like it came out of nowhere, but..." Rainbow scratched her head and nervously looked around.
Curious, Sunset asked, "Yes?"
Rainbow frowned. Tears started building up in her eyes and her lips trembled. It was clearly not easy for her to speak her mind, which was unusual and got Sunset somewhat worried.
“Well, I…” Rainbow hesitated for a moment, gulping nervously before she finally came out and said it. “I wanna break up.” Sunset froze, her heart seemingly stopped beating momentarily and her gaze turned blank.
After a few seconds, she slowly turned to look at Rainbow, her question almost coming out as a whisper. “You’re...breaking up with me?” Sunset had heard Rainbow very clearly, but she tried to deny the truth. Rainbow hung her head as she replied.
“I’m really sorry, Sunset. But our relationship’s been going downhill for months now! Ever since that afternoon, we’ve been arguing more and more, and I think we’d be better off as...friends?” Rainbow said more as a question than a statement, and she waited for an answer, anxious about how Sunset would react.
An overwhelming amount of sadness rendered her unable to formulate any kind of actual answer. Instead, Sunset began bawling. She tried to hold back her tears at first, but the resistance didn’t last very long. Soon, she held her head in her hands while a nearly endless stream of tears rolled down her cheeks. Rainbow bit her lip and patted the back of her now ex-girlfriend, the usually strong girl also beginning to tear up. "I'll let you think about it. If you don't want to, we don't have to hang out anymore. I understand if you don't, though I'd be really happy if we could remain friends," Rainbow said, standing up.
After hugging the still sobbing Sunset, she reluctantly turned and walked out the store, looking back a few times. She did what she came here to do, and staying around for any longer would likely only make it harder for Sunset, who she didn’t want to cause any more pain to than she already had.
Sunset continued to cry until her throat was sore and her eyes bloodshot. The cold didn’t matter anymore, her grief was colder than anything the world could bring upon her.
After more than 10 minutes of non-stop weeping, Sunset finally managed to subdue her crying, albeit gradually.
Oh, Rainbow, Sunset thought. What made this happen? Sure, our relationship was going through a bit of a rough patch for a while, but I didn't think it was this bad. Sunset looked up to the sky with red eyes, and found herself chuckling dryly.
Oh, what a cruel world this is. Just like the seasons did, our relationship rose and fell. The spring was where it started to blossom, the summer was the height of it’s heyday, in the fall it started to wither away, and winter finally caused it to freeze up. Sunset elicited another dry chuckle. Such melodramatic monologues were hardly her style, but Rainbow always did cause her to act a bit strange. Rainbow… Sunset frowned at the sky while thinking about the fact that she’d lost her relationship with such an incredible girl. However, a hopeful thought managed to creep into her consciousness. If this really is our Winter, then the seasons should soon cycle back into Spring, meaning that our relationship can blossom once more!
Sunset made up her mind. Crying wouldn’t do anything to help her now.
This relationship was far from lost. She and Rainbow made a great couple, and all the good times they had shared together proved it! Sunset got up from her seat and wiped the last remaining traces of her tears. She was gonna talk to Rainbow, and they would stay more than just friends. Sunset’s attitude turned from devastated to hopeful.
Sunset walked out the door and into the freezing streets, but this time a confident stride carried her through them without shivering, the outside cold cast away by a fire burning within her. A fire ignited by love and hope. She had a clear destination: Rainbow Dash’s house.