Sunset let out a sigh as she sat on the steps of Canterlot High. 4 years she had gone to this school, and it was finally over.
Graduation. Something she had dreaded since her first day as a "good girl". She never gave it a thought when she was the stereotypical bully, since back then, she figured she'd just continue that shtick into College and beyond, but when Princess Twilight forced her to take a good long look at herself, she realized how stupid that plan was, and decided to give Friendship a chance.
And that's why she feared Graduation. Because now that she had that Friendship, she didn't wanna lose it. Her friends were all going away, and she knew that once they went away, they'd find new friends, new lives, new jobs. She'd be left in the past. A memory.
"Hey Sunset...you okay?"
Sunset turned her head to see Twilight Sparkle, the human version at least. She had transfered to CHS only a year ago and the two of them seemed to get along pretty well since then.
"....No..." Sunset let out with a sigh. She knew she couldn't lie to her friend. "We graduate tomorrow and...well...I don't wanna lose you girls."
"You're not gonna lose us. We'll keep in touch." Twilight spoke with a smile. Sunset couldn't help but frown.
"But....will you? I mean, You're going to Everton, Dash has her scholarship to MSU, Rarity is looking into Art schools, Pinkie's been flipping from College to College....I just, I can't believe we'll all stay together Twilight. I just can't"
Twilight sat down next to her, a frown on her face "I know Sunset....You've always been the most realistic out of all of us...and you're right. There's no guarantee we'll all stay friends. Life happens...but what about you?"
Sunset winced. That was a subject she'd been avoiding for the past year. She had no idea what she wanted to do. I mean...technically, she isn't even a legal citizen in this world. She had just been mooching off her kind landlord Blueblood by babysitting his daughter, and didn't really plan anything beyond continuing to do that...but she knew she had to face that eventuality some time soon.
"I....haven't thought about it yet"
"Sunset, we graduate in a week....do you really have NO PLANS for after graduation?"
Sunset took a moment to think, considering her options. She wasn't exactly blind to this problem, and had put some thought into it. She could attempt to apply for college herself, but her fear of her past coming back to haunt her always seemed to loom over her anytime she thought about that...on the other hand...
Sunset peered across the front lawn of CHS. The Portal. The Portal that had started her story of redemption. She had always considered going back to the place of her birth whenever things got tough, but this was the first time she had ever been given a legitamate arguement of going back beyond asking Princess Twilight for help in her friendship studies.
Twilight seemed to take notice of this. "You know....if you wanna go back home...we won't be mad at you. You came here to get away right?"
"I did..." Sunset said mindlessly, her mind clearly distracted as her gaze seemed fixed on the marble statue in the middle of the courtyard.
"So...why not go back? Pick up where you left off? We aren't going to forget you, and you can always come back if you want to visit."
Sunset seriously considered it. She had only been back a handful of times and each time it was only to visit Princess Twilight, and/or get help with a magical threat. But this...she had a lot of past she had left behind back in Equestria. Celestia, her parents....her parents. Ponies she hadn't thought of in a long time. She froze up at the thought...did they even know she was alive? She had left so abruptly that she hadn't even considered her family. They were probably back in Manehatten...
Sunset stood up. "okay Twilight...get the girls, I'm going home."
Sunset stood with her girls in front of her apartment. So many memories had been made here. The Sleepover from Tartarus, Consuling Twilight after her breakup with Timber, Fluttershy teaching her how to drive...
Sunset chuckled "there's a skill I won't need in Equestria"
Dash tilted her head "You don't have cars in Equestria?"
"Nope. Just Carriages"
"Like...horse drawn carriages?" Fluttershy asked
"Yup"
"So....You have Horses....pulling horses?" Rarity added, her face twisting in confusion
Sunset couldn't help but laugh. The girls always tried to wrap their heads around the complexities of Equine culture, but she always found new things to baffle them with. Her favorite was still trying to explain how Equstrian Hooves work to Twilight though...
Sunset frowned. She never liked endings. And this was an ending she had dreaded for a long time. As she looked over her things lain out on the sidewalk....she broke down. She knew she couldn't take it all. And she hated having to choose. All of these things, from the smallest hairbrush, to her huge TV she had been using for streaming, all had a value to her. She didn't wanna leave any of it, but she knew she had to.
Sensing her distress, Fluttershy placed Sunset's beloved pet gecko on her shoulder.
Sunset winced, looking on her shoulder and smiling, letting out a loud sniff as she sucked in her tears. "Hey Ray..."
Ray was one of the few things that always seemed to calm her down. His little smile always warmed Sunset to her core, and brought her out of any sort of funk.
"Right, let's figure out what I can take with me. Remember, I need to fit this all into my saddlebags."
We all sat on the curb exhausted. The Afternoon had been spent sorting through her stuff one item at a time, because of course, Twilight had to make a list of it all to "properly" sort it all.
"Sunset....are you sure you don't wanna wait till AFTER Graduation to go through the portal?"
A Question that seemed to be on everyone's mind as we had done this.
"Yes Pinkie...I don't like endings. I wanna get out of here before everyone raises a fuss and starts trying to 'Tell me goodbye', because you girls know how much I hate that word."
"Yes Darling...but, still. Don't you want to at least finish what you started?"
I took pause at that.
The last time I had been asked that question was back when I last saw Celestia before going through the portal.
'....No...I can't. I need to get out here by tomorrow. People will start trying to convince me to stay. I don't want to worry them with that"
The group let out a collective sigh. They knew I had a habit of charging in head first when I set my mind to something.
"Sunset...can we at least say goodbye?" Twilight spoke with a bit of concern. Twilight and I always seemed to have something special. She could read me like a book.
"No, because this isn't goodbye. It's goodbye till next time....right?" I spoke with very little confidence. I didn't want this to be goodbye. I wanted our friendship to last forever...
Twilight looked me in the eyes. At one point, I considered going out with her, but she never seemed interested. But she knew me. She knew me too well. "Sunset...you don't need to be afraid to admit you're scared"
I let out a deep breath, looking at my girls. I was scared. Going back home...
"Girls....can...can I have a hug? I just-"
Without any warning, the girls embraced me. We had spent 2 years sharing expirences, fighting magic, becoming friends...and this was the end of it all. We knew it. Life goes on, it must. but we'd never forget eachother.
As we unloaded my stuff from Fluttershy's car, I felt a lump form in my chest. I never really was the type to get all mushy about the past,but after 2 years...I couldn't help but get a little nostalgic about everything...part of me wanted to stay, but, I couldn't. I needed to get out of here. I couldn't face yet another ending.
As I grabbed my stuff, I smiled at my girls. The girls who had taken me in as their own even when the whole school was against me. The girls, who by the example of Princess Twilight, had shown me the ways of friendship. I'd never forget them.
"Sugarcube..come back when you get the chance, okay?" Applejack spoke up, tears in her eyes. She had been quiet all night, trying to keep her composure, but this was the straw that broke the cowgirl's back. AJ had always been the strong stoic type, but she was also the first to really take me in after the Fall Formal, and to her, I was part of the family. I knew she didn't want me to go.
"AJ...I promise I'll come back. Don't you worry about that. I just...I need to figure some things out and reconnect with some ponies..."
Including my folks...
Shaking my head, I cleared my mind of it all. I didn't need to have my head clouded by that kinda stuff yet.
As I picked my stuff up, I wiped away the tears, giving each of my girls one final hug, only being stopped by Pinkie.
"You know I don't want a hug."
I chuckled holding out my fist to her.
"Fist bump and a wiggle, now we just do a little jiggle. Dance to the beat, now get on your feet. we say Suck it to the hoes, and we touch our toes. Gimme a Cha-Cha-Cha, and a Oo-lala, and we lock and we pop and we pokadot, now through the hoop and we end it with a BOOP!" we both sang, doing our signature handshake before singing one last verse
"Now one last thing that we gotta do, we gotta end it off with an AWOO!" we both sang, howling at the moon like a pair of maniacs before bursting out laughing.
As we calmed down, I let out a sigh "I'm gonna miss you girls..."
"We're gonna miss you too Sunset"
I smiled softly. These girls...what did I do to deserve them?
"I...I love you girls."
"WE LOVE YOU TOO SUNSET!" They all yelled as we came in for one more group hug. I didn't want this to end....but I couldn't stay. I needed to find my parents...and I couldn't bare to go through with Graduation.
Letting go, I turned to the portal, tightening the strap on my guitar, and making sure Ray was tucked into my jacket, and with a deep breath...dove into the portal.