Sunset stood in the parking lot in the outskirts of town, alternately pacing back and forth and leaning against her car. Her eyes turned to the sky, cloudy and overcast, anywhere but where she actually intended on going.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
She jumped, startled by someone calling out her name. Then she spotted the owner of the voice, a woman in a dark blue coat. “Vice-principal Luna,” she said, recognizing the woman.
“Nice to see you,” Luna said with a warm smile. “How are you adjusting to the job? My sister tells me you had a bit of a rough start.”
Sunset rubbed her neck. “Yeah, your old history class gave me a bit of trouble the first day, but I think I’ve gotten through to most of them. I got some good advice. ‘Above all, to thine own self be true.’” She noted the bouquet of blue roses in Luna’s arms. “Here to see someone?”
She nodded and shifted the flowers in her arms a bit. “My mother,” she replied simply, casting a glance over towards the East end of the cemetery adjoining the parking space.
“Your sister’s not with you?”
Luna shook her head slowly. “We usually go together, but this is a special time of year. I always make it a point to come alone at least once around Halloween. It was her favorite holiday, and mine too.” A whimsical expression crossed her face. “I used to compete with Celestia over everything when we were young. She always seemed to outshine me, and I was so desperate to get a win, even when it came to our mother’s love. Of course, our mother had love enough for both of us, but tell that to a young girl. But Celestia never liked Halloween. Never understood why, but it was fine by me. It meant for one night a year, while my sister locked herself in her room sulking, I’d have mother all to myself. We’d craft our own costumes, make sweets, go trick-or-treating. It was magical.”
“I’m sure she appreciates you coming by,” Sunset said when Luna’s words had trailed off into a fond silence.
Looking back, Luna nodded with a smile. “I’d like to think so. How about you? What brings you here?”
Sunset looked away uncomfortably. “A friend. I was recently reminded that our actions, however noble they might have been at the time, can sometimes have unforeseen consequences. Been working up the courage to go in and see her.”
Luna followed Sunset’s gaze towards the Western fields of the graveyard and nodded in understanding. “I see,” she said sadly before laying a comforting hand on Sunset’s shoulder and squeezing it lightly, “I’m sure she appreciates the visit, whatever the reason for it may be. Tell her I said hi.”
Sunset drew in a deep breath, forced a smile and nodded.
Returning the nod and smile, Luna left to attend to her business.
Steeling herself for what was to come, Sunset lowered her head and began marching purposefully in her intended direction, the pit in her stomach growing with every step. Zipping her jacket all the way up, she buried her hands in her pockets. The air was starting to get chilly this time of year, and she wished that she’d chosen a sunny late autumn day to come by instead. Before she knew it, her feet came to a halt in front of a gravestone.
“Hey, friend,” Sunset said softly. “How are you doing? Sorry I haven’t been around much lately. Keeping busy these days. Of course, that never stopped you, did it? You always made time for your friends, even when you had a million other things going on at once.”
Sunset took a cupcake out of her pocket, unwrapping it from the cellophane she had carried it in, and slowly broke the treat in half right in the middle. Placing one half on the gravestone, she took a small nibble from her own half, before chuckling. “Rainbow Dash, you know, she posted a picture of this huge double rainbow over a football field on her social media last week. Her first professional match, they put her in for the second half. It was raining through the entire match, and then suddenly at the end there it was, and … you know, it sounds silly when I try to say it out loud.”
Sunset looked up into the sky, grey and more grey and her own breath condensing in the cold autumn air. “Okay, okay, I’ll tell you. It’s still silly, but I kinda wanna believe that was you dropping in on an old friend on her big day, and the rainbow was your way of saying hi.”
She stood there silently for a while, alternately drawing in her breath several times to say more with no words coming, looking up into the sky to hold back the tears that continued to push into the corners of her eyes, and then forcing a big smile cause that’s what the occupant of the grave would have wanted her to do. When she could take it no more, she put the other half of the cupcake next to the first and said tearfully: “I still miss you … so much, my friend. We all do.”
Turning, she wiped the tears from her face when she couldn’t hold them back any longer. “Dammit, every time. It’s been nearly two years already. Keep it together, Sunset. She wouldn’t want to see you like that. She’d tell you to smile and laugh, remember the good times and not the bad.” Pulling out her cellphone, Sunset turned back around with another forced smile. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to tell you: Weird Al came out with a new single. Listen to this one, you’re gonna love it.”
She pressed play on her music app and the cheerful tunes of a polka song began to ring out across the graveyard. At least she wasn’t forcing herself to make casual conversation anymore, but without the exercise, the tears came back in force, yet Sunset kept smiling through the quiet sobbing as she stared at the inscription on the headstone.
Pinkamena Diane Pie
~ Taken from her family and friends before her time ~
~ Her laugh made the world a brighter place to all who knew her ~