The Day of the Dead

by Bookpony579

Chapter 2

Today...

Today was a brand new day in Canterlot, but it wasn't just any ordinary day.

"Ok! I've got the pictures, decorations, food, and candles!" Twilight said, checking off each item on her list. She wore her hair up with large flowers and a primary black dress with colorful stitching and decorations that Rarity had made.

"Are we all set to go?" Her father asked, finished getting his costume on.

"All set!" Twilight confirmed cheerfully. She wanted to make sure everything was perfect. After all, Dia de los Muertos was one of her favorite holidays, and it only came around once a year!

"Well let's get this show on the road!" Her mother, clad in her skeleton makeup, called from the car. "Shining and Cadance are already waiting for us at the graveyard!"

"Coming!" Twilight called back before looking around. "Now where is...?"

"Here!"

Twilight smiled and Spike ran and jumped into her arms, knocking down the clipboard and licking her face. Along with the dresses for the girls, Rarity had also designed an adorable skeleton outfit for Spike so her could be a part of the holiday too.

"NOW we're ready to go." With that, they packed the supplies in the car and began to drive off.

"Oh! This is so exciting Spike! I LOVE Dia de los muertos! The music, the flowers..."

"Don't forget the food!" Her mother chimed in.

Twilight giggled. "Yes, the food too. Grandma used to love the pan dulce bread around this time of year." She told Spike.

"Mmmmm." Spike began drooling at the mention of the food, especially the sweet bread.

"And this year you can celebrate it with your friends!" Night said.

Twilight's smiled faded a bit, remembering yesterday's conversation with her friends.

---

"Ah ain't goin."

"What!?" Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Why not!?"

"It's a disgrace!"AJ argued, her face heating up. "The dead should be left in peace!"

"But tomorrow is a day for honoring and celebrating the dead!"

"Yeah! What about the costumes?" Rainbow pointed out.

"And the music?" Fluttershy joined.

"And the candy!?" Pinkie jumped in.

"Didn't Granny Smith say she was going?" Sunset inquired.

AJ just hmphed. "She, Big Mac and Applebloom go every year, but they can't make me! What sort of day celebrates being dead? All that noise and partying? It's just disrespectful."

"But-" Before Twilight could argue further, Rarity stopped her by touching her arm.

"Please don't upset Applejack." Rarity whispered. "We don't really understand it either. She used the love the holiday as a child. We're really not sure why she stopped." She sighed. "I still made her a dress though, just in case she changes her mind."

Twilight just nodded and reluctantly accepted the fact that one of her best friends wasn't going to be there.

---

"I just don't understand what Applejack has against the holiday." Twilight admitted sadly.

"No kidding. It sounds like one big party!" Spike responded.

"Well I'm afraid that's just how she feels about it." Night spoke up. "I've met one or two people who share the same view your friend has. You can't force her to enjoy a holiday she doesn't like so there's not much you can do. She has a right not to celebrate it if she wants to."

"I know..." Twilight admitted dejectedly.

"I'm sure she has her reasons. But no more moping about! Today is a day for celebrating! Your grandparents wouldn't want to see you upset, would they?" Velvet asked.

Twilight smiled. "Your right! Even if Applejack doesn't like it, this is a day for fun! Today is going to be a day to remember!"

---

When they got there, other families were arriving and just starting to set up.

They quickly found Shining Armor and Cadance near their Grandparent's graves. After a few quick greeting hug, they got to work.

The graves were quickly cleared of any dirt and stray leaves and everything was put in place: the photos, the candles, the flowers, the food and even a few personal items that were being offered.

Night put down the fresh pan dulce he had baked.

Shining offered up Aurella's favorite mint tea and Orion's favorite earl gray.

Cadnace put down two sugar skulls she helped make and decorate.

Velvet put a pile of articles about her daughter and her friends's adventures she had cut out and stapled together, along with some cake she picked up at sugarcube corner.

"They should at least know how their granddaughter is doing."

Finally, Twilight gave her offering: a magnifying glass like the ones Aurella liked and some colored pencils and a sketchpad for Orion.

"There. Perfect!" Twilight smiled at the completed ofrenda.

"Mmmmm...." Spike began drooling as he caught a whiff of the food.

"Hold on boy." Velvet said, patting him. "First we have to wait for the spirits to come get some, then we can enjoy it."

Spike pouted but relented.

Twilight stayed behind to arrange everything while her family went to chat with their friends and get some of their own food from the tables.

"Hey Twilight?" Spike asked as he looked around the cemetery.

"Yeah?"

"Who's that statue people are giving food too?" Spike asked, noting lots of people offering up various foods to a statue of a beautiful woman.

"That's La Catrina." Twilight answered, going into lecture mode. "She's the Goddess of the Land of the Dead, where the souls of the good go when they pass on. She's also the Goddess of love, marriage, family, and the protector of children."

Spike nodded and turned his head. "And what about him?" Looking towards another statue, this time of a man, but with a lot less offerings. Spike shuddered. "He's scary."

"That's Mictlan." Twilight replied, her voice growing more serious. "He's a God of death too, but he rules the Land of the Punished, where the souls of people who were wicked in life go for punishment until they have paid for their crimes and can move on to the Land of the Dead."

"Yeesh." Spike said. "They must not like each other very much."

"Un contraire." Twilight replied. "They're actually married and deeply in love. Mictlan is also the God of disease, medicine, justice and judgement. He's supposedly the one who judges souls when they die and he's supposed to be very fair. Unfortunately, his appearance, association with death, and his rule over the wicked make hime more feared than celebrated."

"Oh."

Soon the cemetery was full of people building ofrendas, playing music, and eating.

"Well, I'm all set here." Twilight said, looking around at all the festivity. It was still daytime, so there was still a while before the procession. "C'mon Spike, let's go get some lunch and see how the others are doing."

While walking to the tables, Twilight passed a girl finishing up her grandfather's ofrenda.

"Hope you like your altar grandpa." She said before walking away.

Just then, Twilight noticed an orange mist rise from the grave and take form. "Oh I love it sweetheart! And who is that handsome man?" He asked playfully, looking at the picture.

Twilight blinked and rubbed her eyes, not believing what she was seeing. The figure looked exactly like the man in the photo!

"Wha!?" She gasped and looked around, seeing more orange intangible figures. Over near the fountain she saw three of them chatting and laughing with each other. Then she saw one reach down on her altar and pick up ghostly images of her offerings and putting them in a basket. Strangely, the physical offerings themselves were still there!

"Twilight.."Spike said, hiding behind his owner. "Please tell me you see the see-through people too."

Twilight could only look around in shock. Even more so when she noticed that non of the actual living people seemed to notice the ghostly figures around them.

She backed up a little before accidentally walking through a man!

"Oh! Excuse me miss!" He said.

"Ah!" She gasped.

The man seemed equally shocked. "What-you can see me!?"

Instead of answering, Twilight ran off a way before stopping.

She looked around more, trying to understand what was happening.

"What the heck is going on!?"

Comments

[Comickook]

VERY good job on the next chapter of this story. Once more, the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up are all well done in all the right places. I particularly liked Twi's describing of both Catrina and Mictlan as well as their roles. And, yeah, I can definitely see the start of the mystery. I have a hunch Twilight can see the spirits because of her new psychic abilities and Spike can see them because of the blast of magic he got from Twilight in the first story, but I WILL admit that hunch COULD be wrong.

I ALSO have a hunch that Applejack's dislike of the Day of the Dead holiday is because it might be a bit too close to when her parents died. But I admit I could be wrong about THAT too.

At any rate, I'll very certainly be eagerly awaiting more of the story.

[Snowdrifter]

I see dead people...