42 – Last Day Together
Chapter Forty-Two
Last Day Together
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It had been one week since Fluttershy left, and every day was hell. She knew her last goodbye with Fluttershy was supposed to give them closure, but instead it just made the wound fresh once more.
Not that she’d really needed it to. She hadn’t ever really healed over. Every day brought fresh reminders of everything she left behind, and nothing was ever okay.
It was all around her. Her house especially, but even places around town. They had been friends since high school, and girlfriends for over a year. They had simply built too many memories around Everton for Sunset to feel comfortable anywhere.
The one small relief she had was the journal. Maybe it was having a Fluttershy to talk to, maybe it was because they had never gone to Equestria together, but the journal felt like something exclusively her own.
Neither Twilight nor Fluttershy was around to talk to at the moment, however, so Sunset flipped through its pages idly. She occasionally paused to read something at random, smiling at old jokes she’d shared with her friends.
Then she flipped too far back and saw something in neat little writing that didn’t belong to Twilight or Fluttershy. It was the last thing Celestia had ever sent her, on the night of the Fall Formal. Sunset hadn’t seen the message until well afterwards, and she had never replied to it.
‘Dear Sunset Shimmer,
I find myself at a loss for words as I write this. Truly, I do not think I’ve felt less sure of any message in my memory, so please excuse me if I say anything strange.
I do not know what has happened to you in this other world that you would do something so brazen as stealing Twilight’s crown. I would like to hope that regardless of your actions, your motives were pure, but I fear I can not even have that. I’ve heard from the guard you attacked on that night, I’ve seen the damage you’ve done to Cadance’s library.
But I do have hope for the future. Twilight Sparkle is a good pony, though I suspect you may not care about that as much as I wish you would. Please, above all else, I wish for you to let her help you in whatever problem you’re facing.
And if I may be so bold as to request something else, it would be that you come back to Equestria. It is only fair to warn you that if you choose to do so, you will have to stand trial for your actions, but still, I believe this is the best course of action for all involved. Yourself included. If you return willingly, I will guarantee leniency for you.
Listen to me, talking of trials and leniency even now. I can see that I’ve only truly been a princess to you in all these years. That is my fault, one I hope you’ll forgive me for, although I’ll understand if you do not.
Come back to Equestria, Sunset. Come home and let us make things right.’
Sunset had thought long and hard over that message. She had wanted to answer it, but she had been too afraid. Once again, she had disappointed her former mentor by not returning to Equestria like she’d asked. How was Sunset supposed to face her? And what would await her if she did?
Whatever might have happened, Celestia never tried to write to Sunset again. And now, even if she wanted to reach out to Celestia, she no longer had that chance. Twilight had the book now, and Sunset had no way to send word to her teacher, her mother figure, her sun.
Sunset flipped forward in the book once more, Celestia’s final message playing through her head as she did. She looked at messages from Twilight, and later, from Fluttershy as well. She thought of the couple that had become so close to her, and she thought of them asking Sunset to visit them in Equestria.
Without stopping to second guess herself, she flipped ahead to a blank page and wrote a quick message. ‘Is that offer to come to Equestria still on the table?’
If Everton had too many memories, maybe it was time to go somewhere that didn’t.
There was no response, at least not right away. But Sunset had known there wouldn’t be; Twilight and Fluttershy were busy, they had already said as much.
So that left Sunset with plenty of time to start second guessing what she was doing. Going to Equestria wasn’t in itself hard. She could even just go for a day, then come back to her own house and go back to work like she hadn’t just been in another dimension.
Or… or maybe she could do something more…
Sunset was supposed to be at work in an hour. It was the perfect situation, all things considered. She could go to work, then come back home to check the journal. By then she would have a reply, which she fully expected to be a ‘yes’, then they could make plans.
But Sunset looked at the journal, and she wondered if it even mattered. She sighed and said aloud, “I could move back to Equestria.”
Saying it out loud made it more real. It wasn’t just a half-formed concept in her head, she had spoken it into existence. She could move back to Equestria. She was sure Twilight and Fluttershy wouldn’t mind, they were always talking about having too much room at their castle.
She just had to decide if that was what she wanted to do. She needed advice. Applejack came to mind, but she would be biased. She wouldn’t want Sunset to go, and that might influence her advice.
Sunset pulled out her phone and started scrolling through her contacts to find someone who might be more objective. Someone reliable, someone she wouldn’t be able to predict the response of.
She reached the bottom of the list and one name stuck out. Someone she had completely forgotten she even had the number of. It was strange, it was someone she normally wouldn’t call, yet it was someone so perfect that she knew there could be no other choice.
Sunset hit call.
They agreed to meet for coffee. Sunset got there first, which was a change from how these things had usually gone in the past, but then, Sunset could no longer expect her to drop everything and come running at a moment’s notice.
She sipped on her second coffee slowly, wary of overdoing it on caffeine. She used the chance to text Applejack and Pinkie, telling them both that she wanted to meet up later that night. Regardless of what advice she got before then, she would still want to talk about this option with her closest friends.
As she was texting Pinkie to assure her that everything was alright, she heard a woman speak up from behind her. “Hello, Sunset,” Violet Dusk said. “I hope I haven’t kept you waiting for too long.”
Sunset turned to smile at her former social worker. “Hi, Violet. No, not too long.”
Violet took a seat beside Sunset. She already had a coffee of her own, which she took the lid off so she could add cream and sugar. “So how are you doing?”
Sunset sighed. “Well, I can’t really say I’m doing great.”
Violet nodded. “I thought as much. You wouldn’t call me for a social visit.”
Sunset wasn’t sure if that was meant to be criticism or not. It was hard to tell with Violet sometimes. “Yeah, I… I sort of have this big decision to make.”
“Okay. So let’s hear it then.”
“Well, I’m thinking of moving away from Everton.”
Violet replaced the lid on her coffee and took a sip. “I see. That is a big step.”
“Yeah, it is.” Sunset scratched at her neck. “Basically… Fluttershy, my girlfriend, broke up with me. She left town on this tour with a band she’s managing, and I’m just kind of wondering… what’s really left for me here, you know?”
“And have you answered yourself?”
“I have a house, a job, and a few good friends. But most of my friends have already moved away after high school, I hate my job, and my house just reminds me of Fluttershy now…”
Violet nodded. “Alright. And because you’re you, I know you already have a plan for moving away.”
“Yeah. I have some friends I can stay with. It’s… it’s not much of a plan, but they’re well off so I wouldn’t be burdening them, and I don’t exactly have much to lose here either. I could get a job there, then find my own place and all that.”
“You still have the same job?”
“Yeah, and I heard from a manager friend of mine there that the owner won’t promote me because he dislikes me.”
Violet frowned. “I’m sure you realize that’s illegal.”
Sunset nodded. “I could fight him on it, but why? I hate that job, and I’d still hate that job if I was a manager. Even if I stay in Everton, I’m looking for a new one.”
Violet drummed her fingers on the table. “I do hate to see him get away with treating you like that, but you have a good point. And with your past experience, I know you could get a better job.”
“Exactly. So no real issue there, just gotta decide if I want to stay in Everton or move away.”
Violet took another sip of her coffee, so Sunset did the same. “Well, let’s look at it this way. What would you actually miss if you did move away? Your friends that are still left, I’m sure?”
“Yeah…” Sunset looked down at the table. “Applejack especially. She’s… She’s the closest thing to family I’ve got.”
“I can see why that would be hard to leave behind. You two have known each other for a long time.”
“Another friend too, Pinkie Pie. I have some other friends in town, but those two would be the hardest to leave. If it wasn’t for them, I think this decision would be a lot easier.”
“Well, it is going to be a hard decision, and of course you know I can’t give you the answer.”
“I know.”
“But you also should know that in this day and age, you can keep in touch over long distance easier than ever. Computers may not be the same as being face to face, but you wouldn’t be letting them out of your life for good.”
In truth, computers wouldn’t help from Equestria, but she couldn’t explain that. Besides, there was a two way portal in the middle of Everton, so that might not be a real concern anyway.
“So you think I should go for it.”
Violet was quiet for a moment. She looked off to the side as she thought, then turned back to Sunset when she had her answer. “Would you be able to change your mind if things don’t work out?”
Sunset hadn’t thought of that. She could always come back if she changed her mind before getting evicted, and if she changed her mind after, she could probably figure something out. Hell, she could live in Equestria and work in Everton to save up for a new place if she really wanted to.
“Yeah, I think I could. I could come back and stay with Applejack if I really needed to.”
“Well then, I think it’s a good idea. I can’t say it’s the right idea for you, but only you can make that call. But I don’t think it sounds like you have much to lose if you do this.”
“I guess… I guess you’re right.” Sunset rested her chin on her hand. “It just really felt like I had more going for me here before I stopped to think about it.”
“Things often seem bigger before we talk about them, I find.”
“Yeah…”
Violet studied Sunset for a moment, then showed a rare smile. “You know, for what it’s worth, I really think you can do this. If you decide to, of course, but you’ve never failed to amaze me when you set your mind to something.”
Sunset smiled. “Thanks, Violet. That means a lot to me.”
“I have to say though, if you do move I’ll miss you.”
Sunset broke into a grin at that. “After all the trouble I’ve caused over the years?”
“Yes. You may not have always been the easiest kid to work with, but you were always an interesting one. And you know, after fourteen years of knowing each other, goodbye was never going to be easy.”
Sunset nodded. “Yeah, that’s true. I’ll miss you too, Violet.”
“I don’t usually keep in touch with the kids I work with into adulthood. I’m glad you became an exception.”
“Me too. It’s been nice to have your input when I need it.”
“That doesn’t have to change if you move, you know. Maybe we won’t be able to meet face to face like this, but you can still call.”
Sunset smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind. It’ll be nice to have someone to run to the next time I get myself caught up in something crazy.”
“I suppose I’d be fooling myself if I ever hoped for a social call from time to time.”
Sunset grinned wider. “Would you want me to call just to be social? Because I absolutely could.”
“I don’t see why not. I’d like to hear how things are working for you, you know.”
“Alright deal. I’ll keep in touch, then.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Violet looked at her watch. “But it’s a work day for me, so I should get back to my regular clients. It was nice to see you though.”
“Right, I won’t hold you up then. Thanks for meeting with me.”
Violet stood up, so Sunset did the same. They walked to the exit together, but before going their separate ways, Violet held out her hand to shake Sunset’s. “Whatever you do, take care of yourself, Sunset.”
“Yeah, you too, Violet.”
Violet turned to head towards her car, and Sunset turned the other way to get to her motorcycle. She wondered if she’d ever see Violet again. She supposed she could always say she was vacationing in Everton and meet up for coffee again.
That thought made Sunset realize she was already thinking of this as a decision she had made. Maybe it was.
She thought about it all the way home, thought about what she’d be giving up and what she’d be gaining. And the more she thought about it, the more she knew there was precious little left for her in Everton.
The worst would be facing Celestia again. That would be inevitable if she was back in Equestria, especially living with Twilight. Sunset wasn’t sure she wasn’t walking into a one way trip to the Canterlot dungeons, but she was hopeful Twilight could mitigate that possibility.
Leaving Applejack and Pinkie would be hard, but it didn’t have to be forever. She could come and visit them, and she would have Twilight and Fluttershy for company. And best of all, she wouldn’t have constant reminders of her own Fluttershy.
By the time she reached her house, she had definitely made up her mind. All that was left to do was talk to Twilight and Fluttershy about it.
Which would be sure to happen quickly, as she had a reply waiting for her in the journal. Sunset was pretty sure she recognized it as Twilight’s writing.
‘Of course! When do you want to come?’
Considering Sunset had just ditched work without calling, Lucre could finally fire her if he really wanted to. Besides, no time like the present, right?
‘As soon as possible.’ She thought better of that answer; she still wanted to say goodbye to her friends. ‘Or actually, how about tomorrow?’
A reply came quickly. ‘That sounds great. We’re looking forward to it!’
It was time to finalize her decision. Sunset took a deep breath before writing the words. ‘One more thing. I was wondering if I could move in with you for a bit. I… I need to get away from Everton.’
The response to that came slower, and seemed more hesitant. ‘Are you sure? I’d want to double-check with Fluttershy, but I don’t think she’d have anything against it.’
‘I’m sure. I just want to get out of this town once and for all.’
‘If it’s that important to you, then of course you can move into the castle. You can stay here for as long as you need, I’m positive Fluttershy will agree.’
‘Thanks, Twi. That really means a lot to me.’
‘Of course. But can I ask why this is coming up all of a sudden?’
Sunset took a deep breath. It wasn’t like she was getting out of it, and it might be easier to write about than to talk about. ‘It’s Morning Breeze…’
As soon as she arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, Sunset started second guessing herself. She knew she would, but still, it hit her hard. This place felt as much like home as her own house did, maybe even more so.
She didn’t knock on the door, she didn’t text anyone to say she’d arrived, she didn’t look for Applejack. Instead, Sunset parked her bike and walked along the edge of the property to visit Sky’s grave one more time.
She left her helmet on her bike, content that it would be safe at Sweet Apple Acres. All she took with her was her backpack, which only had one thing in it.
She stopped in her tracks as she approached the grave. The flowers that they had all planted had just started to grow. Sunset carefully walked up and kneeled before them, looking at all the little buds that popped out of the ground. If Sunset believed in that sort of thing, she might have thought it was a sign. Sky’s way of telling her that things would be alright when she was gone.
Of course, Sunset didn’t believe in signs. She didn’t believe in God, or in an afterlife, or in anything comforting like that. She believed that as she kneeled down in front of a headstone surrounded by little buds waiting to bloom, the only one she was there for was herself.
Still, she wanted to say something. Say goodbye, or promise she would visit, or… something. What did people say in times like this? What was there to say to someone who couldn’t hear her anymore anyway?
She wished she knew, but she didn’t. She just knelt silently, trying to find words.
Someone else had some, at least. “They just started to grow. Only noticed them today for the first time.”
Applejack knelt down beside Sunset, who nodded slowly. “You’ll let me know when they bloom, right?”
“Of course I will.”
Sunset stood up. She didn’t have anything to say, and she wasn’t even sure what she hoped to get from sitting around here. “Anyone else here yet?”
“Nope, just you,” Applejack said as she rose as well. “Did you invite more than just Pinkie?”
Sunset started walking back towards the farmhouse, Applejack following. “Yeah, Flash. Hope that’s alright.”
“Fine by me. Wanna tell me what this is all about?”
Sunset sighed. She kind of wanted to wait until everyone was there, but she’d already made Applejack wait long enough. “I’m moving back to Equestria.”
Applejack stopped in her tracks. “You’re doin’ what now?”
“I need a change, AJ. Everything’s gotten too hard, and I just… I need to try something different.”
“And moving to a whole other universe is the best way to do that?”
Just as Sunset thought, Applejack was too biased towards wanting Sunset to stay. “Look, I know you don’t want me to go, but I’ve made up my mind.”
Applejack scowled and looked at something behind Sunset. “Have fun explaining that one to Pinkie. She just pulled up.”
If anything, Pinkie was going to be harder to tell than Applejack was. Sure, she and Applejack were as close as could be, but Pinkie was sensitive about her friends going away.
But whether she was ready to tell Pinkie or not, she didn’t have much choice. Sunset turned to find that just as Applejack said, she had pulled up and was getting out of her minivan.
Normally Sunset could count on Applejack to help her break the bad news, but one look at her friend showed that wasn’t likely. Applejack did not look pleased with her.
No time to think, because Pinkie was walking over to them. “Hiya! How’s it going?”
“Hey, Pinkie,” Sunset said. “It’s going.”
“Going somewhere,” Applejack said irritably. “Go on, Sunset. Why don’tcha tell Pinkie what ya just told me?”
Sunset shot Applejack an annoyed glare before turning back to Pinkie and sighing. “So I asked you to come here for a reason. The truth is this is my going away party. I’m moving back to Equestria tomorrow.”
“What?” Pinkie deflated, hanging limp where she stood as she stared at Sunset. “You can’t mean that…”
“I know it’s sudden,” Sunset said. “But I’m looking for a change, and Twilight offered one.”
“Twilight and Fluttershy, you mean,” Applejack said accusatively. “Let’s cut the crap, Sunset. That’s what this is about, ain’t it? You lost the Fluttershy in this world, so you decided to move to another one where you could be around her again.”
“That isn’t what this is about!” Sunset said defensively. “AJ, you know me better than anyone. How could you think that about me?”
“I don’t know, maybe because I guess I don’t know you as well as I thought I did! Because I sure as hell didn’t think you’d just up and disappear on us like this!”
“Look, this wasn’t an easy decision. And you two should know that you’re the only reasons I considered staying here. But dammit, I’ve got nothing else going for me here! I have a shitty job and a shitty house I can barely pay for, and not a whole hell of a lot else!”
“Well, I’m sorry we weren’t good enough then!”
“Don’t make this about you! I –”
Sunset was cut off as Pinkie threw her arms around her. “Please don’t fight… If this is really your last night here, then please don’t spend it fighting…”
Sunset sighed and patted Pinkie on the back. When she spoke again, she kept her tone more level. “You know, the portal works anytime now. I can come visit, just like Twilight did.”
Applejack wouldn’t look at her. “So we’ll see ya once a month then?”
“I can come more than that. Hell, if I decide I don’t want to stay in Equestria long term, I can even stay there while working here to save up for a new place. The portal is right at CHS.”
“But you’re already so distant,” Pinkie said sadly. “I barely see you already, and now you’ll be another world away?”
Sunset didn’t have an answer for that. She wanted to convince Pinkie it could be different, but she knew her friend had a point. So instead of answering, she just hugged Pinkie back.
“Well come on then,” Applejack said after a moment. “Let’s quit standing around out here.”
She started walking towards the back, so Sunset and Pinkie followed her. Although Pinkie let go of Sunset enough so they could walk, she kept one arm around her as if holding onto her would keep her around.
It was a bit chilly out, but not too bad, so Sunset didn’t mind when Applejack led them to the picnic table in the backyard rather than the basement like she expected. Not that she was in much of a position to complain if she did mind.
“So what’s gonna happen to your place?” Applejack asked.
Sunset shrugged. “I dunno, I guess they’ll evict me after a while once I’m not around to pay rent. I’ll probably pack pretty light, so if you two want anything of mine it’s yours.”
“Suppose I could keep some of your stuff here for if ya want it later,” Applejack said. She still didn’t sound happy about things, but at least she didn’t sound accusatory anymore. She just spoke flatly, asking simple questions and stating simple facts.
That carried on until they had talked about everything there was to talk about with the move. Pinkie didn’t say much, just sat beside Sunset and clung to her arm.
Eventually they ran out of things to talk about. They sat in silence for a while, none of them knowing where to go under the circumstances. After a minute, Applejack stood up. “I’m gonna grab us some refreshments.”
“No, I’ll get it,” Pinkie said, standing up as well. “I need to use the bathroom anyway.”
Applejack sat back down while Pinkie walked into the house. It was the first time she had let go of Sunset since she’d heard the news.
They waited until she was gone before Applejack spoke again. “Ya know she’s takin’ this harder than she’s showing, right?”
“Yeah, I know,” Sunset said sadly. “You know I wouldn’t leave if I didn’t think this was something I had to do, right?”
“I know ya think ya have to.”
Sunset sighed. It was probably the closest to acceptance that she was gonna get.
They waited for Pinkie to return for long enough that Applejack decided to go in and check on her. That left Sunset by herself at Sweet Apple Acres, which was a perfect way to feel even worse about her situation.
But telling her friends hardened her resolve. They may not want her to leave, but it was just like when she spoke the possibility into existence; talking it over made the whole thing more real.
One way or another, tomorrow was coming. And hey, at least Sunset had said goodbye. Fluttershy hadn’t even given anyone other than Sunset that much.
Eventually two others came out to join her, but it wasn’t Applejack and Pinkie. Instead, Apple Bloom came out with Flash Sentry following behind. “Got another one for ya,” Apple Bloom said as she brought Flash to the picnic table. “Y’all havin’ some sorta party or somthin’?”
“Something like that,” Sunset said. She nodded to Flash. “Hey, Flash.”
He didn’t quite meet her eyes. “Hi, Sunset.”
It was understandable. The last time they had seen each other had been pretty awkward, after all. They had woken up hungover and naked in Flash’s bed, and even if neither of them remembered everything about the night before, it wasn’t exactly hard to piece together.
“So, I guess I’ll go first,” Sunset said to Flash. “I’m sorry for making things weird.”
“Well, it takes two, right? I know I didn’t really help keep things from getting weird myself…”
Apple Bloom looked between the two of them. “Why are y’all talkin’ like y’all hooked up?”
Neither of them answered, and they both stared off to the side. Flash even blushed.
Apple Bloom seemed to find it amusing. “Oh geez, Sunset! And you wanted to tell me off about my love life!”
“I didn’t tell you not to have sex, I told you to use condoms,” Sunset pointed out, hoping if she embarassed Apple Bloom in turn it would cause her to drop the subject.
It seemed to work. “Yeah, okay, point taken.” She and Flash took seats at the table, Apple Bloom beside Sunset and Flash across from them. “So anyway, what’s up with everyone comin’ over?”
Well, it was the last time she’d have to get it out of the way, at least. None of the other Apples even knew about Equestria, so it wasn’t like Sunset was going to have to tell them anything, and she hadn’t invited anyone else. “I’m leaving Everton tomorrow. Moving back to Equestria.”
“Wait, what?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Yeah, been getting that a lot today,” Sunset grumbled. “Yes, it’s short notice. But I’ve made up my mind, this is something I need to do.”
Flash scrunched his eyes in concentration. “Equestria? Isn’t that where Princess Twilight came from?”
“That’s right,” Sunset said.
“But wait, people can just go there?”
Sunset shrugged. “Well, most people don’t know about the portal, and Twi will have to open it for me. But yeah, nothing stops anyone from going through it when it is open.”
“And… hold on, but you said you’re going back there?”
Sunset squinted. “Wait… don’t tell me you didn’t know I’m Equestrian too?”
Flash blinked a few times. “You never told me that.”
“How the hell do you think I went there and stole her crown during the Fall Formal? And all that other shit that went on.”
“I don’t know! That was a really weird situation, and every time I think about it too much, my head hurts.”
Sunset laughed. “Well, yeah. I’m a pony from Equestria.”
“A… a pony…?”
“That’s right. You fucked a horse.”
“Please don’t say that… Ever…”
Sunset and Apple Bloom both burst into laughter at Flash’s expression. He looked as if everything he knew was being called into question, and he probably was trying hard not to ask too many uncomfortable questions of himself.
“Hey, it’s okay, Flash,” Sunset said after a while.
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom said. “At least she’s a cute horse!”
Sunset elbowed Apple Bloom, but that just made her laugh harder. “Look, I’m human enough. You’d be a horse if you went there too you know, so what matters is that I’m human in this world.”
“I guess…” Flash shifted uncomfortably.
He’d come around, Sunset was sure. Meanwhile, Apple Bloom got over her hysterics enough to get them back to the matter at hand. “So you’re really goin’ huh?”
“Yeah. I’ll be able to visit though.”
“Yeah, but I won’t be able to call you if I ever, you know, need anything.”
Sunset quirked her head. “I don’t think you’ve ever called me before. Why would you need me for anything?”
“You know… just in case…”
Sunset shrugged. “Applejack will be able to get a hold of me.”
Apple Bloom frowned. “In case of something I don’t want to talk to Applejack about…”
Realization hit Sunset. “Oh! Well… no, guess you won’t be able to get a hold of me for that…”
“You were the one who told me to come to you if I needed anything, and now you’re leaving.”
Sunset sighed. “Guess you’re mad at me too, then.”
“I ain’t mad at ya, I just… It was nice having someone I could talk to about anything.”
Sunset thought for a moment. “You could call Pinkie. She’d be cool about it.” She considered Flash for a moment, then decided not to suggest him. Apple Bloom would no doubt feel more comfortable talking to a woman.
“Yeah, I guess…”
It was clear she wouldn’t feel comfortable going to Pinkie either, but there weren’t many other options. “It’s better than AJ.”
“True.”
Flash looked confused. “Is, uh, is this a girl thing?”
“Yes,” they both answered at once, which at least got Apple Bloom to chuckle a little.
Finally, after what had to be an hour since Pinkie first left, she and Applejack returned. They took seats on the bench, Pinkie once again beside Sunset and Applejack once again across from her.
Pinkie fell back into place holding onto Sunset’s arm. She smiled as if all was well, but her eyes were red. Sunset had no doubts as to why she had been gone for so long, and could only assume she and Applejack must’ve had quite the talk.
“So then, guess you’ll need somewhere to store your bike,” Applejack said once they were all sitting back down. “You’ll want that for when you’re around.”
Her tone wasn’t warm, exactly, but it wasn’t as cold as it had been. Sunset smiled a little, aware that this was as close as her friend could come to giving it her blessing. “Yeah, that’d be helpful. Thanks.”
“Can I learn to drive it!?” Apple Bloom asked excitedly.
Sunset snickered. “That bike is my favorite thing in the world, you know. Not sure if I want an Apple riding around on it.”
“Aww, I’m sure Apple Bloom would take good care of it,” Pinkie said. Her voice was a little smaller than usual, but she kept up her cheery attitude and no one pointed it out.
“I’ll keep it safe from Apple Bloom, too,” Applejack said with a smirk. “Though I resent bein’ put in the same category as her.”
“She wouldn’t even let me drive it when we were dating,” Flash said.
“You never had a motorcycle license,” Sunset pointed out.
Flash didn’t seem to think that was a major problem. “You could’ve given me lessons.”
“Yeah, well, maybe.” Sunset smiled to herself, just happy that the conversation wasn’t all sad. That was the tone for the rest of the afternoon and into the night; they reminisced about growing up together, and made a few jokes at Sunset’s expense, but they kept the conversation from getting too heavy.
Eventually they decided they might as well make a thing of it and have the first cookout of spring.
Flash ran out to a local grocery store to pick up a few things while the Apples got the grill going. Pinkie kept clinging to Sunset, as if she suddenly needed to make up for all the hugs she was going to miss once Sunset left. Although she had never been as big on affection as some of her friends, Sunset never said a word against it.
All in all, it was the perfect way to spend their last day together, Sunset thought. But unfortunately, it could only last so long. One way or another, tomorrow had to come. “So if you’re leaving your bike here, you want a ride back to your place?” Flash asked when it was getting too late into the night.
“Yeah, that’d be nice,” Sunset said. “Just a second, though.”
Sunset opened her backpack and pulled out the journal. She brought it to Applejack. “This is the journal Twilight and I used to stay in touch,” she explained, although she expected Applejack recognized it well enough. She pressed it into her friend’s hands. “Take it. Any time you wanna reach me, you just have to write in it. I’ll be able to do the same on the other side.”
Applejack flipped through the pages. “So does this mean I’ll get to read through all your secrets now?”
Sunset smirked. “Go for it, I won’t be around to stop you anyway.”
Applejack tucked the book under her arm. “Sunset?”
“Yeah?”
Sunset found herself pulled into a rough hug. “Don’t you dare get so caught up in what you’re doing over there that you’ll forget to visit.”
Sunset smirked and hugged Applejack back. “Forget you? Not gonna happen. Trust me, I’ve tried.”
Before they could let go, another pair of arms wrapped around her. “I’ll miss you, Sunny…” Pinkie said.
She could tell Pinkie off for using that nickname, but just this once, she decided to allow it. “I’ll miss you too, Pinkie.”
Another hand found its way onto her shoulder. “That goes for me too,” Flash said. “You always were the best mistake I ever made.”
Although it was a tight fit by now, Apple Bloom worked her way in as well. “I hope you know I’m so stealing your motorcycle.”
Sunset laughed. “Okay okay, I’m great and everyone’s gonna miss me.” Everyone let go, And Sunset took a step away to beam at them. As she looked at the smiling faces of the friends she was leaving behind, she could barely stop a tear from coming to her eye. “You all take care of yourselves. I promise I’ll come back soon.”
“You better!” Applejack said, wrapping an arm around Pinkie. “Don’t think that this one won’t be able to track you down if you break that promise.”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Sunset followed Flash to his car, getting into the passenger side. She pulled on her seatbelt as he started the engine, but he didn’t pull out right away.
“You ready?” Flash asked.
Sunset sighed and frowned, looking at her friends still waving her off. “No,” she said, “but let’s go anyway.”
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Gods!!! Why!!! dies
There should be a prize to whomever remember this person before reading. Even I don't remember, I'm working on it.
I have an idea and
Typo!!
Aaaand I was right
smirks
9958718
Couldn’t end this story without one last appearance of my favorite social worker
Oof
Ouch
I'd say that Pinkie instinctively knows already but apparently she's not as aware in this universe so I'm at a loss
muffled screaming .... Why? I hate seeing my daughter like that
I just had a thought and I won't be depressed by myself:
Often at a party, when all the games are done and all the people left, and it's the end of the day, the only ones in the building are the people who took care of the food, cleaning up afterwards. In this context, the ones catering are Applejack and Pinkie. Which is fitting, when you think about it.
Ding ding ding ding ding
HAHAHAHHAHAHA IM DEAD HAHAHAHAHAHAA
screams
Okay so
Pinkie loved them both
In my mind a good universe would be one where she was part of their relationship
Because she deserves to be happy
muffled screaming
9958784
Oh yeah, Pinkie loved them both. That’ll come back up at some distant point in the future, but sadly for Pinkie, it’ll be a little while
In any other context this could be used as a pick up line. Just sayin'
9958731
Yeah, she was my first guess but I didn't want to take the first instinct
And don't worry, Violet is one of the people who I feel like I met personally and it is really hard to forget her
9958788
I want to hate you for that so much but you know I can't. I can just pray for the best, I really hope my child manages to live through it
9958710
I'm happy, I actually did figure it out before reading on
Nice to see Violet one last time. Obviously Twilight wasn't going to say no to Sunset moving back to Equestria since "Finding Home" exists, but...well, I suppose Sunset really doesn't have much to lose. And giving the journal to Applejack means she still has a way to keep in touch with the two people left in Everton that she cares the most about.
I know that she is being 100% logical and thinking practically but i just find it hilarious.
so like you wake up as one of the most powerful intellectual and connected unicorns in the land then travel through an ancient magic portal to work as a human cashier or something equally ordinary then back to Equestria where you can bend the world to your will with a thought, only so you can sleep off the hard days work.
That's both awwww and haha.
Also I guess I'm part of the elite Violet Dusk club...
yay.
ONWARDS!!
Lotta poignancy here. Applejack was too good and pure for this world.
Okay, Sunset, please tell me you told them who “Morning Breeze” really is, here...
You deserved that for not having figured it out long ago, Flash.
I'm sorry, I'm really not sure how living with Fluttershy is not going to be a constant reminder of Fluttershy. >.>
Boy, that is such a weird thing to accuse someone of, but not only does it make sense in context, I can definitely see why it looks that way. Heck, I'm not even convinced Sunset's not lying to herself.
Can really tell AJ's hurt bad and keeping it to herself.
Goddammit, I love Apple Bloom in this story.
goddammit XD
I'm fucking dying here
Even though Sunset did disappoint Celestia I'm glad that even after everything that's happened she's still not giving up on her.
Wait it is?!?!?
They always are.
Let's hope not. 🤞
Yep, she'll take it a lot more serious than AJ will.
Oh your definitely never gonna see the end of that Flash.
Wait, that's a thing?
lol.
I'm sitting here bleary eyed throughout this chapter and then this line comes up and hits me like a speeding bus
Well, that's quite the decision to come to, moving back to Equestria. Big move. But, I guess she doesn't have much else left to lose in Everton.
Fkn. Lol.
Big trust move there. Wonder if AJ will ever actually end up reading anything.