[Insert Better Name Here]
Sour's Sun
“This week is a week that nopony saw coming. A week that realized peace, unity, and an untimely disaster. E7-cTr-EG, also known as the Sun, or glowing incandescent light-bulb in the sky which Celestia moves day by day, has run out of hydrogen and--”
“Well, let’s just say Equine is in the path to ‘gobble gobble time.‘ And that we have a good couple hours before it is completely gone; as we will be soon. It had started with the war against the Griffons, which was started by their “new king Fardusa” because “the ponies are weak, and small.” It didn’t help when the Crystal Empire was taken from the hooves of the patriarchs through a bloody coup-d'état.”
“Many lives were lost, many futures snuffed. Equestria, after having lost the most, managed to find an agreeable term between all the nations, and states involved. It was a surrender, without the fear and desperation that surrender drove.”
“You may be asking: how do you know about all of this? I can tell you that it is incredibly simple. Beyond the grass, and hills. Beyond the cities, villages, and towns. Beyond all we can visibly see. That is what I want. What I seek. What I must hold in my hooves. What I must know.”
“But what I want beyond all of that… is to see Su…” I sniffle, trying to talk about her was saddening. When I left for this research trip I left her behind, and my chances to see her again. “To see her one last time, and hold her tightly in my fetlocks as I tell her I love her… one last time… is that too much to ask for?”
“Civilization is going to collapse several hours before Equine goes,” a sharp crack precedes a low grumble ‘pop’ telling me the device is now broken. “My last chance to preserve all of the knowledge I have… and it breaks.”
My head drops to stare at the potassium rich soil below me, my ears droop in kind. “Do I just have this… this, negative visible plane of negativity around me, which must continuously impede and, to my chagrin, chastise me?” I allow my mind to wander; I allow my senses to feel the wind riffle through my coat; the scent of palm trees waver past my nostrils.
I sigh, quite heavily at that. The feeling of the cold morning dirt matting, and dirtying my old cream colored coat; powdering my hooves and covering my legs with dust. It is the same soil as the kind I last saw her… a special day. The last day.
I look up at the sky. A few hours until daybreak, or the end of the world as we know it. The moon is still high in the sky. “May Luna watch over us all. For Celestia has left us…” When I began to start my prayer I trail off into thought. Thoughts about the last time I saw her.
* * *
The white of her mane, with a steady streak of orange, flashed past me as she ran ahead. Her light red hooves pranced across the grass as she moved in rhythm to whatever beat she felt like humming, and I was smiling. My teeth clean, just like my coat and all other parts of me.
I had to look impressive to take her out. Otherwise I couldn’t have taken her. “Look at me!” she called out excitedly.
“Yeah, I see. I see,” I smile back. I was old and slow; she was young and fast. “Why don’t you wait up for me?”
She giggled and replied. “No way silly. You are just too old to keep up with me.”
“No,” I pondered aloud, as if trying to convince myself. “That can’t be it. It just has to be that you’re really fast.”
She smiled playfully. Sunny Dance had the brightest smile I’d ever seen. “Let’s go. You said we get ‘one hour in the park, before we do’ um… oh, right! ‘something special’.”
I nodded to her. She is a bright one, I thought to myself. I watched as she stopped to smell some flora. It brought me joy to watch her in whatever it is she decided to do.
“Oh! Oh! Oh! Can we get one?” I followed where she was looking and saw somepony making balloon… things. Not all of them were animals, I believe I saw a bicycle in there; and possibly a life-sized pony?!
I moved as quickly as a fast trot could go. “Yes, let’s. We’ll have to wait in line, though--”
“That’s fine let’s go,” she rushed, both towards the line, and through her speech.
I trotted at a casual pace and watched the other ponies, as well as some rabbits; and just the wind rustled the leaves in the trees, the blades of grass, articles of clothing, and the flowers- ripe and fresh as could be during that fine day.
Once I arrived at the line I had to brush my way past a couple of others, all who gave me some questionable or annoyed stares, I apologized every time I bumped into somepony. When I caught up to Sunny she had made it close to the front.
Two till and I had made it completely through. Standing there I heard her humming a sad little tune. It wasn’t instinctively sad, or not at first; it was after the first thirty seconds… well about thirty seconds, that it changed over to a saddened downturn.
“Why the sad tune?”
“Sad?” she looked on confused. “No, it isn’t sad. It is reminiscent. Reminiscent of the past. Reminiscent of the old, the what-ifs, and the ways to fall.” Readied to ask her for more information I was pleasantly stopped. “I was just making the tune match my mind.”
“Aren’t you happy though?” I questioned, becoming unsure about myself and my actions; about the entire day we could spend together.
She stood there all quiet like, eventually we moved closer to the front. She eventually settled on what words to use, she began with a mumble. “And I do. I miss her, and I know you do too.” After a brief pause she continued slightly louder. “But we won’t see each other for a long time… yet, it is foalish of me to think so, but you are in much pain.”
“Not physical. But emotional,” she paused once again. “Why sad? Because that is what I see when I see you.”
I hadn’t known what to say to that, but I wouldn’t have really been able to as we made it to the fore of the line. The mare at the front, pink as can be, looked to use. She seemed to have had something on her mind.
“So, what would you like?!” she tried her best to sound enthusiastic, but I saw through; but I didn’t say anything about it.
Sunny looked on and considered her options, her choices. “What can you make?” she inquired, clearly she was thinking ahead, and wanted to know all the options first.
“Anything you want!” the mare had worked on keeping up the facade. But she sounded sincere; as if she had some sort of reputation to uphold, like I don’t know… the most upbeat in all the lands. I did know her, or rather I’d seen her around from time to time. She even greeted me when I first arrived.
Sunny seemed to ponder her options for a small while. Eventually she settled on something. “Could I get a snake?” she was clearly thinking about other stuff now, as a snake would be a slightly bent balloon.
The mare simply nodded. She took out a green balloon, and began a very quick inflation with her mouth. Her hooves moved as if they were Timberwolves pouncing a prey, nearly invisible. And seconds later she had completely bent the balloon into shape, and tied a string on it. When she gave it over to Sunny it began to… float?
I looked on in bafflement. Before I could ask about it though, an alarm rang and the mare practically teleported somewhere. My gaze turned to Sunny, and I could tell, from the corners of my eyes, that I wasn’t the only one confused.
With a small shrug of her shoulders Sunny began walking away, after a small moment of disbelief in everything I ever knew to be true… I followed. “Anything you want to do now?”
“Not really… think we could just get to that special thing you had mentioned?” she had began to sound impatient, even if she tried to hide it.
“That’s fine,” I smiled. “This way then. We have a few things to do first.”
--- --- ---
We sat down at the small round table. The hay chairs still dug into my tail, but a couple minutes of grooming could remove the hay from my tail, so not much to worry about. This was my normal dining place, it was rarely ever crowded, since the ponies that went there have breaks at different times making it the best place to go, eat, and leave without the need for the senseless interactions with others.
“May I take your order?” a waiter with an accent inquired. I knew what I wanted: the same thing I always got.
“I know what I want,” I informed him. I looked toward Sunny and asked, “know what you want yet?”
“What’s a quiche?”
“It’s kind-of-like a pie, but with custard and cheese for the filling.”
“Oh…” she looked at the menu, the very one I neglected to look at, since knowing ahead of time was considered half the battle. “I’ll just go with a daisy sandwich and some hay fries on the side.”
“And I’ll take the crisp salad, and a hay burger. Oh! And a shake,” I told my order.
The waiter raised a brow. “What type of shake?”
“Forty percent.”
“Very well, I’ll get you your order.”
Sunny looked to me. “Could I get a shake.”
“Sorry, it isn’t something you would like,” I lied. It was something someone her age shouldn’t have at all. I couldn’t let her have something so addictive.
“Oh…” she exclaimed with a sigh.
We waited in silence for our food to come. Neither of us finding the words to say, so we sat there and waited. She sat there and played with her snake. Once the food arrived the waiter placed all of the food onto the table; hay fries, hay burger, my salad, the daisy sandwich, my shake, and a glass of water for Sunny.
“Enjoy,” with that the waiter trotted away to another table, and took away some dishes from that table. A table for six.
I could see a few ponies trot away with a slight stagger, and the look of bliss upon their faces. By the looks of the tint in the cups, each of them only had the ten percent ones. Mine would be much better than theirs.
I took the fork into hoof, stabbed some of the leaves, and lifted them to my lips. I took a bit of the plain leaves. Fresh, slightly watered, and green. They tasted just right. Sunny was reaching down and grabbed a hay fry while staring longingly into the distance.
We sat in silence, she ate her food, and I ate mine. It wasn’t until I got to the shake that anything was said. “Is it any good?” she asked as I slurped some.
My vision had quickly become blurred. Oh how I missed this feeling, I thought. “Yes, it is good, but it doesn’t have very healthy things in it for fillies your age. If you are really curious I could give you a sip,” it was the bliss that speak now, not logic, or healthy emotions, just the sweet bliss.
“No… um, I’m good--” she pointed to her cup of water “--I have this,” she had clearly understood what the shake was. She was smart like that, tremendously observant.
She picked up her sandwich between her hooves, and began to eat it; exactly like almost every foals eats candy. It was gone within the minute. She had a look on her face that looked as if she were pleased with the sandwich. I knew I would be as well, soon enough.
I slurped down the rest of the shake, and I rather regretted that, because like all cold things moving quickly in the mouth. The roof of my mouth became cold and I felt what many know as a brain freeze. It was worth it though. I felt happy, and all I could smell was the berry smelling shake.
When I looked around, all the clowns had finished their ponies, or extremities. I shook my head several times. The clowns slowly morphed into ponies, and the ponies into food; though as a separate account, not actual both. Where the clowns became the ponies. And what was the ponies had became the food. Or everything became normal again.
“Is there anything you would like to do, before we get around to the special thing?” I waited, and when she didn’t reply. “Sunny!”
“Hmm? Oh! Um… yes?”
“I was simply asking if you wanted to do anything before we get along further with the day.” She gave me a small little nod. “Hmm… ‘kay, what would you like to do then?”
She rested one of her elbows on the table, before she rested her head upon them. “Well, we could climb the mountain at the edge of town. Or we could find somewhere soft, and in the shade to watch the clouds and talk.”
I thought for a small while. Would it be better to go to the mountain? Or to just find somewhere nearby to look at some clouds and have a small discussion? I began to tap my right ear, something I did when I became anxious. It would be safer if I pick something that she would like better--
“No need to think so much about it. You look like you’ll pop a vessel.”
I wasn’t able to help but give a nervous chuckle. “Gee, thanks. Which would you like to do?” She seemed to become slightly startled, as if she hadn’t been asked that much before.
She picked up a hay fry in her other hoof, raised it to her muzzle until it was at her mouth. “Um… how about cloud watching?” she finished and proceeded to eat the fry.
I smiled once more, not from the euphoria that the shake brought on, well… not entirely, but because I was genuinely happy. “We can do that.” I motioned for the waiter to come over.
Once at the table I dropped a bag of bits, twenty-three total in count. A little extra, but I had added a tip: for him not disturbing us while we tried to talk; even if it went against the code of employment at the restaurant. Though I did have to pay for the shake at a later time, as is customary to do, there.
“Merci,” he thanked and began to clear the table of the dishes gathered upon it. We took the time to stand from the table. Already I could feel myself returning to normal, all of my senses grew sharper from their dulled state.
“This way,” I told Sunny. She didn’t say anything, but began to follow along. I had already thought of the spot we could lay down and spot all of the clouds.
We walked along the dirt path, side by side, we were walking in silence simply observing the passersby ponies, occasionally we would see a different race; Unicorns, Pegasus, Earth, and a Griffon couple, as well as a Gorgony; I could’ve sworn I saw a Zebra, but it wasn’t a typical Zebra, they had wings and looked more like a Pegasus.
Sunny’s vision followed the Zebrasus (I still haven’t figured out a name to call them), after they left our sight she turned toward me and asked. “What was that?”
“I’m not extraordinarily sure. They looked like a Zebra, and a Pegasus mixed together, though now that I think about it. I believe that character moved into the edge of the Everfree a few years back, and has come into town occasionally. Mostly to buy supplies by what I understand.”
“I also heard that there was an incident at the foal’s schoolhouse. And they were spotted nearby at the time.” My thoughts ran rather hard to dig up all the information I knew about that particular… pony. “I don’t remember what their name is… in case you were wondering.”
“What-was-the-incident-about? Did-they-cause-it? Are-they-dangerous?” she rapidly shot out questions at an incredible rate.
“Woah there! Give me a second to be able to hear what you say before you say somethin’ else. Now, a few of the fillies were turned to stone. They were cured not long after. And no, they aren’t dangerous…” I spent a couple of seconds thinking. “What was the question I’m not getting?”
She huffed. “Did they cause it?” she repeated at a much slower pace.
I chuckled softly. “That’s right… no, they didn’t cause it. I believe it was a Gorgony who did. And not on purpose.”
It was faint, but I could hear her mutter: “I’ll be the judge of that.” I pretended not to hear it, though.
After another minute of us walking we were able to make it to the spot I had in mind; though I was slightly disappointed when I found others there. I stopped, and once Sunny realized that I stopped, she stopped as well. “It looks as if there are others here, we’ll have to go to the other spot,” I concluded.
She groaned, but I simply smiled. I was glad I could spend every minute with her; even if it were simply walking to someplace to relax in the grass and stare at clouds. We began to trot to the next spot, since we wanted to get there at a faster rate; that and she had challenged me with a: “race you there.” And sure, she didn’t know where it was, but still; it didn’t mean we couldn’t race to it.
We ran, and ran. Closer to the spot. Miraculously, she seemed to know where she was going; but less of a surprise: she was gaining a bigger and bigger lead ahead of me. Something she was always good at was running, and while she didn’t currently have a cutie mark. I’m sure she could get one in running.
--- --- ---
We looked around the hill. There had been a single oak tree standing at attention on the top. The grass was short, and well kept. Small flowers of a variety of colors spread all the way around this small mound of a hill.
“Want to lay down here?”
She looked mesmerized, and stood in awe. It was a lovely sight to behold. In all my years of travel only a few other places matched the harmonic nature one would feel when they were present at that moment and at that place.
“It’s… beautiful,” she stated, as if I didn’t already know that. It was more of a je ne sais quoi feeling. Undescribable.
“It is. What do you think… find it special?”
Her eyes lit up. “Is this the special thing?”
“Nooo… but this was something I wanted to show you as well.” It felt almost like I took something away from her. “Do you like it?”
“Like it? No,” she declared as she looked away. “Frankly, it could have been better.”
“What? But… but I… I…” I trailed off when she looked at me with a smirk. “You… love it?” I hesitated.
“Yes,” she answered calmly. “I love it!” she squealed.
I motioned toward the shade of the tree. Sunny smiled as a reply. She walked to a semi-clear spot, clear of flowers, and slowly laid down. I watched the entire time, she was a reminder of my past…
My happy, happy past. And she was a reminder of all the saddest times. She was my bunny. My angel. Sent from Celestia herself as some sort of blessing. And that day was the only time I would be able to have seen her in around three years. I wouldn’t see her after that; though I would think about her every day, and even in my last moments, which is upon me in the present… out of my mind, and memories.
She looked up from the shade, as I stood there hesitant to move, and with an accepting grin she motioned toward me, and it was easy to tell what it directed: come here. Reluctantly my hooves moved. And as I drew closer to her I became that much more fearful, and hesitant.
I came to the clearing in not much time at all, and laid down next to her, I looked at the sky. Big, blue and scattered with clouds. I pointed in the direction of a cloud that looked exactly like a burrito. “What does that one look like to you?”
“Hmmm… kinda like a log, or the hooves to a larger pony.”
I shifted. “Really? Looks like a burrito to me.”
“What?” she almost laughed, and her tone was that of disbelief. “How?”
“Yeah. You have the body there--” I followed my hoof through the air along the part that would be the body “--and that--” my hoof ended at the tip “--is the swirl of a well wrapped burrito.”
She giggled and played along. “Oh yes, and that--” she points to a cloud which looked an awful lot like a dragon “--is the cutest piece of celery I have ever seen.” I open my mouth to say something, but ended up closing it when I saw the smirk that ran across her muzzle.
“Alright… alright. It’s the cleanest piece of celery I have ever seen,” I deadpan.
“What?! No. That isn’t a piece of celery,” her tone was light and playful, before it took a curious inquisitive shift. “Why would you fall for that? You couldn’t have possibly--”
“Well, it’s because I didn’t,” I stated.
“Really?”
“Truly. Now… that one--” I pointed to a particular cloud which looks like a pony dancing through the sky “--looks like a dancer. And that one--” I point to another which looked like a tree “--looks exactly like a conifer pine tree, almost ready to drop some pines by what I can tell.”
She giggled in a stifled way, and we remained there. Taking turns pointing and laughing, and really, just having some fun. Until finally we run into the time in which we needed to leave.
“Are you ready? I believe it is finally time.” I asked, readied to take her to the best day she might ever have… especially with me. I had doubted I would ever get another chance to see her, and I knew I was right about that thought.
She was quick to stand. “Yeah, I think I’m ready,” she replied without much confidence.
I was much slower to stand myself. “Well, let’s go then.”
* * *
While recounting my memories the sky has changed to a deep red, the light slowly dawned. And all life is now on its last stretch. Today, truly, is a doomsday. I can feel that my body is lighter, and the air is thicker.
If I look hard enough I can see that small pebbles are beginning to float towards the sky. I need to get back to comfort, so I return, retreat back into the recesses of my mind.
* * *
We sat down on a burgundy blanket somepony had laid out. It wasn’t for us. It was for everypony who wanted to watch, or more of anypony who wanted to watch. We had picked the spot that was three from the cart.
We waited three to four minutes just discussing what we thought the show would be about, until finally, the puppeteer made his way to the stage, and trotted around to the back. A short time later a few puppets popped up from behind the curtain.
We watched the show being mostly quiet, making only a few comments between each other here and there, but we were mostly just focused on the show. We laughed as the puppet tripped on a banana peel. We cried when it died to the dragon, and we celebrated when it turned out it wasn’t dead. And finally we were amazed when it talked the dragon out of the cave, and left with its riches.
After the show the puppeteer stood out and gave a little bow. We (the audience) gave him a stomping ovation. Loud and thunderous the stomps seemed to amplify as more joined in, until it was a uniformed stomp. The whole time the puppeteer smiled, and bowed, occasionally even waving.
Sunny and I didn’t stay long after that. Silently we got up and left. We talk about the show and about possibly seeing it again, but we won’t. I eventually asked her. “Do you want to go talk to her?”
She stopped. I couldn’t tell if she was surprised, shocked, or saddened. “I… yes,” she answered with a hushed voice, as if trying not to be heard. The only thing I was able to think of doing was smile, smile, smile; as a certain pony would have said, though I couldn’t remember who said it.
I ignored a sudden urge to make my friends happy, and continued to walk Sunny Dance to a place of rest. A place… nopony remembered about, until they pass by it in the eerie dead of night.
Within several long silent filled minutes we arrived at the gate leading into the space. I began to open the cold, black, rusted iron gate when she thrust her tiny bright red hoof in front of me. “I… want to go in alone,” she informed, her tone hushed and demure.
I was going to say something, but stopped. And with a simple nod, she bade her way in; alone and terrified. I watched as she reached the tombstones until she found an epitaph labeled:
In loving memory of
a wonderful wife, mother, and friend,
Aer
my wife. Or she was. Until she died, but those thoughts only ever brought pain, so I opted to find a bench that I would have been able to sit on.
--- --- ---
Two hours passed before I saw Sunny again, she had a redness, and puffiness that I discerned were from tears, but I don’t say anything about them. By that time it had started to get dark out. I gave her a welcoming smile. “You ready to head back?”
She didn’t answer, but was already moving on the path back to where I was supposed to drop her off at. I went after her, simply following, and waiting. If anything more was to be said it was going to be by her. I also noticed that her balloon was gone, most likely left at the tombstone.
We traveled for some time, but it could be more as retracing. We passed parts of the park, the hill, the restaurant, until finally we arrive at the chosen destination. I got to tell her goodbye, before I had to leave. Silence hung in the air, quite carefully too.
One minute passed, two minutes sent, three minutes gone, four minutes. “Um…” she started.
“Yes?”
“Did you… did you love her?” she shook her head quickly. “Mother I mean.”
I looked at her, and locked eyes with hers. “Yes… she was the most important thing in my life.” Her ears drooped slightly. “Until you came along that is.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely. And here--” I held out a bag of Bits “--a gift from me to you.” She hesitated, but eventually grabbed it. It was all I could give her. “I’ll…” I couldn’t finish. I didn’t want to lie to her. We eventually hugged, she was still mostly silent except small noises here and there. “Goodbye sweetheart.”
“Bye, Daddy,” she eventually whispered.
* * *
I can now see that the entire star is now expanding, and those pebbles are now boulders. I was ready for this as soon as the signs had first shown. The things should kick in at any moment. Slowly, I feel it start to work. I also feel that my heart has stopped beating. Just a few more seconds.
Suddenly a bright multi-colored light fills my vision, and as I adjust--