Slowly, Sunny Daze began to trot along the sand and towards the grassy banks. Reaching down, she grabbed a few flowers and pulled them up, clamping them in her teeth. As the night descended around her, she got sleepier and sleepier, but she kept trotting till she reached Ponyville train station where she sat at platform 3.
“Hey there…” She whispered at the silence, the flowers falling from her mouth. “I know you told me to never waste my time coming back for you but…” She sighed. “I do this every year.” She bowed her head, her tri-coloured mane falling into her eyes.
“I’m sorry.” A hot tear rolled down her cheek.
“Now… you listen to me… you never waste your time thinking back on me, you think to the future.”
“B-but Camo Hoof…”
“Don’t argue with me Sunny Daze. Now go. Your train is here.”
“Why’d you make me go?” She shouted, still facing the platform, tears streaming down her face. “Why Camo, why? You raised me… you showed me that there was still slight hope in the world and then you made me go…” She stamped her right hoof and cried harder.
“Before you go, take these.”
“But this is your dog tag, from when you were in the Equestrian Army!”
“I had a new one made. With your name on. Mine and yours are there and I want you to have them.”
“C-Camo…”
She slumped onto the station, crying into her hooves.
The train left Ponyville at midnight, heading for the South. Sunny ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, leaping on through the open door and she panted as the train began to move seconds later.
“Made it…” She whispered, as the scenery rushed past, the cold wind aggravating the fresh cuts she had from her parents. The little pony didn’t care anymore though, till she bumped into a blue colt.
“What’s your name little one? I’m sure your parents are looking for you.”
“Oh I’m running away from home” She said matter-of-factly.
“You… oh. Well where are you headed?”
“Anywhere!”
“And your name?”
“I don’t know.
“You don’t know your own name?”
“Never got called by a name.” Sunny’s dark blue eyes were wide and innocent and the blue colt looked at her confused. She didn’t have a name?
“You… didn’t?”
“Nope. Mamma and Papa never called me by a proper name, just insults.” The colt’s ears flattened as the white filly kept smiling innocently.
Now she thought back to it, it must have shocked poor Camo, finding a runaway filly with no name.
She looked up at the blackening sky, the stars glittering merrily, contrasting her emotions perfectly.
“So… you don’t have a name, you’ve no clue where you’re going and you’re on your own?” He asked as the while filly ate up a sandwich he’d brought along.
“Yesh shir!” She mumbled round the bread, then she flinched, ducking under the table.
“Hey… what?” He whispered soothingly and she popped her head back out, swallowing.
“I thought… Mamma used to tell me off for speaking with my mouthful…” The dark blue eyes of the earth pony met those of the pegasus and he looked at her in amazement. She seemed young and playful but once you saw into her eyes… there was age there. And it was an age that she should never get to before having experienced and met ponies.
“You always used to tell me I looked too old for my eyes… always sayin’ it.” Sunny whispered softly at the mood that shone over her. “Always tellin’ me to stop growin’ up so fast, to enjoy my mediocre childhood while I still had a chance.” The silence was deafening as she sat there, longing to hear the voice of her friend. Wanting to hear his rough guffaw…
“Well seeing as you’ve got nowhere, why not tag along with me?”
“Really?”
“Yeah. The name’s Camo Hoof.”
“I don’t have a name…”
To that day onward, he’d called her Sunny Daze, though Sunny never had found out why. He’d always told her to never call him her brother, or her dad, or any relation. He said she wasn’t to call him her special somepony either, and she agreed, staying around him like a reverse colour shadow for years.
“Camo please don’t make me go!”
“Listen to me Sunny, it’ll be better for you back at home, where you belong.”
“But you’re not at home…”
“Sunny. I’m not anyone to you, other than your best, and only friend. You’re older now, everypony will accept you back into Ponyville. You left as the no name pony. You’re going back with a name, a cutie mark, a purpose.” Sunny looked at Camo and her eyes welled up with tears. She didn’t want to leave him even though she knew she would have to.
“N-nothing lasts forever.” She stammered. “One day we’d have to leave each other anyway… so why prolong the wait?” She began to cry softly and Camo hugged her.
“Exactly.”
“How was I supposed to know you’d go so soon…”
Camo Hoof watched sadly as the young petite mare that he’d watched grow up boarded the train for Ponyville. She cried as she waved to him, and to his surprise he waved back. The train left the station and he turned away, an ache forming in his chest and hot tears rolling slowly down his cheeks.
“I’m sorry Sunny.” He whispered. “I never wanted you to grow attached to me in such a close way. That’s why I forbade you from calling me your brother, or anything affectionate… I’m sick you see… very sick, and I know now I only have a few days left, a week at most. I hadn’t meant for us to grow so close but we did… not only did I not want you to see me die, so frail, but I didn’t want to be leaving you here on your own. That’s why I’m sending you home. So you don’t have to be alone anymore.” Looking up at the sky, raindrops beginning to fall onto his face. “I love you kiddo.” Slowly he stumbled off home, and when he got in he saw something Sunny had left for him. A drawing she’d done when she was still a filly, of him and her. “Best frends forevr.” It said. He cried still, and pinned the picture up over his bed.
“If I’d have known… I’d have never left…” Sunny shouted, and she leapt to her feet. “Camo why didn’t you tell me? We were best friends… you should have, maybe I could have helped, I would have stayed. You didn’t want me to be alone but you died alone! And it’s all my fault… I should have refused…” She collapsed, bawling her eyes out.
“You see…” Camo whispered to himself, coughs racking his body violently. “I won’t be alone…” He looked at the scruffy rag doll lying next to him. “You made this for me during all those thunder storms… you thought I’d lost it but no… I just…” He coughed more, his throat tearing and he whimpered in pain. “I don’t have much longer…” His eyes wandered round the room, settling on the drawing Sunny did for him. “I miss you. So so much. I wish you was here right now, to comfort me in my last minutes alive but I know I’d hate myself if you had to watch me die so I’m glad you’re somewhere else now. If I could say one more thing to you, it’d be I’m sorry. You were always my little sister, and you will never be anything different. You were special. Older beyond your years. As much as ponies put you down… I loved you... and I still do… love you Sunny… make me… proud…” Camo’s voice faded as life slipped from him with each painful and waning breath. As his eyelids grew heavy and they closed, the last thing he saw was three little words. “Best frends forevr.”
