Chapters Anon-A-Miss, the mystery person who was spreading everyone’s secrets online, was a menace. Already she had humiliated the five girls: Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie. Unflattering photos of them were posted on the page and thus they couldn’t go anywhere without being made fun of.
And conveniently, Sunset Shimmer was nowhere to be found.
They immediately concluded that Sunset Shimmer was the culprit and went to confront her.
What they would find instead would shock them.
XXX
“So, this is the place?” Rainbow Dash asked as they stood in front of the apartment.
“Yup. Got the address from one of the kids who delivers pizza here,” Applejack confirmed.
“Well, now we can give the girl a piece of our mind!” said Rarity.
Rainbow Dash pounded the door.
“Hey, Sunset! Get out here!” Rainbow yelled. “We need to speak to you!”
“Rainbow?” Sunset asked from the other side of the door.
“Let us in!”
“No!” Sunset shouted. “I can’t! I’m sick!”
“Don’t lie to us!” Pinkie yelled, also angry. “We’re all mad at you!”
“Mad at me?” Sunset replied in confusion. “About what?”
“About Anon-A-Miss!”
“What’s Anon-A-Miss?”
“Don’t try to play innocent! We know you’re Anon-A-Miss!” Pinkie Pie accused.
“Pinkie, have you been watching too many spy movies again?” Sunset replied.
“Just open the damn door!” Rainbow yelled.
“OK! OK! I’ll slide the key under the door! You can use that!” Sunset said and the key was slid under the door. This got weird looks from the girls.
Rainbow Dash picked up the key and narrowed her eyes, expecting it suspiciously. She then used it to unlock the door. Surprisingly, it worked.
“OK, now come in! Just don’t freak out!” Sunset Shimmer called.
The five girls entered the apartment. The hallway was rather dark but they bravely went in, further into the living room. Sitting on the couch and facing the TV was Sunset Shimmer as they recognized her head of red and yellow hair. Seeing her, Rainbow Dash eagerly went to confront her as she ran towards her to face her.
“OK, Sunset! You better have a good-!” Rainbow Dash’s tirade came to a shocking halt as her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
“Rainbow dear? What’s wrong?” Rarity asked as she went over and gasped. “Oh my!”
“What in Sam Hill?” Applejack demanded and she too gasped. “Well, you don’t see that everyday!”
“What is it?” Pinkie Pie bounced over. “...Oh.”
Fluttershy soon followed and she covered her mouth and gasped.
Raising her hoof, Sunset Shimmer waved with an awkward smile, “Hey, girls.”
XXX
The Rainbooms sat around the living room, eyes never leaving the orange unicorn pony that was seated on the couch.
“You’re a pony,” said Rainbow, breaking the silence.
“Kinda obvious,” said Sunset. “I got hooves, a muzzle, mane and flank. Yeah, definitely pony.”
“Well, we’ve always known you were a pony, but seeing it is believing,” said Rarity. The anger they’ve all felt seemed to have been forgotten, replaced by confusion.
Pinkie went up to Sunset Shimmer and looked her in the eye. She then poked Sunset’s muzzle.
“Pinkie, please stop poking me,” Sunset requested, annoyed.
“Wow, it’s real,” said Pinkie.
“Yes, like magic is real, and now I’m a pony,” said Sunset.
“But...but how...?” Fluttershy asked.
“Don’t really know. I just woke up looking like this. That’s why I didn’t go to school,” said Sunset.
Applejack decided to speak, “So, you haven’t checked MyStable, have you?”
“Well, not really. I was kind of focused on more important things,” said Sunset as she raised her hoof for emphasis. “Why? You guys sounded pretty upset when you were pounding on my door.”
The girls exchanged awkward looks as they recalled why they had come, but seeing Sunset in her current state now cast some doubt on the validity of their anger.
“Well, it’s kind of like this,” Pinkie started.
XXX
“Wait, so you all thought Anon-A-Miss was me!?” Sunset asked. She checked the MyStable Page and saw all the pictures, the comments, and was shocked.
“We all thought it was you being up to your old tricks again,” said Rarity.
“Wow,” Sunset uttered. “Seriously, even after I helped save you guys from the Sirens, you think I would do something like this? Really good example of trust, you girls.”
“Hey, don’t blame us! This is exactly like something you would do!” Rainbow defended. “Er...no offense.”
“I’ll take offense,” Sunset glared. “Girls, seriously, if it were really me, I wouldn’t have made it obvious. When I tricked you all, I made sure there was no evidence that led directly to me. Why would I make something that paints a target on me as the culprit? I’m way sneakier than that.”
“You sound proud of that,” observed Fluttershy.
“Well, not anymore, but if I was back to my old tricks I wouldn’t have made myself Suspect Number 1,” Sunset declared.
“So, how come you haven’t heard of Anon-A-Miss? It’s been days,” said Rainbow Dash.
“I’ve been busy,” said Sunset. “It was over the weekend. Twilight invited me to Equestria. She insisted and I had to go to sort a few things out.”
“So you went back to Equestria?” Fluttershy asked in wonder.
“Yeah, I did. I reconciled with my old teacher and we actually managed to talk without yelling at each other,” Sunset smiled. “Just got back last night.”
“So, you’re really not Anon-A-Miss,” Applejack muttered, feeling ashamed.
“Yeah, it’ll be kinda hard to operate a keyboard or phone with hooves, right?” Rainbow remarked.
“Actually, I can do this,” said Sunset as her horns glowed and her phone floated over to her.
“How did you do that!?” Pinkie gasped.
“Telekinesis and levitation are basic spells for unicorns,” said Sunset.
“Excuse me, but what are we going to do about Anon-A-Miss now?” Fluttershy asked. They all suspected Sunset Shimmer, but with the pony-turned-human-turned-pony-again in her current condition right now, they couldn’t come up with any ideas on how to deal with this problem.
“I’m going to need to write to Twilight about my condition. She might have an idea to turn me back to human. You girls just need to figure out who’s really behind this Anon-A-Miss thing and why they’re framing me,” said Sunset.
“Yes, we shall, darling. It’s the least we can do for suspecting you unjustly,” said Rarity.
“Um, Sunset, can I ask you something?” Fluttershy requested.
“Yes, Fluttershy?” Sunset asked.
“Could I...could I...brush your mane?”
XXX
The Rainbooms, with the exception of Fluttershy, left Sunset’s apartment together. They all looked upset, but not at Sunset. They were upset with themselves. Whatever vitriol they had just got sucked out of them.
“Geez, this sucks,” muttered Applejack.
“Totally. We thought Sunset was Anon-A-Miss, but now I don’t know anymore,” sighed Rainbow.
“We just have to find out who’s the real culprit then,” suggested Rarity.
“Then Detective Pinkie Pie is on the case!” said Pinkie as she put on a deerstalker held a pipe. She blew into it and bubbles came out. “The game is afoot! Let’s go, girls! Let’s clear Sunset’s name!”
Author's Note
Many times, Anon-A-Miss fics are just depressing and tragic. I decided to add a bit of an element to make things a bit more interesting. Hopefully, you guys can support it. It won't be long, it won't be complicated, it's just is.
Sunset Shimmer’s transformation into her original pony form had a rather unexpected yet positive effect. Caught off guard, the Rainbooms had no choice but to listen to Sunset and once she found out why they came to confront her, they realized how they had jumped to conclusions. Really, Sunset was smarter than that. She wouldn’t do something unless she managed to steer blame away from her. So, leaving Fluttershy with Sunset, the remaining Rainbooms began their investigation.
They sat in Sugarcube Corner.
“You know, I was prepared to yell at Sunset,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Me too,” agreed Applejack.
“Me three!” chimed in Pinkie Pie.
“I wanted to have words as well. I just did not expect for Sunset to change like that. Truly, it caught me off guard,” said Rarity.
“I reckon it caught us all off guard. It really makes sense if you think about it. We were so ready to hang her like a lynch mob that we didn’t even stop to think that maybe someone else was behind this,” said Applejack.
“Now, we just need to think,” Pinkie Pie rubbed her chin as she blew bubbles from her pipe. “Who would wanna frame Sunset.”
“The Dazzlings!” they all said together.
“Jinx! You all owe me a soda!” Pinkie beamed.
“It was Sunset who helped us finish them off! They would be the only ones who’d want to frame her and turn us against her!” Rainbow Dash yelled.
“Well, why don’t we find them and make them stop?” Applejack asked.
“Actually, how about we do this with a bit more diplomacy? We are once more jumping to conclusions. It may not even be the Dazzlings,” said Rarity.
“Seriously, Rarity! It has to be the Dazzlings!” cried Rainbow Dash.
“Yes, but we also believed it was Sunset Shimmer, and only because we didn’t bother to check the facts,” Rarity reminded.
Rainbow Dash slouched in her seat. “Low blow, Rarity.”
“We still owe her an apology,” Rarity reminded. “We were supposed to be her friends, but we didn’t trust her. We immediately thought she was back to her old villainous ways.”
“I feel bad enough about it as it is. No need the play-by-play, Rarity,” sighed Applejack.
“Hey, no need to feel glum! Let’s just go out there, ask around, find the Dazzlings, and see if they know anything!” suggested Pinkie Pie.
“And let’s do this without hurling accusations,” Rarity said.
XXX
Sunset Shimmer cowered in the corner of her living room, “Fluttershy, really! It’s not necessary! I can bathe myself!”
“No, Sunset. Just let me give you a bath. It’s my fault you’re all filthy,” Fluttershy said calmly as she tried to get her hands on Sunset. Of course, Sunset looked into Fluttershy’s eyes and could only feel a sense of dread and danger. Fluttershy was looking at her like one of her pets and she wanted to give her a bath like one. That was wrong and awkward on so many levels.
“Fluttershy, I’m warning you!” Sunset’s horn glowed. “I don’t want to hurt you! Please, you don’t have to do this!”
Fluttershy blinked as she realized what she had done, “Oh my! I’m so sorry, Sunset! I didn’t know what came over me!”
“Fluttershy, please just remember that I may look like an animal, but I can take care of myself. You don’t need to bathe me or feed me. I can do all that myself,” said Sunset, relieved.
Fluttershy looked down guiltily, “Sunset, I’m so sorry.”
“Hey, I’ve forgiven you.”
“Not for treating you like a pet. It’s for not trusting you.”
“Look, I get it. I still need to prove myself,” Sunset looked away.
“But that’s just it! There’s no reason for you to keep proving yourself! You’ve already proven yourself!” Fluttershy cried.
“Well, not everyone can forget the years of grief I caused for everyone. I split you guys apart because I just didn’t want anyone getting ideas of going against me. A group is stronger than an individual,” said Sunset.
Fluttershy knelt down and gently pulled Sunset into a hug.
“When I saw what was posted on Anon-A-Miss, I thought you were turning back into the girl that would harass me in the hallway. The same girl who made fun of me for not having any friends,” Fluttershy admitted. “I just got so angry...”
“I was a bitch. You can say it,” Sunset replied.
“Yeah, you were, but that’s in the past now. You’re really nice, and supportive, and a great friend now. I just wished everyone else could see how wonderful you really are,” Fluttershy said. “And how adorable you are! Who’s the pretty girl? You are! You are!”
“Fluttershy, please stop.”
XXX
Finding the Dazzlings in town was easier said than done. Plus, it was getting pretty late. So, the Rainbooms split up to return home. Pinkie Pie would try to use her ‘party contacts’ to find any clues of the Dazzlings’ whereabouts. Someone must’ve seen something.
Applejack returned home and saw Applebloom sitting on the dining table with her homework.
“Welcome home, Applejack,” Applebloom greeted. “You’re kinda late. Band practice.”
“Actually, we went to see Sunset Shimmer,” answered Applejack.
At the mention of Sunset Shimmer’s name, Applebloom frowned, “Now why would you wanna go see that girl?”
“We wanted to talk with her about Anon-A-Miss. Turns out, it may not be her,” answered Applejack. Applebloom gasped.
“What!?”
“Yeah. I mean it could’ve been her, but we got to thinking. Sunset was smart enough to not be suspected when me and the girls split up. If she did start with her old tricks again, she’d be smart enough not to paint a target on herself. She would probably make it look like somebody else was doing it,” said Applejack. “Plus it don’t make a lick of sense. Why befriend us only to stab us in the back when she’s happy.”
“To steal your secrets!” Applebloom yelled.
“Nah, that Sunset’s gone. The real Sunset was happy to be our friend. She wasn’t alone anymore. I forgot my head there when the stuff got on Anon-A-Miss. If Ma and Pa ever saw me now, they’d be furious at me for not trusting a friend,” said Applejack.
Applebloom was speechless.
“So, I think I’ll head up and do my homework and try and figure out where the real Anon-A-Miss is. We think it’s someone who really hates Sunset and wants to frame her. Well, we won’t let anyone frame our friend! We’ll clear her name and make the varmint pay!”
Applejack headed up the stairs as Applebloom watched. She was pale as she realized that Sunset was no longer a suspect of being Anon-A-Miss, at least not to the Rainbooms. Now they were starting to investigate the whole thing to clear Sunset’s name.
What if...what if they found out...?
XXX
“Now, if I were to play detective, what should I wear?” Rarity asked herself. “Should I be the Femme Fatale of Noir films? I did like their sense of style. So alluring yet dangerous. Like a rose with thorns,” Rarity said as she looked herself in the mirror.
“Rarity, did you go and see Sunset after school?” Sweetie Belle asked.
“Yes indeed, we all did, and we wanted to have words with her,” said Rarity.
“Must’ve been terrible. I mean, she was supposed to be your friend and then she did all that with Anon-A-Miss,” Sweetie Belle said sympathetically.
“Well, we did have a chat, but then we realized that it may not be as simple as that,” Rarity said as she tried on a fedora. “Perhaps we were a bit hasty in our desire for justice and jumped to conclusions. Sunset may just be innocent in all this.”
“Sunset? Innocent?” Sweetie Belle asked, confused.
“Yes, dear,” Rarity replied as she put on a feather boa. “It just seems all too strange that she put all that effort just to return to her old villainous ways again. Also, she was the one who helped us when the Dazzlings affected us. She also demonstrated the Magic of Friendship when we were arguing. So, it just seems odd. After all, Sunset has changed. This just seems like something else is behind it.”
“You don’t say...” Sweetie Belle mumbled.
“Truly, I feel regretful for pinning the crime upon Sunset, but rest assured we shall get to the bottom of this and bring the true perpetrators to light!” Rarity declared dramatically.
“Um...Rarity...I gotta go. Got tons of homework. Bye!”
“Yes, see you at dinner, Sweetie Belle.”
XXX
Along the way, Rainbow found Scootaloo practicing on her skateboard. The two sat down for a drink of water.
“So, I think Sunset’s not Anon-A-Miss,” said Rainbow Dash.
Scootaloo did a spit-take.
“Wha-wha-WHAT!?” Scootaloo yelled.
“Yeah, we jumped to conclusions without checking the facts,” added Rainbow Dash.
“But those pictures you saw on Anon-A-Miss! Who else could’ve gotten them!?” yelled Scootaloo.
“Well, if you think about it, someone could’ve easily stolen Sunset’s phone when she wasn’t looking and stole the photos before putting it back. Or maybe even hack her phone. It’s always online. Plus, Sunset made a lot of enemies. Not a whole lot of people would forgive her, even after she saved everyone from the Dazzlings,” said Rainbow.
“But you guys saved us from the Dazzlings!” corrected Scootaloo.
“Not without Sunset. We weren’t at our best. The Dazzlings got to us and we were arguing back and forth under the stage. It was Sunset who got us to rally together and in the end it was Sunset who saved us all,” Rainbow Dash smiled bitterly. “And I was gonna turn on her. Some loyal friend I turned out to be, huh?” She emptied her bottle of water and tossed it away. “So, as an apology, we’re going to work to clear her name. We think we already got a possible suspect.”
“Y-you do?” Scootaloo stuttered.
“Yep! The Dazzlings! Sunset foiled their plan so they must be doing this to have their revenge! All we’re missing is proof and a way to find them!” Rainbow Dash punched her palm, “And once they do find them, they’re going to wish that they never crossed me.”
Scootaloo gulped nervously.
“So, yeah! We’re going to help Sunset and make sure everyone knows she ain’t Anon-A-Miss! This will be the best Christmas Present ever!” Rainbow Dash jumped to her feet. “And Scoots, keep practicing, OK? You’ll be awesome!”
Rainbow Dash whistled, leaving Scootaloo behind to watch her back with wide eyes.
Fluttershy elected to spend the night at Sunset’s. There was just no talking her out of it. The pink-haired girl just wanted to spend more time with the pony. Also, last night, Sunset finally wrote back to Twilight about what was going on. She was waiting for a response, knowing Twilight was busy with her duties as a princess. Sunset would just have to grin and bear it.
At least she wasn’t suffering alone. Her friends were supporting her.
Sunset smiled. She would have to consider her situation a blessing. It really caught them off guard. She knew they were upset about something, but seeing her as a pony must’ve doused out the flames like a fire extinguisher.
They were upset because they thought she was this Anon-A-Miss that was on MyStable and using it to terrorize them by exposing their secrets. After calmly sitting down to talk, they realize that there was more to this than they thought and they were just jumping to conclusions. Thankfully, everything was cleared up and Sunset still had her friends.
Unfortunately, only her friends believed her. The entire school still believed she was Anon-A-Miss. She was being framed, but nobody would believe her, not with her history.
Sunset shook her head. That was another problem to deal with, but not the main one. The problem she had right now was finding a way to change back to human form. She may have been born a pony, but she also felt home in this place as a human. She had adapted a long time ago, and this place did have a lot of cool things despite the lack of magic.
‘Well, at least I got my magic back ,’ Sunset thought.
The two were having breakfast together and Sunset said, “You should head to school soon, Fluttershy. You don’t want to be late.”
“Are you sure you’ll be alright, Sunset?” Fluttershy asked.
“Despite how I look, I’m a full-grown mare. I can take care of myself. You just go to school, OK?” Sunset smiled.
“OK, well, I’ll come back later,” said Fluttershy.
XXX
“So, Sunset is not Anon-A-Miss you say?” Principal Celestia asked. The Rainbooms asked to see both Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna.
“Can you prove this?” Vice-Principal Luna asked. She was stressed. She had to hand out detentions because students were fighting and all because of this Anon-A-Miss.
“That’s what we’re trying to find out, ma’am,” said Rarity.
“We went to confront her about it yesterday, but after a talk, we realized that this isn’t Sunset’s style,” said Rainbow. “OK, yeah, it would be, but Sunset’s pretty smart and knows how to throw suspicion of herself.”
“And don’t you think she’s throwing suspicion of herself now?” Luna asked.
“Let’s just say she’s dealing with something that would prevent her from being part of this Anon-A-Miss fiasco,” said Applejack, embarrassed.
“So, that’s why she’s not in school,” Celestia frowned in thought. “Is she sick by any chance?”
“Yeah, she’s got a cold and her voice is a little hoarse,” said Rarity.
Pinkie giggled, “A little horse!”
Luna and Celestia looked at the giggling pinkette then focused on the rest.
“I hope she’s feeling better. So, how shall we unmask Anon-A-Miss?” Celestia asked.
“We don’t know yet, but we’re thinking it might be the Dazzlings,” said Rainbow.
“Those girls? They vanished after the Battle of the Bands, I believe,” said Luna.
“Yeah, but since it was Sunset that helped to take them down in the end, they would want revenge,” said Rainbow.
“Though that would only be circumstantial evidence. We only have a motive to link them to this crime,” said Rarity.
“Only way to find out is to find them and ask them,” added Applejack.
“And they could’ve jumped town for all we know,” sighed Rainbow Dash.
“Well, it looks like you’ve given this a lot of thought,” stated Luna.
“Actually, maybe Anon-A-Miss is someone in the school. All the other pictures were taken in school before they got posted on MyStable,” said Fluttershy.
“So, everyone’s a suspect,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “That’s narrowing it all down.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Not your fault, Fluttershy.”
“It’ll be like trying to look for a needle in a haystack,” said Applejack.
“Well, with you girls behind her, Sunset is in good hands. Just tell her to get well soon, alright?” Celestia asked.
XXX
“Really feels like the time the Dazzling influenced everyone, doesn’t it?” Rainbow Dash asked as she observed the students and how coldly they were treating each other. Even Lyra and Bon Bon, the two best friends, were sitting apart. It just wasn’t right.
“Yeah, but it might not even be them either. So where do we start?” Applejack asked.
“If only we knew someone who was good with computers...” said Pinkie Pie.
“Pinkie Pie, you’re a genius!” Rarity exclaimed.
“I am?”
“Yes, and you’ve given me a wonderful idea! Ladies, to the Computer Lab!”
XXX
In the back of the gym, the Crusaders were gathered together.
“So your sisters don’t suspect Sunset at all anymore?” Scootaloo asked in disbelief.
“I don’t know what she said to them, but they now believe she’s innocent,” confirmed Sweetie Belle.
“She even felt bad about it. I think we should stop this before things get worse,” said Applebloom.
“But didn’t we agree to do this until they stopped spending time with Sunset Shimmer?” Scootaloo asked.
“Yeah, but what’s the point if they believe she’s innocent? Plus, we got folks going at each other’s throats,” said Applebloom.
“So, you’re just saying we should just stop and shutdown Anon-A-Miss?” Scootaloo asked.
“That’s just what I’m saying. Once we delete the account, we can just let it all blow over,” said Applebloom.
“Let everyone forget about it,” Sweetie Belle agreed.
“Fine, let’s do it. I’m tired of posting everyone’s secrets,” said Scootaloo.
XXX
“OK, so I managed to implant a virus into the Anon-A-Miss MyStable account,” said Tech Powers. He was a young man with deep red skin, spiked up brown hair, and wearing a red jacket over a white shirt and blue jeans.
“Thank you so much, Tech Powers,” smiled Rarity.
“Hey, I owe you, Rarity. That dress you made for my mom was amazing. She says she’ll order exclusively from you from now on,” Tech replied.
“So, what does this virus do anyway?” asked Rainbow.
“Well, if anyone tries to log into the Anon-A-Miss account, the virus will then upload itself into the device they’re using. It will then allow me to hijack that device’s camera,” said Tech Powers as he looked down at his laptop.
“So we just gotta wait?”Applejack asked.
“Looks like we don’t have to wait long. Someone just logged into the account and is trying to delete it,” said Tech Powers.
“Don’t let them do it!” Fluttershy cried. The page was horrible, but they needed the evidence.
“Don’t worry. The virus also prevents them from deleting the account. Now, let’s say hello to Anon-A-Miss.”
XXX
“What’s wrong, Applebloom?” asked Scootaloo.
“I can’t delete the account,” said Applebloom.
“Let me try,” Sweetie Belle offered and she tried to do it too. “Darn, it’s not working.”
“Ugh, I gotta do it then!” Scootaloo decided.
XXX
“And I just caught Anon-A-Miss red-handed,” Tech Powers grinned. He saw the expressions on Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity’s faces. “Hey, are you girls OK?”
It was after lunch when the Crusaders were called to the Principal Celestia's office. The three girls started to feel dread. Had they been found out? There was no way someone could've found out they were Anon-A-Miss, could they. They had been careful, and everyone believed Sunset Shimmer was the culprit.
Well, everyone but the Rainbooms apparently.
"Maybe it's nothing," said Applebloom as the three of them stood in front of the door.
"Yeah, maybe it's nothing," Scootaloo agreed.
"I don't know about this girls..." Sweetie Belle hesitated.
Applebloom raised her hand to knock. It felt really heavy as it hung in front of the door. She swallowed as she broke out in cold sweat. She forced herself to calm down. It was probably nothing.
She knocked on the door. Gave it a few raps.
One.
Two.
Three.
"Come in," Principal Celestia answered. Applebloom took the nob and gave it a twist and pushed the door open. The three young girls entered the office. Vice-Principal Luna stood next to Celestia, looking quite serious, with her eyes piercing the Crusaders. Three chairs were already set up in front of the principal's desk. "Please, take a seat."
The three girls exchanged looks and took the seats, albeit with a bit of hesitation.
"Um, Principal Celestia. What is this about, ma'am?" Applebloom asked.
"I'm concerned about this whole Anon-A-Miss mess and I wanted to hear your thoughts," said Celestia.
"Our thoughts, ma'am?" Scootaloo asked.
"Yes. There has been a lot of tension in school with everyone's secrets being displayed all over that MyStable page. The faculty has been trying to find out who's behind this mess," Celestia answered.
"Well, it's gotta be Sunset Shimmer, right? That's what everyone is saying," said Sweetie Belle.
"Some evidence has turned up that absolves Sunset Shimmer of any involvement. Also, I took the time to look up the page myself," said Celestia. "I find it rather odd."
"What's so odd? It's just a page that bashes on everyone," said Scootaloo.
"Yes, embarrassing secrets of everyone, students and staff alike, posted for everyone to see. Videos and pictures of things we don't want to be seen," said Celestia. "I did find it rather odd though. With the exception of any pictures of Sunset Shimmer, the three of you have never been featured on Anon-A-Miss."
"Well...guess we're lucky..." Applebloom responded.
"Girls, I know that Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon give you a hard time. I doubt they would be able to resist a chance to submit anything embarrassing to Anon-A-Miss," said Luna. "That is unless Anon-A-Miss did not want to post those requests."
The Crusaders looked back and forth. They had received those requests from Diamond Tiara, but chose not to post them.
"And I think I know why," said Celestia as she turned her laptop around to show them the screen. Their eyes widened in shock as she played the video file.
XXX
"And I just caught Anon-A-Miss red-handed," Tech Powers smiled in satisfaction. Oh, he so loved his craft. It was just a simple spyware program used to steal information from devices. He never intended to use it, until Rarity came to him because of his particular talent. She really asked nicely and he couldn't resist helping her to bust Anon-A-Miss.
The video evidence more than just clears Sunset Shimmer, they now had the faces of the ones behind Anon-A-Miss. All they needed to do now was present this evidence to Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna.
Tech noticed how it suddenly got quiet and turned to see the Rainbooms looking shocked. He also noticed how Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were the most horrified by this revelation.
"I'm guessing you know these kids," assumed Tech.
"That's my little sister..." Applejack admitted.
"And mine," confessed Rarity.
Scootaloo wasn't really Rainbow Dash's sister, but they might as well be by how close they were. Rainbow Dash was shaking her head in denial.
"This can't be right! Scoots would never do something like this! This is all wrong!"
"Welp, as you can see, the spyware did its job and got them. They were the ones trying to log into Anon-A-Miss and delete the account," said Tech nonchalantly. "Now they gotta face the music!"
"You mustn't do that!" Rarity cried. "The students won't forgive them!"
"And whose fault is that? I'm sorry, but I gotta hand this evidence to Principal Celestia," said Tech as he closed his laptop and picked it up. "This is what you wanted, remember? You wanted to find out who was Anon-A-Miss. If the truth doesn't get out, then an innocent girl can never return to school."
Tech had transferred to CHS after the Fall Formal, so he only knew about Sunset Shimmer from stories. But seeing the girl himself, she wasn't so bad.
Fluttershy stepped forward, "We can't let Sunset get punished for something she didn't do."
"But what about Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo?" asked Pinkie Pie.
Applejack pulled her stetson over her eyes, "They...they just gotta learn...that actions have consequences."
XXX
"Do you have anything you wish to say, Anon-A-Miss ?" Luna asked.
The Crusaders stared speechlessly at the screen. It had their faces on it, captured by their own cameras. There was even audio, which implicated them as well. There was no way they could deny this. The principal and vice-principal now knew they were Anon-A-Miss.
"One of our own students, one of the few sensible ones, decided to do his own investigation. His methods might've been less than legal, but he brought this evidence to us to help clear Sunset Shimmer," said Principal Celestia.
"How....but how...?" asked Applebloom. The door opened and the Crusaders turned, only to freeze as they saw the Rainbooms standing in the doorway.
"Applebloom, we need to talk," said Applejack seriously.
Princess Twilight Sparkle stepped out of the portal and stretched both her arms and legs. She then took a moment to wiggle her fingers in front of her.
“Still so weird,” she observed. She had been studying the portal, but it was a mystery even to this day. But enough pondering. She came here to help Sunset Shimmer. She just hoped she was able to. Looking up at the school, Twilight stepped towards it, hoping to meet this world’s equivalent of her friends.
XXX
“Why?” Applejack asked her sister. Applebloom was silent, staring down at the floor, filled with guilt. “Why did you do it, Applebloom?”
“I...” Applebloom started.
“Do you girls have any ideas what you put us through? What you put the school through?” Rarity demanded.
“I’m sorry,” Sweetie Belle apologized.
“What were you thinking!?” Rainbow Dash demanded angrily.
“We just...we just wanted you to spend more time with us!” Scootaloo confessed.
“What do you mean?” Applejack asked.
“Ever since you all became friends with Sunset Shimmer, it’s like you forgot how bad a person she used to be! She did terrible things, and yet you forgave her and made her your friend! And then you started spending more time with her instead of...instead of us...” Applebloom said.
“We didn’t forget what she did, but she’s earned our forgiveness a long time ago. Or have you all conveniently forgotten about the time she saved everyone from the Dazzlings?” Rarity asked.
“Saved our friendship too,” added Rainbow Dash as she blew a lock of hair out of her face. “Believe it or not.”
“So, how did you do it?” Applejack asked.
“I stole Sunset’s phone and took the pictures from it,” Applebloom admitted.
“I took Raritiy’s phone too and downloaded all the photos from it too,” confessed Sweetie Belle.
“I helped them to set up the Anon-A-Miss account and make it look like Sunset did it,” Scootaloo finished. “We thought that if we made it look like Sunset was Anon-A-Miss, we could drive her away.”
“Well, it didn’t work,” Pinkie Pie crossed her arms.
“You know, we were so angry and embarrassed that we wanted to confront Sunset Shimmer about anonymous. When we managed to find her, well, she kinda threw us off guard,” said Applejack. The confusion caused the anger to evaporate and allowed them to talk calmly. Also, none of them could just yell at a unicorn pony. It just felt weird.
“How did Sunset convince you of her innocence anyway?” Celestia asked, curious.
“We actually believed she was Anon-A-Miss, until we stopped to think. I mean, until the Fall Formal, Sunset was able to make sure she never got caught. This Anon-A-Miss just seemed too obvious to be her. It was too convenient. It just didn’t feel like it was her doing if it made her our main suspect. Targeting us immediately would’ve been too obvious as well. She could’ve just started slow with students she wasn’t close with and then include us at some point. Unless she got sloppy, which Sunset rarely does, this just didn’t seem like her work at all,” Rarity said.
“Yeah, Sunset was too smart to get caught doing anything, even when she was mean to everybody,” agreed Pinkie Pie.
The Crusaders kept silent. Figures that Sunset Shimmer would be able to get herself out of this mess. She always did.
“Now that we’ve managed to expose Anon-A-Miss, we gotta fix the school,” said Rainbow Dash.
“Fix the school?” Scootaloo asked.
“Do you have any idea what you put everyone through?” Applejack asked as the Crusaders wilted under her gaze. “You’ve got everyone at each other’s throats and they’re all using Sunset as a scapegoat. You three are just as bad as a Dazzlings, maybe even worse than Sunset Shimmer ever was!”
To be compared to the Dazzlings and Sunset Shimmer when she was bad felt like a punch in the gut.
“So, what do we do?” Scootaloo asked.
“Come clean,” Rainbow Dash concluded. “Come clean and clear Sunset Shimmer’s name.”
The Crusaders cried out.
“We can’t do that!” Applebloom shouted.
“Everyone will kill us!” Scootaloo cried.
“They won’t forgive us!” Sweetie Belle yelled.
“So, you’re just going to let an innocent girl take the blame for your actions, is that it?” Vice-Principal Luna asked.
“If the three of you won’t confess, we’ll have to inform the students,” Celestia said. “And then administer punishment. But you have a chance to make things right. Don’t make another mistake that will ruin someone’s life.”
The Crusaders looked at each other. They were hesitant. They looked up to their older sisters who looked down at them, cross and expectantly.
“...Fine, we’ll confess,” sighed Applebloom.
“...Besides, this has gone far enough,” said Sweetie Belle.
“...Ditto. It’s just not as fun as we thought it would be,” added Scootaloo.
“I’ll make an announcement to have an assembly held. You will then confess and make a public apology. Is that understood?” Celestia asked.
The Crusaders silently nodded.
“Well, now that that’s taken care of, we should really call Sunset and tell her the good news!” Pinkie Pie smiled.
There was a knock at the door.
“Come in,” Celestia permitted.
The door opened and Twilight poked her head in, “Um, excuse me?”
“It feels so good to have fingers again,” Sunset smiled as she wiggled her fingers and toes.
“Considering the things you need to use fingers for, I’d have to agree,” nodded Twilight. The two were sitting in Sugarcube Corner and having drinks together.
“So, it was Rarity and Applejack’s sisters and their friend Scootaloo,” Sunset Shimmer said.
“Yes, turns out they were jealous of how much time you’ve been spending with their sisters,” answered Twilight.
“A bit petty if you ask me,” Sunset sighed.
“Well, ponies, I mean people, can do stupid things when they’re upset,” Twilight replied.
“Yeah, tell me about it,” Sunset agreed. She only ended up in this world because she was too stubborn to listen to Princess Celestia. “Well, now the girls are going to be spending a whole lot of time with their big sisters.”
Besides detention, the girls would have to spend time with their big sisters and do everything they said, even if it was unpleasant. Applebloom also ended up grounded with many of her privileges suspended, meaning no friends, phone, TV or Internet. She also had her chores doubled as punishment. Applejack really was showing leniency. She could do a whole lot worse.
Sweetie Belle also had detention and was grounded as well. She would also end up having lessons with Rarity on how a proper lady should behave, and not succumb to her emotions so easily.
Scootaloo had to do a ton of exercise drills with Rainbow Dash as a drill sergeant. She wasn’t showing mercy. Scootaloo had to do all kinds of exercise drills until Rainbow Dash told her to stop.
In the end, they got their wish. They got to spend more time with their big sisters, just not doing anything fun.
Twilight was upset but the girls managed to calm her down. They brought her to Sunset Shimmer to fix her own pony problem. To be honest, the only problem was that Sunset couldn’t leave her apartment. A unicorn pony would draw way too much attention. She would have to order her groceries by phone, but she would be able to fend for herself. Still, that would mean missing school and she still needed to go to CHS.
So, the girls banded together with Twilight, summoned up their Pony Up magic powers, and blasted Sunset with enough magic to change her back to human form. They did have to test it out again with the portal to see if it worked. When Sunset stepped into the portal then stepped out again, she was human. The girls embraced her, happy that she was back.
There was a lot of apologizing too. The Crusaders had to apologize to the whole school. It was only with the help of the Rainbooms and the faculty that the students hadn’t exploded into a full blown riot. Angry insults were thrown at the girls responsible for Anon-A-Miss. They won’t be able to have another peaceful day at CHS until the entire thing blew over. They would have to experience the same anger and ostracization as Sunset Shimmer after the Fall Formal.
Well, they had tried to be like her to frame her, so they had to pay the consequences.
“So, what do you plan to do now?” Twilight asked.
“I have a Christmas Party to get to. You coming?” Sunset asked.
“Christmas...that’s like Hearth’s Warming Eve, right?”
“Well, sort of. I have a good source that tells me a certain blue-haired guitar player will be there.”
Twilight blushed at the mention of Flash Sentry, “Well, I guess it would be rude to refuse.”
“Good, come on Your Highness. Let’s go meet our friends.”
THE END
Author's Note
OK, why did I write this? Well, if you want to know, it’s because I’ve read so many Anon-A-Miss fics that it’s just getting old. They all make me so depressed inside and sap any Christmas spirit I get. The fics are all just mean-spirited. Even if there is some resolution in the end, it’s just so heavy and just doesn’t make me happy. I know, they’re not meant to have happy endings, but they get to me. So I decided to give this a bit of a twist. Yeah, I changed Sunset Shimmer back into a pony without an explanation. That was not the focus. The focus was to have the girls calm down. I mean, they were angry and ready to give Sunset Shimmer a piece of their mind...until they saw her state. Really threw them off and well they couldn’t just yell at a cute little unicorn. It would just feel weird. So, they paused and had no choice but to be reasonable and actually talk to Sunset Shimmer instead of yelling at her.
I know, it was too fast-paced, but that’s the intent. I didn’t want it to drag out like the rest of those Anon-A-Miss fics. So, yeah, this fic was done in the span of a few days, with short chapters. If you guys want to expand this, be my guest. I just wanted to write something and this was the result.