“Monster!”
“How could you do this, she-demon?!”
“Go back to where you belong, freak!”
Surrounded by vitriolic students, Sunset remained sitting on the floor crying, after being tripped and ganged up on by every student in the hall. All of them were screaming at her for spreading their secrets, something she had no part in. To make matters worse, many of these same students praised Anon-A-Miss and were waiting excitedly for the next post by the mysterious account, if their comments on the posts and way they talked about the account when they thought she wasn’t around were any indication. It didn’t help that her friends had abandoned her the second they became suspicious of Sunset falling back into her old ways, going out of their way to cut her off as much as possible, leaving her to face the hordes of angry students alone. Sunset then noticed her journal lying on the floor.
Sometimes all you can do is stay strong. Stay yourself. And Find your family.
What family? Wait ... family, I feel like I’m missing something important. Sunset started tuning out the world around her, getting lost in thought, to the point where she didn’t even notice the paper balls and erasers being thrown at her. What is it about family that is bugging me? It’s not like I have anyone else left to support me. I was technically less alone before the Fall Formal. At least then I had Snips and Snails. Wait, I didn’t work alone, so why should I assume Anon-A-Miss is one person? Maybe it was a family? At this point, Sunset had stopped crying and was completely zoned out, her unresponsiveness to the world around her was starting to worry the other students nearby. Some started backing off, while others tried yelling more to get her attention, and one even tried throwing a paperback book at her, but she didn’t react to any of it.
That doesn’t work though, a single family wouldn’t be able to get these secrets. Something was stirring in Sunset’s gut, making her very uneasy. She felt she was on the right track, but was dreading the answer. I don’t think the sirens have anyone that could be targeting me, and I can’t think of any students that have family that could get the secrets this Anon-A-Miss was. Well except for my frie- former friends’ families … Sunset finally figured out where the dread was coming from. It was the one angle she hadn’t considered, not because it hadn’t crossed her mind, but because she thought—no, wanted to believe, that they were better than that.
While this was going on, the other students were really getting worried. Sunset still hadn’t reacted to anything they were doing, one student going as far as trying to poke her hard in the cheek. All of the yelling and throwing had stopped, and the students had all subconsciously backed away a bit.
“What’s wrong with her?” one of them whispered.
“I don’t know, think she finally lost it?”
“Should we check if she’s ok?”
“Why would we do that?”
“What if she snaps?”
“Well, does she deserve to just be left there like that, even if she is Anon-A-Miss?”
The students continued whispering among themselves, trying to figure out what to do.
“We should make sure that she’s okay,” one student ventured.
“Are you crazy? What if she’s finally snapped? She could seriously hurt us!” another student discouraged.
“Do you think it’s our fault that she snapped?” another student tremulously queried while nervously rubbing his arm in a nervous tic.
“She deserves it after everything she tried to do to us!” another student yelled.
“If she’s not going to do anything, why don’t we draw on her face and arms? I think she needs to be humiliated more! Especially since she’s the one that is telling everyone our secrets!”
Upon seeing all of this, Apple Bloom quietly left the hall and called her friends.
Meanwhile, Sunset had finally pieced it together. The only options left are either my former friends, or their families. There’s no way they would all sabotage themselves just to have a reason to hate me. Even Rainbow’s ego and jealousy wouldn’t go that far. Then she remembered how Rainbow had acted during the Battle of the Bands. Okay, maybe it would, but she wouldn’t be able to pull this off or humiliate herself. That only leaves their families, but which of them would do this? I doubt it was their parents, Granny Smith, or Big Mac, so that leaves their sisters.
They definitely could do it. Between the three of them, they could’ve easily gotten all the secrets and Sweetie Belle could’ve gotten the pictures, not to mention they’re good enough with computers, but why would they do this? Apple Bloom never had a reason and I doubt Sweetie Belle would go this far to get revenge for the Spring Fling, so that leaves Scootaloo, but I definitely don’t remember doing anything to her ... . Come to think of it, what do I know about her? She practically worships Rainbow, but that wouldn’t be enough of a reason, especially to convince the other two. Even if she posted Applejack’s nickname without Apple Bloom knowing, there’s no way she’d be able to convince her and Sweetie to join her. She’s not even Rainbow’s sister! Wait … .
Thinking through everything she knew about the scrawny girl, something finally clicked. She could only think of one reason, and everything seemed to point to it. Of course, if she was right, it would severely complicate things. I think I can fix it, but should I really go that far? After a bit of self doubt mixed with the usual self loathing and guilt, something finally snapped. Screw it! I’m done holding back! If I’m right, they don’t deserve me holding back! They couldn’t handle themselves at all during the Battle of the Bands, and obviously I can’t trust them if they’re willing to just toss me away like this! I’m doing this my way.
The tension had reached a boiling point in the hall. Some teachers passing through had seen the large group of students and went to check on the situation, but upon seeing what was going on and hearing the other students, had no clue what to do. Cheerilee, getting sick of waiting around, approached Sunset, though before she got close enough to touch her, Sunset quickly stood up. “Sunset, are you-”
Everyone in the hallway flinched and backed away as soon as they saw Sunset. They had all seen angry Sunset before, but this was different. She wasn’t exploding like she normally did. Her expression was a mix between cold rage, determination, and a hint of authority and poise they had only seen when she was taking down the sirens. Needless to say, they were all too terrified to do anything.
I guess it’s finally time to use my emergency plan, Sunset thought to herself as she got up. She picked up the journal and wrote a quick note to Twilight as she walked out, completely ignoring the people around her.
Half an hour later, Twilight stumbled out of the portal, carrying a small burlap bag. Spike followed soon after, sinking into the snow. Spike tried to walk towards Twilight, but kept fumbling in the snow. “Ugh, how do you move in this stuff?” Spike groaned as he struggled to move, falling deeper into the snow and failing to climb out.
After a little chuckle, Twilight picked him up, “The snow’s too soft and deep for your height. You won’t be able to easily walk in it.”
Now that they were in the human world, Twilight wondered what to do next. Sunset had wrote to her that she figured out who Anon-A-Miss was and was going to confront her friends-No, she specifically called them ‘the girls’, I hope I’m overthinking this, at five in Sugarcube Corner, and asked Twilight not to interfere. Twilight had hoped to see Sunset before then, but she had no clue where to look for her. While she could potentially find some of her friends, she wasn’t sure if that was a good idea. Still, she had an hour and a half before the confrontation and Sugarcube Corner was only five minutes away.
Noticing Twilight getting anxious, Spike asked “Are you okay? Why are you so nervous?”
Of course I’m nervous! Why wouldn’t I be after that message? Oh, I never told Spike about Anon-A-Miss! How do I tell him-
“Hello Twilight, what brings you here today?”
Twilight jumped up a bit, startled out of her train of thought. Looking behind her, she saw Principal Celestia. “Sunset asked me to bring this for her,” Twilight answered, holding up the bag. “She also said she figured out who Anon-A-Miss is.” After thinking for a second, she added, “Please tell me you and Luna didn’t think it was her,” Twilight replied, looking rather upset.
Tilting her head in confusion, Celestia said, “I’m sorry Twilight, but I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was at a school board conference all week, and Luna was sick. She came in a few hours ago to sort through what we missed, and I’m heading there right now to catch up.” Before she could say anything else, she heard her phone ring with a rather abrasive ring tone. Both her and Luna used it for urgent calls from the school. “I’m sorry Twilight, I have to take this.”
Pulling out her phone, Celestia answered, “Hello, this is Principal Celestia, what-” She recoiled, pulling the phone away from her ear. Someone was shouting loud enough on the other end that Twilight could here. “Calm down Luna! What is it?” After a few seconds, “Wait, is this about Sunset and Anon-A-Miss? Twilight just came through and knows something about it, should I bring her?” Celestia fidgeted a bit as she waited for Luna to reply. “Okay, see you in a bit.” Ending the call and taking a deep breath, Celestia turned to Twilight. “Follow me, Luna says she saw something we have to see, tell me everything you know about this Anon-A-Miss on the way.”
Twilight had to almost run to keep up with Celestia. “All I know is that after a slumber party, someone posted Applejack’s secret, then after another, someone posted photos that Sunset took to humiliate Rarity. After that, they thought it was Sunset, and stopped treating her like a friend,” said Twilight. A minute later, they arrived at Luna’s office. Celestia opened the door and inside saw a frantic Luna, watching something on the laptop, jotting something down, then clicking on something before she repeated the process, not noticing the door opening.
“Ahem,” Celestia cleared her throat, getting Luna’s attention, “Hello Luna, how are you doing?” Celestia hadn’t seen her in a week and while she knew Luna had recovered, she was still worried.
With a small smile, Luna answered, “Fine, just have a bit of a cough left over. And hello to you Twilight.” The smile quickly fell, “I wish you were here under better circumstances. What do you know about this Anon-A-Miss?” Twilight told her the same thing she told Celestia earlier. Luna sighed and rubbed her temples. “It’s much worse than that. So many secrets have been leaked and tensions are running high. There are ten times as many students in trouble, and even the faculty has been having issues. Whoever Anon-A-Miss is, they were even able to get Celestia’s little cake … incident.”
“Ugh, I thought I was finally past that,” Celestia groaned. When Twilight looked at her confused, Celestia added, “We ordered several cakes for a graduation party, and the baker gave us an extra. After the party, when I thought I was alone, I tried the cake. It was amazing, and I dived right into it. Needless to say, I wasn’t actually alone.”
“Dived into it is underselling it,” Luna chuckled. “She ravished the poor cake like a wolf.” Luna shifted in her seat, her expression turning grim. “Unfortunately, things get much worse from here. The comments on the Anon-A-Miss posts are mostly positive. Only people directly affected by the posts aren’t asking for more, laughing, or praising the poster. Yet the same students have absolutely no problem taking out their anger on the one they think is responsible. Look at this.” Luna set up the video as Celestia and Twilight came to see.
When Twilight had heard that the school had turned against Sunset, she thought that she meant no one was supporting her. When Luna hit play, that was completely shattered. Sunset was terrified, walking trying to be as small as possible as she walked through the hall. Students were all glaring at her, many whispering, some yelling at her, and some even bumping into her or throwing small objects. One particular student stopped in front of her, then when Sunset bumped into her, she shoved Sunset and started yelling at her. Sunset burst into tears and ran off, some students laughing, others still glaring, and one had attempted to trip her, but failed. They then went back to their normal routines as though nothing happened. Luna jumped to another point, then another, and another. Some weren’t as bad, and occasionally a teacher or faculty member would break it up, but sometimes the they would just watch and a few times even joined the students. One in particular got bad enough to the point where if the janitor Discord hadn’t stepped in, Sunset would’ve been seriously hurt. What made it worse though, was that none of her friends were ever there to help Sunset. “What about Sunset’s friends? Where were they?” Spike asked.
Luna flinched at the question. That’s definitely not a good sign, Twilight thought. She braced herself as Luna went to the earliest point she had written. The video started off with Sunset walking down the hall and greeting her friends like any normal day. What wasn’t normal, was how the girls were all glaring at her. After they asked her if she had lost her phone and she pulled it out, they showed her the post with the pictures, then claimed they were hers. They all started yelling at her, accusing her of being Anon-A-Miss without giving her a chance to defend herself, and to top it off, even said she faked their friendship. Sunset was already crying at this point, but they wouldn’t speak, yelling at her that they wouldn’t fall for tricks anymore and that they weren’t friends, leaving her crying on the ground, a puddle forming around her.
After a few moments of stunned silence, Twilight put Spike down and ran to nearest trash can throwing up her lunch. Spike and Celestia weren’t doing much better, both had paled and shaking a bit. Luna just sat there, resigned, as she had already seen it. After a few moments Spike recovered and yelled, “How could they do that?! How could they after everything we’ve been through? Why would they not even give her a chance to defend herself?!” Spike stopped as a wave of guilt washed over him.
Noticing Spike’s reaction, Twilight, stomach now completely empty, said, “No Spike, this is much worse than the wedding. I’ve been known to overreact and played right into her hooves. I’d been accusing her of little things the entire time after already being mad about not being told earlier about my brother’s engagement and impending wedding, then I jumped in yelling like a crazy mare without providing any hard evidence regarding my claims and accusations. Of course you would believe Shining Armor over me, and he was mind controlled at the time.” Twilight winced at the memory, it still hurt from time to time, especially Celestia’s reaction, but continued, “Sunset wasn’t acting any different. Not only that, they just started yelling at her. They were the only ones who were there for her after the Fall Formal, though now I’m wondering just how authentic their friendship really was. Still, the first people to give a chance suddenly ... turning … on ...” Twilight trailed off before running back to the trash can and dry heaving.
Spike tried to figure out what caused Twilight to throw up again. How else is this different from the wedding? Twilight said that it was her actions that caused everyone to turn on her, but here Sunset hadn’t done anything to be the suspect. The only ones who thought it was her … Spike, realizing what Twilight had, ran off to join her, throwing up his own lunch.
After they recovered, Celestia asked, “What happened?” worried at the two’s sudden reaction.
Spike started growling as Twilight explained, barely keeping herself from shouting, “The only ones with any reason to suspect it was Sunset were her friends. No one else would have a good reason to believe it was her, as they had no way of knowing where the photos or Applejack’s nickname came from. By yelling at her on the middle of the hall, they not only ended their friendship, but practically announced that they, the first people to give Sunset a chance, was the only one who could’ve done it. They’re the ones who turned the school against Sunset.”
Upon hearing this, a very pissed Luna started bringing up student files, grabbing her phone, and growling, “I’m calling all of them in right now! When I get my hands on them-” Luna stopped as Twilight grabbed her arm, shaking her head.
Surprised by the sudden action, Celestia asked, “Why shouldn’t we bring them in? After what they did, don’t you want to do something?”
With a sigh, Twilight answered, “Oh trust me, I want to tear them apart, but Sunset said she figured out who Anon-A-Miss was and is going to confront them at five. She specifically asked me not to interfere, and if I did, it might break her and push her over the edge. I’m going to go and watch, but unless things get out of hand, I won’t interfere.”
Twilight had a point, so Luna offered her a ride and to stay in the car so that none of her friends, though they all hesitated to use that word, would see her. Luna quickly split the relevant scenes from the footage and put them on several USB drives. The four of them left, hoping that things wouldn’t get any worse.
Sunset, having spent the last hour and a half finding contacts to help put her plan into motion, approached Sugarcube Corner. Before she reached the windows, she heard a car honk, but ignored it and kept going. After a few more honks, she looked towards the sound, which was coming from across the street from a parked midnight blue Jeep Wrangler. As soon as she looked, the back door popped open and Twilight jumped out, running straight for her, slipping a little on the way. Before Sunset could react, Twilight practically tackled her into a bone crushing hug.
Squeezing Sunset as tightly as she could, Twilight sobbed, “I-I’m so so-sorry Sunset! If I kn-known how bad it was, I-sniff-I would’ve been here earlier!” Sunset gently wrapped her arms around Twilight, rubbing her back and letting her cry it out without saying anything. At some point, Spike came as well, though he didn’t say anything, instead rubbing against Sunset and Twilight, trying to comfort them both.
After a few minutes, Twilight sobbing subsided. With a sigh, Sunset said, “I never blamed you Twilight. I didn’t go into detail because I knew you’d come and try to fix this. Besides, it’s thanks to your message that I was able to figure out the whole story. All I ask is that you please let me handle this.”
Twilight finally let go and stepped back, sniffling a bit. She finally got a good look at Sunset, and had to try her hardest not to flinch at what she saw. Sunset carried herself with a kind of authority and poise she’s only seen when Sunset was singing against the sirens. This time though, while Sunset still had the same determination, her shoulders were almost sagging and she was looking slightly down, as if resigned instead of confident. Her expression, heavy disappointment with an undertone of anger, reminded Twilight too much of Celestia when she accused Cadance at the rehearsal and during her nightmare in the Crystal Empire. “I wasn’t planning on interfering unless things got out of hand, but it seems I’m too late to for that. I trust you Sunset, I’ll wait out here for you. Though if you don’t mind me asking, who is Anon-A-Miss?”
“Thanks Twilight, you don’t know how much this means to me. It’s good to know that my efforts haven’t been in vain. As for who it was, why not just listen in? If you stand just outside the door and Spike props it open, you’ll be able to hear everything without being seen. Just don’t let the door close, since the Cakes had the place soundproofed after Pinkie moved in.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea! I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop myself from doing anything though.”
“Hey, it wouldn’t be fair if you didn’t get a turn after me,” Sunset said with an almost almost predatory smirk, before returning to her previous expression, “It’s not just me they hurt.” Sunset gave Twilight another hug, surprising the girl. She was not expecting Sunset to be the one comforting her. “Just let me finish first. After everything’s said and done, I doubt even Princess Celestia would be able to stop you. By the way, did you bring the bag?”
“Y-yes, I did, it’s back in the car with the principals. They’re very worried about you, and want to talk to you as soon as you’re ready.”
“They were tearing themselves up almost as bad as Twilight after seeing the security footage,” Spike added. “They both feel it’s their fault, even though neither were at the school.”
Sunset nodded, “I was planning on seeing them as soon as I was done here. Anyways are you ready-”
“How are you so calm!” Twilight yelled, “After everything that happened, how are you dealing with it! I watched you get cornered and practically assaulted over ten times, and that’s after you were thrown away by everyone you had in this world!” She was sobbing again, and pulled Sunset into another hug.
“I’m done, Twilight. I’m done holding back. I’m done letting them walk all over me. Both the girls and the rest of the students. After the Fall Formal, I was broken. When I put on the crown, it took everything I believed in and twisted it while tearing me apart. I was stuck watching as a twisted parody of my ambitions tried to take over and almost killed you! Then I was defeated by something I thought was worthless and casually destroyed. Seeing what I could’ve become the way I did … I had to rebuild myself from the ground up, and you gave me a chance. I could redeem myself and maybe one day, I could even become someone worthy of being compared to you.
“The guilt afterwards was stifling. The way the other students treated me didn’t help either, even if I deserved it. I honestly thought about ending it a few times, but that wouldn’t have been fair to you,” she held up a hand at Twilight and Spike’s gasp, “Please, let me finish. Thank you. I kept judging myself entirely on how others viewed me. I thought that obviously I couldn’t judge myself, we saw where that got me after all, but I became too dependent. I was too scared to speak out during the Battle of the Bands. I never spoke out against the insults or them excluding me from the band, or the little fights that kept building up, or when they started yelling at me from stopping Rainbow Dash from revealing our plan, or when no one defended me from the students or Trixie’s accusations. I thought I deserved it all, and since not even my friends saw me as worth considering, why should I?
“Even after we defeated the sirens, they still had trouble accepting me. You practically had to force them to let me in the band, and Rainbow barely even let me play guitar. That was after I stopped them from fighting and risked everything to stop the sirens. I had no clue what the magic would do to me. You remember what happened last time after all. When you offered to teach me, for me to be your student, you don’t know how much that meant to me. The last time you saw me, I was doing everything in my power to defeat you, and almost ended up killing you, yet, the next time you saw me, even though you didn’t trust me at first, you gave me a chance and actually considered me worth something.
“Then after I told Applejack that I don’t have anyone to spend the holidays with, they actually organized a bunch of slumber parties for me! The other students didn’t hate me anymore either, I finally felt like my efforts had made a difference. No one saw me as a monster anymore, I was now truly their friend and your student. I had finally redeemed myself. Then, the second they became suspicious, they tossed me away. They didn’t even give me a chance to speak, and the rest of the student body followed. You’d think they would’ve learned their lesson after learning how easily I tore them apart, but I guess they didn’t.
“Then little things started building up. First it was the girls thinking that I’d make it so obvious it was me. I was never that sloppy before the Fall Formal, except maybe with how I used Snips and Snails. It’s like they never knew me. It didn’t help seeing how easily Anon-A-Miss tore apart the school. Of course it wasn’t hard for me, but I thought that was just because of how bad I was. The worst of it came when I actually looked at Anon-A-Miss’s profile page. The students were loving it. They were laughing at the posts, praising Anon-A-Miss, and asking when the next post was. I started paying attention to what the students were saying when they didn’t know I was there, and everyone who wasn’t affected loved it. You wouldn’t be able to tell when they knew I was there though. They made their hatred clear to me then.
“The final straw that pushed me over, was figuring out who Anon-A-Miss are and why they did it. Even if I’m wrong, it helped me realize everything else. They don’t deserve to judge me. I’m done letting them affect me. I’m done holding back. I’m done not knowing who I am. I’m done not being me.”
Twilight, Sunset having let go of her part way through her speech, took a step back and really looked at Sunset for the first time. She still had the authority and determination, but there was a weariness to it. It was the same oppressive weariness she saw in Celestia and Luna when they let their guard down. There was so much she wanted to say, but now wasn’t the time. All she could say was, “I’m sorry Sunset, I never meant to push you so far. You’ll always have a friends in me, not as a student, but as an equal. If you ever need to talk, I can always listen. I’m ready, go and do what you need to do. I have no doubt you’ll do what’s right.”
Sunset smiled. It was a small, exhausted smile, but genuine. She quickly steeled herself, and walked towards the entrance. Twilight thought that her shoulders weren’t sagging as much. Spike ran past the door, almost slipping on a patch of ice, ready to keep it slightly open. Twilight stood next to him, making sure she couldn’t be seen through the windows. Sunset took a deep breath and walked in.
Inside, it was surprisingly empty given the time. The only people there were the girls sitting at one table, all slouched over, and Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle sitting at another table, quietly whispering something and looking extremely anxious. Mr. and Mrs. Cake weren’t in front, which suited Sunset perfectly.
When she entered, the bell rang and everyone looked towards her. Their initial surprise was quickly replaced with anger, as Rainbow Dash stood up and yelled, “Hey! Get out!”
Applejack then followed, “Yer not welc-”
“Shut up!” Sunset commanded, stunning the group. Rainbow tried to say something, but was stopped by a glare from Sunset. They had never seen her like this, even when she was at her worst. Her presence completely overshadowed them; they weren’t dealing with a high school bully or their friend, no, they were peasants dealing with an empress.
Seeing them sufficiently cowed, Sunset continued, “I figured out who Anon-A-Miss are, and more importantly why they did it.” The girls all flinched back, Fluttershy barely staying conscious. “Of course, I’m surprised you even fell for such a poor frame job. If it was the old me, I would have framed one of you, but then you should already know that, considering how easy it was before.” Sunset took a step forward, Rainbow and Applejack both tried taking a step back, but bumped into the seats. Fluttershy was trying to cower under the table while Rarity and Pinkie hugged each other, shaking.
“Then again, you girls tore yourselves apart so well when the sirens were here, I shouldn’t have been surprised how easy it was for Anon-A-Miss to do this,” Sunset said with a bitter chuckle. “At least this time you lasted two messages.” She shook her head with a grim smile, taking another step.
She has to be lying! Who else could’ve gotten the photos, Rainbow thought as she began to sweat. She’s just trying to intimi-
“It was us!” the three girls on the other table yelled. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo were both trembling, while Sweetie Belle was crying.
Scootaloo tried to get up, but Apple Bloom put her hand on Scootaloo’s shoulder and shook her hand, then stood up and said, “We’re so sorry Sunset! We didn’t know it would get this bad for you! We just wanted to get you away from our sisters! We didn’t know you were getting ganged up on! We thought the other students liked Anon-A-Miss.”
“It was you?!” Applejack yelled.
“How could you?!” Rainbow followed.
“Wait that means ...” Rarity began, looking towards Sunset, who was glaring towards them with her arms crossed.
“It wasn’t you,” Fluttershy finished as the rest of them turned towards Sunset.
“B-but how?” Pinkie asked, her hair flat.
“Easy,” Sunset said, “Apple Bloom knew Applejack’s nickname, Sweetie Belle could’ve easily taken my phone while I was asleep, and Scootaloo had plenty of chances to snap a photo of Rainbow Dash’s paper. They probably already had some stuff from before as well and I wouldn’t be surprised if the other students started sending them requests.”
“How’d ya figure it out?” Apple Bloom asked in shock.
“It was simple once I took your sisters off their pedestals,” Sunset answered. “I didn’t want to consider them or anyone related to them, but as soon as I did, it was obvious. You three had the means and a motive.” When she finished, Scootaloo paled, but none of the older girls except Sunset noticed.
“Why?” Rarity barely choked out.
“We were jealous of all the time Sunset was spending with you,” Sweetie Belle admitted, “It’s the holiday season and you kept shunning us for her! We thought it wasn’t fair, but seeing how she was treated, it was horrible! Can you ever forgive us Sunset?” Sweetie Belle looked ready to burst out in tears.
All attention was on Sunset, who just shrugged, “Sure, under two conditions,” surprising everyone in the room with how casually she said it.
“Wha-what are they?” Apple Bloom squeaked out, terrified.
“Wait, don’t you think that’s unfair?! We didn’t give you any conditions after the Fall ... Formal …” Rainbow trailed off when Sunset focused on her. Sunset uncrossed her arms and gave Rainbow a dark, almost sinister smile. She took another step, standing slightly taller, looking down at Rainbow. It was at this point, Rainbow realized she royally screwed up.
“There’s a small difference here. I’m actually planning on forgiving them,” Sunset said. Rainbow felt as though she was staring at a giant phoenix, who was just playing with her prey.
Another step, Sunset was in arm's reach. “But the five of you don’t know anything about that, now do you? You need someone to tell you to forgive, and if they’re not watching, you’ll completely forget about it. You never really forgave me!” Sunset snarled.
She took one last step forward, her face a foot from Rainbow’s staring her down, “Then again, I’m not surprised. You five are so self-centered, you can’t seem to see past your own ego.” Rainbow Dash was unable to hold her gaze and looked away in shame.
Sunset stepped back and took a deep breath. “Now then, back to business!” she said in a faux jovial tone and looked towards the three younger girls, all of whom tried to shrink away as much as possible. “Let’s get the obvious condition out of the way first. You three will confess to the principals and publicly to the school. It has to be in person, it can’t be through the account.”
Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo looked towards each other and nodded. Apple Bloom spoke up, “We were gonna do that anyways. We came here to tell our sisters first, but we couldn’t work up the courage.”
“Good, and the second condition,” Sunset walked up to their table, with an aura of authority like they’ve never seen, leaned forward and ordered, “I. Want. The. Full. Truth.”
Time slowed down for Scootaloo. Her friends were both squirming, looking at each other, obviously terrified, but not saying anything. She heard one of the older girls trying say something, but was cut off by Sunset, who then returned to staring them down. Still, neither of her friends said anything, and it warmed her heart, but Sunset never had that kind of support, Scootaloo realized. It wasn’t fair to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle to make them keep her secret now, and it wasn’t fair to Sunset to not let her know why they did this.
Scootaloo took a deep breath and looked to both of her friends. “It’s okay, you don’t have to keep it secret anymore,” she said, speaking for the first time, with weight surprising all the older girls except Sunset.
“But what about-”
“No, Sweetie, I can’t keep hiding it, especially now.” Scootaloo turned to face Sunset, “They weren’t lying when they said it was because their sisters and Rainbow Dash were spending so much time with you, but they left out why. It’s because, well, I’m homeless.” Upon hearing this all the girls at the other table all jumped up.
“Ya mean you were alone-”
“You poor dear-”
“Oh no are you healthy-”
“And you always smiled-”
“Scoots, why didn’t you tell me?” Rainbows question cut through the other girls panic.
After a few seconds, Scootaloo answered, “I can’t let anyone know. There aren’t any orphanages or foster homes nearby, so I’d be taken away if anyone found out. I can’t lose Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom! They’re the only family I have left!” She was almost in tears at this point, but looked at Sunset. “You don’t seem surprised.”
Sunset shrugged, “I figured it out two hours ago. I’m curious, where do you normally stay?” she asked, in such a casual tone it took everyone a few seconds to recover.
“At Apple Bloom’s club house. It’s pretty warm, with lot’s of hidden places to put my stuff. Apple Bloom sneaks me food all the time, and Sweetie brings me extra fabric.”
Sunset let out a low whistle, “Not too shabby. Personally, I use the school now. There’s always running water and showers and it’s warm. The teacher’s lounge is great when they don’t lock it, and if they do, the library’s not a bad option for sleep.”
It took almost a minute for what Sunset said to click. Before anyone could say anything, the bell rang, drawing everyone’s attention to the newcomers. Twilight and Spike, having stumbled through the door, stared at Sunset with open mouthed shock. “Twilight!” Pinkie jumped up and yelled.
Twilight and Spike slowly turned their gazes towards the table. Spike let out a deep growl no dog should be able to make, flames licking the edges of his snout. Twilight, with complete disdain, glared at them.
“Girls, we need to talk.”
Author's Note
Of the three Anon-A-Miss ideas I had, this was the most popular, so here we go. Fair warning, it's lacking the dark tag for a reason, not to say it won't have it's moments, but this is not going to be an overall dark story.
Special thanks to spotty8ee for helping me to actually get this going and prereading.
Chapter 2 *Unedited*
The girls looked at each other, all clearly terrified. Sunset on her own was scary enough, and she had managed to remain relatively calm the entire time. Twilight, the Princess of Friendship, the one who brought them all together, on the other hand, was furious. Even Spike, the always friendly cute little dog looked ready to rip them apart.
After a few seconds of stifling silence, Scootaloo spoke up, “All of this is my fault, so please don’t be mad at my friends.”
“Well ah’m the one who started it, so if anyone deserves the blame, it’s me,” Apple Bloom followed.
“But if it wasn’t for me, no one would’ve thought it was Sunset, so it’s my fault,” Sweetie Belle finished.
The three girls shared a sad smile, knowing that none of them would let the others take the fall.
Twilight shifted her focus to them, “What you girls did was horrible. Even Sunset never got that bad at her worst. Normally I wouldn’t let something like this stand, however,” Twilight gave them a small smile, “At least you had a good reason to do it. Your friend was suffering and you decided to help, and even now you’re all willing to take the fall for the others,” her smile fell, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m still angry, you hurt a dear friend of mine, one who was suffering more than any of you know, but she’s willing to forgive you, so I’ll let her and the principals handle you.”
Taking a deep breath, Twilight, failing to keep a hint of pain out of her voice, asked, “Why didn’t you say anything before, Sunset?”
Sunset shrugged and said, “It never came up.”
“Th-that’s not what I meant! Why didn’t you ask for help? I’m sure that anyone-” Twilight stopped for a second to think, “I’m sure that Celestia or Luna would’ve helped, or if you said something after the Fall Formal or the Battle of the Bands, I would’ve taken you back to Equestria.”
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “Any one of us would’ve taken her in!” She couldn’t believe that Twilight thought that lowly of them, thinking that they would just leave someone to suffer like that.
“Sure you would’ve,” Spike snarked, “Then the second anything goes wrong, you would’ve sent her away. Toilet gets clogged? Sunset must be trying to ruin your home. Someone loses something? Sunset obviously stole it. Milk spoils? Sunset used her demon powers to so you won’t have a balanced breakfast.”
“What makes ya think we’d do somethin’ like that?!” Applejack yelled. Her and Rainbow Dash were starting to stand up, ready to go up to Spike’s face.
Spike continued as if he didn’t notice, “Sunset stops you from ruining the plan to stop the sirens with your ego? She must’ve thrown a fit of jealous rage.” The five of them and Twilight all flinched at that, taking the wind out of Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s sails. “Someone posts some secrets online? It must’ve been Sunset trying to humiliate you.”
While the girls were recoiling, Sunset shrugged and spoke up, as if Spike hadn’t said anything, “Never really cared. I had a warm place to sleep and keep my stuff, plus I got enough money from tutoring, or selling assignments before the Fall Formal, for the essentials.”
“Still, I can’t just leave you homeless, especially now,” Twilight said, glaring at her friends, “Plus, there’s also Scootaloo’s situation to deal with.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. Those gems I asked you to bring are worth a lot more here than they are in Equestria. Once I get them sold, I’ll get an apartment and Scootaloo’s coming to live with me. I know someone who can forge papers that will put me as her older sister and legal guardian.” “Wait, why is she going with you?” Rainbow asked.
“Wouldn’t it be better for her to come with one of us?” Fluttershy followed.
“I’m afraid not,” Rarity said, much to the surprise of everyone at the table, “If she started living with one of us, people would start asking questions. Too many people know our families, which would make taking in Scootaloo without going through official channels impossible.”
“We still have to ask Scootaloo what she wants,” Pinkie said.
All eyes shifted to Scootaloo. Taking a deep breath, she asked, “Why are you doing this? A-After everything we did to hurt you, w-why are you going so far to help me?” She blinked back a few tears, barely stopping herself from crying.
Sunset smiled softly at Twilight before turning her attention to Scootaloo, “Someone taught me that everyone deserves a chance. Yes, you hurt me, but you did it because you were hurting and didn’t want to lose your friends. Besides, I can see how badly you regret what you did. Trust me, I know how guilt like that feels. If I can be forgiven and given a second chance after everything I’ve done, then you deserve the same,” she said as she reached out a hand. When she did, she felt the warmth of her magic as she sprouted her pony ears and her hair grew longer, the new part bound into a ponytail by a leather band.
Scootaloo stared at Sunset in shock. Here was the girl that they had spent the last week tormenting, smiling and reaching out to help her. After everything we did, she doesn’t hate us, she thought, is this how Sunset felt after the Fall Formal? A potent cocktail of guilt and hope overwhelmed the now crying Scootaloo as she sprang from her seat and practically jumped into Sunset, hugging her as tightly as she could, as though Sunset might disappear any second. Sunset in turn gently wrapped her arms around Scootaloo, letting her cry it out. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both gave Sunset a pleading look, who nodded, and the two ran up to hug Scootaloo.
Twilight watched on in awe. Seeing how far Sunset had come in just a few short months, especially after what she learned today, was nothing short of amazing. She made a mental note to ask about Sunset ponying up later. To think this was the same girl who stole her crown, it was humbling. In fact, it was almost disheartening, especially after what happened with Moon Dancer and her other Canterlot friends.
Before she could dwell on it, Scootaloo let go of Sunset, though her friends still hung on. Sunset patted Scootaloo on the head, before saying, “We should probably tell Celestia and Luna everything now.” The three of them, still teary eyed but no longer crying, nodded and prepared to walk out.
“So, that takes care of everything, right?” Rainbow asked.
All of the cheer Twilight had built up vanished, remembering why she came here in the first place. “Not exactly,” she said, glaring at her friends again.
“What’s left? Sunset took care of everything, so everything’s all worked out, right?”
“Aren’t you forgetting something, you know, the whole reason this was a problem in the first place?”
The five of them took a moment to realize what she meant. Rarity, looking a bit embarrassed, said, “Oh right, we’re sorry Sunset. After everything that happened here, we kind of forgot to apologize.” The others just nodded, as if that was all they had to say.
Twilight stared at them, aghast. “That’s it?! You shunned Sunset for a week and left her crying and alone, then she finds the culprits, who happen to be your sisters, and all you have to say is a pathetic little sorry? I noticed none of you are even remotely mad it was your sisters, after tossing away Sunset under such flimsy evidence!”
“We thought she faked our friendship to to get back at us!” Pinkie yelled defensively.
Twilight stared blankly at them for a few seconds, before chuckling. Much to the girls’ confusion, the chuckle turned into full blown laughter. After calming down, she said, “As much is this isn’t the time for jokes, that was a good one Pinkie.”
Spike started growling again. “I don’t think she’s joking, Twilight.”
“Of course she is, there’s no way they can actually believe that. I mean the seven of us shared in the magic of friendship, you can’t fake something like that.” Twilight noticed that none of the girls were laughing. “You are joking, right?” Twilight asked, desperation sinking into her voice.
When Pinkie shook her head, Twilight started chuckling again, this time completely devoid of humor. “You mean to tell me, even after everything Sunset’s done since the Fall Formal, even after we all shared the magic of friendship, you still thought she faked it? Just, how could you? How could you?! Do any of you know what she went through this past week?! After everything you put her through, she still comes in, cleans up your mess, and doesn’t hate you, and you have the gall to say she faked the friendship?! I really didn’t want to do this, but you left me no choice. Is there a computer or laptop we can use here?”
While confused by the request, Pinkie, deeply ashamed, reached below the table and pulled out her laptop. Twilight pulled a USB out of her blouse pocket and plugged it in. A folder with fifteen videos popped up, and she played the first one. It was when the five of them had accused Sunset of being Anon-A-Miss and left her crying on the floor, never giving her a chance to speak. The girls all cringed, never having realized just how vicious they were towards Sunset. After the video ended, Rarity said, “Oh dear, I can’t believe we were that harsh, I guess-”
“I’m not done yet,” Twilight interrupted, starting the next video. It was the first encounter Sunset had with other students after her friends disowned her. All of the girls watched in horror as Sunset was getting yelled at by the other students, running off in tears, but having nowhere to go. Twilight continued with the videos, each getting worse than the last. The later videos involved Sunset being tripped, ganged up on, having things thrown at her, and so much more. By the end of it, Fluttershy and Rarity were sobbing, Pinkie looked ready to throw up, and Applejack and Rainbow Dash were speechless.
None of them could think of what to say. Eventually, Applejack broke the silence, looking at Sunset, “A-Ah don’t know what ta say, sugarcube. Everyone seemed to love Anon-A-Miss, we didn’t know you were going through all that. And after all that, ya forgave our sisters.”
“They haven’t realized it yet,” Spike spat out.
“Realized what?” Rainbow asked.
“The only reason anyone had to suspect Sunset at all was because of you yelling at her in front of everyone! They had no way of knowing that she knew those secrets, but when the only people to stand by her tossed her away like that, that was all the evidence they needed. Not only did you abandon her, you tossed her to the wolves!”
Pinkie ran off to the nearest trash can and threw up while Fluttershy and Rarity’s sobbing grew. Even Rainbow Dash and Applejack weren’t able to hold back tears anymore. Before Twilight could say anything else, Sunset put a hand on her shoulder, frowning.
“What’s wrong Sunset?” Twilight asked. Sunset just pointed to Scootaloo and her friends, who were all shaking in terror, hugging each other tight and sobbing. “Oh.” She had completely forgotten that they were still there, and they definitely did not need to see all that.
“W-We p-put you th-through all that, a-and you still forgave us.” Scootaloo choked out, looking at Sunset with an even greater sense of awe.
After giving them some time to calm down, Sunset said, “It’s time to go see the principals. Let’s go.” As she walked out, with Scootaloo, her friends, Twilight, and Spike following her, she glanced at the five girls sitting on the table, “I hope you learn something from this. Trust me, I want more than anything to forgive you and move on, but I can’t, not until I know you’re truly sorry and learned your lesson.” She continued on, not looking back at the devastated girls.
“I don’t think I can wait much longer,” Luna groused, still sitting in the driver’s seat.
“I don’t like this either, Luna, but Twilight had a point. What would happen if we went in now?” Celestia said as she laid a hand on her sister’s shoulder. Luna grumbled a bit before perking up.
“Someone’s coming out! It’s Sunset! Twilight and Spike are with her too. Wait, is that Scootaloo? Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle are there as well.” Luna was about to burst out the door, but Celestia grabbed her tight as a car zoomed by.
“Careful, Luna,” Celestia warned as she let go, exiting the Jeep herself.
Luna slapped both her cheeks, trying to regain her focus. Sunset’s plight reminded her too much of her own experiences, but she wasn’t going to be able to help if she kept getting carried away. Remembering to check for cars this time, Luna hopped out and followed her sister.
Seeing Sunset was interesting to say the least. Luna had expected her to be completely devastated, or at the very least disheartened. Instead, Sunset stood tall and walked with a kind of confidence that she hadn’t seen in the girl, well ever really. There was a certain weariness to her, one that Luna and Celestia were all too familiar with, though currently the only hint of emotion they could see on her was a slight frown.
Twilight was trudging along behind Sunset, looking down and a bit slumped over, closer to what they expected Sunset to look like. Spike stomped along next to Twilight while Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle followed behind. The three of them seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown, and not the first if their puffy eyes were any indication, yet they, Scootaloo especially, looked towards Sunset with a sense of awe.
Celestia and Luna picked up the pace, Luna shouting, “Sunset are you alright? We’re so sorry we weren’t there!”
The group stopped, waiting for the principals. When the two arrived, Sunset sighed, gazed back towards Sugarcube Corner, and said, “I think so, and it’s alright, you both had good reasons to not be here.”
Celestia managed to suppress flinching at just how resigned Sunset sounded. Luna did not. Seeing this, Sunset grimaced, and quickly added, “Seriously, it’s alright, if you feel like you have anything to apologize for, then I forgive you!”
“What happened in there?” Celestia managed to get out.
Scootaloo gulped, but with Sunset’s reassurance, said, “We’re Anon-A-Miss,” gesturing to her friends.
“What?!” Luna screamed, almost lunging towards the three, “Do you have any idea what you put Sunset through?! The three of you-”
“Enough!” Sunset ordered, turning all attention back towards her, “Trust me, they know what they did,” Sunset shot a quick glare towards Twilight, who rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, “They’re already tearing themselves apart over it, and I’ve forgiven them.”
Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle hid behind Sunset, trembling. Sunset herself widened her stance, as if shielding the three from the principals.
“Why did you do it?” Celestia asked, straining to keep her mask.
The three of them shared a look, before Apple Bloom spoke up, “Well, we were jealous of all the time Sunset was spending with our sisters. We didn’t know how bad it got for her, honest.”
“Tell them everything, they’re going to need to know anyways, and I think they can help,” Sunset said, before either principal could react.
Scootaloo, with a bit of encouragement from her friends, stepped out and said, “The reason we did it is because I’m homeless. I’ve been living at Apple Bloom’s clubhouse for the past two years, and I don’t want to get sent away from Canterlot.”
Celestia’s jaw dropped, her mask finally shattering. Luna was sputtering next to her, trying to form a coherent sentence. Eventually, Celestia said, “I-I can’t believe you’ve been living like that. We can’t just leave you like that though, we can take you in for a bit while we try to figure something out.”
“There’s no need,” Sunset said, stunning the principals, “Twilight, can you grab the bag?” Twilight nodded and left towards the Jeep. “She can’t stay long term with you without getting her sent away first, same with all her friends. I’m going to take her in, and I know someone to forge all the necessary documents, plus I don’t have to worry about others questioning anything.”
Twilight returned with the bag, handing it over to Sunset, who opened it, revealing the contents to everyone around. Inside was a staggering amount of gems, all cut and startlingly large. There was a mix of rubies, sapphires, emeralds, diamonds … and a small gift box? Sunset grabbed the box, eyeing it curiously while all the people from this world gaped at the gems.
“What’s the big deal?” Spike asked, “It’s just some gems, I eat them all the time. These aren’t even big.”
“T-Twilight, I know you’re a princess, but where did you get this kind of money, enough to feed Spike gems?” Celestia asked.
Twilight tilted her head, confused. “What do you mean?” she asked, “These are just regular gems, and small ones at that. They aren’t even large enough to use in outfits. The only thing valuable in there is in the box. It’s a little something Spike and I made for Sunset after the Battle of the Bands.”
Sunset chuckled a bit before clarifying, “In Equestria, gems form much more easily than here, with ambient magic substituting for heat and pressure. The average uncut gem is about two fists large, and they can be found anywhere without a lot of plants and animals or even farmed. A lot of the time, marble is more valuable, and it’s worth roughly the same amount it is here. Speaking of, Twilight, these gems are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars each here, which is roughly the same amount of bits ... Remind me to tell you about human economics later. Anyways, I’ll be using these to get an apartment and to take care of Scootaloo. In the meantime though, we’re going to need a place to stay, these won’t be easy to sell.”
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said you were done holding back,” Spike said, “Why don’t you stay with us? We have plenty of room. It’s okay, right Twilight?”
“Y-Yeah, as long as Scootaloo’s okay with turning into a pony for a bit,” Twilight answered.
Scootaloo was practically jumping in place, “You mean I get to see where you’re from?! Of course I’m okay with it, can my friends come too?” she asked, the three of them giving Twilight the biggest puppy dog eyes they could.
“As long as your families are okay with it, but only after we finish fixing up this entire Anon-A-Miss mess.”
That dampened the girls’ moods, remembering that they still had to confess to the entire school. Still, they were going to get to see Twilight’s home!
Celestia cleared her throat, getting everyone’s attention again. “I think we can help with selling the gems. Our family has a lot of connections, and we know some people who would be willing to buy. We’ll set up an account under Sunset’s name and have them wire the money to her, if that’s alright with you.” Sunset nodded. “Good, now that just leaves the question of what to do for punishment. Even if Sunset forgave you, you still caused a lot of damage, and then there’s also the other students to worry about, I don’t know what to do about them.”
“We could always knock down a wall and have them rebuild it,” Sunset joked, earning a chuckle from the principals.
“What’s this about rebuilding a wall?” Twilight asked.
“After the Fall Formal, we had Sunset, Snips, and Snails rebuild the wall she destroyed as part of her punishment,” Luna explained.
Twilight chuckled, “Ouch, that sounds bad, coming back after the Fall Formal only to have to fix the wall.”
“Oh, it was on the same night, right after you left.”
Twilight turned to Sunset, “Wait, they had you rebuild the wall so soon?” Sunset nodded. “Right after your entire world fell apart?” Another nod. “After a horribly traumatizing transformation?” Yet another nod. “After being blasted into a crater by magic that left one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria almost completely powerless and barely able to stand?” Sunset nodded yet again. “Oh, okay … What?!”
“Sunset, what is she talking about?” Luna asked, getting very worried.
“Let’s just say that being transformed against your will into a twisted mockery of what you could become through a massive influx of magic, while being forced to watch the thing that took over commit atrocities, then being blasted back to normal by the same magic isn’t exactly pleasant,” she said with a grin.
“Why didn’t you say anything and how are you joking about it?” Luna asked, aghast.
Sunset shrugged and said, “Eh, I got off very light for everything I did, and I wasn’t exactly in the best state of mind at the time. Besides, the entire thing was hilariously symbolic. I destroyed the wall with the magic from the crown, which in turn broke me, then I had to rebuild the wall while rebuilding myself from the ground up. Huh, maybe I could turn that into a poem for English.” Sunset tried forming the poem in her head while everyone recovered, before deciding to shelve it for later.
While that was going on, Celestia had scooted towards Twilight without anyone noticing, and whispered, “Are you certain Sunset’s alright?”
“She just let go of months of self loathing and doubt after what she went through this last week. With how well she’s handled the situation, especially with these three and the girls, I trust her. If she’s not alright, she’ll tell someone,” Twilight whispered back before Celestia snuck back to Luna’s side.
Noticing how late it was getting, Sunset said, “Scootaloo and I need to go see Thorax soon, he’s the one who will forge the documents, and I told him I’d be seeing him today. He also might be able to make something for Twilight as well.”
“We’ll take you to him,” Celestia said, “There will be an assembly first thing tomorrow morning for you three to confess, meet me in my office before school.”
“Well, Ah guess this is goodbye for now, good luck and see ya tomorrow,” Apple Bloom said, lightly punching Scootaloo’s shoulder.
Sweetie Belle hugged Scootaloo goodbye and said, “Bye Scoots, have fun at Twilight’s castle!” After a few seconds, she let go and hugged Sunset, “You too!”
“Thanks, I will, see you tomorrow!” Scootaloo said as Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom headed back towards Sugarcube Corner.
Once they were gone, Scootaloo sighed, “I almost can’t believe all this happened.”
“I know the feeling,” Sunset responded.
“To think this all started with an embarrassing nickname. I can’t believe we didn’t realize how bad it got for you.”
“With the way the other students were laughing about and enjoying the posts, I can see why you didn’t.”
“Yeah, and they kept sending us more and more secrets! We’ve got like another fifty we haven’t even seen!”
“How hard is it to create a My Stable account?” Twilight asked.
“Very easy, why?” Sunset answered.
“I may have a suitable punishment in mind for the other students,” Twilight said with a surprisingly devious smirk. She explained her idea while the group headed towards the Jeep.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Luna asked. In front of her was Crystal Hand’s Watch Empire, a small nondescript shop in the corner of the plaza.
“Yep, let me handle introductions, just browse while you wait,” Sunset answered, entering the shop, the rest following her.
Inside were watches of every kind. By the entrances, there were shelves of cheap watches for kids or outdoors, followed by a bunch of overly complex electronic watches that require a manual to use. On the back wall were a bunch of extremely expensive brand name watches, with a glass case underneath holding the newest innovations in mechanical watches. To the left was a register with another case containing antique watches.
A timid tan skinned blond man wearing a brown suit standing behind the counter was trying to calm an angry purple woman wearing a very gaudy purple dress and a white (faux) fur scarf.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Rich, but no matter how many times you yell, your watch is a forgery. A real piece of Platinum’s collection would have an engraved unicorn under the center gear,” the man explained, adjusting his glasses.
“Fine! I’m taking my business elsewhere, you obviously don’t know anything!” the woman huffed, stomping out of the store, bumping past Celestia on the way.
“Ah, more customers! I’m sorry you had to see that, too many people think just because they spent a lot of money on something, it must be authentic,” the man sighed, “Anyways, I’m Crystal Hand, are you here looking for a watch or for repair? If you can’t find what you’re looking for, I could attempt to order it or connect you to a seller.”
“Hey Crystal,” Sunset greeted, “We’re looking for a parts to repair that vintage phoenix watch.”
Crystal Hand’s timid smile shifted a bit, taking on a more calculated edge. “A custom order, I presume. Starlight, can you watch the front for a bit?!”
“Coming!” a light purple girl with long dark purple hair called out, coming through a door by the expensive watches. She came to the counter, tilting her head curiously at the group. Something about her unnerved Twilight and Celestia, though Sunset and Luna seemed sympathetic. “A special order?”
“Yes, this shouldn’t take too long, you know the drill,” Crystal nodded as he went towards the door, Sunset following. “Well, come along now,” he said to the rest.
Through the door was … exactly what one would expect from a watch shop. There was a desk with a bunch of parts and several broken watches, another desk with a standard looking computer, a small table, a sink, a mini fridge, a microwave, and some boxes.
Once everyone was in Crystal closed the door. Sunset asked, “So, who’s the new girl?”
“Starlight Glimmer, a recovering cult leader. She had an equality cult going, something happened, and now she’s working for me, trying to start over. If you want to know anymore, you’ll have to ask her,” Crystal answered.
“Excuse me, we’re looking for someone named Thorax, do you happen to know where he is?” Celestia asked.
“You’re looking right at him, Thorax, Witness Protection extraordinaire and former member of the Changelings,” Crystal said with a dramatic bow.
“Ch-Changeling!” Twilight, Spike, Celestia, and Luna all yelled out.
Twilight and Celestia both pointed each at each other and said, “Wait, how do you know about the Changelings?!” Meanwhile, Spike ran behind Twilight and Luna started sputtering incoherently.
“Um, what are Changelings?” Scootaloo asked, scared of everyone’s reactions.
Sunset on the other hand, burst out laughing, all eyes turning towards her. “Ahem, you shouldn’t be laughing Sunset, do you remember what you did when you first heard?” Thorax asked with a smug grin.
Surprising Thorax, Sunset just kept smiling as she said, “Yep, got down on all fours and tried to cast a fireball spell. Worked about as well as expected.”
“Well, that was unexpected, what did I miss this time?”
This managed to knock Sunset’s smile off. She sighed and said, “An anonymous My Stable account started leaking some secrets. First it was my friends’ secrets, who all just abandoned me after two posts, leaving me crying in the hallway, then the rest of the school turned on me.”
Thorax’s expression turned grave, his voice threatening, he warned, “If you’re here to ask for revenge, you know what will happen.” Everyone but Sunset backed away slowly, eyeing Thorax fearfully. Scootaloo looked almost ready to cry.
Sunset, on the other hand, just waved away his threat, and casually said, “Relax, I’m not an idiot. Besides, that’s not me anymore. I’m actually here to help one of the culprits.”
“Very well then, what do you need?” Thorax asked with a smile, the sudden shift startling the group.
“Wait, was that a joke?” Celestia asked, indignant, “That you would joke about something like-”
“Oh, it wasn’t a joke,” Sunset said, “He knows that I’m from Equestria, and since he’s the one who made all the documents I have, he could easily turn me in at any time, especially with my record. He set me up in this world, giving me a chance, but warned me if I ever tried to abuse his services, he’d take it all away. The only reason he’s even willing to talk to me now was because I tried to return everything he gave me after the Fall Formal, but he gave me another chance.”
“If she hadn’t tried to return them, I would’ve turned her in,” Thorax added. “When I gave them back, she broke down and begged for forgiveness. Reminded me of when I finally left the Changelings, and no, I won’t tell you what happened.”
“Seriously, what’s going on here!” Scootaloo yelled, her confusion and aggravation winning over her fear, at least until all attention shifted back to her.
“I’d like to know as well,” Twilight added, “Seriously, what’s this about Changelings? Did they come from Equestria?”
“No, here the Changelings are a very dangerous mafia that focus on identity theft,” Sunset explained. “They can do anything from stealing credit card information to flat out replacing a VIP. You do not want to get on their bad side, but they tend to leave most people alone unless you get their attention. Oh, and in Equestria, Changelings are a bug like race that magically transform themselves into other creatures and replace them to feed of off the love they receive. You don’t have to worry about Thorax though, now he works with Witness Protection, helping create new identities for people, and occasionally helping special cases outside the law, like me. Anyways, Scootaloo here is homeless and has been living in her friend’s clubhouse for a long time.”
“And since there are no foster homes or orphanages near by, that’s where I come in, right?” Thorax finished. “I’m guessing you already know I can’t just give anyone foster status, too many people would question it.”
“Yes, I was hoping you could set her up as my sister and me as her legal guardian. Everyone who knows me won’t question it, and it will be enough to keep her in school until I turn eighteen, at which point the papers should hold up.”
“Good, you still haven’t lost your touch. Where are you planning to live, though? Are you still living at the school?” They both ignored Celestia and Luna’s gasps.
“Yes, but not for long. Princess Twilight here helped with that. By the way, can we get some basics for her as well?”
“Of course, she is responsible for the biggest turnaround I’ve seen. When you find your desired home, bring me the money and I’ll set it up. I’ll need at least half the price up front. If you know anyone who can teach you to drive, I can get you all driver’s licences as well.”
“Perfect, any chance you can add motorcycles to the licences?”
“I can, anything else?”
“You know what, do you have any phoenix themed watches?”
With the moon high in the sky, Sunset and the others were standing by the portal to Equestria, clearing up any last details. “So,” Sunset began, “We’ll meet up tomorrow at six in Celestia’s office to prepare for the assembly. After the confession and Twilight’s little surprise, Scootaloo and I will leave to continue searching for a home. Any luck with your contacts?”
“Went better than expected,” Celestia answered, “With the holidays coming up, they were very excited for the lower priced gems. We should have most of them sold by Monday.”
“Never expected people saving their shopping for last minute to be so helpful,” Luna scoffed. “Speaking of, what was in the box?”
“Not sure, I was going to wait until Hearth’s Warming Day to open it,” Sunset said.
“What’s Hearth’s Warming?” Scootaloo asked.
“Basically compress the Winter Peace and First Dawn into a single day, except with ponies and magic ice demons that feed on strife, with much more questionable historical accuracy. Actually, we might be able to see the play, if Twilight’s okay with that.”
“Sure, but only if you tell me about the holidays here. Oh, and you can open it now, think of it as a late birthday gift and a thank you for the Battle of the Bands,” Twilight said.
“Alright,” Sunset said, pulling the box out of her pocket. She slowly unwrapped it, letting the anticipation build. Inside was a jewelry box, which she held for a few seconds before finally opening it. She gasped in shock as she felt a slight tingle, looking at a version of her cutie mark made out of two gems. Touching the red one slightly warmed her finger, while the yellow one sent a tiny bit of energy through her.
“What is it?” Scootaloo asked, jumping to try and get a peek. When Sunset lowered the box, Scootaloo stared in awe at the piece.
“Touch it.”
Scootaloo slowly reached out, and upon touching the yellow, she yelped at the feeling and pulled her hand away, “It shocked me!”
“It’s made out of a Fire Ruby and a Lightning Topaz that Spike grew. They’re magical in nature, though without any spells, they just produce some heat and energy,” Twilight explained.
Sunset continued staring at the piece, before finally grabbing it. As she was pulling it up, she noticed a light golden chain, though something about it seemed off. When she had fully removed the necklace and held it up to get a closer look, the chain fell on her hand. Instantly, she realized what it was, feeling a very familiar warmth wash over her. She gasped and nearly dropped it, staring at it in open mouthed shock. “Tw-Twilight, this can’t be right. Th-This can’t be for me,” Sunset barely choked out.
“Of course it is, why wouldn’t it be?”
“This is Sunsteel, Twilight! The only things made out of it are Princess Celestia’s regalia!”
“My new crown is as well, but that’s not important. Spike and I made it using the Sunsteel you created, so you have a right to it.”
Sunset looked back and forth between Twilight and the necklace, before the floodgates finally burst. All of the stress and pain she’d been holding back along with all of the happy memories, both from this world and Equestria, finally came out as she ran to Twilight and pulled her, holding her as though her life depended on it, sobbing into her shoulder, repeating, “Thank you!” over and over. Twilight held up a hand to stop anyone from saying anything, before returning the hug, sympathy written on her face. She gently rubbed Sunset’s back, trying to comfort the girl.
After a good few minutes, Sunset finally calmed down and stopped crying, though she held onto Twilight for a bit longer. When she finally let go, she took another look at the necklace, before putting it on, with a huge smile on her face, though still tinged with a bit of sadness. Still, it was the happiest and least weary she’d looked since, well ever really now that Twilight thought about it.
“Alright, let’s go,” Twilight motioned to Sunset, Spike, and Scootaloo, before waving to the principals. “We’ll see you tomorrow. Oh and Scootaloo, the first time through is a bit of a trip, so be ready for it,” she said as she entered the portal, the others following soon after.
Author's Note
First off, this chapter is currently unedited, but since I'll be gone for a bit over Spring Break and don't want to keep everyone waiting that much longer, I went ahead and posted it.
As for the story itself, holy Sunset Sushi I did not expect it to take off like it did at all. I think it had about 24 hours in the Featured Box and hit the 4th slot. As amazing as this is, and thank you everyone who read it, now I'm super nervous to not screw something up. Let's just say the first scene here went through many rewrites to get it just right and I'm still not happy with the Thorax scene.
Anyways, special thanks to spotty8ee, KR Chrome, and Knight Light for prereading and helping get some of the scenes done. A special shout out to spotty8ee's Friend Is Monsters, which is my favorite hard AU story on the site (note that I consider Fallout: Equestria it's own thing and not a traditional AU) and is what finally pushed me over the edge to start posting again. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys great world building or wants to see the Equestria Girls characters in a more monster girl type universe.