Run Number Five. The first time I ever tried to take control of my situation. When I still believed maybe there was something I could do to get my life back. But looking back, what would that even be? Complete a task and suddenly BAM! Life's back!
Yeah right.
Sunset tapped her pen against her chin, her mouth drew into a small grin as she stared down at her notebook. The notebook itself was not anything unique. Just a thin notebook with a red cover. However, within its pages were the labors of hours of work.
It had been eight weeks since the first heart shattering event had occurred. So nearly two months now. It had been an... interesting couple of weeks. On the first week of her first 'loop', she'd been so far buried underneath the sadness and regret that she...
She wanted - no needed - to talk to someone. And even though CHS was supposed to be out for Christmas Break, chances were that Principal Celestia was still there and would be for a few days. And, much to her surprise, there were already a large majority of the students there. Maybe she'd missed a memo?
After reaching her locker, she was greeted with a very familiar scene. One that was burned into her mind. All her "friends" glaring her down with eyes full of rage and betrayal. And then...
"Sunset, where's your phone?"
"H-Huh?" What?
"Ah said, where's your phone?"
Oh she remembered vividly where it was. Probably shattered into miniscule fragments in the alleyway beside her apartment building. But her phone was the least of her worries. Her friends were talking to her without screaming at her! Maybe she could-
"Well?!"
Scratch that...
Flinching a bit, Sunset stuttered a bit. "Um, I-I don't have it..."
"Where is it?"
"I... I d-dropped it..." Sunset managed to mumble out. While not a complete lie, she was pretty sure saying that she crushed it under the heel of her boot while sobbing and punching the wall of an alleyway could only end badly for her. The last thing she needed was to have more... comments... like that...
Snapping out of her daze, Sunset was shocked to see their anger and betrayal die down a bit. She felt her stomach begin to knot itself while her breathing began to pick up. What had she said?
Applejack let out a sigh of relief. "Hoo wee. That's a relief."
"E-Excuse me?"
"Never mind that for the moment." Rainbow approached her and calmly slung an arm around her shoulder. "We'll explain after school. We're just a bit happy at the moment, right girls?" All of her other friends nodded in agreement, most of their anger now completely dissipated. Rainbow and Applejack even had small smiles on their lips.
Just standing next to her friends once again without them yelling accusations and insults was almost too much for Sunset.
And she couldn't help but cry.
Shaking her head, Sunset focused back on the page in front of her. On it, she had a list of all the students that attended CHS as well as the times of all the Anon-A-Miss posts. When in her classes and a post was made, she could mark off all of the students in the room with her. That had nearly gotten rid of all the students her age and older, as she was in the more "advanced" classes as well as the massive "class" that was gym.. However, there was still the younger students to worry about. Narrowing those down would be much more of a challenge.
The qualifications for being Anon-A-Miss were far too steep. All the secrets that had only been told at their sleepover were only known among them and their families. That is unless someone had wiretapped one of their homes, which was highly unlikely.
"I guess I can start by getting rid of the... ehem, lesser intelligent students." Snips and Snails were the first to go. Sure, she might've used them, but anyone who'd even laid eyes on those two could tell they were, well, morons. After crossing out a few more names, she pulled out her phone.
"I guess they'd have their own MyStable account. Unless they're just awful at covering their tracks. But someone would need at least a moderate level of intelligence to pull... this farce off." It wouldn't be difficult to find out who didn't have an account. Only students from CHS could access the section of the site that Anon-A-Miss had used. So anyone that didn't have an account could be marked off.
It was a bit risky, getting rid of those who didn't have an account under their name. However, when the site was first allowed in school, students who entered it were required to put their full name as their username. There were some loops you could jump through to get past this, but the most common and easiest way was to create another account - mostly under the guise of a sports group or other extracurricular activity - and keep your other one up as to not draw suspicion. While most students changed their names later - with or without permission - it was still fairly easy to tell which students belonged to what account, whether it was from their previous posts or just their names.
With a list of around forty now, she only had one more qualification. Any connection to Applejack or any of her friend's families. Without any connection, no matter how small, it'd be impossible to know those first few secrets posted.
Soon, Sunset had a relatively small list of people who could be Anon-A-Miss suspects.
Diamond Tiara
Silver Spoon
Button Mash
Twist
Dinky
"Nyx"
Rumble
Pipsqueak
*Scootaloo
*Sweetie Belle
*Applebloom
Sunset paused as she read the last three names. She even went back over her criteria again. But sure enough, those three passed.
She put a star next to their names with an eye roll. "Pfft, yeah right." Closing her notepad, she set it on her bedside table before crawling under her covers, confidence radiating from her.
"Time to see who you really are, Anon-A-Miss."
After school, Sunset stood by the CHS, statue, eyes locked on the door. The first one's she'd want to talk to should be arriving soon. Going down the list from the very top made the most sense, both because of logic and who's name was written there. And lastly because who was written at the top would be the hardest to deal with.
Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. Not only did they match the criteria, with Silver Spoon's parents apparently being very close to Rarity's and Diamond Tiara's father being business partners with the Apple family, it wouldn't be a stretch to say they'd share any dirt with each other. And finally - the most damning reason: they also had a motive. It wasn't particularly a good one, but it was one she was very familiar with.
Respect through power. Bullying. Having others under the heels of their shoes.
Seeing the last few students trickle out of the building, Sunset spotted a familiar swirl of pink and white hair just at the back of the crowd. No doubt with Silver Spoon by her side.
Turns out, it was much easier to get them to come over than she'd anticipated.
"Oh, it's Sunset Shimmer!" Diamond said as their eyes met, a very familiar style of smile on her lips. "Or maybe you'd prefer to go by Anon-A-Miss in real life too?" A couple of the other students turned to look after hearing that name before walking off, a glare in Sunset's direction. Soon, however, most of the students went off on their own business, leaving only Sunset and Diamond Tiara.
"Where's Silver Spoon?" Sunset asked, a bit suprised by the lack of the girl who seemed to worship Diamond.
"None of your business." She spat, arms folded over her chest. "Get to the point. You obviously want to say some shit, so spill."
"Okay then." Her gaze hardened, she leaned closer to Diamond, taking a small step forward. "Go ahead and tell me who Anon-A-Miss is."
"Pfft, that's it? It's you, Sunset Shimmer-"
"Wrong answer." Grabbing the edge of Diamond's pink jacket, she pulled the smaller girl closer, casting an anger fueled gaze over the girl's features. "I suggest you give me the right one next one."
Fear cut into Diamond's features as she began squirming in her grip. "Let me go!"
"I'm done playing nice!" Sunset growled, making her flinch in response. "I've tried that, and look what it did for me? Now tell me! Who. Is. Anon-A-Miss?" Her voice hardened as she brought the girl close enough that she could feel the girl's ragged breaths against her cheek, her own eyes glaring harshly into the dilated pupils of Diamond Tiara's.
"I-I don't know!" Tears were forming in the bully's eyes. "I swear, I don't know!"
For a few seconds, Sunset studied her face, looking for any sign of indication, of it being a façade. Any sort of upturn in her lip, obvious fake stuttering, a break in fake rough breaths, anything. But all she could see was genuine fear in the girl's eyes.
She's innocent.
With a heavy sigh, she let go of Diamond Tiara, watching her take several steps back. "Tell nobody about this. Got it?" She responded with a hasty nod. "Get out of here."
As Daimond sprinted away from her, Sunset's shoulders sagged and she slumped down the statue. "Man, that was harder than I thought..." Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a small notepad with all the suspects on it and crossed out Diamond Tiara's name.
"That's one down, I suppose..."
Sunset grimaced as she glared down at the notepad resting in her lap. With a begrudging sigh, she struck off the name "Pipsqeak". Her eyes went to the name below Pipsqeak's and she bit the inside of her cheek.
Scootaloo.
Drumming her fingers on the side of her chair, she mulled over the name. While most, even Rainbow, considered Scootaloo to be the rainbow-haired girl's "honorary sister", she had no biological connection to any of her friends, as well as a much more aggressive and . Of any of the three names remaining, Scootaloo would be the most likely to do something like this.
"Ugh... Maybe I missed something..." And with that, Sunset whipped out her phone, checking the time. "8:32 huh? Oh joy..."
Going back over her "criteria" proved to be a good idea. Not because she'd missed someone. She had missed something very obvious.
Anon-A-Miss obviously wouldn't post secrets about themselves.
Scrolling through the posts once more, she said a silent prayer that she would find something on Scootaloo. Anything at all that she might've missed...
But found nothing.
"Shit..."
Searching through the posts, she saw posts on each of the names she'd crossed off. The only names that were on the list that also didn't have a secret exposed were Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. Checking the date, she winced when she saw that tomorrow would be last school day before Christmas Break. So only two days before she became useless and had to wait for the reset.
"Scootaloo... I hope I'm wrong..."
Sunset was a bit worried that she couldn't find Scootaloo, even as it was nearing the end of the day. Against her better judgement, she went to Princ~~e~~ipal Celestia and was pleasantly surprised to find out that she believed Sunset was innocent and was happy to do anything to help with her "investigation".
Celestia pushed the intercom button. "Would Scootaloo please report to my office immediately. I repeat, would Scootaloo please report to my office immediately." Releasing the button, Celestia stood up, casting Sunset one last look over her shoulder. "I'll leave you to it Sunset."
Sunset nodded, watching Celestia walk out of the room. Taking a seat at the principal's desk, she closed her eyes, taking a few deep breaths. This was going to be tough.
It only took another minute before a knock on the door made Sunset's head snap up. Clearing her throat, she said in a calm voice; "Come in."
She could practically see the person behind it flinch at her voice. Nonetheless, the door slowly opened up to reveal Scootaloo, a look of fear and shock etched onto her face. "W-What-"
"Shut the door behind you, please." The younger student gulped nervously before stepping into the room, gently closing the door. "Take a seat. This could take a while."
Sunset stared into Scootaloo's eyes as she took her seat. Pupils slightly dilated, a few beads of sweat on her cheek, fidgeting...
"Why are you so nervous?"
"W-Well... um..."
"Suprised to see me? Or..." Sunset leaned slightly over the desk. "Are you hiding something?"
"N-No!" Pleased with the reaction, Sunset returned to her seat, pulling out her phone.
"Do you know why you're here? Be honest." Scootaloo quickly shook her head. "I see... No reason at all as for why you'd be called to the principal's office?" Another shake, this time a bit more urgent. "Interesting..."
Setting her phone on the desk where Scootaloo could see it, she hid a grimace as Scootaloo flinched at what was on the screen. "You're familiar with this page?"
"A-Anon-A-Miss, yes..."
"How familiar, I wonder... Tell me, Scootaloo. Who do you think is Anon-A-Miss?"
"W-Well... I... I don't know-"
"Oh, come on, Scootaloo." Standing up, she put a hand on the desk and stared down at Scootaloo. "Nobody at all? Surely you can think of a bully who would do something like this. Diamond Tiara, perhaps?"
Or me?
Scootaloo seemed to relax a tiny bit. "Maybe... I guess..."
"I thought so too. So I did a bit of "research", I guess you'd call it." Grabbing a notebook - her notebook - off the desk, Sunset opened it up to the first page. "I wanted to find out who Anon-A-Miss was. And she was one of my suspects. However," She tore the first page out, tossing it to the floor. "I have reason to believe she was innocent."
"So I continued down my list. As I reached the bottom, though, I was very suprised at who I saw there. Care for a guess?" Scootaloo was nearly trembling at this point. "No? Well, I'll tell you."
"I think that Sweetie Belle is Anon-A-Miss." Sunset buried her smirk under her cold mask of calmness when Scootaloo's eyes went wide and their eyes met.
"W-Wha-"
"It hurts, I know. To think that one of your closest friends could do something so horrible. Sadly, the evidence is there." With a sigh, she tossed the notepad back on the desk. "What hurts more is that she could go to jail over this-"
"WHAT?!" Scootaloo nearly jumped out of her seat. "Jail?!"
Sunset nodded, sighing again. "If she gets caught, this could be catastrophic for her. However, prison is only the most severe of punishments only used in certain places. I'm not familiar enough with the law around here to know for sure how things work with these cases. I know that she's a good kid, but if she doesn't come forward, she could get several years of jail time. That's why I called you here, Scootaloo."
Staring into Scootaloo's eyes, she pointed at her. "If she doesn't confess, it will be devastating for her. I need you to convince her to confess." Tears formed in the corners of Scootaloo's eyes. "If she comes forward, the sentence could be less harsh. Can you do that?"
Scootaloo stood up, eyes staring down at her shoes. For a few minutes, she said nothing. "Y-You said you needed a confession...?"
"Yes."
Raising her head up, Scootaloo, in a trembling voice, said, "W-Well, I have one! Sweetie Belle isn't Anon-A-Miss! I am! It's me!"
Sunset stared down at the desk she was seated at, emotions conflicting with each other. On one hand, she wanted to jump for joy. She'd found the real Anon-A-Miss!
But at the same time, to think that someone as close as Scootaloo would actually do something like this sickened her beyond belief.
"Why?" The simple, one worded question stumped the younger girl, knocking away any of her previous vigor she'd built up.
Cold night air blew in through an open window in Sunset's apartment. Having not even bothered to take her "school attire" off, she lay prone on her bed, eyes staring at the blank ceiling hanging above her.
She'd done it. She knew who Anon-A-Miss was! But... this couldn't just be it. No... She needed to have proof. Physical, legitimate proof, didn't she? Whatever was making her relive these days... It had to be doing it for a purpose. But what? Did it want to see Scootaloo punished and exposed for her actions?
Well, that certainly couldn't be achieved this round. After an... extensive talk with Scootaloo that left her in tears, Sunset couldn't muster up any actual anger. All the anger she'd felt after this whole incident had faded away by her want to uncover the menace responsible. But then it turned out to be someone she thought was her friend! Instead of anger, the returning emotion was... betrayal.
It had happened again. She'd been betrayed by the ones who were close to her. And even though the person who was the root of all of that pain and hurt was sitting right across from her...
All she could do was cry.
Reaching over to her bedside table, she grasped her notebook she'd been keeping. Flipping it to the last page she had written on, she stared at the three last names.
*Scootaloo
*Sweetie Belle
*Applebloom
Those other two... They would feel just like she did, wouldn't they? Their best friend, sharing secrets about their own sisters...
No... This couldn't be how things were supposed to be. It couldn't. All those students effected by those posts... They'll be livid. The outrage could be worse than when people thought it was her.
Was the only way this could end was with somebody suffering under the bludgeoning of others?
There had to be another way. Another way that this could turn out.
And she was going to find it. Even if it took a hundred whole weeks to find it, she would!
"I won't let them end up like I did."
...
Heh...
How delusional I was back then...
Why do people deny who or what they truly are? Do they hate themselves and wish to be rid of it? Do they put up this guise just to get close to others? Is any of what these people do... true? Or is it all just a façade? A mask that holds no blemish or disfigurement. Everyone has one. But what they do with it is their own choice.
Most discard it, moving onwards with their lives as a much more happy individual. Yet others cling desperately to this make believe world. Wanting - no, needing - this layer of protection to shield them from the harshness of reality.
People don't change overnight. Some never change at all. Some pretend to change. But why? Out of fear? Very plausible. But it matters not why. It only matters about the who
Sunset Shimmer. An alien that came into my world and tried to tear it apart. Out of what? Greed. She was a greedy, spoiled creature. She thought the world revolved around her. She looked at others as inferior beings. She tortured beings she deemed beneath her to get her way.
And she just changes in an instant? Don't make me laugh. I showed her what she truly was on that night. Upsetting the balance will not be tolerated. And yet... She enjoyed what what she saw as her inside. She relished in being able to live as an exaggerated version of her own hate and spite.
A Demon
And then bam? A rainbow "friendship" blast and then suddenly she's sorry? No. If these... 'things' think they can alter this world's natural course with their magic, they're sorely mistaken. Sunset Shimmer has a demon inside her. It's just biding it's time.
And it's time for an exorcism.
She will cry. She will beg. She will wail. But it will all be for naught. Her well-being is none of my concern. Sunset Shimmer is not special. She is still that same spoiled brat. To believe that she deserves forgiveness while others who are just as corrupted and damaged as her do not. To believe that others that have done things that pale in comparison to the things she has done aren't worthy of the same courtesy she was given.
It's disgusting hypocrisy.
No. She's not the hero of her little story. Maybe she'll view me as the villain once I am finished. It matters not to me. But this is not about her. It's about fixing the world that was so selfishly fractured by her... Twilight Sparkle. Her actions will forever have consequences on this world. It will never be the same.
And it was all for this one girl that still believes she is above consequences. That she can just magic her problems away.
But that won't happen.
She will be humbled. She will be forced to face herself. To see herself for the monster she really is. To see through the eyes of a victim how it feels to be in constant fear. To be in constant sadness.
Only then can she be free.
She was supposed to see herself as a demon and realize just what she had become. It would've happened eventually. But instead of helping Sunset, they made it worse.
It's time to fix this mistake.
I wonder how fast you can run while in the depths of Hell, Sunset Shimmer.
<{*\/*}Wish Redeemer{*/\*}>
Author's Note
This won't be the last time we see this Sunset Shimmer, trust me.
After all, not everyone involved has been caught yet...
Thanks for reading as always! Sorry for this taking waaaaaaaay longer than it should have! Don't hurt me please!
...
Criticism is greatly appreciated.
[RUN#25].php/?/Please-end-my-suffering%/25/50
It's funny... I remember this one very clearly, yet Run Thirty-Three is missing from my thoughts... Although, I guess it would be hard to forget this one. I doubt I'll ever forget, even if I do ever escape. I doubt I'd forget even if my memory was wiped. I still have nightmares from that run on some nights...
Why did this have to happen?
Saturday night. At some point, Sunset's brain had set up some kind of calender and clock that told her what day it was and the time of day. She's grateful for that. Because without it, she wouldn't have any idea what those things were anymore. Why did it matter if it was December 20th? In two weeks, it'd be that same day. Missed some stupid concert? Well, just wait two weeks and get to go again! Or, better yet, go to the same one every two weeks whether you want to or not! Fun, right?!
Sunset's bare feet carried her forward, her toes burning from snow and the negative degree temperature. Her skirt, which she'd worn for the past "two weeks", was filthy and had the edges worn off completely. Her shirt had ripped sleeves, leaving her arms out to take the brunt of the fierce winds. Her leather jacket was long gone. What happened to it, she didn't know. Maybe it was blown off with the wind or maybe someone stole it. Not like it mattered. It wasn't helping much with the cold.
Besides, it's not like she minded the cold. Cold was just something she felt. It's not like anything that might've damaged her would've stayed for long. The only thing she felt towards the cold was mild annoyance. It was only slowing her body down, no matter how much she didn't want it to.
An alarm went off in her head. Apparently it was eleven o'clock. So she only had one hour to get home. Oh well. No scenic route.
Looking up, her eyes traced up and down the streets. Most of the buildings were pitch black, leaving Sunset to wander by the moonlight. It was almost poetic. Sadly, the moon was not full, so no points for that.
Drip... Drip... Drip...
Feeling something land on her arm, Sunset touched her finger to her forearm and found her skin now bore several drops of... what she hoped was water. Forcing her gaze upwards, she could just barely make out the outlines of the clouds rolling across the sky.
"Weird..." Sunset murmured to herself. "It's not supposed to storm tonight..."
"The world was burning. Everything was burning. Blood painted every wall and road. Smoke spread through every gap, blanketing the world in a nauseous gas. Beneath the smell of smoke, there was an aid scent of burning flesh. Over the sound of crackling flames, the cries of children and adults alike rang loudly." Sunset spoke through gritted teeth as she approached her apartment building. It was a fairly familiar quote. Yet it was one she couldn't quite place.
Maybe later.
Fingering the key in her hand, she pressed it testingly against the sensitive skin on her wrist. With a light tap, she moved the object up her forearm. Staring at her arm, she could almost imagine the jagged scratches that her key could place on her.
"From the ashes, a Pheonix will rise, for they are immortal. Many envy the Phoenix while others pity it. Forced to relive it's life after an excruciating death. Nopony knows if it hurts the Pheonix, being burnt to a pile of ashes. Many hypothesis that the Pheonix actually dies and a whole new being is born from the ashes. However, with the ban from studying these creatures passed down by Princess Celestia, we may never know the mysteries about this beautiful creature." A certain animal flashed across her mind as she recited one of the many documents she'd read dozens of times over.
Reaching forward, her hand landed on the door to her apartment building. With a shuddering breath, Sunset whispered to herself; "Is this what burning to ashes is like?"
When Sunset first entered the building, the few people still awake and on the bottom level immediately began staring at her. They were whispering about her... Murmuring about her... Talking about her...
Drip... Drip... Drip...
The students... They were whispering about her from the second she walked into the building... They were staring at her with contempt and disgust... People she had talked to refused to look at her... Someone was going to hurt her... Someone was going to break her... Something was going to... to...
"STOP!!!"
Clutching her head in her hands, Sunset ducked her head and sprinted towards the staircase, nearly tripping on the first few steps.
They were pointing at her... Laughing at her... They threw things at her... They stole her school items... They glared at her... It all hurt... It hurt so much...
After Sunset had dashed up nearly ten flights of stairs, she collapsed onto the carpeted floor, the effect from the cold really taking it's toll on her. Balling her hands into fists, she pushed herself off the ground-
They spat at her... They kicked her... They punched her... They threw her against the wall... They dragged her to the ground...
"AH!!!"
Something grabbed her ankle.
Jerking her right foot upwards was all it took for whatever had grabbed her to disappear. Looking over her shoulder, all Sunset saw... nothing. Nothing had grabbed her... Nothing was going to grab her...
Nothing was going to hurt her...
Sunset's eyes were wide, pupils dilated. Her heart was beating way too fast. It was just her stupid imagination! Why was she getting so worked up?! Nothing was-
creeeeak
Her head snapped back to in front of her. The hallway in front of her was dark, with most of the lights being shut off. The only one that was on was at the end of the hall. Around the small beacon of light, the shadows were moving. Something was in the darkness, waiting for her to come towards it.
It was one of the students, wasn't it?! They found out where she lived, didn't they?! They came to hurt her! They came to... to...
"LEAVE ME ALONE!!!"
Forcing her body to stand up, Sunset dashed up the stairs once again, ignoring the burning agony in her feet. She lost count of how many times she stumbled. She didn't care. All that mattered was getting away from the pain...
Soon enough, Sunset had reached the very top floor. Pressing her back against the wall, Sunset stared down the stairs she'd just ran up, waiting for someone to come up. Her feet nearly gave up on her. Her heart was beating so fast, she couldn't even count the beats.
Or maybe she could've if she was focusing on it. Or focusing on anything except for any flicker of movement that crossed her vision. It was only a matter of time before something came up these stairs...
They threw her down flight after flight of stairs... They tossed her through panes of glass, the jagged edges cutting her arms and legs... They gripped her throat, strangling and suffocating her...
Her hand slowly raised his hand up to her neck, feeling the sensitive flesh there. She could imagine just how easy it would be for someone to crush her windpipe. To end her life... End her life...
Sunset's eyes turned to the door to her right. The door, she knew, led to the roof of her apartment building. The roof... At least a hundred feet off the ground, probably more.
Then, like a flash of lightning, a thought crashed down on her.
What if you killed yourself?
K... Kill herself? No! No way! That's...That's crazy! S-Suicide is just not an... option... right?
Why not?
"B-Because... I've gotta get out of here! Out of this loop!"
And do what?
"W-What?"
Do you think your friends would be happy to see you? Do you think they'll be sad that you were gone? Do you think they know what you're going through?
Tears stung the corners of Sunset's eyes. "O-Of course they'd be happy! They-"
Haven't had their world altered. Chances are if you do get out, those two weeks will be your last chance. Then it'll happen all over again. The pain. The yelling. The fury. The tears. It'll all happen again. Only this time, It'll be permanent.
Her hands clamped over ears and she squeezed her eyes shut. "No! That's not true!"
Your friends will still hate you.
"Stop..."
Twilight will still ignore you.
"Please... Stop..."
Celestia will still despise you.
"Stop! No more! Stop saying these things!" Gripping her head tightly, she rammed her head as hard as she could against the nearest wall. "Get out of my head!"
And lastly...
"NO! GET OUT-"
You will still hate yourself.
The door in front of her slammed open by some unknown source, letting the cold, harsh winds rip into her bare flesh once again. The moon was out of sight. The clouds now seemed to have streaks of crimson across their surface.
You never did stop hating yourself after the Fall Formal, did you? Even if it was just the tiniest bit of anger, planted securely behind the front of your mind, it was there, wasn't it?
"I... I-"
That small part of you can see why your friends would think it was you. Even after that incident with the Sirens. It was the same for them. They all have a small bit of anger held towards you.
"T-That's not true! My friends..."
They're only human. You say you forgive and forget. Yet, forgetting is the hardest thing to do. Every time they make a mistake, your brain reminds you of their past ones. It's just human nature.
"S-So? We're still friends! They called me a member of their family!"
Right before they abandoned you.
That hurt like a shot to the chest. It was right. It was right before Anon-A-Miss happened.
Sunset buried her face in her hands, warm tears coating her freezing palms.
11:55
Her eyes snapped up. "W-What...?"
No response.
Staring out the door, Sunset could feel her body beginning to inch closer. Biting her lip, she forced herself backwards and averted her eyes. "No! That's not what I want!" Her eyes fell to the staircase...
Or where it should've been. Instead, it's place was a blank white wall. "H-Huh?" Reaching towards the wall, she flinched at the cold feeling it had. Like it had been sitting in this weather for hours.
Spinning in place, no sign of any exit to the tiny room she was in was visible...
Except for that door.
"Swui... Sheeis... Um... Princess?"
"Yes sweetie?"
"What does this word mean?"
"Well, let me see what it is-"
"Princess?"
"Um... I think that's enough reading for tonight Sunny..."
"Aww! But it was just getting good!"
Sunset's hands clamped tightly against her elbows as she stepped out onto the roof. Like she'd anticipated, it was much colder out here than inside. Her first instinct was to rush back through the door, but if she was going to get out, the exit would have to be out here...
Right?
Her bare feet slowly padded across the cold concrete. She swiveled her head around frantically, looking for anything other than just the barren wasteland of gray. But nothing was within sight. She couldn't even see the outlines of buildings in the distance. It was like they weren't there anymore.
One harsh gust of wind carried a thought with it. One that hit Sunset hard.
What if you jumped?
"STOP!!! That's not what I want! It's not!"
What do you have to live for?
"..."
Who do you have left exactly?
...
Who would care that you're gone?
"no one..." Sunset murmured, her legs trembling.
Who would cry at your funeral?
"...No one..."
Who would miss you?
"NO ONE! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?! DO YOU WANT ME TO SCREAM IT TO THE HEAVENS?! NOBODY WOULD FUCKING CARE!!!"
Sunset's legs gave out and she collapsed onto her stomach. Tears fell from her face in heavy streaks, blood-chilling wails escaping her mouth along with each one. The pain from the cold was washed away and replaced by an avalanche of... sadness.
Sunset raised a hand to her face. Her fingers were shaking violently. "W-W-Why..." Her voice, strained from her previous vocal shout, came out ragged and rough. "Why does n-nobody care...?"
A horrendous scream tore through the calm night air. And it was made by a voice that a certain Principal would recognize anywhere.
Craning her head in the direction of the scream, Principal Celestia looked towards the area where it had originated, concerned etched across her face.
"Sunset?"
"Nobody would care..." Sunset placed her palm onto the floor and slowly began pushing herself up. All the while, her friends' smiling faces flashed through her mind. None of them would care.
Almost automatically, her body began shuffling forward. Her steps were slow and uncertain. A nagging thought questioned whether or not they wouldn't care. But it didn't surpass that. Just a small thought that brushed the bridge of her consciousness.
Soon enough, she felt the edges of her toes disconnected from the floor. Gazing downwards, she realized that she was standing at the edge of the roof. It'd be so simple... Just step... forward...
Yet she hesitated.
Memories flooded her mind. The sleepover with her friends, playing guitar as a member of the Rainbooms for the first time, the hours she'd spent writing in her journal to Twilight, even memories from when she was Celestia's student began resurfacing.
Did she really want to throw that away?
"N...No..."
"Ha! Look at this!" Rainbow Dash's voice flashed into her mind, taking Sunset by complete surprise. "She can't even take her own life! What, don't want to do us all a favor?"
"W-What?"
"I know right?! I mean, I can't throw my "Sunset's Dead" party until she does it! She's gonna keep us from having a party!"
"A... A party for my death?"
"Honestly, the sooner I don't have to look at her dreadful being the better!"
"It's pretty humiliating and that's coming from me. To think she thought we were friends!"
"Ah'm ashamed that Ah lied ta Twi. Sayin' we'd give this varment a chance? What was Ah thinkin'?"
Tears returned to her eyes. "You... You lied? Why... Why would you lie to me?!"
"I wished the Elements had just killed you. Would've saved me a lot of pain and time I could've spent with my real friends. I don't know what Princess Celestia saw in you. Goodbye, Sunset."
"Tw-Twilight? No... No! It's not true!"
This is what your friends think. There's no need for hesitation.
Her resolve was in tatters. Being beaten down by all of her friends... It reignited the pain she'd felt on the very first run.
And she suddenly felt very sleepy.
"You're right..." Wiping the last few tears from her eyes, Sunset took a deep breath. "Maybe... I won't be reborn this time..."
"Goodbye."
And Sunset fell.
"Damnitdamnitdamnit!" Celestia tore down the street, her eyes never leaving the building she'd heard Sunset's scream from. It didn't take long for her to realize that the building was an apartment building. And it took even less time to realize where that scream came from.
The roof.
She wasn't dense. She knew what was happening at her school. And she knew what kind of effects situations like that could have on a highschooler. And she'd be damned if she didn't do anything to keep that from happening.
"Don't you dare Sunset..."
At last, Celestia reached the front door to the building. Her feet ached, but she could rest later. Right now, Sunset could-
A sickening cracking sound froze Celestia in place.
Eyes wide, she slowly turned her head to the left. Towards the sound... Celestia hesitantly took a step towards the side of the building, worry worming its way into her mind. "W-What was that?"
Peeking around the side of the building, she couldn't really see anything out of the ordinary. A dumpster, an employee's only back door, and a few stray trash bins. Placing a hand of her chest, Celestia took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
It was fine. Why was she even worrying? It was probably just-
*CRACK*
Celestia's eyes shot open just as something warm landed on her right cheek. Staring down in front of her, Celestia's breath got caught in her throat. She instinctively took a step back, a hand raising to cover her mouth.
"No..." It had to be a trick... She was seeing things! She had to be! There wasn't any other explanation for what she was seeing.
So why was she crying.
"AAAAH!!!"
Sunset couldn't feel anything. It was an odd situation to be in. It was like her brain had stopped doing its job. She couldn't even feel blood running through her veins. Nerves were dead. She couldn't even "think".
The one thing that she could do was see.
Her eyes were stuck open in a wide eyed stare. The need to blink never came. It was very odd indeed.
There was only one thing in her direct line of sight. A pair of snow-covered brown shoes. They might've looked familiar. Who knows?
It was very quiet as well. She couldn't hear anything either. Was there anything to hear? Was there anything to feel?
Who knows?
...
12:00
Sunset woke up.
Remembering...
[///_______________]
13%
[X] Would you like to run in the background?
...
Complete. Would you like to open configuration?
[X]Yes______________________________>[ ]No
...
[X]>Options
[ ]>...
-[ ]>>Notifications
-[ ]>>Processing
-[X]>>Memory
--[X]>>>Reboot
--[ ]>>>#?"#/%¿&¡
Reboot beginning in [10] [Seconds]. Thank you for your time.
...
File [SUNSET SHIMMER] has been rebooted [25]/[51] times. Shutdown will now commence.
Shutting Down...
Author's Note
Oh yeah baby! It is here! The Prequel to "It's Always The Same"!
Just a heads up, the runs will not be in order. The next chapter will actually be taking a step back a bit.
Also, not all the runs will be like this one. Some might be... humorous? I don't know what to call it actually. And there might be one that's "worse" than this one. Can't wait... Woo... 
Anyone notice the discrepancy in this chapter? Please point it out!
Hope you enjoyed! Any criticism is greatly appreciated! :D
