The Only Chapter There Will Ever Be
“Sometimes, all you can do is stay strong, stay yourself, and find your family.”
These words flashed repeatedly through Sunset’s mind as she ran down the street to Sugarcube Corner. This last week had been horrible for all concerned, as Anon-a-Miss had spread lies and deceit amongst the student body and staff. There wasn’t a single person in the town who wasn’t affected by this mess, but it was time to bring it to an end.
Sunset stepped nervously up to the door, and pushed it open, the bell ringing as she did so.
She saw her former friends look up, each of them with exhaustion on their faces. However, Dash’s almost immediately changed to anger as she surged to her feet and cried, “Hey! Get out!”
Sunset was shocked. “No, wait! Please!”
But Applejack didn’t want to wait. “Yer not welcome here, Sunset!”
Sunset simply ignored her as she took out the journal. “I know you don’t trust me, and I can’t prove that I’m innocent, but please-look at this.”
She passed the journal over to them. “I’ve been telling Twilight everything that’s been happening and-and she reminded me. You’re more than my friends. You’re my family. You know me better than anyone.”
She paused for dramatic effect, and then brought her hand over her chest. Whilst the girls were staring at the book, she continued. “Ask yourself if the Sunset Shimmer you know, the real Sunset Shimmer, the person I am now, would she do this?”
Fluttershy spoke up. “If you’re not Anon-a-Miss, then who is?”
“Honestly darling,” Rarity commented, “if showing us the journal was all it took to convince us, why didn’t you just show it to us in the corridor?”
“It woulda saved us a lotta time and ink,” Applejack nodded.
“HEY!” Pinkie shouted. “LEAVE THE 4TH WALL BREAKING TO ME!”
Apparently oblivious to the conversation going on, Sunset answered Fluttershy’s question. “That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out.” She turned to Applejack. “AJ, you said us and your family-”
“Your family and we,” Rainbow Dash corrected.
“-are the only ones who knew your nickname, right?”
“Yeah,” Applejack nodded. “But Ah know none of mah family would tell, and Ah would trust you five-you four,” she hastily corrected, in spite of the fact there were five people sat with her.
“Maybe someone overheard it?” Rainbow suggested.
“Maybe,” Sunset said, “but what about the party photos? I had my phone on me the whole time after the party!”
“And the only people who were at the party were us. Well, and my family of course.” Rarity casually noted.
“Your family?” Sunset suddenly had a brainwave. “Of course, why didn’t I think of this before?”
She turned to Rainbow. “Dash, Anon-a-Miss posted a science paper you wrote, right?”
“Uh, yeah?”
“Did you have soccer practice the day you got the paper back?”
Rainbow thought for a moment. “Soccer practice? Um, yeah!”
“And the junior team was practicing too, right?” Sunset enquired.
“Well sure, they usually do. But any of my teammates could have taken a picture.” Rainbow wasn’t entirely sure of the logic.
But Sunset, once again oblivious to the logic, rose to her feet. “I know who Anon-a-Miss is. It’s-”
Just then, a loud ringing interrupted their conversation. The girls looked over, and saw the Crusaders step through the door, crushing looks of guilt on their faces. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo wouldn’t even make eye contact with their sisters, such was the shame in their hearts.
“Yeah,” Apple Bloom said, sadness in her voice. “It was us.”
“Well,” Rarity nodded. “That was convenient timing.”
“WHAT?” everyone gasped. Applejack looked flabbergasted.
“Apple Bloom!” she cried. “How could ya?”
“We didn’t mean fer it ta go this far!” the younger apple girl exclaimed, her voice quivering. “Honest!”
Sunset looked her in the eye. “But why did you do it?”
Apple Bloom could barely get the words out. “Because...Becausea you, Sunset.” There was a deafening silence before she continued. “Ah was jealous that mah sister was spendin’ with you an’ her friends, insteada her family.”
“You can call her Applejack,” Sunset interrupted. “We know who she is.”
“Yer meant ta do that durin’ the Holidays”, Apple Bloom continued. ”Ah wanted ta make ya look bad. So Ah made up Anon-a-Miss, and posted the story about Applejack, and made it look like you’d done it.”
Rainbow checked the account on her phone. “Wow,” she said. “We really were fools for falling for that.”
Sweetie Belle was the next to speak up. “Apple Bloom told me about it, and...and I felt the same way. So, at Rarity’s party, when you were asleep...I snuck in, took Sunset’s phone, and downloaded her pictures and videos.”
“How did you get past the combination on my phone?” Sunset asked, bewildered.
Scootaloo was the next to speak. “I took that picture of the bad test grade. I did it...because I’m being bullied.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rainbow Dash asked in shock.
Scootaloo looked shocked. “I... I don’t know. But I thought, with Sunset gone and you back by my side, they’d stop beating me up.”
The girl paused, whilst Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned on the waterworks. “But Anon-a-Miss got out of hand. People started sending her other secrets, new pictures...we posted everything.”
Suddenly, Sweetie Belle flew through the air and grabbed Sunset into a hug. “We’re so sorry!” she cried. “We had no idea what would happen to you!”
Briefly brushing off the fact that Sweetie Belle’s facial expression implied the exact opposite emotion to what she had just said, she smiled. “It’s OK girls, I forgive you. Believe me, I know what it’s like when you’re all alone.”
Applejack sighed, in a mildly humoured tone. “You girls,” she snorted.
“Please forgive us, big sister!” Apple Bloom begged. “We’re really, really sorry!”
“Course Ah forgive ya, Apple Bloom, yer family,” Applejack smiled. “And don’t be so afraid ta call me Applejack.”
Scootaloo simply looked at the floor as Rainbow dash stepped over to her. “I know, what I did was stupid,” the younger girl sighed. “I know in any other context you’d sock me on the jaw. So, go ahead. I deserve it.”
But the expected blow never came. Instead, Rainbow Dash drew her into a hug. “Why would I do that?” she said. “You’re my sister, and I’d never leave you behind. You’re a good kid who simply made a bad decision.” Her expression grew serious. “But if something like this happens again, tell a grown-up. OK?”
Scootaloo nodded. “I do.”
Sunset spoke up. “Now that we’ve reconciled, it’s time for the Christmas spirit. Hit it boys!”
“CUT!”
Everyone suddenly broke from their poses and stood up, as the director stepped forward. Canter Zoom had a happy smile on his face.
“Superb acting, you nine!” he called. “Though, if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle could make their crying a little more convincing, that scene would work even better. I liked what you did Sunset.” He stepped back. “Take 5, and we’ll do another take.”
The girls broke up into clusters to chat.
“Well,” Sunset said to Applejack, “our first feature film!”
“It’s just a TV special,” the farm girl replied. “But it’s a start!”
Apple Bloom spoke up. “Ah hope folks at school don’t think that’s what we’re really like.”
Sunset laughed. “It’s just acting,” she replied, as she nursed her coffee. “They know we’re not really like this at all.”
Sweetie Belle was chatting to her sister. “You know, I wonder who they resolve that plot hole.”
“Which one?” asked Rarity.
“How I was able to download the pictures. I don’t know Sunset’s code, and I can’t access files on a phone without signing in. Do they really expect the viewer to believe I sat there entering codes at random?”
“That is a good point,” Rarity nodded. “I’ll speak to the director.”
Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo were standing next to the coffee machine.
“Will this be our big break?” Scootaloo asked.
“We’re yet to get a recording contract, and we’ll get a lot of publicity from this, so yeah,” Rainbow Dash smiled. “I foresee a future of four films, a YouTube series, and several shorts.”
“Hopefully we’ll do stuff in them,” Scootaloo smiled.
Fluttershy looked confused. “What are you talking about?”
“The future, hopefully,” Rainbow smiled.
“OK, break’s over!” shouted Juniper Montage. “Everyone, positions please!”
The Crusaders darted offstage, and Sunset positioned herself on the street set, with the artificial snowblowers ready to cover the film set in magic. The girls sat down around the table, looking glum.
“Anon-a-Miss, Scene 12, Take 5...ACTION!”
3 months later, the girls gathered at Sweet Apple Acres to watch the premiere of their first film appearance.
The Main 6 sat on the sofa, whilst the CMC sat on three nearby chairs.
“I hope this is good,” Applejack smiled.
“I wonder what they’ll do with the plot aspects?” Rarity noted.
“Yeah, the phone business,” Sweetie Belle said.
“Quiet!” Rainbow hissed. “It’s starting!”
Scootaloo dimmed the lights, and took her seat. “Here we go!”
Once it had finished, the girls were...underwhelmed, to say the least.
“Well, that was mediocre,” Sunset groaned.
“We looked like such jerks in the corridor,” Applejack groaned.
“As did I,” Scootaloo said. “I can’t believe they not only cut my explanation for my actions, but me and Rainbow Dash reconciling!”
"You're still the best sister ever for my money."
“And the bit with the phone!” Sweetie Belle exclaimed. “They didn’t explain that, at all.”
“We all looked pretty bad,” Apple Bloom added. “Did the screenwriter just dislike us?”
“Mr Anderson?” Fluttershy asked.
“He seemed like a nice guy!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "Can't believe they cut the song though."
“On the note of what Scootaloo said,” Rarity added, “that last scene was rather choppily edited. It felt like they’d put about 3 or 4 cuts together.”
“Did he really understand what we are like?” Rainbow asked, frustrated. “The plot felt like we were being bent to fit it, and not the plot being adapted to suit us.”
“Well, at least we never have to watch it again, like that awful Star Wars one,” Sunset noted.
“Do not mention that again!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
Scootaloo got down to the DVD bookcase, and took something out. “We need some brain bleach after that. Who wants to watch The Polar Express?"
Author's Note
Well, folks, this is my second Christmas present to you, and (I promise) my last Anon-a-Miss story this year.
