Life Is A Rollercoaster: An Anon-A-Miss Story

by redandready45

Chapters

Is Friendship A Lie?
Sometimes Yes...
Sometimes No...
A Second Opinion
...To Forgive, Divine

Is Friendship A Lie?

Author's Note

The point of divergence of this story is Sunset running out of the school in tears after several days of accusations.

The Human CMC are so ashamed, they confess to what they do.

Not that it will do them much good.

Is Friendship A Lie?

"A slumber party," Officer Garda parroted to the Crusaders a deceptively calm voice. Officer Garda, Luna, and the Crusaders were in the Vice Principal's office. The three sat on a couch, Vice Principal Luna sat behind her desk, while Garda stood beside her.

Apple Bloom once thought the scariest thing she'd ever seen was her Granny blowing a gasket at her.

But that paled in comparison to seeing the police officer's gaze honed onto her like an vulture waiting for an animal to die. The fact that he was literally looking down at him made his expression all the more powerful. And the look Vice Principal Luna was giving them wasn't much better. The lack of noise coming from her two friends showed how scared stiff they were.

"That's what this is about?" The green-skinned man asked, taking a sip from a mug he was carrying. A very long and audible sip. He then placed the mug on the desk with more force than necessary, causing a noise that made Apple Bloom and her friends flinch. "You three violated your sisters' privacy and violated the privacy of others because you got upset over not getting invited to a slumber party?" The gazes of the principals even sharper, driving the three girls to bow their head in shame.

"Are you sure that's the reason?" Vice Principal Luna finally said after a few moments of silence with disgust in her voice.

"Well," Apple Bloom muttered reluctantly.

"OK, we thought it was unfair that everyone started liking Sunset OK!?" Sweetie Belle shrieked at last to the surprise of the adults.

"And why is that?" Principal Vice Principal said in a less severe voice.

"Sunset ruined some poor girl's life," Apple Bloom muttered bitterly, "got her sent to prison. She also ruined my life, sending my family and me into the poorhouse for a year. And after the...Battle of the Bands, everyone started liking her and patting her on the back."

"So when we didn't get an invitation and she did," Scootaloo said with pursed lips, "it felt unfair...she was getting everything she didn't deserve while we were getting screwed over. It wasn't fair."

"I see." Officer Garda's face twisted into genuine calm as he approached he girls again. "And did this stunt of yours...help Muharib walk again?" The three Crusaders faced twisted into contemplation.

"No." Apple Bloom muttered.

"Did it give her back the time she lost in juvie?"

"No." Scootaloo said.

"Did it rid her of those memories of what that...monster did to her?" Officer Garda finished with a hint of discomfort in his voice.

"No." Sweetie Belle said.

"And it never once crossed your mind to talk about how you felt with me, your friends, and your sisters?" Principal Luna asked with some sadness in her voice.

"I didn't think they'd listen," Apple Bloom muttered angrily. "They were all patting Sunset on the back."

"So your...strategy was to humiliate your sisters, humiliate everyone else, and get someone in trouble for something she didn't do." Luna's face was one of incredible disappointment. "That's how you chose to deal with your anger. By becoming as bad as Sunset used to be?" The three Crusaders felt tears go down their eyes.

"I'm sorry." Apple Bloom said bitterly. Luna looked a bit concerned, but Officer Garda was not impressed.

"I can see that." Officer Garda crossed her arms. "But what had I made perfectly clear after the whole thing with Quick Pace?"

"Not to take revenge against Sunset?" Scootaloo said.

"And what did you do?"

"Took revenge." Sweetie looked down at her knees.

"Because revenge doesn't solve anything and makes you stupid." Garda's face turned red again. "And because you violated that, you three are in very serious trouble!"

"Hey." Scootaloo looked at the man with pleading eyes. "Doesn't it count that we told the truth?" Officer Garda's face was one of disbelief.

"Oh, so you want a medal for telling the truth?" Officer Garda said sarcastically. "I suppose you want a prize for chewing with your mouth closed, right?"

"Uh, no?" Sweetie Belle uttered.

"And I suppose you should also get a trophy for not punching babies, right?" The officer walked in front of the three girls with an intense look.

"Well-,"

"And I suppose I should get a millions dollars for every time I didn't take a dump on the floor, should I?!"

Luna looked concerned. "Officer, I think they-,"

"AM I MILLIONARE?!" Officer Garda suddenly bellowed in a rage, startling the three girls.

Apple Bloom looked utterly abashed. "What?"

"AM I MILLIONAIRE?!"

"No?"

"THAT'S RIGHT. BECAUSE I DON'T GET PAID FOR GOING TO THE POTTY LIKE A BIG BOY! BECAUSE I'M SUPPOSED TO TAKE A DUMP IN THE TOILET, YOU IDIOTS!" He then stood straight. "Just like you're not supposed to-,"

"Officer." The green-skinned man ended his tirade and turned to Luna, who fixed him with a concerned stare. "I think the three get it."

Officer Garda rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "OK, I got carried away." He walked back toward the desk, still looking at the three girls with a disappointed look.

"Is that why you three girls told the truth?" Principal Luna's tone and face revealed she was not amused with them. "Because you hoped you could get a lighter punishment?"

"No," Scootaloo denied furiously. "We did it after Sunset ran out of the school...crying." The three girls' faces were tinged with more than a bit of regret. "We realized that we wrong to do what we did."

"Well I'm glad you came to that realization." Principal Luna's face twisted into a frown. "But that does not absolve you."

"Nope." A nasty smile appeared on Garda's face. "Quick Pace got three months of suspension and Sunset Shimmer got two months of detention. So...you'll be getting six months of detention."

"What?" Scootaloo said with a panic.

An even wider grin appeared on Officer Garda's face. "By my count, that includes....your entire summer vacation."

Luna felt a mean smile form on her face as well. "That sounds pretty fair."

"But...but..." Apple Bloom stammered. "Sunset and Quick did worse-"

"If you think I'm being unfair," Officer Garda interrupted with a look that stopped Apple Bloom cold, "I'm gonna tell you now that I could care less about Sunset Shimmer. I have no love for some brat who someone sent to juvie for being a prom queen." A snarl appeared on his face. "My true friend is the law. Which you broke. By taking revenge when I said not to, and by exceeding Quick Pace's brand of malicious stupidity by several orders of magnitude!" Apple Bloom's defiance ceased and replaced by acceptance.

"I will also be notifying your parents," Luna said coldly, "and you will confess to what you did in front of the school tomorrow. And you will also go right up to Sunset and apologize to her. If she comes back," Luna finished with some bitterness, emphasizing how the three girls may have permanently driven Sunset from the school.

"Yes ma'am," Sweetie Belle said in a tired voice. Scootaloo and Apple Bloom also silently accepted their punishment. The three were so weighed down by guilt, they couldn't care less about the fact their reputation was about to go down the drain.

"Again, I can understand you have lingering resentment toward Sunset for what she did," Luna said in a sympathetic voice, "and you have every right not to like her. But this is not how a mature person handles their anger. You've not only hurt Sunset, but many of your classmates. If allow your anger to hurt someone, you have to pay the price. My hope is you girls will take that lesson to heart."

"Now get your butts to class!" Officer Garda said angrily. The three girls walked out of the room, dragging their feet, their heads hanging in shame.

As soon as he left, the redhaired officer snorted. "You know what's great about kids?"

"No, what?" The Vice Principal replied.

"You can't think of anything either," Officer Garda muttered with some bitterness.

"Um, their gonna take care of us?" Luna said.

"If I had kids like that, I'd rather die young." Garda's voice sounded whimsical, but it was laden with frustration.

"Twinkle, can we talk?" Rainbow said anxiously to the track co-captain who was shuffling books in his locker. The boy continued to empty his locker, seemingly oblivious to the blue-skinned girl's request ."Sunset isn't answering my texts-" Twinkle slammed his locker shut and stormed away from Rainbow, his face grimly stoic.

Rainbow felt a chill go down her spine. Twinkle never was this angry before. Not at Sunset for her misbehavior, not even at Quick for attacking him. Still, Rainbow, desperate to try and talk to Sunset, raced after him.

"Look, I know we screwed up," Rainbow said timidly to the muscular boy, "but-" Twinkle suddenly stopped, but didn't turn to look at her.

"You don't know anything." The prism-haired sports aficionado felt herself gulp.

"What do you-."

"Sunset won't even answer my texts," Twinkle hissed. "Even though I didn't do anything to her, she so upset, she won't even talk to me. I can't help you, even if I wanted to." Rainbow felt her lip quiver.

"Twinkle," Rainbow whimpered, "I-,"

"WHAT WERE YOU THINIKING?!" Twinkle screamed, turning to look at Rainbow Dash, his face twisted into utter rage.

"I-,"

"You really think Sunset would stoop so low?! After working her ass off to make it up to us? After all the community service she did? After she helped you guys defeat the siren bitches?!" He proceeded to storm up to Rainbow, who fearfully backed into a wall.

"I wasn't -,"

"Now she's probably gonna quit school!" Twinkle's voice drifted from burning hot anger to sorrow. "The girl I care about might leave my life altogether because of what you did." Rainbow felt her eyes become wet.

"Twinkle I'm sorry," Rainbow said in a weak voice, "I never meant for this to-"

"That's not acceptable." He crossed his arms, his face twisted into a scowl. "Until I can stand in the same room as you, I want to know what the fuck was going through your mind when you accused Sunset of stealing your secrets without proof!"

"I-I-"

"Well? Spit it out!"

"I was thinking about my sister being turned into a zombie!" Rainbow's face fell into her hands as tears ran down her face.. Twinkle's anger faded somewhat, his face full of confusion and a bit of concern.

"What?"

Rainbow cried for several moments before looking back at Twinkle, her eyes red and puffy. "It wasn't just my secrets being leaked. I thought the monster who hurt Fluttershy, got Muharib sent to juvie, turned my sister into her puppet, and nearly destroyed us with a fireball was coming back!" Rainbow sat on the floor, hugging her knees. "I thought that now she got her magic back, she was coming after us again, and I had to get rid of her before she could hurt Scootaloo and everyone else." Her lip started quivering. "But the person I was protecting was the real monster." Rainbow started crying again.

Twinkle's anger faded completely, seeing Rainbow look so remorseful. "She really turned people into zombies?" Twinkle hadn't been at the prom. He had only seen the destructive aftermath, and hadn't really bought the rumors that Sunset was a magical demon. All Twinkle knew was that Sunset had destroyed part of the school. That, and learning that Sunset was the one who sabotaged one of his fundraisers, was why he bullied Sunset for so long.

"Yeah," Rainbow said, her tears fading as she pulled herself up. "I know what I did was wrong, but I was scared it was happening all over again. The demons, and the zombie army, and..." Rainbow's voice trailed off into a remorseful whimper.

Up until the Battle of the Bands, when those siren chicks tried to turn him into their puppet, Twinkle hadn't really experienced any magic. But by then, Twinkle had become Sunset's boyfriend, and all those bad memories seemed like a distant memory. But Rainbow was still haunted by the Fall Formal, and he could see how horrific that kind of thing must've been.

"Rainbow." Twinkle's tone was both soft and stern. "I'm sorry you had to go through that." His mouth twisted into another frown. "But if you thought Sunset was becoming a bitch, you could've asked me before you jumped the gun."

Rainbow bowed her head in shame. "I wasn't thinking about anything except my own stupid fears. I'm a monster."

"Rainbow-,"

"I hurt Sunset, I drove her away, I hurt you!" In a remorseful rage, Rainbow started bashing her head against a wall.

Twinkle was horrified, seeing the blue-skinned girl hurt herself. "Rainbow, stop it!"

"No, I'm supposed to be loyalty," Rainbow said, grunting as her head hit the wall a fifth time. "I'm nothing but scum." Before she could hit her head against the wall again, Twinkle held her back.

"Rainbow, enough!" The girl struggled against Twinkle's superior strength, but eventually broke down again. Twinkle pulled the crying girl into a hug.

"Rainbow," Twinkle said softly, "what you did was awful, and I'm still mad. But I'm still your friend, and I don't want to see you hurting yourself. It isn't the way you deal with it."

"How can I?" Rainbow said miserably. "Sunset's never gonna speak to me again." Twinkle didn't even bother to contest it, and felt himself become miserable over the fact that Sunset might dump him and not come back to school.

"Look," Twinkle said with whimper, "right now Sunset wants to be alone. Let's just...give her that time and...hope for the best." The bell rang. Twinkle and Rainbow turned away from one another and walked to class, their faces full of anxiety and fear. Not just for their relationship with Sunset, but how she was coping. The lack of response to their texts filled them with even more fear for the yellow-skinned girl.

Sunset Shimmer sat alone on a park bench, idly watching as others were enjoying their afternoon. Due to the fairly good weather, the park was crowded. Some people enjoyed picnics while others played catch. A mother and daughter pair were flying kites.

Despite being in a park full people, Sunset felt more alone than she ever did in her entire life. While everyone else had fun, she was in her own oasis of misery. Sunset glanced at her phone, seeing all the messages from her so-called friends. The messages were either full of concern for her, apologies, or promises to make amends. She looked at them all in disgust.

"Yeah, your sorry know, but you'll probably turn on me later." Sunset put away her phone and continued to stare glumly at the crowd.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here." Sunset turned around and saw three uncomfortably familiar faces.

Adagio looked at her with more than a bit of disdain. "If it isn't Sunset Shimmer."

"More like Sunset Whimper," Aria snarked.

"I don't get it?" Sonata said blankly, to the disdain of her two older sisters. Sunset broke out of her self-pity, got up into a fighting stance, and bared her fists.

"You three better get away from me-,"

"Oh Shimmer," Adagio said with tired disdain. "I couldn't do anything to you even if I wanted too. Remember?" She gestured to her throat, which no longer had their precious gems.

Sunset lowered her fists but her suspicion remained on her face. "Then what are you three doing here?" The three looked at each other before looking back her with miserable expressions.

"Looking for food."

Sunset was stumped. "Why do you need to look for food?" Sunset asked with a bit of concern.

"What do you think?" Aria said with tired bitterness. "Without our gems, we can't survive here. We lost our homes, our cars, our voices. All we have left is a...van down by a river."

Sonata rubbed her belly with pain in her expression. "I'm so hungry." The sadness on Sonata's face made Sunset feel like a pit formed in her stomach.

"I'm sorry," Sunset said reluctantly. She shouldn't be sorry. These three brainwashed her (so-called) friends and boyfriend to regain their power. Taking away their magic was self-defense. But...she didn't want them to end up hopeless and alone. She had done bad things, and she's been given a chance, or so she thought. Her concern grew as the three turned away from her with utterly broken expressions. The concern gave way to pity as Sunset watched the eldest siren look through the trash for food.

"Maybe we can find something to eat?" Sonata asked hopefully.

"Maybe?" Aria looked deeply broken. Adagio pulled out a plastic container with a half-eaten salad, her face looking like she struck gold.

"We've hit the jackpot girls!" Adagio's joy gave way to terror as Sunset approached them.

"Get back!" Adagio said with fear, clutching the container to her protectively, looking like a desperate animal trying to survive. "We found this food, its ours!"

"Want to come over for lunch?" Sunset asked them sheepishly. The three's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What's your game, Shimmer?" Aria asked with disdain.

"Look," Sunset said, holding up her hands to calm them down. "I know we used to be enemies. But believe me, I don't want to see you guys suffer."

Adagio cocked her head in confusion. "And why is that?"

"Because I know what it is like to be at the end of your rope," Sunset said, trying to form an encouraging smile on her face, "to feel like things are hopeless. But...I had someone there for me. And...I guess just want to be there for someone else." The three's expressions softened a bit.

"Alright," Adagio said with some reluctance, "I guess we...can come over for lunch." Sonata's lip began quivering, before running to hug Sunset.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." The blue-skinned Dazzling said happily, tears running down her eyes. Sunset felt a warm smile form over her face, especially as Aria and Adagio also began smiling as well. Even if they didn't fully like her, they apparently liked seeing their baby sister happy. That was enough to convince Sunset they deserved another chance.

Sometimes Yes...

"So why were you all alone whimpering on a bench," Adagio asked in a serious tone as the last of her lunch was devoured. Sunset has invited the three former sirens to her apartment for lunch. Sunset prepared for them a basic pasta dinner with some sauce. The three sirens ate it like it was a 10-course meal.

"Why do you care?" Sunset asked the eldest siren with a sad tone. The three sirens looked at her with disbelief.

"Oh Sunny," Sonata said with a sad voice.

"I assure you," Adagio said with a warm smile, "that there are people who do care about you." Sunset returned the smile with a grateful one of her own. Sunset took a deep breath as she prepared to tell her story.

She told them about how she had been framed for stealing secrets and posting them online, betrayed by her friends, cast out by practically everyone in Canterlot High, and learned from texts that her friends' sisters had been responsible.

"So," Sunset said as the end of her lecture, "what do you think I should do?" The Dazzlings frowned for a few moments, before they did something unexpected.

They started laughing at her like crazy. Sunset was confused and worried.

"What's so funny?" Sunset asked sheepishly.

"How pathetic you really are," Adagio said with the more-fitting vicious grin. Sunset felt sad frown form on her face.

"What are you talking about?" Sunset asked with a whimper. "I thought you said-

"I said there are people who care about you," Adagio said smugly.

"We never said 'we' cared about you," Aria gloated, while Sonata flashed Sunset her own mean grin. Sunset felt her lips quiver.

"But-but-,"

"What did you expect Sunset Shimmer?" Adagio said with crossed arms. "You foiled our plan and took our powers from us. Did you think we were gonna become your chums."

"Become your lovers," Aria said while giving her mock kisses. "I mean you do have a nice ass, but sad and desperate ain't my style." Adagio got behind Sunset and started giving Sunset a noogie.

"Treat you like a little cinnamon bun," Adagio said with a mocking grin. Sunset angrily pushed Adagio away.

Sonata felt a smile form on her face. "I love cinnamon buns!"

"Then why did you-,"

"We wanted to see we could get a free meal out of you," Aria gloated. All three girls let out a collective laugh. Sunset bit her lip and felt her face burning with rage.

"Well I'm glad you had your laugh," Sunset Shimmer said with a vicious smile. "Good luck in the street." The Dazzlings started laughing even harder. "What are you laughing at now?"

"You actually fell for that too," Aria said while clutching her gut as she chuckled. "You actually thought we were living in a van down by the river?" Sunset's mouth was replaced with confusion.

"We've lived here a thousand years here, Shimmer," Adagio gloated. "In that time, we've amassed more treasure than we could ever spend in several lifetimes. If our income was reported, we'd been among the richest people on the planet."

"Then why did you come into my house for a meal?" Sunset asked with growing anger.

"Because we thought it was funny," Adagio gloated. Sunset started fuming even more.

"And we wanted to see if you'd be dumb enough to let your enemies into your home." Aria said with a sneer. "And to think after all this time, you're a still a dumb little pony who always needs to make friend-," Aria said nothing as Sunset grabbed her by her shirt rammed her into the wall.

"I'm gonna break every bone in your body," Sunset bellowed.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Adagio said with a raised eye. "Do you really think you can beat all three of us up?" Adagio removed her purple shirt. She wore nothing but a tank top that showed off thick muscles around her arms and abdomen. She then cracked her knuckles and held up her fists with a vicious smile.

Sonata raised her fists too, looking like a kid about to ride the merry-go-round. Aria did nothing but sneer at Sunset, proving how little she cared that Sunset was attacking her. With a whimper, Sunset let her go.

"Good choice," the pig-tailed siren said with a sneer.

"And remember this, Shimmer," Adagio said with a threatening look, "I may not have my powers, but I have two things to hold over head besides physical strength: I know where you live and I have a bottomless bank account. With one call, I could trash your life beyond repair." Sunset never felt more scared in her entire life.

"The one good thing about this stupid world is that there aren't goody-two-shoes Princesses and annoying wizards," Aria gloated. "Humans care about one thing: money. And we've got lots of it. If we wanted to ruin you, there are no shortage of people who wouldn't take that opportunity for a few million dollars." Sunset gulped.

"Do you want to know why I haven't done that?" Adagio asked with a vicious smile. Sunset whimpered.

"The goodness of your heart?" Sunset croaked.

"No," Adagio said, "I was taught about how stupid revenge is. If we can't rule this world, I'll take living well in it as my consolation prize. And I'd rather not jeopardize that by messing with one of Twilight's little pets and inviting retaliation."

"We'll be moving to our own private island somewhere in the Western Ocean," Aria said with a smirk. "So how about a truce. You stay away from us, we'll stay away from you. Sound fair?"

"OK," Sunset said fearfully.

"Good," Adagio said with a smile, "think of bilking a free meal out of you as our little bit of revenge." The Dazzlings let out another bout of mocking laughter.

"You're just so cute, Sunnybun," Aria said with a teasing smile. "If you weren't some annoying pony, we would probably do this more often." The three piled out of the apartment with teasing smiles, leaving behind a fuming and angry Sunset.

Sometimes No...

Sunset Shimmer laid on the floor, curled into a fetal position. After being tricked by the Dazzlings, she didn't want to deal with, well, anything. She was practically an inanimate object, save for the light breathing she was doing. Her comatose state was interrupted by some thumping. After a few seconds, she realized someone was knocking on the door.

Wiping the tears from her puffy red eyes, Sunset pulled herself up to answer the door. Not out of politeness, but because she wanted to enjoy her pity party in peace and quiet. Sunset opened the door, only to find a certain white-haired girl answering.

"Hey Shimmer," Gilda said, her yellow eyes honed in on Sunset, "we need to talk-," in a panic, Sunset quickly slammed the door. She was met with an angry yell.

"SHIMMER! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Sunset pushed her weight against the door, but it was no match for the statuesque girl's awesome strength. Gilda forced the door open and burst into the former unicorn's apartment, her face in a red-hot rage.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" The white-haired girl fumed before letting out another wail. "I'm gonna kill you!"

"I'm not Anon-A-Miss!"

"You slammed the door on my fingers!" Sunset's eyes widened in confusion.

"What?"

"I was here to drop your book off," Gilda shrieked, "and you nearly tore off my fingers!" Sunset looked and saw a book was in Gilda's right hand. Sunset realized it was her political science textbook and she left it there after running out of the school in tears. Gilda let out another wail, dropped the book, and held onto her left hand. Sunset saw Gilda's fingers were throbbing, and realized Gilda wasn't yelling in a rage. She was yelling in pain.

"Oh Gilda," Sunset said with some remorse, "I'm so sorry. Are they broken?"

"No," Gilda hissed on agony, "just...bruised." Sunset went to the first aid kit as Gilda let out another moan of pain.

"What did you think I was doing here?" Gilda inquired. The white haired girl was resting on the couch, her fingers wrapped in bandages and covered in a plastic bag that was being used as an ice pack. Sunset stood near Gilda, acting as a nurse.

"I thought you were going to kill me," Sunset admitted shamefully, going over to her fridge and getting a soda for the white-haired girl, which Gilda took.

"For what?"

"Being Anon-A-Miss." Gilda looked at Sunset with utter disbelief before letting out an annoyed snort.

"I never thought you were Anon-A-Miss," Gilda muttered with disdain.

Sunset looked at the brawler with disbelief. "Really?"

"First of all, the Apple Brat already confessed," Gilda said with a stare, "and second, even if you did do shit like that, I doubt you'd be stupid enough to make it so obvious." A nasty smile came on her face. "I mean, you are stupid, but not that stupid."

"Well, that's dandy," Sunset muttered sarcastically, "the girl who dunked my head in the toilet thought I was innocent, but my so-called friends didn't." Sunset felt tears run down her eyes. "I mean, I worked my behind off to make up to them, I did everything I was supposed to do, I helped them out, and they betrayed me."

"Yeah it's a real pity,"

"Was I ever their friend, or did they just help me because they felt they had too?" Sunset asked rhetorically, tears running down her eyes. "I save them from the Dazzlings, put up with their snide remarks, help them with their homework-"

Sunset's rant was interrupted by Gilda letting out a contemptuous laugh. "What are you laughing at?"

"How much of a big baby you are," the white-skinned girl said with disdain. Sunset glared at the girl.

"I'm a baby," Sunset replied with anger.

"What did you think was gonna happen Shimmer?" Gilda asked, rising from the couch, still covering her fingers with an ice pack. "You fucked over everyone, became a demon, blew up the school, got an innocent girl sent to the joint, and drove that dwarf so insane he attacked you, me, and everyone else."

"But-,"

"Did you really think everyone was just gonna forget all that, just because you helped take down those stupid sirens?" Gilda asked with a raised eyebrow and a disgusted tone. "Did you think that after that, you'd live happily ever after in eternal happiness and peace, huh? Did ya?"

Sunset let out a shameful frown. "I mean, a week ago, everyone was waving at me and patting me on the back. I thought everyone put what I did behind them."

"No Shimmer," Gilda said, nodding her head, "that's called being a celebrity. You were the hero of the moment, but even without Anon-A-Miss, people would eventually lose interest."

Sunset frowned in disbelief. "So what are you saying? No matter what I do, everyone here will remember me as the 'School Demon?' Everyone will always wait for me to screw up? Should I even try and stay here?"

"I have an answer for that question." Gilda uttered. "But first, we need to go for a good hike."

"What?"

"A hike," Gilda repeated. "There is some place I need to show you. Besides you have a lot of stress, and you need to walk it off." She narrowed her eyes. "And you do owe me for smashing my fingers when I was trying to bring your book home."

Sunset let out a sigh. "OK. Where are we hiking?"

"Green Hill Park."

Sunset panted as she finally reached the summit of the mountain they were climbing. Her shirt and hiking shorts were soaked with swear. She collapsed from exhaustion, much to Gilda's contempt.

"Oh suck it up." Gilda said, not showing an ounce of exhaustion. "Soldiers have to climb even steeper hills, while carrying 50 pounds of supplies."

"Is that why you can do it?" Sunset said, pulling a bottle of water out of her bag to relieve her dehydration.

Gilda let out a smirk. "To be fair, I've climbed this mountain since I was a kid. It was hard for me the first time, but what I found at the top is so worth it."

Sunset put her water bottle down. "What?" Gilda pointed outward to a cliff at the summit. Sunset could not believe what she saw.

The entire city of Canterlot was before her very eyes. All the streets she walked down, all the roads she had driven on, looked so small. The setting sun made the whole city look like it shined like gold.

"Wow," Sunset said with awe, "this is so beautiful." The sight of this proud city appearing so tiny helped Sunset's troubles melt away a bit.

Gilda crossed her arms, a proud smile forming on her face. "Yep. I bet the hike has calmed you down a bit."

"I guess," Sunset admitted. All that exercise helped her feel good. "But let's just say I'm not eager to try again."

"Suit yourself."

"So what was the story you wanted to tell me? And why do we have to do it here."

A wistful smile formed on the white-skinned girl's face. "This place was where the second part of my life began."

"Is this about how you were adopted?" Sunset asked with a flat voice.

A sheepish smile formed on Gilda's face. "Well, that's part of it. How much do you know?"

"I know that you were adopted, but I don't the how."

"Well, it started here when I was about 12 years old. Like I said, my mom was a wretched bitch." A pitying look came on Sunset's face, which faded as Gilda glared at her. "So I came here. Not just for the hike. But...my mom didn't really feed me, so I came here for...food."

Gilda hid behind the bush, waiting for some idiot to let their guard down. The growling in her stomach made her increasingly impatient.

"This is the tourist season," Gilda muttered to herself, "there's got to be-," she paused as someone dropped their bag in front of her. Gilda barely observed who that person was-some yellow broad who was panting on the ground-before focusing her attention on the bag. Gilda, with practiced caution and motion, crept out of the bush, stole the bag, and dove back behind the bush.

Gilda smiled with joy, which only grew when she saw the spoils: a couple of turkey sandwiches and a bag of chips. Before she could eat them however, she found herself yanked out of the bush and knocked to the ground.

"Nice try." A female voice said. Gilda looked up from her daze. To her growing apprehension, saw a yellow face staring back at her with a toothy grin. "But I have the ears of a mouth."

"That's how you met Spitfire?" Sunset asked with disbelief.

Gilda let out an amused smile. "I think I made a great first impression."

"So what happened next?" Sunset asked her.

"Well Spitfire did threaten to call the police on me," Gilda said, "but then she noticed how skinny I was. And then she saw how...bruised I was, and how I flinched when she mentioned my mom. She pretty much figured out my situation in about five minutes."

"Really?"

A proud smile formed on Gilda's face. "You can never get anything past sis. She knew my mom was gonna lie, so she came up with a plan to expose her.

"I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, Gertrude," Spitfire said with a reassuring smile to Gilda's mother. Spitfire decided to return Gilda home personally and was standing in the poor apartment. The woman was covered in a frumpy grey dress, her grey hair was matted, and she reeked of an obnoxious amount of perfume.

"My daughter was always a compulsive liar," the woman said with a forced smile, "I've tried to get her counseling, but she always avoids my help." Gilda suppressed a frown.

"It's a shame," Spitfire said to the woman. She turned to Gilda with a glare. "You stay out of trouble young lady." Gilda nodded with a frown. Spitfire tapped the wall near the door, and then walked out. As soon as she left, Gertrude turned toward Gilda with an unhinged frown.

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, YOU LITTLE TRAMP?!" Gertrude screeched. Gilda began panicking.

"Mom, I was-," Gilda's pleas were cut off with a punch to the face.

"I WORK MY ASS OF FOR YOU," Gertrude shrieked, yanking her daughter by her short hair. "And this is how you repay me?!" Gertrude repeatedly slammed Gilda's forehead into a nearby wall. "By making me look bad?!" Suddenly, Spitfire burst back into the room, a stern glare in her bespectacled eyes.

"Ms. Spitfire," Gertrude said, immediately releasing her daughter. "What are you-," Spitfire silently pointed to the wall. To Gertrude's panic, she saw a tiny camera planted there. Spitfire held up her phone, showing a recording of Gertrude's abuse. The tall woman chuckled nervously.

"Ms. Spitfire," Gertrude said with a sheepish smile, "my daughter...never listens to me." Spitfire continued to stare at her silently. "She's always acting out. You believe in discipline, right?"

"Your right," Spitfire said in a chilly voice. "Bad people need discipline." She cracked her knuckles. "I'm about give some you some discipline." Gertrude's face went pale with fear, while Gilda felt a happy smile form on her face.

"Spitfire kicked her ass and made her cry," Gilda said with a viciously happy smile. "After that, the police took her away and I never saw her again."

"So when did your stepdad adopt you?"

"About a week. I stayed with Sis until then." Gilda said. "Of course, being adopted wasn't all sunshine and lollipops."

"Why?"

"First of all, living in a military family is kind of like juvie," Gilda muttered , "the rules are very strict. Especially when you have a delinquent background. And Sergeant was on my ass all the time."

Gilda ignored the alarm clock when it rang, enjoying the comfort of her new bed. She continued to sleep for a few more moments when an obnoxious trumpet drove her awake. Gilda rubbed her eyes and saw Glider staring at her with displeased look.

"All soldiers must be up at 0600 hours!" Glider bellowed.

"But Sergeant," Gilda wailed before a trumpet cut her off.

"For your act of insubordination, drop and give me 20," The Sergeant commanded. Gilda muttered angrily, only for a trumpet to cut her off again. "For giving me the lip, you get 30." Gilda silently frowned at began doing pushups.

"Yeesh," Sunset said with some horror in her voice, "he seems pretty harsh."

"Yeah," Gilda said idly, "the Sergeant could be a jerk. But he was being hard on me because he wanted me to succeed. But he did....care about me."

Gilda sat in her room, playing her Joy Boy. She had nothing to do on her birthday, as expected, but she was content that she could at least have time to veg out. Her peace was interrupted when the Sergeant burst into her room.

"Report to the mess hall at 900 hours, maggot," The Sergeant bellowed.

"But Sergeant-,"

"No butts, maggot," the Sergeant said with an odd frown that looked like he farted and was trying to hide it. With a sigh, Gilda got up from her bed.

After a few minutes of walking, Gilda reached the mess hall, and what she saw made her nearly fall over with shock.

Spitfire, Soarin, and all the guys were in the mess hall. They were standing around a table, looking at her with a happy smile. In the middle of it was a chocolate cake with a small phrase written on the side.

"Happy Birthday Gilda!"

"Now that the birthday girl is here, we can all cut the cake," Soarin said happily. Soon, they all began singing 'Happy Birthday'. Glider walked in with a happy smile. Overwhelmed by joy, Gilda pulled the military officer into a hug, happy tears falling down her eyes.

"Wow," Sunset said with a cheerful smile, "that sounds nice."

"Yeah," Gilda said with a wistful tone, "the whole base treated me like I was there kid." A frown formed. "But not everything was perfect in my life, aside from how strict the Sergeant was. There were people who didn't...trust me one bit."

"Like who?"

A disgusted frown formed on her face. "The Sergeant's sister, Phyllis."

"Hello Gilda." The voice felt like a thousand swords stabbing her in the ears. Gilda forced a smile to her face as Phyllis came into the house. The woman's died blond hair contrasted sharply with her pink skin. Her brown mink coat that looked like an ugly carcass covered her entire body.

"Hello Aunt Phyllis," Gilda said with some forced politeness. Gilda struggled not to notice as the woman flinched over being called "aunt".

"How was your day," Phyllis said, "staying out of trouble?" The tone Phyllis used made it feel like she was being interrogated.

"No worries."

"Good for you," Phyllis in a sweetly condescending voice before walking (or fleeing) from the tall girl to talk to the Sergeant in her office. Gilda walked by the office, eager to go back to her room, when she heard the woman screeching.

"That girl is a devil child," the woman wailed, "why do you keep her around? She has no respect for authority or me."

Gilda suppressed a sob. The only thing that kept her from breaking down as she walked away was hearing the Sergeant loudly defend her.

Sunset shot Gilda a sympathetic look. "Ouch."

Gilda let out an annoyed sigh. "Phyllis was one of these nutcases who talks about living according to good Ameliorist values." The military brat let out a frustrated snort. "They groan about how religious they are, and yet they always fall short on the part about tolerance and forgiveness.

"Back home, I've met nobles like that," Sunset said.

"Really?"

"Snobs who talk about Harmony, but look down at other ponies," Sunset said with a nasty grin.

"Thankfully, she only came around a few times a year," Gilda said, "but one time, about a few months after I was adopted, she came to a barbecue and brought her son." Gilda felt some distaste form on her face. "Cousin Talon. And he was, to put it mildly, a brat."

Gilda came up to the boy with an excited look on her face. He had yellow skin, green hair was dressed in a sun yellow shirt, blue shorts, and red sneakers.

"I'm Gilda. What do you-,"

"Mom told me about you," the boy, Talon, said with a sneer, "about how your a criminal who should be thrown into the streets." Gilda growled at the boy.

"I haven't been a criminal in a year-,"

"Criminal, criminal, criminal!" Talon chanted. Gilda was about to raise her fist, only for Talon to wail.

"Mommy, the criminal is attacking me!" Talon said.

"Man, that kid sounds like a real monster."

"To be fair, he was a product of his sweet and lovable mother," Gilda said with a roll of her eyes. "Anyways, that barbecue would be the worst day of my life."

Gilda happily took a seat between the Sergeant and Sis. She really wanted to dig into her burger, but to her annoyance, she had to listen to a pompous speech by some old general. She felt something brush up against her leg, but ignored it, thinking it was some bug.

Just as the man finished his speech, the general's wife let out some wail.

"My pearls!" the old lady bellowed. "Someone took my pearls!" Everyone started looking around, trying to find the woman's valuable object.

"Well look what we have here." Phyllis said, walking up to Gilda. The Sergeant and Spitfire saw the woman approach them with some distaste.

"What are you talking about?" Phyllis bent over to the area near Gilda and picked up a string of pearls.

"Those are my pearls!" The general's wife shrieked. Everyone turned to look at Gilda with a glare, who responded with confusion.

A moment later, Gilda was shoved into her room by an angry Glider.

"But Sergeant I didn't do it-," Gilda complained sadly.

"YOUR GROUNDED!" The man bellowed. "I let you into my home, and you steal from the wife of my commanding officer! I defended you in front of Phyllis, and you reward my faith like this. Maybe you should go back into the street."

"But-." the door was slammed. Gilda fell to the floor, crying her eyes out, tearfully pleading that she didn't do it.

Gilda clutched her arm and felt her eyes turn a little wet.

Sunset ran over to Gilda and put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder. "Gilda, I'm so sorry." Gilda was so hurt by that memory, she didn't push Sunset away over and complain about not needing pity.

"I know," Gilda said with an uncomfortable expression. "It...sucked a lot. Everybody I came to see as family just...assumed I would go bad again...and didn't bother to hear me out. Even my own adopted dad...saw me as a criminal. It...just hurt."

"So what did you do?" Sunset said in a soft tone. Gilda's lips quivered a bit, but she managed to rein in her emotions with a sigh.

Using a bedsheet, Gilda was able to climb down the second floor. As soon as she reached the ground, she ran away from the house, tears running down her eyes. She didn't even bother to look back. Since they thought she was evil, she wasn't gonna give them a second thought.

"So you ran away?" Sunset said, herself on the verge of tears.

"Yeah," Gilda said, "I figured if they weren't gonna believe me, I wasn't gonna stick around."

"So when did you prove you didn't do it."

"I didn't," Gilda said. "It turns out Talon was the one who planted the pearls on me."

"What?" Sunset said with disgust.

"Yeah," Gilda said with some disdain, "he did it because he thought it was funny. But after I ran away, he confessed because he felt guilty about what he did." Gilda felt her lips quiver again. "So...everyone started looking for me. And eventually Spitfire found me..." Gilda paused, struggling to remember a painful memory.

"What?" Sunset asked in a soft voice.

"You can't tell anyone about this," Gilda said in a sad, grave voice. "I never even told this to Chips, Rolling Thunder, or Lightning Dust."

"I won't," Sunset assured. With a hard swallow, Gilda continued.

Gilda reached the summit of Green Hill. This was it, the edge of the cliff. Gilda looked down. It was a long way to the bottom. She felt nervous and scared. But then the words of her so-called mother came in, reminding of her of how worthless she was. Then she remembered how no one cared for her opinion. How they'd treat her like a criminal without even letting her speak in her own defense.

Soon she was able to walk closer and closer to the edge. This was it. In a few moments, she would be taking her last dive. She remembered Rainbow Dash attacking her, Blossomworth being paralyzed, all the people she robbed, to remind her of why no one loved her. Suddenly, jumping seemed to be enticing. She put one toe forward. She took another deep breath. This was it. One more foot forward, and she wouldn't have to worry about anything, anymore.

"GILDA! STOP!" Gilda turned around, and saw Spitfire coming toward her.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Gilda bellowed.

"Don't jump," Spitfire said in a pleading tone, "please!"

"Why shouldn't I?!" Gilda yelled. "You all think I'm a monster!"

"I don't," Spitfire said, "we know it wasn't you." Spitfire got closer, only to stop as the white-haired girl inched closer to the edge.

"YOU DIDN'T BELIEVE ME!" Gilda accused, angry tears falling down her face. "YOU THOUGHT I WAS STILL A THIEF!"

"You're right, I did," Spitfire admitted with some regret. "I made a mistake. But that doesn't mean I think you're a monster!"

"YOU HATE ME!" Gilda yelled, her face stained with tears.

"NO I DON'T!"

"YES I DO!"

"If I hate you, then why am I looking for you?!" Spitfire threw back. The question gave Gilda pause. "If I hated you, why would I be begging you to not jump?" Gilda saw sad tears flow down Spitfire's face. "Please, Gilda, don't do it."

Gilda stood still as a statue, not knowing what to do.

"I'm sorry Gilda," Spitfire said regretfully. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. But just because we make mistakes, doesn't mean we don't love you." With a deep breath, Gilda ran away from the ledge and into Spitfire's arms.

"I love you, Sis," Gilda said, tears flowing down her eyes as Spitfire pulled her into a hug.

"I love you too," Spitfire said, tears running down her eyes as she patted Gilda on the head. "And I'm sorry."

Sunset felt herself crying. Gilda herself was on the verge of tears too.

Sunset put another warm hand on her shoulder. "Don't be afraid of crying. I won't judge you for it."

Gilda composed herself and smiled. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine." Gilda sounded sincere. "It's just...the first time someone I've told someone about this, outside of Spitfire and the Sergeant."

"Did he ever make it up to you?" Sunset asked with some concern.

"Yeah," Gilda said with a smile.

"How?"

"I'm sorry Gilda." Talon looked honestly ashamed. Gilda responded by spitefully turning her head away from the boy. He looked at Glider, hoping for some mercy. "And I'm sorry, Uncle Glider."

"You should be," Glider said, coldly furious. Spitfire and Soarin were also thoroughly angry. "And it will be a long time before I ever invite you-,"

"Don't blame him," Phyllis crooned, coming into the room. "If it weren't for the criminal," Phyllis said with a glare to the white-haired girl, "being a bad influence on him, he wouldn't have-"

"GET OUT!" Glider bellowed.

Phyllis looked confused. "Glider, how could you-,"

"You've done nothing but badmouth Gilda and I've had it!"

"But-,"

"You may be my sister, but that doesn't give you the right to badmouth by daughter," the man said, gesturing to the door. Gilda felt a warm smile form on her face. "Even when she's done nothing wrong, you keep belittling her, when it was YOUR son who was stealing. And this is the last straw! Since you can't accept her, leave and don't come back!" Soarin and Spitfire also gave her glares, warning her to leave as well. With a sigh, Phyllis stormed away, taking Talon by his arm.

Glider turned toward Gilda with an regretful sigh.

"Gilda," Glider said, his eyes wet. "Could you ever-," Gilda ran to Glider and pulled him into a hug.

"You called me your daughter," Gilda said, "I already have." Glider happily returned the hug.

"What?" Soarin' said with silly dismay. "No hug for us."

"They're having a moment," Spitfire said playfully, "don't ruin it."

"So, you're saying, that even though your adopted family made a mistake, that didn't mean they didn't care about you," Sunset surmised.

"Pretty much," Gilda said.

"So you're saying that...while my friends did a stupid thing, I should just forgive them," Sunset said as well with some discomfort in your voice.

"Here's my point," Gilda said with a smile. "There is no such thing as a perfect relationship. Whether it is a friend, chum, family member, or soul mate, they'll screw up. They'll let you down. They won't always be there for you." Gilda said. "Whether or not you forgive them depends on this: whether the good they do outweighs the bad. Yeah, there have been times where the Sergeant has been a jerk. Times when he's acted like an idiot. But you know what? He's given me not only food, shelter, and love, but the idea that I could be more than just some street punk." She took a sip of water from her bottle before continuing. "More importantly, he did this all for a girl who was a thief. If he could forgive all that and take me under his wing, shouldn't I forgive him for the dumb things he does?"

"I see what your saying," Sunset said. "My friends forgave me and have done a lot for me. And if I didn't forgive them, I'd be a hypocrite."

"Well yeah," Gilda said with a shrug. "I mean, you didn't like it when no one gave you a chance, did ya?"

"No," Sunset admitted.

"The Sergeant told me this: that if I wanted to call myself a good person, I had to do the hard thing and give you a chance," Gilda said with a stern look. "Maybe you got to do the hard thing for once. Besides, I think someone who stands up to me to defend you deserves a second chance."

Sunset's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Gilda's eyes twinkled. "Oh you don't know?"

"Know what?"

"I was gonna put itching powder on your shit, and Fashion Queen stood up to me to protect you. Even kicked me in the throat." Gilda looked more amused then insulted.

"Really?" Sunset said with a smile.

"Yeah," Gilda said.

Sunset frowned a bit. "I get what your saying. But...they were telling me how they saw me as family...and then they told me to scram. Doesn't that mean they never really forgive me?"

"Here's another bit of reality, Sunnybun," Gilda said mockingly. "'Forgive' does not mean 'forget'. Only an idiot would forget that you once framed a girl. Heck, you didn't exactly forget what I did to you."

"What do you mean?"

"You nearly broke my fingers because you thought I was gonna kill you," Gilda said flatly.

"Oh yeah," Sunset said regretfully.

"Of course I don't blame you," Gilda said in a sad tone. "I mean, I spent days hurting you, and never said sorry."

Sunset was stunned by how choked up Gilda sounded. "Gilda what are you-?"

"I'm sorry for hurting you," Gilda said her eyes moist. "I was wrong to do what I did."

"Gilda you don't have to-,"

"I do. You were trying to be a better person and should've given you a-," Gilda stopped when Sunset put a comforting hand on Gilda's shoulder.

"Looking back, I probably would've given the old me a swirly if I had the chance," Sunset assured with a smile. "Like I said, I did have it coming."

"Alright," Gilda said, "Anyways, as annoying as it is, sometimes you should be around people who don't forget the things you do. Because without those reminders, you could end up becoming a shithead. As much as may hate it when the Sergeant compares me to that...bitch, I'm glad he does." Gilda looked down. "Because...I'm afraid I'll end up like her."

"Is that why you read to kids at the Clover Community Center?" Sunset asked the white haired girl. "Because you don't want to become someone who would be mean to kids?"

"Kinda," Gilda admitted. "A lot of those kids don't have good families. I want to do for them what...Spitfire did for me."

"You also apologized to me when you didn't have to," Sunset replied with a smile. "All that proves your definitely better than that woman who hurt you in the past."

Gilda felt a warm smile form on her face. "Thanks. And look, if you feel your friends aren't worth forgiving then that's fine. But if you think the people out there are any better, than go pitch a tent in the woods and live there, because you're always going to be disappointed."

Sunset snickered a bit, but then looked at the horizon. "I think we better get back. The sun's starting to set."

"Yeah sure," Gilda said.

"Gilda, can I ask you one more question?"

"Shoot."

"Do you think that...I did more good then bad?" Sunset asked timidly.

"Well," Gilda said, "I used to think you were revolting."

"And now?"

"Well, since you started taking a shower, not so much." Sunset started laughing like crazy. After a day of misery, her spirits felt lifted. "You did help me with my essays, beat those sirens, and while your E-mail scam with Chips was messed up...without it, I wouldn't have dated him. So, to me at least, you've done more good than bad."

"Thanks," Sunset said. While Sunset was still mad at her friends, the talk had cleared her head and made her less anxious. But before she could make up her mind, she decided she needed to talk to someone else.

A Second Opinion

"I'm sorry for not returning your calls," Sunset said to Twinkle. Sunset decided to invite Twinkle to her apartment for an apology dinner of pasta and fruit salad, his favorite foods. "You didn't do anything to me, but I pushed you away."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," the red-skinned teenager assured her with a smile, "you needed time to yourself. Everybody needs to be alone sometimes."

Sunset frowned. "Yeah, but you were worried about me, and I should've at least told you where I was."

Twinkle waved his hand dismissively. "Water under the bridge." He dug into his pasta, remembering his table manners.

"There's another reason I invited you over here." Sunset put down her food, too anxious to be hungry. "I wanted your opinion about something."

"What?"

Sunset told Twinkle what Gilda told her-minus her near suicide attempt. About how people weren't perfect, about how since people forgave her, so she needed to do the forgiving. Twinkle listened to her while eating his pasta.

"I think Gilda makes a pretty good point," Twinkle said as he finished the last of his pasta. "I am mad at Rainbow and the others, but I think you hear them out before you cut them off completely."

"Gilda is right," Sunset said. She frowned ominously. "But-but-,"

"But what?"

"Even though I want to do it," Sunset said, "I'm scared they're gonna accuse me again in the future." She looked up at the athlete with pleading eyes. "Is that selfish of me to feel that way?"

"No, it isn't selfish of you to feel that way," Twinkle said with a smile. "What makes you selfish or not is what you do with those feelings, or if you let those feelings control you."

"What do you mean?" Sunset asked with a serious look.

"What I mean is this: everyone had every right to be mad at you, but it was wrong of us to hit back the way we did."

"I don't blame-," Twinkle raised his hand, signaling to Sunset to stop her guilt-laden ramblings.

"It was wrong," Twinkle said with a serious look. "It was wrong of Quick to act the way he did, wrong of us to throw those balloons at you, it was wrong of everyone to bully you." Twinkle frowned a bit. "And while I understand why you're not talking to them, maybe it is wrong to not give them one chance."

"I know," Sunset said, "but this isn't like me costing Gilda a summer. This isn't me ruining your fundraiser. This is them calling me family and then them ditching me. It is the fact that deep down, they've still been afraid of me. Not that I blame them, but what if they do this again?"

"Well OK then," Twinkle said with a confident smile, "we know what your worried about. So I have a solution."

"What?"

"Well think about it." Twinkle leaned his head forward to look Sunset in the eye. "Why did Applejack give you a chance?"

"When I payed her back and worked on her farm."

"Why did your other friends give you a chance?"

"I did favors for them, and I accepted everyone's punishment."

"Why did Sprint and I forgive you?"

"I paid you back."

"And?" Twinkle asked with emphasis.

"I don't know?"

"You let yourself get dunked," Twinkle said with a smile. "The old Sunset was too egotistical to accept criticism, but you were willing to let everyone vent at you in a controlled way. The punishments and chores you did were mainly to see if you were still an arrogant bi-," Twinkle paused.

"Don't mince words," Sunset said with a sheepish smile. "I was a bitch. You don't need to coddle me."

"And after the accident I caused with my uncle's car," Twinkle said, "my uncle made me work as a plumber to prove I could be responsible and trustworthy. He, mom, and dad wanted to see if I was the same irresponsible idiot who would put other people in danger."

"Well that failed," Sunset said facetiously. Twinkle gave Sunset a teasing smile.

"You're afraid of them ditching you," Twinkle concluded, "so give them an assignment that proves that they won't."

Sunset smiled radiantly for the first time in days. "Yeah, that could work. Thanks Twinkle. That helps a lot."

"No problem," Twinkle said. "If there is ever a problem, let me know. You don't have to hide-" Twinkle felt something on his hand, and saw that Sunset was holding his. Sunset was also giving Twinkle a look that was both romantic and sad.

"I can't believe I ever hurt someone like you," Sunset said in a regretful tone./

"Well, like I said, we all make mistakes," Twinkle said, "all we have to do-," Twinkle felt himself being yanked across the table into a big, wet kiss. Twinkle and Sunset felt their tongues pushing up against one another. They got up from their seats and held one another. For a while, the world and its pained seemed to vanish. All they had was one another. All they needed was one another. The kiss ended.

"Want to spend the night," Sunset offered. Twinkle was taken aback and his eyes widened.

"Sunset," Twinkle said with a blush, "I think we're too-,"

"I want to do it," Sunset offered in a husky, sensual voice, "and I know you do?"

Twinkle stood still for a few moments. "I do want to do this. I really do." Sunset took off her leather jacket and started pulling off her dress.

"But not like this," Twinkle said in a deep, empathetic voice.

"But-,"

"Your offering me this because you're afraid of being alone," Twinkle said in a soft voice. "You're afraid if I don't, I won't stick around. If we do it, I want to do it because you want to, not because you feel you have too." Twinkle pulled Sunset into a hug, putting his forehead against hers. "I like you the way you are. And I wouldn't trade you for anyone else."

Sunset felt her breath shorten. Then she felt her lips quiver, her eyes water. Then she began crying. She didn't know why she was crying. Maybe she was scared, maybe because she still hurt. But maybe it was because her fears that Twinkle only wanted what was between her legs died away.

This was reinforced when Twinkle patted her on the shoulder, telling her to let it out. She realized that he was right. Tonight wasn't the night. But the fact that he showed so much concern about her that he refused a chance to score when she was vulnerable just made her want him more.

"Why don't we go out to your favorite movie instead?" Twinkle said with a smile.

"OK, but I'm buying," Sunset replied with stern eyes.

A mischievous grin appeared on his face. "See, we're a very progressive couple. Can you pay for my gas too from now on?"

"You're a dork," Sunset uttered in a tone that was both teasing and loving. "A dork with abs, but still a dork."

...To Forgive, Divine

"I'm not mad at you guys."

The Rainbooms met in Sunset's apartment. She asked them to come over for a talk, but was deliberately vague. When she invited them in, she looked very morose. The Rainbooms expected a major ass-chewing or tearful shrieking.

To say there were stunned by those words was a massive understatement.

"But-," Pinkie began, only to be cut off by Sunset raising her hand.

"I can't really blame you guys for what you did," Sunset said in soft, empathetic voice. "The whole Anon-A-Miss thing is something I would do, and you had no way of knowing your sisters would've done something like that. It was pretty easy to suspect me." Sunset briefly stared at the floor before continuing. "And I do believe you guys are sorry and ashamed of yourselves. Twinkle told me about how you were so upset Rainbow, you banged your head against the wall." The other Rainbooms put comforting hands on Rainbow's shoulder. She was so forlorn, the normally macho girl didn't push them away.

"Part of me wants to give you guys a chance the same way you gave me a chance," Sunset said, "but-," Sunset looked down again, her face incredibly uncomfortable.

"What is sugar cube?" Applejack asked with concern.

"It's OK to tell us," Fluttershy assured her.

"I'm seeing, I don't know, a pattern," Sunset said uneasily, "that shows that deep down, you guys always held a grudge against me, you never actually forgave me, and the only reason you hung out with me is because you felt sorry for me."

The Rainbooms were aghast at the accusation. "Sunny," Pinkie objected, "that's not-,"

"Pinkie Pie," Sunset uttered in a calm but forceful tone. The pink-skinned girl shut her mouth. "Let me recap. When I was suspended, the only people who bothered to hang out with me were Applejack and Pinkie", Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity looked down in shame, "and even then, we only met once a week after school, either in Cherry's diner or in my house where no one could see us." Pinkie Pie and Applejack suddenly felt like they wanted a hole to swallow them up in embarrassment. "And that was after I paid compensation to one of you."

"And you two," Sunset gestured to the fashion lover and the animal enthusiast, "only hung out with me because Applejack and Pinkie Pie begged you. And you," Sunset turned to Rainbow, "you avoided me for a couple of weeks, and took joy in my suffering." Rainbow didn't even respond, looking thoroughly ashamed. "And the only reason why you hung with me was I was carted off to jail." Sunset felt herself on the verge of tears and took a deep breath before continuing.

"And there were all thoe times you made 'jokes' about me being a demon," Sunset said, her voice about to crack. This hurt the Rainbooms even more than a scream. "And," Sunset bit her lip to control her quiver, "you guys didn't invite me into the band. And don't say you didn't know about me playing the guitar, you didn't even bother to ask!" Sunset yelled, to the horror of the Rainbooms. Sunset took another deep breath before continuing. "I assumed you did this because you guys were afraid no one was gonna want to watch you perform with me in it." Sunset's voice shook a bit. "But, like, the Dazzlings pointed out the fact that I wasn't invited into your band as proof that you never really accepted me." Sunset took another deep breath before continuing. "And maybe, and I hate to say it, they might have been right. Because this, and everything else, proves that deep down you've always resented me."

The Rainbooms were completely abashed by the accusation. "But Sunset," Fluttershy said in a horrified, "we've taken you to our sleepovers, and movies, and dinners-,"

"Did you do that because you wanted to," Sunset asked with a serious look, "or did you do it because you felt you had to?" Sunset clenched her fists. "Let me tell you something. What you guys did to me was worse than what Gilda, Micro Chips, and everyone else did when I got back." The Rainbooms look confused. "Yeah, they were rough on me, but at least they didn't lie to me or pretend to be my friend. When you guys ditched me, it was like...Quick when he pretended to like me when he was just plotting revenge." Sunset's friends were mortified by the comparison. "You guys calling me 'family' and then ditching me is like a boss promising his/her employee a paycheck and then giving them nothing." Sunset started crying, "or like buying someone a present and then burning it in front of them. It would've been better for you not to talk to me if you were just gonna hurt me later." Sunset began feeling tears fall down her eyes. "I'd rather have no friends than be around people who are gonna lie to me later."

"Sunny," Rainbow finally said, "I'm sorry-,"

"I KNOW YOUR SORRY! I KNOW YOU FEEL BAD! BUT THAT'S NOT THE POINT!" Sunset took a deep breath before continuing in a hoarse voice. "I need to know the truth: did you guys hold a grudge against me all this time?! If you want to hang out with me now, it's not gonna matter if you still hold a grudge, because it means you'll probably ditch me again!" The Rainbooms sat still in contemplative silence over the question.

"OK," Applejack said uneasily, "maybe we did hold a grudge against you! But that wasn't the only reason why we got upset."

"Then why?"

"Let me put it this way Darling," Rarity said in a soft, thoughtful voice. "It's because you became our friend that we got mad at you. You stealing our secrets would be the equivalent of my father or mother doing it. Its because there was so much love between us that we got mad, because we thought someone we'd come to care about was betraying us". Sunset softened at that, albeit slightly. "But yes," Rarity admitted to her shame, "maybe we never really got over our fear."

"And again, I don't blame you," Sunset said. "But if you're going to keep holding a grudge against me, than what's to stop you from abandoning me again the second I do something wrong? Again, I don't want to hang out with people who deep down resent me."

"We promise Sunny," Pinkie Pie said in a pleading tone, "we'll throw you-"

"Pinkie," Rainbow interrupted. "Sunset doesn't want a party, she wants to be able to trust us again." Rainbow looked at Sunset with pleading eyes. "What can we do to prove we won't ditch you again?"

"OK," Sunset said with a stern look. "There is something I want you five to do. I want you to name someone you despise or has hurt you in the past." The Rainbooms looked perplexed at the idea.

"OK," Rainbow said in a confused tone. "Uh, Gilda."

"Uh, Fleur De Lis," Fluttershy said.

"Suri Polomare."

Pinkie didn't respond, not being able to think of a single person she despised.

"Strawberry Sunrise," Applejack said.

"I want you to go up to these people and try and bury the hatchet with them," Sunset said. "Not just apologize. Make an effort to hang out with them."

"But Sunset," Applejack objected.

"Again, if you still have lingering resentment toward me, your apologies and gifts and invitations are going to mean nothing because your gonna ditch me when things get rough again." The Rainbooms were hurt by that statement. "The only way to you can prove your sorry is if can do the hard thing and bury your hatred with someone else." Sunset's expression softened. "I'm not saying you guys have to bend over backwards to appease these people if they act rude to you. But here's what the Princess taught me: 'you can't be good when its convenient. You have to be good to everyone. Either everyone is happy, or no one is happy.' Thus, if you guys can't let go if your grudges against them then you won't be able to let go of your grudge against me. If you can do that, than it shows me you won't let your grudges consume you anymore, and I can feel comfortable hanging out with you again."

A long silence hung over the air. "You're right," Applejack declared solemnly, "if we can't forgive these people, then we can't call ourselves Elements of Harmony, now can we?!"

"She's right," Fluttershy said. "We need to be good, even when its hard." Rainbow looked uneasy. But then she remembering Sunset crying down the ground, and her face became one of resolve.

"We'll do it," Rainbow said in a low, serious voice. "We can't let the stupid things in the past control us anymore."

Sunset looked at them very, very stoically. "Well you gotta prove that to me." The unsympathetic tone made them flinch, because it showed she while she wasn't tearing them down, she wasn't putting stock in their words anymore. They had to prove their words through actions now.

Gilda bench pressed in the gym with Micro Chips as her spotter. Her face was red sweat, her skin sweaty, and her arms were screaming in pain.

It was a perfect day for the white haired girl.

"28," Chips counted, "29, 30!" Gilda let out a sigh of relief as she finished her reps. She got up from the bench and took a seat near a plastic chair.

"Good job, Gilds," Micro said with a congratulatory smile.

"Nah, I'm slowing down," Gilda muttered as she took.

"Not in the sack," Micro joked. Gilda spat out a drink in both astonishment and laughter.

"The nerd is finally loosening up," Gilda said in a smile that was both .

"Well, that's what ointment and tissues are for," Micro Chips said.

Gilda let out another proud cackle. "You are on a roll, Chips." Micro looked at his watch.

"I got to get to the AV Club," Micro said to Gilda, running out of the workout room.

"See ya." Gilda went over to a mirror and began lifting a few dumbbells over her head.

"Gilda." The white-haired athlete paused when she saw who was in the mirror. She reluctantly turned around and saw Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow," Gilda said in an icy tone. "What do you want?" Rainbow frowned like she had a really nasty paper cut. "Well, out with it."

"I want to say that," Rainbow bit her lip, "what happened to Blossomworth...wasn't your fault." Gilda's eyes widened. "Yeah...you peer pressured me...but it was my choice to make her go walk on the ledge too, so I can't blame you." Rainbow took another deep breath. "But since that time...I've treated you like you were a worm. Even when you tried to save Applejack, and...I wanted to know if...you wanted to make peace and...bury the hatchet...and all that." Gilda stared at Rainbow with an inscrutable expression.

"If you don't want to," Rainbow said with resignation, "that's-,"

"I was jealous of you and Blossomworth."

Rainbow narrowed her eyes in confusion. "What?"

"I was jealous of you and Blossomworth," Gilda repeated in a soft voice.

"Why?" Rainbow asked. "You seemed pretty popular. That's why Moondancer and I-,"

"Yeah, well being popular among lowlifes is pretty hollow." Gilda frowned seriously. "Almost all those goons that followed me ended up in juvie. Believe I wouldn't trust them as far as I could spit."

Rainbow frowned sympathetically at Gilda. "Really?"

"The reason why I hung out with those jerks and did all those stupid stunts was because," Gilda frowned morosely, "I never had anything worth living in life. And, maybe, I made you and Blossomworth do those things was because," Gilda's lip began quivering a bit, "deep down, you and Blossom," Gilda looked down with regret, "had something I never got." The military brat's eyes began to water. "You two had people who...cared about you." Gilda started shaking. "And-and my-my mom was-," She bit her lip. "And maybe I was dragging you down to my level."

Rainbow put a hand on Gilda's shoulder. "Gilda I didn't know-,"

"But that didn't make it right for me to do what I did," the white-skinned girl croaked. "Making Blossom do that, and-and making fun of her and-," Gilda broke down in tears.

Rainbow pulled the military girl into a hug. In between sobs, Gilda let out an apology while Rainbow patted her on the back and said sorry too.

"We can't change the past," Rainbow cooed with a smile as the last of Gilda's tears died down. "From now on, we go forward." Rainbow extended her hand. "Deal."

Gilda looked scared, but then accepted the hand with a grateful smile. "Deal."

Micro Chips watched this with so small amount of pride. His girlfriend was growing up.

"Keep digging."

Apple Bloom and her friends dug a new flower bed while Officer Garda supervised. They worked for hours, getting covered in sweat and dirt. Officer Garda watched this while sitting under an umbrella, sipping lemonade, and reading a book on ancient torture techniques.

They felt like slaves and him the slave master. Being forced to toil on Saturdays wasn't just bad. It should be a human rights' violation.

"Can we take our break now?" Scootaloo asked in a desperate tone.

The man didn't look up from his book. "Ten minutes."

The three scrambled to a nearby table and took out their lunches.

"Granny's making clean out the pig troughs!"

"Rarity has me scrubbing the floors."

"Rainbow's making me do the laundry for all the sports teams."

They didn't say anymore. They knew they deserved it. But it didn't make their punishments suck less. They chowed miserably on their lunches when they saw a shadow emerge. They looked up and their blood went cold.

Sunset Shimmer was approaching them with a smile. She had some plastic bag in her hand. Probably had some revenge scheme planned out.

Apple Bloom let out a resigned sigh. "Go ahead. Do yer worst."

"You're right," Sunset replied with a scarily happy smile. "I am going to do my worst." The three shook as Sunset took something out of her bag.

"You're getting blueberry pie, not cherry."

Apple Bloom and her fellow Crusaders looked confused, seeing the fire-haired girl offer them a pastry. "Why are you getting us a pie?"

"I wanted to welcome you to a special club."

Scootaloo cocked her head. "What club?"

"The Did Stupid Things Club," Sunset remarked with an odd smile. "In order to qualify, you have to do a really stupid thing. Once you get in, your activities include back-breaking labor, being grounded, and having everyone distrust you." Sunset's expression softened. "But there is another part of this club: forgiveness and getting a second chance."

The Crusaders looked morose. "But...we humiliated you and hurt our sisters," Sweetie Belle muttered remorsefully.

"Well," Sunset said, "you did save my life." Apple Bloom was surprised. "I can definitely forgive someone who saved me, even they were mad at me."

"But what about the rest of us?" Sweetie Belle said in a soft weak. Scootaloo looked curious.

Sunset's expression became more severe. "What you did was wrong, but...I shouldn't expected you to be completely comfortable around me or that all of your hatred would just vanish. But also, life's too short to hold grudges. I can see where that leads." She wordlessly gestured to their condition: despised outcasts who were being worked to the bone. "And if people can forgive me for being a demon, I can forgive you guys. Especially since you guys are already making up for your mistakes."

The Crusaders broke down in tears, muttering apologies.

"See, you guys understand what you did was wrong," Sunset assured them with a smile, placing the pie on the table and giving them each a hug.

As the last of their tears died, Sweetie Belle looked at Sunset with a serious question. "Want to join us?"

"Sure," Sunset said with a smile. Sunset sat down and pulled a plastic knife out of the bag, in order to evenly split the pie between the four of them.

Officer Garda looked up from his book for a moment and looked at Sunset with a proud smile.

Author's Note

Well, thank you to all who have read and kept up with my fanfic series.

The next story, Sunset's Birthday, will be coming out in the next few months. It features Sunset celebrating her birthday, with the Rainbooms learning about Sunset's family history before she came to Terra Prime.