Author's Note
This my first Anon-a-Miss story. Hope you'll enjoy reading it.
Miss Bookbinder does not belong to me but is the property of shallow15.
Chapter 1
“Hey! Piggly Wiggly!”
Applejack clenched her fists as some students giggled as she passed by. She restrained herself with all her might not to hit them in the face, even though it would have been a great pleasure to send them to the infirmary. She took a deep breath and relaxed her fists. With a scornful smile, she turned to the one who had spoken.
“Shut up, Spot, if you don't want me to remind everyone that you only wear pink underwear.”
Spot scowled and left, under the laughter of the students who had witnessed the scene. Once again, Applejack sighed and made her way back to her math neck. She frowned when she heard the bickering and mockery among the students in the hallway.
Sunset has really messed up this school, she thought with a tiny ounce of anger and regret.
When she arrived at a crossroads between two hallways, she ran into Rainbow Dash who had a swollen lip and a bruise on her cheek.
“Rainbow Dash! What happened to you?”
Rainbow growled something inaudible to Applejack's ears.
“Can you say that again?”
“Gilda” mumbled the athlete.
“Did Gilda do this to you?”
Rainbow confirmed with a nod.
“But why?" Applejack asked. You weren't on good terms?”
“Anon-a-Miss.” As the farm girl looked confused, she sighed and continued “She thinks I told Sunset some secrets between the two of us. And now that they've been published, she thinks I'm an accomplice.”
Applejack put a hand on her shoulder as a sign of support.
“Ignore her. At some point, she'll see that you didn't reveal anything... unless you really did.”
Rainbow's face fell off.
“Not you too” she muttered.
Applejack gave her a sad smile.
.
Now accompanied by Rarity, whom they had seen fleeing from a group of students making fun of her and her creations, Rainbow and Applejack entered the math room. They froze at the entrance. Sitting at the far end of the classroom was their ex-friend, Sunset Shimmer, her head slumped on the table with her eyes closed. She hid it well, but Applejack had known her long enough to see that she was exhausted. Unfortunately, this small sign of weakness did nothing to ease the anger that was bubbling inside her at the mere sight of the redhead. Rainbow, having also noticed Sunset's condition, took advantage of the situation and approached her office. She vaguely heard Rarity say something but did not listen.
She grabbed the girl by the collar of her jacket and forced her to look into his eyes, which she opened in surprise.
“R... Rainbow Dash?”
The girl with multicolored hair remained marbled in the face of Sunset's weak tone.
“Are you happy?! Because of you, I lost a friendship I cherished, Anon-a-Miss.”
“Rainbow, stop!” Rarity cried, but Rainbow didn't listen.
“When are you going to stop publishing people's secrets, huh?!”
“You... have to believe me. I... I...—” started Sunset, but Rainbow interrupted.
“— am I not Anon-a-Miss?” the girl finished questioning the girl with an expression of pure anger “Don't make me laugh.”
A hand grabbed her shoulder and she turned around, thinking it was one of her friends, and swallowed the scathing line she was about to say when she saw it was Cranky Doodle.
“Miss Dash, please come with me to the Director's office. As for you, Miss Shimmer, go to the infirmary. I'm excusing you from class for today. I don't think you'll make it through the day.”
Sunset stammered thanks and rushed as best she could out of the room, without a glance at the girls and other students who had entered, under the piercing and protective eye of the teacher.
.
Nurse Redheart watched the red-headed girl drink a cup of tea with a worried look on her face. The poor teenage girl was going through an ordeal. The students were all against her, but at least she had the teachers on her side. At a meeting a few days ago, all the staff had agreed to indirectly support the redhead by protecting her from student abuse, using the school rules to hide the fact that they were on her side.
Minutes before the girl arrived at the infirmary, Redheart had received a text message from Mr. Doodle, explaining what had happened and telling her that he was now putting the girl in her hands. Sunset had entered the infirmary, barely holding on her legs. At first glance, Redheart saw that she hadn't been able to sleep for several nights. The fact that she had managed to make it from her home to here was a miracle in itself, given her condition. The voice of the girl in question drew her out of her daydream.
“Thank you for the tea, ma'am.”
She watched Sunset leave the bed she was sitting on and take her bag.
“But where are you going?”
“Well, I'm going to class,” she answered in an obvious tone.
Redheart objected.
“Mr. Doodle has let me know what happened to you and that he has exempted you from math class. But you're also exhausted, given the dark circles under your eyes. So, you're going to stay here and rest.”
“But... my classes —”
“— will wait. Besides, how do you expect to concentrate if you can barely open your eyes?”
Sunset stayed for a while and then sighed.
“You win.”
With a winning smile, Redheart approached her, helped her to lie down and drew some curtains to hide her from the eyes of possible injured students who would come.
.
The last bell rang soon. Usually, the students greeted each other at the end of each class, but there was no warm greeting. Teenagers were staring at each other, insulting and mocking each other; this had become routine over the past two weeks. Some stayed to watch the occasional arguments that broke out in the hallways, while others rushed outside Canterlot High as quickly as possible, not wanting to get involved in any conflicts. This was the case at Sunset.
By the time the students left the classrooms, she herself was already outside, near the statue that connected this world to Equestria, her home world. She was happy to have obeyed the nurse. That little nap she had had in the infirmary had done her a lot of good. She wasn't at her peak, but she felt much better than she had in the morning.
She lingered her gaze on the base of the statue. She approached it and extended her hand. As she had intended, instead of crossing the marble as if it were water, her hand came into contact with the stone. Princess Twilight had written to her a few days before the disorder began that she had closed the portal as a security measure, as she would be away from Ponyville for a few weeks due to her duties as Princess. Too bad. She would have liked to retire for a while in her home world to escape this affair for a few days.
“Hey, Anon-a-Miss!” Sunset turned around, only to feel a fist smashing against her left eye. She looked up and frightened saw Gilda staring at her with a hateful look in her eyes “What’s up?!” She received another blow on her left cheek and fell to the ground with her back to the statue “When are you going to stop publishing our secrets?!!”
Sunset heard giggles. She opened a glassy eye and saw that the students, who were leaving the high school, were looking at the one-way fight with evil looks. Among the crowd that had gathered, she saw her five friends with various expressions.
Applejack watched everything coldly, having no desire to protect her. Rainbow had a strange glow in her eyes, as if she was torn between fun, joy and pity. Rarity looked disapproving of Gilda's ways of getting even. Pinkie was uncertain. And Fluttershy was stubbornly looking the other way. She crossed their eyes and they left immediately. Their indifference was probably more hurtful to Sunset than the blows she was taking. A lonely tear streamed from her eye.
“Unbelievable! She's crying?!” Gilda cried to the crowd, who began to laugh. “Are you finally going to say that you're giving up on continuing to publish our secrets?”
There was a silence as Sunset tried to catch her breath. Finally, she spoke.
“Once again... I... am... not... ANON-A-MISS!!!!”
The last word came out of her mouth in the form of a shout that echoed around her. And it was worth the grunt of several students; among them, Gilda.
“Liar!” She kicked the redhead's chest and she coughed up droplets of blood. This made several students gasp, but not the white-purple-haired girl. “We all know it was you, so stop denying it.”
“Gilda, that's enough!” exclaimed one girl. “You're going to get in trouble.”
“Not even in dreams,” Gilda replied dismissively.
“That's what you think,” said a cold voice from the entrance.
Everyone froze. They recognized that voice. Worst of all, the landlady had never spoken to anyone like that before.
She was a young woman in her early twenties and her eyes, usually warm, were shooting lightning bolts. Yellow skin and light orange hair, she was wearing a sports outfit in the colours of the Wondercolts of the CHS.
“C... Co... Coach... Spitfire?” managed to croak Gilda, intimidated by the looks of the sports teacher.
“Miss Griffin. I want you to know that you're in trouble.”
Gilda hardly swallowed her saliva.
“Please leave the poor girl alone,” Spitfire continued. She turned her attention to the crowd of students “And you, I suggest you get out of here.”
They were not told twice. None of them wanted to incur the wrath of a teacher, usually maternal, who was hiding a fearsome tigress within herself. Within two minutes, the courtyard in front of the entrance was empty, except for Gilda, Sunset and herself.
She approached them and with a piercing look, ordered Gilda to go to the offices of Principal Celestia, who had not yet left, and to wait for her there. Finally alone, she gave up her reproving attitude for a more restless one.
“Sunset. Is everything all right?”
“Impeccable,” replied the redhead with a sad smile before coughing up a little blood, which alerted the teacher. “Why this question?”
“Stop trying to lighten the mood. You're doing it very badly.”
The face of the old unicorn fell. Spitfire helped her back to her feet.
“Come on, come on. Let's get you checked out by Redheart.”
.
“I don't have the equipment to confirm this, but... I think you're good at not overdoing it,” Redheart said sadly as she finished bandaging the redhead's chest.
“What's wrong with me?” Sunset asked.
“I think you have a few broken ribs,” replied the pink-haired nurse.
Spitfire and Luna frowned.
All four were in the infirmary. After Spitfire told Celestia and Luna what she'd seen, the vice-principal insisted on going to Sunset, while her sister dealt with Gilda's punishment, not coming back from the fact that a student had been beaten so badly under her nose. Sunset swallowed.
“Is it serious?”
Redheart shrugged.
“Let's say you're lucky. It could have been worse.” She looked at the watch hanging on the wall and saw that twenty minutes had passed since the end of class. “I did what I could and I have to go. My shift at the hospital starts soon.”
She left, leaving Luna to lock the infirmary. Spitfire watched her leave before turning to Sunset, who had opened her mouth.
“Thank you, Miss Spitfire. For saving me.”
“You're welcome, kid. I wasn't going to let them attack you when you're innocent,” Spitfire replied.
At the last word, the wounded woman raised her head sharply to the comforting faces of Luna and Spitfire.
“You... you...”
“Yes, we believe you when you say you're innocent,” Luna replied to the unspoken question. “To be honest, all the staff is with you.”
Sunset stared at them, not knowing what to say. Memories suddenly came back to her mind. Teachers protecting her from vengeful students; Miss Cheerilee insisting that she be in her sight every time she was in the library; and in the cafeteria, Granny Smith insisting that she eat right in front of her; all to tell her that she wasn't alone. She lowered her head, tears falling to the floor.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you to them. And to you.”
Spitfire smiled a tender smile and gave her a little hug that Sunset gladly returned. It was the first sign of affection she had received in days. Oh, how she missed it. Spitfire broke free from her embrace.
“Okay, Sunset. After what happened to you, it's best for me to go to your place with you. Come on, get up.”
“Yes... ha ha... at my place” the redhead laughed nervously.
The sudden change of tone alarmed the attention of the two adults.
“Sunset Shimmer. A problem?” Luna asked.
“A problem? No! Why this question?” she replied in a high-pitched voice, refusing to cross their eyes.
Luna's eyebrows frowned even more. She knew that look. This girl was hiding something from them. Something that was bothering her.
“You're a terrible liar, Sunset. Tell us.”
Sunset bit her lip. She looked up and met the implacable look of the two teachers, before confessing:
“I don't have a home.”
There was a silence of the most embarrassing silence that Sunset has ever experienced. She looked up timidly. Spitfire's eyes were wide open and Luna's mouth was open in shock.
“No home?” Luna repeated dazedly.
Sunset nodded with a dark look.
“Has it always been dark?!”
Sunset winced as Spitfire's voice grew louder.
“No, it didn't. For the past two weeks. The person I rented my apartment to is a relative of one of the Anon-a-Miss victims and like her, she thinks I'm guilty and she threw me out.”
Spitfire exchanged an outraged look with Luna. It was hard for her to put up with everything that was going on here, but not only that she was now homeless...
“And where have you been sleeping all this time?” asked Luna.
“Under a bridge. Or in the school library, when it's too cold. I found books piled up in the library at the bottom of the library to make a bed. I think that's where Princess Twilight Sparkle slept for the first time in this world.”
Luna scratched her chin at the mention of the princess.
“Why don't you go back to Equestria every night and come back here in the morning?”
Sunset sighed.
“Because the portal is closed. And the Princess doesn't answer any of my messages. She must be busy. A big event called Hearth’s Warming is coming up and she has to oversee the preparations.”
“What about paying for your meals in the cafeteria or outside?”
“I still have some liquids, but it won't last.”
“Why won't it last? The end of the month is tomorrow. You should get your salary since you have a job.”
Sunset sighed again.
“There is also this. I was also fired from my job for the same reason I was evicted from my apartment.”
This time she didn't need to look at them to know that Luna and Spitfire were once again exchanging glances mixed with pity, anger and helplessness. Luna spoke.
“Sunset” The girl looked up with bloodshot eyes. “For the rest of the week, you'll sleep at my place.”
To say that Sunset is surprised is an understatement. “What?”
“You heard me. You'll be staying with Celestia and me until Friday.”
Sunset opened and closed her mouth several times.
“I... I can't accept.”
“Why?” Luna asked, arching her eyebrow.
“I'll be a burden to you,” she answered, new tears appearing in the corner of her eyes.
Luna shook her head.
“Considering what you did in the Battle of the Bands, it's the least we can do to thank you. Stay here. I still have some things to take care of and we'll leave together.”
Sunset prepared to protest but pressure on her shoulder from Spitfire prevented her from doing so. She then left the room, following in Luna's footsteps.
.
“It's unimaginable. All this time...”
Luna nodded sombrely to the stunned expression of her older sister. Spitfire had returned home. Celestia was sitting across from her in her darkly coloured office. Usually, the colour midnight blue and the feeling of being in the evening calmed Luna, but this was not the case. She was impassive outside, but inside it was a tornado of anger. Whoever it was, Anon-a-Miss really managed to make Sunset's life feel like a boat wreck on the beach. Filled with holes, gaps. But in Sunset's case, those gaps were her housing, friends, work, and nutrition, which was diminishing day by day.
“You made the right decision, Luna,” said Celestia after a moment of silence during which she assimilated all the information that Luna had told her about Sunset's current life. She buried her head in her hands in a weary motion. “Poor girl. She must have suffered shocks. Most people will probably have committed suicide by now.”
“What worries me is that I think it's just beginning.” She watched her sister questioning her with her eyes. “I visited the page of this blog and yes, in the early days it wasn't very bad, but it got worse. The secrets published became more personal, darker; secrets that could ruin the students' school life. I contacted MyStable to tell them to ban the account but they didn't do anything, probably believing it would calm down. And the police can't intervene because it's too small a game for them.”
“So we are alone? Is that it?”
“Apparently so. Come on, let's go. We need to go home.”
They left Luna's office, the owner taking care to lock it, and rushed to the infirmary and found an unfortunate Sunset Shimmer flipping through some kind of diary with her beauty mark on the cover.
“Sunset?” said Celestia shyly.
The girl looked up at them with an empty look.
“Luna explained your situation to me. I have to say that I'm willing to let you stay with us for a while. Then come.”
With slow, unenthusiastic gestures, Sunset took her things and followed the two principals outside. Night had already fallen, the streetlights were on, the crickets were out and there was little traffic. She climbed into the back seat of the directors' white sedan and watched the moon, leaning against the door.
Celestia drove off, out of the parking lot and onto the road, heading for her home and that of her little sister. From the back seat, Sunset watched them silently. Why were they helping her? She is nothing but a burden. Even if it's only for the week, she can't bear to let them spend more than they usually do, just for herself. She turned her attention back to the lunar star, pensive.
Who was Anon-a-Miss? Why was she framing it? Was it because of her past or something else? It is because of this blog now that she is forced to depend on others.
.
It was with these thoughts that Sunset fell asleep.
It was Celestia's sweet voice that awakened her.
“Sunset Shimmer. We have arrived.”
Sunset opened a glassy eye and through the windshield watched the house standing in front of them. It was quite modest but still quite luxurious.
Sunset opened the door and hesitantly approached the porch of the house, behind Celestia and Luna.
“Why this hesitation?” Luna remarked. “I told you, you are not a burden to us. And besides, it's not just a proposal. It is also an order. So, come in!”
In front of Luna's imperious tone, Sunset rushed immediately inside. The house was quite classy, as she had seen from the outside. She almost thought she was in Rarity's house, so white and purple dominated the other colours.
“Sunset. Welcome to your new home for the week,” Celestia said as she took the leather jacket off the redhead and hung it on a coat rack.
She was in a hallway divided in two by the existence of a staircase leading upstairs on the left. The right side led to the back, where the kitchen and dining room probably stood. There were also two oak doors leading to the living room and toilet.
“Come, I will show you the bathroom. You need a good shower to get rid of all that dry blood,” said Luna as she took her upstairs, while Celestia prepared dinner.
Luna opened one of the five doors leading to different rooms upstairs and let Sunset in, before closing it again. She now found herself in a medium-sized bathroom. Sunset wasted no time getting undressed and started to wash herself.
.
“Thank you for the meal. It is one of the best I have had in days.”
“Glad you like it,” smiled Celestia as she took another bite of spaghetti. “It's obvious right away that you were undernourished.”
Sunset smiled sadly and leaned back fully on her chair and sighed.
“You could say that too. While I think about it, thanks again for believing me. It's doing me a lot of good.”
“You're welcome. Now go get some rest. From what Luna told me, you've been through a lot today.”
Sunset gave them a thankful look and went upstairs to the guest room. She went straight to bed and thought about her day. It had been one of the most horrible she had ever had. Worse than after the Fall Formal. She closed her eyes and thought about her friends. The way they had looked at her was the worst punch Sunset had ever had. Immediately she remembered, in spite of herself, the day it all changed.
Sunset walked through the halls of Canterlot High, a slight leap in her gait, laughing inwardly at the memories of last night's sleep over. "The closet of shame". Strange, but original as a name. She'll have to ask Rarity where she gets that kind of name. Speaking of the wolf, she found it in the company of the other Rainbooms, in front of her locker.
“Hey, girls!” She suddenly stopped noticing her friends' faces. “What's going on?”
“Sunset,” Applejack began. “Do you... have you lost your phone recently?
Sunset searched her jacket and pulled out the device in question.
“Um… no? It's right here. Why?”
“Then you need to explain this!” she exclaimed aggressively as she reached for her own phone.
There she saw a post. And not just any post. It was a post from Anon-a-Miss... with pictures from their previous sleepover with the comment: "OMG... what a bunch of dorks! Hahaha!"
“What?!!” she exclaimed, stunned. “How did she get our pictures?”
“They’re not our pictures, Sunset—," Applejack said sombrely.
“— they're yours,” Rainbow ended in the same tone.
“All those pictures were taken by you,” Applejack said, her eyes squinted.
Sunset couldn't believe it. Were they accusing her of giving Anon-a-Miss those pictures?
“Wait! I’ve had my phone all this time! How did she—”
“Yeah. How did she know about my nickname? How did she get the pictures from your phone? It was you. All along! You're Anon-a-Miss.”
This sentence spoken by Applejack had the effect of a bomb in her head. Did she hear wrong? Rainbow contradicted that thought.
“We trusted you, Sunset. We thought you were our friend.”
It was Rarity's turn to speak with an angry look on her face.
“How could you do this? After all we've been through together?”
“No, wait, girls... I didn't do this!” Sunset said, trying to defend herself, feeling her eyes tingle. “I could never hurt any of you.”
Pinkie pointed an accusing finger at her.
“But you did! You must’ve just been pretending to be our friend, when all along you were just after our secrets! You… you secret stealer!”
“No! NO! I don't know how she got this stuff, but it... it wasn't me. I'm not this person.”
“No, you're not," Fluttershy cried out, tears in her eyes. “You're not the person we thought you were. You're not our friend!”
The fact that it was Fluttershy who said those words was the last straw. Her tears were now flowing.
“No, I.... I am. I promise.”
She watched the girls, not believing what she was going through. Was it even real? Applejack and Rainbow had the same expression: anger. Fluttershy cried silently and Rarity and Pinkie looked disappointed.
“This is it, Sunset. You’re not going to take advantage of us anymore. I'm sorry but you did this to us. Tell whatever secrets you want, but we don't have to listen.”
As one, the original Rainbooms left, leaving the crying girl in the middle of the hallway.
Sunset opened her eyes and wiped away a tear that had appeared in the corner of her eye. She searched her pocket for her phone, only to find it in pieces.
Probably Gilda, she thought as she remembered the blows she had received.
She put the debris of the device on her bedside table and fell asleep. She didn't notice the screen light up, showing a picture of the Rainbooms gathered shortly after the Battle of the Bands, and then shut down for good.
.
The following Tuesday, Sunset was heading towards the high school, having preferred to walk there, not wanting the students to see her arrive with the principal. This will only incite more hatred. Everyone will assume that she has gained the protection of the teachers.
As she was walking there quietly, completely recovered, she ran into an elderly woman who had arrived on a street corner. She was about to apologize when she recognized the woman.
“Miss... Miss Bookbinder?!” she said, her voice trembling with fear.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
Miss Bookbinder was a young woman of twenty-seven, with yellow skin, green hair and the attitude of someone who does not easily be intimidated. She was also the woman to whom Sunset had rented an apartment. And she was the same person who had evicted her, leaving her on the street.
Sunset looked at the woman and noted that she looked relieved and embarrassed. This contrasts with the expression of pure hatred she had when the redhead was evicted.
“Listen, Sunset.” She flinched as Sunset stepped back, terrified. “I'm... I'm sorry.”
It took forever for the information to reach Sunset's brain. She blinked once, twice, three times before she let go:
“What?”
“I'm sorry,” repeated Miss Bookbinder. “For kicking you out of your house. For yelling at you. I shouldn't have done that. It was unworthy of me and I realize it was stupid.”
She stared at the young teenager. She didn't seem to believe her ears. And she also seemed to have an internal struggle over the next thing she said. Finally, she made up her mind:
“Why the sudden change of heart? And why now?”
Miss Bookbinder gave her a little smile.
“You must know Miss Spitfire, right?” Faced with the redhead's nod, she continued. “We're pretty old acquaintances. Apparently, she got wind of what I did to you and she wasn't very happy about it. Yesterday, she came to see me and forced me to let you rent your apartment again. I told her that I refused but then she told me what you were going through at your high school. It made me think. More than once, apparently, you almost went to the hospital, and I told myself that guilty would never have taken such risks. But according to Spitfire, the gossip continued and got worse, and so did the treatment you were receiving from the student body. That's when I realized what a huge mistake I'd just made. I called you several times but you didn't answer.”
“My phone is in shambles. Because of a... treatment, as you say.”
“That's a shame. I'd like to offer you a new one as a sign of forgiveness but I don't have the budget. Anyway. I'll give you your apartment back.”
Miss Bookbinder apparently expected a thank you. Too bad. She didn't expect Sunset to give her a sad smile.
“I'm sorry, Miss Bookbinder, but I can't.”
“Why can't you?”
“I couldn't pay the rent. Shortly before you evicted me, I got a call from my boss. He told me I was being fired.”
“Fired? But why would he fire you? From what I've heard, you are diligent in your waitressing job. Why is that?”
Sunset grimaced. Immediately, an idea came into the woman's mind.
“Is it... the same reason as mine?”
Sunset did nothing to confirm or deny, but Bookbinder found her answer in her attitude. Tears came to her eyes. This young girl was going through a situation she had never imagined. And what's more, she expelled him from her home, just after a similar shock. She had to add a layer to it. That was too much. She approached Sunset and embraced him. Sunset froze but returned the embrace after a while.
“You know what? To hell with the rent. It'll be free.”
“What?! Sunset exclaimed, as confused by the sudden familiarization as by the generous offer, breaking the embrace.”
“I said it'll be free.”
“I... I don't know what to say.”
“So don't say anything. Now go to class. I expect to see you tonight at your apartment.”
And without another word, she left with a wave of her hand, which Sunset didn't give back, storing up everything she had experienced a moment ago. She found her apartment, her bed, her game console, her couch... everything. Her face, at first stunned, lit up little by little and for the first time in days, she had reason to smile with joy.
A small, barely perceptible smile that did not leave her despite the insults and jostling she received that day. She was also too cheerful and dreamy that she didn't notice that the jostling had gradually turned into a mini-slap and mini-punch, until it became a fight. She didn't realize this until the afternoon, at the end of the class.
The revelation came in the form of a snarling yob named Dumbbell, who grabbed the redhead by the collar and neck and lifted her off the ground, while Sunset was busy arranging the inside of her locker, ready to go home.
“What... do... you... want?” Sunset struggled to say, gasping for breath.
“Guess what, Anon-a-Miss. It's not complicated. I'm gonna get back at you. HOW DARE YOU PUBLISH THIS SECRET?!”
“I didn't do anything to you.”
“OH, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”
And with the support of the crowd of students that appeared, he stuck his fist in the girl's stomach, knowing that he would not be punished, since the teachers were at a meeting at the other end of the school for at least an hour. Sunset's eyes popped out of their sockets. Dumbbell dropped her and she fell to the ground, her head hitting the floor. She suddenly felt dizzy. She struggled to get up, and as soon as she got up, she was pinned against her locker by Dumbbell, who pounded her face and stomach with his fists. Before long, Sunset's vision was blurred by the blood that was beginning to flow. She vaguely heard the panicky cries of the students and the warning cries of warning, her ears were buzzing so loudly, but Dumbbell continued to shoot her with his fist.
She mentally called out for help.
Help me! Please, she thought as she tried to free herself from the iron fist of the colossus.
Suddenly, the blows stopped and there had a collective gasp.
“That's enough!”
Sunset didn't need to open her aching eyes to know who her saviour was. She had the memory of that voice etched in her mind.
Flash?
“You've gone too far,” came a second voice.
Ditzy?
“Are you interfering? You'll be next.”
“Oh, no, I don't think so.”
Dumbbell felt his veins freezing. He slowly turned his head and found himself face to face with the angry eyes of Principal Celestia and Coach Spitfire.
“I... I... I... This is a joke ! Yes, a joke !!! You know?”
“Still, given the state of Sunset Shimmer, I don't think so. It's worse than with Miss Griffin. Come with me, Mr. Dumbbell.”
The two left before the frightened eyes of the assembled students, who were intimidated by the flames that seemed to dance in the sports teacher's eyes. Celestia gazed at them with a similar look, mentally noting the name of each student present, lingering for half a second on one group in particular.
“The next time something like this happens, it will be direct expulsion,” she announced. “And it will be a week of detention for those who attend the scene and yet don't intervene. NOW GET TO THE GYM! Given what happened here, I'm going to have to make an announcement. ”
There was a real cloud of dust as the students fled the principal in a fury. Sunset opened her eyes and clearly saw that her five friends were part of the group. Once again, they had witnessed the scene but had done nothing to protect her. She burst into tears, drawing the attention of Celestia, Derpy and Flash, who had stayed behind.
“Shhhh,” Ditzy mumbled, stroking Sunset's back. “They left.”
“They... they... were there. But... they... didn't... do... anything.”
Flash frowned. He, too, had seen the Rainbooms. He had not acted at first, believing that the girls, even though they were no longer really friends, would protect her. But he had been mistaken. They had been left out in the cold. Then, with Ditzy as his support, he had acted. He contacted Coach Spitfire and then threw himself at Dumbbell and blocked two of his shots, which resulted in the panting that followed, as no one imagined that Sunset's ex-boyfriend would save her.
He knelt down next to Sunset and pulled her into his arms. She didn't resist and collapsed against his shoulder. He felt the fabric of her jacket get wet, but did not push the girl away, leaving her crying comfortably on his shoulder.
“Flash Sentry.”
Still holding the redhead in his embrace, Flash looked up at the principal Celestia.
“Please take Miss Shimmer to the infirmary with Miss Doo. I will meet you there.”
Flash nodded. He put Sunset back on her feet, letting her lean on him. With Ditzy, they made their way to the infirmary, crossing the empty corridors, everyone in the gym. Flash glanced obliquely at Sunset. She had stopped crying and was now staring at the empty floor. All the joy she had had in the morning? Poof! Gone.
They arrived in front of the infirmary. Ditzy knocked at the door.
“Come in,” came the voice of Redheart.
Ditzy pushed the door. Redheart watched them enter and immediately got up when he saw Sunset.
“Oh my God! Sunset! What happened?”
“She was attacked, ma'am,” Ditzy replied sadly, looking at the battered girl.
“By who?”
“Dumbbell. But don't worry. He's already in the hands of Principal Celestia,” Flash replied gravely.
“Good.” She took a bottle of alcohol, soaked in absorbent cotton, and began to apply it to the wound of Sunset, who had a dead look in her eyes. “Miss Shimmer. Are you all right?”
New tears appeared in her cyan eyes and she began to cry again.
“No... I'm not okay. No one wants me here.”
Ditzy stepped forward, sat down next to her and stroked her back, pointing at herself and Flash.
“That's not true, Sunset. We are here, us.”
Sunset didn't answer and buried her head deep into the blonde's neck, crying continuously.
