Anon-a-Miss: Change Your Mindby King_AgainChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 1 “Hurting someone can be as easy as throwing a stone in the sea. But do you have any idea how deep that stone can go?” The wind was cold against her skin as she walked aimlessly around the town that once made her feel protected and loved. She didn’t bother looking up to know she got a few looks from people passing by— she didn’t need to look up to know that much. It was probably because she lacked a jacket in these cold times but honestly, it felt good to know she was still capable of feeling something. Her eyes looked dead. Dull. There wasn’t a light that once shined brightly, no, that had run out so quickly over the past few days. Weeks, even. She couldn’t recall when she woke up to find her eyes so dim. She couldn’t remember anything nowadays; only the sole fact that everything hurt and it was hard to get up in the mornings. There was a small desire to stay in bed, to say “fuck it,” and not go to school with Winter Break being so close by. What good would it do if she went anyways? Everyone hated her. They all blamed her for the latest problem. They wouldn’t listen to her reasoning, they’d ignore her cries for them to just listen, and continued to blame her. Even her so-called ‘friends,’ were blaming her for this. It made her stomach turn to see their friendliness turn into anger. Why couldn’t they see she had nothing to do with this? Why couldn’t they see she had nothing to gain from doing this? She had absolutely no reason for this at all. But they stole one look at her and assumed she had gone back into her old ways, and it hurt. Was that all they saw of her? A bitch who just wanted popularity— who wanted to drive everyone apart and would stop at nothing in order to do so? Yes, in the past, that’s how she was but not anymore. She had changed. Why couldn’t they see that? It made her sick to think they would turn their backs on her so easily. Just like that. At one point, the pain had become so unbearable and she felt so numb that she struck up a blade against her skin to see if she was still capable of feeling. The only problem was she didn’t know if she could be relieved or not when she discovered she was still capable of feeling. … she also couldn’t stop after one cut. One soon becomes two, followed by becoming three and so on. Eventually her arms were littered with angry red marks. It could have raised concern if she had allowed everyone to see her arms, but she didn’t. If she was being honest, she had doubts that anyone would care about her newfound habit. They would just say she was seeking attention— that she wasn’t capable of feeling that way. That she was lying again, just like when she said she had nothing to do with Anon-a-Miss. Yes, that’s what this was all about; Anon-a-Miss. An online secret admitter that got everyone railed up when they discovered their deepest secrets were being shown online. It tore up so many friendships and relationships just like that. She couldn’t go anywhere without being seen by classmates and fellow students that hated her. So many times she had to leave a store or building simply because the business there couldn’t be risked with fights. In that sense, she could understand— everyone could. That was just normal in everyday lives. Coming back into reality, she blinked to see herself at a bridge, hearing the rushing water underneath. When had she gotten onto the railing? When had she swung her legs over? She shrugged, not caring anymore. If jumping off of the bridge meant she could finally have peace and be at rest without having to worry anymore— then she was all for it. If jumping meant she didn’t have to deal with everyone at school, where teachers didn’t really intervene that much, didn’t truly punish the tormentors and instead targeted the victims more, then she was happy to acknowledge the sweet relief that came with suicide. It would be so easy too; just a simple step away to happiness and then she would be free. She couldn’t wait. … why wasn’t she jumping? It was right there. Relief. Why wasn’t she jumping? What was wrong with her body now? Ah, that’s why. The stranger that looked familiar, who was holding her shoulder with worry-filled eyes, mouthing something to her. That’s why she couldn’t jump. This stranger was preventing her from becoming happy again; preventing her from finding people who actually gave a damn about her in the afterlife. The one who was tugging her down from the bridge and was… hugging her? What? “…are you even listening to me?” the voice broke through her broken mind and brought her back to reality even more than she was. She could actually hear this stranger now. “I…” she swallowed heavily, blinking to bring her dazed gaze into focus. “I’m sorry, what?” A sigh. But there was no disappointed expression. It stayed the same worried one. That was new. “I said, what were you thinking?” the stranger repeated, digging through their bag to pull out a spare jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders. “Did you even think about what you’re doing? All the people you might—” “— no one’s going to miss me. Everyone hates me. I’d be doing them all a favor anyways. You’re wasting your time on me.” Taking a closer look, she suddenly realized why this stranger looked so familiar. She was a Shadowbolt judging by the uniform she had underneath the jacket. God, this was something; a Wondercolt saved by a Shadowbolt. It was practically unheard of considering the schools’ rivalry. “You’re a Shadowbolt,” she whispered, amazed. “I… uh… don’t remember you, though.” “Sugarcoat,” the Shadowbolt replied, adjusting her glasses. “You’re Sunset Shimmer— Canterlot High’s former queen bee.” Sunset looked down at the ground. “I would rather not be reminded of that. It’s still haunting me to this day; but like I said, you’re wasting your time on me.” “Wasting my time?” Sugarcoat repeated, frowning deeply. “How am I wasting my time on saving someone from committing suicide? I literally saved your life.” “A life that shouldn’t have been saved.” A surge of concern shot through Sugarcoat even more than it already had as she swallowed thickly. Perhaps the depression Sunset had was even more deeper than she originally thought. Her stomach twisted as she forced herself to keep quiet to that statement. “Why?” asked Sugarcoat. When Sunset shot her a confused expression, she bit her lip and continued, “Why did you attempt to jump? What brought you to do this?” “A lot of things,” Sunset shrugged. “A lot of things.” “Explain them to me.” “It’s a long story, y’know. I’d probably be wasting your time.” Sugarcoat took a deep breath. “I got time.” When Sunset breathed out, she saw her pale breath in the air. “You’re not letting this go,” she stated. There was no question. “No, not really.” Sunset hesitated for a single second before it all came out. Every little thing that happened before and after her life turned into the very thing that haunted her. All the pain that came with being accused, how innocent until proven guilty was gone within an instant. Even the very moment she took up a blade to see if she could still feel was brought up and concern flashed again in Sugarcoat’s eyes at that part and moved down to Sunset’s arms but she didn’t move to check them. As the Wondercolt finished, Sunset had to take deep breaths to collect herself. Admittedly, she felt better after getting everything out to someone; who knew that would help? She flinched when she saw how thunderous Sugarcoat’s expression was, how tightly she was holding her skirt in her hands. Her knuckles looked like snow. Maybe she shouldn’t have told her everything? Maybe then the girl wouldn’t be so pissed off. “Morons,” Sugarcoat mumbled under her breath. “Bloody morons.” Sunset’s gaze fell to the ground again. “I’m used to it, though. Nothing’s going to change, and at least I can get away from them during Winter Break. That’s a plus.” “But you had plans with them.” “Not anymore. I think that became obvious when this all started. I always thought this would end someday, too. So I’m not all that surprised.” Sunset dryly laughed. Sugarcoat’s next move surprised them both as she took Sunset’s cold hand, and said, “Spend Christmas with me and my friends.” Both of their eyes widened but it was already out there. There was no taking that back. Sunset took a moment to reply. “W-What?” Sugarcoat flushed, glancing away. “I-I said to spend Christmas with me and my friends— with the Shadowbolts. We’ll show you what real friendship looks like. I’ll give you a reason to change your mind about how much your life means to others.” “They’ll hate me too,” Sunset sighed. “Everyone does.” “That’s why I want to prove you wrong,” Sugarcoat stated, helping Sunset stand up with her, still holding her hand. She gave it a squeeze and locked eyes with the Wondercolt. “Just give me a chance to change your mind.” It would be so easy to turn her down. Just a simple ‘no,’ and everything could go back to the way it was. They could go their separate ways and never speak about this encounter again. Life would go on and everything would be fine. Yet for some reason, Sunset couldn’t find it in herself to say that easy word. It suddenly felt wrong to say it, and she didn’t know why. Instead, she found herself saying, “Okay.” What was happening? She had been so close to finding happiness again and now here she was, agreeing to have someone try and change her mind about life. How stupid could she be? This would only serve to hurt her even more than she already was. “Thank you,” smiled Sugarcoat. “Now, let’s go warm up somewhere. It’s freezing and I hate the cold.” Sunset shifted. “Where are you thinking?” She didn’t have much money on her, so she hoped wherever they were going wasn’t too expensive. “Sugarcube Corner.” Apparently she also hated the answer. Neat. Chapter 2Immediately as they arrived, Sunset wanted to turn back. She didn’t want to risk ruining the Cakes’ day anymore than she already did but Sugarcoat refused to let go of her hand, which meant she couldn’t escape from sight. Normally this would’ve been okay but it only brought worry and fear. What if the Rainbooms were here? What would happen then? Sugarcoat still wouldn’t let go as she ordered them hot chocolate to warm them up, paying for them both. She tasked Sunset with finding a place to sit, and of course the girl immediately chose the safest looking table— the one farest away from everyone’s sight. But who knew how long the safety would last. Jackets had been abandoned in favor of the cafe’s warmth, the tension was little as it was mostly adults at this time. The teenagers would be arriving soon though, Sunset knew it by heart since she mostly came here with… them after school was done for the day. This was the one day she had chosen to stay home from that hell. She didn’t know CPA’s time schedule but she knew CHS’ by heart. Hopefully they would be done here before long. She really didn’t want to have a confrontation. Five minutes passed by without any indentation of the former friends and Sunset was just starting to relax as Sugarcoat talked about the plans for Christmas when the door opened up again. Sunset’s eyes widened as her nerves started up again, her stomach forming nots as she itched to leave the café. But one look from Sugarcoat told her that wasn’t happening. The Shadowbolt wanted her to show that she didn’t care what they thought anymore. That she was over the accusations being made because she had someone on her side. Because she had a real friend and many more on the way. “Do you really have to be everywhere?” growled Rainbow, eyes dangerously flashing. “I thought it was clear we had enough of seeing you.” Sugarcoat gave her a look. “Here I thought this was a public space. Everyone’s welcome here, like it or not.” “A Shadowbolt?” Rainbow’s eyes widened along with the others. They clearly didn’t expect that. Sunset just stared into the cup, not wanting to make eye-contact with any of them. “Are you trying to make a fool of yourself even more?” “Funny,” Sugarcoat said, “the only fools I can see are you five and I’m not very amused.” The Wondercolt could feel the anger burning in Sugarcoat and found herself torn on what to do next. Either she could stop this right now or she could allow this to continue on. On the one hand, it’d be nice to see the Rainbooms get exactly what was coming for them but that could also get Sugarcoat banned from Sugarcube Corner if things got physical. Why was it so hard to make up her mind? “Yer wastin’ yer time,” Applejack stated calmly, though Sunset could see the hate burning those green eyes. “She ain’t nothin’ but a troublemaker. Even if yer are a Shadowbolt— yer better than that.” “She’s only a ‘troublemaker,’ because you labeled her that without any source of proof.” Rarity huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “We’re trying to save you, darling!” Sugarcoat frowned. “From what? A pointless argument you’re not going to win?” “This is bullshit,” Rainbow mumbled under her breath before slamming her hands down onto the table, trying her best to ignore the looks being shot from all around— especially the owners. “If you keep hanging around this bitch— then you’re going to get betrayed. Do you really want that fucking happening?” “Oh, you mean like how you betrayed her? You turned your backs to her the second you thought she was behind this… anon-a-miss thing, and you refuse to allow her to tell you her side of the story. You don’t trust her. You never did. That’s why you were so quick to abandon her the second you thought it was her because you thought she pretended to be your friend to learn secrets about you just so she could go back being alone?” Sugarcoat replied, trying to get her breathing under control. “You almost made her—” “Sugarcoat, don’t,” Sunset whispered, closing her eyes. Sugarcoat nodded, mouthing a ‘sorry,’ to her. The whole café went quiet afterwards. Sunset wished she wasn’t shocked as she thought about her newfound friend’s words. She knew Sugarcoat could be blunt. Like, extremely blunt; she said things how she saw them. In fact, her name probably shouldn’t even be Sugarcoat because she didn’t sugarcoat things at all. But how she said every little thing… Sunset could feel her numb heart letting down some barriers; was she starting to trust Sugarcoat a little bit just because she defended her? But that also meant she couldn’t go spilling about her attempted suicide. It took her a full moment to realize the Rainbooms were shocked into silence. Guilty expressions littering their faces before they shook them away. … almost like they didn’t want to feel the guilt. “Wha…” Rainbow swallowed thickly, trying to make some sort of sense of things. She nearly jumped when she felt Fluttershy placing a hand on her shoulder. “What the fuck…” was all she could get out. “Let’s go,” Fluttershy whispered to the others. She turned back to the two, looking embarrassed. At least she still had the dignity to. “Um, sorry to bother you.” Sugarcoat just shrugged. “Whatever.” “But, what the fuck—?” Rainbow still struggled to find the right words, even as she left the cafe with her friends, still trying to make sense of what she was told. The last thing Sunset saw of them when she looked up, was the unsure eyes of Rarity— almost like she was pleading for some sort of forgiveness. But Sunset didn’t have any forgiveness left within her. Not anymore. … They still couldn’t wrap their minds around what they had just heard, even after they exited the shop and headed down to another café. Rainbow couldn’t stop spluttering about what nonsense it was while the rest shared different views on the matter. Eventually Rainbow’s gaze turned the soft pinkette and immediately Fluttershy hid behind her hair, trying to vanish from sight but it didn’t work as her eyes narrowed slightly as if Rainbow was trying to figure out her reasoning behind the matter. “Why did you drag us out of there?” “I didn’t want a fight,” Fluttershy squeaked out. Rarity huffed. “We could have still stayed with no fights,” she stole a look at Rainbow who turned her gaze to the window, “— besides, we’re lucky the Cakes didn’t intervene. They most certainly would have.” “Ah reckon it’s because of that Shadowbolt,” Applejack sighed. “She follows the rules.” “Also she’s bluntly honest,” Pinkie chirped in as she stuffed her mouth with a cupcake. No one questioned where she got it. Rainbow grumbled. “But why is she defending Shimmer anyways?” Applejack frowned, arching a brow. “Why do ya care? Ya hate the Shadowbolts, especially Indigo Zap.” “I don’t care!” Rainbow huffed angrily, eyes flashing as she leaned back in her seat. “I’m just curious as to why she’s defending her. Our schools are rivals, so there’s no reason for her to take Shimmer’s side. Hell, she shouldn’t even be sticking her nose in our business.” “There must be some reason,” Rarity stressed. Fluttershy nervously played with her hair, biting her lip. “What about that unfinished sentence Sugarcoat was saying?” The group fell silent as they thought about it. What could they have almost made Sunset do? Why did that even matter? It was their lives being ruined, not Sunset’s. Their secrets were being spilled, not Sunset’s. “Who cares?” Rainbow said. “What does matter is why Sugarcoat is defending Shimmer.” “Give it a rest…” sighed Applejack. “Shy might have a point. Ah am kinda curious to know what the rest of the sentence would have been.” Pinkie took a moment to think. “Aha!” she clicked her fingers and everyone turned to her before watching her go right back to her drink like nothing happened. “What?” she asked, mouth full when she realized they were staring at her. Rarity sighed. “What did you realize?” “Oh, I dunno. I just felt like saying it.” “Of course.” The table fell silent again for a few moments before their phones went off in union. When they glanced down, their stomachs plummeted. Anon-A-Miss was at it again. They didn’t want to look, why would they? But again, they were curious to see who was being targeted this time around. They shared a look; should they? It would only serve their anger further— they could just ignore it. But… could they ignore Sunset’s next target? “Fuck it,” Rainbow sighed, grabbing her phone. “I’ll take one for the team.” Rarity sighed with relief. “Thank you, darling.” After a minute with no response, Pinkie gave her friend a look. “Well? Who is it?” Rainbow blinked, looking up. “Shy, your brother’s gay?” “What?” Fluttershy asked, eyes wide as she looked at the post. Everyone’s eyes followed suit as they looked at Rainbow’s phone. “Zephyr?” “He’s certainly kissing Sandalwood,” noted Pinkie. Applejack hummed. “It’s not a bad secret… ah mean, ah like who ya like.” “I’ll have to ask him when I get home,” Fluttershy said, making a metal note in her mind. Silently, they all wondered why Zephyr’s secret wasn’t as bad as everyone else’s. Surely Sunset wasn’t homophobic, was she? That would raise new problems for her if she was, that was for sure. … “Here you go,” Sugarcoat said as she handed Sunset back her phone. “Text me.” She took out her phone, awaiting for the text. “Okay,” Sunset breathed in shakily as she sent a simple text. Hi. Sugarcoat rolled her eyes at the usual first text and quickly saved Sunset’s number to her phone, making a mental note to create a new group chat with her friends to include Sunset or simply just add her to the current one. Of course she would make sure Sunset was okay with that before doing anything, and then she’d make sure her friends were down with the idea of adding Sunset. This was also done to make sure Sunset had Sugarcoat’s number so she could easily get a hold of her when things got too tough to handle and Sugarcoat could easily check in on Sunset. “Now, if they insult you, or do anything, you text me,” Sugarcoat demanded. “I’ll text back, regardless which class I have. Of course I might not when I have gym, but you understand, I can’t really text back during that class.” Sunset nodded. “Thanks. For everything, I mean.” “I’m not about to let you be pressured into suicide again,” Sugarcoat stated, downing the last of her drink. “Text or call me whenever you need to vent. Just… don’t cut yourself or try to commit suicide again.” “That… might take some time— for the cutting, I mean,” Sunset sadly admitted. Sugarcoat’s worry shot up again. For Sunset to easily admit that; it scared her. It was desperately clear that Canterlot High was no longer a safe haven. She didn’t feel happy to know Sunset was there. There was an easy way out of that hellhole, but would Sunset want to even consider the idea? After all, it wouldn’t be easy switching schools since Winter Break was next week. No staff member right in their mind would want to think about doing school work during the break. “Did you ever think about switching schools?” Sugarcoat asked slowly and gently. Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “A little bit, yeah. I just never went through with it considering Winter Break is coming up and… no staff would want to do paperwork during the break. Plus, I kinda thought this whole thing would have been done by now. They’d find the culprit by now and everything would be back to normal.” “You should have gone through with it.” “Probably, yeah.” Sugarcoat gave her a look. “We both know it’s not safe for you there. It’s not.” “I know,” Sunset sighed heavily, shrugging carelessly. “What can I do? It’s not like they’ll let me transfer now.” Deep down they both knew Sunset wasn’t going to do anything about it. They knew it would be pointless but Sugarcoat had a plan. Surely they couldn’t say no if they had Principal Cinch’s agreement to the matter, could they? It would be easy to get Cinch to agree; Sugarcoat would say she knew a perfect student to join the Crystal Prep family, and the best part was; they’d be stealing them away from Canterlot High. Sunset would be able to tell them Canterlot’s weakness they had yet to discover, and would be able to give them insight on how to humiliate them even further. Principal Cinch wouldn’t be able to say no. Yes, that sounded like a plan. Chapter 3“Principal Cinch? Do you have a moment?” Principal Abacus Cinch. The name sent shivers down any spine. The name could freeze a person. A name so well known that one seemed to mess with the owner of it. The name that belonged to the Principal of Crystal Prep Academy; the name of the world’s strictest principal. No one knew just how high the standards of the principal could be until they experienced a day in her school. Any mark lower than she desired and it was a warning to change it right away or you wouldn’t survive the year without being at the bottom of the foodchange or perhaps you simply wouldn’t continue on at the greatest school the state had ever seen. Any uniform is less than perfect and you would be ordered to make it so. Anyone late would be given a warning, any class skippers would be punished accordingly, and any no-showers would be expelled. If you were an athlete and in any of the school’s sport teams, you had to maintain perfection. You had to be fast, on point, scoring goals like your life depended on it. You simply had to be perfect at everything. The same went for any type of school club, for any class. Now of course not everyone would follow the rules, twisting them. Teachers would do so too. If Principal Cinch was around, everyone would follow the rules; it was an unspoken law between the students and teachers; if Cinch was around, they did everything to her preference. There was no doubt she had her favorite students. It was clear Sugarcoat was one of them. Her and another student. When around her favorites, the strict woman would melt ever so slightly and consider whatever they suggested but that didn’t mean she would always bend to their will. “Miss Sugarcoat,” Principal Cinch hummed, readjusting her glasses. “Please, come in and take a seat.” When Sugarcoat was seated across from her, she gave her precious student a smile, though the girl could tell it was fake. “What can I do for you?” “I need you to sign this,” Sugarcoat said as she placed the papers down. Principal Cinch’s eyes widened as she looked at the headline. Transfer Request. Her stomach dropped as panic set in. Did this mean Sugarcoat was wanting to transfer out of the school? One of her prized students who meant business? No. That couldn’t happen. She couldn’t afford to lose any of her students. Who knows what could happen to Crystal Prep’s reputation? “You wish to transfer?” she laughed nervously. Sugarcoat shook her head. “No, it’s not for me.” “Then… who?” “A friend of mine,” Sugarcoat explained, a smirk forming. “One of Canterlot High’s students. A prized student, in fact.” Principal Cinch’s jaw dropped as a rush of anger coursed through her. She gritted her teeth in irritation. Now why would she take a student from that school? Crystal Prep Academy did not take students from a lesser school. Her eyes narrowed darkly as she prepared to explain this to Sugarcoat before the girl raised a hand. “Let me explain,” she added. “This could be an advantage for us. For one, the school is in chaos. It’s toxic right now. The students are at each other’s throats all because their secrets are coming loose on Mystable.” To prove her point, she pulled out her phone and pulled up the app on the account’s page. “They were quick to blame one person opposed to finding out who was behind it. Quick to accuse. No logic behind their decision except for the past actions of said person.” “Who’s the said person?” asked Abacus. “Sunset Shimmer. She’s probably a month or two older than me.” Abacus hummed as she leaned back, motioning for Sugarcoat to continue. She was beginning to see how this could work to her advantage. How much deeper she could ruin Canterlot High’s reputation straight into the ground while Crystal Prep was seen as the hero of this story. It was doing wonders for her ego. “Not only will you be taking her out from a toxic environment, you’ll be saving her life,” Sugarcoat pointed out. “She, uh, she attempted suicide earlier a few days ago. I stopped her from jumping.” Abacus’ eyes softened as she heard that. No doubt she was picturing her own daughter attempting to do such a thing and sucked in a harsh breath at the image, willing it away. There was no way Sunny Flare would attempt suicide but to hear Sugarcoat’s information about Sunset’s age, she couldn’t help but image Sunny attempting. It hurt her heart to think her own daughter, someone she raised since birth, would do such a thing. She couldn’t imagine what Sunset’s parents were going through. Sugarcoat licked her lips as she glanced at the paperwork. “It would be in her best interest to transfer from CHS. She’s the main target and I highly doubt she can last much longer. Principal Cinch, this would help CPA out. Save a student from suicide, a toxic environment, and you’ll be talk of the School Board for weeks.” Principal Cinch didn’t say a word as she reached for the phone on her desk, easily tapping a number as she brought the phone to her ear. Sugarcoat watched in confidence as her superior requested for Dean Cadance’s appearance. While she waited, she took a pen in hand and eyes roamed over the paper, signing the student’s name and which school she was transferring from and where she’d go. Dean Cadance appeared right as the principal signed her signature at the bottom. Her eyes widened upon seeing Sugarcoat but gave a friendly nod as she glanced at what her boss was doing and held back a gasp. “You’re transferring?” Dean Cadance asked, shocked. “Not me. Sunset Shimmer from Canterlot High will be,” Sugarcoat explained tightly. “It’s a toxic environment and she needs to get away.” She looked at Cinch directly in her eyes, something the principal admired. “Put her in my classes, it’ll help her adjust.” “Of course. I’ll notify the secretary,” Principal Cinch nodded. “Dean Cadance, please sign the appropriate places.” “Yes, Principal Cinch.” Sugarcoat held back a wide smile as the Dean gave the signed forms to her with a wink before leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I have a feeling that’s not all there is to it,” Cadance whispered, “come and find me at lunch to tell me the rest of the story.” Principal Cinch ignored the way the two interacted as her eyes darkened behind her glasses as a smile took over her face. “Due make sure these get to Miss Shimmer will you? I wish to have them back before the break starts.” Sugarcoat nodded as she stood up. “Of course, Principal Cinch. Thank you for your time.” As she left the office, she felt a wave of hope wash over her as she took out her phone to text Sunset. Meet me at the bridge after school. … Sunset tried ignoring the way everyone’s eyes followed her everywhere but it was becoming increasingly hard. She just had to survive until the break. It wasn’t that far away, just a couple more days and she would be free. She wouldn’t have to worry about this place for the rest of the break. She never did walk around during lunch or break anymore. She stayed firm in her class, ignoring the outside and played on her phone instead. There was the desire to text Sugarcoat but she knew she was probably with her friends. She couldn’t steal that precious time away from her. To pass the time, Sunset helped the teachers with anything they needed help with and did her unfinished homework. It would save her the trouble of completing them after the break. While she was working on her English homework, her phone buzzed with a simple text from Sugarcoat. It made her blink as she set down her pencil and stole a look at the message. A simple message but it made Sunset’s stomach turn in all the directions as she read through it. Meet me at the bridge after school. The nervousness must have shown on her face because the teacher glanced up at her with concern. “Are you okay?” he asked. Sunset took a deep breath as she sank in her chair. “A, uh, a friend asked me to meet them after school. I just met them a few days ago and to suddenly have this texted to me,” she glanced down, “I can’t help but feel like she’s going to end our friendship.” But Sugarcoat had said she would change her mind about the world. She would give her a reason to continue living. She wouldn’t go back on her word, right? “You will never know if you don’t meet her,” the teacher pointed out gently as he stood and walked over to her. He squatted down next to her and placed a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. “If I’m honest, you’ve been more lively since meeting this mysterious friend of yours. It’s a fresher. I hate seeing you so down in the dumps because of this stupid online mess.” “But it just ends all the same. I was friends with the Rainbooms and they immediately left me behind the moment this started, all because of my past. Why can’t they see I have nothing to gain from this? Why would I throw everything I wanted all away?” “Losing a friend is better than keeping a fake one.” Sunset glanced at him, surprised but couldn’t argue with that statement. Unfortunately before she could reply, the bell rang and students began to trickle back into the classrooms. The teacher went back behind his desk, shooting her a small smile and she couldn’t help but give a weak one back. Applejack and Rarity were the last ones to arrive and her gaze fell right back down to her English homework. Ignore them and she would be alright. She could see Sugarcoat soon and everything would be okay; she would be with the one person who actually wanted to be around her. Who she wanted to be around. The one person who actually succeeded in making Sunset feel again. With Sugarcoat on her mind, Sunset picked up the pencil and carried on where she left off. If she had glanced around she would have seen the looks shooting her away, but she didn’t. She had long since learned to ignore them. She also would have seen the looks her former friends were giving her. One a look of dislike and the other… a look of doubt. … “What did you need me for?” Sunset asked as Sugarcoat came into view. The school day was finally over. Sugarcoat handed her a cup of steaming hot chocolate, smiling softly when Sunset lit up at the sight of the drink. She bit her lip as she watched the girl hum happily as the warmth entered her mouth and shifted. Was she always this cute? “Anyway,” Sugarcoat coughed awkwardly, “I have something for you. Something important.” Sunset nodded, mouth still full. The Shadowbolt handed off the papers and watched as Sunset glanced over them, eyes going wide in realization and quickly locked their gazes together again. Sugarcoat shrugged innocently as if it was nothing. “I get you might not want this, but… Sunset, I honestly think you’d be better off somewhere else than staying at Canterlot High. No one will turn their backs on you like those Wondercolts did. Not at Crystal Prep unless you give a legitimate reason and enough proof to go along with it.” The transfer papers were staring directly at her with temptation. They were almost filled out completely. The two most important signatures of Crystal Prep were inked forever on the dull sheets; Dean Cadance and Principal Abacus Cinch. Two more spaces were left where Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna’s signatures would go to complete the paperwork for the transfer. She swallowed thickly. “How did you get Principal Cinch to sign this?” Sugarcoat nervously tapped her own cup. “I told her what she wanted to hear. Simple as that. She didn’t put up much of a fight,” she explained with a hint of guilt. Sunset gave her a look and she crumbled. “I told her this would help her ego. The most important thing is that she signed.” “This won’t go well with my principals,” Sunset sighed. “They’ll be losing a student to CPA and will worry the school will prove to be too difficult for me. They know how strict the school is.” “And yet they want to risk your life!” Sugarcoat hissed. Sunset nearly jumped at her tone but found herself rooted to the ground. “Sunset, from what you said, they didn’t do shit for you when this started. They didn’t step in to help you at all. They left you on your own and claim to be working on it. But how often does that prove true? Adults let bullying slide so often and yet get more worked up on shoulders being seen, physical fights being fought. They blame the victim more than the committer. That’s you. They blame you more than the one who started this. I guarantee they haven’t done anything to solve this.” “Sugarcoat, I—“ Sugarcoat’s eyes fell shut. “They almost lost you because they’re just sitting on their asses doing nothing! I almost saw you commit suicide! I—“ “Sugarcoat!” Sunset yelled, pulling her in close as she saw tears swell in the Shadowbolt’s eyes. Her heart was pounding. “I’ll get this signed. I’ll get them to sign it, okay? Please don’t cry, especially not over me. I’ll get away from them.” “You will?” “I will,” she promised as they came out of the hug. “Now, tell me about your day at school and what I can expect at Crystal Prep.” With a watery nod, Sugarcoat began talking. Just because they’re rivals didn’t mean they couldn’t be nice to each other. That they couldn’t be friends.
Chapter 1 “Hurting someone can be as easy as throwing a stone in the sea. But do you have any idea how deep that stone can go?” The wind was cold against her skin as she walked aimlessly around the town that once made her feel protected and loved. She didn’t bother looking up to know she got a few looks from people passing by— she didn’t need to look up to know that much. It was probably because she lacked a jacket in these cold times but honestly, it felt good to know she was still capable of feeling something. Her eyes looked dead. Dull. There wasn’t a light that once shined brightly, no, that had run out so quickly over the past few days. Weeks, even. She couldn’t recall when she woke up to find her eyes so dim. She couldn’t remember anything nowadays; only the sole fact that everything hurt and it was hard to get up in the mornings. There was a small desire to stay in bed, to say “fuck it,” and not go to school with Winter Break being so close by. What good would it do if she went anyways? Everyone hated her. They all blamed her for the latest problem. They wouldn’t listen to her reasoning, they’d ignore her cries for them to just listen, and continued to blame her. Even her so-called ‘friends,’ were blaming her for this. It made her stomach turn to see their friendliness turn into anger. Why couldn’t they see she had nothing to do with this? Why couldn’t they see she had nothing to gain from doing this? She had absolutely no reason for this at all. But they stole one look at her and assumed she had gone back into her old ways, and it hurt. Was that all they saw of her? A bitch who just wanted popularity— who wanted to drive everyone apart and would stop at nothing in order to do so? Yes, in the past, that’s how she was but not anymore. She had changed. Why couldn’t they see that? It made her sick to think they would turn their backs on her so easily. Just like that. At one point, the pain had become so unbearable and she felt so numb that she struck up a blade against her skin to see if she was still capable of feeling. The only problem was she didn’t know if she could be relieved or not when she discovered she was still capable of feeling. … she also couldn’t stop after one cut. One soon becomes two, followed by becoming three and so on. Eventually her arms were littered with angry red marks. It could have raised concern if she had allowed everyone to see her arms, but she didn’t. If she was being honest, she had doubts that anyone would care about her newfound habit. They would just say she was seeking attention— that she wasn’t capable of feeling that way. That she was lying again, just like when she said she had nothing to do with Anon-a-Miss. Yes, that’s what this was all about; Anon-a-Miss. An online secret admitter that got everyone railed up when they discovered their deepest secrets were being shown online. It tore up so many friendships and relationships just like that. She couldn’t go anywhere without being seen by classmates and fellow students that hated her. So many times she had to leave a store or building simply because the business there couldn’t be risked with fights. In that sense, she could understand— everyone could. That was just normal in everyday lives. Coming back into reality, she blinked to see herself at a bridge, hearing the rushing water underneath. When had she gotten onto the railing? When had she swung her legs over? She shrugged, not caring anymore. If jumping off of the bridge meant she could finally have peace and be at rest without having to worry anymore— then she was all for it. If jumping meant she didn’t have to deal with everyone at school, where teachers didn’t really intervene that much, didn’t truly punish the tormentors and instead targeted the victims more, then she was happy to acknowledge the sweet relief that came with suicide. It would be so easy too; just a simple step away to happiness and then she would be free. She couldn’t wait. … why wasn’t she jumping? It was right there. Relief. Why wasn’t she jumping? What was wrong with her body now? Ah, that’s why. The stranger that looked familiar, who was holding her shoulder with worry-filled eyes, mouthing something to her. That’s why she couldn’t jump. This stranger was preventing her from becoming happy again; preventing her from finding people who actually gave a damn about her in the afterlife. The one who was tugging her down from the bridge and was… hugging her? What? “…are you even listening to me?” the voice broke through her broken mind and brought her back to reality even more than she was. She could actually hear this stranger now. “I…” she swallowed heavily, blinking to bring her dazed gaze into focus. “I’m sorry, what?” A sigh. But there was no disappointed expression. It stayed the same worried one. That was new. “I said, what were you thinking?” the stranger repeated, digging through their bag to pull out a spare jacket, wrapping it around her shoulders. “Did you even think about what you’re doing? All the people you might—” “— no one’s going to miss me. Everyone hates me. I’d be doing them all a favor anyways. You’re wasting your time on me.” Taking a closer look, she suddenly realized why this stranger looked so familiar. She was a Shadowbolt judging by the uniform she had underneath the jacket. God, this was something; a Wondercolt saved by a Shadowbolt. It was practically unheard of considering the schools’ rivalry. “You’re a Shadowbolt,” she whispered, amazed. “I… uh… don’t remember you, though.” “Sugarcoat,” the Shadowbolt replied, adjusting her glasses. “You’re Sunset Shimmer— Canterlot High’s former queen bee.” Sunset looked down at the ground. “I would rather not be reminded of that. It’s still haunting me to this day; but like I said, you’re wasting your time on me.” “Wasting my time?” Sugarcoat repeated, frowning deeply. “How am I wasting my time on saving someone from committing suicide? I literally saved your life.” “A life that shouldn’t have been saved.” A surge of concern shot through Sugarcoat even more than it already had as she swallowed thickly. Perhaps the depression Sunset had was even more deeper than she originally thought. Her stomach twisted as she forced herself to keep quiet to that statement. “Why?” asked Sugarcoat. When Sunset shot her a confused expression, she bit her lip and continued, “Why did you attempt to jump? What brought you to do this?” “A lot of things,” Sunset shrugged. “A lot of things.” “Explain them to me.” “It’s a long story, y’know. I’d probably be wasting your time.” Sugarcoat took a deep breath. “I got time.” When Sunset breathed out, she saw her pale breath in the air. “You’re not letting this go,” she stated. There was no question. “No, not really.” Sunset hesitated for a single second before it all came out. Every little thing that happened before and after her life turned into the very thing that haunted her. All the pain that came with being accused, how innocent until proven guilty was gone within an instant. Even the very moment she took up a blade to see if she could still feel was brought up and concern flashed again in Sugarcoat’s eyes at that part and moved down to Sunset’s arms but she didn’t move to check them. As the Wondercolt finished, Sunset had to take deep breaths to collect herself. Admittedly, she felt better after getting everything out to someone; who knew that would help? She flinched when she saw how thunderous Sugarcoat’s expression was, how tightly she was holding her skirt in her hands. Her knuckles looked like snow. Maybe she shouldn’t have told her everything? Maybe then the girl wouldn’t be so pissed off. “Morons,” Sugarcoat mumbled under her breath. “Bloody morons.” Sunset’s gaze fell to the ground again. “I’m used to it, though. Nothing’s going to change, and at least I can get away from them during Winter Break. That’s a plus.” “But you had plans with them.” “Not anymore. I think that became obvious when this all started. I always thought this would end someday, too. So I’m not all that surprised.” Sunset dryly laughed. Sugarcoat’s next move surprised them both as she took Sunset’s cold hand, and said, “Spend Christmas with me and my friends.” Both of their eyes widened but it was already out there. There was no taking that back. Sunset took a moment to reply. “W-What?” Sugarcoat flushed, glancing away. “I-I said to spend Christmas with me and my friends— with the Shadowbolts. We’ll show you what real friendship looks like. I’ll give you a reason to change your mind about how much your life means to others.” “They’ll hate me too,” Sunset sighed. “Everyone does.” “That’s why I want to prove you wrong,” Sugarcoat stated, helping Sunset stand up with her, still holding her hand. She gave it a squeeze and locked eyes with the Wondercolt. “Just give me a chance to change your mind.” It would be so easy to turn her down. Just a simple ‘no,’ and everything could go back to the way it was. They could go their separate ways and never speak about this encounter again. Life would go on and everything would be fine. Yet for some reason, Sunset couldn’t find it in herself to say that easy word. It suddenly felt wrong to say it, and she didn’t know why. Instead, she found herself saying, “Okay.” What was happening? She had been so close to finding happiness again and now here she was, agreeing to have someone try and change her mind about life. How stupid could she be? This would only serve to hurt her even more than she already was. “Thank you,” smiled Sugarcoat. “Now, let’s go warm up somewhere. It’s freezing and I hate the cold.” Sunset shifted. “Where are you thinking?” She didn’t have much money on her, so she hoped wherever they were going wasn’t too expensive. “Sugarcube Corner.” Apparently she also hated the answer. Neat.
Chapter 2Immediately as they arrived, Sunset wanted to turn back. She didn’t want to risk ruining the Cakes’ day anymore than she already did but Sugarcoat refused to let go of her hand, which meant she couldn’t escape from sight. Normally this would’ve been okay but it only brought worry and fear. What if the Rainbooms were here? What would happen then? Sugarcoat still wouldn’t let go as she ordered them hot chocolate to warm them up, paying for them both. She tasked Sunset with finding a place to sit, and of course the girl immediately chose the safest looking table— the one farest away from everyone’s sight. But who knew how long the safety would last. Jackets had been abandoned in favor of the cafe’s warmth, the tension was little as it was mostly adults at this time. The teenagers would be arriving soon though, Sunset knew it by heart since she mostly came here with… them after school was done for the day. This was the one day she had chosen to stay home from that hell. She didn’t know CPA’s time schedule but she knew CHS’ by heart. Hopefully they would be done here before long. She really didn’t want to have a confrontation. Five minutes passed by without any indentation of the former friends and Sunset was just starting to relax as Sugarcoat talked about the plans for Christmas when the door opened up again. Sunset’s eyes widened as her nerves started up again, her stomach forming nots as she itched to leave the café. But one look from Sugarcoat told her that wasn’t happening. The Shadowbolt wanted her to show that she didn’t care what they thought anymore. That she was over the accusations being made because she had someone on her side. Because she had a real friend and many more on the way. “Do you really have to be everywhere?” growled Rainbow, eyes dangerously flashing. “I thought it was clear we had enough of seeing you.” Sugarcoat gave her a look. “Here I thought this was a public space. Everyone’s welcome here, like it or not.” “A Shadowbolt?” Rainbow’s eyes widened along with the others. They clearly didn’t expect that. Sunset just stared into the cup, not wanting to make eye-contact with any of them. “Are you trying to make a fool of yourself even more?” “Funny,” Sugarcoat said, “the only fools I can see are you five and I’m not very amused.” The Wondercolt could feel the anger burning in Sugarcoat and found herself torn on what to do next. Either she could stop this right now or she could allow this to continue on. On the one hand, it’d be nice to see the Rainbooms get exactly what was coming for them but that could also get Sugarcoat banned from Sugarcube Corner if things got physical. Why was it so hard to make up her mind? “Yer wastin’ yer time,” Applejack stated calmly, though Sunset could see the hate burning those green eyes. “She ain’t nothin’ but a troublemaker. Even if yer are a Shadowbolt— yer better than that.” “She’s only a ‘troublemaker,’ because you labeled her that without any source of proof.” Rarity huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “We’re trying to save you, darling!” Sugarcoat frowned. “From what? A pointless argument you’re not going to win?” “This is bullshit,” Rainbow mumbled under her breath before slamming her hands down onto the table, trying her best to ignore the looks being shot from all around— especially the owners. “If you keep hanging around this bitch— then you’re going to get betrayed. Do you really want that fucking happening?” “Oh, you mean like how you betrayed her? You turned your backs to her the second you thought she was behind this… anon-a-miss thing, and you refuse to allow her to tell you her side of the story. You don’t trust her. You never did. That’s why you were so quick to abandon her the second you thought it was her because you thought she pretended to be your friend to learn secrets about you just so she could go back being alone?” Sugarcoat replied, trying to get her breathing under control. “You almost made her—” “Sugarcoat, don’t,” Sunset whispered, closing her eyes. Sugarcoat nodded, mouthing a ‘sorry,’ to her. The whole café went quiet afterwards. Sunset wished she wasn’t shocked as she thought about her newfound friend’s words. She knew Sugarcoat could be blunt. Like, extremely blunt; she said things how she saw them. In fact, her name probably shouldn’t even be Sugarcoat because she didn’t sugarcoat things at all. But how she said every little thing… Sunset could feel her numb heart letting down some barriers; was she starting to trust Sugarcoat a little bit just because she defended her? But that also meant she couldn’t go spilling about her attempted suicide. It took her a full moment to realize the Rainbooms were shocked into silence. Guilty expressions littering their faces before they shook them away. … almost like they didn’t want to feel the guilt. “Wha…” Rainbow swallowed thickly, trying to make some sort of sense of things. She nearly jumped when she felt Fluttershy placing a hand on her shoulder. “What the fuck…” was all she could get out. “Let’s go,” Fluttershy whispered to the others. She turned back to the two, looking embarrassed. At least she still had the dignity to. “Um, sorry to bother you.” Sugarcoat just shrugged. “Whatever.” “But, what the fuck—?” Rainbow still struggled to find the right words, even as she left the cafe with her friends, still trying to make sense of what she was told. The last thing Sunset saw of them when she looked up, was the unsure eyes of Rarity— almost like she was pleading for some sort of forgiveness. But Sunset didn’t have any forgiveness left within her. Not anymore. … They still couldn’t wrap their minds around what they had just heard, even after they exited the shop and headed down to another café. Rainbow couldn’t stop spluttering about what nonsense it was while the rest shared different views on the matter. Eventually Rainbow’s gaze turned the soft pinkette and immediately Fluttershy hid behind her hair, trying to vanish from sight but it didn’t work as her eyes narrowed slightly as if Rainbow was trying to figure out her reasoning behind the matter. “Why did you drag us out of there?” “I didn’t want a fight,” Fluttershy squeaked out. Rarity huffed. “We could have still stayed with no fights,” she stole a look at Rainbow who turned her gaze to the window, “— besides, we’re lucky the Cakes didn’t intervene. They most certainly would have.” “Ah reckon it’s because of that Shadowbolt,” Applejack sighed. “She follows the rules.” “Also she’s bluntly honest,” Pinkie chirped in as she stuffed her mouth with a cupcake. No one questioned where she got it. Rainbow grumbled. “But why is she defending Shimmer anyways?” Applejack frowned, arching a brow. “Why do ya care? Ya hate the Shadowbolts, especially Indigo Zap.” “I don’t care!” Rainbow huffed angrily, eyes flashing as she leaned back in her seat. “I’m just curious as to why she’s defending her. Our schools are rivals, so there’s no reason for her to take Shimmer’s side. Hell, she shouldn’t even be sticking her nose in our business.” “There must be some reason,” Rarity stressed. Fluttershy nervously played with her hair, biting her lip. “What about that unfinished sentence Sugarcoat was saying?” The group fell silent as they thought about it. What could they have almost made Sunset do? Why did that even matter? It was their lives being ruined, not Sunset’s. Their secrets were being spilled, not Sunset’s. “Who cares?” Rainbow said. “What does matter is why Sugarcoat is defending Shimmer.” “Give it a rest…” sighed Applejack. “Shy might have a point. Ah am kinda curious to know what the rest of the sentence would have been.” Pinkie took a moment to think. “Aha!” she clicked her fingers and everyone turned to her before watching her go right back to her drink like nothing happened. “What?” she asked, mouth full when she realized they were staring at her. Rarity sighed. “What did you realize?” “Oh, I dunno. I just felt like saying it.” “Of course.” The table fell silent again for a few moments before their phones went off in union. When they glanced down, their stomachs plummeted. Anon-A-Miss was at it again. They didn’t want to look, why would they? But again, they were curious to see who was being targeted this time around. They shared a look; should they? It would only serve their anger further— they could just ignore it. But… could they ignore Sunset’s next target? “Fuck it,” Rainbow sighed, grabbing her phone. “I’ll take one for the team.” Rarity sighed with relief. “Thank you, darling.” After a minute with no response, Pinkie gave her friend a look. “Well? Who is it?” Rainbow blinked, looking up. “Shy, your brother’s gay?” “What?” Fluttershy asked, eyes wide as she looked at the post. Everyone’s eyes followed suit as they looked at Rainbow’s phone. “Zephyr?” “He’s certainly kissing Sandalwood,” noted Pinkie. Applejack hummed. “It’s not a bad secret… ah mean, ah like who ya like.” “I’ll have to ask him when I get home,” Fluttershy said, making a metal note in her mind. Silently, they all wondered why Zephyr’s secret wasn’t as bad as everyone else’s. Surely Sunset wasn’t homophobic, was she? That would raise new problems for her if she was, that was for sure. … “Here you go,” Sugarcoat said as she handed Sunset back her phone. “Text me.” She took out her phone, awaiting for the text. “Okay,” Sunset breathed in shakily as she sent a simple text. Hi. Sugarcoat rolled her eyes at the usual first text and quickly saved Sunset’s number to her phone, making a mental note to create a new group chat with her friends to include Sunset or simply just add her to the current one. Of course she would make sure Sunset was okay with that before doing anything, and then she’d make sure her friends were down with the idea of adding Sunset. This was also done to make sure Sunset had Sugarcoat’s number so she could easily get a hold of her when things got too tough to handle and Sugarcoat could easily check in on Sunset. “Now, if they insult you, or do anything, you text me,” Sugarcoat demanded. “I’ll text back, regardless which class I have. Of course I might not when I have gym, but you understand, I can’t really text back during that class.” Sunset nodded. “Thanks. For everything, I mean.” “I’m not about to let you be pressured into suicide again,” Sugarcoat stated, downing the last of her drink. “Text or call me whenever you need to vent. Just… don’t cut yourself or try to commit suicide again.” “That… might take some time— for the cutting, I mean,” Sunset sadly admitted. Sugarcoat’s worry shot up again. For Sunset to easily admit that; it scared her. It was desperately clear that Canterlot High was no longer a safe haven. She didn’t feel happy to know Sunset was there. There was an easy way out of that hellhole, but would Sunset want to even consider the idea? After all, it wouldn’t be easy switching schools since Winter Break was next week. No staff member right in their mind would want to think about doing school work during the break. “Did you ever think about switching schools?” Sugarcoat asked slowly and gently. Sunset rubbed the back of her neck. “A little bit, yeah. I just never went through with it considering Winter Break is coming up and… no staff would want to do paperwork during the break. Plus, I kinda thought this whole thing would have been done by now. They’d find the culprit by now and everything would be back to normal.” “You should have gone through with it.” “Probably, yeah.” Sugarcoat gave her a look. “We both know it’s not safe for you there. It’s not.” “I know,” Sunset sighed heavily, shrugging carelessly. “What can I do? It’s not like they’ll let me transfer now.” Deep down they both knew Sunset wasn’t going to do anything about it. They knew it would be pointless but Sugarcoat had a plan. Surely they couldn’t say no if they had Principal Cinch’s agreement to the matter, could they? It would be easy to get Cinch to agree; Sugarcoat would say she knew a perfect student to join the Crystal Prep family, and the best part was; they’d be stealing them away from Canterlot High. Sunset would be able to tell them Canterlot’s weakness they had yet to discover, and would be able to give them insight on how to humiliate them even further. Principal Cinch wouldn’t be able to say no. Yes, that sounded like a plan.
Chapter 3“Principal Cinch? Do you have a moment?” Principal Abacus Cinch. The name sent shivers down any spine. The name could freeze a person. A name so well known that one seemed to mess with the owner of it. The name that belonged to the Principal of Crystal Prep Academy; the name of the world’s strictest principal. No one knew just how high the standards of the principal could be until they experienced a day in her school. Any mark lower than she desired and it was a warning to change it right away or you wouldn’t survive the year without being at the bottom of the foodchange or perhaps you simply wouldn’t continue on at the greatest school the state had ever seen. Any uniform is less than perfect and you would be ordered to make it so. Anyone late would be given a warning, any class skippers would be punished accordingly, and any no-showers would be expelled. If you were an athlete and in any of the school’s sport teams, you had to maintain perfection. You had to be fast, on point, scoring goals like your life depended on it. You simply had to be perfect at everything. The same went for any type of school club, for any class. Now of course not everyone would follow the rules, twisting them. Teachers would do so too. If Principal Cinch was around, everyone would follow the rules; it was an unspoken law between the students and teachers; if Cinch was around, they did everything to her preference. There was no doubt she had her favorite students. It was clear Sugarcoat was one of them. Her and another student. When around her favorites, the strict woman would melt ever so slightly and consider whatever they suggested but that didn’t mean she would always bend to their will. “Miss Sugarcoat,” Principal Cinch hummed, readjusting her glasses. “Please, come in and take a seat.” When Sugarcoat was seated across from her, she gave her precious student a smile, though the girl could tell it was fake. “What can I do for you?” “I need you to sign this,” Sugarcoat said as she placed the papers down. Principal Cinch’s eyes widened as she looked at the headline. Transfer Request. Her stomach dropped as panic set in. Did this mean Sugarcoat was wanting to transfer out of the school? One of her prized students who meant business? No. That couldn’t happen. She couldn’t afford to lose any of her students. Who knows what could happen to Crystal Prep’s reputation? “You wish to transfer?” she laughed nervously. Sugarcoat shook her head. “No, it’s not for me.” “Then… who?” “A friend of mine,” Sugarcoat explained, a smirk forming. “One of Canterlot High’s students. A prized student, in fact.” Principal Cinch’s jaw dropped as a rush of anger coursed through her. She gritted her teeth in irritation. Now why would she take a student from that school? Crystal Prep Academy did not take students from a lesser school. Her eyes narrowed darkly as she prepared to explain this to Sugarcoat before the girl raised a hand. “Let me explain,” she added. “This could be an advantage for us. For one, the school is in chaos. It’s toxic right now. The students are at each other’s throats all because their secrets are coming loose on Mystable.” To prove her point, she pulled out her phone and pulled up the app on the account’s page. “They were quick to blame one person opposed to finding out who was behind it. Quick to accuse. No logic behind their decision except for the past actions of said person.” “Who’s the said person?” asked Abacus. “Sunset Shimmer. She’s probably a month or two older than me.” Abacus hummed as she leaned back, motioning for Sugarcoat to continue. She was beginning to see how this could work to her advantage. How much deeper she could ruin Canterlot High’s reputation straight into the ground while Crystal Prep was seen as the hero of this story. It was doing wonders for her ego. “Not only will you be taking her out from a toxic environment, you’ll be saving her life,” Sugarcoat pointed out. “She, uh, she attempted suicide earlier a few days ago. I stopped her from jumping.” Abacus’ eyes softened as she heard that. No doubt she was picturing her own daughter attempting to do such a thing and sucked in a harsh breath at the image, willing it away. There was no way Sunny Flare would attempt suicide but to hear Sugarcoat’s information about Sunset’s age, she couldn’t help but image Sunny attempting. It hurt her heart to think her own daughter, someone she raised since birth, would do such a thing. She couldn’t imagine what Sunset’s parents were going through. Sugarcoat licked her lips as she glanced at the paperwork. “It would be in her best interest to transfer from CHS. She’s the main target and I highly doubt she can last much longer. Principal Cinch, this would help CPA out. Save a student from suicide, a toxic environment, and you’ll be talk of the School Board for weeks.” Principal Cinch didn’t say a word as she reached for the phone on her desk, easily tapping a number as she brought the phone to her ear. Sugarcoat watched in confidence as her superior requested for Dean Cadance’s appearance. While she waited, she took a pen in hand and eyes roamed over the paper, signing the student’s name and which school she was transferring from and where she’d go. Dean Cadance appeared right as the principal signed her signature at the bottom. Her eyes widened upon seeing Sugarcoat but gave a friendly nod as she glanced at what her boss was doing and held back a gasp. “You’re transferring?” Dean Cadance asked, shocked. “Not me. Sunset Shimmer from Canterlot High will be,” Sugarcoat explained tightly. “It’s a toxic environment and she needs to get away.” She looked at Cinch directly in her eyes, something the principal admired. “Put her in my classes, it’ll help her adjust.” “Of course. I’ll notify the secretary,” Principal Cinch nodded. “Dean Cadance, please sign the appropriate places.” “Yes, Principal Cinch.” Sugarcoat held back a wide smile as the Dean gave the signed forms to her with a wink before leaning in to whisper in her ear. “I have a feeling that’s not all there is to it,” Cadance whispered, “come and find me at lunch to tell me the rest of the story.” Principal Cinch ignored the way the two interacted as her eyes darkened behind her glasses as a smile took over her face. “Due make sure these get to Miss Shimmer will you? I wish to have them back before the break starts.” Sugarcoat nodded as she stood up. “Of course, Principal Cinch. Thank you for your time.” As she left the office, she felt a wave of hope wash over her as she took out her phone to text Sunset. Meet me at the bridge after school. … Sunset tried ignoring the way everyone’s eyes followed her everywhere but it was becoming increasingly hard. She just had to survive until the break. It wasn’t that far away, just a couple more days and she would be free. She wouldn’t have to worry about this place for the rest of the break. She never did walk around during lunch or break anymore. She stayed firm in her class, ignoring the outside and played on her phone instead. There was the desire to text Sugarcoat but she knew she was probably with her friends. She couldn’t steal that precious time away from her. To pass the time, Sunset helped the teachers with anything they needed help with and did her unfinished homework. It would save her the trouble of completing them after the break. While she was working on her English homework, her phone buzzed with a simple text from Sugarcoat. It made her blink as she set down her pencil and stole a look at the message. A simple message but it made Sunset’s stomach turn in all the directions as she read through it. Meet me at the bridge after school. The nervousness must have shown on her face because the teacher glanced up at her with concern. “Are you okay?” he asked. Sunset took a deep breath as she sank in her chair. “A, uh, a friend asked me to meet them after school. I just met them a few days ago and to suddenly have this texted to me,” she glanced down, “I can’t help but feel like she’s going to end our friendship.” But Sugarcoat had said she would change her mind about the world. She would give her a reason to continue living. She wouldn’t go back on her word, right? “You will never know if you don’t meet her,” the teacher pointed out gently as he stood and walked over to her. He squatted down next to her and placed a hand comfortingly on her shoulder. “If I’m honest, you’ve been more lively since meeting this mysterious friend of yours. It’s a fresher. I hate seeing you so down in the dumps because of this stupid online mess.” “But it just ends all the same. I was friends with the Rainbooms and they immediately left me behind the moment this started, all because of my past. Why can’t they see I have nothing to gain from this? Why would I throw everything I wanted all away?” “Losing a friend is better than keeping a fake one.” Sunset glanced at him, surprised but couldn’t argue with that statement. Unfortunately before she could reply, the bell rang and students began to trickle back into the classrooms. The teacher went back behind his desk, shooting her a small smile and she couldn’t help but give a weak one back. Applejack and Rarity were the last ones to arrive and her gaze fell right back down to her English homework. Ignore them and she would be alright. She could see Sugarcoat soon and everything would be okay; she would be with the one person who actually wanted to be around her. Who she wanted to be around. The one person who actually succeeded in making Sunset feel again. With Sugarcoat on her mind, Sunset picked up the pencil and carried on where she left off. If she had glanced around she would have seen the looks shooting her away, but she didn’t. She had long since learned to ignore them. She also would have seen the looks her former friends were giving her. One a look of dislike and the other… a look of doubt. … “What did you need me for?” Sunset asked as Sugarcoat came into view. The school day was finally over. Sugarcoat handed her a cup of steaming hot chocolate, smiling softly when Sunset lit up at the sight of the drink. She bit her lip as she watched the girl hum happily as the warmth entered her mouth and shifted. Was she always this cute? “Anyway,” Sugarcoat coughed awkwardly, “I have something for you. Something important.” Sunset nodded, mouth still full. The Shadowbolt handed off the papers and watched as Sunset glanced over them, eyes going wide in realization and quickly locked their gazes together again. Sugarcoat shrugged innocently as if it was nothing. “I get you might not want this, but… Sunset, I honestly think you’d be better off somewhere else than staying at Canterlot High. No one will turn their backs on you like those Wondercolts did. Not at Crystal Prep unless you give a legitimate reason and enough proof to go along with it.” The transfer papers were staring directly at her with temptation. They were almost filled out completely. The two most important signatures of Crystal Prep were inked forever on the dull sheets; Dean Cadance and Principal Abacus Cinch. Two more spaces were left where Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna’s signatures would go to complete the paperwork for the transfer. She swallowed thickly. “How did you get Principal Cinch to sign this?” Sugarcoat nervously tapped her own cup. “I told her what she wanted to hear. Simple as that. She didn’t put up much of a fight,” she explained with a hint of guilt. Sunset gave her a look and she crumbled. “I told her this would help her ego. The most important thing is that she signed.” “This won’t go well with my principals,” Sunset sighed. “They’ll be losing a student to CPA and will worry the school will prove to be too difficult for me. They know how strict the school is.” “And yet they want to risk your life!” Sugarcoat hissed. Sunset nearly jumped at her tone but found herself rooted to the ground. “Sunset, from what you said, they didn’t do shit for you when this started. They didn’t step in to help you at all. They left you on your own and claim to be working on it. But how often does that prove true? Adults let bullying slide so often and yet get more worked up on shoulders being seen, physical fights being fought. They blame the victim more than the committer. That’s you. They blame you more than the one who started this. I guarantee they haven’t done anything to solve this.” “Sugarcoat, I—“ Sugarcoat’s eyes fell shut. “They almost lost you because they’re just sitting on their asses doing nothing! I almost saw you commit suicide! I—“ “Sugarcoat!” Sunset yelled, pulling her in close as she saw tears swell in the Shadowbolt’s eyes. Her heart was pounding. “I’ll get this signed. I’ll get them to sign it, okay? Please don’t cry, especially not over me. I’ll get away from them.” “You will?” “I will,” she promised as they came out of the hug. “Now, tell me about your day at school and what I can expect at Crystal Prep.” With a watery nod, Sugarcoat began talking. Just because they’re rivals didn’t mean they couldn’t be nice to each other. That they couldn’t be friends.
