//------------------------------// // Re-Enter Anon-a-Miss // Story: Exit Anon-a-miss. Enter the dragon // by Phantom-Dragon //------------------------------// Past "How could you do this to us?" Applejack asked. "It wasn't me?!" Sunset repeated. "We trusted you Sunset!" Rainbow growled. "We thought you were our friend!" "How could you do this?" Rarity sobbed. "After all we've been through together?" "I didn't do this!" Sunset replied. "I could never hurt any of you!" "But you did!" Pinkie sobbed. "You must've just been pretending to be our friend, when all along you were after our secrets!!" At this point, Pinkie's sad face shifted to anger. "I knew you're still a bad guy! You secret stealer!" "No! No!" Sunset protested. "I would never-not after everything. I'm not like that anymore!" "But you are!" Fluttershy screamed with tears in her eyes. "You're still the pony we thought you weren't anymore. You're not our friend!" "But I-" Sunset's voice cracked. "I am your friend. I promise!" "Sorry Sunset," Applejack retorted. "But you've taken advantage of us far enough. You did this to us! You can tell whatever secret you want, but we don't have to listen to anything!" At that point, Sunset eyes watered, and the pipes broke. "You're not our friend!" Fluttershy's voice repeated. "Secret stealer!" Pinkie's voice repeated. "You did this to us! You can tell whatever secret you want!" Applejack repeated. "But we don't have to listen to anything!" With a scream, Sunset jerked herself awake, panting heavily, while sweating a storm. After she collected herself, Sunset hugged herself close, while resting her chin on her knees, 'My past is not today,' she thought. 'But it can still haunt me.' Professor Snape - Shane Blair The next day at CHS, Sunset went to school to see the whole facility, decorated from top to bottom with fake snowflakes, candy canes, hollies, and all sorts of decorations to match the theme of Christmas. While everyone would feel rather festive at the sight of these decorations, Sunset felt rather solemn, since they only brought back memories of the event she's been trying to forget. 'And after everything,' Sunset thought. 'And they were so easy to turn their backs on me, like that?' "Hiya Sunset!" Pinkie chirped, giving the fiery girl a jumpscare, which leads to Sunset quickly beating her chest. "Feeling jolly for a jolly holiday coming?!" the party girl bounced. Sunset, rather than answering, shot Pinkie a deadpan look as she continues to be on her way. "Howdy, Sunset," Applejack greeted, before she took notice of Sunset's darken mood. "Sunset? Ya feeling alright?" the farm girl asked in concern. "Ya look kinda down there." "I'm fine, AJ," Sunset muttered, as she quickens her pace. "Are you sure, darling?" Rarity asked with concern. "You look rather.....bleak." "I'm fine, Rarity," Sunset replied, sounding slightly irritated. "I just want us to get to class. Okay?" The girls, taken by surprise at Sunset's tone, decided not to question it further, as they all went to class. In silent. Lunch During lunch, Sunset Shimmer, decided to sit by herself, in the cafeteria, eating her box of sushi alone. Whenever the other girls saw her and tried to bring their lunch over to her table, she would quickly shoo them away with a sour look on her face, or just pick up her lunch and find another lonesome spot to sit. The girls were, of course, shocked and dismayed at the sudden silent treatment they were being given. Sunset wouldn't allow anyone to sit beside her. Well, almost anyone. "Sunset Shimmer?" a voice spoke. "What?" Sunset asked irritably, turning to the speaker, softening her gaze when she sees who it really is. "Oh! Twilight, it's just you." Looking at Sunset with concern, before readjusting her glasses, Twilight asked, "Can I sit with you? You looked kinda lonely by yourself." Sunset, not feeling any bit irritable towards Twilight, nodded, "Not at all," she said, offering the girl a seat next to her. Twilight accepted the seat, as she sat herself next to Sunset. "Um, if I could ask," Twilight began. "Why are you sitting by yourself today? Normally, you're not so distant from the others." Sunset sighed, "Look Twi. It's nothing you need to worry yourself over." Twilight, was clearly not taking no for an answer. With that, the scientific girl placed a hand on the fiery girl's shoulder, as she spoke, "Sunset. I may still be learning a thing or two, about friendship. But if there's one thing I've learned from you, it's that when one of our friend is in trouble, we have to be there for them." "Too bad what happened last year kinda contradicts that statement," Sunset frowned. "What?" Twilight asked. Sunset shook her head, as she tries to get away, "It's nothing. I'm not feeling hungry anymore." "Wait!" Twilight spoke, stopping Sunset. "Look Sunset. Whether you'd like to talk about it, or not. That's fine with me. But just so you know, I'm here for you, if you have something you don't want to share with the others." Sunset pondered on what Twilight had said. Granted, she's not exactly the Twilight from Equestria, but she's still Twilight. And in some ways, no one knows friendship more than Twilight does. Taking the chance, Sunset walked over to Twilight, and vent. Needless to say, Twilight was just as shock, and saddened. "Sunset...." Twilight whispered. "I'm sorry. I didn't know." "How could you?" Sunset frowned. "You weren't even here when it happened." "But still, it's just horrible," Twilight said solemnly. "And on Christmas, of all days!" "All the more reason why I'm not in the mood for Christmas this year," Sunset frowned, before she got up. "Well, it's been nice talking to you Twilight. But I better go." "Okay," Twilight replied, as she sadly watched her friend leave, while the rest of the girls came out of hiding, all looking sad glances at the fiery girl's way. After the school bell rang, the students were all flooding out of school, eager to get on with the rest of their day. But not as much as a certain fiery girl, who was trying to avoid some particular girls. Unfortunately, the girls she was trying to get away from, caught up to her. "Sunset!" Applejack called, as she and the girls, minus Twilight, caught up. Feeling her patience running thin, Sunset took a deep breath, before she turns, and as calmly as she can, spoke, "Yes, Applejack? What is it?" Applejack and the others all had looks of sadness on their faces. After a long awkward silence, Applejack broke the ice, "Listen Sugarcube. We just wanted to say we're sorry. We should've figured you'd be feeling like this." "Oh, so now you figured it out," Sunset grumbled. "What? You couldn't figure that out sooner, as Rainbow would put it, 'ten seconds flat?'" "Hey! Give us a break, Sunset!" Rainbow scowled, feeling hurt by the comment. "That happened a year ago!" "Well forgive me if some old wounds are reopening again. It doesn't take away the fact of what you and everyone else had to put me through! Or what your sisters have done to me!" "Sugarcube, we get it!" Applejack began, trying to reason with the fiery girl. "It was wrong for us to be so quick to accuse you like that. And yes, we know, Apple Bloom and her friends weren't in their right of mind to deceive us all like that. But it's over now. So just let it go." Sunset looked to the side, casting her gaze elsewhere, "I can't," She replied. "I can't let it go, because I'm not holding it. It's holding me." Needless to say, the girls were confused, "Uh, care to explain that, Sunny?" Rainbow asked, scratching her head. "I don't think we-" "IT'S HOLDING ME!!" Sunset shouted, taking the girls by surprise, as well as the majority of the passing students. "Every day, since that fateful day when I changed for the better, it haunts me. Every night, when I go to sleep, I'm always reliving the same nightmare over and over again. And yet, despite all the goods I've done, I'm still struggling to earn complete trust and forgiveness!" "And you have!" Applejack replied. "What more do you want?" "What more? What more!" Sunset repeated angrily, "How about a bit of faith, or-" The fiery girl quickly ceased her ranting, as she resumes scowling. "Why do you even care?" "Because we're you're friends, Sunset!" Rainbow Dash answered. "Whatever we did to you to make you feel this way, we're sorry. But we can make it all up to you. Just tell us what we did and-" "Forget it," Sunset waved off as she turned her back on the girls and walked away. "W-Wait, Sunset!" Pinkie shouted, before she bounced in front of the fiery girl. "Look, we're really sorry. And to make up for what happened, we're having another sleepover party tonight," The party girl smiled. "So? Have fun," The girl was about to walk away, but Pinkie kept on blocking her. "Actually, that's the start!" Pinkie began in a singsonging voice, "The best part is, you're invited!" Sunset stopped dead in her track, as she turned to look at the party girl, with a deadpan expression on her face, "No thank you," She rejected the offer, and proceeded to walk towards the exit, much to Pinkie's shock and surprise. "No thank you?" Pinkie repeated. "Yes, no thank you," Sunset frowned. "But why?" "The last thing I want to do was to have another sleepover," Sunset frowned bitterly. "Less chance of me stealing any more secrets, or getting in between you and your sisters." "Sunset...." Applejack spoke. "Leave me alone," Sunset ordered. "But...no one deserves to be alone on Christmas," Pinkie frowned. "Oh sure. That's completely different compared to that time you girls left me during the whole Anon-a-Miss fiasco," Sunset frowned. "C'mon, Sunset. We said we were sorry," Rainbow spoke. "But are you really?" Sunset began. "Are you really sorry that you put your trust in someone else's words over mine? Even after all I did to redeem myself, you still see me as a threat? A villain?" "Sunset, darling," Rarity began. "Couldn't we simply let bygones be bygones?" "You should take that advice, yourselves!" With that, Sunset proceeded to walk away, with her back turned on the girls. "Hey, don't walk away from us!" Rainbow shouted. "We're not done talking yet!" "Watch me," Sunset challenged. With that, and a flash of light from her geode, in a blur of rainbow, Rainbow Dash ran at a blinding speed and stopped in front of the fiery girl. "Rainbow Dash, get out of my way!" She spatted, as she tried to walk around the girl, who kept on blocking her path. "No, Sunset!" Rainbow frowned, as she held her arms out to block Sunset's path, while holding the girl back. "Not until we're done having this conversation!" "Well I don't want to talk about it, so back off!!" "Not yet!!" "Hey, easy there you two," Applejack said, as she tried to break up the fight between the two girls. "Let's not get too excited." But the two girls weren't listening as they continued to fight amongst each other, "Get away from me!" Sunset shouted, when she started running the other way, but was once again blocked by Rainbow Dash instead. "Why won't you leave me alone? It was so much easier for you to do it, last year!" "Are you seriously living in the past?" Rainbow asked. "Funny! I thought you and everyone else have been living in the past!" Sunset spatted. "What are you talking about? We're not holding grudges. We've let go of that whole Anon-a-Miss shindig a long time ago!" "I'm not talking about Anon-a-Miss! I'm talking about something bigger than Anon-a-Miss! Something where even you and everybody are at a fault!" "US?! What did we do?" "Exactly my point! It's no use of explaining anything to you or anyone else, when no one ever believes a single word I say! And I'm sick of it!" "Then try us now! Tell us what it is! If this is beyond Anon-a-Miss, then what is it?" "Like I said! FORGET IT!!" With a sweep of her leg, Sunset tripped Rainbow Dash off her feet, causing the fast girl to be sent skidding across the floor. "Had enough?" Sunset was about to walk away, when she was grabbed by Applejack. "Hold it, Sunset!" Applejack began. "Let me go, AJ!" Sunset ordered. "No, not until we get the truth from ya. And ya know as well as I that ya can't win struggling with me." "I just want to be alone! Okay?" "Then tell us why." "Don't act like you can understand me! You're not me! You don't have my power! You can't look into my memories and see my troubles! So what do you know about solving my problems?!" "I only realized now that we should've been there for you, Sugarcube. But we are now. And this time we're listening. It's what families do for each other. Isn't it?" At the mention of family, Sunset spoke venomously, "Family? What family? I don't see a family! We were never a family to begin with, Applejack!" "What?" "How can you girls call yourselves my family, after you were so quick to accuse me as Anon-a-miss, huh? How can you girls call yourselves as my family, after Wallflower Blush erased your memory, and all it took to convince you that something's wrong was a confession from her? And how can you girls even refer yourselves as family, when all those time you've overlooked Wallflower and left her in the dark, countless of times? Where were you when she needed you? I'm sure that would've saved us all the trouble if YOU hadn't ignored her, like you did with me!" The girls were silent at the revelation, and they couldn't think of an answer, "Uh huh, that's what I thought," The fiery girl frowned, as Applejack released her grip on her arm. "Seems to me, that I'm cursed to endure all of this struggle. Probably best if we don't talk or see each other for the whole break." Shocked at what they heard, Rainbow Dash spoke in a sad voice, "Sunset, wait! We're-" "Just go away," Sunset muttered, disappearing into the snows, away from the girls. With a sad sigh, Applejack tipped her hat as she placed her hand on Rainbow Dash's shoulder, "Let her go, Dash," She frowned. "Best we leave her alone for awhile." "Is she going to be okay?" Fluttershy whimpered. "Yeah. Just give her some time." "....Okay," With that, the girls all complied, as they took their leave, while shooting sad looks at their fiery friend, whom they have scarred. Meanwhile, from behind a column, Twilight and Wallflower saw how the whole scene unfolded before them, "Why couldn't I have just erased that memory?" Wallflower asked, with Twilight wrapping her arm around the girl for comfort. At the same time, without anyone noticing, the portal to Equestria glowed in a rippling vortex of light. Then, at last, a paw stepped out, followed by the whole body of a little purple dog, who was carrying a gift wrapped box in his mouth. "Wow," Spike muffled. "When's the last time me and Twilight visited this place? Oh well," The little dragon-turned-dog shrugged before he was on his way, "Now, where could Sunset be?"