Sunset is accused of spreading everyone’s secrets on a Mystable page calling itself Anon-a-Miss, losing all of her friends and reputation in the process.

But it seems the school forgot one thing.

Sunset Shimmer isn't one to be easily broken.

A story dearly inspired by wanting something different out of the Anon-a-Miss 'Genre' of fics. Many are wonderful stories, but at the end of the day, most tend to fall into the same couple of tropes with slight alterations, and many of those tropes are ones I'm not terribly fond of.

So with my ever present desire to take a well trod genre and flip it on its head, I present my own take on this story, and one I have not personally seen. So I hope I deliver on giving you something different from the others!

Pre-Read by the Wonderful and Loveable baes: Uria, the Sacred Beast and Sunny Days

Yesterday, Sunset's friends publicly cast her out after finding their secrets revealed by Anon-A-Miss.

Today, no one except Sunset remembers any of it ever happened.

Now she has to figure out why - and if she even wants to restore the memories that were lost.

Thanks to chris the cynic and I-A-M both for the initial conversation that sprouted this idea and title suggestions.

And of course thanks to Scampy, because SunFlower and Wally and all related cuteness.

Featured 8/12/2020 and 8/17/2020!

After seeking refuge in Equestria during the Anon-A-Miss fiasco, Sunset Shimmer is stranded in Equestria. Convinced that she's just not cut out for friendship, Sunset throws herself back into her studies. Unfortunately for her, all the magic around CHS has attracted the attention of a certain spectacled scientist. When her device accidentally pulls the mysterious energy from the statue in front of the school, she is shocked when an amber unicorn was pulled out with it. With the portal not working, the two must work together to gather the energy needed to send Sunset home from the only magical source left to tap: Sunset's former friends, all while dealing with the overbearing principal of Crystal Prep as the Friendship Games approach.

The doctors didn’t mince their words:  Applebloom would never be able to walk again.  Devastating news, to be sure, but it was her own fault.  Now her roommate, though…  Nothing about her situation was her fault.  It’s important that she understands that.

Content Warning: attempted suicide (overdose), dysphoria, ableism, transphobia, dismemberment mentions, gore (implicit).

Set in the same universe as Testi d'Amore, but neither is required reading for the other.

Black Lives Matter. Always have and they always will. Trans children matter too, and they deserve nothing less than love and support.

Art by me.

Featured on Equestria Daily!

What Readers Are Saying...

"You make the waterworks happen," -Stardust_Scratch

"It has been like watching a gruesome car crash. You cannot look away from it, and it tears you apart, you are sure you are gonna have nightmares about it, but you just keep reading." -llDenkerll

"Have any of you ever accidentally’ed your way into a horror story, that was way darker than you thought it was going to be? ...I’m going to go scrub my brain down with a few hours of mindless pony fluff... I am enjoying the story I swear," -fargo11

"The ending of the last chapter left me with hope, with expectations, while the end of this chapter leaves me with sorrow, with emptiness, with hopelessness. I need more," -Anshlun

"I lack any words to describe how fucked this whole situation is. It hurts so much. Good job," -Hermaeus xerxes

"This story has some painful feels to it... I need time to think now," -Destiny Chaser

"Every time I read the witches' dialogue I feel genuinely scared... I don't have a clue of what's going to happen," -TheFaceofMercy

Starlight Glimmer had always been a difficult pony.

She's getting better, though! Really! Three years of living with the Princess of Friendship, one of the most beloved ponies in Equestria, is bound to rub off on a mare. Though Starlight continues to grapple with her insecurities and past mistakes, she never would have presumed she'd be free of the guilt - as it should be.

Yet over the years, she's come into her own as a devoted, passionate, and empathetic friend (despite a few bumps here and there).

But one day, like any other, a strange illness befalls Princess Twilight Sparkle. Starlight is driven to a foal's storybook for answers. Armed with her magic and faith, the ex-student follows a crumb trail leading to one reclusive group dwelling in the heart of an otherworldly bog. If there was any salvation for the pony who'd saved Starlight, it lay solely with them. Except when the time comes for payment to be collected, what's left behind is picked up by Twilight and her friends.

And Starlight doesn't want them to. For how can something so broken be put back together? She'd much rather save them all the trouble...

^{Canon divergence one year after 'The Movie,' post-season seven}

Rated-T for some disturbing imagery and heavy themes concerning depression

Artwork of the Witches by Hermaeus Xerxes: https://derpicdn.net/img/view/2019/9/22/2150483.png

Starlight's Theme: Above and Beyond by Paul Dinletir
Twilight's Theme: Homecoming by Jeff Marsh
The Broken Bond Theme: The Birth of a Soul by Fran Soto

Pre-reader/Editor: JD McGregor
Cover Artist: Calenita

Sunset Shimmer was vital to the defeat of the Dazzlings at the Battle of the Bands. Now a heroine instead of a villain, she accepts the mantle of leadership while struggling against her own past. Sunset Shimmer will extend a hand in friendship, which starts an adventure that will create far-reaching consequences for her friends on both sides of the mirror. This story begins two or three days after the conclusion of Equestria Girls 2: Rainbow Rocks.

Dane of Celestia crafted the wonderful cover art. His composition is entitled Three of Destiny. I hope you enjoy his work!

Warning: spoilers for Equestria Girls: Rainbow Rocks in the description and story.

After the events of Rainbow Rocks, Sunset grows concerned about what might happen as Senior Prom approaches; Canterlot High doesn't have the best track record when it comes to big events, and she's afraid that, like the last two, this one will also be accompanied by atrocity. Her friends claim that she should relax as there's nothing to worry about, but Sunset retains a nagging fear in her gut that catastrophe is about to strike - again.

However, after she encounters an interesting individual - one that she didn't even know she'd see again - working at Canterlot High, she finds herself with an even bigger problem: figuring out how to, by some miracle, have a date at Senior Prom not go horribly wrong.

This story is a one-shot-kill.

While tearfully repairing the wall she destroyed, Sunset Shimmer can't help but reflect on what a horrible person she is. Convinced she'll never be forgiven by her peers, and unsure if she's even worthy of it, she's visited in the night by one of the last people she expected.

The whole school saw Sunset Shimmer's demonic form get hit by the Elements of Harmony, and half a second later she was in a smoking crater in the ground, sobbing and repentant. From Sunset's perspective, her change of heart took a bit more time.

Genre is... not well-suited but to be perfectly honest that's the closest it's gonna get. Think of it as a missing scene.

Art is by Rennygade, though for some reason I can't find this specific piece on their page. Please contact me if you object to my using it here; it's a beautiful piece.

Many thanks to the folks on the Fimfiction and Clocktower Discord servers for their editing help; any remaining errors are my own.

Cross-posted to AO3 finally here.
Featured at the Royal Canterlot Library!

Sometimes, life goes on. Even when it doesn't.

In which everyone must learn to cope.

-----
Cover art created by the wonderful Scampy. Many thanks, friend.