We walk down our long roads of life, but what of the roads not taken? Twilight and Applejack are carried along a different path, where their fates were bound in new ways. Fresh sorrows and avoided crisis gives friendship's flower a new shape.

This story will make an alternative universe, but will start grounded in the world we know. Have you read my other works? I love canon. I will respect canon, but we are also changing a core fact, and its effects will ripple outward. Our beloved ponies will be changed, as they must. The stream of fate carries them on tides we never witnessed before.

Twilight, Applejack, I hope you're both ready. Come, the water's fine, and I invite you to swim with me. Let us see what would happen if Applejack's mother survived where fate had once demanded her end.

Done for a patron, will update 1/month with 4k chapters.

Cover art by Jowybean!

A few weeks after the destruction of the Memory Stone, everything has gone back to normal at CHS. But Sunset Shimmer notices that Wallflower Blush has begun to act a little strange. Sometimes she leaves the classroom for too long and on occasion, doesn't show up for school at all. She decides to dig a little deeper and find out why Wallflower is acting strange... and discovers a horrible secret.

DISCLAIMER: There is no suicide in this story. If you suffer from depression, anxiety, or anything similar, please do not read. For those who do read this, please read the author's message before the 1st chapter. It'll explain my reasoning behind this story.

(The title of this story and each chapter is named after a song by the band Citizen Soldier.)

(Citizen Soldier - "If These Scars Could Speak": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbtDPxKcijY)

This story is a sequel to Sirens of the Night II

After the Fall Formal I thought that I had lost everything. The crown, my one chance to return to Equestria. Turns out that I was wrong. I have gained so much. Some of it I didn't even know that I was searching for. My name is Sunset Shimmer, and this is my story.

*I want to thank everyone who has enjoyed my stories.*

This story is a sequel to Live By The Sword...

For the residents of Canterlot, January 15 marks the beginning of a week of celebration. On this day, 237 years ago, the United Provinces declared itself independent from the Trottingham Empire. On this day, a nation devoted to the principles of liberty, equality, and tolerance was established.

The youth of Canterlot welcome their liberation... from the shackles of public education during Freedom Week. The week preceding it is a period of anticipation and excitement.

For Sunset Shimmer, however, the search for tolerance remains elusive. Two months after it was revealed that she had a girl sent to juvie, Sunset remains blacklisted from most of her peers, minus her friends and her boyfriend. With her second round of community service over, she finds herself in a new predicament: free time and no one to share it with.

Applejack, the ever-loyal friend, helps Sunset get a job at a sushi restaurant to pass the time. But in this job, she'll not only learn about responsibility and how hard it is to earn an honest buck, but other lessons from her co-workers: how even in a land of freedom, others must work twice as hard to have half the thing she has. She'll learn how even in a land of liberty, others must fight tooth and nail for even the most basic decency.

She'll be forced to discuss the age old question: what is freedom.

Working Girl Sunny is the third story of Sunset's Steps, the saga of Sunset's reform and growth into the brave hero we know and love. Reading the last two stories is helpful to understanding the background of this one.

Here are the stories in chronological order:

Look In The Mirror To Find the Truth-Completed.

Live By The Sword...-Completed.

Working Girl Sunny-Ongoing.

The Downfall of Sunset Shimmer: An Anon-A-Miss Story-Ongoing.

What Happened to Sunset's Family?-Ongoing.

This is going to be a far lighter story than the previous one. But be advised, there will be an exploration of things like corruption, racism, and controversial political questions. If it is not you're cup of tea, don't read.

When it started Anon-A-Miss was just another gossip channel, albeit one that focused more on humiliation, but it seemed like nothing major. Then it grew more hateful, the secrets being spread were personal and potentially ruining. Canterlot High School was torn apart and many were effected by the hurtful gossip of Anon-A-Miss.

This story is not really a prequel or sequel and more of a tag-along of Back to Normal, No and will start out before it but comes to match it in the timeline. Recommend checking it out before reading this, some parts will connect to the main story.

On Hiatus till further notice due to being released earlier than intended.

An outcast again thanks to Anon-A-Miss Sunset only wants the fighting to stop and her friends back, she does not care how. When her final plea of innocence to her friends fails she does one last desperate thing to get them back, confesses to being Anon-A-Miss. Now that she has her friends back things are looking up, even if she is hated again all that matters to Sunset is that life can finally go back to normal. Except it might never be.

A/N: This story context is slightly inspired by the fanfiction Confession by cerealkiller78 in that Sunset confesses to being Anon-A-Miss, the first chapter will have some similarities in it but that stops in the second chapter.
Suicide/Self Harm: Not much of it appearing in the story but it will be alluded to and mentioned.
Violence: Not the bloody full out fight violence, more of the bulling to small scuffle kind of violence.

(Note: This story is on temporary hiatus till further notice, It's not canceled, it will come back eventually. The story just got ahead of me, too much changed from the original plot and I still have not fully thought out the new ending. Some chapters might get some minor edits since some were still connected to the old ending and don't work anymore. This note will be deleted when the story is ready to continue.

Sunset has always wondered who her father is. Her mother, Princess Celestia, described him as kind, but can get very angry when woken up not on his own terms. When the Anon-A-Miss incident rolls around years later, she finally gets her chance to meet him - the Mighty Firebird. He will stop at nothing until those who have tormented his daughter have been punished severely.

The Suicide/Self Harm tag is for when Sunset nearly tries to end it all.

After one-night Sunset's memory is erased completely. After not going to school for over a week, everyone is worried. Her friends need to try and do whatever they can to help her... but will they have time before it is too late? And wasn't the memory stone broken too right? (Story set after the Forgotten Friendship)

This story is a sequel to Sunset Among Shadows

The Anon-a-Miss era is over, and Sunset is happy in her new life with her new friends.

But a new challenge will make her return to the place she left behind, and face those who were her friends, and a strange but well know person.

The GAMES are going to start, and there can only be ONE winner.

Update 20/12/2021
Now the story has been edited by my good friend 'Arthor2017'

Sunset is all alone.

She no home, no Friends and Especially no Family.

All because the user called Anon-a-Miss who has been using other student secrets to turn them against her. The school hates her. Her friends have abandon her. And she had no family to turn to.

She was all alone.

Or was she? When walking in the cold, she would soon be taken to the home of the people that would change her life forever. And perhaps give to her, the greatest Christmas gift of all.

Cover image belongs to edCOM02 on Deviantart