//------------------------------// // The Truth of Friendship // Story: Myriad Thoughts // by Tale Swapper //------------------------------// Sunset gulped as Applejack parked her van outside the school. Apple Bloom clambered out first, leaving the two older girls to stare at the equestrian statue situated above the portal. Applejack looked at Sunset, and watched her a moment. As Sunset refrained from exiting the van, she broke the silence. "Sugarcube? You nervous?" Sunset finally tore her gaze away from the statue, and grimaced. "Yeah, I think so." "Principal Celestia told Granny it'd be fine for you to come today. Rarity said she's managed to beat down the rumors a bit- she just had to get the biggest gossips in the school to start spreadin' other rumors. The whole "framin' you" thing's juicy enough that once she got em' goin', half of them were willin' to change their tunes. And Rainbow managed to get the sports clubs off your back. Ain't no-one gonna hurt you." "It was never about getting attacked, Applejack." When Applejack's brow arched, Sunset shuddered. "Remember how everyone treated me after the Fall Formal? I was afraid of that happening again, not someone punching me in the face. I know just how bad emotional damage can be- I was really good at causing it, if you recall." She chuckled mirthlessly. "Even if most of the school isn't certain anymore, I'm still the scapegoat. This is gonna be bad." Applejack frowned. After the Fall Formal, the girls had made certain to give Sunset some cover, but thinking back on it, none of them had really stuck their necks out to protect her. They hadn't let anything terrible happen, but it had taken a month before they'd really brought her into the group. And even then, it was only after the Battle of the Bands that she'd really been accepted fully. And we were willin' to toss her back to the wolves over a buncha rumors. Dammit- Ah-m glad most of us came to our senses. That last thought had unpleasant connotations, though. Applejack spoke in a low voice. "That ain't the only thing you're afraid of, though." Sunset nodded. "Pinkie. After hearing through what Fluttershy said, it got me thinking. Pinkie wasn't a target like Fluttershy was, but I've never heard her talk about what it was like for her during my... reign." She swallowed. "I'm going to see her today- and I have no idea what will happen. What she'll say- or what I will." Sunset grabbed her bag, then opened the doors to the van. "We've got to move forward, though- don't we. Let's get this over with." Apple Bloom moved through the hallways, her eyes open. All around her, squabbles kept breaking out. It ain't as bad as when the sirens were here, but there don't seem to be much magic of friendship goin' on. She swallowed as she watched two students get into a yelling match over some secret she couldn't remember. And this is without the bad stuff we kept back. Horseapples- we didn't post anything yesterday, and they're still goin' at it! She rounded the corner, and moved to stand beside a pensive Sweetie Belle. Sweetie was watching the crowd, a frown on her face. When she saw Apple Bloom, she gave her a guilty glance, then looked away. "Rarity was conversing with some of her friends last night, telling them Sunset wasn't to blame. I thought it might have calmed people down, but..." Her voice trailed off as she watched the hostile glances thrown through the pack of students. "They're still fighting. I just wanted..." "Yeah, me too." Scootaloo had moved up beside them as they'd been watching. "No one's calmed down yet- and the bullies left after everything that's happened are having a field day." She lowered her voice until it was barely audible to the other crusaders. "I got a message last night from MyStable- to the Anon-A-Miss account. They're investigating it for charges of cyberbullying, and won't allow us to scrub the page from their system until a week has elapsed, or they've figured out whether our actions count or not. We can hide the page from outside viewers, but beyond that..." Apple Bloom's mouth pulled into a thin line. "So no cuttin' and runnin'. We either gotta leave it up, release the names, or confess." She watched two boys get into a shouting match. "I don't think this is gonna blow over, do you?" The silence from her two friends was all the confirmation she needed. Sunset looked over her locker. Even freshly scrubbed, she could still see the marks of graffiti smeared over the paint, although she couldn't make out any words. Behind her she heard a loud cough. She ignored it instead moving forward to put in her combination. A voice rose behind her. "And what does the demon-bitch think she's doing, ignoring the Great and Powerful Trixie?" Sunset sighed as she popped her locker open. Rifling through her stuff, she responded without looking over her shoulder. "Trixie, what do you want me to say? That I didn't do it? That I never posted any secrets, that Anon-A-Miss wasn't me? That I'm sorry the Dazzlings sabotaged you in the Battle of the Bands, that I'm sorry for everything I did before the Fall Formal?" "Your words are not enough, especially when they are as obviously false as they are! Trixie demands you confess, and if you will not, she demands that you- oh!" Sunset pivoted, frowning. Behind Trixie, with his hand on her shoulder, was Flash Sentry, a look of exasperation on his face. A crowd had gathered around the three teens, watching evens with anger, interest, or confusion. Trixie turned to face him, a wide smile spreading there. "Flash, if you wish to join me in accusing the bitch-" "No, Trixie." Flash cut through Trixie's tirade with a shake of his head. "If you really think she's responsible for this, you aren't thinking straight." Mutterings and low gasps punctured the crowd, bu otherwise silence reigned. Trixie's face contorted- whether in anger, indignation, or shock it was difficult to tell. "And what makes you say that? Are you still wrapped around her finger, Flash? Still believing she's a perfect angel?" Flash shook his head, ignoring the few supporting cries in favor of Trixie. "I'll admit she had me fooled for six months, but that's because nothing she ever did could be traced back to her. None of us- including you- really realized what she was doing until the end of last summer. Anon-A-Miss is way too obvious a ploy for her to have done- if she had really gone back to what she was before." Trixie scowled, and opened her mouth- then froze. Her face contorted for a few moments, then she huffed and took a step back. "Well, stick up for the bitch if you must! You will see the truth before too long! Trixie shall reveal who is responsible, and find proof of Sunset's involvement!" In order to have the last word, Trixie immediately dropped a smoke bomb, then fled into the crowd, her back held high. The crowd dispersed, confused muttering echoing through it. Though most were still convinced who the culprit was, uncertainty wove its way through the individuals moving to their classes. Sunset sighed with relief as she found herself in an empty space, left alone save for Flash Sentry. Flash watched her carefully, then hazarded a small smile. "You know, four months ago, if someone said I'd be defending you, I would've socked them in the nose." Sunset grimaced. "Yeah. I can understand that." As Flash turned to go, Sunset spoke up. "Hey, Flash?" He stopped and turned. "Thank you. And... I'm sorry." Flash frowned. "Sorry for what? Unless you really are Anon-A-Miss, you've got nothing to be sorry for." "Not recently, no. But- I've been talking with the girls. Found out why some of them abandoned me on Thursday." Sunset looked at the floor. "I hadn't realized just how hurt some of them were by what I did, and I realized..." She looked down a the ground. "They weren't the only ones. I led you on for half a year, Flash- I can't apologize enough for what happened. I don't know why you're willing to trust me again." Flash looked at her, then let out a rueful sigh. "We'll never date again, Sunset- I don't think I'll ever trust you that far." he frowned, even as Sunset looked at him questioningly. "But while we were dating I saw glimpses of the real you- and the bully you were hiding from me. I didn't want to believe the second, but I thought the first was real. After I broke up with you, I figured the girl I'd caught a glimpse of was a lie. Then, after the Formal, seeing you so broken..." He shook his head. "It was confusing. Then the Dazzlings came, and they caused me to say things I really regretted- but they also let me let out the hate that was left, afterwards." He shrugged. "I've seen three different sides of you, Sunset- and I think the one you've been these last few months is the real one. You've got your flaws- but so does everyone else." He pulled a breath in, and gave a smile. "So, yeah- apology accepted." He extended a hand, and after a few moments, Sunset shook it. Sunset grinned. "Thanks for giving me a second chance- and I don't think I could date you, either. At the look on Flash's face, she quickly clarified, "Not that you're not datable! But, I think I'd want to date someone who didn't have that kind of baggage with me." She caught the look on Flash's face go pensive, then confused, and was about to respond when she realized he was looking past her. Turning, she found herself staring into a pair of searching blue eyes, framed by a pink face and pink hair. She yelped as Pinkie Pie seized her by each shoulder, and moved so quickly the world became a blur. Sunset found herself behind the stage, in the off wings near the props. She turned, and faced a silent and still Pinkie, who was watching her intently. In a low voice, Pinkie spoke. "What you said to Flash. About being sorry. About regretting it. And about not being Anon-A-Miss. Did you mean it?" Sunset nodded, a little frightened by the situation. Alone, without her friends, in a space with the last member of her group who hadn't forgiven her- this could be bad. "Pinkie-" she began. Pinkie cut her off. "And the Dazzlings? Why are they coming back to the school?" Sunset frowned. "We needed to talk to them- they told Dash where I was staying. And- I thought that maybe giving them a second chance might be worthwhile. Twilight gave one to me- and I didn't want them to be alone. Like I might have been. I asked Celestia to give them a chance." She watched Pinkie for a response. Pinkie listened dispassionately, for a moment seemingly lost in thought. Her whole body suddenly jerked, and her eyes went dull, fixating on the floor below them, before rising up again. Pinkie's gaze fixed on Sunset's for a moment more, and at first Sunset didn't know what was going on. Then, with a massive sigh, Pinkie's hair flattened over her face entirely, and the pink girl collapsed like a broken puppet. On the ground, Pinkie spoke softly. "Why is this so hard? Why isn't it easy?" Sunset took a half step back, then steadied herself. She moved forward and went down on one knee next to the girl. "What do you mean, Pinkie? " "Friendship." Pinkie replied, looking blankly into Sunset's face. "Friendship isn't hard, is it? It's just, being there and listening, and parties and..." She looked away. "But, it was hard. With you." Sunset tensed as Pinkie continued. "Before everything- Twilight, the Fall Formal- it was so hard to make things work." She shook her head. "Nobody wanted anyone not like them at each other's parties. You couldn't have any people of two different groups at a party, couldn't do something uncool, or silly, or unpopular... friendship was hard. Being happy, laughing at things-" she gulped, "you made it really, really hard." Pinkie looked up. "And then Twi came, and everything was easy! Anyone could party, we could burst into songs, the whole school came together. And when she asked us to look after you, to teach you friendship, I thought that'd be easy too." Tears formed in Pinkie's eyes. "But... it wasn't, really. You were sad, and it was so hard, forgiving what you'd done. How hard you'd made friendship. And it was easier to smile, and forget it." She looked away, choking out a sob. "And then Anon-A-Miss happened, and it explained why it was hard. You hadn't changed. You weren't a friend. And it was easy, to make one meanie-pants cry so everyone else could be happy again." Pinkie curled up into a ball. "But one person crying... that's not friendship. It's why I don't do cruel pranks, why when I joke, everyone laughs, even the one I'm joking about. And then the sirens came back, and I knew that would be hard too, and..." She looked up, tears in her eyes. "And you... you didn't do it, did you? No meanie-pants would want to see people forgiven. Not when they'd hurt you. And I didn't forgive you." She coughed, tears running down her cheeks. "I just tried to forget. But you've gotta do both, and now... now it hurts. Cause I made someone cry, and worse, that someone was my friend." She gulped, then looked at the stricken Sunset. "And now, I don't know if I still have her as one." "And I gave her up because it seemed hard and now..." Pinkie started bawling. "I'm making you cry again and I don't want to! I don't care if it's hard, I want to forgive you, I want you to be my friend again! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." At first, Sunset held still, uncertain of what to do. Then she remembered Fluttershy and Twilight- how they'd been hurt by her. And what each had offered to her despite that. Sunset leaned forward, and wrapped her arms around Pinkie. "I'm upset that you didn't trust me, Pinkie, but I can see why you didn't." She placed her head on Pinkie's shoulder. "You and Fluttershy were both really suffering during my bitch days, weren't you? And I may have apologized, but it never feels like enough, does it?" Pinkie choked out a brief sentence. "I... I try not to think about it. Makes it hard to smile..." "Sometimes you can't smile, Pinkie. Sometimes you need to cry. But you'll smile again someday." Fluttershy's voice carried across the weeping pair, and Sunset opened her eyes to find the other pink-haired girl wrapping her arms around Pinkie's shoulders. "Let it all out." Sunset looked up, to see the concerned faces of her three remaining friends. Behind them, Flash pushed the door to backstage shut, and leaned against it, standing guard. And, as three more pairs of arms wove into the group hug, Sunset let a small smile grace her face. There's going to need to be healing and more tears before this is all over- but at least we'll face those tears together. The truth is friendship is hard- but that just makes it all the more worthwhile.