"Would everyone please come to the hall after fourth period for yet another assembly."
For once, everyone in Canterlot High had the exact same reaction of groaning to show their dislike of the announcement. Even the tone in Celestia's voice showed the stress and general reluctance to even speak. Sunset, however, just sat back, as Celestia finished her announcement in front of her, still processing the recent events.
"Are you sure this is how you want to go about this?" The pale woman asked Sunset, whose head snapped upwards to look at her.
"Celestia. If you reveal them now, they will quite literally be lynched. As much as I should despise them, I don't wish that suffering upon them. No one deserves that. And besides, the school might be able to think a bit clearer and help figure out who the other account is. Them, on the other hand, can rot in Tarta- hell for all I care." Thinking for another moment, she added, "After this is all over, I might be okay with their identities being released. And don't get me wrong, I hate Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle with every fibre of my body right now. But I really should be mad at the one who decided it would be a wonderful idea to continue this clusterf-"
"Ahem. Right. I'm just not sure how much this will enrage the populace. They'll want to take their anger out on someone."
"I'll take the blame. After my not so little stunt, everyone is terrified of me. I doubt even Trixie would go up against me, particularly after her small round of pyromania." Sunset nodded towards her charred bandage. "Besides, I'm leaving you to punish them."
Celestia nodded in confirmation. "Indeed, detention until easter break and more if they cause any trouble whatsoever. Excluding, as per your request, Scootaloo."
"Have you made a descision to tell their families?"
"No. If they can find a plausible explanation for why they have a load of detention, they deserve an award. If they somehow manage to do that, I'll give them a damn award and then tell their families. At the moment, I'm done being kind." The woman's frustrated expression hardened as she spoke.
"I know the feeling." Glancing at the clock, Sunset saw fourth period was almost up. "Well, I'm going to head to the assembly. I want a front row seat for this."
She stood, saying her goodbyes, and started her journey down the corridors. As she walked, the few students who were currently in the hallways subtly tried to move away from the girl, clearly wary after her earlier display of power. Still, it gave Sunset some room to think.
While she had definitely expected the CMC to confess under the pressure she had placed upon them, she almost certainly didn't believe they would give themselves up so instantly. Not that she was complaining, of course, this just made things easier for her. Now the next biggest thing she had to deal with was Anon-a-mous, who she would like to have some very selective choice words with. But that was after the assembly. Plus, she had a few other things on her mind, more personal issues that she needed to at the very least sort out, and completely solve, if possible. Upon entering the assembly hall, Sunset was greeted by rows of benches and chair, all completely vacant, facing the stage, where a microphone had been set up. Striding down the center of the room, she noted a spot where the floor appeared to be slightly dented and burnt. She made a mental to pay the school a few bits once this was over.
Reaching the front row, she took the seat closest to the stage steps, as waited for the rest of the school to arrive. Careful not to activate it, Sunset brought the gem to in front of her face, and examined it. It had a rich history in the girl's mind. The combination of her powerful magic potential and her running emotions caused a large number of magical outbursts, so Celestia had given her the jewel to control her power. She had originally fled with it to the human world in the hopes of being able to use its magic there, but it had become a sort of memento from her old days. She never dared bring it to school, unless she wanted it to get lost. Now, however, it kept even more powerful magic locked away, protecting those around her from potentially catastrophic effects. Now that she knew that her emotions were influenced by the magic, she made another mental reminder to write to Princess Twilight about it, to aid in her research.
Someone took a seat next to her, and Sunset dropped the gem back to her chest. Looking across, she saw Twilight - the human one - had joined her, but wore a throughly confused expression one her face, which conflicted with the warm smile she was giving Sunset. She leant in, and whispered, "What's happened?"
"Shouldn't you still be in the medical room?"
"It was just a bump on the head. Only just enough to knock me out, but nothing more." She winced as she ran a hand though her hair, before returning it to her side. "Seriously though, why this assembly?"
"Anon-a-miss gave themselves up." Sunset answered, "Wait until the announcement is made, and then I'll tell you more. No point in having you hear something twice."
"And the other one?"
"Nope. Still no clue. I'm giving them a day or two before I go full magical Bryan Mills on them."
"Uh?"
"Nevermind. I'm just saying I'll find them, and then... perhaps something more." She was slightly disappointed Twilight didn't get her reference, having learnt so many to blend in, but all in good fun, she supposed. "We'll see. Now shush, I believe everyone's here."
She pointed a thumb over her shoulder, and the students automatically flinched at the action, proving Sunset's earlier words of how everyone was scared of her. Regardless, everyone had indeed gathered inside of the hall, with mixed expressions on their faces. Some were nervous and anxious, others were simply bored, and a few appeared to be terrified, shaking in their seat. No one, however, appeared to be aggressive or hateful at all. 'Probably pacified by my show earlier.' Sunset thought, almost giggling at the thought of how easily a previous hateful group of people were so stunned in submission. Still, the way everyone was acting around her reminded of her of her old days as the school bully, something she'd rather leave behind completely.
Vice Principal Luna appeared on the stage, behind the microphone on the lectern. Without any delays, she spoke, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.
"I'm not going to delay this at all, so here's the reason for why this assembly is being held. The people behind Anon-a-miss came forward. But-" She cut off the enivitable chorus of shouts, "due to the request of a very prominent victim of this entire ridiculous mess, their identities will not be released yet."
"Yes, that's right, I'm stopping you all from ripping someone to shreds in a blind revenge fueled rage. That's me, go on, complain." Sunset called out, and when utter silence followed, she added, "No? Fine then, buck you all."
"Ahem. Anyway, I can assure you that they will be severely punished for what they have done, along with their family's own punishments. They have also kindly provided us with a rather long list of those who sent in material to the account. The number of those is... disappointing, to say the least. While we would also hide their identities, it simply isn't possible due to the sheer volume. The more minor offenders we will send a notice to, since their punishments aren't very substantial. However, here are the more serious offenders." The projector flicked into life, and a list of at least fifty names were displayed. The absence of annoyed growls disturbed Sunset - there must have been more guilty people than she had thought, or at least everyone believed themselves to be guilty in one way or another. "We will be calling you to discuss what you have done, among other things. The rest of you, take the day off. If any of these names wish to speak with me or my sister now, you may line up outside of our office. If anyone has any clues to who is behind the other account, please contact us. Dismissed."
Luna walked off of the stage, leaving the student body to nervously shuffle out of the hall. Even Sunset's friends were walking awkwardly, perhaps to avoid bringing even more attention to themselves. Sunset waited until a particular student had started to exit, scratching the back of their head nervously, as per usual. She made to follow them, Twilight trailing behind. "Flash." The red hair girl came up behind her ex-boyfriend, and gave him a small smile.
"Hey, Sunset. Can this wait? I need time to think..."
"Just asking if I could talk later, actually."
"Come round to my house at four thirty. I pretty sure Scoots will want to talk to you to. Don't be surprised if her friends show up too. As fractured as they may be at the moment, they still will talk to each other about anything." Flash briefly sniggered as he thought of the CMC's complicated relationship, which seemed to change on an hourly basis, even in these troubled times. "You still have my number, don't you? You remember where I live, just come round. In fact, I do believe my mom also would like a word. Good or bad, I don't know."
"Got it, thanks. See you then." Sunset gave a short wave, before wandering off, Twilight once again in tow. "Well, Twi, this has been an interesting, but productive, first day at school. Let's get home."
"R-right." The purple girl gave a shaky nod, causing her sister to frown.
"Are you sure you're okay after that who fiasco?"
"I'll be okay, don't worry."
"Hey, I'm just making up for all the times you'll say similar things in the future. Because trust me, you will." Twilight gave her a pointed look, to which Sunset responded with a good natured giggle. "Relax. I may get into a lot of trouble, but I'm tough."
"Want me to call mom or are we going to walk?"
"Walk. I need to time to think. We can always catch the bus, no need to bother mum." Exiting the school, they started down the pavement, ignoring the various looks they were recieving from the other students.
"Ah ha, the one person who acted as if they had no part in any of this..." A girl stalked down the corridors, following her prey with great stealth. She wanted to prove herself. She knew Sunset was perfectly okay with her being around, but she needed to earn her full trust. And, as far as she was concerned, this was a perfect oppotunity to do so. Her target wandered out of the school, smug grin appearing on their face the instant they were outside. They happily strode down the street, walking about half a mile, before they came to a block of flats. Before entering the building, they pulled out their phone, pulling up a certain web page. Peeking over his shoulder, she saw the title.
'ANON-A-MOUS'
Thinking fast, the girl took out her phone and snapped a picture of the page and of their face, startling to culprit. She ran, not listening to whatever they were saying, preumably threats. Making sure the pictures were saved, she made her way straight to her home, ignoring the questions of one of her sisters. The girl flopped onto her bed, pulling out her phones again, and flicking between the two images.
"Gotcha."
"Alright, I'm off!"
"Have a nice time at Flash's!" Sunset waved goodbye as she wheeled her motorbike out of its place, adorning her helmet, and starting it up. She made her way to her destination on the vehicle, thinking back over the past few days, and what the future may hold. She was imparticularly concerned about how the blackmail that got Lightning Dust arrested got out. Celestia was the only one who had that material, and Sunset had no reason to think the woman a liar when she said she hadn't yet done anything with it. She doubted Luna had done anything either and Discor-
'Discord.'
Of course it was him. Why wouldn't it be? He hadn't thought it through, and someone got kidnapped as a result. Sunset would have words with him later, however. This came first. She felt as if she had neglected Flash for too long, and she did need to speak with his mother too, to work out Scootaloo's past, which had brought her brain much confusion. Not only was she a cripple, Sunset was apparantly the cause of said disability. She typically avoided anything physical concerning younger kids during her bully days - everyone had standards. She also didn't remember any sort of incident involving Scootaloo, or at least anything that didn't involve Rainbow Dash.
"Hey, Sunset!" A voice snapped her out of her thoughts, as Flash came up to her, having been looking at her parked outside his house for at least a minute. "You okay?"
"Sorry, just thinking. Had hardly noticed I had arrived." Sunset took off her helmet, letting her hair hang free once more.
"Clearly. Come on in. We probably won't be eating with my mother. She's still coming to terms with my, quote, return. Not that I ever truly left..." He trailed off, ending a complicated converstation prematurely. "Anyway, what did you want to talk about?"
They entered the house, immediately heading up the stairs. Entering Flash's rather bland room, Sunset gave her reply. "A number of things. I've cleared up most of my relationships in one way or another, but you and your family, well... At the risk of sounding cryptic, I don't fully understand what's happening with you. Between your mother previously blaming me for things I may or may not have done, the basis of the aforemention accusations, and the recent grand reveal, I'm not sure what to make of it all."
"Hardly surprising. You do deserve an explanation, though. Here, sit." He patted his bed, on which Sunset sat down on. "Sorry for the lack of... well, almost everything. I want to redecorate. Leave behind the, 'old me', I guess."
"Speaking of which, how long since?"
"Good, good, you don't feel the need to ask permission. No, don't apologise, as I said, you have a right to know. Anyway, right. Explanation." Flash took in a deep breath, preparing himself for what was to come. "You know what I told you about when and partially why? We're still having trouble really come to terms with all of it. I personally want to just put it behind me, and move on. New brain, new me, et cetera. But I can't do that when my family is still dealing with it. So to answer your question, I've only really 'banished' it, for lack of better term, a week ago, so I suppose I shouldn't really be so impatient."
"You said you had voices in your head. You kinda sounded sad when you said they were gone. Why?" Sunset asked, before she snorted in laughter briefly. "Listen to me, I sound like a news journalist."
"Heh, yeah." The short tone of amusement vanished, being replaced by a slightly more sombre voice. "Seriously though, I sort of gave it a name. I forgot it a couple of times, but it was Screwball. Sh- It sounded rather crazy, but almost lovable. It didn't really care at the time, not with my state of mind, but I did realise that once I became, er, sane again, I wouldn't ever be able to speak to her again. She just felt different. It didn't seem anything special, just like an actual voice of sanity in a sea of confusion. Not that she brought much sanity with me, of course, but still...
"The reason I almost regarded it as a proper person was because she actually helped me. Helped me remember things at first, then pointed things out I wouldn't normally notice due to my state. She just became something I felt I could trust, for once. Someone who literally couldn't betray me." Flash groaned, hearing his words himself for the first time. "It sounds ridiculous, but I honestly think it wasn't just something my brain made up to stay sane, but she might've been something more."
"Tell you what, Flash, once the rest of this entire fiasco is over, I'll look into it. See what I can find, at the very least." Sunset unconcsiously went to activate her powers, before silently scolding herself, and lowering her hand.
"Yeah, about that, care to explain the wings and stuff?"
"An explanation for an explanation. Fair. I don't really know myself. Did some research on it, back in the other world, and supposedly I'm a 'chosen one'. Not like saving the galaxy and all that schtick, but I'm just special. Supposedly I had to view the world from every perspective, and I did so, and here we are. Flaming wings and a horn made of light. Yay." Sunset shrugged, as it was the best honest explanation she could give. Now that she thought about it, she really would like to know much more about her newfound magic. She would have to write to Twilight when she got back. "It's supposedly phoenix magic, would you believe it?"
"I would, actually. After all we've been through, I think I can believe that."
"Heh. Right. Right. Well, in my world it's hard to believe, anyway. Which probably sounds weird to you. But trust me, it's almost unheard of." The conversation became simple small talk after that, generally just catching up with each other and sharing their thoughts on recent events. It continued on like that, until Doctor Turret came into the room.
"Hey you two. Food's ready for you, Flash. Sunset, I may or may not have made cooked pork, but I need to talk to you anyway." Nodding, they all went downstairs, where Turret pulled Sunset to the side just before Flash entered the dining room. "I'm sorry." She muttered.
"What for?" Sunset responded, her curiosity ignited.
"Making assumptions. I was rash in accusing you in everything I said. I don't know you, and I have literally no solid proof that you did what I claimed you did."
"Eh. Apologies accepted. I'm kind of used to random accusations. It was a daily thing for a while, after all. It's not like you could've known, unlike some other people..." Sunset trailed off, not wanting to guide the conversation in the direction it was already going. "I really should be going, Mrs. Turret."
"Go ahead. Oh, and my name's Microscope. Call me that, or at least when outside of a hospital. Let's try and dial down the hostility, alright? No need for that anymore." Smiling at the tiny show of trust, Sunset said her goodbyes, and exited the household, turning to her bike only to find a short girl sitting on it.
"Hey!" The girl looked up, and pulled her hood down, revealing a mop of violet hair.
"Hi Sunset."
"Scoots! Thought you were a vandal for a sec. Just got this bike back, don't want it ruined already." Scootaloo hopped off the bike, stepping forward to meet Sunset.
"It does look nice, I'll grant you that." The younger girl's look morphed into one with hints of confusion. "But we wanted to know this. Why did you even bother to defend them?"
"You heard me in the hall. I frankly couldn't care less what punishment you get, but I don't want to see you endless hunted down for something you didn't even take too far. Besides, if you ask me, I owe you, Scootaloo. That's why you only have two weeks worth of detention, isn't it?" Sunset, donned her helmet, preparing to leave.
"Yeah, I guess. But before you go: this other account, Anon-a-mous? They posted something when they first set up, something that the account itself claimed credit for. It was something literal seconds before by leg got messed up. And now that we know it's not Bloom or Sweetie..."
Sunset's eyes lighted up in recognition and hope. "Then we can find out who the account is! That's brilliant!"
"Not only that, but I'm pretty sure that person, in their rush to get away, might've been the on who ended up crippling me."
"Jeez, talk about catching the guilty. Can I ask about what happened, or is it a bit, y'know..."
"No, no, it's fine." Scootaloo sat on the ground, wincing as her bad leg was bent into an awkward position. "There's not much to tell. I don't remember that much, but I do remember a bike of some sort ran over my leg as I was lying on the ground after a, well, crash. Half the joints essentially buckled under the pressure. You know the rest, can't run, yadda yadda."
"Oh, who ever it is, I am so-" Her phone rang, cutting her off, checking it, Sunset found someone had texted her two images, and an address, with the words 'Have fun!'
"What is it?"
The older girl's grin grew. "Scootaloo, how much do you want revenge on whoever was on that bike?"
"A lot. Like, more than ever."
Sunset's grin went to massive proportions, with a hint of malice to it. "Then go ask your mother if you can come with me for the evening. I'll even buy some food. It's time to haunt a bastard."