“Sunset, wait up!” E-Applejack called out as she caught up to Sunset.
Sunset stopped but didn’t look at her, instead, she glared at the ground. She heard more rushing footsteps and assumed that it was her fellow Equestrians.
“Darling, are you alright?” E-Rarity asked with worry as she approached Sunset and reached for her face to check for any injuries.
“I’m fine, Rarity,” Sunset assured the fashionista as she gently grabbed her hands.
“You’re anything but fine,” E-Rarity said.
“Ah’m sorry, Sunset.” E-Applejack apologized as she took off her hat and placed it against her chest. “Ah should’ve reacted sooner to her attack.”
“There’s no need for you to apologize, Applejack,” Sunset assured her, smiling at the Equestrian cowgirl. “The fact that you’re even apologizing says a lot about your character.”
“Our experiences help shape who we are,” E-Rarity said.
“You’re right,” Sunset agreed smiling at the group, they demonstrated a level of maturity and unity that was unlike her former friends. They genuinely wanted to not only help her but also their counterparts, trying to spare them all the pain of betraying and losing a friend. “Say, do you girls still want to be my friend?”
“Are you sure?” E-Rainbow Dash asked.
“I’m sure,” Sunset said with a smile before she was engulfed in a hug by E-Pinkie Pie.
“Yay! New friend!” E-Pinkie said with delight.
Sunset laughed as she returned the hug, she was soon joined by the rest of the mane 5.
“This is so awesome, I have a friend from another world,” E-Rainbow Dash said excitedly.
“Technically I’m originally from Equestria,” Sunset reminded her.
“Who cares, I have an awesome new friend!” E-Rainbow Dash said.
“You’re all pretty awesome yourselves,” Sunset complimented before breaking the hug. “Listen I don’t want you all to think that I’m replacing you for your counterparts.”
“Don’t worry, sugarcube. We know that yah aint using us to replace yer former friends,” E-Applejack assured her.
“Oh! That reminds me, I have great news darling!” E-Rarity said in excitement. “I managed to convince my counterpart of your innocence.”
“Really?!” Sunset said in shock.
“Hmhm,” E-Rarity nodded.
“I convinced my counterpart too,” E-Rainbow Dash said with a nod.
“Me too!” E-Pinkie cheered.
“I’m happy to say that I succeeded in convincing the other me of your innocence,” E-Fluttershy said with a smile.
“Ah obviously failed,” E-Applejack said with a sigh.
“Don’t sweat it, Applejack. There’s no point in wasting any more time with your counterpart,” Sunset said.
“Still…” E-Applejack rubbed the back of her head, still feeling guilty about what happened.
“If she’s sorry for what she did then she’ll apologize right?” Sunset asked.
“Yeah,” E-Applejack agreed. “Tha’s what ah would do at least.”
“Then we’ll just wait for her to make the first move,” Sunset said before she felt something vibrate in her backpack and pulled out her journal.
“Is it from Twilight?” E-Rarity asked.
“Yes and she’s been working on who Anon-A-Miss is too,” Sunset said as she read the Princess’s message. “She wants to compare notes to see if we can get the whole picture.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” E-Rainbow Dash said with excitement.
Sunset closed her journal and lead the girls back to her apartment, things are starting to look up for her.
Applejack stared at her drink as she and the Rainbooms are in the Sweet Shoppe, the Rainbooms looked at her worriedly as she hadn’t said a word since they arrived.
“Applejack, are you alright?” Fluttershy asked with concern.
“Why’d she do it?” Applejack said in a monotone voice, her gaze still on her drink. “Why did she take the hit?”
“Because that’s what friends do,” Rainbow Dash answered. “Sunset always has her friends’ backs.”
“She would rather take the hit than see her friend hurt,” Fluttershy said.
“Why are yah girls so convinced that she’s innocent now?” Applejack asked. “ A while ago we all agreed that she betrayed us.”
“Our counterparts helped us reflect on what Sunset means to us,” Rarity answered sadly, feeling foolish for doubting Sunset’s character. “Darling, what does Sunset mean to you?”
“Ah thought she was family,” Applejack answered simply.
“Has she always been family?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You used to tell me how much you couldn’t stand Sunset but only tolerated her because we promised Twilight we would look after her.”
“After everything, she put us through ah wasn’t going to forget that and welcome her with open arms,” Applejack said.
“You never tried to get to know her?” Rarity asked.
“Ah refused to,” Applejack answered.
“Just like how you refused to believe she’s innocent?” Rarity inquired as she raised an eyebrow. “Darling, you’re being unreasonably stubborn about this.”
“Yeah, it sounds like you never gave Sunset a chance or got to know her,” Pikie Pie said.
“Ah didn’t,” Applejack admitted sadly. “At least not at first, but even after we became friends we never really hung out much, and ah wasn’t in any hurry to. We only really connected during the sleepovers.”
“Applejack, I say this with love but stop being so stubborn and think for a minute.” Rarity said. “What does Sunset have to gain from being Anon-A-Miss?”
“Revenge for defeating her?” Applejack answered, a little unsure of her answer.
“That’s what we thought too,” Rainbow Dash said.
“But when you think about it, Sunset’s actions were always with a goal in mind,” Rarity said. “If revenge was her goal, why make it obvious that Anon-A-Miss is her?”
“Sunset broke us up without us having no idea it was her,” Fluttershy said.
“She also counted on us being too mad at each other to ask about the texts,” Pinkie Pie added.
“It’s obvious now that Sunset is being framed and they counted on us being too upset at Sunset to look further into Anon-A-Miss,” Rarity said.
“If you don’t believe Sunset then believe us,” Rainbow Dash said. “Sunset is innocent, AJ.”
“Applejack, I Pinkie Promise you that Sunset is not Anon-A-Miss,” Pinkie Pie promised, doing the motions of the Pinkie promise.
Applejack’s eyes widened, Pinkie Pie always took her Pinkie Promises seriously, and if she promises that Sunset is innocent then it’s true.
“But then…” Applejack trails off remembering all the bad things she said to Sunset and the look on her face when she walked away from her. “Oh, Sunset.”
Applejack covers her face as she realizes the horrible mistake she has made.
“It’s not too late to apologize,” Rarity said as she lays a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I have some apologizing to do myself.”
“Same here,” Rainbow Dash said shamefully.
“We all owe Sunset an apology,” Fluttershy said sadly.
“We’ve all been terrible friends,” Pinkie Pie whimpered.
“Some worse than others,” Applejack said, referring to herself.
“Then let us not wait any longer,” Rarity said as she and her friends nodded in agreement. “Pinkie, can you call Sunset?”
“No problem,” PInkie said as she took out her phone, found Sunset’s number, and pushed call.
Sunset and her fellow Equestrians are gathered around her journal in her living room, Sunset had written to Twilight about everything she had found out about Anon-A-Miss.
“Okay, so the first secret to be posted on Anon-A-Miss was Applejack’s nickname,” Twilight wrote.
“It was also when Anon-A-Miss first appeared,” Sunset wrote back. “Then Anon-A-Miss posted the pictures of the slumber party at Rarity’s home.”
“That’s when your former friends broke off ties with you,” Twilight wrote. “Then Anon-A-Miss started posting the secrets from the others student of Canterlot High.”
“I’ve tried to find any pattern of the secrets posted but there isn’t one,” Sunset wrote.
Twilight pondered as she read the entry, if there was no pattern then it made it difficult to pin down who Anon-A-Miss was. Suddenly, the doors to the library opened to reveal her parents.
“Twilight, we got your message,” Twilight Velvet said as trotted into the room.
“How’s Spike doing?” Night Light asked.
“He seems to be doing fine,” Twilight answered as she looked down at Spike who is resting peacefully between her forelegs.
“My goodness Twilight!” Twilight Velvet gasped as she saw all the papers around her daughter’s makeshift bed. “Have you been up all night?”
“I’ve been helping my friend,” Twilight said before yawing.
“Twilight, you need to rest,” Twilight Velvet told her daughter as a magic aura enveloped her horn. “Let me take over Spike’s treatment while you get some rest.”
“It’s okay mom, I can handle it,” Twilight tried to assure her mother as she felt her mom’s magic mix with hers. “Besides I’m in the middle of helping my friend with a serious problem.”
“Twilight, you can’t do both at the same time,” Twilight Velvet said.
“Judging by the number of notes you need a lot of concentration which is being split between you healing Spike and helping your friend,” Night Light pointed out. “Your lack of sleep will only make it worse.”
“Twilight, let your family help you,” Twilight Velvet said.
“Family…” Twilight whispered before her eyes widened. “That’s it! Thanks, mom!”
“You’re welcome, honey.” Twilight Velvet said with a smile.
Twilight floated a quill over and started writing in her journal.
“What more could we be missing?” Sunset asked aloud.
The rest of the Mane 5 are spread around the room in various thinking poses, E-Rainbow Dash is leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and her head down, a look of concentration on her face. E-Pinkie Pie is sitting upside down on Sunset’s couch, E-Applejack is pacing back and forth, E-Rarity sitting next to Pinkie Pie with her eyes closed deep in thought, Fluttershy has a look of worry as she looks at her hands resting on her lap while sitting next to Rarity. Suddenly, the journal vibrates gaining everyone’s attention. The girls crowd around Sunset as she reads the message.
“Sunset, who else knows about Applejack’s secret?” Twilight asked.
“Just myself, the girls, and her family,” Sunset answered.
“And at Rarity’s slumber party, who else was there?” Twilight inquired.
“Us and her family,” Sunset wrote before her eyes widened in realization. “Do you think it was their sisters?”
“Possible, it does make sense given that the first secret to be posted was Applejack’s nickname.” Twilight wrote.
“Wait a second, a picture of Rainbow Dash holding a failed test paper was posted on Anon-A-Miss and it was during soccer practice,” Sunset wrote. “The junior soccer team also practiced at that time and Scootaloo is on it.”
“If those three are involved then it’s just like Gabby Gums!” Twilight wrote.
“Gabby Gums?” Sunset questioned.
“The pony counterparts of Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were in their school’s newspaper team to try to earn their cutie marks; they created a gossip column that posted ponies' secrets before they started posting lies about other ponies.” Twilight explained. “They eventually published an article explaining their actions and apologizing to everyone in Ponyville they hurt. I can’t believe I didn’t see the connection!”
“Don’t beat yourself up, Twilight. We didn’t have the whole picture,” Sunset assured her.
“What did Twilight say?” E-Applejack asked.
“We’ve figured out that it might be Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo,” Sunset informed them.
“Why would they-“ E-Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened before she slammed her palm against her forehead. “Gabby Gums, of course! Why didn’t I see it sooner!”
“The Gabby Guns incident certainly matches Anon-A-Miss,” E-Rarity said with a sigh.
Sunset’s phone started ringing and the caller ID told her it was from Pinkie.
“Hello?” Sunset answered.
“Sunset?” a familiar voice asked that wasn’t Pinkie.
“Rarity?” Sunset was surprised that Rarity was the one calling her.
“Do you think you can meet us at The Sweet Shoppe? The girls and I have something we want to tell you.”