The first thing Sunset noticed as she looked around was the new location. They were standing on the sidewalk outside a building that Sunset soon recognized.
“My apartment?” she asked, turning to Clark. “When is this? Why here?”
“It’s been four whole days since your suicide,” Clark answered calmly. “As for why, well, we’re about to find out.” He then pointed down the street and Sunset’s gaze followed his finger until it landed upon 5 oncoming girls Sunset had no problem recognizing, even at her distance. As the Rainbooms got closer, Sunset started hearing some of what they were saying. Remembering that they wouldn’t be seeing her eavesdrop anyway, she ran up to them slightly huddled together as they walked.
“Now, we all know what we’re gonna say?” Rarity asked in a business-like tone.
The others nodded and Pinkie replied, “Yep. Got it written down right here.” She then pulled out a folded piece of notebook paper to show the others. Sunset looked over Pinkie’s shoulder and saw phrases like, “All the good times,” and, “How much we miss you.” Sunset quickly realized that it was an intervention letter. So the girls had carried out what they said they’d do yesterday.
“And we’re going to be friendly, but stern with her,” Fluttershy added before looking at Applejack and Rainbow Dash with narrowed eyes. “Right?”
“Right,” Applejack and Rainbow said together with a small nod.
The girls stopped outside Sunset’s apartment, which was as dark as Sunset had left it four days ago, or however long it had been for her. All of this time traveling was starting to mess with Sunset’s mind. Taking a deep breath, Rarity stepped forward and knocked loudly, but casually on the door.
“Sunset?” she called out. “Are you in there? It’s Rarity. The others are here too.” No answer. Sunset knew there wouldn’t be. After a second, Rainbow stepped forward and knocked louder.
“Hey, Sunset! We’re not here to yell at you. We just wanna talk. Please open up!” Still nothing. Sunset sighed slightly. They still had no idea what had happened.
After another minute of silence, Rainbow turned to the others. “I guess she’s not home. Should we try again tomorrow?”
“Maybe right after school too,” Pinkie nodded. The others muttered their agreement and started to leave. All except for Fluttershy, who was staring up and down the building with a thoughtful look in her eyes. It didn’t take long for the Rainbooms to realize their soft-spoken friend wasn’t with them and quickly ventured back.
“What’s up, Flutters?” asked Applejack.
“Something’s not right,” Fluttershy responded quietly, not taking her eyes off of Sunset’s front door. The Rainbooms looked at each other concernedly.
“What do you mean, darling?” Rarity inquired.
“I mean something seems…off about this,” Fluttershy repeated, and Sunset noticed that she looked worried. She then walked forward and tugged at the door, no doubt seeing if it was locked. As she did this, Sunset remembered that she didn’t lock the door when she left. After all, she was not feeling much of anything at the time. Sure enough, the door swung open, and Fluttershy looked back at the others with concern in her eyes.
“Why would she leave her door unlocked if she wasn’t home?” she asked. When the Rainbooms didn’t respond, Fluttershy turned back around and ventured in. The others quickly followed. Trailing behind them, Sunset caught a glimpse of the darkness before Pinkie flicked the switch on the wall. The apartment immediately filled with light, and yet, the place wasn’t that pleasant to look at. The place was just as Sunset left it, and from the look of it, a small layer of dust had formed in the four days it had been empty. Rarity noticed this too as she ran a finger across the surface of the coffee table. Her nose scrunched in disgust as the rest of the girls looked around in every room. After a bit, they all convened back in the middle of the room, all except Fluttershy, who was looking around her bed.
“It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here for a while,” Applejack said, now sharing Fluttershy’s concern.
“Do you think maybe Sunset left Canterlot?” Rainbow asked.
“And leave all of her clothes and game system behind?” Rarity retorted, pointing at the TV where Sunset’s favorite game system was sitting underneath. Another remembrance came to Sunset; she had been trying to play games to get her mind off of everything before she left. The controllers were still out on the coffee table. Fluttershy soon joined the others with something familiar clutched in her arms.
“She left Twilight’s journal here,” she said softly. “She wouldn’t have left that behind, would she?”
“What do you think, Pinkie?” Rainbow asked, but when she turned to her side, Pinkie wasn’t there. “Pinkie?”
It turns out that Pinkie was staring, unusually quiet, out the window. Her face was pressed up against the glass, and her face was turned to look up the street. When her name was called, she jumped slightly and turned back to the girls with worried eyes.
“I just saw a whole bunch of ambulances up the street,” she said, no trace of the usual Pinkie pep in her voice. “It looks like they’re all by the park entrance.”
At that moment, Sunset felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Did someone finally find her body at the lake? She looked back at the girls, who now all looked worried.
“Was there a wreck?” Applejack wondered aloud. “Maybe someone got hit!”
“Whatever it was,” Rainbow chimed in, “I wanna check it out! C’mon!” The others nodded and followed Rainbow out the door and down the street. Sunset wasted no time in tailing right behind them. This was the moment; she knew it. Here, they would discover what had happened. But the big question that was swimming in her mind was how would they react? Sunset’s nerves were racing as the girls stopped right across from the little cafe where Sunset had made her wish; where this all started. Sure enough, at least three ambulances’ lights were shining up the snow-filled night, and some people around had already started to gather, no doubt curious as well. Several paramedics were pushing the people back and away from the scene. Rainbow, being more brash than others, led the girls right up to the nearest paramedic.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” he said hastily, putting out his arms. “You can’t get any closer, girls. Not until we’re cleared out.”
“What happened here?” Rainbow asked.
“We got a call about someone finding a body at the bottom of the lake up near the trail,” the paramedic answered gloomily.
Pinkie and Fluttershy gasped and cupped a hand over their mouths, Applejack and Rainbow’s mouth fell open in shock, and Rarity croaked, “That’s awful!”
“No kidding,” the medic nodded. “We don’t know much more than that. The others should be down with the body soon, and then we’ll- Oh here they come. Alright, girls, step back a bit.”
As they backed up, the Rainbooms, as well as Sunset, looked up toward the park entrance to see two more medics coming down the path with a blanketed body on a stretcher. As they got closer, the girls could hear their conversation.
“Poor girl,” the older one grunted with a shake of his head. “Who knows how long she’s been in that lake. Must’ve been a few days at least.”
“Yeah,” replied the younger medic. “If that couple hadn’t been walking by the lake, she might’ve been there until after Christmas!”
“Oh how horrible,” Fluttershy whimpered as the medics got closer to them. “I can’t imagine finding a dead body. I’d probably pass out.” The others nodded.
Sunset’s heart was now racing. Her body was completely covered up. Would the Rainbooms never know at that moment that it was her dead body on that stretcher? The medics were getting closer to the ambulance. They were ready to lift it up into the back.
Just then, as if the earth had heard Sunset’s thoughts, a strong wind swept across the area. Sunset, not being alive, felt no effect of it, but everyone around her certainly did. Hats of passing men flew off, the trees around the entrance whipped back, pushing against the breeze, and everyone burrowed their necks deeper into their jackets to block out the cold. But nothing could match what happened with the medics, for as soon as the wind hit the stretcher, the sheet covering the body was blown forward, revealing a cold, blue, lifeless face Sunset knew all too well, for it was hers.
An ear-splitting scream suddenly filled the air, and everyone, including Sunset, flinched. It was a sound that was unfamiliar, for no one had ever heard Rainbow Dash make such a sound. Turning back to the girls, Sunset’s eyes widened as she saw Rainbow looking at the scene with her mouth open, face pale, and her eyes quickly filling with tears. And it wasn’t just her.
“SUNSET!!” Fluttershy and Pinkie wailed nearly as loud as Rainbow, tears also rolling down their faces.
“NO!” Rarity cried out. “NOT SUNSET!”
Applejack said nothing, but ran right past the medic, ignoring his calls of, “Hey! You can’t go up there!” Sunset saw that her eyes were widened, and she too had gone as white as the snow. She was right next to Sunset, when two more medics grabbed her arms and started to pull her away from the ambulance.
“LET GO!” she finally wailed, thrashing around like a wild animal, trying to get loose. Sunset had never seen her lose control like that. “LET ME GO, I SAID!”
“There’s nothing you can do!” the one medic grunted. “She’s been dead for at least-”
“NO!!” Applejack cried. “THAT’S OUR FRIEND! THAT’S OUR FRIEND!” Meanwhile, the other Rainbooms continued to stand where they were, but they too were all crying like Sunset had never seen them cry before. Fluttershy had fallen to her knees with her face in her hands, Pinkie, hair completely flattened, was covering her ears, her head bowed, and Rarity’s arms were wrapped around a weeping Rainbow as she, Rarity, sobbed into her friend’s shoulder. All the while, Applejack continued to fight the medics as tears flew off of her cheeks and she continued to scream, “SUNSET! SUNSET!”
“Now that’s some amazing acting.”
Sunset jumped again and turned around to see Clark, looking at the scene and shaking his head slightly. Once again, she had forgotten that he was even there. The sight of him reacting that way though confused her.
“What?” was all she could say.
“Well,” Clark replied matter-of-factly, “since they clearly don’t care about you anymore, they must be acting, right? You yourself said that they would be much happier if you had died. Then all of those tears they’re shedding must be fake.” He then looked at Sunset with a raised eyebrow. “Right?”
Sunset didn’t say anything, but looked back at the scene. The medics were now loading Sunset’s body into the ambulance, and the medics had finally gotten Applejack back with the others. But the Rainbooms’ sobs continued to echo around the area, and even more so, in Sunset’s mind. But there was something else that came to Sunset’s memory. Applejack had called Sunset her friend! At this point, the girls still thought that she was Anon-a-Miss, but it was like the sight of her dead body had completely washed that thought away, revealing their true feelings towards her. And it was Applejack, the one who seemed most against Sunset, who had said it! It was as if all of the malice Sunset had towards her friends had melted, and she was actually finding the urge to join them and cry with them. And then the realization that she was already dead came back, and the warmth disappeared.
“Hold on,” Clark said calmly, and clapped his hands. This time, the spinning of the world only lasted a few seconds. Sunset had just prepared to brace herself, but it was already over. Looking ahead of her, Sunset saw that she was in Sugarcube Corner now.
“How long?” she asked Clark at once.
“Only an hour later,” he replied.
Sunset was about to ask why, but then the sounds of sniffling and quiet sobbing caught her ear. She turned and saw the Rainbooms seated at a round table in the empty bakery. All of them looked exhausted from crying. Rarity’s cheeks had thick, black streaks on them from where her mascara had run, but she wasn’t doing anything to fix it. Pinkie’s hair was still deflated, and seemed to sag with sorrow. The rest had dark marks under their eyes from crying too long. Sunset immediately got closer and noticed that Fluttershy was reading Sunset’s magical journal, silent tears rolling down her face. After another minute of weeping silence, Rainbow spoke up, and her voice cracked.
“D-do you think someone from school did it?” she asked mournfully. “You know, like as revenge?”
“Ah don’ know,'' Applejack said, wiping her nose with her coat sleeve. “It’s a possibility. She made a lot of people mad.”
“I bet it was that brute, Gilda!” Rarity spat angrily. “She was looking for a reason to get back at Sunset. But-” she sniffed loudly as tears started to form again, “-but Sunset didn’t deserve that!”
“She didn’t deserve it!” came Fluttershy’s cry as she put down the book. Taken aback by her sudden outburst, everyone turned to their usually shy friend and saw that she looked absolutely disheveled, and her eyes were as wide as plates. “She didn’t deserve it because she was NOT Anon-a-Miss!”
A moment of shocked silence passed around the Rainbooms as if they needed time to take in what was just said. Finally, Rainbow spoke up. “W-what do you mean, Fluttershy?”
“I mean,” Fluttershy replied, turning the open journal out towards her friends, “why would someone who wrote For the first time in a long time, with my new friends by my side, I feel like I’ve found my home do what Anon-a-Miss has done?”
The other girls’ mouths instantly fell open, too shocked for words, as Fluttershy continued. “And this entry; My friends have helped me so much, and I will never be able to fully make it up to them! They’ve become more than just my friends. They’re my family, and I believe, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that nothing will ever break us apart!
Sunset was as shocked and speechless as the others. She had forgotten when she wrote that, but now the memory was flooding back into her. That was only a few weeks after the Battle of the Bands. It had been the happiest that she had felt in a long time, and that’s when she was finally able to proudly call the Rainbooms her friends- no! Her family! The memory made Sunset’s throat start to itch with choked-back sobs. Meanwhile, Fluttershy had looked back at the others, and she was crying again, and trembling over what she had to say next.
“Guys, that’s exactly what we did!” she whimpered. “We broke us apart. We broke her. And…” she fought back a fresh wave of tears, “I don’t think someone killed her. I think we broke her to the point of…of…”
There was no need to finish the sentence. As Fluttershy finally collapsed her head into her arms sobbing miserably, the others lowered their heads with realization about what they had done. The only words that could be heard were Rarity’s as she whispered, “It’s our fault.”
BAM!
Every head shot up to attention, and Fluttershy gave a scared little squeak, as Rainbow pounded her fist onto the table. Looking at her, Sunset saw that tears were streaming down her cheeks again as well, but her expression was of anger.
“She begged me to believe her!” she cried through gritted teeth. “She begged me, and I just…abandoned her! I betrayed my element! I betrayed Sunset!”
“We all did, darling!” Rarity wailed, putting an arm around Rainbow. “We were too blinded by anger and embarrassment to see the truth, and now…” she bowed her head, “it’s too late.”
As another wave of sorrowful silence filled the air, only broken by the occasional sobs from Pinkie and Fluttershy, Sunset once again felt the urge to join them. It was Clark’s nudge on her shoulder that broke her out of this thought and she looked at him.
“And keep in mind,” he said knowingly, “just now have they figured out the truth. Seems they were showing much remorse when they still thought you were Anon-a-Miss.” Sunset opened her mouth to respond, but nothing came to her, so she looked back at the Rainbooms, still silent and not looking at each other.
Just then, a small ping sound broke the silence, and Applejack took out her phone. One look at the screen, and her expression changed immensely. Sunset’s eyes widened with shock, for she had never seen Applejack look so furious, not even when she was accusing her of being Anon-a-Miss. Curious, Sunset ran over and peeked at the phone over Applejack’s shoulder. Her eyes grew even wider, for it was another post from Anon-a-Miss, or, in Sunset’s case, the CMC. It was the photo Scootaloo was talking about before; Bon Bon kissing Sandalwood. Below the photo was the caption Looks like Bon Bon has a new Sweetie! Hope Lyra doesn’t mind!
“THAT DOES IT!”
Everyone’s heads perked up again at Applejack’s outburst just in time to see her stand up. Sunset’s first instinct was to step back to avoid hitting the cowgirl, but then, once again, remembered that she was just an observer. Applejack, unaware of Sunset’s presence, shoved her phone back into her pocket, pulled the brim of her hat down lower towards her now fiery eyes, and stomped towards the front doors.
“AJ?” Pinkie called out. “Where are you going?”
When she whipped around to face her friends, Applejack still had tears in her eyes, but was also showing a kind of angry determination. “Ah may not be able to take back what Ah did to Sunset,” she snapped, “but there is somethin’ Ah can do! Anon-a-Miss is still out there somewhere; bullyin’ others online and causing discord an’ strife. Ah’m not gonna stand for it a second longer! Ah’m not gonna sleep a wink until Ah find that snake-in-the-grass and bring her to justice! Ah-” she paused to give a great sniffle, and then finished softer, “Ah owe Sunset that much. An’ don’t you guys try to stop me either!”
“Who said anything about stopping you?!” Rainbow said boldly, springing to her feet. “I’m with you 100%, AJ!”
“Me too!” Pinkie nodded, standing and looking determined.
“Here, here!” Rarity said, following everyone else on their feet.
“Yeah!” Fluttershy sniffled loudly, standing with the others and with the same determined anger Applejack was showing. AJ looked at her friends, her expression softening slightly, and walked back to the table.
“Ok,” she said as the others gathered around her. “If it really was Anon-a-Miss’ intention to frame Sunset, then once word spreads around about her death, Anon-a-Miss will most likely try to disappear.”
“Then we’ll have to work fast!” Rainbow nodded. “Let’s catch us a snake!” She then sighed and stretched out her hand to the center of the circle the girls had formed. “For Sunset!”
“For Sunset!” the others echoed as they placed their hands on top of Rainbow’s. Meanwhile, Sunset stood back a bit, locked onto the scene before her. Once again, words had escaped her. The hatred and anger she had for the Rainbooms before had all but disappeared.
“You see, Sunset?” Clark said from beside her. “You really had a wonderful friendship. Even though this Anon-a-Miss business had brought out the worst in everyone around you, even though those girls before you had let their emotions guide what they said and did, underneath all of that was a bond that not even Anon-a-Miss could break.”
Sunset didn’t turn to face Clark this time, but listened intently as she looked at the girls.
“You have been given a wonderful gift, Sunset; to see just how much of an impact you had made on those around you, especially your friends. Do you see now how much of a waste it would be if you just threw your life away? How much pain would be caused by your death? Your friends needed you even when they thought you were guilty. Your friendship with them was stronger than any of you gave it credit for. It’s in these circumstances where we see that, no matter how trying, or how challenging, the greatest friendships are always worth fighting for. Don’t you see?”
Sunset didn’t respond at first, but continued to look at the Rainbooms. As she stood there, the memory of what they said to her when they left her grew faint, only to be replaced by the remembrance of how happy she, Sunset, was being with them. She really did forget, just like she wrote in the journal, how much she felt at home with her friends by her side. Sunset suddenly felt something hot and wet trickle down her cheek. Reaching up to touch it, Sunset realized quickly that it was a tear. Wiping her eyes, she turned back to Clark at last.
“Clark,” she said quietly, “what happens to everyone? Do they ever find out that the CMC was Anon-a-Miss? Does the school recover? Do my friends recover?”
Clark’s face became stony as he answered, “You sure you wanna know? You’re not gonna like what you see.”
“I haven’t liked what I’ve seen the majority of this experience,” Sunset mumbled imploringly. “Please, Clark. I have to know.”
“Alright,” Clark sighed sorrowfully, “but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Then, with a clap of his hands, the world was spinning once again. Sunset was finally prepared this time, and she cemented her feet to the ground and braced herself. It took several attempts, but she had finally gotten used to time-traveling.
It took a bit longer than usual this time, but when the world stopped moving, and the setting came into place, Sunset saw that they had returned to Canterlot High. This time, however, there was a major difference. While the school looked the same as before, the first thing that caught Sunset’s eye was the horse statue by the drop off, where the portal to Equestria rested. At the base of the statue lay what seemed to be the entire contents of a flower shop. So many different colors of flowers surrounded the statue, and Sunset even saw some cards as well. She then moved to the front where the portal was, and saw that a photo of her was placed in a frame in the middle of the flowers and cards. Inspecting closer, Sunset saw that the bottom of the photo said In loving memory of Sunset Shimmer; the true definition of redemption.
As if out of instinct, Sunset tried to pick up a card resting right next to the photo, but her hand went right through it. Instead, she leaned down to find words on the front that read, I should’ve known you were innocent. I hope wherever you are, you’re at peace. - Trixie. Sunset looked at another one, and gasped slightly when she read, I’ll never forgive myself for what I did to you. I hope someday you can forgive me. R.I.P. - Gilda.
“Clark,” said Sunset, her voice shaking slightly. “How long has it been?”
“Ten days since your friends discovered your death,” Clark answered mournfully.
Sunset’s eyes widened. All of this was done within ten days, maybe even less. This must have meant that everyone in the school had finally discovered the truth. There was only one way to find out. Not wasting any time, Sunset walked up the steps and marched through the doors, not even trying to open them this time. The inside of the school, like the outside, looked the same as before. Most of the students, however, were not. It was like a thick veil of gloom had washed over Sunset’s fellow classmates that sucked not only the joy, but the color, from everyone’s appearances. The nearest to Sunset was Lyra, who was putting something in her locker. As she did so, Bon Bon walked up from behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. When Lyra turned around, she looked hesitant.
“Uh…hey, Lyra,” Bon Bon said, blushing furiously.
“Hello,” Lyra responded, not angrily, but unsure.
The two stood there for a minute, just looking at each other in silence. Then, rather abruptly, the two broke into tears and flung their arms around each other in a tight, loving hug.
“I’m so sorry, Lyra!” Bon Bon sobbed.
“I’m sorry too, Bonny!” Lyra cried back. “Let’s never fight again, ok?”
“Never!” Bon Bon hiccuped.
Sunset then spotted Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon talking nearby. Leaving the tender reunion, Sunset went over to the two freshmen in time to hear Silver say, “I don’t think Sunset would want to see us avoiding each other. I really miss you, Diamond.”
Diamond smiled softly and responded, “I miss you too, Silver. Friends?”
“Best friends!” Silver said as she and Diamond hugged.
It was nice to know that more broken friendships were being mended, Sunset thought. Even though it was through her death. Suddenly, a thought came to Sunset, and she turned to Clark.
“Does this mean that the real Anon-a-Miss has been discovered?”
Clark said nothing, but sighed and pointed down the hall. Curious, Sunset sped down the hallway, looking in any open doors as she passed for any signs of the CMC. Sure enough, she spotted Apple Bloom in the small courtyard at the side of the school. With her was Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. The three were clearing out the trash and shoveling the snow from the ground under the supervision of Vice Principal Luna, and they all looked dirty, disheveled, and absolutely miserable.
“It took two days after the Rainbooms started investigating to discover the real Anon-a-Miss was their sisters,” Clark said from beside Sunset as the two looked at the scene. “Though they tried to deny it at first, the evidence was overwhelming. They even tried blaming each other, saying that it was the others that talked them into it, or it was their idea, not mine, but the damage was long since done.”
“What happened?” Sunset asked, already guessing the answer.
“They were properly punished,” Clark continued. “They were given in-school suspension for the rest of their high school years, banned from all extra-curricular activities and sports, and sentenced to community service for the school. As for outside of school,” Clark sighed sorrowfully, “They were grounded until they turn 18, had their phones taken away indefinitely, forbidden from going out with friends, though not they have any friends left to hang out with, and have to be escorted home by their guardians to make sure no one from the school attacks them.” Clark paused again. “But probably the worst thing that happened was that their sisters completely cut ties with them.”
Sunset’s head whipped around to look at Clark. “What?”
“Yes,” Clark nodded sternly. “If you were to ask Applejack and Rarity, they would tell you they don’t have sisters, and Rainbow had sworn off Scootaloo as her honorary sister. It seems that the pain of their sisters being the reason you died was too much, and, according to them, unforgivable.”
Sunset looked back at the CMC, drenched with sweat and dirt, as they shoveled around the small fountain, and couldn’t help but feel sorry for them. Sure, what they did was wrong, but did they really deserve to be as alone as she, Sunset, was? A proper punishment from the school, sure, but to be completely cut off from their own sisters? Sunset could only imagine that the CMC were just as miserable, if not more, than she had felt during the Anon-a-Miss conflict.
“Clark,” Sunset said gloomily, “What about the Rainbooms? What happened to my fr-”
Sunset’s question was suddenly cut off by a booming voice that made Sunset almost jump out of her skin. Even the CMC and Luna looked up with shocked expressions, as well as any other student in the vicinity. The voice clearly sounded more angry than any voice that Sunset had heard, and the sound of it made everyone around it shiver.
“HOW COULD YOU!?!”
As soon as she heard it though, Sunset immediately recognized it, though it wasn’t a voice she had heard in a while.
“That’s…that’s Twilight!” Sunset said to Clark. The angel didn’t respond, but jerked his head in the direction of the sound. Sunset took the hint and followed the scream. As soon as she was outside the band room, the same room where she and her friends once practiced, she saw the five girls, each one cowering near each other, their faces showing true fear. And towering over them, looking more livid than Sunset had ever seen her, was Twilight Sparkle.
“T-Twilight,” Rarity quivered, “Please let us-”
“SILENCE!” Twilight shouted, making Rarity retreat. “I trusted you! I gave you a mission to help her in her time of need! I thought that after the Battle of the Bands, you guys had finally accepted her! But then, at the first sign of trouble, when she needed you the most, you five just ABANDON HER?! Did you not think there was room for doubt? Did you not try and think the best of your friend? NO! YOU. BROKE. HER!!”
The Rainbooms trembled at the waves of fury being shoved at them, and flinched even harder when Twilight pointed an angry finger at Rainbow.
“You,” she spat, “failed to be loyal!” Rainbow shrank to her knees as Twilight then pointed at Rarity. “You refused to be generous!” Rarity covered her face in her hands. “You took away her laughter!” Twilight yelled at Pinkie, who hid behind Rarity. “You,” Twilight pointed at Fluttershy, who hid her face behind her hair, “were too cowardly to be kind! And you!” she pointed at Applejack, who just stood there in guilty silence. “You ignored her honesty! You five have failed your elements!”
“Twilight!” Rarity sobbed, speaking for the first time. “We’re sorry! W-we were fools!”
“No,” Twilight said, her voice now softer, but replaced with regret. “I was the fool. The fool for thinking that humans could actually stick by their friends when times get hard. I was a fool for thinking that Sunset was safe here.” Tears now started to stream down Twilight’s cheeks as she turned away from the Rainbooms and, unintentionally, stared right into Sunset’s eyes. Sunset found herself moving closer to Twilight, and tried and failed to place a hand on her cheek to try and wipe away the tears.
“I should’ve brought her back to Equestria,” Twilight whimpered. “And now…” she fought back a sob, “and now, Sunset is dead.”
Applejack, regaining some of her courage, stepped forward and reached out to place a hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Twilight, we-”
“PRINCESS CELESTIA’S DAUGHTER IS DEAD!” Twilight shouted, whipping back around, and causing Applejack’s courage to fail her as she retreated back with the others. “Do you realize that the princess is in mourning? Do you realize that Celestia is ready to come over here, and burn this cursed school to the ground?!” Everyone, including Sunset, gasped. Sunset had never known Princess Celestia to be so angry that she would want to destroy! She hated to think how that Celestia would look.
“But,” Twilight said, taking a deep breath, “I’m not going to let that happen. Because I am cutting off the connection between our worlds for good!” She then turned back to the door, and stormed out. The Rainbooms, whose limbs seem to have been reawaken by Twilight’s words, quickly followed. Sunset immediately followed as well, and had to practically sprint to keep up with Twilight’s hurried strides as the Rainbooms started voicing their continued apologies on Twilight’s deaf ears. As she continued down the hallway to the front doors, more students who saw this started following as well, and in a minute, it seemed like half the school walked in Twilight’s wake.
“The damage is already done,” Twilight snapped loudly for all to hear. “I am taking Sunset’s body back with me so that she may receive a proper funeral, I am destroying the portal between our worlds, and I am taking the elements back!”
At this, everyone gasped again, especially the Rainbooms, who looked downright mortified. “NO!” Rainbow shouted pleadingly as Twilight led them down the front steps and towards the statue. “Twilight, please! You can’t do-”
“DON’T YOU TELL ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN’T DO, RAINBOW DASH!” Twilight boomed at Rainbow, who fell back yet again. “If this incident has proven anything, you all are unworthy of the elements! You are unworthy to wield their powers! YOU ARE ALL UNWORTHY!”
The last four words seemed to ring out for all of the school to hear, and continued to echo. Sunset watched in horror as the Rainbooms froze like statues before Twilight, as if her words petrified them. Then, without another word, Twilight turned to the statue, and raised her arm. At once, an ethereal horn and pair of wings appeared on the princess and the ground around the statue started to shake. Students screamed and hung onto each other as they watched the scene before them. Then, slowly, the ground before the statue started to crack, and as Twilight raised her arm higher, out rose a dark red coffin. Sunset gasped at the realization that they had buried her body on the school grounds, and that’s why all of those flowers and cards were sitting around the statue.
“Please, Princess Twilight!” Rarity called out among the shaking earth and screaming. “Please, don’t do this!”
“It’s too late,” Twilight retorted, having now levitated the coffin completely out of the ground. “Sunset is coming home where she belongs, and is going to receive a funeral from those who have always cared about her. And now,” she then reached into her pocket with her free hand and pulled out a mysterious-looking, round amulet. Sunset didn’t recognize it, but immediately sensed that a strange power was coming from it.
“As Equestria’s Princess of Friendship,” Twilight announced in a booming voice, “and with this magical talisman, forced with the essence of the demon, Tirek, I hereby strip you five of your elements!”
“NO!” Sunset shouted, for she had just realized what the talisman was for. She had read about Tirek, the demon centaur who could absorb magic, back in Equestria, and knew that Twilight was going to take back the power of the elements by force. Her shout could not be heard though, for Twilight pointed the talisman at Applejack. The trinket glowed a pale orange, and then, without any warning, Applejack clutched at her heart and fell to her knees. As she did this, an orange stream of energy poured out of Applejack’s chest and into the talisman.
“Honesty!” Twilight shouted, and pointed at Fluttershy, who also dropped down as yellow energy was taken from her. “Kindness!” Pink energy was sucked out of Pinkie Pie. “Laughter!” Purple from Rarity. “Generosity!” Blue from Rainbow Dash. “And loyalty!”
The five Rainbooms had all fallen to the ground, clutching at their heart, as if their hearts had been ripped out of them. When Twilight had finished, the talisman glowed even brighter, displaying all the colors once belonging to the former human elements. Twilight didn’t look happy to do this, and neither did she look angry anymore. When Sunset looked at her, she saw that Twilight looked sullen as the princess looked at the talisman.
“Hopefully,” she said softly, “one day, I can find more reliable beings to be given these elements.” She then looked at her former friends. “And now, I will cut off the connection between our worlds, forever!” She turned around to leave, the coffin now levitating before her. She pushed it through, and then, just before stepping through herself, she looked back at the school she once thought of as a strange, new world.
“Goodbye, everyone,” she said in a tone of finality. “May the days be kinder to you than you were to each other.”
Sunset couldn’t stand it any longer. Seeing the empty, sorrowful faces of her five friends now stripped of their elements was too much to take in. Knowing that it probably wouldn’t help, knowing that she couldn’t be heard or seen, Sunset dashed forward just as Twilight stepped through the portal. “TWILIGHT!” she called out desperately. But it was too late. Once Twilight’s leg disappeared from sight, the horse statue, the statue that symbolized the proud spirit of Canterlot High, imploded upon itself, causing everyone to be pushed back by the powerful blast of wind.
At once, the scene dissolved, and Sunset found herself in darkness. No Canterlot High, no Sugarcube Corner, no nothing. Just black. Sunset looked around. No person in sight either. She expected Clark to be beside her, ready to end this experience, but he was nowhere to be seen.
“Clark!” Sunset called out, and her voice echoed eerily. “Clark! Get me out of here! Take me away! Clark!”
Suddenly, a crack of thunder echoed around Sunset, and the world became twirling around her once again. Scenes upon scenes of blurred images passed over Sunset like strong winds, and she had no control over anything.
“Stop it!” she cried. “What’s going on!?”
Sunset looked up at the whirling color, and saw that one scene had slowed itself down enough for her to see Rainbow Dash, but she looked unkempt and tired, with dark bags under her eyes. Standing next to her was the soccer coach, who was yelling, “This is the third time you’ve missed a game, Dash! You’re off the team!”
“Whatever,” Rainbow muttered, and the scene sped off.
More whirls of color and sound, before another scene slowed to a near stop. Sunset saw Rarity, but was horrified to see her destroying her design studio in a fit of anger and grief. Another scene slowed, which showed Applejack drowning herself in bottles of whiskey. Another scene showed Fluttershy ignoring her animals as she, Sunset screamed, cut up her wrists.
“NO!” Sunset wailed. Above all the spinning images was the echoing chorus of sobbing. Sunset tried to cover her ears, but the sound was boring into her mind like a drill. She closed her eyes tight, but she couldn’t forget the visions she just witnessed.
Then, just like that, the spinning stopped. Sunset opened her eyes. Around her there was still black and the echoes of someone crying. Looking to the left, Sunset saw two figures, kneeling before a bed. Slowly, Sunset walked up to the weeping people, and realized that it was Fluttershy and Applejack. On the bed was, Sunset wasn’t sure, for it was still coming into focus.
“W-when did it happen?” Applejack asked as she hugged a grieving Fluttershy.
“I-I-I don’t know,” Fluttershy answered. “I just found her like this not too long ago! She left a note!” She then pulled out a piece of paper with untidy writing on it. Sunset didn’t have to look at it, for Fluttershy began to read it aloud. “A life without laughter is not worth living anymore. Sorry.”
Sunset looked back at the bed, and saw that it was starting to clear the image. More and more the view came into focus before revealing…
Sunset’s mouth fell open, and though she wanted to scream, nothing came out of her. There, on the bed, was Pinkie Pie, dead. An open bottle of pills lay by her lifeless hand, and mouth slightly open, completely breathless. At that moment, the moment of seeing Pinkie’s dead body, all urges to not cry were obliterated, and Sunset soon felt fresh, hot tears trickling down her own cheeks.
“No!” she cried along with Fluttershy and Applejack. “Not Pinkie! Not Pinkie, please!” She knelt to the ground beside Fluttershy, all composure gone, as she tried to reach out to grab Pinkie’s hand, but couldn’t. She whipped her hand back again and again, hoping to get one last touch of her friend’s flesh, but to no avail. “Not Pinkie! Please!”
Another crack of thunder, and the scene disappeared. Sunset looked behind her, and saw a familiar setting; the bridge overlooking the lake. The place where it all started. Desperate, Sunset ran to the center of the bridge and called out, “Clark!” No answer. “Please, Clark!” she called out again, now tightly gripping her hands together and leaning on the railing, as if in prayer. “Please, take me back! I don’t want this! I don’t care if my friends don’t believe me right now, I want to see them again! I can’t give up on this friendship! I need them! Help me, Clark! Please! I want to live again! I want to live again!” Still no answer. Feeling that all hope had failed her, Sunset succumbed to her sorrow, bowed her head onto her hands, and started to cry.
“I want to live again,” she whispered through her tears. “ Please, God, let me live again!”