Day: Thursday
Weather: Snow
Time: 4:48pmThat night, I spoke with Princess Twilight through our magic journals. It was like talking online, only without the actual online. When I told her what had happened regarding our friends, she reminded me of an old legend that's been passed down through the generations in Equestria. Windigos, ethereal spirits, fed on hatred caused by ponies and would bring about the cold of winter. What was happening at CHS with Anon-A-Miss' actions were similar to what the legend told. Despite not being able to come here and assist me, Her Highness nevertheless gave me some encouraging words. I must remember who I am, and find my family. My former friends are my family, and they know it. I must show them that I am not responsible for what happened. The student body, on the other hand, would give me a hard time as I left the building to head on over to Sugarcube Corner. There, I would solve this problem by finding out who Anon-A-Miss truly was.
The Other Journal
By Ganondorf8
February 9, 2016
Chapter 52: Exposed.
" Okay! I may have exaggerated a bit." I said.
" About how the students had such angry faces?" Twilight asked.
" Yeah. They were pretty annoyed with what happened, but not to the point where they wanted to tear me apart. It was by their own hands that Anon-A-Miss had gotten her hands on so many secrets. If anyone were to be blamed for what was revealed, it would be them and no one else. Anon-A-Miss herself wasn't solely at fault anymore. Granted, she posted everything that was given to her, but it's not like she was going around and looking to find something. Curiosity killed the cat, and that's exactly what the students had done. They wanted to know more secrets without taking the consequences into consideration." I answered.
" Where were our friends during this time?" Twilight asked.
" They had already left the school by then, but I had a pretty good idea as to where they went." I answered.
" Not your usual spot?"
" If they had been there, they wouldn't have left the school."
" Good point."
" While our favourite spot was no doubt that table in the library, we did have other locations we'd go to in order to meet up and discuss things. There was the statue in front of the school--pretty obvious, given it houses the portal--and there was Sugarcube Corner, a popular location students frequented. I believe I mentioned this place to you before earlier this evening, but I never really got a chance to explain it." I said.
" It wouldn't have mattered since I've never been there."
" Seriously!?"
" Sugarcube Corner is located near CHS, and at the time, I attended Crystal Prep, which was located in the city. What we had was a posh bakery that made delicious baked goods, but the prices weren't cheap. They also made sure to focus heavily on nutrition instead of using those artificial colours one would mostly find in cakes sold in other bakeries." Twilight said. It made sense that she had never been to Sugarcube Corner. It was a local bakery that served the needs of those who lived in the neighbourhood CHS was located in. The proprietors of the establishment, Mr. and Mrs. Cake were famous for their baking skills. If you wanted something that was completely out there, they could make it without fail. It was their slogan, which they took very seriously. The place also served as a coffee shop, although this was a recent addition they added to their menu about two years ago.
When I was a bully, I never went inside the place, as I didn't want to associate with people who I viewed as beneath me. I saw them as losers who were wasting away their time getting drunk on sugar and coffee instead of focusing on being the best they could be. Upon changing my ways, I paid a visit and realized how much I had truly missed out on. Now, I go to Sugarcube Corner at least once a day if I can.
" Were they happy to see you?" Twilight asked.
" I'm afraid I can't answer that question."
" What? Why not?"
" I mean, I'll answer it, but not yet, as I have to tell what happened before going to Sugarcube Corner."
" That thing about the students, right?"
" Uh-huh."
" How bad was it?"
" I ended up suffering a mental breakdown." I answered. Twilight reached out with her arm, and I allowed her to comfort me this time. What happened in the hallway was something no one should ever have to experience. Even if they committed the most heinous act without showing signs of remorse, they wouldn't deserve to suffer like I did. The hug from Twilight felt warm, but I could also feel her tears dripping down onto my neck, which felt uncomfortable. When she pulled herself back, I wiped the tears from my neck while she used a tissue she got out of her backpack to wipe away what remained from her face.
Turning the page of the journal, relieved that I didn't have to look at that selfie of Trixie anymore, there was a note I wrote down. I struggled, trying to remember the meaning behind it, yet I didn't get a chance to really think about it. Twilight grabbed the journal--accidentally knocking my injured hand to the ground--and began reading the note in order to understand what it meant.
You are not useless! You've seen and been through things very few could ever hope to achieve! You must never give up! You're the blazing sunset that shimmers down on people to give them a brighter tomorrow. Remember who you are! Remember who your family is! Don't put yourself down! Never succumb to despair! She will forgive you for what happened, so don't be afraid! Beware the desolate wastes.
Judging from how her eyes followed every word written down in the note, she must know the significance behind it. She then showed it to me and I read through it myself before slapping my forehead several moments later. How could I have been so stupid to forget about this? I had written this down so that I could remind myself to always remain positive whenever I'm suffering from despair. It had proven to be rather effective, considering things got better after the holidays.
" This feels like you were coaching yourself." Twilight said.
" I wanted something to remind me that I should keep going despite the odds." I said.
" Princess Twilight's words are here and I'm betting that the 'she' you wrote is Princess Celestia, but I don't quite understand why you wrote down 'desolate wastes' at the very end of that statement. In fact, you've been mentioning those two words together for quite some time." Twilight said.
" It's a scary place."
" In what way?"
" The desolate wastes are a vast stretch of desert that exist south of Equestria. Ponies--and other creatures--sent there can never come back, as a magical barrier prevents anything from coming through. To wind up being banished there is as good as being killed. Anything that is sent there never comes back out. Most perish under the intense heat, yet there have been cases where some have managed to carve out an existence in the desert. Princess Celestia usually sends ponies and other creatures there who have violated some of the more sacred laws of Equestria. The worst ones are instead sent to Tartarus." I answered.
" The ancient Greek prison of lost souls?"
" It's not as bad as that one. The Tartarus of Equestria serves as a prison for the most evil of threats."
" Now I understand why they are sent there. If they were banished to the desolate wastes, they could still use their power to find a way to break free and cause trouble. Such a risk would be too great to the security of Equestria. Yet, why do you continue writing about being banished to the desert? Don't ponies in Equestria know that you've changed for the better? Or, is that something which hasn't been revealed to them?" Twilight asked. I breathed a heavy sigh, indicating to her that it was the second reason. Nopony knew I had changed, aside from Her Highness and Princess Celestia. They could vouch for me all they wanted, yet it couldn't convince others to believe them. In the eyes of my fellow ponies, my actions threatened to destroy Equestria. An act like that is punishable by being sent to Tartarus, but I'm hoping to get a lighter sentence and get banished to the desolate wastes instead. " Sunset... You shouldn't worry so much about it." Twilight said.
" You'd worry if you were in my shoes."
" I guess that's a fair point."
" If I'm to be banished, then I'll accept it with dignity."
" Maybe we should change the subject. What happened when you came out of the library?"
" I attended classes like I usually did. However, towards the end of the day, I wanted to leave the building for a while in order to think about how to best handle Anon-A-Miss. There was no point in trying to get the other students to help me out. They had all turned against me, believing that I was responsible for exposing their secrets. They were about to remind me why." I answered.
I had trouble sleeping that night. Princess Twilight and I had a memorable conversation, yet there was a lot of things she said that continued plaguing my mind. She had scolded me for not alerting her to the problem when it spiraled out of control days earlier. She felt saddened over not being able to come through the portal to stick up for me when everyone else I knew had abandoned me. Her duties as a princess prevented her from coming, and also, I wanted to protect her from being attacked. Everyone knew she had personally given me a second chance, and they'd definitely call her out on it.
Would she have made a difference, though? Her Highness was the Princess of Friendship and possessed the ability to forge friendships everywhere she went. That's how she was able to fix the damage I caused back when I was ruthless. However, even she couldn't perform miracles. What had happened at CHS throughout these past few days may be impossible for her--or anyone else--to fix.
Perhaps the most important thing Her Highness told me was to find my family. It had nothing to do with my old family. In my mind, the family who raised me during my early years were nothing but shadows, faceless creatures who probably don't even know I'm still alive. My former friends always appreciated what I did in order to prove I had changed for the better. We've had arguments in the past, but I knew they could never truly stay mad at me. I had to believe right until the very end that they would hear me out. My family needed me just as much as I needed them.
There was still one thing that haunted my dreams, and that was the faceless image of Anon-A-Miss, the one who had been the source of all my anguish. She was still going about her business of posting secrets and blaming her actions on me by claiming she and I were the same person. Every female student at school with the exception of Trixie and my former friends could be behind the masquerade that is Anon-A-Miss. Was there something so simple that I overlooked during my investigation? No, I believed that I had everything taken into account. So, why was her faceless laughter causing me to have horrible nightmares? Was it a message that she would never be uncovered? Were my efforts in vain? Am I to be alone forever?
The next morning, I woke up but felt groggy as a result of my nightmares. There were only a couple of days to go before the big holiday celebration, and I still didn't know what I could do to resolve this problem. At this rate, I was going to celebrate it on my own, as usual, unless a miracle happened that enabled me to find out who Anon-A-Miss was. I could've spend the day eavesdropping on other students in the hopes of learning anything else, but I had classes I needed to attend. Was it a smart idea for me to go out in public, especially when everything was stacked against me? I couldn't remain in the library for the rest of my life. That would be absolutely pathetic and admitting defeat. Once I had gotten a good breakfast--or, as close to what one could expect given my resources--and cleaned myself up, I left my place of residence and walked towards the library entrance. At least no one knew where I lived during all of this. I was sure I'd be vandalized by the others out of frustration, my precious belongings stolen.
Classes turned out okay despite students constantly looking at me with scorn in their eyes. I tried my best to avoid their gazes, but it proved to be very difficult. They behaved normally, which was expected, given we were under the watchful gaze of the teacher, but the moments in-between classes were where the challenge truly began. I was expecting them to make my life miserable, just like before, but I wasn't prepared for just how far they were willing to go. Sometimes, I wish that I, or someone else, had chosen to let the teachers know what had been going on over the last few days. No, if anyone should have spoken out, it should have been me. The students didn't want the teachers involved, as it meant losing their rights to MyStable. If I had informed them, the students could easily trace it back to me. I'd be scorned more than I already was. So, I decided--painfully--not to inform Principal Celestia of Anon-A-Miss.
Was it a mistake? Most definitely. Was I being a coward? I'd say yes to that. Was I trying to salvage my friendships? That was the most important thing. I didn't want to make things even worse, so I stayed my hand by keeping Principal Celestia out of it.
Once everyone had left the classroom after the bell rang, I slowly walked out before looking left and right to make sure no one was nearby. Taking the magic journal out of my backpack, I opened it up to my conversation with Princess Twilight. My eyes scanned the last thing she wrote before she went off to bed: "Find your family." Those words continued eating away at me. What could she have meant? Who was my family in this world? My former friends? I do see them as being more than just friends, but perhaps Her Highness may have been a bit too liberal with her words. Closing the journal and walking onwards, I walked down the stairs, the journal cradled in my arms, and noticed that students were everywhere. Almost immediately, they took notice of my presence, but I continued forward in an effort to reach my locker. A few moments later, someone bumped into me on purpose, causing me to drop the journal. It landed on the floor with a thud.
" Who did that?" One student asked as I dropped to my knees in order to pick it back up.
" Maybe it was Anon-A-Miss."
" Anon-A-Miss." I began to freak out as more and more students surrounded me while staring with their cruel expressions. I wanted to get away, but I couldn't. There was no way out for me! They had blocked off every possible escape route. I was at their mercy.
" Secret stealer!"
" I can't believe she did that."
" Way to go!"
" Anon-A-Miss!"
" Too many secrets!"
" Traitor!"
" How could she?"
All of their hateful comments was enough for me to curl up and burst into tears, closing my eyes tightly. I felt like this was nothing but a nightmare and that it would all soon go away. But, it was all very real, much to my sadness. The student's expressions got even worse and they towered over me before resuming their onslaught.
Everyone had turned against me and treated me like I was an outsider. It was what happened after the Fall Formal all over again. Why was I being treated like a piece of garbage? Surely, they knew that I'd been framed? Did they even care about that? I opened my eyes and raised my hand in an effort to defend myself in case one of them decided to get physical. As I cowered there, begging for mercy, I could hear what was being said. It was a combination of unfortunate praise and sheer hatred towards me.
" Thief!"
" Hope she does more!"
" Spill all the secrets."
" Who would do this?"
" You ruined my life!"
" Too many secrets."
" You're nothing but a monster!"
" How can she still be allowed to attend this school?"
There were even messages posted on MyStable which several students thrust into my face with their cellphones. I tried turning away in order to avoid the hatred they showed me, but I couldn't keep my eyes away. They continued forcing it down my throat until I caved in. When I turned back and saw what had been written, I wanted my eyes to melt away and render me blind. The hatred in their messages was worse than their vocal comments.
Omg did you see what she posted about u???
Keep posting more.
No, please take this down! If my parents see this, I'm ground for life. Please!
I can't get her to take this down. This sucks!!! :(
Anon-A-Miss is the best.
She caused my breakup.
How is she getting away with doing this? One of the teachers should stop her before its too late.
This will go down in the school's history as the greatest tragedy of all time!
In the midst of my tears, I looked down at the journal again. When it landed on the floor, it had miraculously opened up to the page where Princess Twilight had written down those last words which prevented me from sleeping. Was it a sign that I should heed her words? Ignoring the ridicule all around me, I began reading her message.
Sometimes, all you can do is stay strong. Remember who you are, and find your family.
I knew what I had to do. I had to speak to my former friends in order to sort this out once and for all. I knew that I wasn't going to receive a warm welcome, but I was going to make them listen to me, even if it means dragging them back here by their legs. I began thinking about where they could be at this point. They wouldn't be at our favourite spot in the library. That was close to my place of residence there. Perhaps our favourite table in the cafeteria? No, it was well past lunch time, so they'd have no reason to be in there. I then thought about the music room. We were usually playing our instruments in there whenever we had any free time, but I knew they wouldn't be there practicing. The Rainbooms just weren't complete without me contributing to the music.
That left only one location: Sugarcube Corner. It made sense, as it was a popular hangout for students, and they probably needed something sweet to take their minds off of what had been happening. It was a longshot, though; I could be wrong about all of this. They might not even be there. If they were at one of their homes, I might as well just give up. I had to hope that they were there.
Picking up the journal and running off, leaving my tormentors behind, I made a beeline towards the main entrance without taking the time to grab my scarf. For the sake of the girls, I'd walk through this winter weather with just a swimsuit on. They meant everything to me! As I ran, I barely caught a glimpse of Applebloom from the corner of my eyes. She was looking at me as though she had something to say.
Should I stop and see what she wanted? Perhaps, but then I remembered that she accused me. My heart wanted to talk to her, but my head insisted on running.
My throat had gotten parched, so I put the journal down before reaching for the bottle of cider Twilight had provided me when she first arrived. I was expecting her to be all over me because of what she heard me read, but she had spent the last few minutes just staring off into the distance. It reached the point where it just got plain creepy, so I snapped my fingers, which brought her out of her trance.
" Are you alright?" I asked.
" I'm okay, but I just can't believe that the students would say those terrible things to you. Surely, they should've known that you weren't behind Anon-A-Miss. It's like they were simply following what had been posted online like blind, obedient sheep." Twilight answered.
" They didn't care about my feelings. I was Anon-A-Miss in their eyes, and that's all that mattered."
" Heartless monsters!"
" No, I prefer to call them misguided kids who allowed their minds to be corrupted by online media." I said. If it hadn't been for MyStable, none of these problems would have occurred in the first place. Still, though,, I couldn't blame a website where anyone could post anything. MyStable was just an innocent place that someone had managed to take advantage of. I know that I've often said it had been responsible for destroying my life, but in truth, all it had done really was act as an enabler. Anon-A-Miss was the true culprit behind everything, and she used the power of the media to spread so much hatred. Humans proved that they allowed the media to dictate their actions. If it's appealing enough, they are all over it. This was something Equestria was superior in. Back home, we had no media to tell us what to do. All we had were the postal service, who delivered letters among other messages, and the daily edicts from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.
" Did you say you ran past Applebloom?" Twilight asked.
" She had been watching me from one of the side hallways."
" I can understand why you didn't want to talk to her, but do you think you should have?"
" Her face had a look of concern, as though she had something she needed to say. If I knew back then what I know now, I would've stopped and listened to her. My temper would have needed to be kept under control in order to prevent myself from doing something horrible, however. Upon looking back on it, that had actually been the first time I saw her since she initially revealed that Applejack's Piggly-Wiggly nickname was exposed. I never realized she had been avoiding me all that time." I answered. If my heart had been shattered entirely from the torment, I would have most likely throttled Applebloom. Luckily, Princess Twilight taught me that one had to be forgiving, even when they are wronged. To think that they were going through the same thing which plagued me.
" Could she have been hiding a secret?" Twilight asked.
" It was a bombshell."
" Does this mean you'll finally tell me who Anon-A-Miss really was?"
" Once we get to the end of this next section."
" You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear those words." Twilight said, clapping her hands with glee. The crisis had been averted regarding what happened to me before I decided to go and find our friends. My fear was that Twilight would become too clingy or run off somewhere and cry again like before. Instead, she simply felt sad over how everyone had labelled me as a monster without looking at the facts. Perhaps she was far more mature than I gave her credit for? I had a feeling, though, about how Twilight would react upon finally learning who framed me and why, and it wasn't going to be pretty.
Upon finishing my cider, Twilight filled it up again while I turned the page in the journal before quickly covering up what was displayed there. Would she even know what their respective symbols even looked like? The only CHS students she's interacted with are those who competed in the Friendship Games. She had been around many other students during her orientation of the school, but perhaps she didn't pay much attention to them? When I turned towards Twilight, her arms were folded across her chest, and she was giving me another pouting expression. I decided that it wouldn't hurt for her to see these, so I moved my hand away, and she took a closer look.
" These don't make any sense."
" I figured as much."
" So why did you cover them up? What wasn't I meant to see?"
" I thought you knew what these meant, but I was wrong."
" No, I don't understand their significance."
" Then allow me to explain. One thing I learned from this experience was to never go out into the snow without the proper gear. I could've caught a nasty case of pneumonia had Sugarcube Corner not been so close to the school. Our friends had been moping about there for some time--I'm not sure how long--and when I opened the front door and stepped inside, they were hostile towards me." I said.
What in the world was I thinking? Who in their right mind would run outside into the cold without at least putting on a scarf? I would answer my own question, as I ran out the building before tripping on a loose piece of gravel, landing face-first in the snow. It didn't bother me that I could wind up getting pneumonia. I had to get to Sugarcube Corner as quickly as possible. It was most fortunate that it was located just a short distance away from CHS. Given the lousy weather all around me, I should make it in about ten minutes if nothing distracts me. Picking myself up from the ground and brushing the snow off my clothes, I resumed running in my effort to get to my destination. However, once again, my eye caught a glimpse of Applebloom, who was now standing by the main entrance. Was she stalking me? Why would she do that? I didn't have the time to go back and see what she wanted. I'd have to come back here later and speak to her once this had all been settled.
It felt like Sugarcube Corner was much further away than I predicted, but I attributed it to the snow slowing everything down. The icy pavements didn't do me any favours, either. This was probably one of the advantages humans had over ponies. Humans had two legs, and when combined with appropriate footwear, they could easily traverse the ice without any problems. Ponies had four hooves, so they were more likely to slip on the ice. We also rarely wore shoes, so our hooves could easily get cold.
After a few more mishaps of falling face-first into the snow--better than face-first into the ice--and getting colder, I finally reached Sugarcube Corner. I could see the girls sitting at the table closest to the door, yet I had no idea if they were saying anything. Knowing that I had to confront them on this issue, I opened the door, causing a small bell on top to ring to inform Mr. and Mrs. Cake that a customer was coming in. Running through the snow and falling into it had left me feeling exhausted, but it was a small sacrifice if it meant having a chance to speak to my friends.
When they saw me standing in the entrance, they didn't look too thrilled to see me. I couldn't blame them for that. In their minds, I was still guilty of revealing their secrets, but I knew I was innocent. I needed to make them see it for themselves. At first, none of them said anything, which made me feel nervous, but eventually, Rainbow Dash decided to speak up and break the silence. She could have gone with something less insulting.
" Hey! Get out!"
" Yer not welcome here, Sunset!" Applejack added. Technically, neither of them had the right to say that to me. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were the proprietors, so it was up to them to decide who was allowed to come into their establishment. Regardless of what happened, I was still a valued customer; I had been coming here every single day since I first set foot in here over a month ago. The rest of the girls glared at me, but I wasn't about to let this discourage me.
" I suggest that you vacate the premises immediately!" Rarity said.
" Go away!" Fluttershy added.
" We don't need you to make us feel even worse." Pinkie Pie added.
" No, wait--please!" I began before reaching into my backpack and taking out the magic journal. I had taken the liberty of placing it in there before leaving the building, not wanting it to be damaged by the elements. You'd think I'd have gone back to my locker to get my scarf at the very least. I guess my journal was more important than my health. " I know you don't trust me, and I can't prove that I'm innocent, but please--look at this." Rainbow Dash appeared skeptical and refused to look at me, yet her opinion wasn't the same as the others. They were fixated on the journal.
" Why are y'all showin' us this?" Applejack asked.
" I've been telling Twilight everything that's been happening." I answered.
" So, she knows as well?" Rarity asked.
" Is she going to come here and sort this out?" Applejack asked.
" No. Unfortunately, she has commitments in Equestria that require her attention. But, if she could drop all of that and come here, then she would do so in a heartbeat. In case any of you think I've been telling her any secrets, I'm not. All she knows is what has happened to everyone as a group. No one specific person was talked about during our conversation last night. If you still doubt me, open the journal up to the last entry and read it for yourselves." I answered.
Fluttershy took the journal from my hand and opened it up, and she and the others--except Rainbow Dash--began reading it. Their expressions were mainly ones of shock over what Her Highness and I talked about. I could tell they were enthralled by what had been written down. Their eyes remained glued to the pages, as though they couldn't look away no matter how much they wanted to.
Eventually, Rainbow Dash asked to read the journal as well, and she went through the same emotions they did.
" And she reminded me of something very important. You're more than just my friends--you're my family. It took me all this time to finally understand what she meant by saying that I had to find my family. The five of you have been there for me when everyone else decided that I wasn't worth the trouble. You all gave me a second chance. Why would I give up something like that? After everything we've experienced together, you all know me better than anyone! Ask yourselves this question: Would the Sunset Shimmer you know--the real Sunset Shimmer, the person I am now--Would she do this?" I asked.
I was half-expecting my friends to throw my journal back at me or toss it aside because of how they felt about what happened. Yet, they did neither of those things. Instead, they continued looking at the journal. Could it be that I've found a common ground with them? I knew not to force the issue in case one of them felt I was trying to deceive them.
Fluttershy soon looked up at me, and I could tell that she had something to say.
" If... If you're not Anon-A-Miss, then who is?"
" That's what I've been trying to figure out. I had to eavesdrop on students in order to learn all that I could, and believe me, I didn't enjoy the experience one bit. I learned that not everyone has been victimized by Anon-A-Miss, and Trixie's name was specifically mentioned." I answered.
" Did you accuse her?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" I was so desperate to blame someone for destroying my life, so I confronted her on the matter." I answered.
" She didn't do it, did she?" Rarity asked.
" No, and I felt bad for accusing her without proof." I answered.
" Your life was destroyed? That seems pretty harsh." Pinkie Pie said.
" When you five decided to end our friendship, my heart shattered to pieces. In fact, it shattered the moment Applejack said that I was Anon-A-Miss. It felt like everything I had worked so hard on to achieve suddenly meant nothing. Without you in my life, there's no point in continuing on, yet I did so in order to prove my innocence and to not lose any of you to someone who wishes for everyone to suffer." I said. Tears then started flowing down my cheeks, and it was Pinkie Pie who walked over and wiped them away with some tissue she took out from her pocket. It smelled of cake. She then placed her hand on my shoulder and smiled, showing me that she believed I wasn't responsible. " AJ, you said that the only ones who knew about your nickname was us and your family, right?" I asked.
" Yeah, but I know none of my family would tell, and I trust you five--you four." Applejack answered. I wasn't going to call her out when she said that. Even though we were all talking to each other, only Pinkie had believed in my innocence. The others still had doubts, so it was a work in progress.
" Maybe someone overheard it?" Rainbow Dash suggested.
" Didn't we conclude that theory was full of bunkus?" Applejack asked.
" It's still possible, you know."
" That would mean I was practically yellin' out my secret to everyone in earshot."
" Yeah, I guess."
" Maybe, but what about the party photos? How do you explain that?" I asked.
" You said that you had your phone on you the entire time, right?" Applejack asked.
" Yes, and both you and Rarity had watched me taking those photos that night. You knew how important my phone and the memories mean to me." I answered. This had proven itself to be a real complicated mess. The photos posted by Anon-A-Miss were definitely mine, and there was no way I would deny that. Yet, how did she manage to take my phone in the first place? None of my friends would've taken it. What could they have accomplished by being Anon-A-Miss? If anything, it had to be someone else. Then again, Pinkie had a tendency to sleep walk in the middle of the night or go on a snack binge, yet that wouldn't make her responsible. She'd need to have been hypnotized to have specifically gone for my phone.
" And the only people at the party were us! Well, and my family, of course." Rarity said. It suddenly hit me the instant she said the word "family". Why didn't I notice it before until this exact moment? I slapped my forehead; the answer had been right there all along. I then remembered something Anon-A-Miss had posted last week after our falling out. She had posted an essay Rainbow Dash had written, which I ignored. I thought it wasn't significant, but it turned out that it was the most important clue. I didn't know Rainbow wrote it, let alone gotten it back, so how did Anon-A-Miss know about it? The only way to know for certain was to ask the question.
" Dash! I want to ask you a question."
" What is it?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" Anon-A-Miss posted an essay you wrote, didn't she?"
" Uh, yeah, and it was actually a science paper."
" Did you happen to have soccer practice the day you got it back?" I asked. While it sounded like I was going absolutely nowhere with these questions, in truth, I was beginning to piece everything together. Even though they weren't related, Rainbow Dash considered Scootaloo to be like a little sister. Well, it was more like the other way around, in that Scootaloo wanted Rainbow to be her guidance. I don't entirely know all of the details, but it's something Rainbow kept on mentioning to us like a broken record. If my next question receives the answer I'm hoping for, I can uncover Anon-A-Miss' identity. Why did I think of Scootaloo of all students? It was Rarity and Applejack bringing up their respective families that made me think of it.
" Soccer practice? Um, yeah? What about it?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" And the junior soccer was practicing at the same time, right?"
" Well, sure, they usually do."
" I've got it!"
" What have you got?" Rarity asked.
" I hope it's not catching." Pinkie Pie said.
" That was the last piece of information I needed." I said. Everything now made perfect sense, yet there were still questions that remained unanswered. Why would they choose to victimize me? What did I ever do to them? Would they actually confess to their actions or try to cover it up? I then looked towards the entrance to Sugarcube Corner and saw what looked like three figures approaching in an awful hurry. Could it be them? Or, was it just three customers who couldn't wait to get inside and out of the cold? My friends then began pestering me about what I meant about the last piece of information. " When Rainbow Dash answered my questions, it confirmed a suspicion I had been forming for the last few minutes. When family was mentioned, I thought about that science paper Anon-A-Miss posted that Rainbow wrote. I never knew you wrote that until looking on MyStable. There's only one person I know besides us who views Rainbow as more than just a friend."
" You came up with an answer based on that?" Applejack asked.
" I should've seen the signs from the start. Anyway, I know who Anon-A-Miss is. It's--" I answered before being cut off by the sound of the entrance to Sugarcube Corner opening and the bell ringing out for all to hear.
" It was us!"
We all turned around when we heard that familiar voice, and standing there were Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. Each of them had a look of guilt on their faces, and while my friends were shocked at this revelation, I simply stared at them. It's exactly as I suspected. The three of them were responsible for being behind Anon-A-Miss and pinning the blame squarely on me. Posting the science paper was the missing clue that brought it all together for me. Also, I now realize that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle had been showing signs of misery over these past few days, the latter doing a better job of hiding that fact. I've only myself to blame for not noticing these obvious signs. I wasn't entirely sure as to how Scootaloo fitted in with all of this, but I was sure to get my answer soon enough.
" What!?" My soon-to-be-renewed friends shouted.
" Applebloom! How could you?" Applejack asked.
" We didn't mean to take it this far. Honest." Applebloom answered.
" Y'all turned Sunset into a monster!"
" We can explain!"
" I reckon you ought to for her sake."
" Why did you do it?" I asked.
" Because... Because of you, Sunset." Applebloom answered. Me? They caused so much pain and suffering because of me? I wasn't liking where this was going, but I suspected there was more to this than appearances suggested. It also reminded me of something I didn't particularly enjoy. Whenever something happened at CHS since the Fall Formal, the blame would automatically be placed on me. I've grown accustomed to such accusations, yet they still hurt all the same. I know I did horrible things, but did they have to constantly villainize me? What could've convinced them to target me? I did make the lives of their sisters--pseudo-sister for Scootaloo--miserable when I was a bully, yet I never once did anything to them. I didn't see them as worth my time, so I ignored them.
" Why me?" I asked.
" I was jealous that my sister was spendin' time with you and her friends 'stead of with her family. I wanted to make you look bad. So, I made up Anon-A-Miss and posted the story about Applejack and made it look like you'd done it." Applebloom answered.
Jealousy!? This was because of something as petty as jealousy!? Applejack mentioned to her family that we were having slumber parties to help me feel better about the holidays, but I guess Applebloom didn't feel the same way. She was the mastermind behind all of this, but I wasn't going to simply cast off the other two. No, I suspected they had equal involvement. No wonder she was upset that night. Applebloom couldn't handle the fact that she was being left out, so she went for me because everything had been planned for my enjoyment.
" Was it only just you behind this?" Applejack asked.
" No... I think it's obvious that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were involved as well." Applebloom answered.
" Reckon that's true. After all, if you two weren't involved, y'all wouldn't be here right now, 'cept for support, I guess."
" Shall I explain their sides of the story?"
" They are more than capable of doin' so themselves."
" Applebloom told me about it, and... and I felt the same way." Sweetie Belle said.
" What!? Why didn't you ever say something?" Rarity asked.
" You pushed me out of your room before I had a chance to explain myself. I wanted to join you all for your slumber party, but you cast me aside like I didn't even exist. You don't know how that feels, Rarity. That night, at your party, when everyone was asleep, I snuck in quietly and took Sunset's phone. I'm not sure why she left it out in the open like that, but when I left, I downloaded all of her photos and videos. I made sure that anything that featured her was either omitted or edited to remove her. I then passed it along to Applebloom, who proceeded to make it public." Sweetie Belle answered.
" Then I did hear someone shuffling about that night." I said.
" You have pretty good hearing, Sunset, and I was afraid you'd noticed me when you were looking at me with your eyes barely open. Once I had finished with your phone, it was easy to sneak back into Rarity's room to place it exactly where it was. It was like it had never been taken in the first place." Sweetie Belle answered. Not only did I not implement my password, I also forgot to put my phone away in my backpack. I must have been really exhausted to not have done that, at least. The person I thought was Pinkie Pie shuffling about turned out to be Sweetie Belle. She was upset over being left out and decided to do something about it. I was starting to notice a trend here, but whether or not it was important depended on what Scootaloo had to say.
" And what about your story, squirt?" Rainbow Dash asked.
" Applebloom would tell me what she was doing the following day after Anon-A-Miss first posted on MyStable. I wasn't interested at first, but I soon started agreeing with both her and Sweetie Belle about how to make Sunset look bad. I was actually going to ask Rainbow Dash if I could spend the holidays with her. When she told me that she was spending time with her friends and would hang with me 'maybe some other time', I got mad. So, when Rainbow got her science paper back, I took a picture of it when she wasn't looking. I made sure to focus on the lousy grade she received. I gave the photo to Applebloom, who posted it online." Scootaloo answered.
" Unbelievable! All this time I was blaming Sunset, and she didn't even do anything wrong." Rainbow Dash said.
" We had to cover our tracks in case anyone got too close to figuring it out." Scootaloo said. There it was again! All three girls had said the exact same thing. They did this because they had been left alone. Now it all made sense, and actually, I knew how they felt. If anyone knew the pain that comes with being completely alone, it was me. I was isolated after the Fall Formal and treated like an outcast. No one wanted to open up to me until my friends did.
" I'm guessing this is where you mention the other secrets?" Fluttershy asked.
" Anon-A-Miss got out of hand! People started sending her other secrets, new pictures. We posted everything! We tried our best not to do what they wanted, but they kept on sending us messages. It got to a point where it was too much. We never knew that the students of CHS wanted to learn every last detail, even if it meant ruining their friendships in the process. They even threatened to expose Anon-A-Miss unless she kept posting secrets." Scootaloo answered.
" So you basically trapped yourselves?" Applejack asked.
" And we deserved it for what we did." Scootaloo answered.
" Can you ever forgive us?" Applebloom asked. All eyes then turned towards me, and I didn't like how I suddenly had a lot of weight on my shoulders. After hearing each of the girls revealing their reasons for doing what they did, my mind became conflicted about how to best approach things. On the one hand, I wanted to forgive them. They didn't mean for me to suffer so much, and they were feeling left out of family activities. On the other hand, my emotions were growing stronger, and that meant losing control of my temper. What I do isn't a reflection on my friends. I'm certain they'll have their own things to say once I make a decision.
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo had destroyed my life by pulling this stunt. They were jealous of me and wanted to make me suffer. While I have no doubt that I can repair my reputation, it's going to take a very long time. I had every mind to throttle them there and then! Nothing would hold me back from making an example of them, but that would be the stupidest mistake I could ever make. I'm not the monster most claimed me to be throughout this whole experience. The girls didn't deserve to be scarred for life, and who was I to do that? At the very least, they did need to be held accountable. That meant Principal Celestia needed to be informed of what happened.
After a few moments of pondering over what to do, I looked at the girls to see what their reactions were like. Applebloom was in tears, Sweetie Belle was blowing into a handkerchief, while Scootaloo just kept looking at the ground in shame. I could tell this wasn't an act in order to convince me to forgive them. Their emotions were honest and true. I didn't want them to suffer anymore, so I nodded my head, forgiving them.
" In the end, the Cutie Mark Crusaders--their group name--were simply fed up with being ignored. They thought I was the cause of their misery, so they wanted me to look bad to get back at me." I said.
" I can't believe it was them!" Twilight shouted.
" The clues were there in plain sight, yet I never considered them until I began piecing it all together. While the girls claimed they had covered their tracks, they didn't do as well as they thought. They made a lot of mistakes along the way. Scootaloo made the most obvious error by going after Rainbow Dash's essay. If she had gone with something I already knew Rainbow had done, they might've gotten away with it. For a little while longer, at least." I said.
" What of the other two?" Twilight asked.
" Applebloom's misery was blatantly obvious, and she made no attempt to hide that fact. I was idiotic for ignoring it and also for speaking out, which only fueled her desire to lash out at me. Sweetie Belle, without a doubt, was the hardest to figure out. She knew exactly how to hide her feelings, but she did give herself away by going for my phone in a house where everyone knew each other. Had she tried in a more open location, I might not have noticed anything." I answered. If Twilight had been in my shoes, she would have figured everything out within a matter of hours. While I'll admit that I'm intelligent, my flaws are pretty apparent, especially when it came to overlooking the obvious. If I had been more observant, Anon-A-Miss would have been stopped long before things spiraled out of control. I wonder what that would have been like to solve the problem as quickly as Twilight surely would have.
" I'm not sure you should have been so forgiving." Twilight said.
" Figured you'd say that."
" After what they did to you?"
" I knew that lashing out at them would've been wrong."
" I'm not saying you were wrong, Sunset, but rather that they shouldn't have gotten away with it."
" Oh, they didn't."
" What do you mean?"
" The CMC would receive a punishment, but not from my hands or from our friends'. Principal Celestia was going to be the one to give that to them. They knew that she would need to be informed, and that meant trying to come up with an explanation that would result in them getting a fair punishment." I answered. Most of what was given unto them felt appropriate, according to what I had been told by Applejack, yet there was one thing I felt wasn't strict enough. I didn't want them to receive the ultimate school discipline--expulsion--but what they ended up getting should've been extended by about two or three months. But, it was Principal Celestia's decision, and I wasn't about to argue over it with her or anyone. Since it was their first offence, they were given some leniency.
" What did they receive?" Twilight asked.
" You really want to know?"
" I'm curious."
" Their punishment does conclude this Christmas odyssey, from what I recall. I probably wrote something down about it in my journal, so I might as well show you what happened next. Oh, and you need to know whether our friends were as forgiving of the CMC as I was." I said.