Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity all sat in the booth in silence, no one daring to speak. Applejack had texted the others that Sunset wanted to talk, and they had all agreed to meet at Sugarcube Corner.
It was the perfect setting. It wasn't completely dark out yet, but it was close enough to closing time that there wasn't a whole lot of people there.
After waiting twenty minutes, they heard the bell ring, and a figure stepped up to their table.
Sunset Shimmer stared at the group with a blank expression. She still had a large amount of gauze wrapped around her head, but the gauze on her hands had been replaced with several band-aids.
"Hey." She greeted.
Only Applejack said "hey" back. The others just nodded. "Ya got discharged, then?"
"Yeah." Sunset said, sticking her hands in her pockets. "I'll have to go back in about a week to get the stitches removed, but other than that...." A pause. "Umm....sorry about the mirror."
Fluttershy looked down, blushing. "I told Mom and Dad that you tripped on the rug. They'll pay to replace it, and for your hospital bill."
Sunset averted her gaze. She really didn't want them doing that; she felt she was imposing enough as it was. But on the other hand, she knew she didn't really have any way to pay for it herself, since she didn't have a job. She mentally added it to her to-do list.
Without looking behind her, Sunset grabbed a chair from another table and pulled it up to theirs so she could sit down with them.
"I heard you tried to kill one of the sirens." Sunset said, smirking slightly at Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash averted her gaze. "Yeah. Twilight stopped me, though."
Sunset sighed, then asked, "I'm guessing Twilight left?"
Applejack nodded. "Yeah. She went back to her world after our visit."
Awkward silence followed. Finally, Sunset sighed deeply, and decided to stop beating around the bush.
"Look, for what it's worth," she waited until everyone was looking at her before she continued. "I don't blame you for thinking it was me. I get it. I really do. I probably would've thought the same thing if they had posted crap about me, and it came from one of your phones."
The girls all looked at each other, confused.
"So....you're not mad?" Pinkie asked.
"Of course I'm mad!" Sunset suddenly shouted, her fists pounding the table. "You guys tell me I'm like family, and then less than two days later, you all toss me aside like trash!"
"Girls. Inside voices, please." Mrs. Cake called from over the counter. Sunset took a couple of deep breaths before continuing.
"I mean, that's what hurts the most." Sunset said softly, angry tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "You didn't even talk to me about it. You didn't even ask for my side. You just decided that it was me and threw me away. If that's how you treat those you consider family, I'd really hate to see how you treat your enemies!"
Sunset lowered her head as the tears fell freely. "After all we've been through together, after everything I've done to prove that I'm a better person, you still. Don't. Trust me." Sunset's voice broke as she wiped her face. "And now.....I can't trust you."
The girls lowered their heads in shame as Sunset continued to cry. Rainbow raised her head first.
"I have no excuse." she said. "I can't speak for the others but, for me....it was just easy, you know. I kept thinking about all the stuff you did to us and....I think I almost wanted it to be you. Cuz then I wouldn't have to feel bad for thinking that stuff."
"I let mah anger git the best of me." Applejack said, lowing her hat over her eyes. "Ah was so concerned about mah pride that Ah acted without thinkin'."
"There's no sugarcoating it. I was a bitch, plain and simple." Everyone at the table stared at the bitter Rarity, who rarely used profanity as she believed it was not ladylike. "All over some silly photo."
"I took your smile away." Pinkie said, her hair falling limp in her face as her eyes filled with tears. "If I'm such an awful person that I can do that to one of my friends, then I deserve what Anon-A-Miss did to me."
"Me too."Fluttershy added, wiping her eyes. "I made you cry, Sunset. And I'm so sorry for that. I take back what I said that day. You are my friend."
"For how long?" Sunset said wearily. "When I was shunned after the Fall Formal, it hurt. It hurt a lot. But I could handle it, because I had you five." Sunset's face twisted in anguish. "Right before I ran out of school, I was cornered and screamed at by nearly every student in the building. And you five....you were no where to be found. You weren't there for me when I needed you the most. How do I know you won't do this again?"
They didn't answer. They couldn't.
They sat there in silence for a moment. Then Sunset said, "Twilight offered to let me come back to Equestria."
All five girls looked up shocked.
"I thought about it.....but I don't think I will."
The girls looked at each other, confused. While they weren't too happy at the idea of Sunset leaving, they honestly didn't understand why she'd want to stay.
"This whole Anon-A-Miss thing...it really messed me up." Sunset explained, running her hand through her hair. "Or maybe I was already messed up, and this just made things worse. I don't know. All I do know, is that I can't really trust anybody right now. Not even Twilight." Sunset lowered her eyes, ashamed of her admission. "Besides, I still have some issues with my old mentor. If I went back, it would just open a whole other can of worms that I just can't deal with right now."
Sunset reached into her pocket, and pulled out a small card. "Before I called Applejack, I stopped by the school to talk to Celestia. She knows what happened." Sunset gestured to her head. "I asked her if she knew anybody I could talk to, and she gave me this. Apparently, she and Vice Principal Luna got into a fight a few years ago, and this guy helped them fix things. I think he can help me too."
The girls looked at each other uncomfortably. Finally, Applejack asked, "...Where does that leave us?"
Sunset smiled sadly. "I was kind of hoping you knew."
"....Are we....still friends?" Fluttershy asked timidly.
Sunset looked towards the ground, shrugging slightly.
"Are we?" Rainbow demanded nervously.
Sunset sighed, then looked squarely at them. "Sure." she said wearily. "We're the kind of friends that can't stand the sight of each other."
The girls flinched, but they weren't surprised.
"Only....temporarily, right?" Rarity asked, daring to hope.
"I hope so, Rarity." Sunset said, looking significantly drained. "I really hope so." She stood up. "I'll see you guys at school."
And with that, she turned and walked out.
The girls sat there, taking everything in. Then, Pinkie noticed something on the table. "Look. She forgot her card thingy."
Rainbow Dash picked it up and examined it. Her brow furrowed.
"No. She didn't." she said, before putting the card in her pocket.