Sunset Shimmer isn't sure she's got much to be merry about this holiday season.
A few weeks ago, she thought she'd turned her life around. Now she's not sure she's accomplished anything at all. Not since the incident... Scandal, really.
When the rumors had begun to leak, everyone was so certain it was her spreading them. That she'd returned to her old ways, that her reformation was nothing but a charade. Even those she'd called friends were so quick to assume the worst, and to disown her. And even after the true culprits confessed, the damage had been done.
So now it was Sunset's turn to lose faith. Because if those she called friends were so ready to distrust her... Had she ever really had their trust or friendship at all?
Set after the Equestria Girls Holiday Special.
That was... okay. The ending conversation felt a bit rushed, but the parts leading up to that felt mostly fine.
There was also a scattering of grammatical mistakes, but it's nothing a good editor can't fix.
5425628 I'm out of practice writing and was hurrying to finish the story so it'd still be Christmas somewhere when it went up, plus I don't have an editor. I admit that those are just excuses (and not the only ones I'm ready to give), but it's all I've got.
Sorry for disappointing you.
5425655
Well, if you ever do fix this up, let me know. I'd love to read an improved version of this story.
The holiday special makes no sense.
The battle of the bands looks to be set in spring, and from a character and relationship development standpoint it feels more like pre-battle of the bands, shimmer's redemption arc is complete after that point anything dealing with that is failing to grasp her development, but there's the journal.
Otherwise i liked it, but, there's the dear princess twilight.
You did address one of my problems with the story; that's a plus in my book.
I hate the Holiday Special. The plot was a complete retread of Ponyville Confidential, an episode I'm not a fan of, and it's made even worse with what they do with it. The Human 5 and everyone else were way too quick to jump to conclusions about Sunset. And the CMC deserved more backlash for what they did. Not only are they blatantly OOC in this comic, their reasoning for doing this is so far out of left field, you got to wonder where this came from. Not only that, but I felt the Human 5 and Sunset were WAY too forgiving to the CMC for their actions. There's turning the other cheek and then there's this. I felt the CMC should've been lectured more by the others.
Also, for a "Holiday Special", what did this have to do with the holidays at all? Seriously, it doesn't feel like a holiday special, it feels more like a Sunset Shimmer Torture story. Personally, this is my least favorite MLP comic and it's something no one should ever buy.
Good story all around though.
5426961
I'll say. I don't know how bad the comic got, but well... If the blog was that damaging, to one person/pony...
Whatever happened, though, I'm just glad that someone wrote this fanfic. From what it sounds like, Sunset went through a pretty emotion-crushing experience.
I'm starting to understand why the ponies from Ponyville Confidential were so harsh with the Crusaders when they found out who was running the gossip column. Feeling the emotions of someone who'd been cast out as a pariah, heck, even just seeing how much they're hurting, all because of three fillies who seem to care more about fame and recognition than who they damage... It just makes my blood boil.
The holiday special was a disappointment to say the least. I was hoping for the Sirens to return, stir up some trouble to create chaos in the student body...Sunset actually brought up a really good idea! "What if it's Windigoes?" That would have been awesome! At least, it would have been better than a Ponyville Confidential remake!
The Crusaders ended up looking like huge, spiteful jerks and the Human Five didn't apologize to Sunset!!
This story is how the comic should have ended!
That Pic..
Here Sunset this will make you feel better.
whisky.com.uy/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/jack-daniels.jpg
encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQknd2dnLwi4sN5mZtSScT3I8Bsujw6R11uFdNMPSi04bYdphPb
CMC starts singing
gun on the floor
a hole in your head
just like a whore
you wish you were dead
X5
encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS2BKKbaUPpEBq8PVJ71zcNTZ4AK9wvMA5Txu9mMoNM1DErX98D
I don't even hate Sunset.
5427472 If you think this is good, I'd love to heat what's so good about this comic.
5427546 Heat?
I don't read comics nor am I into the fandom.
Sorry for wasting you're time.
5427556 Well it looked like you called me a troll, but I guess it was a misunderstanding. Sorry about that.
5427598 No problem.
5426921 That's basically the only reason I wrote this. I felt like Sunset was owed reassurance and a group hug, and she never got them. "Fix fic", I believe is the term?
5426961 As said above, I did not write this because I liked the Holiday Special. In fact, I feel you're only scratching the surface of the problems. (For starters, as far as I'm concerned, the Human 5 should have been defending Sunset.) So I put my other stuff aside and knocked this out so I could pretend it didn't hurt as much. We probably won't see her again until Equestria Girls 3. Until then, I want my mental image of her to be smiling.
5426315 Pretty much everyone was out of character, too, other than Twilight and Sunset.
5427523 Girls, out of everypony around here, I'd think you three would be the last ones who'd decide to pick on Sunset Shimmer right now.
5427791 The CMC told me to give you their personal brand of apple juice as a Christmas gift..
encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2zBS9JqLQG09w205eJa5jI8KSqfvpkd4E7pBKoaEu9T_TQB9L
Though I don't know why they hide it in the bathroom?
encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT3RBpUnRkxeS6VzFC-B0RVVtDa24aPc8F7N6Nbx_PRDMQ0yeJ-_w
Well I'm just passing along the message to ya.
5427791 Oh, your term is correct. There's a reason I'm going to be writing my own version of the Holiday Special in the future (hopefully available for everyone's reading pleasure next Christmas!), and it's pretty much the same reason you've written this. I just wish I had the time...
5427904 I was scurrying to get it done before Christmas ended so it wasn't past its sell-by date before it even went up, and didn't quite make it. Not sure it'll be relevant next year. That said, good luck.
5427791 Actually, Trixie was also acting in character.
5427791
Hey the CMC are perfectly in character.
And sunset is horribly out of character if it's post Rainbow Rocks, i mean the first two lines of her character song is "Never gonna bring me down, Never gonna break any part of me.", and the picture we see of her in shine like rainbows shows she has all her old confidence back. She got her magic back, she's who her cutie mark is telling her she is.
Which is why i just treat it as something that happens pre rainbow rocks, because otherwise yeah everyone is out of character.
5428079 I disagree, I think Trixie would be unhappy that she's not the center of attention.
5428100 I'd call it out of character but not horribly, since she at least matched some version of herself. And the CMC seemed WAY meaner to me than they are in anything else. Your mileage may vary though.
And it can't be before Rainbow Rocks because of the book, so I think it may be a case of the timeline just not working whatsoever
5428355 Considering that as opposed to pony Trixie, this Trixie is just a High school student who was just getting to class when confronted by Sunset (by the way they interacted, one can assume they have a personal rivalry), so I highly doubt that she was OOC.
5428415 Maybe I'm just being thrown off by her not referring to herself in third person, but either way how about we agree to disagree?
5428015 Appreciate it. If nothing else, I can write it up well before Christmas and have it waiting and ready. It might not be as relevant as I'd like, but it'll be relevant enough.
5428355
The pony versions attempted to murder Babs.
And ponies aren't humans was a plot point in rainbow rocks.
Preeetttyyyy much.
"Oh sunset has the book now, guess we better use that."
"Why are we using pre redemption arc characterization, why is it set in winter when the battle was in spring?"
"Meh."
5429379
I got the impression that was a result of not fully thinking things through, rather than deliberate murderous intent. We'll agree to disagree, okay?
And at least in that case, it was an attempt to fight back that got out of hand. In this case, the thing they were attacking Sunset over wasn't even wrong for her to do.
I haven't read the holiday special, but from what I've been reading, the main 5 were jerks to poor Sunset. I know what it feels like to be framed for something you didn't do, and it hurts real bad. Good story, it captures how Sunset really felt during this Anon-A-Miss thing.
I'm all for fixfics, and the Holiday Special certainly needed one (even if I'm not quite as full of vitriol against it as some people seem to pride themselves on being)...
...but yeah, this won't be it for me. It showed promise; the concept alone got me to click, and Rainbow and Rarity particularly shine here. Keep with that.
But otherwise, this has all the subtlety and finesse of a 2x4. You can taste the author vendetta. Lot of telling where showing could have worked. Recapping the comics to "quickly" get the reader up to speed instead of showing us the aftermath of the Anon-A-Miss scandal (looking at her phone could have been a golden moment to show us that her friendslist is still a minefield, or that she's uninstalled the service). Telling us how lonely Sunset is instead of showing it (let her wander away before looking back at the warmth of the holiday party going on. The snow gets worse, obscuring her view. She'll never be a part of what's over there, will she? Sad Sunny in snow!).
Then you tell us that Rarity is scary after you actually do successfully show it in her character. It's all so rushed, in service of getting to One Thing.
And oh gosh, that One Thing. As much as I like Woobie Sunset (which would be roughly as much as Pac-Man likes dots), it feels way too off here. It actually made more sense in the comic, where you had an entire school hating on her at once without her able to defend herself whatsoever, but here the hurt-comfort with the people who technically did forgive her is rushed as all get out. Sunset's had time to think about this. She'd be sad, but wouldn't she also be angry? Scared that even after Rainbow Rocks something like this could still happen (implausibility of the Holiday Special aside)?
Not to mention a little self-hating, because she also has the perspective that she did try to take over two worlds at once, after terrorizing the school for 3+ years. Even if that can be "forgiven," it's a hard thing to to forget. The beauty of Sunset Shimmer is that while she's "redeemed," she still knows what she's capable of, deep down inside, and she's constantly trying to put her best foot forward as a result in a school that she knows hates and fears her.
Sunset makes a great tear sponge, but she has facets. This story, though, is going to get those Sunset feels and that apology, damn the obstacles!
Take that, comic!
Anyway, I think that's everything. But now that I know this was a rushjob (5425655 ) it makes all the more sense. Next time, please keep the work in mind instead of the timing. Release date doesn't help make a story the best it can be; polish does.
5430352 I felt that due to the seasonal nature of the fic, the options were "rush it" or "discard it entirely".
I'll try to do better next time.
5431830
And clearly, so did IDW.
Good stories are timeless, dear. Give them the care they deserve. Your foundation was sound. Just keep at it.
5431844 Oh, I'm not gonna stop writing, I'm just not gonna try to rework this story when I have other ideas in my head that I feel are better.
(A few of those even involve Sunset.)
Nicely done. This is a touching story that is easy to relate to; we've all been in this type of situation. Sometimes the easiest way to hurt a friend is to do or say nothing. And it can be hard to even realize that what you didn't do was hurtful. It can also be hard to confront friends about the issue, because it's difficult to say they did something wrong.
I actually read this without any knowledge of this comic you mentioned in the author's notes, but I really enjoyed it. I don't think this story needs anything else. It is strong enough to stand alone.
Sort of ironic, since the story teaches us that no one is strong enough to stand alone. Communicating with our friends is the only way to end conflict. Letting it stew inside will only make things worse.
Thank you for writing this.
Great story. I had similar thoughts, and honestly, even after this story, it doesn't seem like the rift between Sunset and the 5 could really be healed. The girls all make strong assurances they are deeply sorry and will never abandon Sunset again, but they also swore they were Sunset's true friends before. If I was Sunset I would be glad to have my friends back, but I would never be so foolish as to think it couldn't be revoked at a future point, and I would make damn sure never to get between my friends, even inadvertently, and that trio of untouchable sociopaths again.
5428498 It's not wasn't the first time Trixie didn't speak in a third person.
5549263 Scrounge will grant your point.
Read the comic thought the same thing. Then again Twilight did sort of tell them to help her out. They were sort of volunteered for the job. Even if they are making an attempt to be her friend, this is winter and the Fall Formal incident happened not months earlier, so having absolute trust in Sunset and giving her the benefit of the doubt is kind of hard when she's terrorized the school for the past 2 years. Though I can see where your coming from. I'm merely pointing out that it's not very easy to forgive and forget.
5657403 Thinking back on this story, everyone was a bit too passive. At the very least, there should have been an argument. I'm considering revisiting the theme but playing it differently. In other words, I wrote this as a fix fic, and now I need to fix/replace this.
I'm leaving this up because some people like it, but I honestly am not proud of it. I wish people were reading "Friendly Fire" (my other story) instead.
5663558 It's not bad I enjoyed the story. Part of the problem is with the comic itself and the world of Equestria Girls is that there is no established timeline. Rainbow Rocks takes place after Equestria Girls but we aren't given a time window. I'd say maybe a month at the very least. They are still giving Sunset the glares but no one is calling her names. She's had some time to develop a semi-steady connection with the other girls and isn't wallowing in grief or hating herself. So some time has passed. Then we had the Christmas comic come out. so 3 months after the first movie. Like I said there's no definite storyline and there was absolutely no coverage of the immediate fallout of Sunset's actions and the reactions of the school at large. A comic detailing that would be nice. The girls accept her unconditionally for the most part. Sorry I'm rambling, it was a believable and well written story and you did a good job with the limited source material you had.
5663811 Thanks. but I still feel I could do better; this was something of a rush job.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who has issues with the EG holiday special. I like to think that everyone apologized to Sunset offscreen, but the mere fact that the writers didn't show it still pisses me off to this very day. Also, this was really good.
5871577 My current theory is that it was originally intended to be between the two movies, but someone decided to move it to after Rainbow Rocks, so some stuff got cut to make room for Twilight, and some idiot decided the part where they apologize (and the hugs that presumably came with it) should be left on the cutting room floor. Among other things, it would make more sense for the others to not have faith in her yet between movies than it would for them to reject her after she'd stood with them in their darkest hour, and been instrumental (so to speak) in lighting it. But even if that's true, it doesn't make the comic stop being depressing as hell. The previews and stuff made it seem like it'd be a nice happy story where Sunset's friends help her clear her name, so the direction it actually took was... jarring, to say the least.
An awesome story that wraps up the Anon~A~Miss BS a lot better than the comic did! I really loved it!
Honestly this was an alright story. Sunset feels somewhat upset but not suicidally so. It's what makes it better than Almost too late which was just too angsty. Even if sunset was bummed the fact was they didn't immediately turn on her.
Favorite line: “I love talking! I’m real good at it!”
This. THIS. This is what should have happened in the comic!! I'm still pissed that the mane six just ignored what they did and never apologized.
5889199
One of the biggest give-aways that the story would be better, and probably was meant to be, between the two movies and not after RR is the fact that it's winter. We know that RR takes place several months after the first movie, and it looks like in the spring. How could the comic be after RR and it's winter? ;___;.
The only thing going for the comic at all is that it stars Sunset Shimmer. Nothing about the story makes any sense, the artwork is really really poor. Just...ughhh
7026751 There's nothing in the movies themselves which indicates when they take place in regards to each other, so that part has an excuse (though not necessarily a good one), but I think the way that Sunset gets treated indicates that it was meant to go between the movies at some point, but then the writing to Twilight got added in and that ruined the chances of it making sense either way.
7026751 I think the biggest problem is that the whole comic feels really mean-spirited, like the whole purpose was to make Sunset miserable and everyone else look like jerks.
The premise might have worked if they'd gone in another direction with it. Less "Ponyville Confidential", more "Rarity Investigates".
It's late. Forgive me for babbling.