Chapter 13 - Punishment
Several different sets of footsteps were heard marching down the halls from outside the cafeteria. Suddenly, the noise stopped. Everyone waited with bated breath as the side-doors slowly creaked open. Over a dozen Officers burst into the room, who then parted away on opposite sides to reveal none other than Sunset Shimmer.
She didn’t look that much better compared to the physical state that she was in during the photograph. The only real difference was the absence of all of the messages that had been scribbled across her facial region. If one were to examine the teen underneath her clothing, they would find a punished body littered with scabs, welts, bruises, and lacerations. How she had made it to CHS was anyone’s guess.
She stood there, like a statue, silently observing all of those who were in attendance. The stares that she received from her friends were a mixture of relief as well as unease. Rainbow Dash, who sat at a different table, accompanied by the same Officer who had taken her away earlier, was the exception of the bunch. The athlete was the only person in the room who refused to meet Sunset’s icy stare.
Scootaloo clung tightly to Fluttershy, while Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle sought comfort in the arms of their big sisters. All of the other students, Gilda included, all wore looks of unease, but whether it was out of remorse for their own actions or fear at spending time behind bars was up for debate.
“Sunset? Are … you alright?” Fluttershy finally asked after an extended period of silence.
Instead of giving any sort of acknowledgement, Sunset began walking forward, completely ignoring Fluttershy’s question.
She walked past her friends and the trio responsible for the cyber-attacks without sparing either party a single glance. She continued past Rainbow, who was trying her best to remain invisible, and then stopped in front of the small faction of students who had ambushed her the night before.
“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tell the Commissioner to drag all of you away.” There was no anger in Sunset’s voice, only emptiness.
An immediate response came from a male student with dark blue hair. “Because Rainbow helped us set you up! So whatever you do to us, you’d have to do to her too! It’s only fair, and you wouldn’t do that to one of your friends! You can go ahead and ask Snips and Snails if you don’t believe us!”
There were a series of surprised gasps and mumbles from her friends. “She did what?!” Applejack cried out in alarm.
All eyes were focused on Rainbow, who had her head slumped towards the floor. She didn’t even need to look around to know the type of stares that were being directed her way.
“It’s true,” Rainbow admitted sadly. “I thought that she was hurting everyone again … I thought that …” she slowly shook her head as the memory of being approached by Gilda replayed itself in her mind. “I don’t know what I was thinking anymore …”
“Dashie ... no …” Pinkie whispered.
The student relaxed a little after hearing Rainbow Dash admit partial responsibility. He had truly believed that he had just won himself and the others a lighter punishment. That was until Sunset spoke up again.
“I don’t think that you understand what the Vice Principal meant when she said that I get to decide your punishments, so I think that maybe I need to dumb things down for you.” Sunset narrowed her eyebrows in a small show of annoyance. “As of this moment, I own all of you, just like I did back in the old days. I can do whatever I want. If I felt like it, I could give Rainbow two days worth of detention while all of you are getting ready for a court hearing. It doesn’t make me any difference.”
The student winced at having his declaration shot down.
“But you did raise a good point. I would never intentionally do something if I thought that it would cause my friends harm. Speaking of friends, I’ve got five of them. Would you like me to name them for you?”
The boy from earlier looked somewhat confused. “Uh … Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie, and … Rainbow Dash?” he asked with uncertainty.
Sunset shook her head and answered just loud enough for the entire room to hear. “Twilight, Principal Celestia, Vice Principal Luna, Snips, and Snails. The rest of you are just people who happen to go to the same school as me. Nothing more and nothing less,” she answered. Off in the distance her former friends flinched as if they’d been physically hurt by the announcement.
“So, would you like to try again? Or are you finished?”
“Hey, Sunset, how about a deal?” Everyone at the table turned their attention towards Gilda.
“What?”
“You see those three pieces of garbage over there?” Gilda questioned while pointing a finger towards Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo. “We’re not the bad guys here. They are. They turned everyone against you and made fools out of all of us.” Gilda leaned in and whispered, “If you cut us some slack, I promise that I’ll make some things happen for you.”
“I heard that!” Applejack shouted while tightening her hold on her younger sister. “You ain’t layin’ a finger on Applebloom, ya’ hear me?!”
Gilda smirked at the sentimental display. “Don’t you even start, Applejack! They’re gonna get it one way or another. Even if it isn’t one of us, someone else from CHS will do it. You saw how Rainbow flipped out earlier, right? Well that’s gonna become the norm around here after it gets out that those three were the ones that started this. You may as well start putting target signs on their backs now!”
Scootaloo’s body began to shiver and shake as she recalled how Rainbow was moments away from crushing her like a grape. If the one person who she looked up to the most had it in her to do something like that, and Gilda was willing to kidnap someone in the middle of the night, then there was no telling what the rest of the school would do to her and her friends.
“She’s … she’s right!” Scootaloo stammered out. “They’re gonna kill us! Oh no, what did we do?!”
Scootaloo’s distress began seeping into her friends, triggering a sense of alarm within the other two girls. Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie all tried their best to calm them down, but found little success.
“Sunset, they’re scared! Aren’t you going to do something?” asked Rarity.
Sunset stared at Rarity absentmindedly, and then at the three girls who had besmirched her good name. She eventually turned back towards Gilda. “So, you’re saying that if your punishment was to “take care of them” for me, you’d jump at the chance?”
Gilda’s heart began to race with excitement. It seemed that she had piqued Sunset’s interest, which meant that there was hope that maybe she could still talk her way out of trouble. “Oh, of course! I mean, someone has to do it, right?”
Sunset nodded her head in agreement. “Excellent. Maybe you aren’t so bad after all?”
“Sunset, what do you think you’re doing?!” shouted Rarity.
“I'm delivering a fair and unbiased punishment,” Sunset answered in a calm tone. “What goes around comes around, as they say.”
“Fair and unbiased?! The only fair thing here is if they go to jail! Think about what you’re doing!” Rarity pleaded.
“I already have,” Sunset replied as she calmly walked away from Gilda. “Principal Celestia, are you ready?”
The school head nodded once. “Go ahead.”
Sunset approached the table where Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were sitting. As she approached, she couldn’t help but notice the looks of absolute fury on Applejack and Rarity’s faces. Ignoring it, she turned her attention towards the three culprits. “You girls have been running around out of control for too long. Like it or not, you’re going to have to answer for everything that you did.
“Just before school lets out for the day, Principal Celestia is going to call for an assembly in the Auditorium,” Sunset explained. “You will be given one of the school's laptops, as well as an overhead projector. And then, in front of the entire school, the three of you will sign into the Anon-a-Miss account, and delete it once and for all. But not before issuing a public apology to everyone at CHS.”
“But … but … they’re gonna come after us if we do that! Couldn’t we just apologize in an update and then take the account down later without telling anyone that it was us?” Sweetie Belle whimpered.
“No. They’d still think that it was me. They need to hear the truth. It needs to be done in a way that’s indisputable, and you’re going to be the ones who deliver the message.” Sunset turned towards the group of students who had attacked her in the gymnasium. “And you won’t have to worry about anyone trying to hurt you guys, because Gilda and her team over there are going to protect you at all times while you’re on school grounds. They’re going to follow you everywhere that you go, like it or not.”
“Wait, we’re gonna do what?! I thought we were on the same page!” Gilda shouted in outrage.
“Oh, is something wrong? I thought you said that you wouldn’t have a problem with taking care of them for me?” Sunset replied while feigning confusion.
A lightbulb went off as Gilda realized the play on words that Sunset had used earlier. She didn’t mean, “take care of them” as in “get revenge on the three girls for me”. She meant it as in “baby sitting duty”.
It was then that Gilda snapped … again. She jumped from her seat and began marching over to Sunset, fuming the entire way. “Oh screw that! I’m not doing a thing you little -”
“You’re right,” Sunset interrupted. "You aren’t going to do anything. Not to me, not to Snips, and not to Snails either. Take a look around the room for a second.”
Gilda did as suggested and was met with the image of at least 30 angry Police Officers, all of whom were staring directly at her. Some of them had already begun reaching for their tasers, while others seemed to be readying themselves for an emergency takedown.
“This time, you’re the one who’s trapped. And I’ve got a word of warning for you.” When Sunset spoke again, it was in a tone so low that no one else could hear except for them. “You being forced to protect them like this? That’s me being nice. The old Sunset Shimmer isn’t dead, she's just sleeping. If you keep complaining, or if you ever try to harm me, Snips, or Snails in any way, shape, or form, I’ll bring her back out, just for you. And if I go that route, I promise that I’ll make you wish that I’d sent you prison. Now, unless you think that you can finish from where we left off last night before the police get their hands on you, I think you'd better sit back down.”
Gilda didn't move an inch at first. The smoldering flame in her eyes clashed against the arctic chill behind Sunset's. "This isn't over," Gilda whispered. "I don't care how long it takes; you're gonna pay."
Sunset didn't appear to be bothered in the slightest. "Final warning, if you ever try your luck a second time, I promise that there won't be a third. And don't expect it to be as easy for you as it was before. Unlike last night, I know who my enemies are." Sunset leaned in a little closer. "There won't be any mercy for you or anyone else the next time around. Your move, Gilda."
The two girls remained in a silent staring contest for a few more moments until, begrudgingly, Gilda returned to her seat.
Sunset cleared her throat before facing the group of students again. “As I was saying; you guys will keep them safe. Because if I find out that they so much as got hit in the head by a paper ball while in Art class, each and every last one of you will be getting better acquainted with the Commissioner, no if’s and’s or but’s. Same thing goes for if any of you try to weasel your way out of this by transferring to another school. There is no escape from this. Not for them, and not for any of you. Do you understand?”
“Hold on a minute!” cried Lightning Dust. “We have classes and school work that we have to do too! How are we supposed to watch them and do what we need to do at the same time? For most of us, this is our senior year!”
“Don’t worry, Lightning, you won’t be missing out on much,” assured the Principal. “Due to the actions of the majority of the student-body, Luna and I have decided to cancel all after school clubs, events, and activities for the rest of the school year. That means no Friendship Games, no more sporting events, and definitely no more prom. That should give everyone plenty of time to think about their own actions.”
The volume in the cafeteria had gone back down to zero. None of the students dared to try and challenge the decision. They were already facing the risk of getting arrested. What did it matter to them if a few special events got cancelled?
“Wait, I have a question.” Everyone in the room turned towards the speaker, an 11th grader with puffy orange hair and a black shirt. “You want them to fess up for embarrassing everyone, and you want us to keep an eye on them afterwards. I understand all of that, but what about Rainbow Dash?”
“Yeah, she’s right!” came another voice. “Rainbow is just as guilty as the rest of us! What are you gonna do about her?”
Sunset turned and began to stare at Rainbow from across the room. “Good question,” she admitted as she slowly made her way to the table that her former friend was sitting at.
At first the two girls just stared at one another. Rainbow, who now had an up close and personal look at what her actions had caused, felt nothing but a deep rooted self-loathing. Out of all of the casualties that had taken place that day, and out of all of the disasters that would soon follow, a lot of it had been because of her. However, unlike the wielder of Loyalty whose pain was visible for all to see, Sunset remained unreadable.
“Before I make any decisions about what to do with you,” Sunset began, “I have one question. And I want an honest answer.”
“What is it?” Rainbow Dash replied after a moment of hesitation.
Sunset reached into her pocket and pulled out Snails’s cell phone. After stirring the device from rest mode, she pressed the internet button and scrolled over to one of the saved tabs. It was the picture that had been taken while she was still inside the factory. “Did you know what they were going to do?”
Rainbow Dash slowly shook her head in denial. “All I knew was that you were supposed to get jumped. They were supposed to beat you up a little, maybe even take some embarrassing pictures later, but that was supposed to be the worst of it. You were supposed to go back home at the end of the night. I figured that maybe you’d end up calling someone to pick you up or something ... but that?” she pointed towards the image behind the screen. “I swear I didn’t know that they were going to go that far.”
Rainbow tilted her head towards the floor. “Anyway, go ahead. I’ll take whatever punishment you throw at me. I deserve it.”
Sunset studied the broken girl in front of her, considering a myriad of possible choices. After a few more seconds, she finally came to a decision. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I think it’s better if I don’t do anything,” she replied.
Rainbow Dash, her former friends, the three girls who were responsible for the cyber-attack and everyone who had allied with Gilda, all looked on in disbelief at what they had just heard.
“But … why?” asked the athlete.
“I heard when you snapped on Scootaloo. She probably won’t look at you the same way after this, and neither will the rest of the girls, especially Applejack and Rarity. Your reputation here is going to go into the trash as soon as word gets out about what you helped take part in, and what the consequences were for everyone here at CHS. If you mix all of that with what happened to me … I can say with full confidence that you’ll never be the same after this. I've been down a similar road before, so trust me when I say that the guilt will haunt you forever. So in the end, there’s no reason for me to do anything. You’ve already destroyed yourself far worse than I ever could.”
Sunset turned away and walked towards Celestia. “I’m finished here. You can take over now.”
“Alright then,” Celestia nodded in understanding and turned to face all of the students who were present. “You know what your punishments are, as well as the ramifications should you disobey. Now hurry back to class. The assembly will begin after third period.”
One by one, the students did as they were told. They were going to be in for a rough second half of the school year.
With their job now finished, the men and women from the Canterlot City Police Department filed out soon afterwards. A few of them took the time to compliment Snips and Snails on their bravery.
After they were all gone, Sunset got ready to make her way out the door with her two teammates at her side, but was stopped upon feeling a light tap on her shoulder. It was the Vice Principal. “I’m sorry, but do you have a moment?” she asked politely.
“Well, the Commissioner said that he was going to take me to get checked out by a doctor right after this,” Sunset explained. “But I guess that can wait for a few more minutes. Is something wrong?”
“It seems that there are five young ladies who would like to have a word with you in private.” Sunset followed the direction in which Luna was pointing. Standing across the room next to Principal Celestia, were her five former best friends. They were all staring back at her with saddened expressions.
“Not interested,” Sunset answered plainly.
The Vice Principal frowned at the response. “If I recall correctly, they were the only ones who stood by you when you were at your lowest point.”
“The Fall Formal wasn’t my lowest point; that was just a wakeup call,” Sunset corrected. “My lowest point was when, after everything that I had gone through in trying to show everyone that I had changed, I still found myself getting attacked by the same students that I worked so hard to try and make amends with. And while all of that was happening, the five girls who I thought were my friends were nowhere to be seen.”
“Sunset, look at me,” Luna asked in a gentle tone. “There’s nothing wrong with being angry. It’s perfectly understandable after what you’ve been through.”
“If you understand, then why are we even having this talk?” Sunset asked.
Luna shook her head in disappointment. “Sunset, you should know by now that there’s no such thing as perfection. We’ve all done some things that we’re not proud of. And unlike Gilda and all of those poor misguided students who followed her every move, they actually appear to be genuinely sorry. I’m not saying that they were justified in what they did, and you certainly don’t have to go back to being friends or anything. But, at the very least, hear what they have to say.”
After a long moment of thought, Sunset turned towards Snips and Snails with a forlorn look expression. “What do you guys think?”
The two boys took the time to carefully ponder the question before answering. “I say you should talk to them,” Snails said with a reassuring smile.
“Me too,” said Snips. “It’s like the Vice Principal said; people make mistakes all the time. And at least this way you’ll all know where you stand with each other, right?”
Still unsure about what to do, Sunset created a list of reasons in her mind about why being the bigger person was a bad idea. Next, she started to list as many reasons as she could for why speaking to them might be a positive thing.
In the end, she came up with far more reasons for why she should just walk away and never look back. And yet, for some strange reason, as she stared at the five girls on the other side of the room, she couldn’t quite bring herself to brush them aside just yet.
“Whatever,” she finally said at last, “But after this, I’m done.”
Her two companions nodded in understanding. “If you ever need us again, you know where to find us. Take care Sunset,” Snips called out as he walked away with Snails.
“And if you ever need to talk about anything, our office will always be available to you. And don’t worry, my sister and I will see about getting you a new phone. Think of it as our little Christmas present, as well as a thank you for all that you’ve done.” Luna backed away and then gave Celestia a thumbs-up from across the room. The Principal nodded once, and then the two sisters exited the cafeteria, leaving Sunset and her former friends all alone.
***
One by one, each of the five girls made their way across the room and over to Sunset. It had been almost a week since they had last been gathered together as they were, and that particular meeting hadn’t been a pleasant one. With all of the tension that had formed between them, no one really knew how to start the conversation.
“So,” Applejack slowly began, “anyone wanna go first? I’d do it, but my head’s still jumpin’ all over the place.”
Five different pairs of eyes were all trained on Sunset now. They waited patiently for her to be the one to start the conversation, but all she did was stare back with an air of indifference. After several more seconds of uncomfortable silence, they finally looked back towards each other in an attempt to decide who should be the one to go first instead of Sunset.
“Very well then, I’ll start,” Rarity said while doing her best to appear happy. “I’d just like to say thank you for tossing Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Scootaloo a life-line like that. I’ll be honest, I don’t know if that was just you trying to make Gilda and her merry band of criminals feel miserable or if you were just being nice, but … thanks anyway. Applejack and I really do appreciate it.”
Rarity waited for a response that never came. Realizing that she wouldn’t get anywhere, she stepped back and let someone else take over.
“Um ...” Fluttershy shuffled uncomfortably. “We saw the pictures and … we see you now. … Uh … those bruises look painful. A-are you … ok?”
As expected, Fluttershy’s question went unanswered as well.
“C’mon Sunset!” pleaded Pinkie Pie. “Say something … pretty please with extra frosting on top?” After she too was ignored, her head drooped in defeat.
“I told Celestia that this was a bad idea,” mumbled Rainbow Dash. “She hates us. I’d hate us too …” She turned around and started to leave. One by one, the rest of the girls prepared to follow.
“How dare you,” Sunset finally called out, stopping the other five in their tracks. “I really thought you guys were my friends. For the first time in years, I felt genuinely happy. All those good times, from our weekly meetups after school, to the late night talks over the phone whenever one of us was having a bad day ... I thought that maybe there was some truth to everything that Twilight tried to teach me." Sunset shook her head slowly as she reminisced on past days gone by.
"But it was all just one big waste of time. Because even after everything that I did to show you all that I had changed ... instead of trusting in me enough to know that I'd never go out of my way to try and hurt you guys like that again … you all turned your backs on me without a second thought. You didn't even give me a chance to speak." Sunset's voice shifted from one of sorrow into one of anger. "Tell me! At any point in time before today, did the thought ever occur to any of you that maybe I was telling the truth after all?! Or was I worth so little to all of you that my side of the story wasn't even worth taking into consideration?!”
Rarity’s false optimism had been replaced by a sullen demeanor. “Fluttershy and Pinkie were starting to suspect that you might have been innocent. I noticed that something didn’t seem right as well. Not that it matters. In the end none of us did anything about it.” She then lowered her head in shame. “You have every right to be angry with us. The way that you were treated by CHS as a whole was inexcusable. And to think that my little sister was at the core of this ...”
“I hear ya’ on that,” Applejack admitted. “They watched all of this happen. And they probably would have never said a word if they hadn’t gotten caught. And then there was what Rainbow did.” She paused and looked back at the wielder of Loyalty. She had lost a significant amount of respect for the athlete, and she wasn't sure if they could still be friends after this. “Where in tarnation did those three even get that picture of her anyway?”
“If you’re talking about that girl on girl picture that Snips and Snails told me about, then they probably got it from me,” Sunset answered, which evoked looks of surprise from everyone else.
“Okay …” Applejack began, “I’m assumin’ that you’re gonna give us an explanation.”
Sunset went quiet again as she debated with where to begin her story. “You remember how I used to act all high and mighty, like I was better than everyone else?” Each of the girls nodded. “I operated under the mentality that everyone at CHS was a potential enemy who could try to hurt me someday. I was obsessed with getting as much dirt as possible on everyone here. That way, I’d be able to keep everyone in line if they ever tried to revolt.”
“But what does that have to do with Rainbow?” asked Pinkie.
“I’m getting to that. Anyway, Snips, Snails, and I worked as a team in an effort to gather information on the other students. That was all that I really did in my free time. Two years ago, during our 10th grade year, I decided to follow Rainbow Dash around to see if I could find a weak spot. Even then she was kind of a big deal around here. She had charisma, and as long as she had that, then there was a chance that she could motivate the other students to start fighting back. That’s when I caught her and Gilda together. I took a picture and saved it on my phone for later use in the event that she ever became a problem.”
“You had that picture on your phone all this time? Why didn’t you delete it?” questioned Rainbow.
“It wasn’t that simple.”
“What do you mean “It wasn’t that simple”? All you had to do was -” Rainbow was silenced by Rarity who had gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Let her finish, Rainbow.”
The room went quiet again as all attention shifted back onto Sunset. “My phone wasn’t the only place where I had that picture saved at. I wanted to make sure that I never lost my leverage, no matter what, so I made hundreds of copies of everything that I had on everyone. I had them stashed all over the place. My apartment, Snips’s house, Snail’s house, my phone, flash drives, storage websites, hidden boxes that I buried underground … the list goes on.
“But after you guys came along, I went out of my way to get rid of it all. I thought that there was nothing left, but it looks like I’m going to have to double check everything again.” Sunset massaged her temples. Just thinking about the extensive task before her gave her a headache.
“What probably happened is that Sweetie Belle found something that she had no business seeing when she took my phone. Maybe I still had the picture itself hidden somewhere and forgot about it, or maybe I had the log-in information to one of those storage sites saved somewhere. Thinking on it now, I guess that means that I’m a little guilty too.”
A hush had fallen over the room again as they all took in the news. Finally, Applejack stepped forward. “Ya’ know, besides Applebloom, I don’t really care much about who’s responsible for what. We all messed up somewhere along the line,” she stated sadly. “The only thing that I care about right now is you, and if there’s a way that we can set things right.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Are you asking me to give you guys another chance? Because if you are then -”
“No,” Applejack interrupted. “I don’t think that we deserve it anyway,” she stated. “But what I am asking is if there’s anything that we can do to at least prove to you that we’re sorry.”
Sunset watched as all of her former friends nodded in agreement with what Applejack was saying. She thought the question over, and though it took some time, she was finally able to find an answer.
“If you guys really want to make up for this, then make sure that Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom get rid of everything. Not just what they took from me, but any other secrets that they have as well.”
“You think that they might do something like this again?” questioned Fluttershy.
“It isn’t them that I’m worried about. I’m pretty sure that they’ve all learned something from this,” Sunset responded. “But I can’t speak for the rest of the school. As long as that information still exists, then there will always be a chance that it could fall into the wrong hands again. That’s why I want you guys to make sure that there’s nothing left. If you really want to make amends, then make sure that what happened here never happens again.”
One after another, the five girls all promised to follow through with Sunset's request. With nothing else left to say, they all watched as Sunset turned and left the room, leaving her former friends behind, once and for all.
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Well, it would save them the trouble of having to deal with Cinch's villainous ambitions of unleashing Midnight Sparkle. But still, I can imagine said principal is going to feel a certain sense of fury in the fact that her upcoming games have had to have been called off after what happened. She does have a vendetta with CHS for their growing reputation, and the cancellation of the games is going to have to resort to her taking more drastic and extreme measures...
By the way, if you make a sequel to this story with the idea I put up, I would immediately favourite that story and watch how it unfolds...
HA! Wow...Sunset sure called them out on this one. My favorite line has to be this:
Talk about being blunt. So much for the Mane 5. AWESOME CHAPTER!!!
Kind of figured that this is the route you would have Sunset go. Though, in real life, Sunset wouldn't be able to pick and choose punishments like this, but, given ahem "special circumstances", I think it's in her best interest not to bring this to court.
“She’s … she’s right!” Scootaloo stammered out. “They’re gonna kill us!"
Sunset: After your actions almost ended up with me being killed, do you honestly think your going to get sympathy from me?
Although I wasn't TOO FAR OFF with my prediction, things still turned out different than what I expected. Doesn't make it any less satisfying, though.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/9/8/975452__safe_solo_princess+celestia_meme_screencap_image+macro_i%27m+okay+with+this.png
Damn...that was dis-satisfying. I REALLY wanted to see the CMC get what they deserve; perhaps beaten into a pulp just like Sunset had been.
Perhaps they will: Sunset's threat may be a strong one, but there are plenty to student who would be willing to risk jail-time for revenge. Didn't stop them before, won't stop them now.
The CMC better get REAL justice on their heads for their crimes: I'm thinking a good-old fashion beating would do the trick.
6684373
Well, CHS probably won't have that improved reputation after this. And if CHS bows out of the Friendship Games then Crystal Prep still has a 100% win rate, so I'm not really seeing where you expect this to go.
so is she going back through the looking glass?
why did I say that?
6684636 Maybe seeing as how Twilight won't get the chance to study Sunset and her friends' magic now, she and the rest of the Shadowbolts are going to have to cope with the fact that there won't be a Friendship Games for them this year, the fact that they won't be able to defend their honour, and to wonder just how much that winning the games means to Cinch...
6684662
None of them seemed like they even wanted to be there. Cinch isn't going to care because CHS is now "that place where someone almost got murdered over cyberbullying" and Crystal Prep basically wins the Friendship Games by default. What kind of pants on head retarded move would it be for her to do literally anything? She already has everything she wanted, and whatever you're hinting at would only risk it for no gain at all. Would you make a bet where winning got you nothing, but losing cost you $100? No, so why would Cinch?
No happy ending to be found here.
6684699 But still, I want to know how it affects Twilight, Sugarcoat, Sour Sweet, Indigo Zap, Lemon Zest, and Sunny Flare at the very least...
If I were Sunset, I would pack my bags, go back to Equestria, and use a handy sledgehammer to smash the mirror in.
6684709
Life continues in much the same fashion as before? Twilight gets the short end of the stick I suppose, because she met all her friends at an event that won't be happening, but I feel like you're really overestimating how much this would matter to them. At most Indigo Zap probably whined about it a bit because she seemed like the only one that really wanted to be there.
No revenge, no shouting, no anything-Sunset has proven that she is FAR better then everyone else in the school. She didn't want anyone to get hurt on her behalf. She even gets Gilda to protect the girls, and admits the photo was from her, but she had tried to destroy it.
She nearly gets killed by a mob, and just walks away. Rainbow tries to get even over an secret being exposed, and it costs her everything.
Sometimes, just walking away can be the worst because you expect them to do something else, then feel forgiving afterwards. If they just walk away, then there's no turning back. No more forgiveness, no more friendship.
It's kinda ironic: The girls can say as many apogolies as they want..But Sunset doesn't have to listen. Not anymore.
P.S: I think Crystal Prep's reputation would actually improve due to this whole thing. Cause who wants a school that students turn to murderimg someone? That should satisfy Cinch. Too bad human Twilight may possibly be screwed now..
Well done my dear author. I was expecting something worse from Sunset's judgement, but what she gave is appropriate enough.
But to those who wish for the Friendship Games to continue and for SciTwilight to be integrated. The author gave approval to make your own story based off this one.
For those complaining about the loss of the Friendship Games story line imagine this. The school brought this upon themselves. Now that they realizes their mistake, how will the students trust each other in an event when they turned on each other so easily? Will any of them trust Rainbow Dash to lead the games when they knew she gave the order to send an innocent to her grave or any of the athletes who participated? Will the school still have the same enthusiasm and morale needed to compete against Crystal Prep? Then there's SciTwilight, would she really associate herself with backstabbers or stay with the crowd who wants nothing to do with her?
My only hope is that Sunset doesn't look back. Keep walking forward and put everything behind her. Never look back.
Cinch gunna be pissed.
Sunset: *drops mic*
Finished. Wrecked. Absolutely D-E-S-T-R-O-Y-E-D.
6684597
There are a lot of things that I purposely leave unanswered.
It's possible that the CMC get beat up anyway.
It's also possible that they don't.
In the end it's all up to the readers' imagination.
6685009
Funny thing is, everyone got what they wanted.
Sunset wanted to clear her name.
Rainbow/Gilda/Everyone else wanted to hurt Sunset.
The CMC wanted more time with their sisters.
Celestia and Luna wanted the attacks to stop.
The humane 5 wanted to cut all ties with Sunset.
Everyone got what they wanted.
But at the same time, everyone lost something along the way (except Celestia and Luna).
Another thing that I'd like to point out.
Sunset put everyone involved through the same things they put her through.
The CMC made the school hate Sunset, now the school is going to hate the CMC.
Sunset was at Gilda's mercy, now her future is in Sunset's hands.
Humane 5 didn't want anything to do with Sunset anymore ... now she wants nothing to do with them.
What goes around comes around.
6685365 Yes, I do believe that what happened to Rainbow is something that we people of our generation call: "Getting Rekt"
Anyways, Like most of us, I was expecting a lot more force from Sunset but, then again, that would have been totally OOHC (Out Of Her Character).
Heck, even if she did acting like that, Twilight herself would not approve of this, at all. The evidence was in Chapter 10 where when she found out about Rainbow's revenge plan, she didn't go berserk and went into the portal to find Rainbow and smack her in the head, she just shook her head in disappointment, meaning that she knows that violence and force will not do anything to the situation.
And she did tear into each of them, just in a more calm in pleasant matter. Something that I think that if she was there, Twilight would approve and so would I.
To make it short, Sunset Shimmer:
6685416
Wow...You're right with everything
-Sunset got her name cleared, but lost most of her trust in friendship (correct me if it's something else)
-The bullies got to beat up Sunset, but now they lost any chance of a bright future due to the stigma
-The CMC got the time they wanted, but since they lost the respect of their sisters and may be targeted by the students, it would not be for fun and games. Scotaloo lost more-she lost the perfect image of Rainbow Dash she had in her head
-The Humane 5 had their ties with Sunset cut, but by Sunset herself after it was far too late.
As for what you said about Sunset pretty much being in control: The students only have themselves to blame-they provided Sunset the dirt she needed to take control, and they can not say Sunset really did anything aganist them
Do you see now? These are the consequences you face....
Do not blame Sunset for your fate. It is your own doing.
I hope you're all proud of yourselves.
(Although, now I'm scared for EG!Twilight's future....
)
6685416 You took the forgiveness route and that means I'm out. I won't be nasty to you man but I can't tolerate that hogwash road ending.
6685009
Who cares?
I certainly don't.
It was rhetorical question, Hades!
6685631
Did You read the ending? She didn't forgive them. She exchanged a few words and then walked out on them. That is not forgiveness. He basically made it like the Rowley and Greg Heffeley break up scene in Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
I actually loved that Greg guy...
NOT NOW, HADES!
6686867 don't mind that guy I've seen him post this on almost every story that hints at forgivness.
At least he's being nicer about not liking it this time, but I honestly don't know how he can like Mlp with all the forgiveness in the actual show.
Even after all what happened. Nobody won. Everybody's future looks much grimmer than ever before. Even if they got what they wanted.
- Sunset might cleared her name, but all her progress from Twilight's teachings on friendship are pretty much gone. And she ended it losing her trust on the very same people that they gave her a second chance.
- The CMC got their time with their sisters, but they lost all respect from them. And from that point on, their school life is pretty much going downhill with nobody now to save them from it. And Scoots lost all admiration for Dash in the process.
- The victims of Sunset's past transgression finally got what they wanted, but their ENTIRE FUTURE lost all sense of hope for a better life.
- By far the worse fate of all was the humane 5's. Due to their own refusal to listen Sunset and distance themselves. They ended it up not just losing her trust, but also they lost any chance of Forgiveness from Sunset herself. They also lost any trust on THEIR OWN SISTERS, their own family. That hurts even more. And last, but not least Rainbow's life is pretty much a shell of its former self and all her feelings of guilt and regret have gotten worse than ever.
Nobody won and that's how fitting this was to the story. Good work.
6826825 Under the Red Hood fits so well with this...
"I love it...you managed to find a way to win....And EVERYBODY STILL LOSES!!
-Joker
"Off in the distance her former friends flinched as if they’d been physically hurt by the announcement."
I don't know why but I absolutely loved that part. Sunset just doesn't want anything to do with the Mane 5 anymore. Serves them right. They were dumb enough not to suspect the CMC in the first place
6826825
Your profile pic is amazing.
I believe the punishments for the CMC and Gilda's gang are both appropriate and constructive. The CMC's reputation will be tarnished for the rest of their lives and they will always have to look over their shoulder, living in a constant fear. And having Gilda and the gang act as body guards under threat of jail time was VERY clever and appropriate. I approve of this.
Rainbow Dash................It will take an extremely long time for her to rebuild her reputation, and she will have a hard time working for her redemption. Now, she will understand how Sunset felt when the latter spent months making amends and trying to brighten her reputation. And like Sunset, no matter what Rainbow will do, she will always be reminded of this day and it will either haunt her or strenghthen her to become a better person. I agree with Sunset's decision here.
Finally:
.......................in my humble opinion, this is the biggest tragedy of the story. I read the comic first before reading this fic in order for me to invest in the story and characters more. After everything the girls went through together, all the happiness, the Rainbow Rocks incident, their gatherings, slumber partyings.....................after everything that happened to Sunset as a result of their betrayal, those good times are over. It will be a miracle if they ever reconcile sometime in the future. It is very tragic that all that friendship and bonding has been destroyed and will most likely not be repaired. At least, Sunset still has Celestia, Luna, Snips, and Snails, the latter two who have proven themselves and their loyalty in Sunset's darkest and lowest moment. Still...............
.................it is tragic of what has been lost.
i think sunset went way too easy with the punishments here
7453980
Not only did they lose all of those good times with Sunset they pretty much destroyed everything good between eachother too. That is what all these comments forget. They can never be with each other and not have this event constantly reminding them of what they did to some one else. They can never gather together and not feel the sting of knowing that some one is missing, some one they all know should be there but isn't thanks to their own actions and how they treated her. On top of that, they would probably not have the stain of this whenever Rainbow is involved.
Every single one of them not only destroyed their bonds with Sunset, but also each other. They will never be able to truly be happy when they gather together. That is where people keep forgetting about in all these comments of no true winners, the fact that all of the humane 5 have also destroyed their own friendships with each other and with Princess Twilight should they ever encounter her again.
Def-Con levels of cringe.
6826825
Twilight even lost in this case, even though she didn't actually appear at the school: Sure the mess is fixed, Sunset is safe, and the girl still considers her her friend. But she has to live with the facts that the 5 people she entrusted with Sunset turned their backs on her and ,in the case of Rainbow, nearly caused her death. Not to mention learning about Canterlots very ugly side. Won't be surprised if she never goes back to the actual school again.
This is tragic as all get out... so much has been lost...
Good work on this... good work...
7538975 And with that. I can betcha that when any of humane five look at themselves in a mirror, they can see a reflection of their true selves, looking at them in sheer disappointment. What's the point of earning forgiveness from Sunset if they feel they can't even earn forgiveness from themselves?
Great story.
But I like happy endings. I like to imagine happy epilogues/alternate endings in stories without them.
Alt. Ending:
Rainbow Dash becomes depressed, and in an attempt to kill herself by car accident, her car is struck by lighting from a cloud that was mixed in with smog from a factory with many odd chemicals and is shot by a laser test fire from a U.S goverment satellite after it was knocked off corse by a UFO. This combination of space lasers and electricity while speeding towards a tree at 88mph send her back in time to a few weeks before. She fonds the CMC and apprehends them before they make their first post.
Anon-a-Miss never happens.
[Insert Breakfast Club Sountrack here]
-Rainbow Dash goes back to the Future and becomes a great guitar player because she never got into that race with Gilda and broke her hand while taking time to prove how trustworthy Sunset is.
-The Dazzlings wind up going the Humane 6 for help and get their food.
-Rarity becomes a world renowned fashion designer.
-Pinkie Pie becomes eternal president pf the world.
-Applejack turns into a flying, lasershooting apple of doom and rules over the 69th dimension.
-Fluttershy becomes the Beastmaster and frequently posts wholesome memes on r/wholesomememes on Reddit.
-Sunset Shimmer ascends to God-hood by joining the PC-master race.
-Brad becomes a monk.
-AppleBloom became AJ's sidekick; Lil' Seed
-Sweetie Belle goes on to star in Bee-Shrek Test inthe House and makes a salary of 100000000% dollars a year.
-Scootaloo is struck by lightning while surrounded by various chemicals and wakes up 6 months later to find out she has the powers and abilities of the Flash.
-Gilda is arrested for the murder of Jimmie Hoffa.
-Marjoanaz r legulizd.
-Tommy Wiseau's "The Room" is widely recognized as the greatest movie of all time.
The End.
People make mistakes, and well emotions can run high, but you're right that they should've known better. Sunset has always been ambitious and driven, and back when she was a badgirl all that she's done has always been to gain something. So, being Anon-A-Miss would not make sense. You need three things to commit a crime: means, motive and opportunity. 2/3, but she didn't have motive. She would gain nothing from being Anon-A-Miss, even for some cheap laughs. There's always a goal in the end for her, and cheap thrills just aren't something she considers a worthwhile goal. It just doesn't last.
So, yeah, Sunset could give them a chance to make things up, but they need to really prove themselves. A series of aftermath chapters would be good for this.
6984707
It's like she's saying, "I don't hate you. You aren't worth my hate. You are nothing to me."
6684434
I was thinking the same thing after I read this. Certain levels of crime are mandatory prosecutions by the state, regardless the wishes or status of the victim. However, you brought up a good point in regards to "special circumstances", though given the extra support she now has from local law enforcement and the school authorities, maybe Sunset has enough connections to finally get that Green Card.
7735482
Funny isnt it? How so much can be lost, stolen, or broken. Read this to remind myself that most things are worth the cost of life
So this is how you do grimdark without resorting to excess gore and violence. Geez.
At least she listened when three people told her to forgive. Y'know, because that's kind of a big thing in the show.
Dear God that endings was anticlimactic. After all that, all that buildup, everyone gets off from any actual punishment? What a waste
8932033
In some ways this is far worse, in high school reputation means more then really anything else and losing that reputation could mean one of the worst times of your life.