“So,” Celestia announced from behind her desk in her usual welcoming tone, “What can we do for you, Miss Shimmer?”
Sunset usually tried to avoid contact with the Principal and Vice Principal whenever possible. It wasn’t that she had anything against them; they were actually both very nice ladies who were always there to listen if a student had a problem. Her only issue was that every time she saw them, Celestia specifically, it brought back memories of how everything back home had gone awry. The fact that this world’s Celestia and her world’s Celestia had such similar personalities made her feel even more uncomfortable.
“Principal Celestia,” Sunset began slowly.
“Just Celestia is fine. No need for titles when there's no one else around,” the school’s head interrupted.
Yep, just like her old mentor.
“Celestia,” she started again, “You’ve heard about the big problem going on around the school, right?”
“You’ll have to be a bit more specific. Luna and I hear about all sorts of issues that take place around here.”
“Okay then. Have any of you heard about someone on Mystable named Anon-a-Miss?”
Celestia crossed her arms and began staring a bit more intently at her visitor. “Why, yes. We’ve been hearing quite a bit about him or her lately. It’s sad really. A lot of good students have gotten hurt. I'm sure that it would be greatly appreciated if they were to come clean.”
Sunset had seen that look in Celestia's eyes before. Whenever Celestia had used that stare on her, back when she still lived in Canterlot Castle, it meant that the alicorn knew that she had done something wrong. On some days, the Princess would choose to watch in amusement while the young unicorn tried her best to lie her way out of trouble. It never worked.
“Do you have any ideas on who Anon-a-Miss might be?” Sunset asked.
Instead of Celestia, Luna was the one to answer. “There seems to be a popular belief among the students, and some of our staff, that Anon-a-Miss is all your doing.”
“Do you believe them?”
“Should we?” asked Luna.
Sunset had a feeling that this was going to be the closest thing to a definite answer that she was going to get from those two. “Despite what everyone else thinks, it isn’t me. But no one’s listening. No one’s giving me a chance to say my side of the story.”
Celestia appeared lost in deep thought while her sister studied Sunset for any signs of deception.
“Alright, Sunset, I have a question for you,” proclaimed Celestia. Sunset couldn’t help but notice the uncertainty in her voice. “Why come all the way down to our office just to tell us this? Is there something that you would like from us?”
Sunset took a deep breath before exhaling slowly. “The students are about ready to tear each other apart. I’ve never seen anything this bad before, not even during the days leading up to the Fall Formal. The closest thing to this that I’ve seen would have to be back when the sirens took over the school.”
Celestia raised a single eyebrow in surprise. “You think that Adagio and her sisters might be the ones pulling the strings?”
Sunset answered with a slight nod. “There are only eight people who I could see as being Anon-a-Miss. And out of that number, Adagio, Sonata, and Aria are at the top of my list.”
“Eight? Who are the other five?” asked Celestia.
“Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy.”
Celestia’s eyes widened at hearing Sunset list the names of the five girls who had helped save the school, and possibly the entire planet, on two different occasions. “You think that your friends might have played a part in this?”
“Ex-friends, technically,” Sunset corrected. “And I don’t have anything solid just yet. Right now all I have is a hunch. But if this isn’t a revenge attempt from the sirens, then there’s a strong possibility that it’s one of them. Unless I’m missing something, I honestly don’t know who else it could be.”
“Hmm.” Celestia pressed her index finger against in her chin in contemplation. “While I’m not sure how the other five got onto your list, I will admit that it wouldn't surprise me if Adagio was back at it again. You’re the reason why their plans failed. But I still don’t understand why you’re telling us all of this.”
“It’s because she wants to see our files so that she can find out where Adagio and her sisters live,” Luna answered.
Sunset had almost forgotten that the Vice Principal was still there. She nodded in confirmation at the Vice Principal's deduction.
“Sunset, are you aware of just how dangerous of a request that is? Not only is it illegal, but you’d be putting yourself at serious risk.” Celestia warned. “And that’s assuming that the address that they gave us wasn’t a fake one.”
Sunset pondered Celestia’s words for a moment. Now that she thought about it, going in alone was pretty reckless, but she wasn't about to be deterred. Someone was targeting the other students and they were going through the trouble of making it look like she was the one doing it. The only way that the cyber-attacks were going to stop was if she tracked the culprit down and made them talk.
"I’ll be fine," said Sunset. "They don’t have their magic anymore and that was the only scary thing about them. If something does happen to me then Anon-a-Miss’s impersonation routine will fall apart. The students can go back to being happy and hopefully the fighting will stop. And as a bonus, you’ll know where to start looking if I go missing.”
“Those are all terrible reasons to go through with this,” Luna interjected. “And if you go missing then we won’t be able to start a search party. Not without drawing attention to the fact that we handed you someone else’s files. If the Board of Education were to find out, then we’d be lucky if unemployment was the worst that happened to us.”
'So, in other words, I'm on my own if something happens,' thought Sunset.
“You helped save us all once before, and for that we owe you a huge debt,” explained Celestia. “If you truly believe that this is the only way to prove your innocence and restore peace around here, then I’ll print you a copy of what we have on record. You’ll be dismissed from school for the rest of the week without penalty. All that I ask is that you be careful and that you check in with us whenever you can so that we’ll know that you’re alright. And if something happens, I’m sorry, but we’re going to have to deny having ever given you support.”
“I understand.”
Celestia still looked uncertain as she left her chair and disappeared into one of the back rooms. She hadn’t been gone long before Sunset could hear the gentle hum of one of the printers going off.
***
CHS had an entrance towards the back of the school that led to a track that was around ¼ of a mile all the way around. The track was special in that it was built within the perimeter of a small football field. Whenever the school held a special event, such as field day for the students, it either took place on that very track, or it was moved into the gymnasium if it started raining. Sitting on the bleachers that were normally used as a seating area for onlookers was Rainbow Dash. She had long since stopped her crying, although her eyes remained bloodshot and streaks of dried tears were still visible.
She’d been sitting there for almost an hour. Lunch had been over for quite some time and classes had resumed. Her last two teachers for the day would probably report her for skipping class, but she didn't care. Her mind was only focused on one thing, Sunset Shimmer. That conniving, backstabbing, traitor. She trusted her. The girls trusted her too. Even when the other students tried putting her down or kept their distance in fear that she might sprout demon wings again, Rainbow and the others stood by her side every step of the way. They listened to her problems and treated her as if they’d all been friends for years.
Despite all of that, she still went back to being the same stuck-up witch that drove her and the rest of the girls apart. Rainbow didn’t know how Sunset had found out about her “Experimental Phase,” and she was too angry to care. This was a new low, even for Sunset, and Rainbow would never forgive her for it.
One way or another, she wasn’t going to let Sunset get away with this.
“Hey there, dweeb.” Rainbow was snatched from her thoughts by a strong pair of hands that gripped tightly around her coat collar. After her eyes stopped swimming around in her head, she blinked the stars out of her vision and was met with the image of an old “friend” of hers. Gilda, the other girl mentioned during Anon-a-Miss’s update, and she didn’t look happy.
Rainbow tried to say something, but then Gilda clamped a hand tightly over her open mouth. “I’m in a bit of a hurry, so I’m gonna make this quick and simple. Me and some of the other students have been looking all over the school for that little friend of yours, but for some reason nobody can find her. When I move my hand, I’m gonna give you five seconds to tell me where she's at, or you’re gonna be grass.” Gilda moved her hand away, balled it into a fist, and began counting down from five to one.
Rainbow was about to swat Gilda’s arm away and start fighting back. She wasn’t the type to let someone else push her around and she was already in a fighting mood after what happened at lunch. Suddenly, a light bulb went off, and just in time too, the five seconds were just about over.
“You said that you’re looking for Sunset, right?” asked Rainbow.
“That’s already been established.”
“Well, it just so happens that I’m looking for her too. So, what if I helped you?” Rainbow asked.
Gilda tightened her grip on the other girl. “Thanks but no thanks. We can get by just fine without you.”
Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes in a small show of aggression. “Maybe you forgot who I am. I used to be friends with her. I know her entire class schedule by heart. I know where she lives and I know where her usual hangout spots are.”
Rainbow Dash reached into her pocket, pulled out her phone, and held it up to where Gilda could see it. She went over to her contacts list and scrolled down until her cursor stopped on the name “Sunset Shimmer”. "I can do so much more than just “tell you where to find her”. But I guess that doesn’t really matter. You said it yourself, you can get by just fine without me."
A smile began to spread across Gilda’s face as she released her grip on Rainbow. “About how I threatened you earlier, my bad, Dash.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Rainbow replied while jumping off of the bleachers.
If Sunset couldn't keep her mouth shut willingly, then she and the other students were going to do the world a favor and take care of the problem.
Don't do this, Dash. Just don't do it...
I'll just leave this here
Rainbow Dash you are an idiot.
dammit dash your just going to make things worst and you go to jail for hurting a innocent girl!
it can't be the sirens it's too obvious.
So Rainbow Dash wants to hunt Sunset down, claiming that she's a traitor to her and the others while never realizing that she herself is about to become the real traitor by helping these other kids.
Here' what I think might happen....
4th chapter: Rainbow helps them track Sunset down. They find out that she's trying to get in contact with the dazzlings, which enrages them even more. (Fourth chapter could be called "Rainbow Iscariot", If ya know what I mean...) Chapter ends with cliffhanger when they find Sunset.
5th chapter: Sunset gets beaten and left in an alley. Rainbow almost feels bad, but leaves with the rest anyway. Sunset is left there, until Adagio and Aria happen to come by, see her there, and see their chance for revenge against her as well, taunting her, and reveling in her misery, until Aria pulls out a knife, and plunges it into Sunset's abdomen.
6th chapter: Rainbow can't get the feeling out of her head that what she did was wrong, horribly wrong, she brings this up to Gilda, who responds with a scoff: "Don't tell me you're going soft now Dash, besides, what's done is done." Rainbow doesn't say anything, but leaves without another word.
Sunset realizes she has her journal in her backpack still, but said backpack is a good distance away from her now, forcing her to have to slowly drag herself over to it on her stomach, leaving a trail of blood, when she finally reaches it, she opens it up and gets the journal out, able to write out a single word... and some blood stains, before she passes out.
"Help"
There's NO way this is going to end well for anyone...
6594783 damn that's dark.
but it looks like that's what mite happen.
If thing's get much worse Sunset may do something drastic if you know what I mean.
6594783
Then one of two thing's will happen... Twilight will come in and save the day or Sunset will do something drastic. And then things will really get dark because they'll celebrate! saying she deserved what she got!
"Finally Bitch got what she deserved!"
"About time she give herself what she had coming!"
"I wish I'd been there, I wish I'd see her fall down dead, then I'd cut up the body!"
"Should of done it after the Fall Formal!"
"She should have died when she was blasted!"
"Burn in hell Bitch!"
and at this point the CMC will either fess up or lose their minds trying to keep it a secret either way the truth will come out in the end. Everyone will be shocked for one moment and then in another they'll come to a realization...
...ok, the one who did that summery below?
6595086
6594783
Yeah, them...I can see this kinda thing happening. I mean, seriously, this is getting freaking intense. ...and using this device, we don't NEED to see the CMC until after what ultimately happens, or SEEMS to happen to Sunset takes place. That event, likely, would be the death-knell for the CMC, either forcing them to loose their minds and confess expecting death or worse, or to clam up even harder. I can't say which will happen, you have me utter stumped.
...well done. No seriously, well done. I was worried last chapter, but this gambit and focus has me gripped and delays the need to examine the CMC until near the end or third act, as it were. Well played, and you have my full focus. All that's left, it to see how Adagio and the Sirens play this...and if Twilight DOES get involved, how she will approach this.
So Rainbow Dash gave up Sunset's personal information...
Okay, now I'm mad...
The King commands that the rainbow haired bitch is beheaded! AT ONCE!!!!!!
But seriously, that's screwed up. Someone call Twilight and have her slap these morons silly!
Oh boy I can imagine what Twilight will say...
"I trusted you to be there for Sunset, I helped you with two threats to this world and this is how you repay me?!, by abandoning her when she needed you the most?!, you can consider our friendship over!, if you ever try calling me for help, I will not answer!"
6596454 I think what should happen after Rainbow helps these kids and all, is that her element rejects her, and she can no longer wield the element of loyalty, (Human dash only) or "Pony up" or anything...Kinda like the element of magic rejecting Sunset when she was evil.
People keep talking about how Sunset might kill herself at the end of all this, but if anybody's going to kill themselves, I think it's going to be Rainbow Dash. Once she finds out the truth, the real hard truth, I wouldn't be surprised if it drives her to insanity, knowing what she did, and what she took part in.
I'm thinking maybe that's how this story should end. At the end of it all, when the CMC have fessed up, and all is said and done, Rainbow gets so broken that she goes and tries to kill herself, and who else would stop her but Sunset.
6595731
The one who did the summary bellow was me. but it could still get darker...
Once everyone realizes what this means, that Sunset was innocent they'll all take it in different ways. The kind may try to hold some kind of memorial or fix up the grave site. The cowardly will insist that since they never really did anything to Sunset (which will be a lie) they're not guilty but this is all just an excuse when you turn a blind eye to the suffering of others you're just as guilty as anyone else, but the truly cowardly and the truly cruel will insist still that Sunset DESERVED what she got! Insist that Sunset deserved to die at the Fall Formal, they'll completely for get that she helped vanquish the sirens and focus only on her evil deeds, they'll spread it around like wildfire and soon start making lies...
"She slept with my boy friend and gave him herpes!"
"I heard she once did it with a horse!"
"She was probably trying to team up with the sirens!"
The truly sad thing is, is that soon people will begin to believe these lies even the ones who started them will begin to think it's the truth and more lies will follow and do you know why? Because all these people need to justify it all, they want to believe Sunset deserved to die because it will help them sleep better and move on with their lives. Soon enough they'll go after the CMC and Mane five, perhaps even Twilight, blame them for starting the Anon-a-miss blog and for abandoning Sunset this all goes back to a need to feel justified, to sleep at night and move on,because they think if they do this some kind of cosmic power will forgive them, forgive them for the blood they spilled. But in reality all they're doing is once again the same thing that led to all this and in reality though the CMC lit the fire everyone else did a pretty good job of fanning the flames! and no matter what anyone does they'll still have their blood stained hands!
Just change the lyrics to "She" and ya might as well have CHS sing this
In the world of EqG, Celestia and Luna are a couple of useless twits. Now they're spymasters running Dark Ops out of CHS, and Sunset Shimmer is Agent Double-O-Pony? No, just.....no. Please stop.
Seriously, I really love a good Sunset redemption fic, and the whole Anon-A-Mess is a great hook for such a tale. This story so far has really shown potential, particularly with the differing reactions of the girls to the Anon-a-Miss campaign, giving an insight to their real belief in - and commitment to - friendship with Sunset. If that's the road the story is going to travel, I look forward to the ride!
But if this is just going to become "Mission Improbable: Canterlot Recon".... yeah, I'll pass.
6596454 If Twilight does come through, she should bring princess Celestia with her. That would REALLY get the message across to them of just how much poop their in
6594371
I was wondering if anyone would catch that.
Despite how she's been abandoned by her friends and mistreated by the other students, Sunset's still trying to save CHS (all by herself).
However, the very students that she's trying to save are now plotting against her.
6596550
I like that idea.
I don't want Sunset to die (be it by her own hand or by vengeful CHS kids or sirens) nor do I want to see any of the other characters die. They should live, live to deal with the consequences of their actions. Sunset survives the attack, but retains a clearly visible scar from it, like on her face, so whenever Dash sees her she'll never be able to forget her betrayal.
6598523 Ya, and maybe even something on her hand too, I'm thinking since it's her hands she would use to type all the stuff on the anon-a-miss blog, that they would do something there. Break her fingers, or her wrist, or both... (I'm not being dark at all....) But ya, I think there should be scarring on her face, and her hands, maybe even to the point that she can no longer use her right hand?...
6596454 (One more thing, LOL) I think that's exactly what should happen...Twilight pretty much says she's done with them, but Sunset convinces her to give them another chance
Oh god, Sunset should go back to equestria for a while its a safe place to hide. i hate seeing Sunset getting beat up in the end.
Ooh they're about to make a HUGE mistake.
6598467
The worst part is that if one just went with the human CMC motives, I'd understand. If someone took up a family member's time, I would would be jealous. But instead of talking it over, plan A is resort to cyberbullying.
Even if the CMC confess, how many people will believe them? They're more likely to think that's the human CMC are taking the fall for Sunset.
If nothing else, the human CMC won't be trusted by almost everyone, even their families, after they confess.
6599391 I agree, I call it "A Canterlot Wedding 2.0"
6604473 I'd compare it to "One Bad Apple" or "Putting Your hood Down", but to each his own I guess.
6598571 I take it these random thoughts helped inspire events in your story.
oooooooooooooooooooooh boy. This is not going to end well if they find Sunset before she accomplishes her mission. Fingers crossed.
Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaash... damn it. This is gonna end in blood! DX
But nice job.
That's pretty ironic considering what this story is about.
...maybe even more considering how easily they turned on their other "best friends" just a few years earlier, for pretty much the same reasons.
I'm getting vibes from Tobias andhe Half Pariah for some reason
Indeed.
Also, Rainbow is totally going off of the deep end!
You have to wonder, since the CMC are actually doing it, why would Scootaloo go this far. Even if it works in forcing Sunset Shimmer away, she's still hurt Rainbow Dash, her idol, really badly.
8090151
As am I.
9205389
Ain't that the truth.
🤔
that’s new
What?
That doesn't make sense.
11326954
Think about it tho sunset doesnt kno applebloom and co were there and since she knows gor fact she didnt then the only other viable candidates are those that were there.
Also sunset isnt saying they all did it but that atm they are on her list of suspects