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.
AW COME ON!!!! WHY ARE YOU STAYING WOMAN?! GO BACK HOME FOR A BIT AND GET YOUR SHIT TOGETHER AT LEAST
"Faith and Doubt" by defender2222
I'd recommend it too. I've yet to read the sequel but the second chapter was one of my favourite Canterlot Wedding confrontations.
I was surprised with Sunset's decision, but I do understand it, it would only be causing more problems.
Regardless, this is another nice chapter, it was interesting to see Sunset interact with the Humane 5 after everything that had happened.
Though, I am a little sad, if the next chapter is the final chapter. I was hoping to see how this story would affect/change the Friendship Games.
But regardless, I can not wait to read it.
Wait, it's almost over? Really?
Shame. Like I said, this is good. I wish that I'd considered half of this when I was writing my own take on it. But I'm looking forward to what comes next.
Poor Sunset, I doubt she will ever be the same in this AU.
Yeah I know that story, it very good. And Can see what Sunset did, she left it there for them as well, as they have issues and need to be addressed as well, not just for them but thier sisters as well.
7519876 Lol. Yeah I guess so. Except for Maleficent it was a birthday party.
7520110 Uhhhh....I guess so?
Damn heavy stuff. Everything I read a Anonamiss fic my mind keeps going to Naruto and what went two between Naruto and Sasuke. Makes me wonder what they would say about what happened between the girls and vice versa.
Anyway I hope you make a sequel.
7519786
Amazing fanfic and one of the best (if not the best) fics about what could have happened after the royal wedding. I'm still waiting on part three of the story (even if part 2 was getting a little bit weird)
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I read this as Sunset basically letting them know she isn't ready to quit just yet, but they drove her close to it, incredibly close, and she isn't ready to forgive just yet either, whether she wants to or not.
Ah defender2222, what a writer. I adore both Faith and Doubt and The Abundance, though the later is the kinda story where I had to get up and punch something twice a chapter.
7520826 I also read this as the Humane 5 realizing that they have a long way to go in learning to be friends again, even after everything that happened.
7520681 So would you suggest the second story? I've been putting reading it off cause I wasn't terribly interested with Doubt/Faith in the first story just how the emotions were written.
Goddamnit Sunset, there are more people than the bitch 5 you know.
7521391
The second story is different, more action/adventurey and less drama. It has also a lot of world building and answers the questions; "what's happened to make Faith, Doubt?" and "what are the elements?"
It was certainly a fun read if you are into that stuff but it's just different then the first one.
aw i was really hoping she would go home
You know, I wonder. In terms of the Five Stages of Grief, What stage is Sunset on at this point?
I'm thinking she's almost done with Depression and close to Acceptance.
7529627 Still depression. It's gonna take awhile before she fully comes to acceptance.
7530007 Oh OK, then. Thanks
7519902 In the next chapter, can we see the crusaders and their sister make up. And also some of the bad students try to hurt the crusaders, bit the girls and sunset save them, and Sunset tries to forgive them.
7530007 She talks to the guy first, and he tells her that 'yeah, but your friends forgave you. You can't be friend if you can't forgive too'.
Someone is gonna get hurt no matter who's fault it is. The pain will always be there, but you need to forgive them and yourself.
Karma is a jerk.
What did Dash mean in that last sentence?
7563740
It's a business card to a psychiatrist, and Rainbow Dash understands that this was a hint for the others to do the same....
Sunset understood that neither she, nor the other of their former little group, walked away from the whole ''Anon-A-Miss'' deal unchanged.
This was Sunset's way of saying
''I'm f***ed up in the head, and I'am gonna get help straightening it up. If you want to try to fix our friendship, meet me half-way there, by fixing your own head too.''
In short... ''Here's a life-line..... Use it!''
Perhaps this was a decent way to go about this. I won't lie, I'm a bleeding heart and I like a happy ending like most, but I don't hate the other types. Such as this story for example, and it had gone in a decent direction, so nicely done!
Onward
This will come as shock: Kaidan is the author of Faith and Doubt
What card thingy is Pinkie talking about?
Actually, Kaidan didn't write it. I was thinking of something else.
8148184
The one with the psychiatrist's name.
ahh....Faith and Doubt, i've read it through twice bc i love alternate ending fics to the Canterlot Wedding arc
9376292
I've read it several times, I like such fics as well.
Given the events of this story, that was actually a reasonable conversation. It's just that the middle of the story went off the rails for a bit
9449685
I didn't know that stories are used in racing.
Yes I'm a smart aleck deal with it.
And what Applejack said is precisely the reason why I say arrogance is the most common sin a human can have