• Published 16th Sep 2017
  • 18,674 Views, 478 Comments

Myriad Thoughts - Tale Swapper



Words spoken in the heat of the moment often seem foul when tempers cool. Five girls face the mirror after their accusation, and see the ugly truth long before the revelation. An Anon-A-Miss story.

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Fires of Friendship/Season's Gifts

Two weeks passed. Each girl composed herself in the days following the confession of the Crusaders. The fist week left little time for healing- midterms and finals for the semester devoured their free time, but soon enough the last bell had rung on the school week. As the first week of winter break unrolled, each girl pursued their own ways of making reparations for their near-loss of Sunset.

Applejack's approach was the simplest- Sunset was her sister. That meant treating her as such, in every way. As far as she was concerned, the best thing she could do was make her feel welcome in the Apple family. She showed Sunset every aspect of the farm, taught her the tricks in the kitchen that had been passed down through the years, and planned her family gathering on Christmas day. Through it all, Applejack was assisted by her younger sister. Apple Bloom was not allowed use of her phone or the family computer, but took these punishments in stride. More important to the little girl was proving to both her sisters that she was sorry- she didn't want her stuff back- she wanted to earn her sisters' trust. Sunset appreciated the small things Applejack did more than the grand gestures, and slowly shouldered her own burden of chores. Before long, the room given to her wasn't just a place to stay- it became hers, and the farmhouse, her home.

Rainbow Dash, normally so aggressive in everything she did, was tentative and reserved in approaching Sunset again. Rainbow, of all her friends, knew just how nasty the sting of betrayal could be, and worked to rebuild and prevent any further collapse of the bonds between Sunset and herself. Between morning runs with the red-and-gold haired girl and introductions of Sunset- long overdue- to her friends on the sports teams and her parents, she drew Sunset fully into her web of support and loyalty. One bond she didn't try to develop was her link to Scootaloo, who she'd only briefly interacted with before the school year had ended. Scootaloo, in turn, didn't see much of Sunset or Rainbow- neither girl was at all driven to see the speedy crusader, and in turn, Scootaloo felt far to awkward to try to seek them out.

Rarity faced a massive conundrum in regards to Sunset. As the second of the girls to approach Sunset for reconciliation she knew that the girl had- or at least was willing to- forgiven her. However, her immediate inclination- to draw Sunset into the boutique and fashion her a wonderful dress as an apology, fell flat in her own mind. Instead, drawing upon the lesson she'd learned, she allowed Sunset to take the lead, and made a few interesting discoveries about her friend on their afternoons exploring the shops of Canterlot together. Sunset loved both classical and metal music (the first sounded like home- the second nothing like it), had no experience with many of the niche cultures present in the quiet corners of the city, and was fascinated at the museums they visited together. As Rarity learned more about her friend, she noted down her likes and dislikes, hoping to never again take her bonds for granted. In between trips out with Sunset, Rarity kept close tabs on Sweetie Belle. Their parents had locked down the little girl to the house, and restricted the use of her phone and computer. Of all the girls, Rarity's relationship with Sweetie was mostly unchanged, as the fashonista recognized some of her more shallow traits within Sweetie's actions.

Fluttershy and Pinkie had more complicated reconciliations with Sunset. Fluttershy had taken Sunset home the first day after school, and had helped Sunset deal with the emotions which had ravaged her emotional endurance. In the process, though, she'd discovered that her bond- and Pinkie's- to Sunset were nearly gone. Having built their friendship with her on shaky ground, neither pink-haired girl had ever really connected with Sunset. However, Fluttershy worked diligently to repair and reinforce what little remained- the emotional maelstrom which had ravaged their friendship had also wiped away the lingering bitterness which had caused it to fail in the first place. Within two weeks, Fluttershy had forged a new friendship with Sunset- each girl admitting their old wounds, and offering succor to the other.

Pinkie, on the other hand, ran into difficulties. She knew Sunset had done nothing wrong this time- and yet, her time apart from her friends had revealed just how little she really knew about or trusted Sunset. After drawing up and subsequently scrapping eight different "I'm Sorry and Happy you're Innocent" party plans, Pinkie finally decided to approach Sunset directly. That turned out to be the right idea- without the normal loud noises and crowds to distance Pinkie from Sunset, Pinkie was finally able to reconcile her earlier misconceptions about Sunset, and although it took time, came to understand her a little better. In turn, Sunset forgave Pinkie, acknowledging that Pinkie had suffered enough from her actions long ago. Unlike Fluttershy, Pinkie and Sunset started over entirely- each offering the other a clean slate. Pinkie made a promise to Sunset to host the best party she'd ever had- the kind of party Sunset wanted, not just what Pinkie wold do.

Two weeks passed, and bonds were tentatively mended. For the first time since the last day of classes, the six girls gathered once again...


"Darling! You look so well!"

Sunset smiled. "Rarity you saw me just a few days ago. You don;t need to be so melodramatic." The violet-haired fashionista huffed, walking into the Apple family farmhouse once again.

It was the day after Christmas, and the girls were gathering for their (now reinstated) annual Christmas get-together. Originally, the plans were to have the girls meet up the day before Christmas, but Applejack had vetoed that plan- she had to cook for the forty five Apple Family members who had come for Christmas dinner.

Rarity's indignation faded after a moment. "Well, you may not have changed much over the last few days, darling, but I was looking over some of the photos I had of you from before. You've started to fill out a little bit." She looked Sunset over, and her face fell a bit. "Sunset... why are you wearing a plaid shirt? And those boots..."

Sunset grinned. "They're really nice. Granny Smith got them for me."

"Darling, nice is not what I'd call those. Utilitarian, perhaps. Sturdy, almost certainly. But... not nice."

"They're work boots, Rarity. They're not supposed to be fashionable."

Rarity's brow lowered, and she said severely "You really are Applejack's sister now, aren't you?" Her grin returned, and Sunset yelped as Rarity yanked her into a hug. "Ooh, I'm so happy for you!"

Sunset grinned. "Yeah, me too."

A pair of pink arms encircled both girls, and a chipper voice exclaimed "Yeah! Me three!"

As Sunset and Rarity struggled for air, they heard Rainbow Dash's laughter overlaid with a quiet "Oh dear" from Fluttershy. A few seconds later, a pair of gentle hands pulled Pinkie off the squeezed teens, letting air into the desperate lungs of the two girls.

"Pinkie..." Sunset wheezed. "Don't... son't do that, please."

"Okie-dokie." Pinkie said. "I was just so excited! I mean, Christmas was yesterday, and I got new socks, and candy, and a new mixing bowl, and..."

"Pinkie? Why'd you list new socks?" Rainbow said. "I mean, yeah, socks are useful, but they're not worth getting excited over-"

"These socks are!" Pinkie lifter her skirt to reveal a pair of smiling balloon socks in bright orange and green. "See? These are happy socks!"

Rarity's eyes riveted to the clashing colors of Pinkie's new foot apparel. "They're... certainly colorful." Attempting to change the subject, she turned back to Sunset. "Sunset, have you heard anything from Twilight yet?"

"Actually, I heard from her Christmas eve. She was very happy to hear we'd all made up, and was really glad I was able to forgive you guys." Sunset's smile twisted a bit as she led her friends back to the living room, still decorated by a large evergreen tree. "She didn't like that I didn't just try to forgive and forget, though."

Pinkie's hair drooped for a second, but she rallied easily enough. "As much as I'd like that, it didn't work last time..."

Sunset nodded. "I think it might be a psychological difference between ponies and humans. She wants everyone to get along, and ponies are pretty good at just letting go of old problems. Of course, they're also good at forgetting how those problems got started in the first place."

Applejack spoke up from her place on the couch. "So, ponies are friendlier, but tend to forget why stuff happens?"

"Not entirely. But that's true; Equestria prefers to handle problems as they arise, not necessarily treat causes." Sunset shook her head. "That works well when you have magic to solve problems- but we don't."

"We do have the Magic of Friendship. But it's not as easy as it is over there, is it?" Everyone turned to look at Fluttershy. "I mean, Twilight thought it would be easy for us to forgive you and teach you friendship."

Pinkie nodded. "Yeah, but it hasn't been." Her smile brightened. "Still, I think we're gonna do just fine!"

Rainbow laughed. "Yeah, we're too awesome to quit, and too awesome to lose!" Her smile shifted and she pulled off her backpack, revealing several poorly wrapped packages. "Speaking of awesome, I've got some stuff for you guys. Come on! It's time to share the loot!"


Several hours and many packages later, the girls looked around at the gifts sprawled out on the floor. Fluttershy's new animal books lay next to the packaging for a new pair of glasses (Rainbow Dash refused to remove them, even as she tripped over Pinkie's legs). Once each package had been unwrapped, the girls took turns revealing their Christmas experiences with each other. Eventually, the discussion turned towards a rather touchy subject.

"So what do you like best?" asked Fluttershy innocently.

There was a long pause. Comparing gifts with friends is a time-honored tradition, but to do so in the presence of gift-givers is always a difficult task. Do you wish slighting the other gift givers in order to tell the truth? Do you give a non-answer to avoid hurting anyone- and risk offending everyone? Or do you choose your favorite gift based on the gift-giver, as opposed to the gift itself?

Rainbow Dash decided to break the silence and set the tone for the responses of her friends. "My new helmet." Everyone turned to look at Rainbow, who shrugged. "What? I mean, don't get me wrong, I like all this stuff. But the bike helmet my parents gave me is going to be really useful- and it looks awesome. So yeah, it wins."

Rarity smiled, and decided to tell the truth as well. "Well, I think that Fluttershy's gift to me will gain the most use." She looked down at her new bangles. "I had never considered wood and coral as accents- but these give me all sorts of new ideas!"

Fluttershy smiled, then took up the chain. "Umm, well... my favorite gift this year came from Mr. Discord."

"Wait. Discord the janitor? Why would he be giving you gifts?" Sunset said quizzically. "And for that matter, how would he afford gifts?"

"Oh, he actually just works for the school to have something to do. Apparently he made a lot of money shorting website stocks ten years ago." Everyone stared at Fluttershy, processing that revelation, even as she continued. "Anyway, he donated some money to the downtown animal shelter as part of a fundraiser- so long as we painted the building neon plaid." Fluttershy beamed. Rarity fainted.

As Fluttershy hurriedly tried to resuscitate the fashionista (who was mumbling something about fashion nightmares under her breath) Applejack picked up the slack. "Well, Big Mac gave me mah best gift this year- he finally manged to get his hands on some aged cider, and the proper techniques to do it." She grinned. "Ah gotta say- I've only tried one bottle, and it's good stuff. Ah'm lookin' forward to addin' our cider to that market."

Pinkie smiled "Ooh, ooh! My turn! I got a new pet!"

Everyone looked at Pinkie. "Umm, Pinkie is it a pet rock like your sister has again or..."

"No silly! It's an alligator!"

Everyone froze. "Umm, Pinkie... I think those're illegal." Applejack hazarded.

"Yeah, but dad got it from the police department. We're raising it until it can be released into he wild. Someone was going to use him to make shoes!" Pinkie frowned. "I'll give him up when he's a little bigger. But he's small enough for an aquarium right now!"

"Oookaay." Rainbow dragged out. "If your parents are okay with it..." She turned to Sunset. "So, Sunny- what about you."

Sunset looked down. "Everything's been great, girls- but one thing really stood out." She pulled in a deep breath. "Granny has been looking to take me in a long time- and she'd been organizing the paperwork to give me an identity- to make it official. So..."

Sunset's voice left her for a moment, then she looked around the room. "Yesterday, Granny gave me the adoption papers. As of last night, I'm an official member of the Apple family."


From upstairs, Apple Bloom listened to the sounds of cheering, then the impact of four girls slamming into her sisters for a hug. With a small, sad smile. she turned away. While she would have liked to be spending today with her friends, there was still a ways to go before she would be allowed to hang with them unsupervised.

And you kinda deserve it, Bloom. If Applejack had followed through, and cancelled the paperwork 'cause of me...

Apple Bloom squared her shoulders as she moved back to her room. What had happened was in the past- she couldn't change it. Her actions had nearly cost her a sister, and had cost her Applejack's trust. Nothing to do but soldier on, and make things better.


In town, three sirens exchanged gifts for the first time in centuries. Sonata handed her gift to Aria- a pair of padded boxing gloves, while Adagio poured over her new music collection. Sonata's thoughts turned introspective, and she turned to her sister.

"Aria- do you remember them? What used to be, before..."

Aria looked up, and frowned. "Yeah, of course I do. Mindless, all of them." she shook her head. "Hearthswarming killed them- just like they were killing everything else. I'm glad we found a better way." She glanced at her sister. "Why? Is it the snow?"

"Yeah." Sonata looked out the window, her face pensive. Behind her, both her sisters found themselves on either side of her. "They were sill our cousins, though- and they were driven to extinction."

Adagio spoke. "It's why we survived, though- positive emotions don't kill us, and we don't kill those we feed off of. Forget the windigos, Sonata. We're still living. they're not. It's how the world works."

Aria glared at Adagio. "Maybe not he only way, Dagi. Those girls are offering us a chance to try another way. Don't discount that- not yet."

Adagio grunted, and returned to her book. Aria followed her, minutes later. Sonata hesitated, then traced her hands across the fingers of frost on the glass. In a whisper she muttered to herself "Rest well, cousins."


Sunset smiled, curled up before the embers of the night's fire. It was a far cry form this time last year. She'd been a lone, cold, and so angry at the world.

And three weeks ago, I would have thought to see that time repeat. Now look at me!

She smiled, sinking further into her sleeping bag, listening to Rainbow Dash and Rarity snore. A thought crossed her mind, and she reached around to the journal she'd ignored for the last few days. Pulling out her pen, she began to write.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I got your advice about letting bygones be bygones, and although I agree on principle, I'm going to have to clarify my position. There have been a lot of lessons learned these last few weeks, and they remind us that remembering the scars of the past are important.

Applejack learned that remembering past mistakes is the first step to not making them again. Rarity learned that reflecting back on what came before can allow us to reason out why something might be happening now. Rainbow Dash learned that recognizing what she'd lost before would keep hr from losing it again.

And with both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, we learned that friendship can't be based on forgetting. You have to remember and promise to do better. Pinkie reminded all of us just how difficult friendship can be, and Fluttershy just how important taking active steps to fix old wrongs could be. You can't be passive in friendship- you have to work at it.

Your advice for "finding my family" was just what I needed, but I think family found me instead. I have a family now- and family is complicated. We're going to struggle, and fight, and make mistakes- but we'll learn form them, and keep from making the same mistakes again.

I hope you're having a wonderful Hearthswarming. The fires of friendship needed tending here- but all of us are willing to fan the flames.

Your student and friend,
Sunset Shimmer

Author's Note:

All that's left o the Epilogue- set around New Years. We'll drop in on our bit players, maybe add some cliffhangers and sequel hooks.

This chapter had a lot riding on it- I wanted to show that things hadn't magically "gone back to normal" with the early sections. Yeah, Sunset's made up with all her friends- but some hard truths have been revealed. No one, however, is willing to just let those truths lie and fester- everyone's trying to forge their bonds anew.

The second section, gift-giving, was simply to add more depth to the world, and to reveal Sunset's adoption. Would you believe that the adoption was the thought which started this whole story? If Applejack hadn't wised up, she would've gone home and cancelled the adoption paperwork- leading to a really awkward moment after the truth came out. If I ever write a "traditional" Anon-A-Miss fic, that's an element I'd include. I won't, so that will never happen.

I figure changelings, windigos, and sirens all have their origins in the same base species, each specializing in a different approach to emotional feeding. I may expand on that idea, too.

I hope you've enjoyed my take on Anon-A-Miss. More to come from me, I hope (I have a lot of ideas.) In the meantime, I'm going to be posting my first blog post after I publish the epilogue- and after that, who knows?