Gathering
Sunset left her class, then stopped in her tracks.
It was lunchtime.
The mere thought of being in the cafeteria after what happened yesterday sent a chill down her spine. There was no way she'd be going there.
Coward, her Demonself taunted.
Sunset grit her teeth. She wasn't a coward, she simply knew just being near the cafeteria would exacerbate her current mental condition.
Bullshit. You're just scared.
So what if Sunset was? She'd rather be afraid of losing her mind again than actually have it happen! She took out her phone and sent out a group text...
Hey, girls. Not even going to come within a few feet of the cafeteria. Maybe meet and eat in the music room? - Sunset
Rainbow Dash left her class. She hadn't seen or heard from Sunset since P.E., and all she had to go on was what she heard from Vinyl, Derpy, Torch Song, and the Illusions. From the sound of things, she was doing all right. Still... she'd feel better hearing from Sunset herself.
Sunset Shimmer looked straight at Wallflower Blush, who looked as though she was on the verge of bursting into tears. She took a deep breath, then exhaled shakily. "Th-The next day, I saw you, Wallflower. I felt so, so terrible... th-that I ran up to the roof of Canterlot High... and I jumped off!" She broke again, sobbing uncontrollably.
Rainbow felt a sudden wave of dread wash over herself. Maybe she should check in on Sunset, just to be safe. Her phone pinged, and she took it out of her pocket. A sigh of relief escaped her lips once she read the message. Now feeling better, she sent one of her own.
Sure, I'd be up for that. - Rainbow
Fluttershy heaved a sigh in the hallway. So much had happened in the last twenty-four hours, and she still hadn't been able to process everything! The Anon-A-Miss incident, her sudden crush on Sandalwood, Sunset's breakdown...
Fluttershy shook her head rapidly. Her problems could wait. Sunset's could not. It was why she was up all night planning Operation: Sunshine with the girls! She wouldn't normally keep herself awake for so long, but it was for a good cause.
Fluttershy yawned as she wondered how Sunset was doing. The poor girl's scream would likely haunt her dreams for a while! She couldn't possibly imagine suffering as much as her friend did when she was unconscious! Just the thought of it caused her to shiver!
Fluttershy's phone beeped, and she took it out of her pocket. She smiled upon reading the message, knowing that at the very least, Sunset Shimmer seemed to be doing okay.
That sounds good to me. See you there! - Fluttershy
Rarity took out her compact mirror and opened it, checking once again to see if the bags under her eyes were gone. She had spent the last couple of passing periods with cucumber slices over her eyes, much to the confusion and amusement of passers-by. Let them scoff her! There was nothing wrong with keeping up one's appearance, no matter how unorthodox the methods may be.
Satisfied with her appearance, Rarity closed her mirror and put it back in her purse. She managed to stifle a yawn, then took a sip of a macchiato she obtained from the school's cafeteria. She was no stranger to sleepless nights, as she had had her fair share of those when she was in what she had called her "Fashion Zone".
When Rarity was presented with the idea of staying awake through the night for Sunset's sake, she did not hesitate. After all, wrinkles and sleep deprivation were small prices to pay in the names of friendship and fashion. She took another sip of her macchiato, and her phone chimed.
Rarity picked her phone up, read the messages, then sent one of her own.
That sounds like a splendid idea! - Rarity
Applejack walked around CHS with her hands in her pockets. She had kept an eye on all the students she passed, worried that another fight would break out. Shaking her head slowly, she felt her blood begin to boil as she recalled yesterday's events.
The nerve of Wallflower and Trixie! Settin' the whole school against each other after Twilight worked so hard to bring everyone back together! Not only that, they nearly suckered her sister and her friends into taking the blame!
Applejack grit her teeth. Sunset shoulda let her give 'em the what-for!
Sunset looked at Rainbow. "Don't misunderstand me," she said. "If were to say what I really, truly wanted to say, I would just be kicking a dog while it's down. And as justified as I'd be, as cathartic as it would feel... it would only make you feel worse." She sighed and looked away. "That's what the old me would do. But that's not who I am." She got up off of the bed. "Not anymore."
"I-I don't understand," Trixie said. "Why are you letting us off so easy?!"
Sunset began to walk towards the two. "In case you've forgotten," she said with a sad smile. "I've been where you two are."
Applejack stopped in her tracks, then took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. She needed to calm down. As understandable as Sunset's reasoning was, the farm girl had no sympathy for either Trixie or Wallflower... for now.
Applejack's phone went off, and she took it out of her pocket. She read the message, then sent her own.
Count me in! - Applejack
Pinkie skipped down the hallway, happy that nobody was fighting today. Everybody was shouting and being mean yesterday, and she could hardly find her happy place! Not that it was hard for her to find, she knew exactly where it was and how to get there!
Pinkie stopped skipping. If only more people could find their happy place... the world would be a much better and funner place to be! She closed her eyes...
Pinkie skipped down a sparkling road, leading a parade of walking and cheering gumdrops. The air was filled with upbeat music as giant star people beatboxed harmoniously. Tiny geometric unicorns with wide eyes levitated around her as several party cannons fired, causing confetti to rain on her.
Pinkie sighed happily. "Haaaaaaappy plaaaaaaaace," she said dreamily. A chime from her phone snapped her back to reality. She took out her phone, then grinned widely.
That sounds fun-tastic! - Pinkie Pie
Twilight walked around Canterlot High, grateful that nothing magical had afflicted everyone for once... yet there was still an affliction that took place here. She had found that this Anon-A-Miss catastrophe was similar in execution to the Gabby Gums incident. The perpetrators and motives differed slightly, but the fundamental parallel of using media to further their goals fascinated her.
What other sorts of similarities did this world share with hers?
A chime from Twilight's phone jerked her out of her thoughts. She fumbled around with it for a moment, then held onto it. She slowly typed in a response, just how her friends showed her last night. Soon enough, she managed to write a coherent sentence using her fingers.
That makes sense to me. I can't wait to check in with you! - Twilight
Sunset felt a warmth in her chest as she read the messages. She could practically feel the love and support of her friends. Yes... there was no longer any doubt in her mind. They were her friends, and she was infinitely blessed to have them in her life. As she sighed happily, she thought of three others who were in need of friendship....
AJ, Rarity, Dash. Why not invite your sisters over? I think they could use the company after everything that happened yesterday. - Sunset
Apple Bloom made a sputtering noise as she played a game on her phone. Today had been rougher than a rodeo! She paused, then snorted. Her sister's countryisms were starting to rub off on her!
Apple Bloom flinched, hearing Sunset's scream in her mind. It was bad enough that she had that nightmare last night, but that scream just made things worse for her! She heaved a sigh... she was going to be stuck with this for a while.
Apple Bloom's phone chimed, and she noticed a text.
Hey lil' sis! Wanna join me and the girls for lunch? - AJ
Apple Bloom smiled.
Sweetie Belle had been quiet throughout a majority of the day. She was mad at Wallflower and Trixie for trying to set her and the others up... but she also felt some pity towards them. It was true that what they did was horrible, but the fact that they both genuinely felt bad about what they did...
Sweetie Belle sighed. She knew she didn't have it in her heart to forgive Trixie and Wallflower. Not right now, anyway. Not tomorrow, or the end of the week. Truth be told, she didn't know when... but she knew she would. Eventually.
Sweetie Belle's phone chimed, and she took it out of her pocket.
Dearest Sweetie Belle, you have been cordially invited to a luncheon in the Music Room with myself and my friends, as well as yours. Won't you join us? - Rarity
Sweetie Belle laughed softly.
Scootaloo yawned. She was unable to sleep after having that nightmare, and pretty much the only thing that was keeping her awake was listening to music between periods. She yawned again, then selected a tune.
Ugh, Scootaloo needed to get some caffeine in her system! Or at least have something interesting happen...
Her phone buzzed, and a text appeared at the top of her phone.
Hey squirt, wanna meet up with everyone in the music room? - Dash
Scootaloo grinned, then headed over to the music room, where everyone was likely waiting.
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Apologies for the long, long wait between chapters! I had an idea for it, then my brain just froze... oy.
i hate it when that happens
10527170
Eeyup.
One error spotted:
Hey squirt, wanna meet up with everyone in the lunch room? - Dash
That should be music room
10527340
Good catch, will fix. Thanks!
10527965
I use italics for emphasis, flashbacks that don't require a border, inner thoughts/dialogue and phone texts.
It's not often I find myself with a story I hate so much yet I keep reading and scrapping any good bits I can find.
It's a sign of good quality of writing in my book so very well done.
10588224
I'm kinda "meh" on Anon-A-Miss myself, but when this idea came to me, I just had to write it.
10588240
I'm not against the idea of this story and I don't really care if it's Anon-A-Miss, it's just a few parts of the story that bring it down for me.
And I will admit, a good chunk it's because of the pitchfork waving comments demanding Wallflower's and Trixie's blood despite the irony/hypocrisy of Sunset having done the se thing several times before and out of malice instead of some twisted sense of justified revenge.
It just soured the experience more.
10588251
Sadly, that's kind of an inevitability when it comes to Anon-A-Miss stories. Or even stories where an innocent character is wronged. That's one of the reasons I wanted Wallflower and Trixie to feel guilty about their actions. To humanize them, not to make them mono-dimensional characters who exist only to be hated.
So what other parts about the story bother you? I'm always up for constructive criticism!
10588562
I really feel like Wallflower and Trixie not only drew the short end of the stick in this story but also the sharp one. They will forever irredeemably be horrible people that at best get pity while Sunset gets all the consolation of the school and her firends. And while they did have their parents to cheer them up, the way it was told, with them having so similar a past, those stories being barely told and basically completing each other's sentences made it feel hollow and fake. And with the rest of the chapters having so many different ways to cheer Sunset up it only makes it worse.
I think humanizing them actually worked backwards because there's no redemption posible so them feeling guilty doesn't give anything other than pity which people won't give them no matter what they do.
As for actual criticism, I think there's a big plot-hole with the students having so low IQ that a one sentence post makes them doubt their entire relationship with someone.
Also while I can buy Wallflower and Trixie making the school fight each other, using the CMC as scapegoats felt out of character since even in the narrative Wallflower and Trixie mention that they know they will have to deal with the consequences so when I read that I was confused.
10588599
Hollow and fake? How so?
Wallflower and Trixie knew they'd be found out one way or the other.
10588802
This is more of a personal opinion.
Well, the fact that both parents had gone through the same thing is a bit contrived, and by the way it was told, both stories seemed interchangeable since they provoked the exact same reaction in both Trixie and Wallflower. So, when you compare it to every time someone has had a talk with Sunset the difference is pretty clear, and makes it feel more like a compromise by the author to soften the blow. Also, as the reader, we know that all that they said is meaningless. They are the bad guys of the story and no one will ever forgive them, and their talk about that after some time they will heal is also fake because we know that everyone at CHS and the visions of Sunset will remind them of their actions for a much longer time or maybe forever or until one of them kill themselves.
This is what I meant with humanizing them working backwards. I really liked when they became friends, and when you showed their relationship with their families, but I couldn't really enjoy it because I knew the story would ruin it in the future. And it was much worse than I expected. As soon as the story brought up the PTSD from the rainbow the story crossed a line greater than what the original Anon-A-Miss story. There's no forgiveness possible for someone who bullies a person who suffers through that so both Wally and Trixie are lost causes now and any show of humanity is wasted because people don't want redemption for them, they want blood. Everyone in the story hates them except the ones that are close to them and that is exactly what happens with the readers.
Then why use the CMC as scapegoats? I don't get the logic there and at the end it only worked to get most of the blame off the CMC, and make both of them look more like irredeemable bastards.
10588848
A. Sunset was a horrible person in her first appearance, and everyone (well, pretty much everyone) gradually forgave her.
B. I've learned not to take suicide lightly, there's no way I'd do that to Wallflower and Trixie.
To be fair, neither of the girls knew what happened to Sunset until she told them.
I don't understand why readers can be so quick to hate characters.
I wanted to have the Crusaders involved at some capacity, and I just kinda threw in that whole "deal with the consequences later" after. I tend to ad-lib sometimes.
Because she got lazored by friendship and saved the school in the Battle of the Bands, were it not for that they would still hate her.
I'm not saying you will do it, but it's clearly in the character's minds. Both Sunset and Wallflower did it in their dreams, and both have all the reasons to go through with it.
I say the same, but no one in the story would buy that. They feel pity at best and only because Sunset dosen't wnat to start a witch hunt.
I hope for a better future for the two but it seems impossible without some massive contrivance or they just leaving CHS to start anew in another school.
Because they love characters like Sunset, and if someone hurts them they will immidiately hate them. Even Flash got hatred for years just because he was a love interest for Twilgiht.
Okay, it was the thing that raised more questions for me.
10589000
Fair point.
*Cries in TimberTwi*
Glad I answered them...?
10589006
Yeah, I'm honestly open to almost all kinds of ships, so I don't understand why some people get so offended. TimberTwi was a cute couple.
Yeah, The CMC and the students falling for Anon-A-Miss's one sentence posts were my only real problems with the story.
As I said, despite the fact that I don't like the story, you still manage to keep me coming back to see where it ends up going, and some parts gave me ideas for other projects I'm working on.
I've also read your other works, even the ones you warned me about, and I liked them, so keep working, you're doing pretty good.
10589020
Same. TimberTwi's my OTP, after all! ^_^
Wow. Glad to know I inspired you!
I will! I didn't get the followers I have for nothing!
10589036
Mine's Sunflower
I will keep TimberTwi in mind for future stories, I don't see it much.
Hope I can return the favor someday.
Over 400? You must do your job pretty well.
10589044
It's a hobby. ^_^ Honestly, I'm surprised I have this many!
MORE PLEASE CONTINUE THIS 🙏🥺
11013141
I plan to. I just haven't been hit with inspiration in a while, that's all.
11013153
Yay! Also I'm just starting read your "Not Just Any Old Trilogy" and so far I'm liking it so I may also comment there later🤣
11013214
Cooliez. Thanks for giving it a read!
When did she get a phone?
Yep, that's what friends are for sunset.
That's how I feel. 😠