Yesterday, Sunset's friends publicly cast her out after finding their secrets revealed by Anon-A-Miss. Today, no one except Sunset remembers any of it ever happened.
Yesterday, Sunset's friends publicly cast her out after finding their secrets revealed by Anon-A-Miss.
Today, no one except Sunset remembers any of it ever happened.
Now she has to figure out why - and if she even wants to restore the memories that were lost.
Thanks to chris the cynic and I-A-M both for the initial conversation that sprouted this idea and title suggestions.
And of course thanks to Scampy, because SunFlower and Wally and all related cuteness.
That it's even up for debate really puts into perspective how many times everything's collapsed on my head. Being Sunset Shimmer just seems to attract catastrophe. I mean, was the worst day the time my teacher and effectively foster mother threw me out for being too ambitious, resulting in me getting trapped in an alternate dimension? Or was it the day that years of planning, building and manipulation was destroyed by my own hubris and a rainbow laser to the face? ...To be fair I would have called that last one good in the long term - if not for Wednesday.
The day the people I thought were my friends betrayed me. Publicly accused me of breaking their trust. Cast me out because they're convinced I'm revealing their secrets on MyStable as Anon-A-Miss.
Which just tops off how my whole life's been a whirlwind lately. I know it sounds whiny, but...
Three months ago I was queen of Canterlot High. In only two days I was turned into a complete outcast; then I was rescued and raised up by those who defeated me; then I was a hero after we beat the Dazzlings. And then I was alone again.
Well.
Not entirely alone. Wednesday night assured me of that much, at least. Princess Twilight hadn't been expecting me to come through the mirror, but I'm not sure I could have asked for better support once I did. A shoulder to cry on and an ear to vent to helped, but the comfort food from home went above and beyond. Hayfries for the first time in years? That made me forget my problems, at least for a little while. And of course, Twilight wanted to help. Maybe I shouldn't have turned down her offer to come back to Canterlot High, but I felt like this was my problem to handle. She's bailed us out twice already and Sunset Shimmer is not a helpless filly in a tower to be rescued.
Still. It was good to have somepony to talk to that didn't hate me and the hugs helped more than I want to admit.
After that, I just had to face the school day - and this Anon-A-Miss thing - on my own two feet. I was strong enough. I was smart enough. I could win back my friends, prove I was no secret-stealer and--
"Yo, Sunset!" Rainbow Dash fell in beside me the moment I entered the building. "'Sup?"
I froze in confusion.
Dash got three steps ahead before she noticed and stopped herself. "Uh. Sunset? Earth to Shimmer?" The corners of her lips twitched as the irony of saying that to the resident alien passed through her mind.
I was, however, preoccupied at that moment. There was a detached part of my mind screaming that I needed to respond. The rest of my mind? Too busy being at war with itself about how.
It took all of ten seconds for Rainbow Dash to decide something was seriously wrong. "You okay?" I managed a very slow nod that obviously didn't satisfy her, and I expect my pole-axed expression didn't help any. So Dash (for once in her life) did the sensible thing and called for backup. "AJ! Over here! Sunset's having some kind of episode or somethin'."
And that's when the farmer entered the scene - looking mildly perplexed but distinctly not furious. "Say what now?" She approached at an amble, unrushed. One eyebrow raised with concern at my mixture of confusion and near-panic. "You alright there, sugarcube?"
I'm not sure why it was. But something in hearing her call me that - it broke a little part of me. I sank down to the tiles of the hallway floor and couldn't hold back the tears.
It took several minutes and the appearance of all five of my friends(?) before I managed to stop crying. I almost did it once along the way, but then Fluttershy hugged me and that started the tears all over again.
We were all late for class by that point, but Vice-Principal Luna had taken one look at the situation, nodded, and let us be. I didn't get the chance yet to thank her for that.
Once I finished snuffling (and giving Fluttershy another hug), I wiped my nose on my sleeve. Rarity reflexively clicked her tongue and held out a delicately embroidered handkerchief - I declined since the damage was already done, but the principle alone made me feel better.
"I'm--I'm sorry, girls. I know I should be stronger than this, but after yesterday..." I trailed off, fighting the urge to re-open the wounds. If they'd forgiven me so easily, why should I drag it out again?
Fate, of course, wasn't going to let me get off that easy.
"Darling, what ever are you referring to?" Rarity was the one who voiced it, but it didn't take more than a glance to see it in all their faces - no anger. Just mild confusion at my words.
If I'd been as smart as I like to claim I am, I'd have dropped it then and there. But I let my mouth keep running anyway. "Yesterday? The-- everything that happened with Anon-A-Miss?"
Nothing. Not a hint of recognition in their eyes. It was a name they'd never heard before.
My heart froze.
They weren't just playing dumb to try and keep the peace or pretending it didn't happen to avoid admitting they'd made a mistake. They legitimately didn't seem to remember.
But I had to be sure. Hopefully, Applejack would forgive me this time. "I guess I'm just worked up about nothing - right, Piggly Wiggly?"
Applejack flinched, eyes immediately darting around to make sure the hall was clear. "Hey now," she hissed. "Don't go spreadin' that around here. Ah can live with you girls knowin' but that ain't something I want the whole world to suss out."
The others nodded in agreement - though Rainbow Dash was obviously trying to hold back laughter at Applejack's expense. But what I didn't see was any of the emotions from the day before. Rarity might have been able to disguise it if I'd brought up her Closet of Shame, but Applejack? She's got a poker face like a yak.
I faked a smile. "Sorry, AJ. My lips are sealed from now on." That seemed to satisfy her - another clear indication that something was wrong. "We better get to class. Sorry for flaking out - I'm not sure what came over me." They didn't really buy it - Pinkie in particular was giving me the eyeball - but it would buy some time. I needed to figure out what was going on because the way our lives go? Whatever was happening was going to get worse before it got better.
By the end of the day, I'd eliminated a few possibilities. I hadn't gone back in time - it was still the day it was supposed to be. And whatever happened only affected Canterlot High - a quick conversation through the journal cleared that up. Princess Twilight remembered what I told her the night before, which also proved I didn't just dream it. And strangely? When I went onto MyStable, I found Anon-A-Miss. The posts revealing Applejack and Rarity's secrets were still up there.
But none of the girls were reacting as if it happened, and nobody else in school was aware either. No one made any comments about the secrets to them, and the handful of people I was able to (I thought) subtly ask had never heard of Anon-A-Miss.
So it happened, I could prove it happened and yet nobody else seemed to have any memory of it happening. I didn't need Princess Twilight's input to tell me that Equestrian Magic was at work here. Of course, that only told me the how - and that I needed to figure out the who a lot faster. If it happened once, it could happen again.
It wasn't any of the girls, I was sure of that much. Not only were they smarter than to mess around with unknown magic, there was no reason for them to do it. In their eyes, I was Anon-A-Miss. Removing their own memories of me doing that? I suppose it was possible it was some sort of misguided attempt to mend our friendships gone wrong, but that would just be setting it up for me to betray them again later. If it was me. Which is wasn't.
None of the other students made sense, either. I could hear Rarity lecturing me that none of them had a motive - why would Micro Chips or Roseluck care about my friendships with the girls?
"Darling, are you certain you're alright?"
Oh. Wait. I could hear Rarity because she was right next to me.
The question snapped me out of my thoughts with the reminder that we were in the practice room. All five of the others were watching me expectantly - and Rainbow Dash gave a little motion with her head towards where my guitar was leaning against the amp.
I reached out - and stopped. I'm not sure why it was the guitar in particular-- actually, no. I know why. Just hanging around with each other was one thing. I could eat lunch with anybody, and I've tutored enough that doing homework together wasn't anything special. It wasn't exclusive. But there's two times where the girls and I feel like... like there's something different.
The sleepovers are one of them. I think it's because when we do that, our guards are down. Sleeping in the same room together feels significant. It's a sign of trust in each other. I guess that's why the secrets Anon-A-Miss leaked hurt them so bad - it was a betrayal of that trust.
Number two is the band, because it isn't Fluttershy and Applejack and Rarity - it's us. We. We're a unit, not individuals (no matter what Rainbow Dash's ego claims). Play as six individuals and it's a mess of sour notes and missed cues. Play as a group and... well. There's enough video up to show how much of a difference it makes.
And it's moreso for me. I committed a lot of sins, and while Princess Twilight said I was forgiven after the Fall Formal? I didn't feel it. Not until that night on the hill. When I stepped up against the Dazzlings and became part of that group, it's... indescribable. Harmony is a real, tangible thing back in Equestria. It's a force of nature, but it's also aware. And when the magic took over and those ears manifested on my head? That was the real signal that I was forgiven. Not by the girls or by Twilight, but by the universe itself. If we hadn't been in the middle of a desperate battle, I think I would have been crying with joy. It was the moment I felt redeemed instead of just being told I was.
So picking up that guitar was meaningful. I would be We. And as much as I wanted that, it felt wrong. Not with Anon-A-Miss and the missing memories hanging over my head. Burying what happened wasn't something I could do so easily.
"Sunset?" Fluttershy's soft voice shoved me out of my own mind again. Introspection had turned into a bad habit.
I'm sure it looked crazy to them - after all, I was standing there frozen, my fingertips not even an inch away from the neck of the guitar. Then I pulled back away. "Sorry, girls. I just... I can't. Not today. Not after yesterday."
Leaving was the only smart thing to do - too bad Applejack beat me to the door. I probably could have gotten past her since she didn't want to actually hurt me... but I didn't want to hurt her, either, so an arm across the doorway was enough to stop my retreat.
"Look. Sunset. Ah know this whole Anne Miss thing's got you rattled or you wouldn't have spent every spare minute today askin' people about it," she said, demonstrating that I wasn't nearly as subtle in my questioning as I thought I had been. "But you gotta believe us. It was just a dream or somethin'. Nothing happened yesterday." She spoke what she thought was the honest truth - it's just too bad I knew she was wrong.
But I couldn't tell them that. Even if they believed me, it would hurt them. Maybe it's selfish of me, but telling Pinkie Pie that she publicly threw me out of her life? I couldn't take what that did to me. Seeing what it would do to her when she wasn't aware of it? I couldn't handle that.
So I shook it off. "I guess." Applejack's questioning eyebrow didn't buy it for a moment, but I didn't let that stop me. "I think I'm just gonna head home. Maybe some rest and bad TV will clear my head. I'll see you girls tomorrow, alright?"
It was reluctant, but they let me go. I could tell Applejack was going to start up a talk after I left and if I wasn't visibly better tomorrow, I'd get the full treatment. Therapy shopping, bunny petting and cheer-up cupcakes. Any other time I'd be pretty okay with it, but not when there's a crisis.
That was something to deal with the next day, though.
I really did need an evening of crappy shows and sleep to recharge my mind. Being on edge and alert for magic catastrophes all day wears on you.
When I got to school the next morning, I was braced for either everyone to have forgotten another day or for everything to get remembered and I would be back at square one. I can admit it was a surprise that neither happened and the day started more or less normally.
I say more or less because the girls had talked after I left and decided that I needed watching and possibly to be friendshipped at really hard. Which was why Rarity and Fluttershy met me before I even got onto the property - they probably would have been outside my apartment door if they knew where I live. (They didn't. Not because I was hiding it, but it never really came up and it's sort of nice to have a place to get away and be alone.)
Fortunately, I was able to ward them off with my cup of take-out coffee. Rarity understood immediately when I waggled it at her and grunted. Fluttershy pouted a little, but only put up token resistance to my silence afterwards. Neither of them stopped being concerned about me, but the universal signal of not having enough caffeine to be human yet bought me enough time to get to my first class.
That's about how the first half of my day went - if I didn't have two of them in class with me, I'd have the second waiting for me at the door. I ended up hurrying between classes to minimize their concerned looks and questions. I felt pretty bad about it, since I was really obviously blowing the girls off. But what could I really say to them? "Sorry, I'm just not in a good mood right now because you told me you hated me right before your memories were wiped by evil magic"? That makes me sound like a crazy person, and I'm legitimately a magic unicorn from another dimension.
Them caring so much was actually touching - even knowing how bad things were, it was a reminder that they're still the same people who stood by my side when we faced down the Sirens. And why I was trying to fix things. My life was better with them in it. Sure, the way they'd dumped me hurt but I've done plenty of things in my life I regret - I mean, I did literally attempt to murder them with a fireball. That gives them an oops, I think. Don't get me wrong, fixing our friendship after everything wasn't going to be easy, but Sunset Shimmer isn't a quitter. And if I didn't fix things, what I had would just keep going - I'd stay alone. I don't want that.
Anyway, I knew there was gonna be no avoiding them when lunch came - it's the one period we're all together for, and there's a big difference between distracting them for two or three minutes in the hall and stonewalling them for more than half an hour when there was nowhere to go and nothing else to pull their attention.
I guess it was lucky that fate decided to butt in and give me an out.
My class before lunch was Advanced Calculus - none of them shared it with me, so they were waiting outside instead. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had drawn it and I could see them in the hall, arguing about something. (I'm sure they'd insist it was just a friendly discussion, but neither of them is good at toning it down so it sure looked like an argument.) I admit I was delaying to avoid the conversation at lunch. I'm not proud of that, but every minute I bought was something. Even if it meant I was the last one in the room.
Then the side door from the neighboring classroom opened. I didn't recognize the girl who opened it at the time, but green with a striped sweater didn't describe any of my friends and she was waving for me to follow her so I took the chance to escape. I ducked into the other classroom, then the two of us dashed out into the hall and got lost in the crowd.
Neither of us said anything until she pulled me into the Yearbook Office and locked it behind us. (It was a little odd she had a key too, but in what happened after that I never thought to ask.)
Now, I have to make this clear: I've known Fluttershy for years. Even before she was my fr-- before recent events, I bullied and tormented her for a long time. I put the boots to her a lot because she was an easy target. And the green girl? She was the most uneasy and skittish person I've ever seen.
When you're a bully - at least, if you're a smart one - you pick up those little behavior cues. Like how every time I looked at her she immediately went from watching me to staring at the floor. Or that she kept clenching her fists around the hem of her sweater. It didn't take much to figure out that she didn't exactly have great social skills and that she was afraid of me.
"So you're asking questions." Her voice was flat - purposely restrained to keep from showing emotion.
I didn't do a good job of keeping it cool in return. "Yes! Do you know anything about Anon-A-Miss?" In retrospect, her flinching away when I said it should have been a clue.
The girl took a step back away from me, deeper into the room. "I know a little. But what I want to know is what you know."
Out there somewhere was a source of Equestrian magic that had been used against my friends. There was no telling who's hands it was in or what limits it had. And this girl was the first solid clue I had to finding it and to track down who had been running my name through the mud. So I may have been a little desperate and wasn't thinking straight when she asked that. Which is why I told her everything.
"I know that Anon-A-Miss is somebody who's been revealing secrets about my friends and then blaming it on me. But I'm not her! The real problem is that nobody remembers it happened - it's like the entire school's forgotten those two days." I let out a frustrated sigh, rubbing my fingers deep into my temple. "Now they all don't hate me anymore but they think I'm crazy and there's dangerous Equestrian magic around that I have to try and stop on my own."
Turning my eyes to the girl again, she looked away. "That sounds tough." She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, looking ready to run. "Good luck with--"
I cut her off excitedly. "But you remember! Otherwise you wouldn't have asked about Anon-A-Miss." Fear shocked her cocoa-colored eyes wide, but I missed that entirely. Instead, I grabbed her shoulder. "You're the first person around here who does. And that means if we can figure out why the magic didn't affect us, we can figure out what's happening!"
I know I shouldn't beat myself up for things, but about five minutes later I was feeling pretty stupid for missing all the signs.
She yanked backwards from my hand, pulling free. "I don't know what you're talking about! I... I just... I heard you asking about Anon-A-Miss and I, uh..." She trembled a little, eyes rapidly flicking back and forth. "It sounded weird! I wanted to know what you knew. That's all!"
My heart clenched. "You.. don't know anything?" My one lead with a chance, and it was a dead end. She shook her head, still not looking at me. "I guess that means I'm back to square one." Sunset Shimmer doesn't quit that easily, but that doesn't mean I don't get discouraged. "Thanks for helping get away, though. I've got no idea how to deal with my friends right now." I laughed bitterly - what else could I do? "Thank you, uh..." At that moment, I realized that I didn't know her name. I rapidly looked her over, trying to find a cue to who she was. Why can't humans have their Mark consistently in the same place like ponies?
"Wallflower," she clarified with dread anticipation. I'm sure my expression was pretty close to what the girls looked like the day before when I mentioned Anon-A-Miss to them, because the name meant nothing to me. "Wallflower Blush," she tried again. It still didn't ring a bell, which seemed to be the wrong answer. "We've gone to the same school for years. We met in ninth grade English."
I could only lamely shrug.
This was also the wrong answer, because she instantly changed from defensively submissive to furious. "Of course you don't remember me. Why would you? You're Sunset Shimmer and everything's about you!" Wallflower reached out, giving me a light shove away. I rocked backwards, surprised by her sudden shift. "Nobody else is worth noticing unless they can do something for you! You never change - you're still just the same... same meanie you've always been!" She threw her hands up in frustration as she vented. "I don't even know why I helped you in the first place!"
That was when it finally clicked for me. "You're... not talking about getting me out of the classroom, are you." I took a step forward - she took one back. Her anger gave way to terror. Wallflower's back bumped against the door. "It's you, isn't it? You did this!" It made sense, I realized. The only way she'd know about Anon-A-Miss is if she was the one who'd used the magic - and my asking about it is why she'd gotten me here. So she could find out what I remembered and why I was immune! This wasn't a rescue, it was an attempted interrogation! My face twisted with rage as I finally grasped what was going on.
She panicked. I can't blame her - I was pretty angry, I had her cornered and I do have that history of being mean. So when she grabbed this egg-shaped stone out of her bag, Wallflower probably was just trying to defend herself. The thing is, so was I.
I was never good at artifice back at school. Creating power that somepony else could use? Not exactly my style, if you know what I mean. So I ignored a lot when it came to artifacts unless I was after something specific to abuse for my own goals. But it doesn't take a CSGU graduate to know that someone pointing an unknown magical artifact at you when they're terrified is probably not doing it for your benefit. And that the best first defense is to make them stop pointing it at you.
So I lunged at Wallflower and shoved her arms so the stone was aimed somewhere else. We both collided, bounced off the door and hit the ground in a heap. I want to say we wrestled for the stone but, well... One of us is on the Fencing team and takes martial arts for self-defense. The other one - as I'd find out later - had been using magic to skip gym.
Unsurprisingly, I ended up with the stone pretty quickly. And it was obvious what it was - the human body's less sensitive to magic than my unicorn one, but that much magic packed into a rock the size of a softball is still going to make your skin tingle. The sour feeling in my gut told me it wasn't friendly magic, either.
As soon as I had it in hand, I stumbled to my feet and away from Wallflower. Surprisingly, she didn't chase me to try and grab it back - as soon as it left her hands, she clutched her knees to her chest and sat back against the wall in surrender. That threw me a little and banked down my anger. Some of it.
"So are you Anon-A-Miss too, or did you just steal everyone's memory?"
She winced. I was probably a bit too accusatory. "Just the memories," Wallflower admitted.
At least that solved half the problems in my life. "With this?" I lifted the stone, and she nodded. "Alright. So how do I get the memories out?"
And that's where Wallflower clammed up. I narrowed my eyes and glared, but while she sat there and squirmed under my gaze? She didn't answer the question. All she gave me was dead silence, probably afraid I'd use it against her.
She won that battle in the end - I wanted information, but she wasn't going to give it and I had a better way to get it through my journal. "...Fine." I slipped the stone into my backpack, words laced with venom. "I'll just take care of it myself, since you won't. I've got other sources. They'll tell me everything."
Looking back, the way I handled that just showed she was right - but I was angry, and there was a lot I didn't understand.
I stomped past her out of the Yearbook Office and then right out of school. I know I shouldn't skip class, but I needed that information and only Princess Twilight could get it. The stone was an Equestrian artifact, so there had to be something about it somewhere in her library.
A few hours of communication through the journal later, though, and we hadn't gotten anywhere. It was getting close to Hearth's Warming so I couldn't blame Twilight for being distracted - honestly? I was okay with that. Wallflower was right - I was thinking of myself. Even if we found how to get the memories out right away, I wouldn't have used it. I rationalized it to myself that it would give me time to hunt down the real Anon-A-Miss so I could prove it wasn't me at the same time everyone got their memories back. But that wasn't the big reason - I was greedy. I wanted to have the holidays with the girls instead of spending it alone with all my former friends hating me.
So maybe I didn't have the purest of intentions when I told the Princess to go have some time with her family and friends. I just... I didn't think it would matter. After all, there wasn't a time limit on getting the memories back.
By the next morning I realized I'd made some mistakes. All the time I'd spent focusing on understanding the stone, talking with Princess Twilight and trying to figure out who Anon-A-Miss could be had been necessary - but it meant I'd forgotten to handle other things. Number one on the list was a prime example of what blowing up someone's phone looked like: my voicemails were full and the text alert icon on my phone said 99+. A quick glance confirmed that if they knew where I lived, all five of my friends would have been at my door by sundown the day before at the latest.
I felt pretty bad about that - I still wasn't sure how to handle the situation, but I never meant to worry them. I spent ten minutes with my morning coffee writing a pretty long apology in the group chat. I explained that I'd found some rogue Equestrian magic and needed to handle it - things were under control and I was safe, but I'd gotten distracted coordinating with the Princess and lost track of time.
By the end of breakfast, four of the five had gotten back to me. (Rainbow was out on her morning run and wouldn't get my message for another half hour.) None of them were happy that I'd ditched them like that, but they grudgingly understood. Rarity had a little speech about how she sometimes gets caught up in her work too that helped my case. They did demand I finally tell them where I lived so they could check up on me next time I wasn't responding - I told them, because it was a fair compromise, I really wasn't hiding it, and hopefully they'd see it as a sign of trust once I got their memories back. Hopefully.
We also agreed to get the sleep-overs back on track and that we'd be picking up at Fluttershy's house that night.
Which left me a good eight hours and change - we weren't going to even start showing up at Fluttershy's until around five-ish, just after sundown. And knowing me I'd probably be there a little late. I wanted to use the time to get some progress on things like hunting down Anon-A-Miss, and after thinking about it? I decided to try and talk to Wallflower again. If everyone's memories were gone, the real Anon-A-Miss wouldn't remember they did it. Questioning people without their memories wouldn't get anywhere. So Wallflower was the only one who could possibly know anything and she was my only real option unless I wanted to try to learn how to hack MyStable.
It wasn't that tough to hunt down where Wallflower lived now that I knew her name. (And that she existed.) I also decided that if I met her someplace that felt safe to her she'd be less likely to panic and stonewall me - so her home was a good place to start. I packed up - including the stone because there was no way I was letting something that could make me forget it existed out of my sight - and headed across town.
Wallflower's home was as nondescript as she was - a cookie cutter house painted in neutral colors in a planned suburb full of houses that varied only in which of the three patterns of the subdivision they were built with. The house gave me the same vibe as her sweater - and it weirdly made me smile. Her sister Fuschia directed me to the backyard, where I got caught by surprise. Rather than another identical patch of snow-dusted grass, half the yard was taken up by a greenhouse - somewhat makeshift with how so many of the glass and plastic panels didn't match each other, but still a decently-sized greenhouse. One she was obviously inside.
The shift from cold to quite warm felt good - and the opposite for Wallflower. The quick burst of chill air when I entered the greenhouse made her whip around, a complaint dying on her lips when she saw it was me rather than a family member disturbing her. And I could instantly tell that she was on the defensive - there was only one door after all, and I was standing in front of it.
Immediately, I put my hands up. "Hey! Hey, relax! I just wanted to talk!" That didn't defuse things much, but what would? It was about at that point I realized I'd screwed up again: this wasn't coming to talk to Wallflower in a place she'd be comfortable, it was me intruding into her safe sanctuary. Way to go, Shimmer. I did what I could to try and fix that dumb error - I took off my backpack and sat down on a wheelbarrow she'd left sitting on its side. There wasn't a ton of room, but I at least got out of the way of the door so she didn't feel quite so cornered. "I was kind of over-aggressive yesterday, so I thought I should apologize. And maybe we could try the conversation again?"
She crossed her arms over her chest, accidentally smearing some of the potting soil on her hands across her sweater. Wallflower probably wanted to ask how I found her house, but she must not have thought it worth the effort to bother. She had other thoughts on her mind. "Maybe. But I want you to prove something to me. What's my name?"
I smirked. It made sense. If I've forgotten her before, why should I remember her now? But my past is still not today. "Wallflower Blush," I firmly stated. And silently prayed that I hadn't somehow messed it up.
Fortunately, I did remember correctly and she relaxed a little. Didn't come closer and didn't look any friendlier, but she didn't seem quite so ready to run like a rabbit.
We settled to silence for a few tenuous seconds before Wallflower lobbed her first shot. "I really don't know anything about Anon-A-Miss." Her tone edged on desperate - she thought I wasn't going to believe her.
I did. "Okay." I was frustrated about her lack of knowledge, but it wasn't fair to blame her for being as much in the dark as I was. "The stone - when it takes memories, is it just certain times or is it everything about something?"
Wallflower shrugged her shoulders, arms still tight around herself. "Could be both? I wanted it to take away everybody's memories of Anon-A-Miss and it did."
"So," I frowned as she confirmed my suspicions, "Even if I find whoever Anon-A-Miss is, they're not going to know they did it." She nodded. I sighed. "I guess there's really no point in trying to figure it out, then. Neither of us knows and anyone else wouldn't remember. Great."
"Sorry." Wallflower cringed as she said it.
I shook my head. "Not your fault. I was just hoping - if you knew it would make my life a lot easier."
Both of us laughed a little - well, I laughed and she picked it up too. It was more uneasy than joyful, though. For both of us.
Wallflower was quiet for about half a minute after the chuckles died away. Slowly she sat down on the greenhouse floor, legs pulled tight against her chest. "You never asked why," she pointed out after she settled.
"Hm?"
"You never asked why I did it," she repeated. "Why I took away Anon-A-Miss. Why didn't you? I thought that would be your first question."
I snorted. "Because I'm so self-centered?" Before she could reply, I held up a hand. "Don't. You're not wrong. I know I'm trying to get better but it's only been three months since I was a literal demon. It's a process, and I was a pretty bad person."
Frowning, Wallflower thought about that. "I... kinda want to agree? But I kinda also don't." She knew I was going to object - or at least question - and continued quickly. "I mean, you were bad. Really bad. But that doesn't make it okay."
"Wallflower, I--" And I didn't get anything more out before she cut me off.
"It's not okay," she repeated. "I used to think that seeing you get treated how you treated everyone would make me feel better. But then this happened and... it didn't. I just felt worse. But this time there was something I could do about it. So I did." Wallflower's words were surprisingly clear - not tainted by anger or her reclusive shyness, but simple and certain. "Nobody should get treated like that. Maybe deep down you're still a terrible person, Sunset Shimmer, but that doesn't mean you deserve to get bullied and beaten up."
That caught me off-guard. Did she erase that too? "Nobody beat me up."
Her eyes looked at the floor. "Just because they aren't hitting you with their fist doesn't mean it hurts less," she miserably noted.
That made me flinch.
Wallflower took a long, deep breath to steady herself. "Maybe you are Anon-A-Miss. Maybe you're still the same mean bully you've been for years. But I saw you crying and I just... I know what it's like to feel that way. To be lonely and afraid and..." She trailed off, pulling in on herself tighter.
I stood up, moving slowly. Wallflower braced herself, body tensing up as I came over. I put a hand on her shoulder, leaned in - and then I hugged her. "Thank you." She breathed out, and so much of her tension went with it.
We lapsed into silence again, sitting on the packed dirt of the greenhouse. When I didn't let go of the hug, Wallflower hesitated - and then tentatively hugged me back.
That got me to smile more as we pulled slightly - but only slightly - apart. "Don't worry. I'm pretty new at this, too."
She laughed. It was half a snort, but still a real laugh. "This isn't how I thought this was going to go when you came into my garden."
"You thought I was going to start yelling again?" She nodded - I smiled. "Can't blame you. I thought I might do that too. But one of the lessons that I've been trying to remember lately is that friendship can blossom from just one moment of kindness."
Wallflower was really quiet after I said that. And - in the most fragile voice I think I've ever heard - she asked just one question. "Am I your friend?"
Six months ago I'd have laughed in her face. Or maybe just seen how far I could string her along before she broke. But right in that moment, I couldn't imagine ever taking someone who had so much... so much fearful hope and betray it. "I'd like to be. If you want, Wallflower."
"I do." She was just as fast to say it as she'd been hesitant to ask. A blush touched her cheeks. "I, um. I mean, yes. I'd like that."
A little smirk crossed my lips. "Even if I'm Anon-A-Miss or the same mean bully I was for years?"
Wallflower's blush turned darker. "I... I don't really think you are. I mean, if you were--."
I put my hand over her mouth. "I'm kidding, Wallflower."
When I pulled my hand away, she was pouting.
"So," I ventured in the momentary silence, "Since we're friends. Why don't you help me get to know you better?"
We talked for hours in the dirt. It's ironically hard to remember everything we said to each other - once Wallflower started it was tough to make her stop. I was probably the first person in her life she'd ever opened up to and she had a million thoughts that needed to get out. Some of it was stuff I didn't understand - unsurprisingly, she knew a lot about plants that went right over my head - but a lot of it was just... thoughts and dreams and things she had to get off her chest. It was pretty cute, how she kept hopping from thought to thought that she could finally say out loud to someone who would listen. Someone who wanted to hear her and wouldn't judge.
I got a few words in edgewise of course, mostly to talk about Equestria. I guess I gave as good as she did on that - there's some stuff I've never told the girls because they'd see it as a friendship problem to solve and I haven't told Princess Twilight about because she's... she's too Princess. I don't think Wallflower really got a lot of it, but she was a sympathetic ear. And oversharing encourages more oversharing, I guess.
Eventually, though, I had to stand up and stretch. My shoulder and at least three vertebrae popped loud enough for Wallflower to wince at. "I hate to be the one to say it, Wallflower, but I gotta go. The girls wanted me over at Fluttershy's for a sleepover and I need to get there before it's dark." I looked less up and more over at the setting sun through the greenhouse's panels. "I'd say you should come with me, but it's Fluttershy's house rather than mine and..." I shrugged.
Wallflower nodded as she stood up, too. "Yeah. I understand." She still sounded sad - but that turned quickly when I put my hand on her arm.
"Hey. Don't worry, they'll like you too." A thought occurred, and I revised my mental timeline. "Probably shouldn't introduce you yet, though. After I solve the Anon-A-Miss problem and put their memories back for sure, though. Before that you'll just get--"
And I stopped. Wallflower was staring at me, eyes wide with shock. "You didn't give them them their memories back? But I thought that's why you took the stone!"
There was a little voice in the back of my head that started screaming. I was missing something. "Well yeah, I'm going to. But if I figure out who Anon-A-Miss is first, it'll fix everything. Win-win, right?"
Wallflower lunged and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Sunset, it's the third day!" I must have looked like an idiot, because she kept going. "You said you had other sources! Didn't they tell you about the time limit?" Panic was rising in her voice and in her eyes. "Memories only last in the stone for a little while! After sundown of the third day, they're gone forever!"
My stomach lurched, and it was a good thing we'd missed lunch. A quick glance at my watch - sundown was less than fifteen minutes away. As it was, the sun was almost touching the horizon. That voice in my head was louder now, pointing out how close I was to losing those memories forever. If I'd talked with Wallflower for a few more minutes, or hadn't brought it up, or.. or anything!
Wallflower was all panic and action when I needed her to be most. She gave me a little shake as my mind wildly churned. "Sunset! Sunset, come on! Where did you put the stone? You're running out of time!"
She was right - and that question snapped me out of it. I practically dove for my bag, clawing it open to get the stone out. Wallflower looked at it forlornly as it sat in my hands, the temptation of the magic still picking at her thoughts. There was a brief war in her eyes - but she saw how desperate I was.
I looked away for a moment, and then Wallflower was standing next to me when my head turned back. She told me what needed to be done without words by holding out a shovel. I dropped the stone to the ground, grabbed the shovel, raised it and...
And I stopped.
You have to understand - I'm still human. Ish. After everything that's happened in my life, sometimes it seems like I'm a superhero. Or at least that I'm confident and strong and know what I'm doing. But I'm not invincible. And in that moment I realized I had a choice.
If I swung that shovel, everyone would have their memories back. Anon-A-Miss would keep posting and all my friends would hate me. Nobody at Canterlot High would ever trust me again. Besides Wallflower, I'd be alone. There would be some discrepancies in the last few days in people's memories, but I'd be right back to square one.
But if I didn't? Yes, I'd keep my friends. Anon-A-Miss would go away. Everything would go back to what it was a week before. But I'd have that by abusing Equestrian magic. And there was no guarantee this wouldn't happen again. Anon-A-Miss would still be out there and might eventually come up with a different plan to get back at me. And the girls... I'd be stealing part of who they were to get there.
And that's when what Wallflower said the day before really hit me. I was hesitating because I was thinking of myself. I was looking at the choices and thinking about them not because a path was right or wrong, but for what it could do for me. I was considering hurting my friends just so I could make myself feel a little better for a while. Wallflower was right - I was making it about me, and I was still acting like the same disgusting person I was before Twilight saved me.
I slammed the flat side of the shovel down as hard as I could.
Nothing happened.
Lifting the shovel back up, I wasn't sure if I should cry or scream - the floor of the greenhouse was dirt, after all. I'd managed to push the stone in rather than break it. (Later, Wallflower would give me a brief lecture that it was a shovel not a sledgehammer, and you don't use them like that.)
I cast around, looking for something to solve the problem - the wheelbarrow caught my eye as a harder surface I could use as an anvil, but I didn't get the opportunity. Before I could do anything else Wallflower dove, wielding a trowel like a knife. Her first strike scraped metal against rock, barely scoring the surface of the stone. Her second found a small crevasse in the carvings. Well-worn carbon steel gouged a thin crack in rock.
There was a snap. And then there was light.
I'm really not sure how to describe what happened. It's like the stone was an egg and her tiny chip grew as it cracked apart. All these streamers came flying out - red, purple and pink. They shot into the air, vanishing after just a few seconds. And when I looked back down at the stone it had broken apart into shards.
Wallflower sat there for a couple of minutes as her breathing slowed to normal, trowel in one hand and the other absently playing with a broken piece of the stone. I hugged her from behind - I know what it's like to lose magic after it takes hold of you. Another thing we share.
Eventually, she managed to find words. "I had to. They were almost out of time and if I let it..." She pinched her eyes shut and shivered. "You made your choice. If you're my friend, I had to help you. B-but I--"
I hugged her tighter. "You could have grabbed the stone and used it on me," I pointed out. "But you didn't. You chose to help me instead of yourself. There's no 'if', Wallflower. We are friends. And that means more to me right now than I can put into words."
"And after that," Sunset said with a sigh, "I helped her up and went home. Wallflower said she needed time to sort out her thoughts and I was emotionally exhausted. Obviously I didn't go to Fluttershy's since the girls all hated me again." Head falling backwards, she stared at the ceiling of the Principal's office. "Then I called you the next morning, you agreed to meet me at school, and here we are."
Principal Celestia nodded, as she had throughout the whole story. It had patched up a few discrepancies in the last few days, both in her own memory and in how she'd seen others behave around the school. "I see." It was an unhelpful statement to make, but she needed a few moments to process all the new information. Elbows on the desktop, she leaned forward. "Well Sunset, I can certainly understand why you thought this couldn't wait until after the holiday break. If nothing else, I'm glad you alerted me to another magical incident in the school as quickly as possible. I'm not sure what to do about this Anon-A-Miss, however. We can assist you in dealing with any instances of bullying, but you know how far that really goes."
Sitting back up in the chair, Sunset let out a quick, bitter laugh. "Yeah, I know better than anybody where the limits of your authority are. I spent long enough dancing around them." She took a deep breath - and shrugged. "I don't think there's much you can do, Principal Celestia. Right now it's just a couple of pieces of gossip and there's nothing rule-breaking about that, even if it hurts me." Running her fingers through her hair, Sunset let out a long sigh. "I'll live. I just have to figure out who Anon-A-Miss really is and hope that the girls will believe me once I expose them. Maybe things can still be fixed."
"So you have no leads? And Wallflower doesn't either?" Celestia tapped her chin thoughtfully as Sunset shook her head. "I can see your problem." She paused for a moment. Sunset raised an eyebrow. This was... familiar. Princess Celestia had acted this way sometimes, usually when she already knew everything, had a plan and was waiting for the right dramatic moment to spring it to action. "Do you think your investigation would work better if you had more help?"
Sunset didn't say anything at first - her mind was on trying to figure out what Celestia was up to. But eventually she was forced to fall into the same role the Princess had so often put her into when she was like this: walking blindly into the trap and hoping it would be the good sort, like a surprise party. "Yeah, I can't see how it would hurt."
"Excellent." Celestia smiled and Sunset braced. The Principal reached her hand over to her desk phone, turning it slightly so Sunset could see the front. One tiny green light shone on it - next to the intercom button. "Luna, I'm fairly sure Miss Shimmer has finished her story and you can unmute now."
There was a slight crackle before the Vice-Principal's voice came through the speaker. "I presume she looks confused, sister?"
Celestia's eyes flickered over to Sunset. "A little, but more anticipatory. I believe she's waiting for the other shoe to drop."
"Give it... ten seconds," Luna smugly suggested.
It was six before the door to Celestia's office banged open. And another three before a crying Pinkie Pie impacted Sunset, bowling her out of the chair.
"Close enough to ten," Vice-Principal Luna noted from the doorway.
Disentangling herself partially from the clinging Pinkie, Sunset turned her head to see her four other friends coming into the room - and Wallflower with them.
Principal Celestia smiled gently. "They called us shortly after you did. Apparently your new friend reached out to your old ones and tried to explain everything. We asked them to come in an hour before you, which is when Wallflower told us what she knew." Her smile sharpened, eyes gleaming. "She didn't mention you saying she was cute, however."
Sunset's face flushed red as her hair. "Wait, hold on! Focus!" Which was going to be difficult, given that Wallflower was also blushing and Rarity had a predator's look in her eye. Sunset's attention swung to her friends. "You.. you believe me now?"
"Kinda hard not to," Rainbow Dash quipped. "After a story like that?"
Fluttershy nodded, easing into the conversation. "Someone who wasn't our friend would have waited to destroy the stone."
"And we.. rather strongly suspected before that, as well," Rarity added.
Vice-Principal Luna glanced at the girls and then to Celestia. "I believe this would be an advisable time for the recording of the prior conversation?"
Celestia nodded. "I agree. It should address what I'm sure are a number of Sunset's questions and I know just the part to begin at. If you have no objections, girls?"
They didn't - the five Rainbooms nodded, and the Principal tapped a button on her phone.
Was the darnedest thing, really. One moment, we're havin' the usual start to a sleepover - Rainbow and Pinkie were arguin' over pizza toppings, Rarity was unpacking her third overnight bag, Fluttershy was triple-checking the locks to keep her brother out and Ah was texting Granny to let her know Ah'd gotten in just fine.
Then all of a sudden it was like somebody pushed a finger right into my brain an' wiggled it around. Ah probably don't need to tell you how it felt, Principal Celestia, since Ah'm bettin' you had something mighty similar when the memories caught up to you.
Ah think maybe it hit us harder than it hit you, since we've been involved a lot more close to things. All Ah can say is that all of us just sorta stood there for a minute or two, tryin' to sort out the mixed signals of what our brains were tellin' us.
Then Pinkie looks around at us all and her face just... falls. And in this mouse-quiet voice she says, "Oh."
Pretty much summed it up for all of us, really. We remembered what happened with Anon-A-Miss and how we treated Sunset. But we also knew how she'd been actin' the last few days, too. Ah think that's the moment we realized deep down that we'd messed up. It didn't totally hit us yet, but we all had that gut feeling. Ah could see it in everybody's eyes.
We spent maybe the next half an hour in a little circle, comparin' memories to make sure everything was in order and none of us had imagined any of it. It was magic so we had to be sure, you know? We'd just about agreed that our memories matched up when Mr. Shy came knockin' and said we had a friend at the door.
We opened it figuring that it was Sunset - and that's when we met Wallflower.
She slips in and she's this scared little thing - her eyes are lookin' everywhere at once and she's pulled into that sweater of hers like it's armor. But she still comes in and lets the door shut behind her.
Everybody's real quiet for a long, long second, 'cuz we've got no idea who this girl is but she's obviously got some things to say.
And then she asks us a question, real quiet-like. "Are you Sunset's friends?"
We all exchanged a look. Fluttershy answered her - "Yes?"
Then Wallflower's silent for a couple more seconds, like she's gathering herself up. Once she does, she looks at us again. This time what's in her eyes ain't fear or nerves. It's like she's got hot steel in her hand and she's tryin' to figure out if she's gonna quench it in the water or in our guts. And she says it again. "No. Are you Sunset's friends."
Ah tell you, Principal, the shame that hit me right then and there? Ah don't think Ah'll ever be able to forget it. Before, we'd all suspected. She said that and we knew. Clear as day, we knew.
Rainbow Dash, bless her stupid impulsive heart, was about the only one of us who could speak. An' she said just the right thing - what we were all feelin' in our souls. "We want to be."
Seems like that was the right answer, because Wallflower nodded and that heat in her cooled. She didn't ask us permission - she just sat down on the floor next to the door, legs pulled in tight to her. Not sure if she was bracing to run at the end of it or if she was blockin' our escape to make sure we listened. But Ah can tell you, none of us were gonna go anywhere once she started. "Okay. Here's what happened."
Principal Celestia tapped the button, stopping the recording.
Nobody said anything at first - the only sound in the room was a quiet sniffle from Sunset as she wiped her eyes.
Crossing over the space between them, Applejack held her hand out. There was a moment's hesitation. And then Sunset took the hand and was pulled to her feet. "Truth is, sugarcube, we messed up. After Wallflower told us her part, well. We talked it over for the rest of the night. Got a real chance to reflect on what'd gone on and how we'd acted. All Ah can really say is we got mad and made some mighty fool choices in the heat of it. Choices Ah know we all regret now. Every one of us owes you about as many apologies as we can fit between now and Revelations."
Still in a pile by Sunset's feet, Pinkie added her own two cents. "We made a huge mistake. Can you ever forgive us? Please?"
Sunset spent a long time silent, chewing her lip pensively. Then just as everyone started to shift with unease, she gave a little nod. "I can. I want to. This isn't something that I'm just going to..." Sunset briefly trailed off into an ironic chuckle. "Forget. I can't just say yes and make it all fine, just like you can't say sorry and make everything go away. But you five are still my best friends - you saved me from the monster I was." A smile rose on Sunset's dawning face. "You're worth a few bumps on the road."
Smiling back, Rarity mused an extension to Sunset's words. "Any relationship requires time and effort. You've done your share of that to prove you're our friend. I suppose now it's our turn to do the same and show we're yours."
The room warmed. Sunset's shoulders relaxed as the weight lifted away. "And I know a good way to start." She raised her finger at her friends and made a declaration. "As penance, none of you are allowed to do the thing anymore where you bring up something bad I did once and then say 'no offense'."
They looked between themselves - and then all eyes turned to the worst offender. Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Yeah, a'ight, that's fair. It was getting old anyway."
Sunset nodded firmly. "Good enough first step for me."
Laughing, the six friends embraced again. Perhaps not as normal, but closer to it then they had been.
Until Sunset cleared her throat and they all looked over. An amber hand reached out for Wallflower, all eyes following it. "What are you doing over there?"
The green girl blinked uncomprehendingly. "Um."
"You're my friend," Sunset noted with a smile. "And you saved these friendships, so I'm pretty sure you're our friend. So you're supposed to be in here too."
She hesitated. But the moment she took Sunset's hand, Wallflower's fate was sealed. She was pulled into the group hug - subsumed into Sunset's We.
After a solid embrace, they separated again. Or at least the five pulled away, leaving Sunset and Wallflower together. It took several more seconds for each to realize that it was just them - then as a pair they blushed and pulled apart.
Tried to pull apart. Rarity instantly had an arm over Wallflower and Sunset's shoulders as she swooped in. "So. Cute, hm?"
Sunset groaned. "Oh for the love of Celestia's dappled flanks Rarity!"
Across the room, Principal Celestia pouted devilishly. "My what?"
"Oh god," muttered Sunset. "Wallflower, please tell me there's enough left in the stone to end this conversation."
All of them - students and teachers alike - laughed with a mixture of relief and hope for the days to come.
