Anon-a-Miss succeeded. Sunset Shimmer no longer hangs out with her loved ones. One day, the creators of the account realize that Sunset doesn't show up for class. Worried, they went to her house and discovered sad news.
Anon-a-Miss succeeded. Sunset Shimmer no longer hangs out with her loved ones. One day, the creators of the account realize that Sunset doesn't show up for class. Worried, they went to her house and discovered sad news.
Applejack clenched her fists as some students giggled as she passed by. She restrained herself with all her might not to hit them in the face, even though it would have been a great pleasure to send them to the infirmary. She took a deep breath and relaxed her fists. With a scornful smile, she turned to the one who had spoken.
“Shut up, Spot, if you don't want me to remind everyone that you only wear pink underwear.”
Spot scowled and left, under the laughter of the students who had witnessed the scene. Once again, Applejack sighed and made her way back to her math neck. She frowned when she heard the bickering and mockery among the students in the hallway.
Sunset has really messed up this school, she thought with a tiny ounce of anger and regret.
When she arrived at a crossroads between two hallways, she ran into Rainbow Dash who had a swollen lip and a bruise on her cheek.
“Rainbow Dash! What happened to you?”
Rainbow growled something inaudible to Applejack's ears.
“Can you say that again?”
“Gilda” mumbled the athlete.
“Did Gilda do this to you?”
Rainbow confirmed with a nod.
“But why?" Applejack asked. You weren't on good terms?”
“Anon-a-Miss.” As the farm girl looked confused, she sighed and continued “She thinks I told Sunset some secrets between the two of us. And now that they've been published, she thinks I'm an accomplice.”
Applejack put a hand on her shoulder as a sign of support.
“Ignore her. At some point, she'll see that you didn't reveal anything... unless you really did.”
Rainbow's face fell off.
“Not you too” she muttered.
Applejack gave her a sad smile.
.
Now accompanied by Rarity, whom they had seen fleeing from a group of students making fun of her and her creations, Rainbow and Applejack entered the math room. They froze at the entrance. Sitting at the far end of the classroom was their ex-friend, Sunset Shimmer, her head slumped on the table with her eyes closed. She hid it well, but Applejack had known her long enough to see that she was exhausted. Unfortunately, this small sign of weakness did nothing to ease the anger that was bubbling inside her at the mere sight of the redhead. Rainbow, having also noticed Sunset's condition, took advantage of the situation and approached her office. She vaguely heard Rarity say something but did not listen.
She grabbed the girl by the collar of her jacket and forced her to look into his eyes, which she opened in surprise.
“R... Rainbow Dash?”
The girl with multicolored hair remained marbled in the face of Sunset's weak tone.
“Are you happy?! Because of you, I lost a friendship I cherished, Anon-a-Miss.”
“Rainbow, stop!” Rarity cried, but Rainbow didn't listen.
“When are you going to stop publishing people's secrets, huh?!”
“You... have to believe me. I... I...—” started Sunset, but Rainbow interrupted.
“— am I not Anon-a-Miss?” the girl finished questioning the girl with an expression of pure anger “Don't make me laugh.”
A hand grabbed her shoulder and she turned around, thinking it was one of her friends, and swallowed the scathing line she was about to say when she saw it was Cranky Doodle.
“Miss Dash, please come with me to the Director's office. As for you, Miss Shimmer, go to the infirmary. I'm excusing you from class for today. I don't think you'll make it through the day.”
Sunset stammered thanks and rushed as best she could out of the room, without a glance at the girls and other students who had entered, under the piercing and protective eye of the teacher.
.
Nurse Redheart watched the red-headed girl drink a cup of tea with a worried look on her face. The poor teenage girl was going through an ordeal. The students were all against her, but at least she had the teachers on her side. At a meeting a few days ago, all the staff had agreed to indirectly support the redhead by protecting her from student abuse, using the school rules to hide the fact that they were on her side.
Minutes before the girl arrived at the infirmary, Redheart had received a text message from Mr. Doodle, explaining what had happened and telling her that he was now putting the girl in her hands. Sunset had entered the infirmary, barely holding on her legs. At first glance, Redheart saw that she hadn't been able to sleep for several nights. The fact that she had managed to make it from her home to here was a miracle in itself, given her condition. The voice of the girl in question drew her out of her daydream.
“Thank you for the tea, ma'am.”
She watched Sunset leave the bed she was sitting on and take her bag.
“But where are you going?”
“Well, I'm going to class,” she answered in an obvious tone.
Redheart objected.
“Mr. Doodle has let me know what happened to you and that he has exempted you from math class. But you're also exhausted, given the dark circles under your eyes. So, you're going to stay here and rest.”
“But... my classes —”
“— will wait. Besides, how do you expect to concentrate if you can barely open your eyes?”
Sunset stayed for a while and then sighed.
“You win.”
With a winning smile, Redheart approached her, helped her to lie down and drew some curtains to hide her from the eyes of possible injured students who would come.
.
The last bell rang soon. Usually, the students greeted each other at the end of each class, but there was no warm greeting. Teenagers were staring at each other, insulting and mocking each other; this had become routine over the past two weeks. Some stayed to watch the occasional arguments that broke out in the hallways, while others rushed outside Canterlot High as quickly as possible, not wanting to get involved in any conflicts. This was the case at Sunset.
By the time the students left the classrooms, she herself was already outside, near the statue that connected this world to Equestria, her home world. She was happy to have obeyed the nurse. That little nap she had had in the infirmary had done her a lot of good. She wasn't at her peak, but she felt much better than she had in the morning.
She lingered her gaze on the base of the statue. She approached it and extended her hand. As she had intended, instead of crossing the marble as if it were water, her hand came into contact with the stone. Princess Twilight had written to her a few days before the disorder began that she had closed the portal as a security measure, as she would be away from Ponyville for a few weeks due to her duties as Princess. Too bad. She would have liked to retire for a while in her home world to escape this affair for a few days.
“Hey, Anon-a-Miss!” Sunset turned around, only to feel a fist smashing against her left eye. She looked up and frightened saw Gilda staring at her with a hateful look in her eyes “What’s up?!” She received another blow on her left cheek and fell to the ground with her back to the statue “When are you going to stop publishing our secrets?!!”
Sunset heard giggles. She opened a glassy eye and saw that the students, who were leaving the high school, were looking at the one-way fight with evil looks. Among the crowd that had gathered, she saw her five friends with various expressions.
Applejack watched everything coldly, having no desire to protect her. Rainbow had a strange glow in her eyes, as if she was torn between fun, joy and pity. Rarity looked disapproving of Gilda's ways of getting even. Pinkie was uncertain. And Fluttershy was stubbornly looking the other way. She crossed their eyes and they left immediately. Their indifference was probably more hurtful to Sunset than the blows she was taking. A lonely tear streamed from her eye.
“Unbelievable! She's crying?!” Gilda cried to the crowd, who began to laugh. “Are you finally going to say that you're giving up on continuing to publish our secrets?”
There was a silence as Sunset tried to catch her breath. Finally, she spoke.
“Once again... I... am... not... ANON-A-MISS!!!!”
The last word came out of her mouth in the form of a shout that echoed around her. And it was worth the grunt of several students; among them, Gilda.
“Liar!” She kicked the redhead's chest and she coughed up droplets of blood. This made several students gasp, but not the white-purple-haired girl. “We all know it was you, so stop denying it.”
“Gilda, that's enough!” exclaimed one girl. “You're going to get in trouble.”
“Not even in dreams,” Gilda replied dismissively.
“That's what you think,” said a cold voice from the entrance.
Everyone froze. They recognized that voice. Worst of all, the landlady had never spoken to anyone like that before.
She was a young woman in her early twenties and her eyes, usually warm, were shooting lightning bolts. Yellow skin and light orange hair, she was wearing a sports outfit in the colours of the Wondercolts of the CHS.
“C... Co... Coach... Spitfire?” managed to croak Gilda, intimidated by the looks of the sports teacher.
“Miss Griffin. I want you to know that you're in trouble.”
Gilda hardly swallowed her saliva.
“Please leave the poor girl alone,” Spitfire continued. She turned her attention to the crowd of students “And you, I suggest you get out of here.”
They were not told twice. None of them wanted to incur the wrath of a teacher, usually maternal, who was hiding a fearsome tigress within herself. Within two minutes, the courtyard in front of the entrance was empty, except for Gilda, Sunset and herself.
She approached them and with a piercing look, ordered Gilda to go to the offices of Principal Celestia, who had not yet left, and to wait for her there. Finally alone, she gave up her reproving attitude for a more restless one.
“Sunset. Is everything all right?”
“Impeccable,” replied the redhead with a sad smile before coughing up a little blood, which alerted the teacher. “Why this question?”
“Stop trying to lighten the mood. You're doing it very badly.”
The face of the old unicorn fell. Spitfire helped her back to her feet.
“Come on, come on. Let's get you checked out by Redheart.”
.
“I don't have the equipment to confirm this, but... I think you're good at not overdoing it,” Redheart said sadly as she finished bandaging the redhead's chest.
“What's wrong with me?” Sunset asked.
“I think you have a few broken ribs,” replied the pink-haired nurse.
Spitfire and Luna frowned.
All four were in the infirmary. After Spitfire told Celestia and Luna what she'd seen, the vice-principal insisted on going to Sunset, while her sister dealt with Gilda's punishment, not coming back from the fact that a student had been beaten so badly under her nose. Sunset swallowed.
“Is it serious?”
Redheart shrugged.
“Let's say you're lucky. It could have been worse.” She looked at the watch hanging on the wall and saw that twenty minutes had passed since the end of class. “I did what I could and I have to go. My shift at the hospital starts soon.”
She left, leaving Luna to lock the infirmary. Spitfire watched her leave before turning to Sunset, who had opened her mouth.
“Thank you, Miss Spitfire. For saving me.”
“You're welcome, kid. I wasn't going to let them attack you when you're innocent,” Spitfire replied.
At the last word, the wounded woman raised her head sharply to the comforting faces of Luna and Spitfire.
“You... you...”
“Yes, we believe you when you say you're innocent,” Luna replied to the unspoken question. “To be honest, all the staff is with you.”
Sunset stared at them, not knowing what to say. Memories suddenly came back to her mind. Teachers protecting her from vengeful students; Miss Cheerilee insisting that she be in her sight every time she was in the library; and in the cafeteria, Granny Smith insisting that she eat right in front of her; all to tell her that she wasn't alone. She lowered her head, tears falling to the floor.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you to them. And to you.”
Spitfire smiled a tender smile and gave her a little hug that Sunset gladly returned. It was the first sign of affection she had received in days. Oh, how she missed it. Spitfire broke free from her embrace.
“Okay, Sunset. After what happened to you, it's best for me to go to your place with you. Come on, get up.”
“Yes... ha ha... at my place” the redhead laughed nervously.
The sudden change of tone alarmed the attention of the two adults.
“Sunset Shimmer. A problem?” Luna asked.
“A problem? No! Why this question?” she replied in a high-pitched voice, refusing to cross their eyes.
Luna's eyebrows frowned even more. She knew that look. This girl was hiding something from them. Something that was bothering her.
“You're a terrible liar, Sunset. Tell us.”
Sunset bit her lip. She looked up and met the implacable look of the two teachers, before confessing:
“I don't have a home.”
There was a silence of the most embarrassing silence that Sunset has ever experienced. She looked up timidly. Spitfire's eyes were wide open and Luna's mouth was open in shock.
“No home?” Luna repeated dazedly.
Sunset nodded with a dark look.
“Has it always been dark?!”
Sunset winced as Spitfire's voice grew louder.
“No, it didn't. For the past two weeks. The person I rented my apartment to is a relative of one of the Anon-a-Miss victims and like her, she thinks I'm guilty and she threw me out.”
Spitfire exchanged an outraged look with Luna. It was hard for her to put up with everything that was going on here, but not only that she was now homeless...
“And where have you been sleeping all this time?” asked Luna.
“Under a bridge. Or in the school library, when it's too cold. I found books piled up in the library at the bottom of the library to make a bed. I think that's where Princess Twilight Sparkle slept for the first time in this world.”
Luna scratched her chin at the mention of the princess.
“Why don't you go back to Equestria every night and come back here in the morning?”
Sunset sighed.
“Because the portal is closed. And the Princess doesn't answer any of my messages. She must be busy. A big event called Hearth’s Warming is coming up and she has to oversee the preparations.”
“What about paying for your meals in the cafeteria or outside?”
“I still have some liquids, but it won't last.”
“Why won't it last? The end of the month is tomorrow. You should get your salary since you have a job.”
Sunset sighed again.
“There is also this. I was also fired from my job for the same reason I was evicted from my apartment.”
This time she didn't need to look at them to know that Luna and Spitfire were once again exchanging glances mixed with pity, anger and helplessness. Luna spoke.
“Sunset” The girl looked up with bloodshot eyes. “For the rest of the week, you'll sleep at my place.”
To say that Sunset is surprised is an understatement. “What?”
“You heard me. You'll be staying with Celestia and me until Friday.”
Sunset opened and closed her mouth several times.
“I... I can't accept.”
“Why?” Luna asked, arching her eyebrow.
“I'll be a burden to you,” she answered, new tears appearing in the corner of her eyes.
Luna shook her head.
“Considering what you did in the Battle of the Bands, it's the least we can do to thank you. Stay here. I still have some things to take care of and we'll leave together.”
Sunset prepared to protest but pressure on her shoulder from Spitfire prevented her from doing so. She then left the room, following in Luna's footsteps.
.
“It's unimaginable. All this time...”
Luna nodded sombrely to the stunned expression of her older sister. Spitfire had returned home. Celestia was sitting across from her in her darkly coloured office. Usually, the colour midnight blue and the feeling of being in the evening calmed Luna, but this was not the case. She was impassive outside, but inside it was a tornado of anger. Whoever it was, Anon-a-Miss really managed to make Sunset's life feel like a boat wreck on the beach. Filled with holes, gaps. But in Sunset's case, those gaps were her housing, friends, work, and nutrition, which was diminishing day by day.
“You made the right decision, Luna,” said Celestia after a moment of silence during which she assimilated all the information that Luna had told her about Sunset's current life. She buried her head in her hands in a weary motion. “Poor girl. She must have suffered shocks. Most people will probably have committed suicide by now.”
“What worries me is that I think it's just beginning.” She watched her sister questioning her with her eyes. “I visited the page of this blog and yes, in the early days it wasn't very bad, but it got worse. The secrets published became more personal, darker; secrets that could ruin the students' school life. I contacted MyStable to tell them to ban the account but they didn't do anything, probably believing it would calm down. And the police can't intervene because it's too small a game for them.”
“So we are alone? Is that it?”
“Apparently so. Come on, let's go. We need to go home.”
They left Luna's office, the owner taking care to lock it, and rushed to the infirmary and found an unfortunate Sunset Shimmer flipping through some kind of diary with her beauty mark on the cover.
“Sunset?” said Celestia shyly.
The girl looked up at them with an empty look.
“Luna explained your situation to me. I have to say that I'm willing to let you stay with us for a while. Then come.”
With slow, unenthusiastic gestures, Sunset took her things and followed the two principals outside. Night had already fallen, the streetlights were on, the crickets were out and there was little traffic. She climbed into the back seat of the directors' white sedan and watched the moon, leaning against the door.
Celestia drove off, out of the parking lot and onto the road, heading for her home and that of her little sister. From the back seat, Sunset watched them silently. Why were they helping her? She is nothing but a burden. Even if it's only for the week, she can't bear to let them spend more than they usually do, just for herself. She turned her attention back to the lunar star, pensive.
Who was Anon-a-Miss? Why was she framing it? Was it because of her past or something else? It is because of this blog now that she is forced to depend on others.
.
It was with these thoughts that Sunset fell asleep.
It was Celestia's sweet voice that awakened her.
“Sunset Shimmer. We have arrived.”
Sunset opened a glassy eye and through the windshield watched the house standing in front of them. It was quite modest but still quite luxurious.
Sunset opened the door and hesitantly approached the porch of the house, behind Celestia and Luna.
“Why this hesitation?” Luna remarked. “I told you, you are not a burden to us. And besides, it's not just a proposal. It is also an order. So, come in!”
In front of Luna's imperious tone, Sunset rushed immediately inside. The house was quite classy, as she had seen from the outside. She almost thought she was in Rarity's house, so white and purple dominated the other colours.
“Sunset. Welcome to your new home for the week,” Celestia said as she took the leather jacket off the redhead and hung it on a coat rack.
She was in a hallway divided in two by the existence of a staircase leading upstairs on the left. The right side led to the back, where the kitchen and dining room probably stood. There were also two oak doors leading to the living room and toilet.
“Come, I will show you the bathroom. You need a good shower to get rid of all that dry blood,” said Luna as she took her upstairs, while Celestia prepared dinner.
Luna opened one of the five doors leading to different rooms upstairs and let Sunset in, before closing it again. She now found herself in a medium-sized bathroom. Sunset wasted no time getting undressed and started to wash herself.
.
“Thank you for the meal. It is one of the best I have had in days.”
“Glad you like it,” smiled Celestia as she took another bite of spaghetti. “It's obvious right away that you were undernourished.”
Sunset smiled sadly and leaned back fully on her chair and sighed.
“You could say that too. While I think about it, thanks again for believing me. It's doing me a lot of good.”
“You're welcome. Now go get some rest. From what Luna told me, you've been through a lot today.”
Sunset gave them a thankful look and went upstairs to the guest room. She went straight to bed and thought about her day. It had been one of the most horrible she had ever had. Worse than after the Fall Formal. She closed her eyes and thought about her friends. The way they had looked at her was the worst punch Sunset had ever had. Immediately she remembered, in spite of herself, the day it all changed.
Sunset walked through the halls of Canterlot High, a slight leap in her gait, laughing inwardly at the memories of last night's sleep over. "The closet of shame". Strange, but original as a name. She'll have to ask Rarity where she gets that kind of name. Speaking of the wolf, she found it in the company of the other Rainbooms, in front of her locker.
“Hey, girls!” She suddenly stopped noticing her friends' faces. “What's going on?”
“Sunset,” Applejack began. “Do you... have you lost your phone recently?
Sunset searched her jacket and pulled out the device in question.
“Um… no? It's right here. Why?”
“Then you need to explain this!” she exclaimed aggressively as she reached for her own phone.
There she saw a post. And not just any post. It was a post from Anon-a-Miss... with pictures from their previous sleepover with the comment: "OMG... what a bunch of dorks! Hahaha!"
“What?!!” she exclaimed, stunned. “How did she get our pictures?”
“They’re not our pictures, Sunset—," Applejack said sombrely.
“— they're yours,” Rainbow ended in the same tone.
“All those pictures were taken by you,” Applejack said, her eyes squinted.
Sunset couldn't believe it. Were they accusing her of giving Anon-a-Miss those pictures?
“Wait! I’ve had my phone all this time! How did she—”
“Yeah. How did she know about my nickname? How did she get the pictures from your phone? It was you. All along! You're Anon-a-Miss.”
This sentence spoken by Applejack had the effect of a bomb in her head. Did she hear wrong? Rainbow contradicted that thought.
“We trusted you, Sunset. We thought you were our friend.”
It was Rarity's turn to speak with an angry look on her face.
“How could you do this? After all we've been through together?”
“No, wait, girls... I didn't do this!” Sunset said, trying to defend herself, feeling her eyes tingle. “I could never hurt any of you.”
Pinkie pointed an accusing finger at her.
“But you did! You must’ve just been pretending to be our friend, when all along you were just after our secrets! You… you secret stealer!”
“No! NO! I don't know how she got this stuff, but it... it wasn't me. I'm not this person.”
“No, you're not," Fluttershy cried out, tears in her eyes. “You're not the person we thought you were. You're not our friend!”
The fact that it was Fluttershy who said those words was the last straw. Her tears were now flowing.
“No, I.... I am. I promise.”
She watched the girls, not believing what she was going through. Was it even real? Applejack and Rainbow had the same expression: anger. Fluttershy cried silently and Rarity and Pinkie looked disappointed.
“This is it, Sunset. You’re not going to take advantage of us anymore. I'm sorry but you did this to us. Tell whatever secrets you want, but we don't have to listen.”
As one, the original Rainbooms left, leaving the crying girl in the middle of the hallway.
Sunset opened her eyes and wiped away a tear that had appeared in the corner of her eye. She searched her pocket for her phone, only to find it in pieces.
Probably Gilda, she thought as she remembered the blows she had received.
She put the debris of the device on her bedside table and fell asleep. She didn't notice the screen light up, showing a picture of the Rainbooms gathered shortly after the Battle of the Bands, and then shut down for good.
.
The following Tuesday, Sunset was heading towards the high school, having preferred to walk there, not wanting the students to see her arrive with the principal. This will only incite more hatred. Everyone will assume that she has gained the protection of the teachers.
As she was walking there quietly, completely recovered, she ran into an elderly woman who had arrived on a street corner. She was about to apologize when she recognized the woman.
“Miss... Miss Bookbinder?!” she said, her voice trembling with fear.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
Miss Bookbinder was a young woman of twenty-seven, with yellow skin, green hair and the attitude of someone who does not easily be intimidated. She was also the woman to whom Sunset had rented an apartment. And she was the same person who had evicted her, leaving her on the street.
Sunset looked at the woman and noted that she looked relieved and embarrassed. This contrasts with the expression of pure hatred she had when the redhead was evicted.
“Listen, Sunset.” She flinched as Sunset stepped back, terrified. “I'm... I'm sorry.”
It took forever for the information to reach Sunset's brain. She blinked once, twice, three times before she let go:
“What?”
“I'm sorry,” repeated Miss Bookbinder. “For kicking you out of your house. For yelling at you. I shouldn't have done that. It was unworthy of me and I realize it was stupid.”
She stared at the young teenager. She didn't seem to believe her ears. And she also seemed to have an internal struggle over the next thing she said. Finally, she made up her mind:
“Why the sudden change of heart? And why now?”
Miss Bookbinder gave her a little smile.
“You must know Miss Spitfire, right?” Faced with the redhead's nod, she continued. “We're pretty old acquaintances. Apparently, she got wind of what I did to you and she wasn't very happy about it. Yesterday, she came to see me and forced me to let you rent your apartment again. I told her that I refused but then she told me what you were going through at your high school. It made me think. More than once, apparently, you almost went to the hospital, and I told myself that guilty would never have taken such risks. But according to Spitfire, the gossip continued and got worse, and so did the treatment you were receiving from the student body. That's when I realized what a huge mistake I'd just made. I called you several times but you didn't answer.”
“My phone is in shambles. Because of a... treatment, as you say.”
“That's a shame. I'd like to offer you a new one as a sign of forgiveness but I don't have the budget. Anyway. I'll give you your apartment back.”
Miss Bookbinder apparently expected a thank you. Too bad. She didn't expect Sunset to give her a sad smile.
“I'm sorry, Miss Bookbinder, but I can't.”
“Why can't you?”
“I couldn't pay the rent. Shortly before you evicted me, I got a call from my boss. He told me I was being fired.”
“Fired? But why would he fire you? From what I've heard, you are diligent in your waitressing job. Why is that?”
Sunset grimaced. Immediately, an idea came into the woman's mind.
“Is it... the same reason as mine?”
Sunset did nothing to confirm or deny, but Bookbinder found her answer in her attitude. Tears came to her eyes. This young girl was going through a situation she had never imagined. And what's more, she expelled him from her home, just after a similar shock. She had to add a layer to it. That was too much. She approached Sunset and embraced him. Sunset froze but returned the embrace after a while.
“You know what? To hell with the rent. It'll be free.”
“What?! Sunset exclaimed, as confused by the sudden familiarization as by the generous offer, breaking the embrace.”
“I said it'll be free.”
“I... I don't know what to say.”
“So don't say anything. Now go to class. I expect to see you tonight at your apartment.”
And without another word, she left with a wave of her hand, which Sunset didn't give back, storing up everything she had experienced a moment ago. She found her apartment, her bed, her game console, her couch... everything. Her face, at first stunned, lit up little by little and for the first time in days, she had reason to smile with joy.
A small, barely perceptible smile that did not leave her despite the insults and jostling she received that day. She was also too cheerful and dreamy that she didn't notice that the jostling had gradually turned into a mini-slap and mini-punch, until it became a fight. She didn't realize this until the afternoon, at the end of the class.
The revelation came in the form of a snarling yob named Dumbbell, who grabbed the redhead by the collar and neck and lifted her off the ground, while Sunset was busy arranging the inside of her locker, ready to go home.
“What... do... you... want?” Sunset struggled to say, gasping for breath.
“Guess what, Anon-a-Miss. It's not complicated. I'm gonna get back at you. HOW DARE YOU PUBLISH THIS SECRET?!”
“I didn't do anything to you.”
“OH, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!”
And with the support of the crowd of students that appeared, he stuck his fist in the girl's stomach, knowing that he would not be punished, since the teachers were at a meeting at the other end of the school for at least an hour. Sunset's eyes popped out of their sockets. Dumbbell dropped her and she fell to the ground, her head hitting the floor. She suddenly felt dizzy. She struggled to get up, and as soon as she got up, she was pinned against her locker by Dumbbell, who pounded her face and stomach with his fists. Before long, Sunset's vision was blurred by the blood that was beginning to flow. She vaguely heard the panicky cries of the students and the warning cries of warning, her ears were buzzing so loudly, but Dumbbell continued to shoot her with his fist.
She mentally called out for help.
Help me! Please, she thought as she tried to free herself from the iron fist of the colossus.
Suddenly, the blows stopped and there had a collective gasp.
“That's enough!”
Sunset didn't need to open her aching eyes to know who her saviour was. She had the memory of that voice etched in her mind.
Flash?
“You've gone too far,” came a second voice.
Ditzy?
“Are you interfering? You'll be next.”
“Oh, no, I don't think so.”
Dumbbell felt his veins freezing. He slowly turned his head and found himself face to face with the angry eyes of Principal Celestia and Coach Spitfire.
“I... I... I... This is a joke ! Yes, a joke !!! You know?”
“Still, given the state of Sunset Shimmer, I don't think so. It's worse than with Miss Griffin. Come with me, Mr. Dumbbell.”
The two left before the frightened eyes of the assembled students, who were intimidated by the flames that seemed to dance in the sports teacher's eyes. Celestia gazed at them with a similar look, mentally noting the name of each student present, lingering for half a second on one group in particular.
“The next time something like this happens, it will be direct expulsion,” she announced. “And it will be a week of detention for those who attend the scene and yet don't intervene. NOW GET TO THE GYM! Given what happened here, I'm going to have to make an announcement. ”
There was a real cloud of dust as the students fled the principal in a fury. Sunset opened her eyes and clearly saw that her five friends were part of the group. Once again, they had witnessed the scene but had done nothing to protect her. She burst into tears, drawing the attention of Celestia, Derpy and Flash, who had stayed behind.
“They... they... were there. But... they... didn't... do... anything.”
Flash frowned. He, too, had seen the Rainbooms. He had not acted at first, believing that the girls, even though they were no longer really friends, would protect her. But he had been mistaken. They had been left out in the cold. Then, with Ditzy as his support, he had acted. He contacted Coach Spitfire and then threw himself at Dumbbell and blocked two of his shots, which resulted in the panting that followed, as no one imagined that Sunset's ex-boyfriend would save her.
He knelt down next to Sunset and pulled her into his arms. She didn't resist and collapsed against his shoulder. He felt the fabric of her jacket get wet, but did not push the girl away, leaving her crying comfortably on his shoulder.
“Flash Sentry.”
Still holding the redhead in his embrace, Flash looked up at the principal Celestia.
“Please take Miss Shimmer to the infirmary with Miss Doo. I will meet you there.”
Flash nodded. He put Sunset back on her feet, letting her lean on him. With Ditzy, they made their way to the infirmary, crossing the empty corridors, everyone in the gym. Flash glanced obliquely at Sunset. She had stopped crying and was now staring at the empty floor. All the joy she had had in the morning? Poof! Gone.
They arrived in front of the infirmary. Ditzy knocked at the door.
“Come in,” came the voice of Redheart.
Ditzy pushed the door. Redheart watched them enter and immediately got up when he saw Sunset.
“Oh my God! Sunset! What happened?”
“She was attacked, ma'am,” Ditzy replied sadly, looking at the battered girl.
“By who?”
“Dumbbell. But don't worry. He's already in the hands of Principal Celestia,” Flash replied gravely.
“Good.” She took a bottle of alcohol, soaked in absorbent cotton, and began to apply it to the wound of Sunset, who had a dead look in her eyes. “Miss Shimmer. Are you all right?”
New tears appeared in her cyan eyes and she began to cry again.
“No... I'm not okay. No one wants me here.”
Ditzy stepped forward, sat down next to her and stroked her back, pointing at herself and Flash.
“That's not true, Sunset. We are here, us.”
Sunset didn't answer and buried her head deep into the blonde's neck, crying continuously.
“Do you think Sunset is okay?” Lyra Heartstrings asked Bon Bon, who shrugged.
“I hope so. Even if she's really guilty, that's not a reason to beat her like that.”
“Go tell that to the bullies,” Octavia muttered to herself.
The three of them, with Vinyl, were sitting in the darkened bleachers of the gym, waiting with the others for the start of this surprise announcement. Some of them, having witnessed what had happened, had already had an idea. Others, completely ignorant, kept asking others for their opinions.
There were:
“Do you think it's Anon-a-Miss? Did they find out who did it?”
“No need to. It's that bitch of Sunset Shimmer. No doubt about it.”
“I wouldn't be so sure.”
Also:
“Did you hear about what happened in the halls?”
“No. What happened?”
“Sunset Shimmer got a beating from Dumbbell.”
“Ha! I hope he put her in her place.”
Octavia listened to them without really registering what was being said, too lost in her thoughts. Bon Bon and Lyra looked around, watching the students. Vinyl was lost in her world of music, one of her favourite mixes played through her headphones. They saw Flash and Derpy entering the room, electing the surprised looks and confused whispers from the students.
“Did you know Flash Sentry defended Sunset Shimmer.”
“What?! But didn't he hate her?”
“I don't really know what to think about the situation...”
“Do you think Sunset is really Anon-a-Miss?” asked Bon Bon.
“I don't see anyone else,” Lyra answered.
She turned to Octavia who nodded. She shook her head and felt a sudden flick on her temple. She grunted and looked at Vinyl who was frowning.
“What was that?”
Vinyl deepened her displeased expression and nodded negatively.
“Ah yes. You already pointed that out days ago. You don't think Sunset is Anon-a-Miss, do you?”
Vinyl softened her expression slightly but remained serious.
“Tell me. Can you see anyone else capable of doing all this?... No! I know it's hard to accept. Even I have begun to appreciate her. But open your eyes...” Octavia pleaded.
Octavia felt Vinyl's eyes pierce through her, but she showed no sign of discomfort. Only determination to defend her thoughts. It was Bon Bon who noticed the expression on the DJ's face.
“Doesn't sound like her?!” She paused. “Yes, but it could be a setup on her part to be attacked, couldn't it? That way, we'll suspect her less?”
Vinyl sighed a sad and irritated sigh. No need to try to convince them of Sunset's innocence. What a bunch of blind people. With weary gestures, she put her headphones back on her ears and found herself once again in a world without pain: her thoughts.
“Did I say something wrong?” asked Bon Bon, surprised that Vinyl suddenly decided to ignore them.
“Forget that, Bon Bon,” mumbled Lyra as she brought her friend's intention back to the stage at the back of the gym.
The spotlights came on, revealing principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna. While the former seemed to be in control of her dark emotions, one could see that the latter was holding back as best she could from grabbing the microphone and giving the students gathered a quarter of an hour's worth of sermons.
Celestia took the floor.
“Usually I would have started an assembly by greeting you in the most dignified manner. But today, unfortunately, that will not be the case.”
Many murmurs were heard among the crowd.
“Silence, please,” Celestia exclaimed patiently. The students fell silent. “Good. To begin with, I will mention that lately, fights often break out in the corridors, which I remind you is strictly forbidden. Moreover, recently a student was injured in one of these fights. And that... I cannot tolerate it. From now on, any act of fighting will be punished more severely than before.
“And that may include expulsion!” Luna added.
“Also, if you ever witness a fight and do not try to intervene, you will be punished as much as the fighters. Because not intervening means that you pretty much approve of these barbaric methods.
Protests arose.
“It is not fair!”
“All you have to do is expel Shimmer and this mess will stop!”
“Yeah! He's right!”
“SILENCE!!”
The following protests died in the mouths of the resentful in front of the angry and cold look of the vice-principal. Celestia turned to her sister and saw that her face was ticking. To the others, it would have been a comical spectacle. But not for Celestia. She knew that coming from her sister, this kind of attitude was a harbinger of trouble.
“Luna, please calm down, I beg you,” implore Celestia, putting one hand on the microphone so that the students don't hear them.
“They don't know what they're saying,” she murmured angrily.
“Maybe they do. But that's no reason to take your nerves out on them.” Celestia coughed and spoke into the microphone again. “Sorry for that little interruption. Fine. Why do you say that expelling Sunset Shimmer would be the solution?”
“Because she's Anon-a-Miss!”
Celestia stared at the speaker.
“Do you have any proof, Miss Lulamoon?”
Trixie squirmed in her seat, uncomfortable with the principal's gaze.
“Well… because it's just like her to do that sort of thing.”
Other students began to support what Trixie said by whispering, "That's right; she's right; I agree!" Celestia watched Trixie carefully as she proudly bulged her chest, due to the support she was receiving.
“Just because it is her type doesn't mean she is the cause of it all. Also, this assembly ends on what I said earlier: all fights will now be punished even more severely than before. On that note, I wish you a good end of the afternoon.”
There was a veritable thunder of chair scraping as the pupils left their seats, mumbling incomprehensible things to their peers. Lyra was no exception.
“It's not fair, all this.”
Bon Bon gave her a friendly pat.
“Look on the bright side. With this, there will be almost no more fighting. No more getting caught in the crossfire.”
“Yeah.”
.
“There you go! You won't feel anything between now and tomorrow,” exclaimed Redheart as she finished dressing Sunset's wound.
“Thank you,”
Redheart gave her a tender smile. There was a knock on the door and Redheart opened it. A few seconds later, Flash, accompanied by Celestia and Luna, entered.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked, letting the three adults talk.
“A little better. Thank you... for earlier.”
“You're welcome,” said Flash, scratching the back of his head.
They remained for a moment in an awkward silence, vaguely hearing the adults talking about Sunset's injuries. Sunset, tired of the embarrassment in the air, decided to break the silence.
“Why did Ditzy and you defend me?”
“Because you didn't deserve it,” Flash answered immediately. “And even if you were really behind Anon-a-Miss, it's not fair to let you get beaten up.”
Sunset stared at the blue-haired guitarist, the last sentence still echoing in her head.
“You... you... you believe me?” the girl stuttered.
Flash laughed nervously.
“I'd have to be a real idiot to believe it was you. The old Sunset was sneaky, subtle and clever. You never would have let so much evidence point to you. But this... is a job badly done. How can people believe that?”
The faces of her friends appeared in Sunset's mind and she bowed her head.
“If only everyone could be like you.”
Flash frowned, thinking the same thing she was thinking.
“What exactly are you doing here?” Sunset added questioningly.
“Well, I was worried about you. And also because Principal Celestia asked me to come.”
“And why did she ask you to come?”
He shrugged his shoulders in ignorance.
“All right” suddenly came Celestia's voice. The two teenagers paid attention to him. “How are you, Sunset?”
“I'm fine, thank you.”
Celestia nodded.
“Do you remember what you told me this morning? I dare to hope that you will revise your words.”
Sunset took about ten seconds to find out what Celestia was talking about. When she arrived at school, she had told her about her meeting with Miss Bookbinder. Celestia had been difficult to convince, but in the end Sunset was able to come back to her flat. At least that was the plan. But with what she had just gone through, the principal might stop her.
“Sorry principal Celestia. But I stand by my decision. I've bothered you enough as it is.”
Celestia sighed. This girl was definitely too nice to others. It's hard to imagine that she ever ran this school before.
“That's what I feared. We can't force you to stay with us, alas. But because of this you will have to walk home and the Anon-a-Miss grudges might take advantage of this to beat you.” She turned to Flash, who stiffened. “That's what brings you here Flash.”
“Me?”
“Since you are one of the students who have a car, and who at first glance believes in the innocence of Sunset, I ask you if it would be possible for you to take her from her home and bring her back every day. I would feel more reassured that way.”
Sunset blinked twice as the information still registered in her head.
Flash reflects for a moment. He was going to have to cut out several things he did in the morning and in the evening, like helping his mother clear the table after the family breakfast or dinner, but it doesn't matter. He nodded with a smile.
“It can be done.”
“Beautiful. With that, we're going to have to ask you to leave. The school doors will have to close soon.”
It was only now that Sunset fully realised Celestia's words and what Flash had later answered. The blows Dumbbell had given her must have slowed her brain down considerably.
“What?”
.
A few minutes later Sunset found herself sitting in the passenger seat of the guitarist's car, morosely watching the landscape go by through the window. Flash watched her out of the corner of his eye, attention focusing on the bandaged wound on her head, before looking back at the road. Silence weighed on him. He wanted to start a conversation, but didn't know what to say.
“It brings back memories” she mumbled suddenly.
Flash looked at her and saw that she was staring with a sad smile at a small stain on the inside of the car where the co-driver's airbag was placed. Flash had a small laugh.
“Yeah.”
This stain had been caused by Sunset, on their very first date. She had accidentally spilled a milkshake in the car. She and Flash had spent 15 minutes cleaning it up and when Sunset was about to clean up the last stain, Flash told her not to do it, wanting to keep it as a souvenir. She burst out laughing.
That laughter. The laughter that came out of her mouth that day was full of joy, a surprising thing coming from her in the past; the same laughter that usually came out of her mouth the days after the Battle of the Bands. But now it had completely disappeared.
Suddenly the clouds roared and the rain began to fall. There was still silence, but this time it was not disturbing because everyone was lost in their memories. After a few blocks they arrived in front of the house that Sunset had rented to Miss Bookbinder.
“Wait!” exclaimed Flash as Sunset was about to leave the vehicle after whispering a faint thank you.
Sunset looked at him, confused. Flash took an umbrella from the back seat, got out of the car and came to stand in front of the passenger door, offering shelter from the incessant raindrops coming from the sky.
“Still a gentleman,” Sunset smiled and gave him a friendly elbow, walking with him towards the entrance.
Flash blushed.
They reached the doorway and after some reflection Sunset turned towards him.
“Before entering, I want to thank you once again for what you have done for me...”
“It was nothing.”
“... and also to apologize for the bad times I've put you through in the past.”
Flash put a hand on her shoulder.
“It's all in the past, don't worry. Besides, for me, you have already redeemed yourself by beating those three girls in October.”
Sunset smiled at him. The very first big smile she let appear on her face since the cyberbully account appeared. A smile that made Flash sad not to see on her face anymore. Flash smiled back at her. He noted the sudden change with the moody girl she had been the last two weeks. She had been empty, like a dead among the living. At that moment it was as if she was the living being and her surroundings, the dead.
Sunset took a sudden step towards him and with surprise, Flash suddenly felt the girl's lips against his cheek. There was a moment, during which Sunset laughed at his reaction before entering the house. Flash stood still for a few seconds, then gradually raised his right hand and gently touched her cheek where Sunset had kissed him. He caressed it for a moment before getting into his car and driving home, the little kiss still in his thoughts.
.
Miss Bookbinder continued sweeping. She had promised herself that she would clean the whole house for the redhead's return. After several minutes she heard a car pull up in front of the house. She looked out the window and saw Sunset getting out of the car with a boy she knew to be the redhead's ex-boyfriend. She waited a few seconds and laughed as she watched Sunset enter.
“What are you laughing at?” Sunset asked.
“Is he your boyfriend?”
Sunset turned red as a tomato.
“Who? Flash?” She laughed nervously. “No. Well, not any more.”
“Sunset. Sunset. You hide your feelings very poorly.”
“But since I'm telling you I don't have feelings for him!”
“Maybe now. But from the way you kissed him, it won't be long,” said Miss Bookbinder with a knowing smile before returning to the back of the house.
Sunset growled and climbed the stairs. When she reached the middle, she heard the doorbell ring. With another growl, she went down the stairs and opened the door. Her expression suddenly became worried and fearful.
In front of her were Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash, sheltered under umbrellas.
The first seemed angry and tired. Rarity only seemed unhappy to be there. And Rainbow...
She let go of her rain cover and grabbed Sunset by the pass and started shaking her frantically.
“You... you...”
“Rainbow Dash... stop!” Sunset said to the athlete, feeling her head screaming in agony, still not fully recovered from Dumbbell's blows.
“Not until you stop, Anon-a-Miss.”
She stopped shaking the redhead and the redhead could finally see a flame burning in her eyes that meant only one thing: revenge.
“I'm going to make you pay. How dare you?”
“Dare what?” Sunset asked, confused and frightened.
“I'm telling you. It is one thing to publish things about me, but publishing things about Scootaloo was a line you shouldn't have crossed.”
“I... I've never done that.”
“Wait a minute. Let me refresh your memory.”
And she slapped Sunset who staggered and clung to the door frame. Rainbow was about to give another one but Applejack stopped her.
“Stop it, Dash. Don't become like her.”
“How can you say that? After what she did to Applebloom...”
“I with AJ, Rainbow,” said Rarity in turn. “Leave her alone; she doesn't even deserve attention.”
Rainbow took a deep breath of air before she walked away from Sunset and turned her heels. Applejack and Rarity, after a quick disappointed glance at Sunset, joined her. And Sunset stood there, watching them pull away. After a few steps, Rainbow stopped and turned around.
“If I were you, I wouldn't go back to Canterlot High. No one wants you there,” she shouted to the redhead.
From the distance, Sunset heard clearly the slap that Rarity generously gave to the girl resounding in the air. But even that little scene didn't console her. Tears fell again and she closed the door.
“Sunset Shimmer?”
Miss Bookbinder suddenly ran to her.
“I heard voices and... why are you crying?”
Sunset didn't answer.
“It was them, wasn't it?” she said, noting the mark of the slap on the redhead's cheek.
Sunset nodded her head. Bookbinder growled.
“Let them think what they want. Like me, they'll finally understand that you're innocent.”
What the young woman didn't know was that Sunset now doubted it.
.
Applebloom, along with her two best friends, watched Sunset being insulted by disgruntled students with a grimace.
“Don't you think they're getting a bit too strong with words?” remarked Scootaloo.
“Ha, you think so?” Sweetie Belle asked sarcastically as she watched a fashion fan called Aqua Blossom openly insult the redheaded "bitch" after Sunset managed to avoid a can of paint intended for her and send it to the sender, i.e. to Aqua Blossom.
“Yes.”
They walked past the two girls who were shooting at each other, imaginary flashes of lightning crackling between them.
“Don't you think that today... Sunset is like... on the counter-offensive?”
“Ah. You noticed it too?” asked Applejack's little sister.
“Everybody noticed it,” said Sweetie Belle, hearing bursts of voices exploding in the corridor they had just left. “We don't know why, but today she is defending herself, responding to scathing provocations... I even saw her getting ready to attack Curly Winds two hours ago, if Mrs. Harshwhinny wasn't passing by at the time.”
“Yeah. You might say she's not letting it happen anymore.”
They entered the cafeteria, crowded with students insulting each other and arguing.
“Don't you think we've gone too far?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Of course we did. But we had no choice,” Sweetie Belle mumbled sadly.
“Don't you think we should stop?” asked Scootaloo.
“Yes, but if we stop now, at the same time Sunset starts to pull herself together, it's only going to get worse, isn't it?”
“You're right,” said Sweetie Belle, looking at the table where her sister and her friends were sitting and the one where Bon Bon, Lyra, Octavia and Vinyl were sitting; the only tables where there was no discord.
With their lunch trays in their hands, they sat down at an empty table and began to eat without a care in the world. Scootaloo observed their surroundings. They had got what they wanted, but was it worth it? No. The answer was as simple as that.
.
“That bitch!”
This sudden swearing startled Applebloom as she closed her locker for the last time that day. She turned to the source and saw a group of five students talking.
“She will pay for this!”
“Calm down, Gilda. Remember what the principal said. Fighting equals suspension or expulsion. And Dumbbell has already had a taste of it.”
Dumbbell growled and Score laughed. Gilda ignored them.
“On the first day of the holiday, I'm going to give her a personalised gift.” With a sadistic smile she took out (Applebloom shuddered) a penknife and placed it right in front of her face. “She won't forget it.”
Applebloom was so fast that she was just a red blur to the group as she passed by. She passed her friends waiting for her outside without a word and continued towards the suburbs of the city. She ran as fast as she could, and didn't stop to breathe until she reached her destination: the house of Sunset. Her friends reached her a few seconds later.
“Damn it. How fast are you running?” Sweetie Belle asked, almost collapsing to the ground.
“Okay. You... owe us... an explanation, Applebloom,” said Scootaloo.
Applebloom, too panting, gave them a brief summary of what she had heard.
“It's barbaric,” mumbled Sweetie Belle.
“I'm going to tell the truth to Sunset. We're the ones who got her into this mess. We watched her get attacked and didn't react, but I'm not going to sit on the side-lines now.
And without waiting for her friends again, she walked over to the landing and pressed the doorbell. Nobody came. She rang the bell again. Still nothing. After two minutes, Applebloom had had enough and punched the door with her fists.
“OH-OH!! IS ANYONE THERE?!”
“I don't think so, Applebloom.” said Scootaloo.
Applebloom ignored her and looked through the mail slot and saw that the house, despite the sun still shining, was plunged into darkness.
“There's no one there,” she grumbled.
“That's what I said. Anyway, Gilda said she would only act on the first day of the holidays, away from the teachers. Which means we still have many days to warn her. We have plenty of time.”
Applebloom just sighed and watched the mist coming out of her mouth.
.
The next day, Thursday, came slowly like a snail for Applebloom who wanted to talk to Sunset as soon as possible. She was in such a hurry that she skipped breakfast, much to Granny Smith's dismay. Without a word as to why she was doing this, she put on her boots and walked out of the house, taking the road to school even earlier than her sister did. A record. Early, too early even, she arrived in front of Canterlot High, whose glass doors were still locked, and sat down on the steps. She waited for half an hour and the earliest students began to arrive. Normally Sunset was one of them, always arriving in the fifth, even during Anon-a-Miss; but after the twentieth, which was Applejack, there was still no sign of the redhead. Which worried her a little.
“Is everything all right Applebloom?” asked Applejack, sitting next to her.
“It's all right. I'm just waiting for someone. I have something important to tell her.”
“Ah! I was worried about you when you left home like that. Guess I was worried for nothing. Goodbye, sugarcube”.
She got up and left to join Pinkie Pie who had just arrived, near the Wondercolt statue.
She waited and waited. Still no sign of the girl. In the meantime the front yard was gradually filling up. The air was cold. So was the atmosphere. No greetings. No hugs between friends. Only distrustful looks. She spotted Sweetie Belle, arriving with Rarity, and waved at her. As quickly as she did this morning, Sweetie Belle left her sister and went to Applebloom.
“Have you talked to her?” she asked.
Applebloom shook her head.
“Alas, no! She still hasn't arrived.”
“Hasn't she? But usually she always arrives early and there…” She looked at the watch on her phone. “... there are still ten minutes before the start of classes.”
“Maybe she's late?” suggested Scootaloo when she came out of nowhere. “What?” she added in front of the surprised and terrified looks of her friends.
“Nothing, nothing,” said Applebloom hastily, trying desperately to calm her heartbeat. “Don't ever do that again.”
“Don't do what?”
“Come like this and talk into our ears. It's creepy,” says Sweetie Belle, a hand on her heart.
Scootaloo ignored the remark and gave Applebloom a serious look.
“Couldn't they have acted earlier?”
“Maybe they could have. I'm not hiding it from you girls, I'm worried,” Applebloom confessed.
“Me too!” admitted Sweetie Belle.
The bell rang and they exchanged a worried look.
“I hope she's all right,” Applebloom muttered. .
Sunset watched the students enter the school building, hidden behind a tree, her eyes lingering on her friends who were laughing among themselves. She wanted to look at the school that had been like a second home for her all these years, perhaps for the last time. It reminded her of her time as a student of Princess Celestia. She sighed, thinking of the alicorn. How she regretted her words of long ago. Shouting at her mentor and insulting her when all Celestia had done was protect her... she was a complete idiot.
A tear fell on the ground as she came out of her hiding place and headed towards downtown, more than ten kilometres away. She got off the bus half an hour later. Knowing what she had to do, she wasted no time going to the mall. She visited several shops, buying what she would need for what she was about to do and endure.
She came out two hours later with several bags and a large, sturdy backpack and waited. Finally, a bus arrived at her level and she was literally knocked down by Spitfire when the teacher get out of it.
“Sunset Shimmer? Shouldn't you be in class?”
“Normally yes, but I, er... I have access to my flat again and... I have to arrange some things. I already told principal Celestia (and Flash) that I will be absent.”
“I see.”
Sunset had a nervous laugh. Of course, she didn't say anything to the counterpart of the Princess of Equestria but only to the guitarist.
“Yes... By the way, thank you for Miss Bookbinder.”
Spitfire made a dismissive gesture with her hand, as if she was chasing away an unwanted fly.
“It was absolutely nothing to put her in her place, please. I'll leave you. I've got a date with some people.”
She walked towards the entrance to the centre and stopped one last time to shout something.
“Don't let Anon-a-Miss do this to you. You are stronger than her. And don't forget that there are people who care about you.”
And she disappeared into the crowd.
A little late to say that, Sunset thought bitterly as she got on the next bus.
.
The evening came quickly. All day long Sunset's phone had been ringing and buzzing. She ignored it, not wanting to waste her afternoon reading hate messages.
Sunset stopped in front of a dumpster and after a few seconds of reflection, she threw her plastic bags into it, putting away what was in the backpack she had bought. Suddenly her phone vibrated with a different ring tone. She took it in her hand and watched the screen display an incoming call. When she saw the name, without thinking, she crushed the phone with her boot and threw it in the dumpster with half of her empty plastic bags and went back to her job: putting her newly acquired things in her bag.
.
“Are you going first?”
“No way!”
“Come on. You are the bravest.”
“Not this time, unfortunately.”
“Sweetie Belle?”
Sweetie Belle refused.
“It was your decision, so let's go.”
Applebloom swallowed her saliva and looked through the window of the Sugarcube Corner, watching her sister and her friends brooding. Earlier, having seen no sign of Sunset all day, she had announced to her friends that she was going to confess. They were shocked and tried to talk her out of it, not to keep blaming Sunset but to protect themselves from others.
“In that case, let's confess it first to the principals,” she had said at the time.
They had gone to Celestia's office and confessed in great detail the purpose of the Anon-a-Miss profile and its origins. In other words, Celestia was ready to break something, and Luna kept getting agitated, as if she was holding back from strangling them. Both of them had announced that they were going to have to make a public apology in front of everyone, which they didn't mind, as long as they were out of the students' clutches, which Celestia had granted them.
After that, they went to the café they were standing in front of to confess their crime to their sisters. They were nauseous about it.
“Let's do this...”
Applebloom pushed the door open and the bell rang. The Rainbooms, the only customers present, straightened their heads to give them a curious look.
“Applebloom? What are you doing here?” asked Applejack.
“We've come to tell you something...”
“We?” Fluttershy repeated interrogatingly.
Applebloom looked over and saw that Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo hadn't followed her. She looked at the front door and saw them hiding in the shadows.
“Come on, come on!”
The two girls approached cautiously.
“Hi Rainbow/Rarity!”
“Scootaloo/Sweetie Belle?” exclaimed Rainbow and Rarity respectively.
“You want to tell us something,” Applejack repeated, confused.
“Yes,” replied a trembling voice that Applebloom recognized as her own.
Applejack looked at her friends who shrugged their shoulders in ignorance and sighed.
“So, what is it?”
Applebloom swallowed. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. This frustrated her and she burst into tears. Soon Sweetie Belle imitated her, feeling the same uneasiness. Even more confused than before, the group then watched Scootaloo, expecting her to suddenly cry too. She was uncomfortable too but she wasn't going to water the floor.
Scootaloo swallowed her saliva, picked up the phone that Applebloom handed her and entered MyStable. Words weren't enough. Proof was needed. After logging into the account, without a word, she handed it to Applejack who took it and looked at the screen.
The next five seconds felt like centuries for the three girls, waiting fearfully for the farmer's reaction.
“I confess I don't understand. What does it mean?”
She gave them the phone back and when they saw what was on the screen, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle looked at Scootaloo just as confusedly, who didn't understand anything.
“What?”
She picked up the phone and froze. Instead of displaying the Anon-a-Miss account page, the phone displayed a video of pigs dancing salsa in white tutus.
“Oops, sorry.”
She exited the video and now displayed Anon-a-Miss and put it on the table for all to see.
“You've got to be kidding me?!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash, her voice getting lost between anger and confusion.
“Tell me that's a joke, Sweetie Belle.” Rarity exclaimed, her eyes never leaving her sister's trembling body.
She lowered her head.
“I'm sorry, Rarity.”
Applejack looked at Applebloom with flames in his eyes.
“Applebloom...” she grunted hard.
Applebloom avoided her gaze like the plague.
“Scoot?”
Scootaloo bit her lip when she heard Rainbow say her name and turned her back. There had a chair scraping, screaming, and soon, Scootaloo found herself face to face with Rainbow Dash's angry face.
“What the hell were you thinking? Do you realise how much you have hurt us, the teachers, the school and...”
Rainbow suddenly stopped talking. A realization hit her hard in the face. She remembered how tired, weak and... scared she was. Her fear when she went to confront her in the last few days.
“... and Sunset.”
This name, even if whispered, echoed in the empty café. Rainbow let go of Scootaloo and turned to her friends with the same expression of horror as they had.
“What have we done?”
“We have to call her.” Fluttershy exclaimed.
Applejack wasted no time and took her phone. She scrolled through her contacts and stopped on Sunset one. She lingered on the many messages the redhead had sent, claiming she was innocent but that Applejack had decided to ignore. She shook herself mentally and pressed the "call" button. She waited a few dozen seconds but nothing.
“She didn't answer.”
“Try again!” encouraged Pinkie who also had her phone in her hands, texting at top speed. “Maybe she's in the shower.”
Applejack nodded. She tried calling her again.
All eyes were now on her. Again, nothing. Frustrated, she tried again, unaware that when she had called her the first time, Sunset ignored the call and threw her phone away. As Applejack and Pinkie tried to call their friends, Fluttershy leaned over to the children.
“Why did you do this?”
“We were jealous of the time you spent with her,” Applebloom replied. “You were completely abandoning us. You were with her all the time. We couldn't spend any more time together.”
“Wait a minute! Are you telling us you did this because you were jealous?” Rainbow Dash recapitulated. “It's just...”
“... mean,” Applejack continued coldly, who had given up trying to contact the redhead. “Are you even aware of everything your account has done?”
“We are aware of it. But we never meant for it to go off the rails like this,” Sweetie Belle defended herself.
“Now we know how Anon-a-Miss discovered my nickname and our other secrets. But what I don't understand is how did you find out about the other students?” Applejack asked.
“They told us themselves.”
“Excuse me?” asked Fluttershy.
“They started sending messages,” Applebloom explained. “Messages with secrets about their friends. Like you, they thought it was Sunset...” She noticed the Rainbooms' guilty looks. “... and they forced us to publish them or else they'd come after us... well, Sunset.”
“It's beyond words,” Rarity remarked. “They give secrets and laugh about them but then get angry when theirs are displayed. And on top of that, they threaten and then blame it on Sunset.”
“Conclusion: all Canterlot High School is the bad guy and the good guys are Sunset and the few who believe in her innocence” said Pinkie, chin on her chest. “And unfortunately, we're on the wrong side this time,” she ends with tears in her eyes.
They remained silent for a moment, dealing with everything Pinkie had said. It was hard to admit but she was right. They couldn't imagine all the pain Sunset had had to endure over the past few weeks. And they who had witnessed these moments when she was beaten and didn't intervene…
Applebloom laid a shy hand on Applejack's.
“Applejack? Do you... hate me?”
Applejack closed her eyes.
“No. I'm just angry. Very angry. But I'll admit that if any of this happened, it's half our fault. If we hadn't neglected you like that, none of this would have happened.”
Applebloom gave her a sad smile and Applejack wrapped her in her arms.
“Rarity?”
Sweetie Belle didn't have a chance to prepare for the deadly embrace her sister gave her.
“I guess if I hadn't kicked you out of my room like I did, that is, brutally, you wouldn't have done that, would you?”
“No, I wouldn't.”
“And I also imagine that you took the pictures of Sunset when we were all asleep?”
Sweetie Belle nodded her head in shame.
“We are both to blame, Sweetie Belle. So to answer your unspoken question: no, I don't hate you. I think you just wanted to spend more time with me?” At the nod, Rarity had a sadistic smile on his face. “Well, just so you know, from now on you'll be my model.”
Sweetie Belle shivers. She had already had this role before and it had been hell. But she preferred it to being pushed away. She hugged her sister back.
Scootaloo moaned when she felt a fist hit her shoulder. She looked at Rainbow Dash.
“Saturday. Nine thirty. Running two kilometres. Will you be ready? I warn you, it will be your punishment.” said the athlete with a smile that didn't hide any grudges.
Scootaloo smiled and bumped her fist against Rainbow's.
“Whenever you're ready.”
Pinkie and Fluttershy exchanged a small smile as they looked at the girls and their elders. They left them in each other's arms for a few moments before breaking the apologetic mood.
“Excuse me for interrupting, but what about Sunset?”
Applebloom pulled herself away from her sister's embrace.
“I forgot. Yesterday I heard Gilda say that she was going to take care of Sunset with...” She shivered “... a penknife.”
“WHAT?!”
“BUT WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY THAT EARLIER?”
“Sorry, I forgot. Gilda said she would only do it on the first day of the holidays. When I heard that, I decided to tell Sunset this morning.”
“Aaah! So it was Sunset you were expecting this morning?” Applejack asked.
Applebloom confirmed.
“But she didn't come. You must have noticed that. And that worries me.”
“Me too,” said Rarity, getting up. “Maybe she stayed at home. I don't know about you, but I'm going to her house immediately to apologise. It can't wait.”
Without waiting for them, she put on her winter coat and hurried outside.
“Wait for us, Rarity!”
Unable to contain themselves, they literally ran to the redhead's house.
They were expecting reproaches and even a friendship that had broken down for good, but if that was the price they had to pay to make her hear their apology, then so be it. They were going to take the time they needed to win her friendship again, which in the end they did not deserve. After the Battle of the Bands, it was a whole new facet of Sunset that they had discovered. She had become an extremely caring person, solving their problems at the cost of getting new ones for herself and never asking for anything in return; she had also become kind and caring. Clearly, they did not deserve a friend like her, not after what they did.
They were not at all expecting the sight of a car and two police officers chatting with a crying Miss Bookbinder, with Principal Celestia and her sister desperately trying to calm her down.
“What's going on, Vice-Principal Luna?” asked Fluttershy as she reached her height with the others.
Luna, recovered from the sudden fear Fluttershy had caused her, prepared to answer but was interrupted by the piercing voice of Miss Bookbinder.
“Please find her. I beg you, please find her.”
“Calm down, Miss,” said one of the officers. “Don't worry. We'll do it.”
Bookbinder sniffed and buried her head in her hands. Celestia turned to the officer.
“That will be all, I think. Thank you for coming Shining Armor.”
“It was a pleasure Celestia,” Shining Armor replied. “Don't worry about it. We'll find her. Come on Cold Freeze.”
He got back in the police cruiser with his teammate and soon disappeared into the night.
“What's going on?” Fluttershy repeated.
Luna didn't answer. She handed them a piece of paper that Applejack read aloud. It was a letter.
“Miss Bookbinder found it in Sunset's room.” Luna said.
Dear Miss Bookbinder, I begin this letter by saying that I thank you for allowing me to come back to this flat, even if it didn't last. You have even been so kind to me over the last two days that even a simple word could not express my gratitude. You have been like a big sister to me all these years, I want you to know that. Secondly, I am also telling you that I am leaving your flat because I will not have a clear conscience knowing that you are harbouring someone with a target on its back like me. Maybe one day, when they don't hold back any longer, some students who were victims of Anon-a-Miss will come here and attack me. That's why I can't stay. I have to move so that they don't come at me. So I would like you to tell Principal Celestia and the school staff that I thank them for supporting me. It meant a lot to me. I am finishing this letter to tell you that I am leaving town. There is nothing to keep me here any longer. No safe place to sleep, no job to earn money and most of all... no friends. Thank you again for everything you have done for me. I wish you a good life and a Merry Christmas. Sunset Shimmer
Applejack looked up at with tearful eyes her friends, who had the same expression as she did.
Sunset Shimmer left town. And it was because of them.
.
From the top of Canterlot Hill, a small hill that overlooked Canterlot City, Sunset Shimmer looked down on the sleeping city. Completely unaware of the suffering it would cause, she turned and left, leaving this city and her past behind.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? Sunset Shimmer herself.”
Sunset looked away from her shopping list. She was at the Canterlot City mall, in front of a shop specialising in long-distance travel equipment. She had just bought a backpack and checked it off her list when a voice spoke behind her. She turned around and growled when she saw the duo in front of her.
“You two?!”
“Hello, Sunset Shimmer. I wish I could tell you it's a surprise to see you here, but it's not,” said Adagio Dazzle with a smile, in her usual self-assured position, her studded accessories shining under the mall's lamps.
“What are you doing here?”
The girl to her left, Aria Blaze, grunted.
“What else besides buying things?”
Sunset frowned.
“What are you doing here?” Sunset repeated, keeping her voice at a normal volume, not wanting to attract the attention of the people around them. “And where is your third member?”
“Slowly, one question at a time. For the first question: we were looking for you. And for the second one, Sonata is at Canterlot High School, watching your arrival,” answered Adagio.
Sunset blinked in surprise.
“Were you looking for me?”
“We've heard about what's going on at your high school. We sent Sonata there to see if you were all right.”
The redhead gave them a suspicious look.
“Since when have you cared about my well-being?”
Adagio smiled. Not a malicious smile. Just a simple smile.
“We'll explain it to you. Come on.”
Accompanied by Aria, Adagio walked towards a café. Sunset looked at them without moving from her place, strangely planning to follow them. She shook her head. But what was she thinking about? They were two out of three members of the Dazzlings. Her enemies. She had nothing to do with them. Yet the fact that they cared about her made her curious. Mumbling incomprehensible things, she followed the two sirens.
.
Sunset watched the last member of the trio, Sonata Dusk, finish her milk shake and burp.
“Oh! It was delicious.”
Sunset shook her head and looked Adagio in the eyes. Earlier they had entered the café and after they had finished ordering their drinks, Sunset had immediately asked the orange-haired siren about her concern for her, the girl who had beaten them.
“Let's wait until Sonata arrives,” she replied after texting the last siren.
So they had waited. Maybe fifteen or thirty minutes.
“So, what do you want from me?”
“I thought I'd made myself clear earlier.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sorry, I don't believe a word of it.”
Aria sniffed dismissively.
“I told you she wasn't going to believe it, Adagio.”
Adagio made a hand gesture, drawing the redhead's intention again.
“That you don't believe it, I don't care. But we do...”
Sunset sank deep into her seat with frowning brows.
“I confess I am confused. I would have put my hand out that you would want revenge.”
Adagio nodded.
“That was the case before. You could say it has become an obsession. Especially for me.”
“Yeah! She kept walking around the house at night muttering incessantly that she was going to strangle you, torture you or kill you in the most painful way. Sometimes she confused you with Aria and me, and tried to strangle us several times.” Sonata quickly exclaimed without gasping for breath.
Aria laughed at Sonata's comment and Adagio scratched the bridge of her nose.
“Sonata. Please be quiet.”
“What? What did I say?”
Adagio struck the table with her fist, ending the junior subject and returning to the main subject.
“In short, it was when I realised what I was doing to them that I ended my quest for revenge. It only makes your mind worse. So we all just tried to forget. And we almost would have succeeded if we hadn't seen you coming out of that little café one night, rejected by your so-called friends.”
Sunset winked at the memory. A few days after her confrontation with her friends in the corridor, she tried again to talk to them at Sugarcube Corner but to no avail. She came out of it more in tears than ever.
Adagio continued.
“We were curious, to say the least. So we followed your friends and heard them talk about this very interesting little MyStable account.”
She nodded to Sonata and the blue siren handed the redheaded woman her phone, which was displaying nothing but Anon-a-Miss. With a "humpf" she gave the phone back to Sonata.
“No need to be a genius to find out what happened. We soon realised what was going on. We thought you were friends with them but apparently at the Battle of the Bands they just used you.”
Sunset frowned even more but did not try to defend the girls. Why should she? They hadn't used her, she knew that, but she just didn't want to take their defences.
“Strangely enough, I immediately thought that your choices in this situation would be : A) stay in high school and wait quietly for things to calm down, B) leave the school to make a better life for yourself, or C) pick yourself up and try to find out who did it. You see, there is always that feeling in us that pushes us to try to take revenge. But we don't want that anymore. But it's still there. It poisons us. It gets boring. And yet, something tells me that if I helped you a little, it would disappear. So we put a tail on you to see which of the decisions you would make. And it looks like this is option B. Hmm?"
She snapped her fingers and Aria handed Sunset a piece of paper representing a guitar and a microphone crossed into an X.
“What is it?”
“A registration ticket. Even if you've managed to sell your goods, you'll run out of cash in a while.” Adagio said. “You're good at singing and playing the guitar. In a week's time there is a music competition where participants are either solo, duo or trio.”
“We figured you'd win hands down, since most of the contests organized by this company are for budding artists and not for famous people.”
“What does this have to do with me?”
“Of course, there is a prize.” Aria says, rolling her eyes. “A prize of $10,000. It’s by taking part in this kind of completion that we’ve earned money since the Battle of the Bands. Of course, our voices got lost for a while…but they came back. Just imagine. If you win, you could have enough to live on for quite a long time until you find a way to make money regularly.”
Adagio stood up and the other two imitated him.
“We hope this will help you get back on your feet. I know you will accept my offer so I'll meet you tomorrow at five o'clock sharp, one kilometre north of Canterlot Hill. We will be waiting there to take you to the competition site. It is halfway between here and Trottingham, after all.”
With that, they left the small café, leaving behind a pensive Sunset Shimmer whose phone was vibrating, signaling another post from Anon-a-Miss.
.
Sunset shook her head and tried to enjoy the warmth of the morning sun. It had been a few hours since she had left Canterlot Hill. She wasn't really good at calculating the distance, but it seemed to her that she had already completed three-quarters of the distance from the hill to the meeting point. Readjusting the strap of her backpack and guitar case, one of the few things she had kept, she quickened her pace when she saw the silhouette of a van and the three sirens.
“I knew you would accept.” exclaimed Adagio, her face impassive, an expression that Sunset returned to her.
They got into the vehicle, Aria in the driver's seat, Adagio in the co-driver's and Sonata and Sunset in the back. The vehicle's engine roared and headed towards the competition site.
.
The gymnasium was filling up at noon the day after leaving Sunset. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were shaking like leaves. Today was Friday and also the day Celestia had decided that they would confess to being Anon-a-Miss in front of the whole school in the gym. Suffice it to say that they were not very enthusiastic.
The atmosphere was electrifying. Insults, angry looks and mockery came from here and there. Everyone was at each other's throats, ready to get into a fight if necessary. The rules no longer mattered to them. All they cared about was getting out of the gym so they wouldn't be in the presence of those who were making fun of them.
“So, are you ready?” Luna asked, standing next to the trio.
“I think I'm going to be sick.” Sweetie Belle mumbled, putting a hand in front of her mouth. “I'll be right back!”
She rushed out of the gym and went to the girls' toilet. She took a stall at the far end and without further ado regurgitated her breakfast. The cabin doors opened, the sound of the unscratched hinges covered by the sound of Sweetie Belle vomiting.
“Sweetie Belle?! What's wrong?!”
The little girl waved her hand as she stood up.
“Don't worry, Rarity. It's okay.”
“Are you sure?” said Rarity, anxious in her face.
“Yeah, don't worry, I told you.” She took a deep breath and smiled. “Come on. I've got to get back. I'm not going to let others take all the blame.”
She took her sister by the hand and dragged her out of the bathroom. They soon arrived in the gym and joined Scootaloo and Applebloom, with the others, at the back of the stage.
“Are you all right? You don't look so good.” Fluttershy said, putting one hand on the girl's shoulder.
“It was just temporary.”
“Good!” Celestia exclaimed, clapping her hands. “The time has come. First I'm going to say a few words to the students. Then, when I announce that we have found the culprit, you will go on stage and confess. Is that understood?”
The trio nodded and Celestia returned the gesture. She signalled to her sister to come with her and once she was in full view of everyone, silence began to reign supreme. Celestia waited until she could feel all eyes on them and the Rainbooms had taken their seats in the front row before speaking into the microphone.
“Hello dear students! I wish you good morning, happy to see that you are in great shape.” These words were accompanied by a light sarcastic laugh. Celestia's face became more serious “I have gathered you here today to announce a new capital. But let's start at the beginning. Several weeks ago, an anonymous account calling itself "Anon-a-Miss" intimidated this school. We might as well tell you that we had a hard time tracking down the person behind it.”
One student suddenly shouted: “Stop beating around the bush and tell us what's going to happen to Sunset Shimmer!!”
“She's right.”
“Yeah!”
“I hope she gets expelled.”
Celestia pinched the bridge of her nose. This is not a good start.
“A little silence, please.” The students obeyed. “To answer your question, nothing will happen to Sunset Shimmer. Only because she is innocent. No! Don't interrupt me!” she shout as she saw some people open their mouths. “Just like you, only for the first two days, we thought she was really behind all this. So we investigated, hoping she would be caught red-handed, but it turns out we were wrong. She had nothing to do with it.” “Our search continued, alas without result. Everything led us to believe that the account was created outside the school; out of our reach. We had started to despair until the unlikely happened: the guilty party... sorry, I mean, the guilty parties, came to my office and confessed.”
A deadly silence pervades the room, with everyone exchanging uncertain and troubled glances. Luna took the floor.
“And it is to reveal to you the culprits that we have gathered you here.” She turned to the side of the stage and nodded her head. The trio understood and moved timidly forward under the imaginary spotlight. “Dear students, let me introduce you to the creators of Anon-a-Miss.”
One...two...three...The room was filled with uncontrollable laughter, some students almost suffocated. Only the Rainbooms were not laughing.
“SILENCE!”
Once again, and again thanks to Luna's inflexible voice, the room obeyed immediately. Applebloom coughed and stepped forward.
“It's true, we are the ones who created Anon-a-Miss. We were the ones who spread your secrets via this account.”
In the front row, a few chairs away from the Rainbooms, Trixie rose abruptly.
“It can't be! You're not going to make us believe it was you. Sunset Shimmer must have threatened you to take the blame instead.”
“Please sit down, Miss Lulamoon.” Celestia ordered facing the students. “Apparently, you need proofs…“ She then looked at Sweetie Belle holding a phone in her hand and nodded her head. She started typing frantically on the phone. “...then you'll get them.”
Sweetie Belle then tapped 'Publish'. The phones started ringing and the students unlocked them, seeing that it came from MyStable. They opened the application and saw a message in bold: "Is that enough proof for you?" written on the Anon-a-Miss page. The students looked up at the trio, who looked shyly and apprehensively at the crowd. This time no one was laughing. Were they really Anon-a-Miss? It was impossible and improbable. And yet...
A hand rose in the still crowd. Luna pointed at it dryly.
“Yes, Miss Melody?”
Octavia stood up timidly and pointed to the MCC.
“If you really are Anon-a-Miss...give me the password to the account!”
The trio recovered from their surprise at the sudden order. Scootaloo cleared her throat and answered, uncertain.
“It's "CMC_ABSBSC".”
Octavia blinked, surprised that they agreed. Then she sat back down and logged out of her own MyStable account and connected to Anon-a-Miss. Others began to imitate her and soon everyone could see how these three girls had managed to get all these secrets. Their mailboxes were full of them. Full of secrets...sent by the students themselves, forcing them to publish the secrets or risk being beaten up.
The students got up from their seats and the insults and threats came back as fast as the speed of sound.
“How dare you give them this secret?! I trusted you to keep it!”
“Why did you give it to them?! Because of you, I'm the laughing stock of the whole class.”
“You....”
“What do you mean I'm crazy?!”
“SILENCE!! THE NEXT ONE WHO WILL OPEN HIS OR HER MOUTH WITHOUT AUTHORIZATION WILL BE IN DETENTION!!” shouted Luna with all her lungs through the microphone.
The students shaved brutally while grumbling, always looking at their relatives, friends, families, who had given Anon-a-Miss secrets about them. People who had betrayed them.
“Good! You wanted proof, you've got one!” Luna exclaimed coldly. “You were angry with Anon-a-Miss, because it was revealing your darkest secrets when it was you who was giving them to it, threatening the creators. At last count, THEY are not really Anon-a-Miss. They are not the real intimidators. YOU are!”
The students stared at her, confused. What did she mean?
“I'll explain.” said Celestia as she saw their expressions. “All these girls did was publish their sisters' secrets and they were going to stop there. But then you sent them the secrets of your own friends...and forced them to publish them. And then when they appear, you intimidate the person you think is responsible...without any proof of their guilt. I'm obviously talking about Sunset Shimmer here. A young girl who has absolutely nothing to do with this. A girl that you beat up without scruples.”
In the name of the girl, the students froze and after a few seconds their facial expressions, of angry origin, became sad and guilty. What could they say in their defence? Celestia was right. The tyrant was not Sunset, it was them. And they were much worse. During her reign, Sunset never needed to use physical force. But they were a different story. Some of them started crying and sniffing, remembering the redhead who was punched in the face one after the other two or three days ago, blood running down her face.
“So, while I'm at it, I have some questions about Sunset Shimmer for you.” added the principal, the hard face. “I don't know if you are aware of this, but everything suggest that Sunset Shimmer left town last night.”
Whispers ran through the crowd and Luna didn't bother to force them to keep quiet, letting them digest the news.
“The police is looking for her right now, at the request of the lady who is hosting Sunset.” Celestia continued. “She left a letter saying she had to leave because she fears unfair reprisals. You could call her a coward, but leaving was one of the wisest choices, given what she was going through here. She thought that no one wanted her here.” Fluttershy put her head in her hands and cried. Pinkie put a hand around her shoulders. “But there are people who really care about her. So, if you want to be part of an honourable fine, please tell us everything you know about her possible destinations.” “But let's come back here to Canterlot High. You attacked Sunset Shimmer several times and most of the time she ended up in the infirmary with bandages. We already know the names of the attackers and they will be held for a fortnight. As for these girls, it will be six months, for starting this whole thing. And you will be strictly forbidden to beat them up and intimidate them.” “With that, I will end this meeting and wish you have a good day, except that today will probably not be the case.”
Together with her sister, Celestia turned around and took the trio of girls to her office. Soon the Rainbooms followed, leaving the gym in a hurry. The students soon followed suit and headed to the cafeteria, head down, some with tears in their eyes.
.
Applebloom completed the account deletion process and then gave her phone back to Celestia who inspected it. No trace of Anon-a-Miss. She sighed and looked at the girls with a small smile.
“It will be all, girls. I'm glad that even though it was late, you still made the right choice.”
“We had to do it sometime, didn't we?” said Scootaloo.
“That's true. Now go. Don't worry about the others. They won't hurt you. Besides, your sisters will be there to accompany you.”
The trio thanked the principal and left the office. Celestia finally allowed herself to sink into her seat. She put a weary hand over her face and watched the sun shine through the window.
Sunset. Where are you?
Applebloom's gaze fell on Sunset's locker as she and the others passed by. It was ridiculed with little insults drawn with a compass; papers were also stuck to it, with drawings of the redhead as ugly as the portraits Professor Discord made in chemistry class.
As they passed by, a piece of paper peel off the metal and flew past her. She grabbed it in flight and looked at what was written on it. A tear fell and she threw it away.
When they were out of sight, a hand took the paper and the person also read.
I hope you are happy, Anon-a-Miss.
Flash growled and angrily threw the paper into a bin and started to remove the papers stuck on the redhead's locker. He was later joined by his friends Ringo and Brawly Beats. They shyly smiled at him.
Shortly before he defended Sunset against Dumbbell, Flash and the other two had had an argument. Both were certain of Sunset's guilt while Flash defended her innocence. After that, the Flash Drive group split, with Brawly and Ringo on one side and Flash on the other. Guilt versus innocence. They hadn't spoken to each other, Flash has been hanging out with Ditzy ever since. And they were here today, asking to join him. He smiled and agreed. Within minutes, all the insulting papers were in a nearby dustbin.
They exchanged a shy High Five and headed to class, passing Bon Bon's group in the process. While all three of them were depressed, Vinyl was the opposite. She had her head held high with a smile on her face and her walk was rhythmic. She didn't have that kind of depressing aura that the world was having at the moment, as if the cold, sad environment around her didn't affect her.
Probably because she also believed in the innocence of Sunset, thought the blue-haired guitarist. I'm not the only sane person here, it seems.
.
The cafeteria was only a shadow of the lively sanctuary it once was. There was no discussion, no agitation, and no look expressing any other emotion except remorse. Everybody was contemplating their meal, their unhappy, carefree faces of the world around them. Everything was calm. Very calm. Too calm compared to what high school used to be like before or during Anon-a-Miss.
Vinyl was rocking her head with rhythm. She looked at the girls sharing her table. Octavia stared at her salad with an empty look. Lyra played with her spaghetti with her fork, yet she didn't swallow a bite. And Bon Bon took bite after bite, swallowing mechanically, with an equally empty gaze, sometimes letting out a little burp.
Wanting to set the mood, Vinyl took her spoon and fork and started tapping the table with them, creating an improvised but not bad music. No reaction from her friends. She abandoned her tactics with a pout and, annoyed, she took a leaf of salad with Octavia's fork and brought it to the cellist's mouth. The cellist ignored the thing in front of her mouth and sighed.
“You were right, Vinyl.” she said, her usual chic accent having disappeared.
Vinyl frowned, confused.
“Sunset wasn't Anon-a-Miss. And she's gone, because of us, and we can't...” She sniffed, tears appearing in her eyes. “...apologize.”
Her shoulders sagged. Bon Bon and Lyra imitated her. Through her glasses with tinted lenses, Vinyl gave them a worried look. Even though it was wrong to think that, given the situation, she wished she had been wrong all along.
From that day on, Canterlot High School was not the same. A veil of guilt spread over the school.
Once they had ensured that the girls were safe with Cheerilee in the library to begin their detention, the Rainbooms had now gathered in their rehearsal room. Usually at this time of day they would have had fun practicing, but today they didn't have the heart for it. For it seems that their hearts left them when they rejected the one who had the biggest among them.
Rainbow took her visual organs around the room. Applejack was sitting on a chair, her hat hiding her face from the sunlight coming through the window, her feet on a table. Pinkie was lying on a big black piano, her eyes lost in the emptiness. Rarity was leaning against the window, looking out at the snowy courtyard and Fluttershy was listening to music with her mobile phone and headphones.
“What are you listening to Fluttershy?” asked the athlete.
Fluttershy seemed to shrink on the spot when all eyes in the room were on her.
“Just...nothing.”
“Come on, let us listen. It won't hurt to set the mood after all.”
Fluttershy seemed hesitant but did what she was told and unplugged the headphones. When the music resounded in the room, and seeing the expressions of her friends, she regretted it.
♪Like a phoenix burning bright in the sky I'll show there's another side to me You can't deny I may not know what the future holds But hear me when I say That my past does not define me Cause my past is not today!!♪
The music ended. Fluttershy observed every reaction. Rarity had trembling lips, ready to cry. Pinkie hadn't moved except for a slight frown. She couldn't know Applejack's expression because as soon as she heard the singer's voice, she put her hat back over her eyes. Rainbow's hands were clasped.
“I'm sorry.” Fluttershy hastened to say.
Pinkie had a joyless laugh.
“Why? You've done nothing wrong.”
Rainbow sighed.
“Have you heard from her?”
Applejack shook her head, putting her hat back on.
“The police are still looking for her, but to no avail to their network. And also, they can't just stay on this. They also have other priorities. Vice-principal Luna thinks it would be a waste of time to rely on them and has placed an ad in a newspaper to warn people, or Sunset herself, that we are looking for her, but on this side nothing too.”
Rainbow growled.
“We screwed up.”
“That's the understatement of the year, darling.” Rarity mumbled.
Knock Knock Knock
The door of the room opened. They looked up and saw the newcomer.
“Hi, girls!”
“Hi Flash!”
The guitarist looked around, as if he was looking for something. Or rather someone.
“Is there a problem?” asked Rarity.
“No, it's just that...Uh...I thought I...heard her voice.”
Applejack sighed and sadly pointed at Fluttershy and her phone.
“It was just a song she wrote that Fluttershy kept.” She put a finger under her chin. “By the way...how did you get it? I never heard her sing that one.”
Fluttershy bit her lower lip.
“She made me listen to it shortly after the Battle of the Bands. She wanted my opinion on it but I never got a chance to tell her because...”
Her sentence died in a sob. Pinkie got up and came and put her in a strong embrace which the shy girl gave back with thanks and grace. There was a moment when everyone was lost in his memories. Afterwards Flash cleared his throat.
“Well, I'm not going to disturb you any longer so...”
He turned around and prepared to leave, but Applejack held him back.
“Wait, Flash!”
He stood still with his hand on the doorknob.
“Hmm?”
“Listen, Flash. We know you knew she was innocent. We also know that you were the last one here to speak to her in a...non-aggressive tone.”
“Yes. And?” Flash asked, arching an eyebrow.
Applejack lowered her eyes to the ground, awkwardly searching for her words.
“Tell us. She...uh...ho...how did she feel?”
Flash frowned as he remembered the emotional mess she was in and let a growl come out of his lips.
“Broken!” This word came out as a whisper but was heard perfectly. “It is the only word I can use to describe her. She was like an automaton. Her eyes were lifeless. I admit I've never seen her like that. It was a shock. The kind and gentle person she was after the Battle of the Bands disappeared.”
Slowly he raised his hand and felt his fingers against his cheek.
Well, not completely, he thought as he caressed it.
Without another word, he walked out of the room, leaving the girls in a growing sense of guilt.
He stopped in front of his locker and picked up his books for his next class. Along the way, he saw the students moping or arguing with their peers about the secrets sent to the deleted account.
“Everything that happens to me is your fault. And to think you called yourself my friend.”
“Huh? Hi Watermelody!”
“Leave me alone, Golden. I don't want to talk to you.”
*Slap*
“What was that for?!”
“Guess!”
Increasing the speed of his walk, he went out of this corridor and into another one where the atmosphere was the same. He sighed.
Canterlot High School won't be the same after that.
.
A jolt woke Sunset up. Slightly panicked, she twirled her head from left to right. Sonata was asleep on a small couch in front of hers, a little drool dripping from her mouth. Aria was still driving, her eyes never taking off the road. And Adagio was reading a magazine, still in the co-driver's seat.
Hearing the noise behind, Adagio looked over her seat and smiled slightly.
“You're awake? That's a good thing. We have arrived.”
Blinking, Sunset looked out the window. The sun was already setting. They were in a huge tree-lined park. In the distance she saw a huge stage with a long table with three seats in front of it. There was also a multitude of stands with vendors of all kinds and full of banners that would make Pinkie Pie jealous.
Aria drove the car under an arch made of wood where it was inscribed in large letters MUSIC CONTEST FOR MUSICIANS IN HERBS. She raised her eyebrows at the name. Not really original, but it's all right. They drove a little further and stopped at a nearby camping area.
“And that was it! Here we are.” Adagio exclaimed, unfastening her seatbelt and getting out of the vehicle.
These actions were soon imitated by Aria, Sunset and a half standing Sonata, dragging a pillow behind her.
“Are we there yet?” asked the latter, yawning widely.
“Yes. And do me a favour and put that pillow back in the van.”
Leaving the two behind, Adagio, followed by Sunset, headed towards the entrance to the park where there was a ticket office.
“Hi, we'd like to enter someone in tomorrow's contest.”
“Who is it?” asked the woman behind the counter.
“It's me.” Sunset replied, stepping forward.
“Name?”
“Sunset Shimmer.”
The woman looked at her attentively.
“Had we seen each other somewhere before? Because I feel like I’ve seen you before.”
“I don’t think so.” Sunset replied.
“Must be nothing. Are you soloists?”
Sunset gave Adagio a hesitant look. She nodded her head and Sunset repeated the movement towards the woman.
“That's good. You've arrived at the right moment. Another five minutes late and you wouldn't have been able to register.” she said with a smile.
Adagio rolled her eyes.
“Can we know how many participants there will be?”
“Half a dozen.” the woman replied, looking at a paper.
Adagio raised her eyebrows.
“The competition will only last half a day then?”
“Yes. But not the party. To celebrate this month's competition, we had decided to organise a party open to everyone after the prize-giving ceremony. Celebrities like Songbird Serenade or Countess Coloratura will come and set the mood.”
“Good to know. Thank you very much.”
They left the box office and Adagio turned to Sunset.
“Here's how we're going to do it. We'll stay with you all day tomorrow. You're going to beat all your opponents. You'll get the ten thousand dollars and then you're on your own.”
Sunset frowned.
“How can you be so sure that I would win? If it comes up, there will be better people than me.”
Adagio gave her a mysterious smile.
“Oh you'll win! Without a doubt! Believe me.”
Leaving a confused Sunset in her wake, Adagio left to join her sisters.
