Wherever You Find Love - Part Two

Chapter Two: Today is a Gift


  “Don’t lie to me!” Diamond Tiara’s high-pitched screams were clear as day in the cafeteria, despite the din of other arguments in the reasonably-large eating area. “You took my necklace! Anon-A-Miss posted a picture of you wearing it!”

  Silver Spoon’s response was just as clear. “So what?! You said it yourself, it looked horrible on you!”

  Fluttershy wasn’t sure how to feel about the arguments erupting around her. She was normally uncomfortable, granted, but she felt even worse in the midst of this storm of discord and strife. Right now, the safe option was to keep her eyes on her meal and try not to look away, lest someone notice her and decide it was worth more to tease her even more for her singing.

  Footsteps approached her table, and she braced herself. Just ignore them, they’ll go away eventually…I hope…

  “Hey Fluttershy.” Three trays were laid out on the table, two opposite and one beside her. She looked up to find Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity had joined her, the former giving her a sympathetic look. “They didn’t let up on you either, huh?”

  “No. I ended up spending a couple hours at the animal shelter last night just to calm down after I heard Heath Burns and Thunderbass laughing about the video.”

  “I sympathize.” Rarity took off her wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and scarf, the long coat she wore less about fashion and more about anonymity. “I felt like Micro Chips and Wiz Kid were following me about like sharks after a trail of blood in the water yesterday afternoon.”

  Rainbow gestured with her spork as she settled into her meal. “Yeah, well, not sure if this is good news or not, but we’re not the only ones Anon-A-Miss is having fun with.” Indeed, all around them were various students arguing about one thing or another, some of whom had been giving one or more of them a hard time earlier in the week. The only other student that they could see who wasn’t in the midst of an argument was Vinyl Scratch, and even she looked to be in a foul mood, a frown on her face as she surveyed the scene around them. “Anon-A-Miss has been posting about folks left and right. It isn’t just us who got our secrets spilled.”

  “Indeed. I don’t even remember when things were this bad.”

  “Least things were civil ‘fore Twilight came along.” Applejack huffed deeply and snatched up the apple on her tray before declaring, “So much for us comin’ together. All thanks to Anon-A-Miss.”

  Fluttershy hesitantly looked up from her meal at her friends, all of them sharing equal expressions on their faces mixing frustration, remorse, and outright fear. It was clear that they were all thinking the same thing, though none of them seemed willing to say it. “Girls, do…do any of you really think Anon-A-Miss is Sunset?”

  Uneasy expressions were shared between them before Applejack answered, “Ah don’t know. Ah don’t want it to be her, but…”

  “There is a rather lot of circumstantial evidence against her.” Rarity sighed. “And who else could have posted those pictures, or that video?”

  “I know! We let her in, called her a friend!”

  “More’n that, Rainbow; we called her family.” Applejack sighed. “Even family makes mistakes, but that don’t mean you should be forgivin’ ‘em what they’ve done. Ah don’t wanna think she did it, but…”

  A tray slammed against one end of the table and startled all four girls as a familiar voice softly cried, “She didn’t do it.” They looked up to find Pinkie Pie standing over them, her hair flat and limp and devoid of its usual bouncy, poufy cheer, holiday-related or otherwise.

  As her friend sat down, Rarity offered, “Darling, not that I don’t want to agree with you, but what makes you say…?”

  “Maud.” She looked at them all with apologetic blue eyes, looking for all the world like a guilty child having been caught doing something naughty. “She asked me about what’s been happening over the last couple days, and I told her. I don’t keep secrets from her, ever.”

  “…And?”

  “And she told me that I’d made a mistake.” Pinkie looked like she was about to burst into tears as she amended, “That we’d made a mistake. She wasn’t happy about it.”

  “None’a us were too thrilled either, but…”

  “But we were crummy friends about it. Me especially.” She wiped at her eyes, clearly trying to hold back the tears that were coming, and continued, “We all yelled at her.”

  “Hey, we didn’t think it was her at first!”

  “AND WE SHOULDN’T HAVE THOUGHT IT WAS HER AT ALL!” The entire cafeteria went as silent as the tomb at Pinkie’s outburst, arguments forgotten. “SHE THOUGHT SHE DESERVED TO DIE AFTER THE FALL FORMAL! SHE THOUGHT SHE’D GO BACK AND GET EXECUTED FOR WHAT SHE DID! WE GAVE HER WHAT SHE NEEDED, AND SHE’S BEEN A GREAT FRIEND EVER SINCE, AND NOW…!” And she couldn’t hold back her tears anymore, pushed her tray aside and buried her face in her arms, weeping as if there were no tomorrow.

  Fluttershy put an arm around Pinkie’s shoulders as Rainbow stood up called out, “Okay, nothing to see here folks, go back to what you were doing!” The other students sat down, things having suddenly gotten much quieter, and the girls looked among one another as Rainbow added, “Girls, I really hope I’m not the only one thinking this, but…”

  “But Pinkie’s right, y’all. Innocent ‘till proven guilty an’ all that.” Applejack pulled the forward brim of her hat down and noted, “Ah ain’t felt this low in a long time. We barely had better evidence when…”

  “When Sunset tricked all of us into quarrelling amongst ourselves.” Rarity pushed her own tray away and stood up. “Come on, girls! Are we going to sit here and feel sorry for ourselves, or are we going to do something about this?!”

  Pinkie looked up from her sobs and asked, “Do you really think we can do something? We hurt her, Rarity. We hurt her bad. It might take a miracle to fix this.”

  The fashionista smiled with confidence. “You’re forgetting, darling, that this holiday celebrates a miracle. I’m sure we’re due for at least one more.”

  That seemed to brighten Pinkie’s mood, and she sat up, poof going back into her hair as she wiped away her tears. “You’re right, Rarity.” She stood up, and the rest of their group followed suit, the five girls striding out of the cafeteria as swiftly as school rules allowed. They knew where to go, and Sunset would need her family. All of her family.

  -

  Sunset almost stumbled into the bridge realm, and her frantic running slowed until she slumped to her knees before the mirror leading back to Equestria. She dropped her bag from one hand, and with her eyes drawn tight, she limply pressed a hand against the mirror before her. It was so very close, but so far away at the same time – the home she’d left behind like a fool.

  She didn’t have a way back. Even if she did, who would be waiting for her? Sure, there was Twilight and Spike and Princess Celestia, but that would lead to seeing the counterparts to her friends – ex-friends – and…

  …And she couldn’t face them again. They still saw the same thing that haunted her. Despite everything, that was all they saw.

  And seeing that would make what was to come so much easier. So she collected herself as best she could, and she thought of something to sing. [url=www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drz6WZ… She changed the words here and there, but no one was around to complain.[/url]

  “There was a time when I was sure
  That you and I were truly one
  That our future was forever
  And would never come undone.
  And we came so close to being close,
  I thought you cared for me.
  But now the truth’s as clear as day,
  And we're not meant to be…”

  Her mind flashed through all of the memories she’d made with the girls over these last few months, the laughs that they’d shared and the stories they’d told among themselves. She thought of the celebrations, the little things that had caused her to smile, from the quiet moments to the parties, especially the one they’d planned for Pinkie’s birthday earlier in the month.

  And then she thought of the memories she’d missed out on. How much she’d hurt those left behind, and how she’d probably never be able to undo that hurt, or make up for it. How she’d left a little filly in tears just because she thought of her as a big sister…

  “There comes a moment in your life,
  Like a window and you see,
  Your future there before you,
  And how perfect life can be.
  But temptation calls with unknown voices,
  Pulling you away,
  Be careful or you may regret,
  The choice you make someday…”

  And how much she hated herself for it. She deserved their scorn. She deserved their rage. She might not have been Anon-A-Miss now, but she was Anon-A-Miss once upon a time. And that was enough.

  “It was almost love,
  It was almost always,
  It was like a fairytale we'd live out,
  You and I.
  And yes some dreams come true,
  But this one just fell through,
  And now the time has come for us to say goodbye.
  Yes some dreams come true,
  But some dreams fall through,
  And now the time has come for us to say goodbye…”

  She opened her eyes, only to see the face she didn’t want to see; that of the scared, frightened unicorn-turned-human, cast adrift and alone in a world that both cared nothing for her and would be pleased to see her gone. She sighed, grabbed her bag and got to her feet. It wasn’t a sledgehammer, but it would do the job well enough.

  Sunset turned around one last time, her gaze falling upon the mirror leading back to Canterlot High. Her eyes shut tight, and she let out a primal scream of anguished rage and frustrated remorse as she charged forward and swung her heavy bag, hoping it had enough mass to do the job…

  “SUNSET! STOP!”

  She froze, momentum lost in the firm but gentle grip of all-too-familiar magic. Sunset kept her eyes shut tight as she rasped, “Let me go, Twilight. Go back to Equestria and let me finish this.”

  “No! I can’t let you do this!” Hoofsteps approached her from behind as the young alicorn called, “Sunset, I’m not about to let you make this mistake! Too many of us…!”

  “THEY DON’T CARE! WHO CARES IF A DEMON PUTS THEMSELVES OUT OF EVERYONE’S MISERY?!” Her anger and rage finally gave way to tears as Sunset cried out, “I STILL SEE IT, TWILIGHT! IF I’M NOT CAREFUL, I SEE THAT THING LOOKING BACK AT ME IN THE MIRROR! AND THEY SEE IT TOO! THAT’S ALL THEY SEE!” The magic finally let go, and she collapsed onto her knees as she sobbed, “A monster.”

  She felt something gently nuzzle her from one side, and Twilight’s voice felt like a pleasant, reassuring balm. “You’re not a monster. You know that.” She gently ran a hand down a familiar equine neck as her friend continued, “I’m sorry I took so long to get to you, Sunset. Things came up back in Equestria, but that’s no excuse. As soon as I read your last message and saw you were in here, I charged in and…”

  “None of this is your fault.” Her free hand clenched into a fist, and Sunset mourned, “It’s mine.”

  “No, it isn’t.” A wing went over the girl’s back, and Twilight continued, “Sunset, you remember the windigoes, from the Hearth’s Warming story?”

  A nod. “You’re not saying that the things that nearly strangled our nation in the womb ended up in the human world, are you?”

  “No. I don’t think they need to. You and I know all too well that anyone, human or pony, can spread discord and strife. It doesn’t have to be caused by magic or curses or spirits. All it takes is a word or two, purposely cruel or otherwise, written or typed and sent with the push of a button.”

  “Or a carefully edited video.” Another pang of guilt went through her, and Sunset wiped away what she could of her tears and opened her eyes. “How do you fight something like that? How did they survive it? How did you?”

  “You stay strong. You remember who you are. And you hold tight to your family.”

  Another sob. “Family, Twilight? My parents are dead. I disowned my aunt and uncle and I left my cousin in tears just because she thought of me as a big sister. Even if they wanted me back, I’m a world away, and the closest people I have to family in this world tossed me aside the second they thought I’d stabbed them in the back. What family do I have left?”

  “Me.” Sunset turned to look into those familiar violet eyes, the smile all too clear upon that cute little pony face. “You have me.” She all but collapsed towards the young alicorn, both arms wrapped about her in a tight hug, as Twilight gently hugged her with one foreleg. “It’ll be okay. We’ll figure this out. I promise.”

  The sobs gave way to laughter as Sunset realized, “Look at me. I can dish it out, but I can’t take it, can I?”

  “You’re not who you were then, Sunset. You’re better now. We just need to…”

  “What in tarnation?!” The two broke their embrace to find a trio of fillies looking at them with surprise, the bow-wearing earth pony among them the only one to speak at the sight before her. “Th’ hay is goin’ on here?!”

  The portal rippled again, a familiar dragon stepping through and weaving his way around the fillies with a defeated look on his face. “Sorry Twilight, they got past me.” He gave Sunset a reassuring smile and held out his arms to offer a hug as he approached. “Hey Sunset. You okay?”

  She smiled back, accepted the hug and gave one in return. “Better now. Thanks Spike.”

  “Okay, what’s going on here?” The pegasus among the trio trotted forward and kept her eyes on Sunset as if she were the strangest thing she’d ever seen. Which, all things considered, she was. “Who is she?”

  “What is she?” The unicorn was joined by the earth pony as she approached. “She looks like a shaved yeti. With really nice clothes.”

  Sunset stifled a laugh, and Twilight sighed. “Girls, this is Sunset Shimmer. She was Princess Celestia’s personal student before I was. Sunset, meet Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle.”

  “The famous Cutie Mark Crusaders.” She smiled warmly and explained, “I’ve heard a lot about you three. Gotta say, the pictures I’ve seen don’t do you justice.”

  “Thanks, ah guess.” Her discomfort fading in the face of foalhood curiosity, Apple Bloom got a little closer and asked, “But how could you be a former student a’ Princess Celestia? Ah mean, yer not a unicorn.”

  “Actually, I am a unicorn.” A sad smile crossed her face. “It’s a long story. Kinda sad, too.”

  Sweetie Belle sat down with an apologetic smile on her face and prompted, “We don’t need to go anywhere. We’ve got time.”

  “Okay.” Sunset settled herself into a more comfortable position and explained, “For starters, what I’ve been turned into? It’s not a yeti. They’re called humans; they’re like yetis, sort of, but smaller, and smarter. I was turned into this almost three years ago now, when I left Celestia’s side. Not my biggest mistake, but definitely up there…”

  -

  “Of all the senseless, thoughtless behavior I’ve ever seen in all my years of teaching, just charging past us like that. Never mind her disappearing into that mirror – after the Fall Formal, that’s the least of the craziness I’d expect – but… Cheerilee!” The younger teacher looked up suddenly to her senior coworker from where she was kneeling down. “Are you even listening to me?!”

  “Yes, Cranky, sorry, just getting something.” She carefully picked up the large journal, Sunset Shimmer’s mark on the cover, and returned to her feet. “I think this is her diary.”

  “Well whatever it is, keep it away from the students. Things are bad enough thanks to this Anon-A-Miss business, we don’t need more…” The older teacher’s remarks were cut short as a familiar quintet charged towards them. “Oh, what now?!”

  “Sorry Mister Doodle, it’s a holiday-related friendship emergency!” Pinkie’s hair had regained a little of its bounce, but it was hard to tell given how quickly she was moving. “Did either of you see…?!”

  “Teacher’s Lounge! Mirror! Go!” The girls complied, and Cheerilee sighed. “I’d better get Principal Celestia.”

  She went on her way, leaving Cranky Doodle to groan. “Only one more day of this after today, and then Matilda and I go to Boca. No craziness for two weeks, no magic whatevers, just her and me and white sands. If only I’d gotten that earlier flight…”

  -

  “…and that’s the whole story.” Sunset exhaled in relief, clearly glad to have gotten the story out of her system. It actually felt better, getting it out there in the open. “But now, I’m not sure what to do. I mean, I have to go back and talk to the girls, but what’s stopping them from just shoving me away again? I’ve burned them before.”

  Sweetie Belle gently laid a hoof on the girl’s knee, her fellow Crusaders giving their own respective expressions of support. “So did we, but we were forgiven. And you didn’t do anything wrong this time.”

  “I know, but how do I know they’ll believe me? Where do I start?”

  “You can start by turning around, dear.” Sunset recognized the expression of shock on the faces of the Crusaders, then turned and got to her feet to find her friends arrayed behind her, their expressions a mix of relief and remorse, as Rarity continued, “And then, you can let us take it from there.”

  All at once, the five teens charged and took Sunset into a big hug, the flame-haired girl suddenly feeling every bit of air in her lungs leaving all at once from the pressure. “Ooof! I need oxygen too girls!”

  Grips were loosened as Pinkie babbled, “I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorry!”

  “We’re all sorry, Sunset.” Dash looked remarkably repentant as she admitted, “We shouldn’t have turned on you like that.”

  “Durn right.” Applejack took off her hat and bowed her head apologetically. “Y’all ain’t just a friend. You’re family. We know you better’n most, and the Sunset Shimmer we know, the real you? You ain’t the sort to do that sorta thing. Not no more.”

  A light sniffle, and Fluttershy quietly asked, “I hope… I hope you can…”

  “Forgive you all?” Sunset smiled and gently wiped a tear from her friend’s face. “I already have.”

  This prompted another tight hug from Pinkie as Rarity sighed in relief. “We were afraid we may have lost you, dear.”

  Sunset’s tone immediately turned regretful as she admitted in shame, “You almost did.” Twilight came up beside her, and she added, “Thankfully, I had a guardian angel.”

  “Thank Heaven for that.” The fashionista turned to the princess and gave a grateful curtsey. “And thank you, Twilight. Though, I suspect that you’re horribly disappointed in us.”

  Twilight gave a sympathetic smile. “Well, I can’t say I’m proud of you, but I’ve been where you are. Sort of. I didn’t really make the smartest decisions then either.”

  “None of us did, really,” Spike sheepishly admitted.

  Rarity frowned and admitted, “Alas, that’s not quite as comforting as I’d like it to be.”

  “Don’t hurt much, though.” Applejack took a breath and put her Stetson back on. “Alright y’all, we’ve fought off this symptom, but we ain’t cured this trouble yet. We got us a Christmas to save, so let’s put our heads together an’…” The farmgirl soon found Pinkie Pie pressing their two heads together, prompting her to ask, “Pinkie, what’re you doin’?”

  The party girl giggled, her hair back to its normal poof. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist, and besides, we needed some levity.”

  That prompted a laugh from everyone present, and Applejack gently removed her cousin’s hands from her head. “Okay, ah’ll give ya that one. Still, don’t change the fact that we done got hoodwinked by this Anon-A-Miss gal. Don’t reflect too well on us.”

  “Indeed it doesn’t, which makes it all the more important that we deal with the heart of the problem. It’s bad enough our secrets have been released online, worse that the rest of the school is slowly being victimized. Sunset’s being blamed, and that we were fooled makes it even worse.” Her fists were clenched as Rarity continued, “When I get my hands on this ruffian… this heathen… this…” She couldn’t restrain herself anymore and screamed out, “…This bitch!”

  An outraged squeak interrupted her tirade. “RARITY! Language!”

  The fashionista recovered herself and continued in an embarrassed tone, “Oh, forgive me, Sweetie Belle, but I haven’t felt like this since…” Her eyes drifted to where the voice had come from, and her eyes found themselves locked with an increasingly wide-eyed little unicorn filly. “…Sweetie Belle?”

  Suddenly feeling very small indeed, the filly timidly nodded. “Uh-huh.”

  It took all of two seconds before the fashionista squealed gleefully, slid forward onto her knees, scooped up the small filly in her arms and held her tight. “Oh my goodness, how did I fail to notice the most adorable little filly I’ve ever seen?!”

  Predictably, the filly squirmed like a trapped kitten in the human girl’s embrace. “Ack! Rarity!”

  “Oh, you even squeak just like my Sweetie Belle!”

  “That’s nice, now please put me down!” Her voice lowered to a whimper as she added, “You’re embarrassing me…” Rarity, for her part, managed a sheepish grin as she released Sweetie Belle, who glowered at her two friends as they valiantly attempted to restrain themselves from going into giggle fits. “If one of you says a word about this to anypony…”

  “Our lips ‘r sealed.”

  “Promise.”

  “They’d better be, ‘cuz you’re liable to go through the same thing.” Applejack knelt down and gently ran a hand through Apple Bloom’s mane. “Look at you three, all cute ‘n tiny.”

  “Hey, Scoots here is a pegasus!” Down on one knee beside Scootaloo, Rainbow Dash declared happily, “And pegasi aren’t cute! They’re awesome!”

  “Yeah!” The two shared a fist/hoof-bump, and the filly gleefully flapped her wings, managing to hover just a little off the ground before dropping back down.

  “Awww…” It took every bit of willpower Fluttershy had to not kneel down and join her friends in embracing the little fillies, so she instead went and gently hugged Sunset. “Um, girls? Maybe we can get back to what we were doing?”

  Rarity and Applejack both restrained themselves from embarrassed laughter, and the farmgirl noted, “Yeah, that is a priority.” She stood back up and gently took Sunset’s hand as she admitted, “Ah’ve lost too much family already. Don’t want to lose more if’n ah can help it. Ah’m just countin’ my blessin’s that my Apple Bloom ain’t gotten into Anon-A-Miss’ web a’ nasty.”

  “And I for Sweetie Belle, but I fear it’s only a matter of time.” She noticed a pensive look upon Sunset’s face and queried, “Is something the matter, darling?”

  “Family.” Sunset cast her gaze upon the Crusaders and repeated Twilight’s advice. “Look to family.” She then turned back to the first of Anon-A-Miss’ victims and asked, “AJ, your secret. Aside from us and your immediate family, no one associated with Canterlot High knew about it, right?”

  “Not so far as ah know, but like ah said, Granny brings up the story sometimes.”

  Rarity stood up and added, “But that doesn’t explain the photos or the video that Sunset took showing up on Anon-A-Miss’ page.”

  “No, but someone could’ve gotten them off my phone easily enough.” Sunset pulled her phone from her jacket pocket and explained, “This is the same phone that Principal Celestia gave me the night I moved into my new place. The security features are all disabled, so I can’t put in a password or anything like that. But I’ve kept it on me at all times just to be safe. I even slept with it when I was over for the slumber parties.” She turned to Rainbow Dash and added, “Your paper for Physics. You got it back on Tuesday, right?”

  “Yeah, and I took it home with me. Didn’t show it to a soul and kept it in my backpack.” The wheels in the athlete’s head were turning as she realized, “But I didn’t have my backpack with me all the time! I left it in the locker room during gym! Someone could’ve gotten into it and snapped a picture, and then posted it the next day!”

  “Or set up the post to be placed automatically at a predetermined time.”

  “Well hate to rain on yer parade, Sunset, but that don’t solve the mystery. Ah don’t think there’s any one student at CHS who’d know mah secret, be able ta snap a picture’a Dash’s paper, and get the stuff offa yer phone. And that’s ignorin’ all the rest of the students at CHS who done got their dirty laundry put out fer the world ‘ta see.”

  “You’re right, there isn’t any one student at CHS who could have done it.”

  Apple Bloom’s tone indicated both grim resignation and clear frustration as she frowned. “Ah think ah know where this conversation’s headed.”

  “I can’t account for everyone else, but as far as your secrets go? It wasn’t posted by one person, it was…”

  “IT WAS US!” Heads whipped in unison towards a privacy screen, the bit of furniture getting knocked down to reveal a familiar trio of young adolescent girls, the one to scream out having long purple and pink hair as she bawled, “WE’RE ANON-A-MISS!” Her two compatriots, one with long red hair decorated with a pink bow and the other with her cerise hair cut short, both looked similarly distraught and guilty, though the first among them to speak had also clearly been the first to give way to tears.

  Applejack looked among the three in shock. “Apple Bloom? What in tarnation are you and your friends doin’ in here?!”

  “And where did that privacy screen come from?” Heads turned back to Pinkie as she added, “What? It’s not like Sunset needed something like that. She could’ve gone running around naked in here and no one would’ve noticed.”

  The Crusaders looked among themselves in confusion. Some hints of disgust were clear on Spike’s face, while Twilight managed a politely awkward expression. Sunset blushed slightly, and her other four friends all showed varying expressions of embarrassment and annoyance as Applejack eloquently summed up their collective thoughts and facepalmed. “Ah did not need that image in mah head.”

  “We followed Sunset Shimmer in after we saw her in the hall,” the human Scootaloo explained, shame clear on her face. She and her friends maneuvered around the downed screen, Apple Bloom guiding Sweetie Belle, as she continued, “Mister Doodle and Miss Cheerilee didn’t see us, we saw the mirror in the teacher’s lounge shimmer, went through it, and we hid behind the screen while she was singing.”

  “We thought she was attackin’ us for a second after she finished that song up, but then…”

  “Enough a’ that!” Applejack approached the three and asked in frustration, clearly trying not to yell, “What the heck got inta’ the three ‘a ya? Why in the sam hill did’ya’ll do this in the first place?”

  Sweetie Belle was still a sobbing mess, so Apple Bloom pointed to Sunset and answered, “It was because ‘a her.”

  “Oh no ya’ don’t! Don’t you be blamin’ her fer…!”

  “Applejack.” Sunset approached and gently laid a hand upon her friend’s shoulder, then quietly suggested, “Let them explain. Please.” She then turned to the three girls and prompted, “Go on girls. The whole story.”

  Apple Bloom seemed to shrink under her target’s gaze, but Sweetie Belle had recovered enough to coherently continue. “The five of you were the best of friends for years. You guys are how the three of us met, how we became friends.” She wiped away what she could of her tears and continued, “And then last spring, you all were at each other’s throats, and Rarity lost the Spring Fling crown to Sunset.”

  “Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that one,” Scootaloo interjected.

  “It hurt us seeing all of you like that, and seeing you back together in time for the Fall Formal was amazing. And then…” Sweetie Belle nudged her head towards Sunset, and then continued, “And after that, you all were hanging out with her like she hadn’t done a thing. She tore you all apart, made you miserable, made us miserable!” She looked up at her sister and cried, “You should’ve been princess of the Spring Fling! You should’ve been amazing at that fashion show in the city last summer! But she ruined both for you! It didn’t make sense that you’d just forgive her like that! The only idea that made sense was that she had you under some kind of spell! Why else would you be nice to her?”

  Rarity came forward, knelt down before her sister, and assured her, “Sweetie Belle, the girls and I were never under any spell. We reached out to Sunset because she needed us.”

  “But she had magic!”

  “And she still does, as do we. But none of us know how to access it, much less use it.”

  Sunset suddenly turned uncomfortable as she glanced towards Twilight. The princess gave her a prompting look, and she quietly spoke up. “That’s not entirely accurate.” Her friends and their siblings looked to her in surprise as she explained, “Girls, I have a confession to make. That Saturday, after I moved into my new apartment? I was taking a shower and singing along to a song on the radio, and…” A quick breath, and she finished, “I had a magic surge. Nothing happened, I calmed it down as soon as I felt it coming on, but…”

  “Whoa whoa whoa whoa, you felt your magic coming on?” Dash approached her, looking both shocked and dismayed, and asked, “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I didn’t know how you’d take it.” Sunset crossed her arms protectively and explained, “I was afraid that, if there was even a small chance I could end up turning into that monster again, you’d all throw me away in a heartbeat.” She looked over each of them as she finished, “You guys are all I have in the human world right now. I didn’t want to lose you.”

  The rainbow-haired athlete gently laid a hand on her shoulder. “Sunset, I wanna say you didn’t have anything to worry about, but after all this…”

  “It seems your fears weren’t entirely unjustified.” Rarity turned back to the younger girls and prodded, “So Anon-A-Miss was created as some elaborate means of getting us away from Sunset?”

  “We thought that if’n ya’ll got angry enough, ya’d force her outta yer group and that’d be that.”

  Applejack gave her sister a grim look and asked, “And ya’ll’ve been plannin’ this fer how long? Since after the Fall Formal?”

  “No! We… ah did this all spur-a-th’-moment. Findin’ out ‘bout yer slumber parties was the last straw, ‘n ah set up the Anon-A-Miss account that night.”

  “And we joined in after that first secret wasn’t enough,” the human Scootaloo finished.

  “And all the rest’a them secrets you posted?” Applejack’s glare was fixed upon all three as she asked, “Did’ja think us yellin’ at her wasn’t enough?”

  “We were gonna stop after yesterday mornin’, honest! But after that first thing, we started gettin’ e-mails from folks with more secrets ‘n pictures from other kids in the school.”

  “You have to have a valid e-mail address to set up a MyStable account, and those are easy to find if you know where to look.”

  Sweetie Belle nodded sadly at Sunset’s summation. “We posted all of it. We thought you deserved it, for all the pain you put us through, for what you did at the Fall Formal, for hurting our big sisters, but we didn’t think…” She finally looked up at Sunset, tears welling up again, and not able to hold back anymore, she wailed and cried out, “NO ONE TRIED TO KILL THEMSELVES BECAUSE OF YOU!” After a short bout of tears, she calmed down and realized, “We thought we were getting rid of a monster, but we just turned into monsters ourselves! Why does life have to be so ironic?!”

  Her counterpart looked to her friends and muttered, “Déjà vu, anypony?”

  “Yeah, whatever that is,” the orange pegasus beside her countered.

  Apple Bloom looked to be similarly distraught as she turned to her big sister. “Applejack, none ‘a us wanted things to get this far outta hand. We didn’t see any ‘a this comin’.” She shut her eyes tight in an attempt to hold back tears and realized aloud, “Ya’ll must hate us fer what we’ve done.”

  The grim expression on Applejack’s face faded, and she gently took her sister into an embrace. “How could ah hate mah baby sister?” Apple Bloom looked at her in surprise, only to get struck in the back of her head as her sister added, “But ah am right angry with ya, and mighty disappointed.”

  “No kidding.” Rainbow Dash turned to Scootaloo and noted, “You three should know better than this. Even if Sunset was still a jerk, you hurt us to hurt her. Not cool, Scoots.”

  “Indeed, and as it was, you were hurting someone who was already in pain.”

  Applejack continued where Rarity left off and explained, “Ya’ll might’ve thought you were doin’ the right thing, but it’s never the right thing when the wrong folks get hurt.” She gently ran a hand through her little sister’s hair and said, “Now, ah know ya’ll're sorry fer what’s happened, but we ain’t the only ones you need to be apologizin’ to.”

  The three younger girls looked briefly among themselves, and then turned to their intended victim. Apple Bloom and Scootaloo closed in beside their friend as Sweetie Belle quietly offered, “We’re all sorry, Sunset. You didn’t deserve any of what we did to you.”

  “No, no I didn’t.” Sunset gently brought a hand up to the younger girl’s face and wiped away a few fresh tears, then smiled and added, “Your big sister didn’t deserve anything that I did to her, either. But she forgave me. And I can forgive you too. That’s what friends do.”

  Sweetie Belle’s eyes locked with hers, and the disbelief in them quickly gave way to joyful elation as she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the former bully. Sunset responded in turn as the young girl softly said, “Thank you.” The two were quickly joined by her classmates, both similarly glad that they’d been forgiven for their sins, and the hug swiftly broke as they finally took stock of the ponies in the room. “So, is that really you, Twilight?”

  The princess nodded. “Yeah. This is the real me.”

  “I know, it’s a lot to take in at once.” Spike grinned and struck a manly pose as he added, “I get that a lot.”

  The gathered girls all laughed, only for the Crusaders to approach their counterparts. The two Sweetie Belles looked at one another and the human noted, “Okay, Rarity’s right, you are adorable. And this is so weird.”

  “Yer tellin’ us.” The pony Apple Bloom looked to the human and added, “If it helps any, we’ve kinda been through what ya’ll’ve been through.”

  “Wasn’t fun for us either.” Scootaloo gave an embarrassed grin and fluttered her wings nervously before amending, “But we got past it.”

  “Well that’s a relief.” The three younger girls looked to themselves with small grins, clearly feeling better, but that pleased feeling faded as the human Scootaloo looked to her surrogate sister and asked, “But what do we do now?”

  Dash smirked. “You gotta figure that out for yourself, squirt.”

  “We can take the page down!” Sweetie Belle turned to Sunset and asked, “That’ll help, right?”

  “It’s a start, but it won’t fix the whole problem. You guys remember that video I made of Twilight, right before the Fall Formal?” At the girls’ nod, Sunset continued, “I’m still seeing it out there, and odds are I’m going to have a lot to answer for if I ever meet her counterpart. Everything that you three posted as Anon-A-Miss is going to keep on circulating.”

  “And you’re going to keep on gettin’ blamed for it,” Apple Bloom somberly realized. She looked to her counterpart and asked, “You said y’all’ve been through somethin’ like this, right?”

  “If it makes y’all feel any better, you’ve made two’ve our mistakes at once.” The little filly gave a sheepish smile. “Long story.” She turned more encouraging as she gently nuzzled her counterpart’s leg. “But ah think y’all know what needs ta be done.”

  “Yeah, but that don’t make it any less scary.” The girl turned to Sunset and gave a nervous smile. “So, what ya’ll said back there, ‘bout yer folks. It was the truth.” A nod at the statement, and the smile faded. “Ah’m sorry. Ah never knew. But you never…”

  “It’s one line I’m proud to say I never crossed.” Sunset extended a hand and gently laid it on her shoulder. “Neither did you. And you didn’t go nearly as far as I did. You never made your sister cry, for one thing.”

  “Still feels like it, though.” Apple Bloom took a breath to gather her resolve, and then looked to her friends. “Come on, y’all. Time to face the music.”

  Applejack gave her sister a comforting hug and smiled reassuringly. “We’re with ya every step a’ the way, little sister. Promise.”

  Rarity and Rainbow Dash took up similar positions with their siblings, biological and surrogate, as Fluttershy offered, “I can go get Principal Celestia, assuming she and Vice Principal Luna aren’t already on their way.”

  “Sure.” Scootaloo turned from the pink-haired girl to Sunset and smiled gratefully. “Thanks, Sunset. And, sorry. About wanting Rainbow Dash to kick your butt.”

  Sunset laughed. “It’s okay. Up until after the Fall Formal, I’d have deserved it.”

  Fluttershy exited back to Canterlot High, the rest of the students following with Pinkie Pie taking up the rear. Before Sunset could follow, Twilight called out, “Sunset, before you go, we have something for you.” She turned back to see Spike quickly rush back to Equestria, only to return a second later with a bundle of envelopes. The young alicorn retrieved them from her dragon associate and gently handed them off to her friend. “Princess Celestia asked us to pass these along.”

  Sunset examined the envelopes, and as she recognized the return address, her eyes lit up in surprise. “Oh my gosh.” She laughed and exclaimed, “I thought I got rid of these!”

  “You did. Celestia didn’t.” Sunset looked to Twilight, who smiled and offered, “Season’s Greetings.”

  Sunset laughed as she tucked the bundle into her jacket pocket. “Thanks.” She looked to the Crusaders and added, “Girls, word of advice about your cutie marks? Don’t rush them. Earning one isn’t the important thing. What comes afterwards is.” She turned and waved, and made her way back to CHS as the Crusaders waved from behind.

  Once Sunset was gone, Scootaloo asked, “So, what is Christmas, anyway?”

  “It’s like Hearth’s Warming, but more religious. And really distorted as far as historical accuracy goes, especially compared to the Hearth’s Warming story.” The princess sighed. “I guess this is going to be the big thing for Twilight Time this week, huh?”

  Spike laughed. “I’ll get the snacks ready.”

  -

  “…And they charged into the teacher’s lounge after her.”

  “You did the right thing coming to us, Cheerilee.” Principal Celestia sighed as the three entered the aforementioned room. “Hopefully, this will give us the chance to…” She stopped as one of her charges emerged from the portal. “Fluttershy?”

  “Oh, Principal Celestia! I was just coming to get you.” The pink-haired girl’s schoolmates followed, with Sunset the last to step through. “We need to speak with you about what’s been happening these last few days.”

  “As do we.” Vice Principal Luna stepped up and noted, “We heard about your shouting match with Sunset yesterday morning and the accusations you sent her way.”

  “Yes, and it was a terrible decision on our part.” Rarity looked to Sunset and noted, “We did something horrible, and it nearly led to us losing a dear friend forever. It’s a mistake we may never be able to make up for.”

  “And they aren’t the only ones.” Her friends beside her, Sweetie Belle approached the two administrators and said, “Principal Celestia? Vice Principal Luna? We have a confession to make.”

  Celestia regarded them for a moment, then gently ushered them out. “We’d better take this to my office.” She looked to Sunset and asked, “Will you be alright?”

  A nod. “I will.”

  A small smile formed on her face, and Celestia led the three younger students out. Luna stayed back and offered, “Cheerilee, perhaps you should come with me? I don’t think these girls have had a proper lunch, and Granny Smith will need some help bringing their food out there.”

  “Of course.” Before she left, she stepped over and handed Sunset back her journal. “I think this is yours?”

  “Yes, thanks.” Sunset accepted the journal back with a grateful smile and started getting it back into her backpack as Cheerilee followed Luna out. As she finished, she turned to her friends and asked, “So, are you guys going to be okay?”

  “With time, yes.” Rarity sighed and admitted, “I’m not certain whom I’m more angry with; myself for falling for this, or Sweetie Belle for taking part in the scheme in the first place. It will be a while before I feel comfortable forgiving her, or myself.”

  “Ah think that goes fer all’a us, Rarity.” Applejack looked at her hand and frowned. “Ah just Gibbs Slapped mah baby sister. Can’t say ah enjoyed it. Feel like ah deserve worse.”

  “Like you should be torched alive from the inside out?”

  The farmgirl shook her head. “Nah, but probably a good punch ta the face.” She looked to Sunset and added, “Not that ah’m sayin’ ya’ll should be doin’ that.”

  Sunset smirked. “Good, because I don’t want to.” She approached and drew her two friends into a hug. “I said I forgave you, and I meant it.”

  “After what we’ve done, Sunset? We all treated you so poorly.” The fashionista looked at her in amazement and added, “You deserved better.”

  Sunset wrapped her own hand around her friend’s and answered, “Better than five girls who can admit when they were wrong? Who can forgive someone who was a monster to them? I’m the one who’s got something to be ashamed of.”

  “More shameful than taking away someone’s smile, when seeing others smile is what you live for?” Pinkie Pie pulled her into a tight hug. “I like seeing you smile, Sunset. It makes me smile, too.”

  “Anyone smiling makes you smile.” The flame-haired girl laughed and leaned her head towards Pinkie’s. “But that’s not a bad thing.” A ripple of laughter went through the group, and she finally asked, “So, did I miss out on anything with last night’s slumber party?”

  “Actually, we didn’t have one.” Rainbow nervously admitted, “We put ‘em together for you, and after what happened, it didn’t really feel right to have another. Plus, it would’ve been kinda crowded at Fluttershy’s place.” She grinned and added, “Her bed wouldn’t have been big enough for the six of us, let alone her bedroom.” At Sunset’s surprised expression, she amended, “Relax, Sunset. You’re not the only one who’s shared a bed with her.”

  “Most definitely not,” Rarity added with a warm smile.

  Sunset looked to Fluttershy, who blushed and tried to hide herself in her hair. She then smirked and looked to Applejack, who shrugged. “Hey, this is news to me.”

  “And a Pinkie Promise is worth a hundred signed and notarized legal documents. If Lucy Pinkie Promised Charlie Brown that she wouldn’t pull away the football, then she wouldn’t. That’s how strong it is.” Pinkie grinned hopefully and offered, “So another secret between friends?”

  The girls chanted in unison, “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye,” and then came together in a group hug and laughed. Harmony was restored, and it felt good.


to be continued...