"I'm not Anon-A-Miss."
"I'm not Anon-A-Miss."
"I'm not Anon-A-Miss."
These words rang through Sunset's head as she tried to gather up her dropped books while the students of Canterlot High School jeered at her. She had said it so many times but no matter what she said no one would believe her, not even her closest friends. Just thinking about them sent another pang of loneliness through her, she missed them, she wanted them back. She finished gathering up most of her books when she came to the last, her journal fallen to the most recent entry.
Sometimes, all you can do is stay strong. And find your family.
Those words, those final words from Twilight gave Sunset a desperate hope, one last chance to finally convince the girls that she was innocent. Picking up her journal she ran out the front door, a look of new determination on her face, she would find them and fix everything, and then her life could finally go back to normal. She knew where they would be right now and took off through the snow, ignoring the cold, she had to get to them before they left. In her desperation, she did not see the concerned looking girl watching her from around the corner.
***
Applebloom had been watching around the corner as Sunset was harassed for something she had caused over stupid jealousy. It had seemed like a great plan when it had all started, cause a little tension between Sunset and her friends then Applebloom and the CMC's would swoop in and get some time with their sisters back. It was only supposed to last the few weeks before the break and only meant to cause a little distance, none of them had thought their sisters would actually abandon Sunset!
And now after seeing all that she knew that the CMC's had to come clean, this had to stop before one of the students did what they had long threatened to do. Sending an urgent text to her friends she went into the empty supply closest they used as their school base and waited. Scootaloo came first followed shortly by Sweetie Belle.
"What's up?" Scootaloo asked.
"Why did you need us, Rarity was confused when I told her I could not get a ride with her to Sugercube Corner." Sweetie Belle said voice slightly muffled by the heavy scarf Rarity had given her for the cold.
"Ah just saw Sunset being bullied by a bunch of students over Anon-A-Miss, guys she was crying waterfalls," Applebloom said.
Scootaloo's eyes widened slightly and Sweetie Belle gave a small gasp. "I knew this was getting bad but I thought they said they would not hurt her if we posted those pictures," Scootaloo said. Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.
Applebloom thought that too, the threats Anon-A-Miss had started to receive with new gossip, threats of hurting Sunset if she did not post what they had sent in. They thought they were protecting Sunset by doing it, that she would be safe until the holidays when they would close the page as they always planned on doing. But the threats were getting worse as the gossip sent in got worse and worse, now it was almost entirely personal secrets and private information they were posting instead of the embarrassing stuff they had started with.
"Ah thought so too, but now she getting threatened for having this stupid account up," Applebloom said dejectedly. "She was crying up a story when she looked in her journal then went running off faster than a chicken on chopping day."
"I wonder where she is going." Sweetie Belle said.
"My guess to find our sisters and try to tell them she's not Anon-A-Miss, and Ah doubt they will believe her."
The two middle schoolers jumped when Scootaloo slammed her hand against the wall, it curling into a fist as she trembled in anger. "This wasn't how it was supposed to be. A few harmless pranks, a few high schoolers given a little embarrassment online, and we spend time with our sisters while they get over being angry. But the school's tearing itself apart again."
She turned to Applebloom and Sweetie Belle. "What are we going to do?"
Applebloom's shoulders dropped. "Ah think it's time to come clean, at this rate Ah'm not sure she will survive the last two days before the break without her friends."
"Yeah and the plan did not work anyways, they only spend time with each other now, they barely even talk to us." Sweetie Belle said tears starting to form as she imagined how made her sister would be.
Scootaloo slumped to the floor, covering her face in her hands. "Rainbow Dash is never going to talk to me again, I know it. So much for me having a big sister."
Sweetie Belle placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry Scootaloo, maybe she'll forgive you. Or maybe we can take the blame since we know our sisters might forgive us someday. The only thing we did with Rainbow was posting a test grade, we could say someone else sent it in."
Scootaloo looked up at them, briefly considering accepting but she shook her head and stood. "No that would no be loyal and I could never even face Rainbow again if I was not loyal to my friends."
"Come on girls we have a lot of explaining to do, Ah'll call Big Mac for a ride," Applebloom said getting out her phone, knowing it might be the last time she used it for a long time.
***
Sunset ran through the snow, ignoring the biting wind at her throat, she ran faster than she had ever run in her life determined to get her friends back. She was so focused on running she barely avoided slipping on some ice and crashing to the pavement.
"Though that might get them to stop fighting. Sunset thought but shook her head, she did not have time for those thoughts now. Her only thought was making things right again.
Turning the corner at high speed only avoiding a fall by grabbing onto a lampost to aid her turn, ignoring the stinging feeling of her bare hand on the cold metal, she found herself at her destination. Sugarcube Corner, the place of business of the Cakes and the normal hangout for the girls, especially when they were upset. She held her journal tight to her chest, shivering as the cold wind blew against her chilling the sweat that had formed on her face from running.
"Well here goes nothing," Sunset said to herself. Looking through the glass she could see her friends sitting sadly at one of the tables. Steeling herself she pushed the door open.
"Hey! GET OUT! Rainbow Dash yelled immeditly upon seeing Sunset.
"Yer not welcome here, Sunset." Applejack said with only slightly less venom.
"No wait- Please!" Sunset said desperately pulling out her journal. "I know you don't trust me a-and I can't prove I'm innocent, but please.
"Look at this. I've been telling Twilight everything that's been happening and-" She was cut off when Rainbow swiped the book away, flipping through the pages to the most recent entries. Rainbow was silent for a minute before she closed the book and slammed it on the table glaring at Sunset.
"This proves nothing, if you were willing to spill so many secrets and lying to us then you would have no problem lying to Twilight so we would believe you! I can't believe you would lie to Twilight of all people, the person who gave you a second chance!"
By now she was inches from Sunset's face glaring with anger. "It didn't work." Sunset thought, tears forming again, her final hope was crushed. Rainbow's glare held for a few seconds before it broke into one of total sadness.
"Why are you doing this Sunset, why are you hurting yourself?" She asked. Sunset's tears stopped as she looked at her friend, confused by her sudden change of tone. "It doesn't have to be this way."
"She's right Sugercube," Applejack said a few paces behind Rainbow. "If you would just admit you made a mistake and own up to it we would forgive you, we could help you."
"Really darling this is only causing pain, we miss you but we can't trust you if you won't admit what you did was wrong." Rarity said from the table.
"I don't even care why Sunny, I just want everyone to smile again." Pinkie said her hair flat to her head.
Fluttershy only nodded looking away, tears in her eyes. Sunset turned back to Rainbow, the prismatic haired teen looked so sad she rested a hand on Sunset.
"Please Sunset, just tell us the truth, we can get past this."
Sunset gulped. They wanted her back, they missed her as she missed them, and she so desperately wanted to join them. But they wanted her to confess, confess to something she did not do and could not end, but she so wanted her friends back. She took a shuddering breath and faced her friends.
"Fine, it was me. I'm Anon-A-Miss." Sunset said feeling a little part of herself die as she lied to her friends. "Please, forgive me."
Rainbow smiled sadly. "Of course we can, we just wish you had said so earlier."
"Now all ya need to do is delete that god awful account and everything can go back to normal." Applejack said with some joy in her voice.
"This was it", Sunset thought as she pulled out her phone. She would not be able to close the page since she did not make it and when they saw that they would be even angrier. At least she saw them smile one last time, maybe she would somehow get lucky and guess Anon-A-Miss' password. Sighing she pulled up MyStable and looked into her friends' hopeful eyes for the last time.
***
The CMC's watched in shock from behind the glass the words coming easily through the thin door considering their volume. "Come on girls," Applebloom said, "Time to let the cat out."
She went to open the door when Scootaloo grabbed her wrist, Applebloom turned around and saw her friend had her phone out. "Wait this is our chance to end it and no get in trouble. Quick Sweetie Belle get the Anon-A-Miss page up."
Sweetie Belle obediently got her phone out just as they heard Applejack tell Sunset to close the account. "What are you two doing?" Applebloom asked. "Ah thought we were confessing."
"But Sunset confessed and they forgive her if we delete the page now it'll all go away and our sisters will never know, they will never be made, Rainbow will never be mad." She said with a hint of excitement in her voice. She pressed a button on her phone. "There Sweetie Belle delete the account."
"Right." Sweetie Belle said hitting the delete button, in seconds the page was down.
Applebloom sighed. "This doesn't feel right but fine we'll clamp up."
"Don't worry Applebloom this is the best choice for everyone, I promise it will be fine," Scootaloo said confidently. "Now come on, let's get out of the cold and have something to eat." She moved to open the door but stopped. "Maybe we should wait a minute so Sunset does not suspect us."
***
Sunset could not believe her luck as she stared at the private message that came up the moment she pulled out her account. A message from Anon-A-Miss.
"I got what I needed, sorry you got caught, Delete this message before they see."
Sunset hesitated only for a second as she considered showing them but she did what was asked and deleted the message almost immediately the whole page went down. "It's... uh... done." She said hesitantly not believing it could really be over.
Rainbow pulled out her own phone, looking at it, smiling when she saw the page was gone. She put her phone away and pulled Sunset into a hug. "Yes, it is."
The other got out of their seats and joined the hug. "Now darling, the healing can begin." Rarity said gently. At this Sunset broke down in tears for the fifth time that day. She slowly slid to the floor, the other joining. "It's over, the nightmare is finally over. Sunset thought crying even harder into her friends as they held her. No one even noticed the CMC slip into the store.