“But...” Rainbow Dash stared at her phone. “Who, then? Why? Why make it look like Sunset?”
“I don’t know,” Applejack said. “I’m as confused as you, but...” She looked over at Sunset’s motionless body. “There’s more important things to focus on right now.”
The entire room fell silent, and Sunset felt as though her heart had stopped beating. Beside her, the monitor’s rhythmic tones fluctuated a bit. Her eyes darted around the room, unsure of what to make of the situation. As looks of regret consumed the faces of the other girls, Sunset expected a rush of resentment, but instead, she was overwhelmed by something she couldn’t explain. It was as though she was saddened by the grief of her former friends in spite of everything they did to her.
That didn’t make sense, Sunset told herself. Why should she feel sorry for them? This was all their fault! It was because of them that she had been so isolated and despised by her peers. It was because of them that she had reached such depths of despair. It was because of them that she had entered that parking garage with the intent to die. They should feel bad. They deserved to feel bad!
And yet, Sunset hated to see them like this. Her mind was just as torn as it had been when she thought of Rarity and Rainbow Dash after her fall, cradling her body and pleading for her to live, to hold on, to not give up. Since then, Rainbow Dash had followed her to the hospital and stayed up all night with her. After all the spite and cruelty Sunset had been subjected to since Anon-a-miss began posting, that had been the first kind thing anyone had done for her.
Sunset was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she was startled by Fluttershy’s soft voice. “Rainbow Dash, have they... Have they told you anything? About Sunset?”
“About her? Like how?” Rainbow Dash didn’t look up from the floor as she replied.
“I mean...” Fluttershy seemed to wince with every word. “Will she be o-okay?”
Rainbow Dash let out a long sigh. “I don’t know,” she said. “When they brought her in, she was in the emergency room for a long time. I think they had to do some kind of surgery, but I don’t know much else.”
“So nobody’s even talked to you?” Applejack asked.
“Not about anything important,” Rainbow Dash said. “When I first asked about Sunset, the people in the ER weren’t sure who I meant. I guess she didn’t have an ID with her, because they were calling her ‘Jane Doe’ until I said I was her classmate and gave them her name.” She looked over at the machines and monitors wired to Sunset’s unconscious body. “Still, whatever the situation is, I can’t imagine it’s good news...”
“That... No, that’s not right,” Fluttershy said. “Sunset’s going to pull through. She’s strong, she’ll be—”
“You weren’t there, Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash snapped. Sunset could see her red eyes brimming with tears. “You didn’t see her fall... You didn’t see the look she gave me before she stepped off that ledge... There was j-just nothing. She didn’t even say anything.”
Rainbow Dash tensed up. “And the sound of her hitting the ground...” Her demeanor broke down further as Applejack put an arm around her. “I can h-hear it, guys,” she whimpered. “I can see h-h-her eyes. They were still open, even after she... she...”
Sunset sat in silence, listening to Rainbow Dash’s cries. She wanted to smile at her friends and reassure them that it was all okay. She wanted to scream in their faces, to berate them with bitter words and watch them break apart. She wanted to turn away, to call out to Luna to take her from this place. She wanted to shut her eyes, plug her ears, and pretend this was all a nightmare.
All this, Sunset wanted. And yet, she did nothing but look on, an apparition in the shadows.
Rainbow Dash’s sobbing was interrupted by a nurse entering the room again. She was not the same one that had led Applejack and Fluttershy to the room, and Sunset found herself reflexively stepping aside as she entered.
“Hi girls,” the nurse said. “It was good of you to come visit your friend.” When the three girls didn’t respond, she continued. “I don’t suppose any of you have contact information for Ms. Shimmer’s family?”
“Uhm...” Rainbow Dash looked at Applejack.
“Sunset lives on her own, ma’am,” Applejack said.
The nurse cocked her head. “Is that right? Unusual, for someone her age.”
“It’s... complicated,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Well, it’s not my place to pry, but if you find anything out, please inform someone on staff,” the nurse said. “We had no records of Ms. Shimmer before last night, so we’re working a little blind, as far as medical history.”
“Sorry we aren’t much help,” Fluttershy spoke softly.
“It’s alright, dear.” The nurse smiled at her. “As I said, your being here is very kind. You’d be shocked by the number of patients who never receive visitors.”
Applejack glanced over at Sunset’s silent form. “Ma’am, if you don’t mind me asking... Is she gonna be alright?”
“I’ll be honest,” the nurse sighed. “She was suffering from hemorrhagic shock when she first arrived, and her blood pressure being so low for so long is dangerous. That’s to say nothing of the damage to the rest of her body.”
“Oh...” Applejack lowered her head.
“Don’t give up on her, sweetie,” the nurse said. “Most people who fall as far as she did don’t even make it this far. She may not be in the clear yet, but I’d say the worst is over.”
Applejack struggled to smile. “Okay. I appreciate your time, ma’am.”
“Well I’m not leaving just yet. I have to check her vitals.” The nurse pulled in a small cart from the hallway. She took a blood pressure gauge and lightly pulled the sheets up around Sunset’s left arm. As she did, rows upon rows of scar tissue revealed themselves.
“Oh my...” The nurse whispered. She paused to write something on her clipboard. “She must have been doing this for—goodness, I can’t even tell how long.”
Rainbow Dash stared at the floor. Fluttershy gasped and turned away. Applejack looked on, stunned.
“What... What do you mean?” Applejack stuttered.
“There are so many cuts in so many stages of healing,” the nurse said. “Some look like they’re nearly healed, and others seem to be from as early as yesterday.”
“So...” Applejack said, “She’s been, uhm... Hurting herself... For a long time? Not just recently?”
“Looks that way,” the nurse said. She shook her head as she removed the blood pressure gauge. “Poor girl. It’s awful what depression leads people to do.”
Applejack leaned against the wall, her eyes affixed to Sunset’s arm. “This whole time...”
The nurse finished writing down Sunset’s vitals and collected her things. “I have other patients to check on, but I’ll be in every couple of hours,” she said. “And again, thank you for being here.”
Once the nurse was gone, Applejack spoke up again. “Girls... Even if she wakes up, I don’t think we can fix this.”
Sunset felt her heart twisting and churning as different emotions battled for control. From what the nurse had said, it sounded like her prognosis was pretty grim. Sunset was studied enough to know that shock and low blood pressure could cause serious internal damage. Despite what she had told Luna about giving up, Sunset felt a tinge of dread.
The other girls being here did nothing to ease her mind. Why were they sticking around? How dare they act so shocked and surprised when they saw the scars? What right did they have to even know about that?
When Sunset turned to glare at them, her anger evaporated once more. Rainbow Dash had resumed staring at Sunset’s body, her bloodshot eyes full of sorrow. Beside her, Fluttershy could not even bring herself to look at Sunset, and was crying softly with her head in her hands. Between them, Applejack had slumped down to the floor. She kept looking at Sunset’s arm, and her face was wracked with anguish.
Sunset felt a pit in her stomach. How were these the same people who had so callously tossed her aside? It was likely her own fault, she thought. After all, she had treated them horribly for years. Of course they would be suspicious of her. And yet, now it was Sunset who was suspicious of their shift in attitude.
As Sunset watched Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack crying in the corner of the hospital room, she remembered what Luna had said about emotions being fleeting things. She took a deep breath and crossed the tiny room. The three girls shared in their grief, and Sunset—intangible as she was—stayed with them.
CMC interlude needed.
You never know how much you've truly hurt someone until it is too late. If you never question your actions, you will not be able to recognize when they need to be changed.
Only now do they realize the extent of their actions. Only now have they seen what they have caused. All because you believed one wrong thing. All because you never asked: "Is this ok?"
In a lot of stories, at this point I would be able to tell at this point what Sunset's fate will be. I appreciate very much that, as of yet, in this story I don't.
At your lowest point you learn how much your pride cost you, how much your hate burned, all that your anger has destroyed, and when the price of your sins have been laid bare you know how far you have fallen and what it cost you. And how it can never be erased. Your sins will follow you forever, even if forsaken heal the marks on their flesh will forever be on your soul, even if they forgive you their tears will stain your soul, and every crime you dealt to them will drag your soul down to the deepest pits. Where is their no light no warmth and no hope. Only those that you forsake can lift your soul from this. And you have to ask your self. “Am i worthy of this kindness, this forgiveness, this mercy?” And learn your not but some gave it any way because they are better then that
The emotions... They're so well written
great chapter! but wheres pinkie?
how would everyone else react?
holy crap how will celestia react?
all that comes to mind is her tearing her way through the door screaming in a demonic voice "Wheres my baby!?"
9327591
HO-LY-CRAP, you have NO idea of how many ways THAT event can go. I assume Luna would have informed her sister by now AND headed off the storm before it spun up. I'm ALSO willing to bet that they won't tell Twilight. God only knows what would happen if they did.
9327646
What if... Luna forgot to tell her sister.
Luna: ah... I knew I was forgetting something important
I'm suddenly curious as to what the Anon-a-miss post was. Was it a rumor about one of them, or did it share that sunset tried to commit suicide, or...
I have questions...
9327670
Well it wouldn’t be the latter. The CMC wanted to frame sunset, why would they say she tried to commit suicide. It was just some random secret probably.
Of course not; she's an alien from a different world who got here through a magic portal. People like her typically find it much harder to gain a legal presence, a legal standing, because they haven't got a birth certificate and Social Security Number-esque identification stored in some government database.
For all we know, there's another 'Sunset Shimmer' out there who will be bewildered when asked to pay for a hospitalisation she never experienced. Gaining legal identification as a literal alien who came to Earth (or whatever this planet's called) through what effectively is an unsecured backdoor entrance, while more likely than not sharing the same name and physical appearance as an actual human being, is almost impossible without being 'escorted' to some government facility and being detained and questioned as to how she came to be here, her motives, her world-of-origin's motives, etc.
...The journal? I mean, Princess Twilight isn't 'family', but royalty should still count - as long as they get registered as their own sovereign nation through the correct legal channels and get an embassy and the like.
If Sunset's parents are still alive, and if they went through the portal, they'd be suspicious due to their inability to walk properly and use their hands.
Hmm...being a literal alien who arrived here through an unsecured backdoor entrance makes things difficult...
Its been a while since I have found a story like this I really enjoy
9327446
Hindsight is 20/20 my friend
Yeah, no duh! It's like what Flutters said in the last chapter: This is all your fault.
Reap what you sow, and all that.
Cause even if Sunset decides to forgive, there's no way any of them will forget. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she decides to have a more secluded life because of all this. Oh sure, she could always go back to Equestria, but I think that she thinks she doesn't deserve to go back, at least not yet; what, with the stunt she pulled along with the reason she got banished in the first place.
Now I'm left wondering how the others are doing because of this. We don't know how Pinkie's taking this, we don't know how Rarity's holding up after witnessing Sunset jump, we don't know how the crusader's are going to react once news spread about Sunset current condition, and we don't know if Luna is informing Twilight and Celestia about what's going down on the other side of the mirror yet.
9327654
As funny as that would be, can you honestly see that happening? Luna's on point in this story, and comedy is completely redacted. The slightest hint of funny would risk the story in a big way.
9328522
it made me laugh? haha
9328549
Allow me to bonk you on the head, my fellow brony. May you forever remain a lovable goofball.
9327815
no regrets, no future
The cmcs need to come as well as Princess Twilight. I wonder how they will react to hearing that they cause sunset to jump.
I'm waiting for an enraged princess to show up. Besides I'm also doing my own anon-a-miss story
In spite of everything, I'm enjoying myself. In fact, I almost forget I'm supposed to hate this story.
You're the worst.
What a nice nurse.
Curious that she didn't have knowledge of Sunset's self-inflicted scars upon her initial arrival. Maybe it's the start of her shift.
But what do I know. Somehow, I strangely suspect, the author has a far superior knowledge of hospital life.
1/2
2/2
I was sort of expecting a generic angst fic and not to be tearing up so hard that I have to take occasional breaks from reading.
9431679
Some real stuff..
It's not, though. They didn't make you hated. Your past actions did that, coupled with Anon-A-Miss in the present. You kinda tried to kill them that one time, remember? Plus, you're not the only bullied victim. Anon-A-Miss made all of you targets, in fact.
I think, deep down, Sunset knows this and that's why she can't simply enjoy their suffering.
9702912
She's well aware of this. The purpose of this chapter is to show that despite her internal conflict and initial reaction, Sunset doesn't want to "enjoy their suffering."
The reason she stepped off that ledge wasn't just because her friends weren't believing her--it was because she was certain she could never make up for her past actions.
The irony is that instead of being angry with the people who didn't believe her, Sunset herself validates their mistrust, which only sinks her deeper into self-loathing. That feedback loop is inescapable and leads to her suicide attempt.
Her friends had every right to distrust her, but what they truly did wrong was never give Sunset a chance. Yeah, the entire situation is messy and hypocritical on all sides, but it only reaches this point because--as the first chapter shows--no one would give her the chance to sit down and talk.
None of them are bad people--they're teenagers who acted on emotion and couldn't see past--well--the past. It's understandable, but it doesn't make the end result any less painful.
9720462
About that.
What most Anon-A-Miss stories either forget or ignore, I found, is that the Rainbooms gave Sunset Shimmer a chance pretty quickly (the second attempt presented in-story!) and that they doubted themselves all throughout. Note, I'm not bringing this up as criticism directed at your story, yours is the best by far and I think I mentioned that before.
It's just weird how many Accusation Fics don't bother with the actual story. How the Rainbooms got bullied hard by the school, which was tearing itself apart in the process; it's even compared directly to how it was when Sunset was the bad guy. How it took them a week to turn against her, after more evidence popped up. How they weren't sure they were right at all. How it took Sunset pretty much just a "no, wait!" at the diner for them to listen to her.
It's like you said, and how I think the original story presented the characters: They're not bad people. They're caught up in emotions and hurting, made all the worse by a painful past.
9720526
I just reread the comic. Sunset was supporting Applejack through the nickname bullying and the girls dropped her the as soon as the second secret was posted. As soon as things got a bit more rough, they borderline ambushed her in the hall and refused to listen to anything she said after they confirmed she still had her phone, even when she was crying on the floor. Plus, iirc (my memory of the first movie is shaky) they were torn apart with texts and emails from their phones and accounts, so it’s not like they haven’t dealt with that tactic before.
They also paid no attention to Sunset being bullied, did nothing to try and stop the account, barely bothered to consider what if Sunset was innocent, and only bothered to listen to Sunset after she invoked Twilight’s name and gave them her journal, and practically begged them to listen, again. The tiny amount of lip service they paid to considering if it really was Sunset was one line of Fluttershy asking Rainbow if she really thought it was Sunset, Rainbow she doesn’t know but who else could it be, then immediately the two shift to how Sunset betrayed them and how they might not be able to forgive family for that kind of mistake. Even when she showed up at the cafe, first thing Dash does is yell at her to get out, then when trying to figure out who it is, Applejack says she trust her five friends, then immediately corrects herself to four.
Well I feel like I havr lost something in this Anon-a-miss thing but it doesn't change that those girl were never Sinset friends. At best Dunset see then as friends but that is it.
Hmmm... six floors of a parking garage is very far. She would have many broken bones and at this point would probably have a shunt in her skull to relieve pressure on her brain.
Also apparently the sound of a body hitting the ground is more comparable to something like an auto collision, I've heard. No wonder why Dash still hears it.
I hope she doesn't immediately go back to being friends with them right when she wakes up. If she wakes up. I could name a whole bunch of other things that would be like but I want to continue this
Sunny, this is what makes a good person a good person. Your initial thoughts/reactions are something you can't control, but this? This thought? That's what distinguishes you. And you are distinguishable.
Yeah, so... Spoilers for something terrible IRL that happened in a previous job: When I worked security, we had an incident (not at my site, but another one I was responsible for doing reporting and things of the like) where someone got too drunk at a work conference, was trying to show off, and fell four stories (he was trying to slide down the railing of the escalator). Even with a bunch of people around, there was little that could be done. That was a pretty sobering report to write/notifications to make. I don't want to say Sunset got lucky, because who knows what the long-term prognosis is gonna be, but still.
All of your characters are great as usual. Applejack especially shined in this chapter for me. Sunset's continuing battle in her mind against her present/former feelings towards her (also) present/former friends is really compelling. I'm surprised she's stuck around this long in her "spirit" state, rather than going back up to Luna. Curious to see if/when she goes back, as well as what happens to her physically.