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"I can't believe you would do such a thing Sunset. I thought we were friends!"

"We are friends, how could you assume that I would be Anon-A-Miss? I would never ever do such thing!"

"Ah' don't believe it. Ah' can't believe ah’ ever let you be my friend. You should be ashamed."

"But... but Applejack."

"SHUT UP YOU SECRET STEALER!"

"Nobody wants you here!"

"Please... let me explain."

"Goodbye Sunset."

"WAIT!"

Sunset Shimmer gasped as she felt sweat pour from her face, mixing with the tears dripping out of her eye. Another nightmare. Another reminded that she had lost all her friends for something she was not responsible for. She could still feel their glares as well as her own broken heart. All of the school had turned against her even after everything she had done to prove herself that she had changed. Nobody believed her when she said she wasn’t Anon-A-Miss, and it left her isolated and hated by the school again.

But this time she was all alone.

Tucking in her knees against her chests, Sunset bit her lip and prayed for the thousandth time this was some dream. Some kind of horrible illusion and that when she woke up she would have her friends waiting for her with smiles on their faces, instead of the hateful frowns they now wore.

“Haven’t I suffered enough? How much do I have to go through for what I’ve done in the past,” she whispered to nobody.

What was even worse was the fact that this was the Christmas season. A time of joy and peace. Christmas had only been between herself and her adopted mother, but even then it was still lonely. She thought this year would be different with her new friends, a chance to experience Christmas like it was meant to be experienced.

And then suddenly the Anon-A-Miss thing started and everything went downhill from there.

She heard her door crack open and raised her head as her mother, dressed in her pink night gown, walked over and hugged her daughter. They didn’t need to say a word, all they did was hold each other in the darkness. Sunset didn’t know what she would have done without Fleur. The woman had been so kind to Sunset since adopting her when she first came to the human world years ago, treating her with kindness and love. Even when she was that... bully back at school, she always made sure to keep her mother ignorant of her dealings. When the Elements of Harmony hit her, she confessed everything, even being from another world, and expected her mother to toss her away. Principle Celestia even confirmed the story.

But she didn’t. Fleur told her she forgave her and, to Sunset’s shock, blamed herself for not helping her enough. After many talks it was water under the bridge and they grew closer.

“Had another nightmare?” asked Fleur, kissing her daughter on the cheek. Sunset Shimmer only nodded. “Dear, you have to talk to them. Try to explain to them that this wasn’t your fault.”

“I’ve tried, but they refuse to even talk to me! Nobody is willing to hear me say that I’m innocent, they just assume I’m guilty...” She buried her head into her hands. “I thought after the Battle of the Bands I had finally been forgiven, but now this... it’s not fair!”

“No, it’s not. And I believe you,” replied Fleur. “You’re friends should be ashamed for assuming you were this Anon-A-Miss after everything you’ve been through. If you want I can contact their parents and get you girls together for a talk. Clear all this up.”

“No,” said Sunset, shaking her head. “They probably think I’m just as guilty. Heck, Mr and Mrs. Pie even glared at me when I was passing by them yesterday. The girls probably told their families about everything.” She looked at her mother and gave a soft smile. “I’ll be fine, Mom. I’ll take care of it.”

Fleur hugged her daughter and nodded, but before she could move, Sunset grabbed her arm. “Can... can you stay with me tonight?” asked Sunset, blushing. “I know this sounds silly... but when things were going wrong Princess Celestia used to sleep beside me. Can you?”

Fleur only smiled and slipped into the covers before the two kissed each other goodnight.

***

Another school day. Another hundreds of students glaring and whispering at her. It was the same everywhere she went and all she could do was keep her head down and stay silent, doing her best not to cry in public. Again. She heard the usual words mentioned at her such as “bitch”, “whore” and “lying bully”. Without her friends to back her up, she was all alone and ripe for the taking and everyone knew it.

All her efforts to gain their trust and forgiveness was washed away thanks to someone who decided to make her life a living hell. Ms. Cheerilee glared at her as she was the last one to leave the classroom. Apparently, she had her home searched by police when it was revealed that she once had an addiction to painkillers in college despite being fifteen years clear. Sunset tried to tell her the truth, but Cheerilee made no effort to talk or listen to her. She didn’t even pick out Sunset for questions or call her name during attendance.

The bell signaled for lunch time, but Sunset had no desire to enter the cafeteria where everyone would be quiet and stare at her. What was worse was now her friends were part of the group that hated her which was pretty much everyone.

Her day got worse when she heard her cellphone give a beep as did everyone else’s. It meant another update from the mysterious Anon-A-Miss. Sunset didn’t even bother to look, she didn’t care and she was sure she was going to be blamed for it. Again.

Quickening her pace to avoid any students, Sunset found herself in her own private spot where she liked to hang out. It was the dark hallway with no lightbulbs. She always did wonder why the janitor never fixed them. She put her book down, and rested her head against one of the lockers, trying to think of solution to this. She had already contacted Princess Twilight who gave her advice on to convince her friends she was telling the truth and she thought about it long and hard.

Her eyes gazed upon the journal she had been writing ever since the battle of the bands. It had all her entries to Twilight about all the great times she and her friends had and how she was learning friendship one day at a time. Maybe if I show it to them...this will convince them I’m being serious?

It was that or wait with hope that they realize she wasn’t Anon-A-Miss, but she didn’t know how long that would take. Now that I think about it, who could be Anon-A-Miss? Whoever he or she was, it had to be more than one person. No single individual could do all of this without help. There was also the manner of how they were gaining all this information on social media. They had to have known everyone in school, including the staff, but the problem was everyone was connected to each other in someway. Well, except for Sunset who had no friends even on the internet. I can’t rule out the possibility of hacking too.

And then finally there was the goal. Why do all this? Putting out everyone secrets? Very few individuals were untouched by this mysterious know it all and, sadly, Sunset was one of them. She didn’t have any other secrets now the the whole school knows she was the failed student of a alicorn princess in another world where she so happened to have been a unicorn who casted magic spells. Naturally, this caused all the others to assume it was her, even her friends.

Maybe they told someone else besides me. Or someone was listening in. thought Sunset as she shook her head. What matters first is proving them that I’m innocent. Hopefully the diary will prove it.

Just as she was about to grab her backpack she felt someone grab her from behind. A split second later she felt something smack her face and knock her down to the floor. Sunet moaned as she tasted blood in her mouth, spitting it out and coughing up saliva. She tried to get up but a foot slammed her face back against the floor.

“Think you can just go and post shit like that?! Huh?! Huh?!” shouted the male voice.

“I... I didn’t...” coughed Sunset, tears blocking her vision.

“Shut up!” shouted a female’s voice before delivering a kick to ribs. “How about we break every bone in your hands so you don’t ever type such bullshit again! Better yet! Break every bone in your body so you can get the hell out of our lives!”

Sunset covered her head with her hands as she felt kick after kick. It had to be at least four of them, and they didn’t hold back from their rage. Sunset wanted to scream for help but all she could do was curl herself up into a ball and pray someone would help her.

Thankfully, her prayers were answered when she heard someone shout, “Hey! Leave her alone!”

The kicks stopped coming as she heard the sound of a scuffle nearby. A few guys yelled out in rage while the girl cried out in shock. Soon, she heard her attackers run off. She still didn’t move. She didn’t even know who her savior was. A gentle warm hand touched her own as she slowly opened her eyes and saw Flash Sentry, hand covered in blood, looking down at her with concern. “You okay? Can you stand?”

Sunset nodded but as she slowly raised herself to her feet, she felt a sharp pain down down her leg and almost hit the ground when Flash caught her. “S-s-sorry, I think my leg is broken”.

“Don’t be. You didn’t deserve this.” He answered before putting her arm around his neck and helping her up. “C’mon, let’s get you to the nurses office”

“Flash… can.. can you carry me?”. Sunset asked.

Flash nodded, lifting her off her feet carefully to not hurt her any further. Once he got her in his arms, Sunset wrapped her arms around his neck for security placing her head on Flash’s shoulder. She was confused to as why Flash would help her even after all that she’s done.

“Why?” she whispered. “Why are you doing this?”

“Because you’re innocent,” said Flash.

Sunset nearly choked as she inhaled a gasped. “I-innocent?”

Flash turned his head and smiled at her. “Yeah... I know you wouldn’t do this. To be honest, after that whole thing with the Fall Formal, I was happy to see you get your comeuppance. You were... not a very good person or pony, whichever you prefer.” Sunset looked down in shame as Flash continued, “Even with your friends trying to prove you had changed, I still didn’t believe it. But then after the Battle of Bands, when you and the others saved us again, I thought maybe you had changed. Like there was a different you. After that battle, Twilight... she asked me I could give you a second chance. After everything I’ve seen from you these past few months, I’ve come to believe it. I’ve seen how much you care for your friends. And I know you wouldn't sabotage that.”

Sunset bit her lip and slightly tightened her grip around Flash, nearly catching him off guard. She rested her head on his shoulder again and whispered. “Thank you.”

Even if it wasn’t one of her friends, knowing that there was someone who believed her in school was enough to make Sunset cry tears of joy instead of sorrow this time. Flash smiled and hugged her back. “Don’t worry, everything will go back to normal. I’ll do what I can to help. I promise.”

Sunet nodded as she did her best to avoid him seeing her tears. Twilight’s really lucky. If I wasn’t such a horrible person before... could he and I?

“Flash... I’m sorry I used you...” she said.

Flash nodded and smiled back before helping her back towards the nurse’s office.

Sunset had never really had a chance to get to know the school’s nurse during her tyrant hold on the school. She had heard she was kind, but strict when it came to dealing with her patients. Question was would she show kindness to Sunset after everything she did? Thankfully, the first thing Nurse Redheart did upon seeing Sunset, bruised and bleeding, was order her to sit on the cot. While helping Sunset out of her clothes to examine the injuries, she asked Flash—who has his back turn to avoid seeing anything—explained the situation. Needless to say, Nurse Redheart look so angry it seemed she was ready to go out there and beat the attackers herself.

Instead, she focused on Sunset, who stayed silent the entire time unless she was asked a question. For twenty minutes, Nurse Redheart worked on Sunset, doing what she could to heal the injuries she had been given. It gave Sunset time to think.

Physical abuse was something new to her. The most she ever got was a shove of the shoulder even before this whole Anon-A-Miss thing, never a full on assault. Have things really gotten this bad?

Her own reign of bullying had never gotten physical before. She mainly focused on blackmail and finding out secrets to use as leverage to force others into her bidding. Just like... Anon-A-Miss... no wonder everyone thinks it’s me. They must think I'm back at my old habits.

Her dark thoughts were put on a hault as Nurse Redheart finished wrapping up Sunset’s leg while shaking her head. “Honestly, what kind of horrible students would do this to you?”

Sunset didn’t say anything. She just sat there, letting the nurse finish her work while wondering if her mother was going to be alerted about this. No doubt she would want to know what happened and once she did she was sure to take Sunset out of school; a feat she was all too willing to support today. If Flash hadn’t stepped in to help her it all could have been worse. Plus, even if these four were caught and punished, who was to say others wouldn’t give into their anger and try to attempt the same thing? She gently touched the bruise on her ribs and grunted. I can’t stay here. Not when every student wants to do this to me. The hard question she refused to ask was... did her friends feel the same way?

Standing up, Nurse Redheart turned to Flash who had an ice pack on his knuckles. “Are you sure you didn’t see their faces.”

“They had hoodies that blocked most of their faces, but the one I fought with I got a clear view of. It was Porky Pierce. I think it was him and his friends: Norman, Shelby, and Blues,” replied Flash with a growl.

“I’ll be sure to have Vice Principal Luna interrogate them at once,” said a new voice from the nurse’s entrance. Everyone turned around and saw Principle Celestia with her arms crossed as she strolled in.

Sunset felt her stomach turn upon seeing her gaze come down at her. She had done her best to avoid Principle Celestia because she was afraid she also thought she was Anon-A-Miss.

She didn’t believe me about the sirens so why would she believe me now? thought Sunset.

Turning to Flash, Principle Celestia said, “Flash Sentry, please leave the room for me and Ms. Shimmer to talk? I also think Sunset’s friends should know of what happened.”

“Um, okay,” said Flash as he made his way to the exit. He turned around and nodded to Sunset. “I’ll talk to you later, Sunset?”

“Y-yeah...” she answered, giving a small wave and receiving a smile in return.

When he was gone, Nurse Redheart excused herself to head into her office and write up the paperwork about the incident as well as call Sunset’s mother. Now it was just Sunset and the principal who eyed her without any emotion. Stepping forward, she gently raised her hand and put it on Sunset’s good shoulder. ‘I want you to answer me truthfully, Sunset Shimmer. Are you Anon-A-Miss.”

Sunset couldn’t help but remember all the times that Princess Celestia used to use the same tone of voice whenever she was in trouble. She only hoped that this world’s Celestia was just as merciful as the one she knew since she was a filly. Sunset closed her eyes and sighed. “No, I’m not. And I don’t know who it is.”

There was a long silence between the two until Celestia smiled and nodded. “I believe you.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “Y-you do?”

“I do,” she answered and frowned. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to help you that much until now. I had tried to get in contact with you, but you always seemed to avoid me. I didn’t know if you were hiding from me because you were the instigator or because....” Celestia sighed, “Because me and Luna didn’t believe you like last time.”

“The latter actually,” confessed Sunset, rubbing her arm.

“I thought so,” said Celestia. “Sunset, I promise you I will find out who is doing this and I will make sure the students know you are not responsible. For now, I suggest you take a few days off from school. As for the ones who attacked you, I will see them punished.”

Sunset only nodded, but a part of her wanted to dance for joy. She had two people who believed her and maybe things would start turning around. Sunset leaned back and looked up the ceiling. “Thank you. I just want this nightmare to be over.”

‘I’ll make sure it does. Now get some rest, I’ll send a call to your mother to have her pick you up,” said Celestia as she left the room.

Sunset nodded as he rested on the cot and closed her eyes, drifting into a dreamless sleep for the first time in a while.

Author's Notes:

Howdy!

Sorry for the amount of time it took to release chapter 1 to you guys! We are busy people.
However, we still work on these chapters passionately. :)

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Pinkie Pie said so! <3

Finally, we would appreciate if you guys would leave a comment on the story. Critiques are always welcome to insure we make the story better!!! :D We're open to ideas from you as well and we'll decide if it'll make the cut.

Hope you guys enjoyed chapter 1! Also hope it brought some emotion of anger and some happy with a few d'awws.

Cya next time!
-Shy