The Equestria Girls Holiday special, and the story about Anon-a-Miss, has gotten a lot of flack over the years, and rightly so. One doesn't inspire an entire genre of fic/accusation fics without doing something wrong.
The characterization of the human Mane Six clashes very harshly against everything else, and makes them come off as easily swayed, to say the least. It's especially bad considering the story was set after the movie Rainbow Rocks. In short, this story should not have happened.
Whenever I bring up the subject of Anon-a-Miss, I have a fix of my own. I change the setting. I place the story before the second movie, not after. That, I feel, makes the most sense. It means that the wounds from Sunset's manipulations and bullying are still fresh, so while the easy abandonment by her friends is by no means okay, it makes more sense.
I don't even know why I'm typing this out right now. Lack of sleep, I think.
“Hope rises like a Phoenix from the ashes of shattered dreams”-S. A. Sachs
Sunset Shimmer unlocked her door with shaky hands. Her face was still damp, her breath ragged. She had to keep calm. She couldn't break down. Not here. Not again, too many people who would inevitably ask questions. Questions to which she wasn't sure if she had all the answers to. As nice as her neighbors were they wouldn't be able to help her in this situation.
Sunset stumbled inside, her legs felt weak and boneless. Shutting her door and dropping her bag at the foot of the steps to her loft bed, Sunset just wanted to change and get into bed, end this miserable day. She quickly shed her clothes as she walked to her small dresser that was under her loft bed. Sunset focused on each movement she made. Taking deep, steady breaths, she pulled the drawer open and took her purple pajamas out. She pulled the shirt on over her head and stepped into her pants, and pulled them up.
All the exhausted girl was trying to was to become numb. Numb to the pain and heartbreak she was currently in the midst of. Hoping that being numb would be better than the alternative. Sunet had some anger issues she didn’t care for. She climbed the steps to her bed, pausing at the at the framed photo of her friends. Overcome with rage Sunset let out a screech she shoved the picture off her nightstand. The glass shattering on impact with the floor below. For the third time that day, her knees hit the floor. Picking up the pieces of broken glass, she began sobbing anew. She cut her finger on a piece of the glass. She watched as the blood fell onto her floor. Were they ever her friends? Did they ever even care about her? She had just been their little pet to parade around. She clutched the glass in one hand, the bite of the glass a welcome change. The pain was different from the inertial churn in her gut. It would be easy to slice her wrist open and watch the rest of her blood drip, adding to the small puddle below.
“No!” Sunset growled, getting angry at her weakness.
Anger was power. Being numb would get her nowhere. Besides, since when did Sunset Shimmer ever take the easy way out? Dropping the piece of glass back on the pile, resisting the urge to fling it across the room, she wiped her face and picked up the rest of shattered picture and dumped it in the trash next to her nightstand were it belonged. Tomorrow was a brand new day. Tomorrow, she'd start to fight for a new life.
Sunset walked back down her steps and into her small bathroom to wash the blood from her hand, grabbing the disinfectant and the ace bandages. She better get this cleaned up. She hissed slightly at the sting from the disinfectant, then quickly wrapped her right hand in the bandage, pulling it tight. She was glad she practiced writing with both hands. She hadn’t been aware that humans had dominant hands, and being a unicorn, she had no need for a dominant hoof. By Celestia, she did miss levitation. She headed back to her bed. Today had been very long, and there was a giant roller coaster ride of emotions, and being numb was not the answer. Anger would carry her much further. Sunset quickly rolled over into a more comfortable spot and slept a, thankfully, dreamless sleep.
The next morning, Sunset awoke bright and early. Today was the start of her new life. First things first was to get ready for the day. She quickly headed down her steps and to her dresser below, grabbing her clothes before heading for the shower. Sunset turned the hot water on, looking at the mirror while the water warmed up.
“First, go see Principal Celestia and see about transferring out of Canterlot High. Second, do whatever necessary steps to leave the former school. Third, get through the school day with your chin held high. And fourth, make sure Princess Twilight doesn’t come through the portal. “ Sunset gave herself a nod in the mirror, glad to have a plan in motion.
Sunset stood under the searing hot water. She always preferred it hot enough to almost burn your skin off. It made her feel clean and alive. She was always partial to fire spells back in Equestria. She refused to think of it as home. Homesickness was unproductive and unhelpful. She would not go crawling back there, begging on her belly, pleading for a pardon. She was Sunset Shimmer, and she would fight tooth and nail for it. She needed to earn it. She finished washing up and relentlessly turned the shower off. Sunset toweled off and got dressed before starting on her makeup. Everything had to be just so. Sunset took her time to make sure her face was perfect . She stared on her fiery hair, brushing and curling it ever so slightly.
Sunset looked in the mirror, giving herself a quick pep talk. “You are Sunset Shimmer. You ruled that school and the students in it for years. You changed and worked hard to redeem yourself. You are strong. You will not let them bring you down. Redeemed does not mean push over. If any of them try to hurt you, you break them. “
She couldn’t show weakness. Teenagers were like sharks. If they smelled any weakness, it would be a bloodbath. Humans, especially teens, were quite vicious and violent. In all her years among them, Sunset still wasn’t quite at ease with all the overt violence. She had used to her advantage, of course, but it still hadn’t sat right with her. Sunset did one last check in the mirror before grabbing her stuff and heading out early. She wanted plenty of time to talk with principal Celestia. She locked her apartment door, grateful no one knew where she lived.
