Tick
Tick
Tick
It continued. Through the night, the clock continued to tick on like nothing has happened. Like its owner wasn't sobbing into her pillow for the 3rd time this week. Fluttershy sobbed into her pillow as she tried to sleep. She tossed and turned, unable to find sleep since the day before...when Sunset left. She huffed. Why does she feel so sad? Sunset was a traitor, so why does her leaving upset Fluttershy so much? She didn't want to say anything but she could tell her parents were just as upset. Especially her mom, but she didn't know why. She turned and saw the time making her huff in annoyance.
5:43 A.M
She took a few deep breaths and closed her eyes. Minutes passed and she felt herself slipping. Soon she would be in the land of dreams.
"Fluttershy!" a voice yelled followed by frantic knocks, the doorbell ringing just a second later. Fluttershy practically jumped out of her bed.
"Fluttershy! Wake up! It’s a total emergency!" the voice yelled again. Once again, she heard her poor door being assaulted.
"Fluttershy dear, who's at the door?" her mother asked in a worried tone. Fluttershy sat up and quickly made her way to the door.
"Rainbow Dash! Why are you here so early?" Fluttershy asked opening the door, and just as she did, a multicolored blur ran passed her.
"Sunset!? Sunset are you here?!" Rainbow Dash yelled. Frantically looking around, she bolted up the stars without so much as a hello to the two bewildered parents.
"Rainbow Dash, she’s not here." Fluttershy tried to say but apparently, her friend didn't hear her when she heard some crashes coming from her room.
"What do ya mean she’s not here?" the farmer known as Applejack asked worriedly. Fluttershy nearly jumped out of her skin. She looked back at her friends looking at her.
"She left Tuesday. Why? What’s wrong?" Fluttershy asked worriedly. The girls only looked down in shame, Rarity covering her face. Fluttershy felt her stomach drop out. Something was wrong. Horribly wrong.
"Wefuckedupwefuckedupwefuckedup!" Rainbow Dash yelled angrily as she grabbed her hair and pulled on it hard.
"What? What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked, a pit growing in her stomach. Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie Pie all looked down at the ground in shame.
"It’s Sunset...She...she," Rarity tried to finish her sentence but couldn't, she just broke down crying. Fluttershy was quick to offer her a hug. Applejack hid her face with her hat from everyone. Pinkie Pie only fiddled with her thumbs, her hair no longer its normal puffy self, but a rather dull color and straight as a sheet of paper. Rainbow Dash was banging her head on the floor saying obscenities with each whack.
"What’s wrong with Sunset?" Fluttershy asked a bit more firmly, the pit in the stomach getting bigger and bigger. Applejack took a deep breath before looking up for the first time in a while, her eyes blood shot.
"We don and fucked up sugar cube. We fucked up royally this time," Applejack said, clearly not caring about the two adults giving her a glare at the use of such profanity.
"Sunset...she’s....she’s innocent Shy," Applejack said quietly, but to Fluttershy she might as well just have yelled it into her ear.
"W... what?" Fluttershy said weakly, the world around her fading away.
"Ah said she’s innocent.... oh, what have we done?" Applejack said putting her face into her forearm. Fluttershy just sat there, silent, as she replayed everything in her head.
'Come on Shy, you know me! I’d never do this!'
'Please talk to me! I’m begging you! Please talk to me!'
'Shy please! I swear I’m not Anon-a-Miss! Please believe me!'
Fluttershy felt a tap on her shoulder, she looked at Rarity who was offering her a handkerchief. Only then did she realize she was crying.
"I knew it," she said shaking as she spoke, her voice breaking up.
"What was—“
"I knew it! I knew she was innocent! I knew it!" Fluttershy yelled as she stood up suddenly, her whole body shaking. She felt like she was breaking.
"I knew she was innocent! The way she begged us to listen! The way she---oh god! We left her crying in the hallway!" Fluttershy yelled as she sobbed loudly shaking uncontrollably. Everything she said, she did, she didn't do came crashing into her like a massive wave. She felt physically ill, she felt like throwing up. she felt like throwing herself out the window. She has never felt this low before.
Was this how Sunset felt?
That single thought sent her into another wailing fit. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her pulling her into a tight hug.
"Dear, what’s wrong?" Mrs. Shy asked rocking her back and forth. Mr. Shy came out with some mugs, apparently making some hot coco. The girls smiled, thanking him for the treat. the girls stood there, Fluttershy calming down a bit. Applejack sipped her drink. Sighing, she looked at Rainbow Dash, and noticed something odd about her.
"Rainbow, did ya cut yourself?" Applejack asked looking at her rainbow friend who had stopped banging her head but still chose to keep her head on the floor. She looked up, her eyes sporting crow’s feet that would give the goth kids envy and Rarity a heart attack.
"What?" she asked a bit annoyed, Applejack pointed at her hand. She looked down and blinked, Rainbows face going pale.
"...It’s not my blood," she said. As soon as she said that she bolted out of the house. The girls stared for a moment before the sound of Rainbow Dash vomiting was heard.
"Girls please, what’s happening?" Mrs. Shy asked, thoroughly worried as she continued rocking her hysterical daughter. Rarity bit the bottom of her lip before sighing.
"You have heard about what is going on at school correct?" Rarity asked. The loving mother only nodded.
"Yes. it was that girl bullying you, again right? Sunset Shimmer?" Mrs. Shy said with a bit of distaste in her mouth. If there was one thing she hated, it was bullies.
"I thought she had changed, we even opened up our house to her and she does this. Can’t say I’m surprised though," Mrs. Shy said, frowning as she shook her head. Fluttershy practically shoved her off as she stood again.
"NO! Don't talk about Sunset like that!" Fluttershy yelled, her whole body still shaking.
"Dear please clam--
"NO! We were wrong! Sunset wasn't the one spreading those awful rumors!" Fluttershy said angrily taking her mother off guard. Fluttershy’s mother stared at her, shocked.
"Are you girls absolutely certain of this?" she asked, starting to feel nauseous herself. The girls nodded, guilt clear in their expressions.
"We found the real Anon-A-Miss, or should we say Anon-A-Misses," Rarity said scowling at the floor. Fluttershy’s gaze snapped up.
"What!? Who!?" Fluttershy asked practically tackling Rarity to get an answer. Applejack sighed, glaring into nothingness for a few moments before looking back at Fluttershy.
"It…. It was Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo," Applejack said, crossing her arms squeezing herself. Fluttershy stared for a moment, her mind trying to comprehend what Applejack had just revealed.
When she finally processed Applejack’s words, she gasped, her eyes shrinking as she covered her mouth.
"...No... No. They did this?" Fluttershy said as she felt her legs give out again, making her slump to the floor, her face pale. By the looks of the girls, she knew the horrible truth.
"Ah'm ashamed to say this Fluttershy. It down right makes me sick to my stomach...that my own kin would do something this awful," Applejack said, clutching her eyes shut as more tears ran down her face. She wiped away her tears while Fluttershy continued to cry. Mrs. Shy only stared at her. She clutched her chest, feeling it hurt.
"Wait...so all those awful things...Sunset never did any of them?" she asked, hopeful that one of the girls would confirm what has been the talk of the town for the teen circle for a few weeks now.
"Ah'm sorry to say but no. Sunset was bent over barrel and it was my own kin who did it," Applejack said, giving the doorframe a light punch. Mrs. Shy stared at the teen in shock. She felt her head spin badly, almost as if she were to faint.
"Dear? Are you ok?" Mr. Shy asked rubbing her shoulders. Regaining her composure, she shook herself out of it.
"No... I’m not ok," she said, shaking visibly, tears starting to run down her face.
"Sunset...she was here," Mrs. Shy said, making the girls heads shoot up.
"What!? When!?" Rainbow Dash said jumping to her feet and running up to the distraught mother.
"Where is she!?" Rainbow Dash said grabbing the mothers’ shoulders and starting to shake her.
"Rainbow! Stop that this instant!" Rarity said quickly pulling the athlete off Fluttershy’s mother.
"Rarity’s right Rainbow Dash! Let my mom explain!" Fluttershy said, helping Rarity pull Rainbow dash off her mouther. Mrs. Shy only sat there shaking, her arms clutching themselves tightly. her breath shaky. She looks up at her daughter, her eyes filled with tears. She then looked away in shame as she started sobbing.
"I'm so sorry Fluttershy. I'm so sorry," she said, making Fluttershy lean down and wrap her arms around her mother squeezing her.
"Mom. whatever it is. It can’t be worse than what we did to Sunset," Fluttershy said rubbing her mother’s shoulder. Moments pass, the mother slowly recovering, much to Rainbow Dash’s annoyance, but some firm words from her friends tempered her anger. After taking a moment to collect herself, Mrs. Fluttershy quickly tells them that Sunset was here early and wanted to come inside and she didn't let her. She turned her away and slammed the door on her face. She watched from the window, how Sunset limped away. She nearly fainted as she told them she thought she was drunk, but the blood on the door told a different story.
Sunset was out in the cold winter night alone and hurt. With new found resolve, the girls stood up and ran off looking for their lost friend, determination in their hearts as they set out to find their sunshine.
"Sunset! Where are you!?" Pinkie Pie yelled from on top of a lamp post.
"Get down from there this instant young lady!" a scruffy looking man said standing in front of his store.
"NO! Not till I find sunny!" Pinkie Pie said as she, much to the store owner’s shock, grabbed the power lines and started swinging away to the next lamp post.
"Have you seen this girl?" Rarity said handing out flyers to random people on the streets.
"No, sorry," one women said as she tried to walk past her.
"At least take a look first! She’s missing!" Rarity yelled in a very unlady like voice. The women sighed as she took the flyer and walked away. Rarity smiled as she quickly turned her attention to another person.
"Have you seen his girl?" she said passing the flyer out to the man.
"Hey have anyone of you seen this girl?!" Applejack yelled into the crowd of church goers.
"Please, she’s missing. We need to find her and Ah prayed she’d be here," she said, looking down sadly at the floor. The father patted her on the back and smiled.
"Do not worry lady applejack. If He commands it, you will find your friend safe and sound," he said, smiling as he patted her on the back.
"Thank you Father Tirek. Thank you," Applejack said, patting the large father’s hand.
"Whoa! Watch it!" a man in a red suit yelled shaking his fist as Fluttershy sails by.
"Sorry! it’s an emergency!" she yelled as she pulled by a pack of dogs.
"Now Rover you promised you would help me find Sunset. if you do I’ll give you all the kibble and bits you want," she said as she ran with the pack of dogs who were barking and sniffing the air.
"Step on it Flash!" Rainbow dash yelled as she hung out of the window.
"Sunset! Where are you!?" she shouted from the window. Flash rolled his eyes as he grabbed her by the belt and pulled her back down.
"Dash! I want to find her just as much as you do, but you can’t be hanging out the window like that! I already got 2 tickets!" he said glaring at her, and then turning his attention to the cop car driving up next to him. The cop stared at him before giving him a 'I'm watching you' gesture before driving off.
"I swear he has it out for me," Flash said growling as he continued to drive. Rainbow dash looked down at her phone, the screen showing a picture of her holding Sunsets head in a head lock playfully noogying her. Rainbow Dash bit the bottom of her lip. She bit it so hard she could taste a bit of blood.
"you're wrong Flash...no one wants to find her more than me." Rainbow Dash thought as she felt a few tears slide down her face.
"Sunset. I'm so so sorry," she said, putting her face into her hands and started to sob.
"Damn it! Where is she!?" Rainbow Dash yelled, pounding the table where she and the group had gathered to recharge their batteries. They've been looking for sunset for over 9 hours straight.
" Ah don't know! She’s not at any of the shelters," Applejack said, rubbing her temple.
"She’s not down town or up town," Rarity said, taking a sip of her espresso, Fluttershy nodding with her as she ate her little pastry.
"She’s wasn't at the mall! So, she couldn't be in line to see Santa!" Pinkie Pie said as she angrily drank her hot chocolate.
"Fuck! Our last hope was here and still nothing!" Rainbow dash said punching the nearby wall. The bell above the door ringed.
"I'm sorry dearie but no dogs allowed," Mrs. Cake said as she greeted the customer, only to realize who it was. The loud growling got everyone’s attention. The girls looked up and saw their friend Twilight Sparkle, even her faithful assistant was there by her side. They felt relieved and got up to greet them, only for Spike to let out another growl, stopping them in their tracks. They stared at him and then at her, finally noticing something. She was less than thrilled to see them. Twilight's hair was unkempt, her breathing suggested she had just ran a marathon. The thing that stood out the most was her eyes. They didn't hold the friendly eyes of the pony princess. They held a deep sadness in them, lined with utter rage.
"What. Did. You. Do?" she asked, glaring at the group of girls in front of her. The tone told them it was not going to be an easy lunch break.