//------------------------------// // 5 - Flatfoot // Story: Empty Skies // by SunnyDays //------------------------------// “Why’s Dash still sitting over there?” Misty asked Sunset, both watching the table towards the back of the room as they ate lunch. “She thinks she can talk Applejack into believing me,” Sunset said simply. “Oh. ...Think it’ll work?” Misty asked hopefully. Sunset snorted, “Doubt it.” “You’re being thick-headed!” Dash exclaimed over at their table. “Ah told ya I don’t wanna talk about it, Dash!” AJ yelled back. “Yep. That’s about what I expected.” Sunset said evenly. “Figures,” Misty simply shrugged, and the two listened to the argument. “Rainbow, you saw those pictures!” AJ said, “There’s no one else that coulda posted them. They were on her phone!” “What if her phone was stolen, though?” “Not once did she tell us anythin’ about her phone bein’ stolen,” AJ said. “And she has it now, don’t she?” “So, it could’ve been planted!” Dash said. “Ever thought that we should’ve given her the benefit of the doubt?” “No! Dash, that’s pretty darn concrete evidence!” AJ said, “Fight me about it all ya like, but until ya have proof that Sunset didn’t do it, ah don’t want to talk to ya about this!” “It’s true, I’m afraid.” Rarity said, “There’s no way that we can trust her after all this. What if she just does it again?” “Um… I don’t think she did it in the first place, either…” Fluttershy spoke up. “...Pinkie?” Rarity looked over at Pinkie Pie. “I, um, yeah. I don’t think it was her either…” Pinkie said. “Ah’m only gonna warn you three. She’s gonna wait for the right timin’ before backstabbin’ ya. That’s how these things work.”  AJ said, eating her sandwich. “Yes, well isn’t that the typical high school drama way of doing things.” Rarity muttered to herself. “So… Literally nothing I say is going to change your mind?” Dash asked AJ. “Drop it, Dash,” AJ warned. “Alright then, I’ll get you that proof.” Dash said, crossing her arms, “Then you’ll have to admit you were wrong like the rest of us.” “Please do.” Rarity said, “I don’t know about Applejack, but I’d love to be proven wrong.” “Yeah, well, I doubt it,” AJ said. “But I wouldn’t mind ya tryin’. Just stop yappin’ about it until then.” Her voice lowered as she muttered, “Don’t remind everyone o’ what Anon-A-Miss put about me.” “Fine,” Dash said triumphantly. “We’ll make you both believe it. You’ll see.” --- The CMC walked home from school, having not seen their sisters that lunch period due to finals, and decided to spend their Friday evening at Scootaloo’s place. “Hmph, the soccer team’s still on Sunset’s side.” Scootaloo growled, “You think Dash will change her mind because of that?” “Who cares?” Apple Bloom shrugged, “Tha whole point ah this was to keep our sisters from spending the break with ‘er. I’d say we succeeded.” Scoots shrugged her shoulders. “...Yeah, maybe we should just stop now.” Sweetie said, biting her lip, “I don’t exactly like doing this.” “Ah dunno, it’s kinda nice to get back at whoever we want.” Apple Bloom smirked, “Did you see Diamond Tiara today?” “Heh, yeah, vengeance for all those years of torture is kinda sweet.” Scoots agreed, mirroring AB’s smirk. “Besides, ya’ve heard all the awful stories about Shimmer. She had this comin’.” Apple Bloom reasoned. “I mean… I guess.” Sweetie grimaced. “I dunno though, it’s still mean.” “What Diamond Tiara does is mean.” Scoots countered, “But if you’re so adamant about this… I guess we can abandon the account. As Apple Bloom said, its done its job.” She led the way into her house. “Hey Gram! Home!” She called into the kitchen, throwing her backpack down by the door, “And the girls are here too!” “Oh, that’s wonderful! And your other friend is here too, sweetheart!” Her grandmother called from the kitchen. “...Our other friend?” Scoots watched the two behind her drop their stuff as well. “Oh yes, she’s such a sweetheart. I told her to wait in your room for you.” “Okay.” Scoots blinked, making her way down the hall. “Um, think it’s Dash?” Sweetie suggested. “She would’ve said if it was-” The three girls’ faces paled as they saw who was politely perched on Scootaloo’s bed, grinning deviously at the three. “Hello there, Anon-A-Miss~” Diamond Tiara nearly purred. --- “You all owe me gas money after this.” Misty teased as Surprise, Sunset, Gilda, and Dash piled into her car. As usual, Sunset took her spot in the passenger’s seat up front. “Oh, shut up moneybags.” Gilda rolled her eyes. “You don’t even need it.” “I don’t, uh…” Sunset scratched the back of her head. “I know, it was a joke.” Misty reached over, patting Sunset on the shoulder, “Don’t worry about it.” “I’m just happy midterms are over.” Dash sighed, leaning back in the seat. “Now for two whole weeks of goofing off!” “Yeah! Two whole weeks to find Anon-A-Miss!” Surprise cheered. “That too,” Dash smirked sheepishly. “Speaking of, I hope you’re all serious about this. We’ll be raking through some dirt in the next couple of days. It won’t be pretty.” Sunset said. “We need to scour the page to see who she hasn’t targeted besides me.” “You think she’d be stupid enough to not post about herself?” Misty asked. “It’s worth a shot.” Sunset nodded. “We can at least sort everyone out by who’s been targeted.” “Like that’s not gonna take a decade or anything.” Gilda deadpanned. “Well, it’s worth it. We might find something that can be used as evidence against her later.” Sunset said. Misty pulled up to Clipper’s. “Any evidence is good evidence, even if it throws us off-track for a little.” She said as she parked the car. “Well, I’d rather the evidence actually point us to someone, but I’ll take what I can get.” Sunset agreed, getting out of the car. “Ugh, what’s that smell?” Surprise plugged her nose as they all walked into Clipper’s. “Smells like… Paint?” Dash asked, looking around. For once, the little store was empty, no one hanging around behind the counter or watching the front. Sunset glanced at the sign on the door. The side facing them read “open”. “Are we trespassing?” Sunset asked, motioning over to the sign at the others. “Nah, not if the door’s open and the lights are on,” Soarin said, coming out from the back. Today, he was in a white t-shirt and shorts, wiping his hands on an old rag. “Come see, Sunset!” He motioned her over with a grin. She followed him over to the back and gasped immediately. The entire back room had been renovated to look like a small apartment, just as Soarin said. The little kitchenette had been dusted and cleaned completely and the counters given a fresh coat of paint. A brand new toaster oven sat on one of the counters next to the original microwave. Tucked in the corner sat a little old desk that had also been given a fresh coat of paint, along with a small, cheap desk chair. And, of course, a day bed sat on the other corner, to be used both as a bed and a sofa in one. Various holiday pillows had been thrown onto the top to keep the room festive and lively. Despite the efforts to make the room look nice, it still looked cheap, the floors were still a bland tile, the walls still a bleach white, and not everything went together. Sunset didn’t care. “Thank you!” She nearly tackled the sweaty Soarin into a hug, “Oh thank you so much!” Soarin laughed, “No problem, kiddo! And, hey, don’t just thank me.” He motioned over to Spitfire, who was dressed similarly. Sunset turned, looking like she was about to tackle Spitfire in the same fashion, when the woman held out her hands, “I’m not a hugger!” She paused awkwardly, “...Fistbump?” She smiled, offering her hand. “Fistbump.” Sunset agreed, doing said motion with a chuckle. “Like the place?” Spitfire asked, putting her fists on her hips proudly. “We took all day to fix it up.” “I do! I really do!” Sunset nodded eagerly, “It’s more than I could ever ask for. Really, guys, thanks. I can’t wait to stay here tonight!” “You’re welcome, and sorry it can’t be more.” Soarin nodded. “We couldn’t fit the table in here, and you’ll still have to find somewhere else to shower. But hey, I didn’t know what color you wanted the walls, so you get to pick that. Or a wallpaper.” “Okay Soarin, she’s not a grandmother.” Spitfire rolled her eyes with a smirk, elbowing him. “Hey, I wasn’t looking for perfect.” Sunset laughed at Spitfire’s comment, “I’ll figure something out, no worries.” “Good, I was kinda worried about it…” Soarin scratched the back of his head. “Don’t be.” Sunset waved a hand as the three went into the main room to see that Fleet had arrived from school. “Hey Flat.” Spits greeted. “Hey Bob the Builder.” Fleet snickered at Spitfire’s appearance, looking around. “Wow. Big crowd. What’s the occasion?” “Taking down Anon-A-Miss!” Dash said with a smirk. “You don’t think it’s Sunset either, Cap?” Fleet asked. “Not anymore.” Dash nodded, “Soarin, er, helped me clear my head.” “He did?” Misty looked between Dash and Soarin. “Yep. I think you two were chasing down Surprise or something. Gave Dashie here a verbal lashing.” Fleet said evenly. “Soarin got mad?!” Misty almost looked terrified, before pausing, “...It was pointed at you too, wasn’t it Flat?” Misty flashed her a knowing smile. Fleet crossed her arms, “I mean, I was going to talk to Sunset anyways. In private. Eventually.” “So, why not do it now?” Sunset’s voice cut through the conversation. “You want to talk? I’ll be more than happy to answer any questions.” Fleet sat back, “...I have a better idea. Hey, Gilda! How come you believe her?” Gilda snorted, “Because I don’t only have a half a brain. You’d have to be an idiot to not see through that shallow piece of crap account. Or, in your case, pig-headed and blinded by anger. So what? You’re flat-chested. So is Dash.” Dash’s face went red. “Aaaactually…” “-Point is, get your ass off your high horse and just admit you were wrong already.” Gilda finished. “...” Fleet bit her lip, taking a deep breath, “I was wrong. I… kinda knew that already.” She looked over at Sunset, “I just found that you were the nearest punching bag to take it out on, and I shouldn’t have. Sorry.” Misty and Spitfire crossed their arms, while Soarin just looked disappointed. “It’s okay. I understand what that’s like.” Sunset put a hand on Fleet’s shoulder, looking at the other three, “Let’s not focus on the blame game now. That’s exactly what the girls did at first, and I’m tired of it.” Dash scratched the back of her head. “Point is, we could really use your help, Fleet.” “And it’s best that we have the strength of the full team together, right?” Dash asked, looking over at Spitfire and Soarin. “Right,” Spitfire smirked, putting an elbow on Soarin’s shoulder. Soarin grinned widely. It was then that Fluttershy and Pinkie came into the shop, “So thiiis is where you guys disappear to!” Pinkie said, looking around. “Why am I not surprised that Dash disappears to a guitar shop?” Fluttershy asked with a giggle. “Hey Flutters, hey Pinks. Glad you made it.” Dash smirked. “And now that we’re all together, let’s get this started.” Sunset looked over to Soarin, “Do you have paper and pens in your workshop, Soarin?” “Yep!” Soarin nodded, “What for?” “For the first step in finding Anon-A-Miss.” Sunset nodded, “Think you two could write out some names for us?” “Sure,” Spitfire said as Soarin ducked into his office/workshop. “Good.” Sunset smiled, “Let’s do this, everyone. I need everyone to go onto Anon-A-Miss’ MyStable page and taking note of every one of her victims. Soarin and Spitfire will take down the names of everyone whose secret was leaked on her page. From there, we’ll be able to see who her next targets are, or who we might need to be looking at as our suspects.” Soarin came back in with all the paper and a few pens and pencils. “As much as I hate Anon-A-Miss, this is going to be a little funny,” Gilda admitted with a smirk. “Alright sadist, get going.” Dash rolled her eyes as the whole group got to work. Even with the huge crowd all checking their phones, it was apparent that this was going to take awhile. --- “What do you mean, we’re Anon-A-Miss?!” Scootaloo defended immediately, “Maybe you’re Anon-A-Miss with all your drama-loving!” “Oh, you couldn’t be more right, Scootaloo, I love drama. I love it so much, I just happened to try and send in something about each of you. ...But-” She gasped, “It’s been all day, and nothing’s gone through. ...But I might be wrong. It must all be just some big coincidence, right?” She smirked over at them. Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom’s frightened expressions were all she needed to confirm her suspicions. “Y-You’re not going to tell anyone, are ya?” Apple Bloom asked. “Pfft, no.” Diamond Tiara waved a hand. “I get it.” “You do?” Scootaloo cocked an eyebrow. “I already said it: I love drama.” She shrugged, “And this is just about the biggest drama storm I’ve ever seen! It’s fun, isn’t it?” The CMC looked at each other in confusion. “Ah mean… a little?” Apple Bloom spoke up. “Good! Because I won’t tell anyone about you three being Anon-A-Miss if you keep posting secrets.” Diamond said, rubbing her hands together. “...And what if we close down the account?” Sweetie Belle asked her. “Yeah! We just agreed to stop.” Apple Bloom agreed. “The account’s done everything we wanted it to do.” “You sure?” Diamond asked, “Or… Do you think it’d be easy for me to go up to Rainbow Dash and your sisters and tell them who’s been telling their little secrets~?” Diamond Tiara smirked. Scootaloo narrowed her eyes, “You wouldn’t dare.” “Oh, I would.” Diamond Tiara smirked, “You all do realize this is a win-win for me in the end, right? Either you three get months of detention, or I get to sit back and watch the show.” She leaned back to emphasize her statement, “Make your choice, girls~” Scootaloo eyed her suspiciously, “...Look, if we get found out, you’re going down with us. You know that, right?” “Oh, of course.” Diamond rolled her eyes, “How stupid do I look? If we get found out, feel free to drop my name as much as you want. Hell, even tell everyone that I leaked out quite a few of the secrets.” “Crusaders. Meetin’.” Apple Bloom ordered, and the three got into a huddle. “Great. Now we can't just close down the account; she'll tell!” Scoots said. “What if she's just bluffin’?” Apple Bloom asked, “She doesn' really have any proof.” “It's Diamond Tiara. Even if she doesn't tell them now, she can still hold it over us.” Scoots replied. “Hey, if our sisters didn't believe Sunset, why would they believe Diamond Tiara?” Sweetie asked. “Maybe they wouldn't… But Vice-Principal Luna might.” Apple Bloom sighed. “So then what do we do, just keep going?” Scoots asked. “Well… Yeah. Maybe after Winter Break, everyone will just stop sendin’ in secrets.” Apple Bloom said. “Still, she has no physical proof.” Sweetie said, “It's her word against ours.” “Yeah, but it would leave everyone suspicious still.” Apple Bloom pointed out. “And if they’re all watchin us, we won’t be able to access the account! Then it’ll be even more obvious!” “Then...I think our only option is to keep going and hope for the best. ...Right?” Scoots asked the other two. “Ah think so.” Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” Sweetie visibly sagged. “...Okay. Well, we’re not giving you the password to the account.” Scoots said, standing away from the huddle, glaring to Diamond Tiara, accusingly. “So don’t ask.” “That’s fair.” Diamond nodded, “Just be ready to get even more secrets.” Sweetie sighed, “Right. We’ll be ready.” “Great! Well, that’s all I have to say. Have a good weekend, and I’ll talk to you all on Monday morning~!” Diamond waved, making her way for the door, “Oh, and Scootaloo, thank your grandmother for me. She’s such a kind lady.” She flashed a smile before making her way out, her butler waiting in the front with the car. The three watched her go with various expressions. “...Think we can trust her?” Scoots asked. “‘Bout as far as ah can throw ‘er.” Apple Bloom mumbled. “We need to post one of our secrets as soon as possible! If she figured it out, it’s gonna be easy for anyone else to figure it out too! Especially if she goes to Principal Celestia or Vice-Principal Luna.” “Post one of your secrets, got it.” Scoots already had her phone out. “What?! Why mine?!” “You suggested it!” Scoots said. “Ah didn’t mean mine! Why can’t it be yours?!” “Because you’d be an easier target!” “What?!” Apple Bloom roared. “And who says you wouldn’t be easier?!” “Your family does way more embarrassing things to you!” Apple Bloom gasped, “Take that back!” She growled. Sweetie Belle watched as the two of them wrestled for Scootaloo’s phone with a shake of her head. “Oh brother… What have we gotten ourselves into?” She sighed, massaging her temples as the other two continued to wrestle and shout. --- Diamond Tiara’s smug smirk didn’t fade, rubbing her palms together as she walked into her mansion. “...Make a fool out of me, will you?” She murmured, trodding up the stairs to her room, “We’ll see who’s the mockery of the school when I’m done. You three will never want to step foot in this town again.” She cackled, “I just have to set a few things into motion…” She opened up her own supply of dirty secrets, a mixture of her mother’s legal cases and her father’s more shady business deals. “Oh ho ho~ That'll do perfectly.” She smirked down at the digital copy of an official looking paper, in big, bold handwriting, signed Celestia Soleana.