“Even now, several months later, experts are still baffled by the mysterious flash fire that took hold of the Everfree Forest.” A newscaster read from behind her desk, looking into the camera with an ever stony expression, “Today, nearly 4 square miles of untouched forest lays caked in ash. Specialists have ruled out arson, finding no accelerant or single point of ignition. As a matter of fact, debates are currently raging over two points in a 100 foot area that could be named as the point of ignition. No one was found on the scene, and no casualties have been reported. Truly, this is a mystery for the ages. Currently, experts from other nations are being flown in to survey the damage. Hopefully, they can-”
“Unbelievable.” Daring shook her head, reclining in a comforter, as she watched the TV. The sun was peaking over the horizon after a tumultuous night. No one in the house had slept perfectly that night, all with good reason as to why. “It's been nearly 6 months. How can they not know the cause of a fire that enormous?”
“Who knows?” Blaze sighed, “Despite what they said, it's probably some crazy kids that don’t want to be caught. Given recent events, not too surprising. “Speaking of covering things up…” He glanced back at the clock, reading it as 7 in the morning; and then at the two teens sitting up at the bar, both chowing down on their breakfast of eggs and bacon. Dash was at least.
“Come on, Sunster, just try it. It's not sentient here and the body needs the protein!” Rainbow Dash encouraged.
“C’mon Dash, we’ve talked about this before…” Sunset shifted in her seat uncomfortably, “I don’t do meat.”
“Oh come on, you died and were reincarnated as a mystic fish person. One bite of meat won’t make your life any worse.” She responded.
“You’d make a great public speaker.” Sunset deadpanned.
“Look, just take a bite and I’ll stop pestering you.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Permanently?”
“Eat the damn meat, Stanz.”
Sunset rolled her eyes and leaned forwards and snapped the bacon from the fork and chewed on it disgruntledly, “...”
“So? It’s good, riiight?” Dash waved her on.
“Well I’m not hacking it up.” She admitted, still frowning, “But eating it still feels beyond weird.”
“Well then cross it off your bucket list and move on.” She teased back, “Welcome to the Omnivores.”
“Om-Nom-nivores.” Blaze nodded.
“...I feel like I’m missing something here.” Daring said, raising an eyebrow.
“Just dad being dad.” Dash snickered at her parents.
Blaze looked over at Dash, “Right. And… what are we going to do about you two? Clearly we can’t have you going back to CHS.”
Sunset and Dash shared a look, nodding, “Well...yeah, after all that?”
“But we still kinda have to go to school.” Dash frowned, “Eugh, can't believe I said that, but it is kinda the law, and as much as we’re gonna love having you here-”
“I’m not gonna have you hiding under the bed while Dash is going to class.” Blaze chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee.
Sunset nodded, “That’s fair...the only other high school in the district is Crystal Prep. We talked to a few Shadowbolts at Clipper’s yesterday. Sounds like they’re already rolling out the welcome wagon.”
“I don’t imagine Spits took that kindly.” Blaze guessed.
“She understands, all the team does. What we don't know how to deal with is...us.” Dash articulated weakly.
“We can't just show up.” Sunset sighed, leaning back. Stress in the mind and bacon on the tastebuds was no way for a unicorn to think. “Yet we still need to transfer. Maybe if I use my powers, I can-”
“Don't.” Dash cut her off, “Please. You've been using those a lot and,” she paused, “I dunno if that's a good thing. Besides didn't Crescendo say to take it easy with the magic or something?”
“Not in so many words, but I guess.” She frowned back at Dash. Even if she was feeling a little drained from yesterday still, what was the harm? She wasn't doing anything that bad with her powers.
“Transferring you both should be no trouble.” Daring said. “...Leave Celestia to me.” Her eyes darkened.
“Woah, woah mom!” Dash blinked, holding out her arms, “Celestia’s super nice, this isn't her fault.”
“Still, me showing up at your school instead of just you sends an entirely different message, Dash. Trust me.”
“So we don't need to show up at all?” Dash grinned.
“No, you still need to be there.” Daring said, “But still, it should be the last time you two ever set foot in that school again.”
Sunset shifted uncomfortably, “I dunno. Don't wanna go anywhere near, but won't we need to be there for a transfer?”
“I may not be able to get around having you two sign something, but even if I don’t, I’ll have to bring you both to Crystal Prep immediately.” Daring said.
The two shared another look, “We do have some people over there we have to talk to anyways.” Dash admitted, “Alright then.”
“That settles it. Let’s get on the road.” Daring stood up, “Get your stuff.”
Dash chuckled, standing up after quickly scarfing down the remainders of her food, “You make it sound like we’re going on some long trip.”
“You know me, Dashie.” Daring grinned, “Long trips sneak up on me. Always best to be prepared.”
“Well, I have everything I really own on me already.” Sunset joked weakly, standing with Dash.
“...Really?” Daring asked. “Well, we’ll just have to fix that.”
“It seems Rainbow and Mr. Blaze have been doing so already.” Sunset blushed a little as Rainbow pulled her into a side hug.
“Totally! She was crashing in my room last night ‘cause after everything...sheesh, we all felt loaded down, but it sounds like we’ll be setting up the guest room soon!” Dash nodded.
Daring looked over at Blaze with an amused smile, “You didn’t clean out that workout equipment yet? Typical.”
“Hey, retired and living off of your treasure hunts or not, I still stay in shape!” He defended, “I need more of a hobby than polishing trophies.”
“Treasure hunts? I thought you called it grave robbing.” Dash teased.
“Dashie!”
“It’s not grave robbing if you stop the grave robbers. ...And sell the treasure to a museum. For a fair price.” She snickered.
“It's just extortion at that point.” Blaze smiled, “And it pays the bills.”
“Pretty much. And, you know, book revenue. That too.” Daring added.
“Top seller in the young-adult class. Can’t wait for the terrible film adaptation.” Dash smiled.
“Just watch, it’s going to be animated.” Blaze teased.
Sunset was starting to feel out of the loop now, “So, we ready to go?”
“Yep.” Daring twirled her keys around her finger, “Let’s go.”
The two nodded, following Daring Do out the front door after Dash gave Blaze a quick hug, and hopped in the sedan’s back seats, “So what’s the process here? I’ve never exactly needed to transfer outta my own school.”
“Not too sure myself.” Daring said as she pulled herself into the driver’s seat, “I have a bad feeling it’s long-winded and riddled with paperwork, though.”
“Oh. Great.” Sunset groaned, looking out the window, “Sounds like this is gonna be stressful and fun.”
“Well, hopefully my being here will tell Principal Celestia that we mean business.” Daring said. “And speed up the process.”
“I’d like to hope so. Having Daring Do show up for paperwork must make for a pretty surreal day.” Dash snickered.
Sunset’s eyes widened as she peered out the window, “I think one’s already going down.” Several police cars were parked at the school, a couple officers standing around and vigilantly eyeing the area.
“Oh lord.” Daring groaned slightly. “Getting in there is going to be a treat.”
Sunset frowned, hand grasping her amulet nervously. “Well, we can get past one way or another, but I doubt we’ll face any trouble from them, right guys?”
“Right.” Daring nodded, “I’m no criminal.”
“Not by the standard definition at least, right mom?” Dash snickered. “Either way, let's just get this over.”
“No kidding.” Daring pulled her ID out of her pocket, getting out of the car.
Sunset and Dash climbed out as well, getting behind Daring and following her up to the front, keeping their eyes peeled for anything that looked relatively hostile. The cops noticed them approach and stepped in their path, “Sorry ma’am, but can I ask you what you’re doing here?” An orange-skinned officer with red and white hair asked.
“Daring Do.” She flashed the cop her ID, “These two are students here, and we have an appointment with Principal Celestia.”
The officer, badge reading as Lightspeed Barrage, nodded, “Alright, just don’t cause any trouble. We got this place on high alert, so we don’t need anything else going wrong.” She eyed the other two, “Got it?”
“Crystal clear.” Dash deadpanned, having no intention of dragging the cop after them. Sunset simply nodded in understanding.
“Ma’am.” Daring nodded, walking past her. “We’ll be in and out.”
“Yeah, totally.” Dash agreed with a smile.
That didn’t put the officer anymore at rest, “Come on, Chicken Wings.”
“Please don’t call me that.” Her partner sighed.
The halls were near bare, only the janitors wandering the halls in the early morning. Down the hall, they could hear the chaotic, faint squeaks and squawks of the school band warming up for early practice. Dash and Sunset feeling a bit more secure in not being spotted, the group made their way to the Principal’s office, Daring knocking on the door.
A long sigh came from within, “Come on in, I’m ready to continue.”
Daring opened the door, “I imagine you’re expecting someone else then, eh Celestia?”
Celestia looked up from her computer, “Daring Do? Yes, I sure wasn’t expecting to see you. Welcome back.” She nodded, “How’s Dash doing?”
“I could be doing better.” Dash stepped out from behind her mother, “But I’ll take what I can get.”
Celestia jumped, not having seen her there, “D-Dash?!” She looked between mother and daughter before seeing Sunset finally. “Wh-what?” She sputtered out.
“Things have gotten...strange.” Sunset supplemented.
“But that’s not why I’m here, Ms. Soleanna.” Daring reigned in the conversation, “I’m here to discuss transferring Rainbow and Sunset out of CHS.”
“I… understand.” Celestia let out a breath, “Normally, the transferring process takes at least a month, and with Sunset, it’s an even stranger case. For obvious reasons.” She smiled sadly at Sunset, still eyeing the girl up as if trying to get used to her new look.
Sunset nodded with a frown, “I take it you figured out those forged documents then, huh?”
“Yes.” Celestia said, “You’re documented under my name officially. It was the only way I could get around everything for you.”
“...thank you, especially with everything I did during that time.” She nodded, smiling, “But, why?”
“Even with everything, you were still willing to learn, and it was clear you had nowhere else to go.” Celestia said, “Even if you didn’t want my help back then; it’s been a pleasure having you here.”
“Well, it's nice to know someone else enjoyed having me around.” Sunset smiled warmly, Dash putting a hand on her shoulder.
“I presume the transfer papers would be for Crystal Prep, yes?” Daring shifted topics.
“I can make Crystal Prep the transfer school, yes.” Celestia said, quickly typing up a few things on her computer. The printer whirred into motion in the background. “We’ll just have to go through some legal processes; there’s a specific emergency transfer form that I can use in cases of harassment and bullying that can speed up the process tremendously. Clearly, the police case being built outside will be more than a good reason for this to be counted as an emergency.” Her keys clicked away, and another form was printed. Each had district information, as well as Sunset and Rainbow’s full names. “Sign and date here, put your home information here.” Celestia walked Daring through the signing as she did the same for Sunset’s papers.
Daring nodded, scribbing quickly and nodding along as she read along the papers, “How soon can I get in contact with Ms. Cinch about this?”
“How soon do you need to be there?” Celestia asked.
“This being the last day before break? In time for a day of class.”
Dash groaned unhappily at that, uncrossing her arms and leaning into the wall a little, “Yeah…”
“In that case…” Celestia typed on her computer again, printing out what appeared to be a letter, signing it, tucking it into an envelope, and handing it to Daring. “...Give this to her, and she’ll know exactly what to do.”
“Is Cinch really just gonna let us in?” Dash blinked, “She never really seemed like an advocate of ours during the games.”
“Even Cinch has a heart.” Celestia said, “I explained your problem in my letter, and if there’s anything Cinch loves more than her reputation-” She smirked, “-it’s taking away from CHS.”
“Playing to their strengths.” Sunset nodded with a light chuckle, “There’s a sound logic there I suppose. Hope it's enough to get us in without a hassle.”
“I hope so too, girls.” Celestia’s gaze saddened again as she collected the papers. “I’m so sorry this happened to you both. ...At least it doesn’t seem like the injuries were too severe.”
The two shared a look with each other, “Yeah, totally.” Sunset nodded, “Nothing we couldn’t bounce back from.”
Daring took the papers as they were passed to her, “Thank you, Ms. Soleanna. Good luck with this mess.”
“You as well. I’ll be making the announcement when everyone gets back from the break.” Celestia said.
“We should be able to unmask Anon-a-Miss by then.” Sunset nodded.
Dash kicked the floor with a sigh, “Damn, I’m gonna have to wait to tell Scoots about all this. Can’t risk her getting attacked.” Her gaze darkened, looking up at Celestia, “By the way, I know we can’t provide physical proof past our own words, but keep an eye on GIlda and company. Maybe see if the cops can bring them in for questioning at the least. This is all their fault!”
“They attacked you?” Celestia scowled, “It was them?”
Sunset scowled, “They did. Lured us to the gym after hours, pretending to be Fluttershy. We should’ve suspected, but…”
Dash picked up where Sunset trailed off, “We just wanted to someone else to believe us.”
“They pretended to be Fluttershy?” Celestia echoed, “So… She’s not involved, right?”
“As far as we can tell, but she wasn’t present when we were jumped.” Sunset answered.
“Well, it seems she wouldn’t be. ...Well!” Celestia huffed, “Either way, I’ll tip off the cops towards Gilda.”
“Appreciated, but at most we can expect is a questioning...with 15 or so alibis backing her up.” Sunset sneered, “Dammit.”
“Something to work on.” Dash suggested, “We’ll focus on finding Anon-a-Miss first.”
“I would focus on continuing to heal more.” Celestia said, “Including mentally.”
“Mentally?” Sunset frowned, “We’re fine mentally.”
Seeing the minefield, Dash decided not to comment on that.
“Emotionally, specifically.” Celestia amended, “Your physical wounds might be healed, but I’m sure you’re still a little emotionally scarred by all this.”
Sunset’s frown stayed in place, “We’ll be fine.”
Daring cast a glance over, but knew the dangers of a minefield even better than her daughter.
Finally getting the hint, Celestia just frowned back in worry, “...I hope so, Sunset.”
Sunset nodded, “Thank you for the help, Principal Celestia, but please, call me Stanza now.”
“Alright then, Stanza.” Celestia said, “I wish you luck at Crystal Prep.”
“Thanks.” Dash nodded with a smile, “Good luck here. Give the squirt my best if you get the chance. I’ll see if I can’t get in contact her once this all dies down. She’s probably worried about me by now and my old phone got stolen and probably destroyed.”
“I will.” Celestia smiled, “And thank you.”
Daring nodded, “Right, we better get going then. You have my best, and thank you again.”
Dash and Sunset both nodded as well, “Thanks for these past few years.”
“You’re quite welcome. I’m sorry it had to end this way.” Celestia said with a sigh, “But I hope the students at Crystal Prep will treat you better.”
“Well…” Dash snickered, “As a whole, we’ll have to see. You know how the Shadowbolts are.”
“However it seems we’ve already made nice with a few of them. Soarin’s little sister, Nightshade is one of the three that found us.”
“Nightshade… Is that her new nickname?” Celestia asked.
“Nickname?” Sunset blinked, “Not as far as I know. That’s what the others called her.”
Dash tilted her head , scratching her neck in thought.
“Oh, well nevermind. She’s a nice kid. Just like her brother.” Celestia waved it off, “I’m glad you two are already starting off on the right foot. Just… Be careful.”
“After what’s already happened, we’ll keep alert.” Sunset agreed.
Daring chuckled, setting a hand on each of their shoulders, “Oh don’t worry, Blaze and I will be making sure they keep themselves out of trouble.”
“Moooooom.” Dash complained, laughing lightly.
“That should be everything we need. ...Would you like me to walk you all out?” Celestia offered.
“We certainly wouldn’t mind.” Daring nodded, “Even if it's still early in the morning, it’d be best to take the fastest route out.”
Sunset glanced up at the clock with a frown. School had officially started a few minutes ago. There’d be people in the halls now.
“It’s probably for the best. The students will be filing to classes about now, but they’ll clear the hall for me.” Celestia got up, opening the door and shutting it behind them when everyone went out. As she said, students steered clear of her whenever she went down the hall, though they gave Dash and Sunset strange glances. Not once did they hear either of their names through the whispers.
Sunset kept her gaze ahead, though her expression was stony, noting the presence of several people that had been less than kind since her attempt to turn it all around. ‘Attempt being the word.’ She snorted.
Dash kept her gaze jumping around, thankfully not noting any of the group that had jumped them in the gym. It was pretty clear that Daring was doing the same, just as on guard.
“Thank you for walking us out.” Daring nodded to Celestia as they passed through the front door.
“It’s not a problem. I suppose this will be the last I see of you three, and Blaze of course, so I wanted to make sure there wouldn’t be any more trouble on your hands.” Celestia said.
Dash gave a sad smile, “Sounds like. Try and have a good break, Principal.”
“Miss Soleanna?” The officer from earlier walked over, “May we continue our talks?”
“Yes, we may.” With a final nod to the group, Celestia led the officer inside, and Daring put a hand on Dash’s back supportingly.
“To Crystal Prep then?” Sunset offered, wanting to get moving before they ran into anyone else.
“That’s the next stop.” Daring nodded, getting into the car and throwing the documents in the passenger’s seat.
Dash and Sunset climbed in the back, “So Cinch’s next huh? Fun. She’s always been great at The Games.”
“Yep, total ray of sunshine.” Sunset agreed, settling in her seat and shutting the car door.
Daring started the car, pulling out of CHS, “Well, we’ll figure something out if Crystal Prep doesn’t work out. No worries there.”
“It’ll be fiiiine.” Dash waved off, “Let’s just get there and past Cinch. We’ve got some guys waiting on us.”
“What about your papers?” Daring asked, “Should I handle that?”
“I don’t really know what we’re suppose to do, so I’d like it, yeah.” Dash chuckled at her, nodding.
“Alright then, just don’t cause any trouble.” Daring smirked. The drive to Crystal Prep was quiet, and didn’t take nearly as long as expected. Soon enough, they were on the front steps. “Okay, go find your friends. I’ll have these papers transferred.” Daring said, and the two groups went their separate ways.
Dash and Sunset both nodded, about to head down the hall to their left, but were quickly stopped by a security guard. “Hold up, where are you two going?” He asked in a gruff voice, crossing his arms across his chest.
“We...we were gonna go find our friends?” Dash asked.
“You don't look familiar, kid.”
“What, do you know what every single student in this entire school looks like?” Sunset responded with an annoyed frown.
“Yes.”
“It’s alright, Stratus, let me handle this.” A polite woman came up behind Sunset and Dash. “Can I help you two?” The pink woman asked.
Dash pointed behind her with her thumb, “My mom went to help with the papers. We’re transfers from CHS. You're the Dean, right? Saw you with the principals during The Games.”
“Oh, I see.” She nodded, “Yes, I’m Dean Cadence. Nice to meet you.” She offered them her hand with a polite smile.
Sunset took it, smiling back a bit , “I'm Stanza, this is my best friend, Marred. It's great to meet you too.”
“Well, since you two are new, how about a tour of our school?” Cadence asked.
“I don’t suppose you can show us to a girl named Nightshade?” Dash asked, interrupting for a moment, “She said she had something really important to talk to us about.”
Cadence paused, “...What kind of important?”
“She just said it was important. Soarin agreed. We had some problems at CHS, it's why we’re transferring here, and they were worried about it.” She summarized, trying to keep it simple.
“I’m sure it's nothing serious.” Sunset assured, “Blitz and all probably just wanted to give us a proper introduction.”
“Oh, yes, well I’m sure it is.” Cadence nodded, “I’ll show you to where they’d be right now.” She brought them down a hallway that was tucked away without too many doors. “This used to be an old classroom that we tried converting to a recreational room. That didn’t work out, so now it’s the free room for Starry’s… extracurriculars.” Dean Cadence explained, “They should be in here.” She knocked on the heavy door.
“Extra...what?” Dash blinked.
The door cracked open, “Password!”
“What?” Sunset blinked now.
“Password!” Blitz asked again, a large pink eye peering through the crack.
“Swordfish.” Cadence replied.
“EH!” She denied, shutting the door with a clang!
Cadence sighed loudly, knocking on the door again.
“No solicitors!” The high pitched voice called from within.
“Swordfish! The password is always swordfish!” Cadence called.
“Why didn’t you say so?!” The door was flung open by the girl, now adorned in the standard Crystal Prep uniform. “Hiya, Dean Cadence!”
“Hello Blitz, these two ladies wanted to talk to you all about something.” Cadence replied patiently, putting a hand on both Rainbow and Sunset’s shoulders.
“Oooh! Hey there! Come on in, we were in the middle of a game!” Blitz nodded, bouncing back a little. Cadence nodded to herself before walking off.
“A game?” Sunset blinked, looking over to the others. Alongside Nightshade and Starry, there were two other girls neither of them recognized. One was a gray girl with a dull green fauxhawk that leaned to one side and had a pair of sunglasses on over her eyes. The other was a dark blue girl with hair so white, she could only be a member of the Foot family...that’s the family name, right?
“You cross into the underworld and have encountered Anubis. You give him your heart to weigh.” Starry announced, sitting at the head of the table, which they could now see had a little diorama built across it.
“Are they playing DnD?” Dash chuckled.
“Yeppers!” Blitz nodded, “It's Starry’s favorite game!”
“I roll to bluff.” Nightshade responded, kicking back in her chair.
“You want to bluff Anubis?” Starry looked up from her Dungeon Master booklet, leveling a stare at her pale friend, “You can’t bluff Anubis, he’s a god, he has godly Sense Motive check.” She deadpanned.
Nightshade let out a long sigh, “I...bluff the scales.”
“You want. To bluff. The scales?” Starry’s stare could get no flatter, her voice no less unimpressed.
“Yeah.”
“...you know what? Fine, I’ll allow it.” The pink girl rolled her eyes, allowing Nightshade to roll.
The d20 rolled across the table before coming to rest, “HA! Nat 20!”
“The scales, for some god forsaken reason, think your blackened heart is lighter than the feather. Anubis is pretty sure you’re bullshitting him, but you know what? Anubis is the god of the Afterlife, Anubis has had a long day, and Anubis is not gonna question the scales.” Starry rested her forehead against the booklet in defeat, “You’re in.”
The sunglass-clad girl nudged Nightshade, “Dude, double or nothing.”
“I roll to pickpocket Anubis.”
Starry stood, slamming the booklet on the table with a loud THWAP!, “NO!”
The other girls around the table all erupted into laughter, “That was amazing!” The Footed one declared with a grin.
“Hey!” Blitz called, running over, “Sunset and Dash are here!”
“Hey! You can’t call us that!” Dash shook her head in a slight panic, wincing as Blitz blinked, nodding an apology.
“Then… You must be Marred and Stanza.” The Foot stood up, “Hey, I’m Night Glider.”
“Fleet’s sister, right?” Dash nodded, “She mentioned we might run into you.”
“...Fleet mentioned me?” Night Glider asked, “Well… Isn’t that a first.” She scoffed.
“She mentions you from time to time. Gets a little flighty when pressed for details though.” Dash shrugged, “Yeah, I’m Marred. Nice to meetchya.”
“You can call me Courier.” The other nodded with a grin, “You’re from CHS then? You know Misty?” She smiled wider.
“You the mysterious girlfriend?” Sunset asked.
“Can’t confirm or deny, but I might have brought her over to the dark side.” She snickered.
Sunset chuckled, “Glad to get a chance to meet you all. I hate to skip to business, but why did you wanna see us, Nightshade?”
“I doubt this was just a meet ‘n greet. You seemed pretty panicked for us yesterday.” Rainbow added with a nod, attention shifting to her.
Nightshade sighed, standing up, “Yeah, it’s kinda more than that. There’s some seriously bad shit going down, and since you guys clearly know about magic, we could use your help.”
“M-magic?” Dash stuttered in surprise.
“What, thought CHS was the only school to have arcane encounters?” Starry tittered, recovering from her DM sperg out and standing as well, “You honestly think Celestia’s press releases were going to convince my mother?”
“M-mother?!”
Blitz giggled, “Yeah, Cinchy and Sunny are way more observative than that!” She waved it off.
“Wait, I thought your name was Starry.” Sunset blinked in confusion.
“S-Sunny?” Dash stuttered. "Wait, like Sunny Flare?!"
Starry waved, "Good to see you again, too."
“Dash.” Nightshade smirked, pulling Dash's attention away from Sunny/Starry, “It’s been awhile since the last Friendship Games. Ever get that seawater smell out of your uniform?”
“...INDIGO?!”
“Why else would Soarin call me Izzy?” Nightshade/Indigo laughed.
Back at CHS, things weren’t going great.
“Remember when the last day before break was fun?...and not filled with police?” Pinkie asked nervously as she walked through the halls with her three friends.
Fluttershy was dead silent, head down and eyes locked solely on the floor.
“Why are they here?” Rarity wondered, “It’s surely something serious.”
“Ah don’t like it, whatever it is.” AJ agreed with Pinkie.
“You think they’re here to look into Anon-a-Miss? I mean...cyberbullying and stuff?” Pinkie asked almost hopefully.
“Do they… normally do that?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah, yeah I think so.” AJ nodded, “If Celestia finally got smart and called ‘em here for that, that is.”
“Ahem.” Celestia gave her an unappreciative look as they neared where she stood at the end of the hall. “No, that’s not why they are here. But I want to see you four in my office, now.”
“Wa-what?” Pinkie gasped, “Why? We haven’t done anything!”
“You’re not in trouble. I just need to have a private conversation with you all.” Celestia responded.
The group shared a look before giving a variety between nods and shrugs, “Very well, Principal.” Rarity nodded, “What do you need?” She asked as they all filed past her into the office.
Celestia closed the door, taking a deep breath. “Did you all know that Sunset Shimmer and Rainbow Dash were assaulted the other night?”
“WHAT?!” Fluttershy’s head shot up as she squeaked out in terror.
“Woah-woah, whaddya mean assaulted?” AJ blinked in shock, shaking her head.
“Dash and Sunset were lured into the gym, beaten senseless by a group of students, and then dragged out into an abandoned part of Canterlot and left there in the cold until the authorities arrived. Sunset was barely breathing, and Rainbow Dash was found with a stab wound in her midsection. Both were rushed to the hospital.”
Fluttershy had fallen into a chair, face in her hands as she started to weep at the news.
“St-stab...w-wound…?” Pinkie’s eyes shrunk to pinpricks, hair straight as a board.
Rarity looked sick, propping herself up against Celestia’s desk so she wouldn’t fall over.
Applejack simply stared off into space, “No...that...that can’t be right…”
“And, understandably, they’ve both dropped out of CHS and transferred to another school.” Celestia said, “They… wanted me to tell you all this.”
Rarity had gone from sick to downcast, “Are...they alright? I mean...they must be to transfer, right?”
“It seems they made enough of a recovery for me to see them this morning before school. But I don’t think modern medicine could’ve helped them this quickly.” She hinted with a sigh.
“Magic…” Applejack gasped, “They survived with magic.”
Fluttershy had curled into the fetal position in that chair now, the possibilities of what had happened circulating through her mind.
“They may have leaked our secrets…” Pinkie sniffled, “But they don’t deserve that!”
“Well, I hope you girls were serious about not being their friends.” Celestia stood from her seat, “Because you four may never see them again.”
“N-now hold it right there.” AJ shook her head, “I...What happened is awful. In every sense of the word, but they stabbed us right ‘n the back. Dumpin’ all our secrets on the web like that.”
“Is that worth a human life?”
“Ah jus’ said what happened was terrible!” Applejack held back a snarl, “That’s puttin’ words in my mouth! They didn’t deserve anything that bad, but we meant what we said in the hall!”
Rarity nodded, lacking the angry conviction, but agreeing, “Even Sunset Shimmer during the Fall Formal would not deserve such a beating, however she betrayed our trust and managed to pull Rainbow Dash into it as well.”
“I’m not here to accuse you all of anything.” Celestia said, “I’m simply saying you got your wish. None of you will be able to talk to Rainbow Dash or Sunset Shimmer again.”
“Well, you’re making it sound like we’re the ones in the wrong.” Rarity frowned, “We were the ones slighted by Anon-a-Miss!”
Celestia sighed, shaking her head and putting a hand on Fluttershy’s back. “Get to class, you three. I have another meeting with Officer Lightspeed.” She looked down at the sobbing girl, “And let’s get you to the counselor's office, sweetheart.” She said softly, urging her on.
She nodded slowly as the others awkwardly shuffled out, a wide range of negative emotions shuffled between them all. They had an odd feeling that this was going to be the worst day yet.
“Whaddya mean Dash isn’t here?!” Scootaloo exclaimed, staring up at Misty Fly, “S-she never misses practice! And now she's missed twice!”
Misty kneeled down, putting a hand on the freshman’s shoulder, “Oh, Scootaloo… I’m surprised no one’s told you yet. Dash isn’t coming back to CHS. I’m the new Captain of the team, now.”
“...w-what?” She blinked, staring blankly at her.
“She transferred schools, Scoots. But, hey, it’s alright.” Misty attempted to playfully shove Scootaloo’s shoulder, “You can just come hang out at Clipper’s with us all to see her.”
“Tr-transferred?!” She squeaked, “Wh-why?”
“Well… Because everyone thought she was Anon-A-Miss, she, uh.” Misty flinched, before sighing. “You’re not a little kid. The truth is, Dash and Sunset got jumped by some other students. ...They were in the hospital for a while, and they can’t come back.”
Scootaloo froze, going absolutely still as the sentence caught up with her. “No…” Tears quickly appeared around her eyes as her legs gave out, causing her to come crashing down onto her knees, “NO! Nononononononono!” She ran her hands through her hair, panicked sobs racking her body with each passing ‘no’. “This is wrong! This shouldn’t have happened!”
Misty dropped to the grass with her, pulling the freshman into a hug, “What?” Misty asked her, “What do you mean? What shouldn’t have happened?”
“W-we just wanted to get back at Sunset! We didn-NO NO NO!” From there, Scootaloo failed to form coherent words, slipping into complete gibberish as she sobbed.
Misty nearly went limp herself, “...Y-you’re Anon-a-Miss?!”