"Effective immediately, you three are expelled."
Vice - no, Principal Luna's voice was ice, and her face was stone. The three girls did not dare look her in the eye.
She gestured towards the newly appointed security guards. "Escort these three to their lockers to clear out their belongings, and then get them out of my school."
One guard opened the door to her office, and ushered the three very chastised girls out, the other following close behind.
One they were gone, Luna collapsed into her chair, her stone masking crumbling.
Despite her demeanor earlier, she was genuinely worried about those girls' safety. Since their identity as Anon-A-Miss had been revealed, and that they were essentially the catalyst behind the attack on the school, the families of many students were out for blood. They were no longer safe here.
From what she had heard, the girls' families were sending them to different schools to different parts of the country. Apple Bloom to Appleoosa, Sweetie Belle to Manehattan, and Scootaloo to Cloudsdale. They were also forbidden from contacting one another.
Luna sighed, massaging her temples. How her sister had been able to handle this job, she would never know.
"Sit down, girls."
Applejack and Apple Bloom complied as their grandmother stared at them with blank eyes.
"Ah jest got offa the phone with Filthy Rich." Granny Smith said softly. "He wasn't best pleased about wut you and yer friends wrote about his youngin' in that web page o' yers. He has informed me that he has officially severed ties with Sweet Apple Acres, and is issuing a city-wide cullin' of all Sweet Apple products from his stores."
Apple Bloom struggled not to sink into her seat.
"And that's not all." Granny continued, as if she were discussing the weather. "Ah been on the phone all day with kinfolk of the students you badmouthed. They're filin' lawsuits against us fer slander. Ya know what that means, Apple Bloom?"
Apple Bloom bit her lip. She looked to Applejack, but Applejack refused to meet her gaze.
"Ah asked ya a question, young lady."
Apple Bloom shook her head, fighting back tears. "Ah didn't want this."
"Ah'm sure you didn't." Granny answered coldly. "But unfortunately, those families don't care 'bout ya wanted ta do. They care 'bout what ya did. An' cuz o' that we could potentially lose the farm. Our home."
"Granny." Big Macintosh admonished from his seat. "Do ya really have ta-"
"Yes Ah do, Big Mac." Granny replied. "Apple Bloom needs to understand that her actions have consequences, and that they don't necessarily affect jus' her."
Granny turned to her eldest granddaughter. "An' don't think Ah forgot 'bout you, Applejack. You told that girl she was yer family. Ya looked her dead in th' eye and you told her that. Is that how ya treat family, AJ? Toss 'em out like hogwash when somethin' don't go yer way?"
"Let me ask you something. What if you and I were related? What if a member of your family did something like this? Would you have abandoned them like you did me?"
"Well Ah don't see how that really matters, seein' as how you ain't mah family."
Applejack gripped her bandaged arm tightly. "Ah...Ah was-"
"What? You were mad? Ya think Ah'm not? Should Ah toss you out?" Granny shook her head in disgust. "Come here. Both of you."
They did as she asked. She folded her arms and looked them dead in the eyes.
"You two have disgraced the Apple family name. You've gone and convinced everyone that we are nothin' but a bunch o' backstabbers and liars. Yer folks are undoubtedly rollin' in their graves right now."
Their eyes widened as the old woman wrapped her arms around them both.
"But despite all that, Ah still love you both jest as much as Ah did the day you were born. Ain't nothin' gunna change that."
They hugged their granny back. She ignored the fact that her shoulders were damp. Big Mac came over and joined the hug.
"We'll git through this." Granny whispered, her eyes misty. "Ah don't know how, but by th' grace o' God, we will git through this."
"No matter what comes, we will face th' weather....." Applejack's voice shook as she sang the song her pa used to sing to her.
"W-we're Apples t-to the core....." Apple Bloom finished, full on sobbing.
All four Apples stayed like that for a while, not daring to let go.
"Are....are you sure this is what you want, sweetie?" Mrs. Shy asked for the umpteenth time.
"I'm sure, Mother." Fluttershy answered. She kept her eyes on the truck as the men from the ASPCA gently loaded the cages into the truck.
She couldn't do it. She couldn't keep those animals in her house, in her room. She couldn't bare to look at them, to touch them, not after what she had done.
The last cage contained Angel Bunny. The poor creature reached out pitifully through the bars with a tiny paw, an imploring and heartbroken look on his face.
Fluttershy turned away and walked towards the house.
"Please! No more! I don't want to hurt him!"
"Why not? You hurt me."
She bit her lip as she fought back tears.
"Without a second thought."
"It's for the best." she whispered, as she cradled her bandaged arm to her chest.
"Rest assured, your daughter is in good hands."
Igneous Rock bowed his head, his hat in his hands. A normally stoic man, he looked as though his very world had crumpled about his feet. His wife, Cloudy Quartz, stood by his side, and was not looking much better.
Sitted behind him were three of his daughters, Maude, Marble and Limestone Pie. Marble's face was obscured by her hair, even more so than usual, her arms wrapped tightly around her chest. Limestone's fist were clenched tightly in her lap, and she looked like she wanted to hit something.
"Idiot...." She hissed, her shoulders shaking slightly. "Pinkie, you idiot."
Maude was as stoic as usual, though if anyone were to look closer, they'd notice her eyes were redder than usual.
While this was going on, Pinkie was sitting on her new bed in her new grey uniform. Her parents and her doctor said she would have to stay here for a while, until she got better.
Honestly, she didn't think she would ever get better.
She stared down at her bandaged arm. For some reason, her family seemed to think she had done it to herself. She didn't even try to correct them. Because really, did it even matter anymore?
"Was it fun leading me on, Pinkie? Did you enjoy laughing at my expense?"
Tears streamed down her face. Tears that had been streaming for days. She didn't even bother trying to wipe them away.
Sweetie Belle woke up screaming.
This was the fifth night in a row.
Her parents rushed into the room, desperately trying to calm their frightened daughter.
Rarity curled tighter under the covers, her hands clamped tightly over her ears and her eyes squeezed shut.
She had tried the first few nights to comfort her sister, but Sweetie had only screamed louder whenever she got near her.
"You and your sister made your choice. Now you both have to live with it."
To her ever-growing shame, Rarity was almost glad that Sweetie was leaving for Manehatten tomorrow.
Rainbow Dash leaned against the wall of her cell and sighed. It was over.
Manslaughter was added to the list of her charges. She plead guilty without any hesitation. She'd be in this hellhole for the next three years.
She was able to find out what happened to the others later on TV:
Gilda was declared insane and unfit to stand trial. She'd be in a mental institution for the rest of her life. Dumbbell got five years.
As for everyone else, the judge had taken their ages and the severity of their injuries into consideration and gave them all five years probation and very heavy fines. He'd warned them that "if they so much as put a pinkie-toe out of line, he'd have them thrown in jail so fast they'd get whiplash."
Her parents had visited last week. As did her former captain, Spitfire.
She honestly didn't know what was worse, Spitfire's indignant fury or her parents' heartbroken confusion.
"I just....I don't understand. Why? Why?"
"You had potential, rookie! You were going places! Why the hell would you throw all that away? Over a stupid picture?!"
She had no answer.
Rainbow laid down on her cot and turned to face the wall.
"So much for friendship. Huh, guys?"
"Scootaloo! Let's go! We're ready to leave!"
"Coming!" Scootaloo called back. She gazed at the photo in her hands one last time. Her younger self and and a smiling Rainbow Dash gazed back.
With a sigh, she tossed the picture in the trash, picked up her crutch, and hobbled towards the moving truck where her family waited.
The boys stood silently in front of the wreckage. One by one, Flash, Snips, and Snails each placed flowers near the destroyed portal.
"I'm sorry it had to end this way." Flash whispered. "I just hope, wherever you are, you're at peace now."
"You always stood up for us." Snips said somberly. "Even when you were being mean to us, you always had our backs."
"We'll never forget you, boss." Snails whimpered, a single tear trailing down his cheek.
Flash patted the boy on the shoulder, and with one last look at their little shrine, he ushered them gently back to his car to take them home.