Rainbow Dash remained silent as she glumly stabbed at her supper, her parents sharing a quick look before Bow Hothoof spoke up. “What’s up, champ? You’ve been pretty out of it all Christmas Break. You know Tank needs to hibernate to stay healthy.”
“It’s not Tank! It’s-” Rainbow started to yell, only to freeze when she saw her parents recoil slightly in surprise. “S-Sorry, it’s… It’s not about Tank, okay? Just… I’m fine…”
“Did that Sunset girl say something at the party? I’ve been hearing a lot about her of late.” Windy Whistle said, only to make a startled noise when her daughter slammed her fork down on the table.
“Sunset’s innocent, damnit!” the athlete swore loudly before making a strangled noise as she brought her hands up to her face while standing up. “I’m going to my room.”
The normally bombastic teen was silent and sullen as she stalked up the stairs to her room, shutting the door behind her before flopping onto her bed and stuffing her head beneath her pillows. The Rainbooms had all gone their separate ways after their encounter with Sunset, Rainbow herself taking all the blame for what had happened. The disappointment from the Princess had been nothing compared to the looks they had received from their other-world selves as the bus they rode drove away. The band shared not a word as Fluttershy drove them all home, the girls regretting everything that had happened since that morning.
She felt her pocket suddenly buzz, but she paid it no attention, instead trying to drown herself in darkness by pulling the pillows further down onto her head. Time passed in the void, unmeasured as the rainbow maned girl steadied her breathing, only to receive a second jolt in her pocket. She flung her pillows off her head with a fierce snarl as her hand shot towards her leg, only to have her phone buzz a third time. She hesitated, hand hovering over the gap in her pants before it started buzzing like crazy. Rainbow Dash was suddenly worried as she grabbed the phone out of her pocket and fiddled with it. The Rainbooms group on MyStable was absolutely frenzied as the other members all messaged back and forth with one another.
Fluttershy: Did anyone else get that video?
Rarity: I truly wish that I had not.
Pinkie Pie: I mean, I knew that she could sing, but that was something else.
Applejack: Mighty powerful if you ask me.
Fluttershy: It’s all our fault that it’s come to this.
Pinkie Pie: I doubt the Princess will want to talk to us any again any time soon.
Applejack: Or ever again.
Rarity: typing…
Rainbow frowned as she read her friends comments, slightly confused by the pronoun game as well as the video Fluttershy mentioned. She set her fingers to a rapid pace of tapping on her screen in search of answers.
Rainbow Dash: What are you guys talking about?
Pinkie Pie: The video Sunset sent us. Didn’t you get it?
The girl’s eyes flashed up to the top of her phone screen, narrowing slightly when she noticed the small icon denoting an unread text message. She swiped her thumb around, eventually ending on a text message, indeed from Sunset, containing a short message and a video lasting just over three minutes.
~*Today, 7 Minutes Ago*~
From: Sunset Shimmer
This is the last thing you traitors will ever hear from me. I hope you all give Anon-A-Miss a big high five whenever you see them next.
Rainbow felt like she tried to swallow a semi as she tapped on the video, opening it. Sunset stood up alone on a stage, dressed to catch eyes as spotlights focused on her. Her face was hidden, but her head was tilted down towards the mic she held. She slowly raised her head, bringing her hands up to her face as her unmistakable voice suddenly bloomed to life. The lead guitarist remained silent as her heartbeat grew erratic, pangs of guilt and shame ringing out with each powerful lyric coming from Sunset as she denounced not only them, but Princess Twilight, the one who had actually had a chance to fix things.
And Rainbow fucked it all up.
By the end of Sunset’s song Rainbow was left shaking, tears running down her face as she flipped back to the MyStable chat, all four of the other band members still talking as Rainbow started tapping away.
Rainbow Dash: It’s all my fault. I fucked everything up.
Applejack: It wasn’t just your fault Dash, we all had a hand in this.
Rainbow Dash: If I didn’t force us to follow after Princess Twilight we might have had a chance! Sunset seemed to trust her, and then I ran around the corner and fucked everything up!
The blue skinned girl gave an exasperated sigh as she dropped her phone onto her bed. This was all her fault- everything since the middle of the month was all because of her and her rash stupidity! A chuckle escaped her lips as she thought of something.
You can’t spell Rainbow Dash without rash.
(\/):.:(\/)
The next day came too soon for any of the Rainbooms as they stumbled into Pinkie’s home and out of the cold. Only a few more days of holidays remained, and none of them were wanted by the band members. Each silently thanked whatever they could that Princess Twilight hadn’t come back yet; they were certain it would be a catastrophe when she did, though none tried to deny it wouldn’t be justified.
“...We need to try and clear Sunset’s name.” Applejack said, breaking the silence that had permeated the room. “We need to make everyone understand that it wasn’t Sunset behind Anon-A-Miss.”
Slow nods came from the other four band members. It was the least they could do for Sunset now.
“It’s gonna take a while…” Rainbow added, her lips drawing thin. “I doubt everyone will believe us at first.”
“I’d be surprised if anyone believes us at first…” came Fluttershy’s response, all the girls looking down at the floor again.
Rarity was the next to talk. “I think we should do it during the lunch break. That way we will have all the students in one area.” she said, rubbing her chin. “Though I do agree with Fluttershy that it is unlikely anyone will listen to us without proof.”
“We need to find out who Anon-A-Miss is? It could be anyone at the school.” Pinkie’s shoulders drooped at the thought of trying find out just who was behind this whole thing.
“...” Applejack’s face fell as a dark though flashed in her head. “Oh no… No no no no...”
“AJ? What’s wrong?” Rainbow looked up in confusion at her friend, the farm girl having stood up and started to slowly pace around in a small circle.
“I think… I think Sunset may have been right…” Applejack’s eyes shook almost as much as her body as she stopped and faced the group. “I think I know who Anon-A-Miss is…”
A cacophony of mimicked cries filled the air. “What!?”
“You think you know who it is?” Rainbow rushed the girl, grabbing Applejack’s firm shoulders and starting to shake the girl.
“Tell us! Tell us!” Pinkie cried, grasping a torch and pitchfork.
Applejack looked like she was about to burst into tears as she looked around the group, pausing to take a deep breath before she started to speak again. “Think back to when Anon-A-Miss started. What was the first thing posted?”
“Your nickname.” was the agreed upon response by the other four Wondercolts.
“And before it was posted, who knew about it?” her band mates remained silent as Applejack slowly started to hold up her fingers in time with her list. “Us five, Sunset, and my family.”
“But that doesn’t clarify anything.” Rarity said, the other girls murmuring and nodding.
“Out of all of them, Granny Smith couldn’t turn on a computer to save her life.” Applejack continued. “Big Mac barely uses his MyStable. The five of us are innocent…”
“But that only leaves Sunset and your sister.” Rainbow looked totally lost as she crossed her arms. “And we know Sunset is innocent, so why would you think Apple Bloom is potentially guilty.”
“Remember the slumber party? Apple Bloom was real upset when I said she couldn’t join us, and then later that night she called me. When she heard Sunset beside me she called me Piggly Wiggly, and on that Monday, Anon-A-Miss posted.”
“Y-You can’t be serious, AJ…” Pinkie slowly lowered her torch and pitchfork, an uneasy look on her face as she regarded her cousin.
“Do you know how much I’d be wrong? Unless one of you wants to admit to being Anon-A-Miss or spreading my nickname around to other people, I don’t know who else to think of.”
“But that still doesn’t explain the photos from the night at Rarity’s place.” Fluttershy questioned quietly. “How would Apple Bloom have gotten those off of Sunset’s phone?”
“...” the girls all pondered the question, scratching chins and back of heads as they wondered how that could have came to be. It did indeed remove blame from Apple Bloom.
“What if she isn’t the only one?” Applejack said, face drawn as she looked at Rarity. The fashionista made a quizzical look before her face suddenly fell.
“Oh no… Nonono.” she sputtered as shook her head at Applejack, the other three girls left momentarily in the dark. “My sweet little sister would never do something as horrid as that!”
Nobody noticed Pinkie Pie slowly stashing her still burning torch into her poofy curls, followed shortly by the pitchfork before she brought up another point. “She was reeeeeeeally unhappy when you kicked her out of your room that night, Rarity…”
“Do you really think they would do this because we wanted to be alone with each other?” Rarity asked, her appearance becoming frazzled. “What sort of reason is that!?”
“Considering how we reacted, let alone the school?” Applejack walked forward and laid a hand on the dainty shoulder of the marshmallow hued girl. “We were supposed to be the ones to show Sunset the Magic of Friendship, and look what we did. I suspect our younger sisters could do something like Anon-A-Miss.”
“But it doesn’t explain all the other secrets that got put out there.” Pinkie said, shivering at the thought of the potentially guilty girls. “How could they have found those secrets?”
“I think we should ask them.” Rainbow Dash said with dangerous softness, her hands balling into fists. “The three of them were at your place, right, Rarity?”
(\/):..:(\/)
“Whoa, isn’t that-” Rainbow had started to point at the vehicle parked in front of Rarity’s house, only to freeze when three figures slowly got out. Fluttershy’s van had just rounded the corner when Rainbow spotted the fancy, and familiar, car come to a stop.
“Why are the Principals here?” Rarity asked, her voice reaching a higher octave as she started to worry even more. “And who’s that third woman?”
“Wasn’t she with them when we saw Sunset?” Pinkie asked as Fluttershy parked the van across the street from Rarity’s house, the three women walking towards the front door.
“Oh, hello girls.” Celestia gave a surprised smile as she watched the Rainbooms rush around the corner. “What good timing it seems.”
“Yes, hello Principal Celestia. What are you doing here?” came Rarity’s hurried question, the girl doing her best to smooth out her long winter coat.
“We just stopped by Applejack’s farm looking for Apple Bloom and Granny Smith informed us she was here.” Vice Principal Luna gave a small, half of a smile as her eyes shifted between her sister and the other woman who just rang the doorbell.
“Oh! Yes, her and Scootaloo came by earlier to check on Sweetie Belle, the poor girl is dreadfully sick.” Rarity wore an incredibly forced smile as her panic only grew further. “Would you three be able to come back at a later date?”
“Rarity? Why are the Principals here?” came the not sick sounding voice of Sweetie Belle as the girl opened the door, her two friends peering around from behind her.
“Sick, you said?” the unknown woman smirked smugly as she looked back at Rarity. “Why don’t we all head inside? We have a lot to discuss.”
“Actually, I was just coming by to pick up Scootaloo.” Rainbow laughed, walking forward only to be frozen by the creepily happy look on the dark skinned woman’s face.
“Oh? Are you related to her?” the woman asked in an upbeat voice.
“U-Um, n-n-not exactly? I-I mean I’m sorta like her big sister?” stuttered the athlete.
“Perfect! You can stay as well.” the woman smiled only briefly before an almost predatory look flashed across her face. “Now everyone get inside.”
“Please don’t threaten my students, Chrysalis.” Celestia scolded the other woman before turning somewhat towards the Rainbooms. “But please do come inside- all of you. We really should discuss this together.”
“What’s… going on?” Scootaloo asked, sounding as uneasy as she looked as she glanced at the massive satchels the Principals and the woman carried.
“We have to discuss things that happen on the internet.” Chrysalis “smiled”, causing all the students to freeze in their tracks. “And how things can’t so easily be hidden.”
(\/):...:(\/)
“Now before we start, would anyone like to say anything?” Principal Celestia asked, her eyes passing over her gathered students, freezing momentarily on the youngest three in the small crowd.
“Oh! Me!” Chrysalis said, bounding up and down. “I wanna know why the marshmallow girl tried to protect her sister!”
“Chrysalis, would you please act your age?” Luna grumbled loudly, bringing a hand up to hide her look of annoyance.
“I have a hunch that they may have figured something out, that’s all.” the teal haired woman shrugged nonchalantly, only to smile widely when she saw the looks spreading across the faces of the five members of the Rainbooms. “Ah hah!”
“...” the trio of younger sisters felt the cold sweat start to build further on the backs of their necks as they looked over at their older kin.
“I just hope that we are wrong if we are thinking the same thing…” Applejack muttered as she looked over at the three girls standing a few feet away, her face a sea of the numerous emotions raging inside her currently.
“Well, as you know, a girl from your school was scapegoated for a spree of secret and rumour spreading online.” Chrysalis almost sounded happy as she relayed the events of the last few weeks before pointing at the Rainbooms. “And as you five witnessed first hand, she now hates all of you as well as your other magical horse girl saviour. Now, we are offering one last chance to step forward and admit guilt, which I guarantee will help lessen the sentences you face, the least of which, and I can’t believe I’m about to say this, is a girl being taken to the hospital in a comatose state.”
“It was them! They’re Anon-A-Miss!” came the panic ridden cry of Scootaloo as she rushed forward, pointing back at her two friends with wide, fearful eyes.
“What the!?”
“Sc-Scootaloo!”
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at the Scootaloo in disbelief, colour draining from their faces as they stood there in shock at their friend’s revelation, only for a cold bark of laughter to fill the air.
“Wow… Now that,” Chrysalis smiled a cold, cruel smile as she shook her head at the sporty girl. “was the worst thing you could have done right now, dear.”
“What? B-But they’re A-Anon-A-Miss!” Scootaloo continued to stutter, waving her hand in the vague direction of Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. The pair’s looks were slowly changing from shock to anger. The Rainbooms remained silent at the display happening in front of them, the girl’s looking at one another with unease, but each of them froze when they saw the emotions building on Rainbow Dash’s face.
“See, all of us knew that already, my dear.” Chrysalis gave a humourless chuckle as she walked up to the girl, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her around to face the other two girls just a few steps away. “But it looks like they have something to add.”
“I can’t believe you, Scootaloo!” Sweetie Belle screamed, arms flying behind her in outrage as her body started to shake. “You… You…”
Apple Bloom took over as Sweetie Belle physically struggled to find any sort of word to say. “Now ain't that just rich! Who was the one that said no word of this had to get out!?”
“B-B-But they started it! H-Honest!” Scootaloo tried to look up at Chrysalis, her body freezing as the woman looked down at her, indescribable emotion spread across her face.
“But they weren’t the only two involved…” Chrysalis looked up at the other two girls, the… smile she wore widening as she addressed them next. “Were they?”
“That’s right!” Sweetie declared, scowling fiercely at the girl starting to shake and struggle, trying to free herself from the steely vice of a grip from the hands holding onto her shoulders. “We started Anon-A-Miss! But we only wanted to split up Sunset from our sisters!”
“Yeah!” Apple Bloom nodded, actually spitting on the ground at Scootaloo’s scrambling feet. “It was Scootaloo that kept on pushing it further and further! Even after our sister’s broke up with Sunset! It was Scootaloo that started going after other students; accepting rumours and secrets from everyone and posting them! It was her that got Gilda to throw that rock at Sunset- and she laughed when she heard about their fight!”
All the emotion in the room was fixated on three young girls, barely into their teenage years. The older students remained deathly still, silent as the void of emotions in their bodies. The two women in charge of the school looked like a pair of rag dolls with spikes driven down their backs to keep them upright. Chrysalis was taking a perverse pleasure from this scene, seeming to drink in the energy of the hatred pouring from the two girls.
Scootaloo had halted her struggles to break free, instead seemingly content to let Chrysalis hold her up in defiance of her body ostensibly attempting to melt onto the floor. The tears and bellows of her two fellows nowhere to be found in the sporty girl, realization dawning on her that she had only made things worse for herself, only for one thought to come blazing from the back of her mind as her head rapidly swiveled up to look at Chrysalis. “Y-You said our sentences-”
“Are you seriously trying to save your own neck again!?” Sweetie screeched, sounding like a banshee even as her voice cracked and squeaked.
“I can’t believe you!” came Apple Bloom’s cry as Chrysalis’ smile grew to an inhuman size while she slowly glanced down at her captive and the last hope the girl held on to.
“Oh, yes. Those two will get lighter sentences for admitting guilt and assisting us in our investigation.” the last hint of a positive look faded away from the orange-ish girl’s face as Chrysalis answered her question. “But you… Your greed not only destroyed any chances of that, but seeing as they revealed you to be the one behind the actions that led to one girl being almost blinded, but second taken to the hospital in a coma.”
Scootaloo finally looked back towards Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, the two turning away from her in disgust. She hung her head, finally collapsing to the floor in an unsightly mess as Chrysalis finally let go of her seeming to be done draining the girl of her hope.
“No, you have a very special place waiting for you, my dear little turncoat.” Chrysalis said with finality as she walked back towards the two Principals, pausing to look back at the other two girls. “Would you two kindly follow me? We have a few small things to go over.”
(\/):....:(\/)
Rainbow Dash paced back and forth, rapidly switching emotions in a flurry of uncertainty. “I… What did… Where did we go wrong…?” she asked quietly, looking at her friends. The Principals and Chrysalis had left a few moments ago with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, informing the band that they would be taking them to their homes to discuss what was happening directly with their guardians.
“I still don’t understand why they would do such a… a horrendous thing!” Rarity said in disgust, pausing when she saw her younger sister peeking around the corner of the door frame, only to vanish back out of sight. “What could have driven them to that?”
“Why did they want to split us up from Sunset?” Fluttershy asked, wiping fresh tears from her cheeks. “What did Sunset do to deserve that after all the apologizing she had done?”
“Sweetie Belle? Come in her.” Applejack said, her voice dangerously level and calm as she summoned the younger girl into the room. “Tell us why you three wanted to do this. Was it really just to get rid of Sunset?”
The girl paused, before nodding slightly. She gave an audible gulp before she responded. “W-W-We didn’t want to ruin her life, w-we just wanted our sisters back. W-We thought she was just tricking everybody again…”
“Want us back? Whatever do you mean?” Rarity sounded borderline hysterical as she peered down at her sister. “And why did you think she was tricking us?”
“You never had time for me anymore, Rarity…” came the eventual sullen answer, Sweetie Belle grabbing handfuls of her clothes. “You were always hanging out with Sunset after the Battle of the Bands…”
“What? Of course I would want to be with my friends, Sweetie, but I still had time for you!” Rarity reached forward and grabbed her sister’s hands, pulling her close. “Now tell me what part you had in this… debacle.”
“...I was the one who took Sunset’s pictures off of her phone after your slumber party- B-B-But that was it, promise! It was Scootaloo who kept on posting stuff…” Sweetie Belle looked up at her sister with tears in her eyes. “I-I-I’m so sorry, Rarity… I’m so sorry…”
“Well sorry isn’t going to cut it, pipsqueak!” Rainbow suddenly yelled, stomping her foot onto the ground in rage and startling everyone in the room. “Our friend got seriously hurt because of you- In every way possible! Do you really think “Sorry” is going to cut it!?”
“Rainbow, please! The poor dear’s been through enough today!” Rarity pleaded, grabbing her sister in tight embrace and trying to hide her away from her friend.
“Yeah, and did Sunset ever get a break!? DID SHE!?” Rainbow sounded like she was screaming herself mute, Fluttershy actually covering her ears in pain. “Why should she get a free pass when our friend didn’t, huh!? On top of that, we’re probably never gonna see Sunset again now! She’s stuck living with the Sirens- who knows what’s going to happen because of this!?”
Rainbow suddenly turned on Applejack, jabbing an accusatory finger in the girl’s direction. “And what about you? Are you gonna go home and tell Apple Bloom that everything is fine!?”
“Rainbow, just calm down!” the farmer shouted back. “We get it, you’re hurting because of all of this, but so are we! But family forgives one another, even if it takes time!”
“Well then I’m glad I’m not related to Her!” Rainbow screamed, grabbing a pillow off of the nearby sofa and hurling it at Sweetie Belle, everyone crying out in fear at the showing. “If I ever see Her again I’m gonna strangle her with her own scooter!”
A loud “Crack!” filled the air, everyone going silent as Fluttershy shook her now stinging hand, a large welt appearing suddenly swelling up on Rainbow Dash’s now sideways facing cheek.
“Rainbow Dash! You will calm down right this instant!” Fluttershy screamed, the room unsure of whether to be more surprised of the girl raising her voice to the volume she had, or the contents of her scolding. “Because you are not helping things right now! And if you so much as touch a hair on Scootaloo’s head then I will not be held accountable for what I might do!”
“...S-Sorry…” the athlete finally muttered, looking down at the ground. Letting her emotions get the better of her was the reason all of this had happened so far. After all, it was her who first suggested that Sunset was behind Anon-A-Miss and not listening was why she and everybody else ended up like this in the first place.