//------------------------------// // Interlude // Story: Blamed // by Madox //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash' P.O.V. Look at her, sitting there on stage as if she owns the place. She really has never changed. But it doesn’t matter; this’ll all be over soon enough, and she’ll finally get what she deserves. I can hear the students around the auditorium talking about what happened with Twilight earlier. I touch my cheek again, only to flinch again at the stinging reminder of what happened. I gotta admit, I never knew Twilight could hit that hard. Of course, not every conversation is about me and Twilight. I also hear a lot of talk about something that happened in the hall around the same time Twilight was with us outside, something that involved Lightning Dust and a second Sunset. Not surprising, really; it was only a matter of time before both of them showed up at school and caused a scene. But I think what ’s bothering me the most about all this is how the girls are acting. Ever since they talked with Twilight, they’ve been avoiding eye contact with me and refusing to talk to me. Whatever Twilight told them clearly had something to do with me. Fluttershy and Pinkie are keeping their heads lowered, but AJ and Rarity keep looking off to the other side of the room. Not sure why, though. I slump back into my seat and cross my arms. If none of them wants to tell me what’s going on, then I’ll just ignore them right back. See if I care. ~*~ This is so boring! Principal Celestia only just started talking, and I'm already bored. And pissed. Looks like Sunset not only convinced Twilight that she was innocent but the principal and vice principal as well. Silver-tongued bitch. Twilight steps up and takes the mic from Principal Celestia, but she just starts droning on about Sunset's innocence, just like the principal did. Why does she even bother? Sunset did it, and that's it. “...Sunset has been with me in Equestria since Monday morning.” That got my attention. I look at Twilight angrily. That can't be true; she ’s been posting every single day over the past week. Twilight must be lying to cover for her. Or, maybe, the other Sunset is involved in this after all and kept posting after Sunset left with Twilight. Yeah, that’s gotta be it. Twilight never seemed like the type to lie. This is all just part of Sunset’s plan. I look to the girls, and they seem to be as surprised as I am, but there’s still something off about them, like they know something I don’t. A shiver runs down my spine as a thought pushes itself to the front of my mind, one that would explain Twilight’s words and the girls’ behavior. What is if Sunset really is innocent? And what if the girls know? I shake my head to get rid of that thought. Sunset is Anon-a-Miss. There is no other explanation. Right? ~*~ I can't believe my ears. I sit slack-jawed as the conversation between Sunset and Scootaloo and her friends echoes throughout the room, the same conversation I stupidly deleted yesterday. She was telling the truth. She was telling the fucking truth all this time, and I... I... I fucked up big time on this, and even that's an understatement. I slump back in my seat as everything I did and said to Sunset over the past two weeks rushes through my mind. I have never felt so sick before in my life. What have I done? ~*~ I leave the hall together with the others, my head hanging low in shame. I’m still processing everything I heard, and if I could, I’d kick my own ass. How could I have been this stupid? "I'm such an idiot..." "You’re not the only one, Dash," AJ says. "We’re all at fault. We all abandoned her." "But I'm the worst!" I exclaim. "I'm the one who punched her! I'm the one who talked with Gilda, even if I never wanted for what she did to happen!" My anger leaves, and my arms fall down to my side. "I'm the worst excuse of a friend ever..." We all stand in silence for a minute, before Pinkie puts a hand on my shoulder. "How about we go outside to get some air? Maybe that’ll help us right now." We all agree. There’s a lot we have to do, but for now, we need to calm down and think about all this. We start walking toward the front of the school, but when we turn a corner, I see a small group of four down the hall. I immediately recognize the familiar head of purple hair among them, and I immediately see red. I clench my fist and take the first step forward, but Pinkie grabs my shoulder. She must have noticed. Doesn’t matter. I’m stronger than she is. "Dashie, no. Don't do anything stupid!" she pleads while doing her best to hold me back. "Applejack, some help, please!" Applejack quickly gets on my other side and helps Pinkie. I try to push forward, but Applejack alone is stronger than me. Add Pinkie to the mix, and I just can’t overpower them. But that doesn’t stop me from trying. I fight with all I have to get to her, the girl I thought of as a sister, the girl who betrayed me. "SCOOTALOO!"