Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity proceeded out of the front door of Canterlot High School and headed off into the streets, turning to the left as they did so. All the way along, they started calling out and looking as hard as they could.
"Sugarcube!" Applejack called. "Sugarcube! Apple Bloom! Where are ya?"
"Darling Sweetie Belle!" Rarity cried out, the tone of talking to a small child or a pet dog fully in force, "where are you? WHERE ARE YOU?"
"Squirt!" Dash called out, her voice echoing around the buildings and passing terrain. "Are ya there?"
They went on, along the street, repeating the procedure as they walked through the streets looking for their sisters. As they also went along, they began asking questions.
Rarity poked her head in through the door of Sugarcube Corner and walked over to the counter.
"Hello Rarity!" Mr Cake greeted them. He usually worked the night shift as his wife, Mrs Cake, was usually engaged in looking after their two twins at this point in the day.
"Good evening Mr Cake," Rarity greeted cordially. "I was wondering if you had seen Sweetie Belle anywhere?"
"Shouldn't she be at school?" Mr Cake replied, starting to rub down the bar as he did so. After all, closing time was approaching and the place needed to be ready for another load of customers tomorrow. Those inside were just finishing off their drinks in order to ready themselves for the bitter cold of another Canterlot winter night. Rarity sighed as she continued her enquiry.
"Well, yes, she should. But when Rainbow Dash, myself, and Applejack went to collect her, alongside Apple Bloom and Scootaloo, they were nowhere to be seen. Not even the janitor had seen them! Therefore, we concluded that they had headed off into town and run away. Did you see her pass this way by any chance?"
Mr Cake sighed. "No, I didn't. And you should know she's not welcome here. I've had enough trouble as it is rejuvenating custom with all the lies those three spread. I'm afraid that serving times are over here, and we're about to close up, so I would advise you leave."
Rarity stepped out through the door, when somebody shouted over to her. "All those fashion disasters she posted of yours, and yet you still look out for her? Not hugely generous to her victims, I have to say."
"Seriously, why weren't they expelled?" said another.
"Please keep your opinions on Miss Belle and her friends to yourself," Mr Cake told them.
Rarity stepped out into the bitter snow, her face carrying an expression of shock. She had no idea that her darling baby sister had been encountering so much hostility. And if she had failed to spot that, what did that make her as an elder sibling?
Applejack rang the door of a house on Rabson Road, a place she had known in the old days. The door opened, and behind it stood a man with dark skin and white hair, as well as an impressive white moustache that sat atop his upper lip like somebody had welded a ferret to it.
"How can I help you Applejack?" he asked kindly.
"Hi Uncle Oak," Applejack replied. "Ah wanted ta ask ya somethin'."
"By all means," Burnt Oak replied, bringing a mug of coffee to bear and drinking some of it. "What's on your mind?"
"Have ya seen Apple Bloom around anywhere?" the girl asked, looking a little worried.
"Oh heck, I don't think I have," Burnt Oak replied, putting a hand to his chin. "Wouldn't she be at the farm? That's where I'd look first."
"Ah'm afraid not," Applejack answered in response. "Ya see, we found she and her friends had done some sorta social media thingy of postin' personal stuff on the internet. The school gave them detention, but when we went ta pick them up today, they weren't there and the janitor hadn't seem them either. So Ah was wonderin' if you had seen them anywhere, that's all."
Burnt Oak shook his head. "I'm very sorry, Applejack," he said sadly. "I haven't seen Apple Bloom at all. And I don't know what her friends look like, so I can't help you there." He gently closed the door.
Applejack walked into the snow, her face increasingly showing signs of discomfort. "What kind of sister am Ah?" she thought. "If the way Ah treated her led ta this, maybe Ah don't deserve the title." Her hand went to her pocket. The bow that Apple Bloom used to wear was still in her pocket, still there from the day she removed it. She sighed and walked on, her eyes starting to mist up.
Rainbow Dash went into the music store, to see Vinyl Scratch, a girl with yellow skin and two-tone blue hair, wave to her. "Hey Dash! What brings you in here?"
"Have you seen Scootaloo anywhere?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Vinyl Scratch shook her head. "I haven't see her go by, and I wouldn't let her in here after that stunt she pulled. It cost me my relationship with Octavia, and Lyra's still down in the dumps about that post regarding her interest in unicorns."
Rainbow Dash sighed. "Thanks for the help Vinyl," she said, and stepped outside into the bitter snow.
The three girls met near the centre of town, and none of them looked to happy.
"There's no trace of Sweetie Belle anywhere!" Rarity cried.
"Apple Bloom hasn't been seen, not even by Burnt Oak," Applejack whispered.
"Squirt ain't around either," Rainbow Dash sighed. "What kind of siblings are we?"
"The ones who don't deserve ta hold the title," Applejack answered. "Ah wouldn't be surprised if those three hate us forever."
Just before Rarity was about to speak, an engine shot past, painted blue and pouring smoke and steam from its funnel.
"What was that?" Rarity exclaimed. Just then, another engine and coaches rolled past. Onboard Rainbow Dash could clearly see Scootaloo with her head out of the window.
"They're not Anon-a-Miss," she said with finality.
7015 Carn Brea Castle thundered along the streetcar lines, continuing to gain speed as the four cylinders dug into the rails, power radiating from the boiler and barely suppressed energy contained within the thoroughbread of an engine. On the footplate were Cheerilee and Sunset. The former was at the controls, adjusting the regulator and cutoff to get the best possible performance out of the locomotive, whilst Sunset lugged another load of coal into the firebox and adjusted the injectors to get the best water flow from the tender.
Cheerilee took out the cab radio. "Girls, can you keep me posted on the location of 6003 King George IV?"
"Roger that," a voice replied on the radio. Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, and Sweetie Belle were all riding in the support coach behind the engine, and had access to a laptop which was tracking the streetcar lines track circuit system. These went off whenever a rail vehicle passed over them, which was very often as the machinery was being triggered by each and every wheel that was passing over them, of which there were several.
"To be honest, it's a miracle this track can even take this engine's weight!" the voice of Sweetie Belle added. She had a fair point, as the rails were groaning under the weight of the engine and coach, not to mention the tender.
"Let's keep focused, people!" Sunset called. "We either stop this guy and that engine, or this nightmare will start all over again!"
Just then, they saw the other engine ahead, which seemed to be slowing down for some reason. Their chance had come! Cheerilee opened the regulator, and the engine obediantly began to pick up speed to close the gap between them and the train in front, and this gap was narrowing by the second.
Scootaloo stuck her head out, only to see Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity standing on the sidewalk watching the train thunder past. "Not often you see mainline trains on this track!" she said.
Only then did it become clear whey the engine up ahead had slowed down. This was the portion of the line where the streetcar tracks linked onto the mainline on the California Coast. The pointwork was extremely tight, and going any faster than 20 miles an hour would result in a derailment. The King gingerly negotiated the curves, safety valves lifting as it rolled forward, steam pouring from the chimney and cylinders into the cold air as it cleared the power lines.
"Here we go!" Cheerilee called, as the engine rolled into the bends, the pointwork creaking and protesting as the lead bogie and driving wheels rolled into them. It was clear they hadn't taken this much punishment in years as the 79-ton engine rolled into them, followed by the tender and single Collett 'Sunshine' coach. After successfully negotiating the pointwork, they rolled onto the mainline, facing toward Crystal City. Already they could hear the King opening up ahead, flying into the night.
"We need to catch that thing!" Sunset shouted. "Apple Bloom! What's the top speed on a King class engine?"
"At least 100 miles an hour," the farm girl replied, as the coach behind her wobbled and shook on the shoddily maintained track. "We need ta step on it if we're gonna stop them."
"That we will," Cheerilee announced grimly. "Sunset, overcharge the boiler!" As she said this, she opened up the regulator, and wound the reverser back to 30%. Steam shot into the air and loud puffing boomed through the night as the Great Western Railway locomotive flew forward, Sunset shovelling coal into the firebox double time. They thundered along, the noise comparable to the glory days of the Great Western, of a powerful engine on the Cheltenham Spa Express or Torbay Limited. At last, they came closer to catching the offending locomotive, the two engines competing in terms of the noise they were producing. It was hard fought, the old machines fighting hard for supremacy, but at long last, through superb driving and firing, the Castle class engine drew level with the King.
"What?" Halford exclaimed. "This engine has far more tractive effort than yours!"
"But we're the better crew," Sunset replied. "Now surrender, before things get messy for you."
"You're mad if you think I'd do that," Halford replied, before a loud bang rocked the engine. Sunset was sucked out and flew along the side of the carriage, before a hand grabbed her and held her in place.
"We've got you!" the Crusaders shouted collectively, slowly swinging open the door and pulling her inside the carriage.
"You saved me!" Sunset exclaimed, before she suddenly noticed something was amiss. She herself was surrounded by an orange glow, but the Crusaders each had one of their own. Apple Bloom's was yellow, Sweetie Belle's was white, and Scootaloo's was orange. "You three are going to love the next bit!"
Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both gained extensions to their hair, as did Scootaloo, which ran down to their backs, but Scootaloo also gained a pair of wings, which folded up alongside her shoulders, and all three of them gained pony ears on the tops of their skulls. Sunset likewise gained the same, but her hair was longer and she lacked wings.
"Something seriously weird is going on," said Cheerilee's voice, "as my ears are on top of my skull and my hair is ridiculously long."
"Don't worry, nothing to be concerned about," Sunset smiled. She threw open the door, and the collective group stepped forward, floating into the air as they did so.
"I'll keep this short Norman," Sunset told him. "You tried to break us apart. You tried to ruin our friendships. But we have a power you will always lack, no matter many secrets you spill. The Magic of Friendship!"
Then, a beam shot from the collective group, crashing into not only Norman but the engine as well. The lead bogie came off the rails, and the engine fell over onto its side, a large explosion of green energy coming from the tender. Norman staggered out once the wreck had stopped moving, only to come face to face with the police.
"You, sir," said the lead policeman, "are under arrest."
Meanwhile, further down the line, back in Canterlot, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack all stood slack jawed in astonishment.
"So," Applejack said finally, after a moment of recovering her senses, "if Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle-"
"You can just call them the Crusaders," Rarity interrupted. "We know who you are talking about."
"If the Crusaders were chasin' after that engine, which is also bein pursued by the police it seems, judgin' from the wailin' sirens and other such noise goin' on, Ah think we can safely conclude that our sisters are not Anon-a-Miss. Are we agreed on that?"
"I think we are," Rainbow Dash added. "But given they are locked out of the depot, how on earth did they get the Caslte class engine, not to mention the coach they had coupled to the back?"
"Heaven knows," Rarity replied. "But surely-"
"Neither of us is called Shirley, so please don't call us that!" Applejack snapped.
"But anyway," Rarity continued, looking slightly chastised, her eyes darting around in alarm as if she had just heard a bomb go off, "if those three are going after the ruffian responsible for ruining our relationships, ruminating on the revelation will not resolve the riddle."
"Oh kay," Rainbow Dash said slowly. "How could I have been such an idiot? Squirt was innocent the entire time, and yet I let myself be fooled by that bastard!"
"At least ya were skeptical and beginnin' ta rethink yer opinion, Dash," Applejack replied. "Mah sis were tellin' the truth the entire time. The truth was in her eyes, and yet Ah saw straight past it for the easiest solution. What sorta siblin' am Ah? Some element of Honesty Ah am," she said, upset, kicking a rock that had got lodged in the sidewalk.
"So much for generosity on my part," Rarity added sadly. "I wasn't even generous enough to give my own sister the benefit of the doubt when it came to the evidence. Far from being a charitable and tolerant person, let alone a lady, I was cruel, vindictive, narcissitic, and self centred. I saw her as nothing more than an easy source of free labour." Her tears began to cause her makeup to run, making her face resemble warpaint an Indian would wear. "Oh, will she ever forgive me?!" she cried.
"Never mind standing around and debating the point!" Rainbow Dash shouted, pointing over to the depot. "Last I saw, they had the Railmotor in for servicing. If we're lucky, they'll have completed maintenance work on the engine. That way, we can get out there and after them, to ensure they are OK."
Just then, a loud crash could be heard in the distance. "C'mon then!" Applejack called. "Scoot yer boots! We've got sisters ta save!" And off they sprinted, to reach their intended location and help their neglected loved ones.
Elsewhere, Norman had been handcuffed by the police, and Sunset strode towards him, accompanied by the Crusaders and Cheerilee, who by this point had de-ponied up, much to their disappointment. Sunset pointed at him.
"First off, before they take you away Norman," she said. "I want you to answer some questions. Why did you create Anon-a-Miss?"
Norman struggled with the bindings that had been placed on his wrists. "When you ruled the school and made the lives of everybody hell, I was powerless to act. You held everyone in the palms of your hands, and could destroy anybody you wanted. I saw it all; I knew what you were doing. And taking that crown was the final part of your plan. I still haven't forgotten how you shut me in a locker. Did you think for a moment I could have died in there? Suffocated?"
Sunset's face had all the sympathy of an angry rhinoceros. "Interesting, but that still doesn't answer my question. "WHY. DID. YOU. DO. IT?"
Norman flinched slightly from the agression in Sunset's voice. "Most of the school thought you had reformed after that Twilight girl and her mates blasted you, but I knew the truth. You hadn't changed at all. The world had, and you simply needed to adapt by playing mrs nice girl for a bit. You were just waiting for the chance to strike again."
"Did my actions at the Battle of the Bands not convince you?" Sunset asked. "Why, for Celestia's sake, did you not see that I had changed?"
"It was just a diversion, to throw us off the scent. You were just waiting for a chance to reassert control over us once again. Besides, what else would you do? Try to be nice? I had to reveal the evil that you truly were and remove the threat that you are before you struck again. And what better way than to imitate your old habit of secret stealing and sharing, to humiliate the entire school? It clearly worked, given how easily the entire student body fell for it." Norman seemed almost pleased with his crazy plan, which shocked Sunset to no end.
She sighed. "Look, I can understand why you'd want revenge against me. I did do a lot of bad things, I will admit, and I did hurt a lot of people." She then indicated to Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. "But why drag their names through the mud as well? Revenge against me is one thing, but those three were completely innocent in all this!"
Norman smiled. "You see, those three were the bane of my life."
"What?" Apple Bloom asked. "What did we do ta you?"
"Generally be a nuisance?" Norman retorted, his Cheshire cat grin still plastered across his face. "Those three had been running around the campus more or less out of control for years now with their stupid 'Crusading', railroad restoring, videos about steam trains and other boring shit constantly clogging up my inbox and rendering me unable to think. Remember that time they blasted 'It's Great to be an Engine' through the library speakers non-stop that time after school?"
"In fairness, that was for a school project," Cheerilee interjected.
"And why did you do what you did?" Scootaloo asked. "You chose to ruin the lives of my friends, my family and my fellow students because you don't like our taste in music?"
"But you three being such prolific bloggers made you the natural choice for spreading this sort of stuff," Norman replied, the tone in his voice and his refusal to even look at the Crusaders more than indicating his very low opinion of the three girls. "Think about it; with so many followers, of course they could get secrets sent in and leaked through the account!"
"But we don't have anything against Sunset!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
"Oh really?" Norman snorted. "Says you lot." He then switched to a terrible impression of Apple Bloom's country accent. "No thanks, we're good. No wonder everybody thinks you're inbred. But I knew that their families, and the townsfolk would come to their senses eventually and stop giving them their punishment. That's what the generator was for; it was loaded with Equestrian Magic in order to ensure the townsfolk kept fighting each other."
Apple Bloom shook with rage, but Sunset stepped in before anybody did anything rash. "Norman," she said, "in case you have forgotten, you turned the students against one another, made the entire world topsy turvy, flipped our school upside down, revealed hurtful information that will NEVER go away, and then dragged my name and the names of my friends through the mud. All for the sake of some petty revenge over things you didn't like. You DIDN'T have to follow their page, and you DIDN'T have to post all that muck online. Normally I would, but this crime is too severe. I can never forgive you." There was a pause that seemed to last for hours. "And I don't think the school body will either."
"Fine," Norman snorted. "I wouldn't want to be anyway. The entire school was brought down by just a social media account. How do you think you'll cope the next time a magical creature comes along through the portal? Can you rally support? Or will you just get turned on again?"
Sunset shook her head. "Whatever," she snorted. "I've had quite enough of talking to you anyway. Take him away." The police officers nearby nodded their heads, and escorted Norman over to a waiting police cruiser. The door was closed, the sirens turned on, and the vehicles headed away into the night.
Moments later, a breakdown train arrived, and the lead mechanic hopped off the train. "We heard a train had derailed around here," he said, looking at Sunset. "Did you see what happened?"
"Yes sir," Sunset replied. "Lead bogie jumped the rails and caused the engine to derail. The driver's already been taken away and treated for his injuries. He'll pull through."
"That's a relief," the foreman sighed. "Come on, boys! Let's get this engine lifted!"
As the heavy cranes got into position, a Railmotor pulled up next to the cranes, and Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity hopped off and ran over to the assembled group.
"Are y'all OK?" Applejack asked.
"We're fine," Sunset replied. "Anon-a-Miss has been dealt with. You'd never guess who it was. Norman Halford, a student who I shut in a locker once and hated the Crusaders' MyStable page."
"Never heard of him," Rarity said. "Look, can we speak to our siblings, please? We've got a lot to say."
"You can try," Sunset told her. "But I can't guarantee any results." She indicated over to them, the three girls chatting excitedly about something or other, quite out of tone with what had just passed.
"Excuse me?" Rainbow Dash asked. This halted the conversation, and the three girls looked over, somewhat apprehensive. "Scootaloo, can we talk for a moment?"
"Sure," Scootaloo replied, the girl's violet hair visible clearly in the reflection from the Railmotor's paint. "What do you want to talk about?"
Rainbow Dash sighed. "Look, I know; I fucked up. I was too pigheaded to listen, and when I started to have my doubts, it was far too late to do anything about it. I let them make your life hell for no reason, and it's my fault and nobody else's. I completely understand if you never want to talk to me again." She hung her head in shame, expecting either a punch in the face or a verbal rejection.
What she got instead was a hand extended to her. Scootaloo's hand. "Hey," the younger girl said. "It's OK. I forgive you. Siblings fight and screw up all the time, so why should we be any different. I don't want our bond to die. If anything, I hope it can be stronger than ever before. Willing to shake on it?"
Rainbow Dash extended her own hand, and shook Scootaloo's, before reaching her arms out. "Hug, or no hug? Too soppy?"
Scootaloo laughed, and returned Rainbow Dash's hug offer with a tackle one of her own.
"Hey, easy squirt!" Rainbow Dash laughed. "You don't want to knock me over!"
Meanwhile, Applejack lowered the brim of her hat, and held in her hand Apple Bloom's bow. "Ah'm sorry, sis," she said sadly. "Ah've been a hopeless element of honesty. Mah own stubborness prevented me from seein' that ya were tellin' me the truth the entire time. Yer better at it then me, truthfully, and this belongs to you." She felt Apple Bloom take the bow, and raised her eyes to see Apple Bloom lace the bow back into her hair, clipping it up at the end of the process. "This may seem hollow, but Ah'm so, so sorry. Do ya fergive me?"
There was a moment's silence. "Applejack," Apple Bloom said. "You said yerself that ya failed to see the honesty in mah words and eyes. Ah won't make the same mistake." The two siblings embraced, and Applejack laughed.
"Maybe Ah'm the one who needs the spankin'," she snorted.
"Don't give Apple Bloom ideas!" Scootaloo called.
"Ah wouldn't wish that on mah worst enemy," Apple Bloom replied. "Ah hold nothin' against ya."
Rarity walked over to Sweetie Belle. "The way I treated you recently is simply abhorrent," she said. "I have neglected you for far too long, treated you as an annoyance, and used you as a slave when you are my sister. If there is any way that I can repair our relationship, please do tell me. But please know that I am frightfully sorry for all that happened."
Rarity looked down, only to suddenly get tackle hugged by Sweetie Belle. "All is forgiven," she said. "But I want those hideous dresses you tested on me burning, OK?"
"Y-yes ma'am! Right away, ma'am!" Rarity stammered.
Sunset laughed. "It seems all is in order. Now to get Celestia on the horn..."