Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo.
The girls who were once the Canterlot Movie Club, who were once the infamous Anon-A-Miss, and who were once separated as a consequence from the username, now found themselves at the library, along with the Dazzlings and Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.
"Of all places to reunite with them, why did you pick the library?" Sweetie Belle inquired.
"Being quiet is mandatory in the library, so that'll motivate you not to snap into a temper tantrum, in case things get too heated," Adagio explained, glancing at the librarian with a concerned look. "Also, the librarian's very scary when she's angry, so there's another reason."
With that said, the sirens lead the girls to an empty table in the middle of the room, and promptly walked away and sat on another table, far enough so that the trio wouldn't be distracted by their appearance.
With the girls now alone, a long, awkward silence formed between the three as they looked around the scenery, trying their hardest to come up with something to say.
"So, um," Scootaloo blurted, getting Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle's attention. "I had this idea about something we could do, maybe after this whole thing is finished, all things concerned."
Scootaloo reached for her back and took out the movie she showed Adagio a long time ago. "I was thinking we could have a movie night, you know, like we used to have?"
"Dat sounds like a fine idea, Scootaloo," Apple Bloom spoke as Sweetie Belle looked at the movie. "Of course, though, we need t' hear Sweetie Belle's thoughts first."
After scanning the cover in silence, Sweetie Belle put the movie down and took a deep breath. "I think the movie night is a good idea, but we should do it after we do something to determine whether we can trust each other or not."
Sweetie Belle reached for her pocket. "And I just so happen to have an idea of what we could make the test about."
Sweetie Belle took out her drawing and put it on the table for Apple Bloom and Scootaloo to behold. "This is a drawing I drew when Adagio left after babysitting me. Rarity looked at it, and kept it hidden until now."
"Huh, ya got some decent drawing skills, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom took a closer look at the drawing. "Anyway, if ah understand, ya want us t' go down a ramp or a hill, headin' straight to the ground, in order t' see if ya can trust us?"
"But the drawing does bring up a good point," Scootaloo said as she grabbed the drawing and took a closer look at it. "What if you jump out of the wagon-"
Sweetie Belle lowered her eyelids. "It's a cart."
"Whatever," Scootaloo showed the drawing to Sweetie Belle and pointed at her drawn self. "What if you jump out of it first before we do?"
"I won't," Sweetie Belle stated as she took the drawing back. "If any of us jump out of it first, and we don't do it together nor being anybody else with us, then there might as well be no trust in each other. At least, I think that's how it would go anyway."
"Sweetie Belle, you're asking us to potentially risk our lives, if not cripple us, in order to prove if we can trust each other," Scootaloo pointed out, lowering her eyelids and frowning as she added, "You do know what could happen if one thing goes wrong?"
"Sweetie Belle, is this really what ya wanna do?" Apple Bloom inquired. "Isn't there anythin' else we could do t' prove ya can trust us?"
"In fact, now that Apple Bloom brings it up," Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. "Can we trust you, Sweetie Belle?"
Sweetie Belle took a deep breath. "There's only one way to find out. And unless you can think of something else, we may need to go through with the drawing."
Scootaloo and Apple Bloom exchanged looks before they hummed to themselves, trying to think of an alternative to Sweetie Belle's idea. And once the three came to an unified conclusion, they stood up and walked to the sirens.
"Have you girls decided what to do yet?" Aria asked.
"Yes, we did," Sweetie Belle stated as the trio nodded. "And we need your help with it."
"Sure, we'll help you however we can," Sonata replied. "What did you pick for a trust test?"
Sweetie Belle showed the drawing to the sirens, and while all three of them looked shocked at it, Adagio was the only one who spoke:
"Oh, horseapples."
At a hill far away from the city, Sonata and Pinkie Pie brought a large wagon-sorry, cart-to the start of a long ramp down, with the rest of the group standing at the end of the ramp. Including Rarity.
"I still don't understand why the "consequences" bit of the drawing have to be represented by Sunset's friends," Aria remarked, taking one more look at the drawing before she looked back at the group. "But I'm assuming this has some sort of symbolic or hidden meaning, right?"
"We can't endanger the girls' lives, we're already on thin ice as it is, but we can give them the choice to face the consequences of their actions," Adagio explained. "If they jump out before they reach the girls, they'll prove they're unwilling to face the consequences. But the opposite will be proven if they stay all the way until they reach them."
"So we're stuck in a Morton's Fork kind of situation?" Scootaloo asked.
"How is this situation a fork, exactly?" Sonata glanced at the ramp. "It looks more like a ramp leading directly to some people."
"No, "Morton's Fork" is something used to describe a situation where both outcomes are considered equally bad," Pinkie Pie explained. "Like, for example, imagine you have to wait in line to get a taco, and there's another stand nearby that sells something that's not tacos, and both stands will close in ten minutes, not to mention you have to leave in ten minutes too. Having to choose between risking staying in line to buy a taco, or go ahead and buy something else, makes it a Morton's Fork."
"That sounds like a win-win situation to me," Aria scoffed. "Anyway, now that you're done explaining, could you go reunite with the rest of your friends?"
Pinkie Pie put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Who says I wasn't with them the whole time?"
The sirens and CMC turned around to see Pinkie Pie waving at them from the spot of the girls, and once they turned back to the Pinkie nearby them, she turned out to be a balloon replica that blew up soon after.
"Okay, let's ignore that," Adagio said as she guided the girls into the cart-wagon. "Get up here and we'll push you when you're ready."
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Apple Bloom silently walked into the cart, each giving the sirens a look before they came in and braced themselves as the sirens prepared to launch them.
"Okay, three... two... one... go!"
The sirens pushed the wagon-cart forward, and the CMC hugged themselves as they rode closer and closer to Sunset's angry friends. As they hugged, they also crouched down, ready to jump out of it as soon as they could...
But they didn't.
And they only realized this once the cart-wagon stopped by Applejack's hand, giving the trio a reassuring look before she, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity helped the girl get out... only to follow this by scolding them along with the rest of the group.
But the girls, rather than try to run away from the scolding, held hands and took it head-on, while the sirens looked from afar.
"So, I guess this means it worked, right?" Aria squinted her eyes and leaned forward. "It's kinda hard to see what's happening from here."
"Well, what I can gather is that the girls are taking the scolding head-on rather than run away," Sonata explained. "I'm sure that counts as a win, right, Adagio?"
Adagio lowered her eyelids, and gaining a little smile said, "Yeah, that's a win in my book.