Sweetie spat out her orange juice all over her dress. "What?! But Rarity never told me!"
Scootaloo wiped Sweetie's dress with some napkins, frowning. "She probably was too busy..."
Applebloom raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's probably because of Sunset."
Scootaloo frowned again. "Why are you so keen to blame her?"
"Uh, it's just a feelin'. . ." Applebloom mumbled.
"Even so, Rarity might just want to spend some time with her friends, with Sunset. There's nothing wrong with that."
"Still. . . why didn't she say anything to her sister?" Sweetie asked, her face falling.
Scootaloo frowned again. She knew her friends loved spending time with their sisters, even she herself saw Rainbow Dash, her idol, as a big sister, since the duo were very close. But she thought that being angry or hurt with somebody just because of hanging out with their friends was a bit much. She knew Applebloom meant well, but she had to convince Sweetie that Rarity having a sleepover with the Rainbooms was alright. Unfortunately, before Scootaloo could say something-
DING! DING! DING!
The bell for lunch came, signaling the start for afternoon classes.
"Ah shoot! I need tha go!" Applebloom jumped, then ran out the cafeteria.
"I need to go to." Sweetie said, still slightly crestfallen.
"Wait, Sweetie-"
But Sweetie Belle was gone, along with Applebloom. Scootaloo groaned in frustration. She had been so close!
What if they do something stupid?
No, they will not, Scootaloo thought. Her best friends knew when to calm down.
Right...?
With worry in her heart, the purple-haired girl took her bag and went out the cafeteria.
Sunset came to her apartment, after school.
"Ray! I'm home!" She called.
The spotted lizard, who was snoozing in his glass cage, immediately smiled on hearing his master's voice. Sunset suspected that his ability to understand human emotions had increased when she got her geode, but she was fine in Ray having a little bit of magic.
She took the lizard in her hand and tickled him.
"Aww, did Ray enjoy that?" she cooed. "I'll have a shower and be right back, okay?"
The lizard nodded his head. She smiled fondly at the cute guy then went to the bathroom.
After a refreshing shower and wearing a blue shirt with matching sweatpants, with her hair in two buns, she put Ray on her shoulder and went to make dinner for Ray, which was cooked spinach.
Sunset put some spinach in a plate for Ray, who sat down on the table, near her glass.
"So, how was your day today?" Sunset usually talked with Ray, seeing that he could understand her.
Ray gave a shrug as it to say, "It was a bit boring, but ok."
Sunset laughed. "Sorry for the fact that I'm going to be in my friends house for the next few days."
The lizard shrugged again.
After dinner, Sunset put Ray on her shoulder and began to choose the clothes to wear at the sleepover tonight at Rarity's house. She was reminded how really nice it was to have friends, no, family.
They were her family.
Her real family in Equestria, however...
Don't think about that. Just don't. It's bad enough as it is, but you have your friends now.
Pushing her thoughts aside, she resumed packing.
Applejack was going to be picked up by Rarity for the sleepover, since Granny Smith had an appoitment with a client and Big Mac was going with her. Applebloom had been oddly quiet yesterday, so the farmer decided to bring her little sister along to meet Sweetie Belle.
Rarity came a few minutes later, in a shiny black car with silver furnishing.
"Oh hello darling, Applebloom, dear." She purred. "Come on in! And...Applejack?"
"Ya?" The farmer asked, in the middle of the act of leading Applebloom to her seat in the front.
"If you.. want you can sit on the seat next to me..." Rarity was sitting in the backseat and was blushing furiously.
"Ah!" Applejack began blushing too. "Uh... sure."
"But what about me?" Applebloom asked, annoyed.
"You can sit in the front seat." Applejack said, with her cheeks slightly rosy.
"Fine..."
All the girls reached Rarity's house for Operation Sunset Sleepover.
All the girls went to Rarity's spacious bedroom. Rarity's father was a rich businessman and loved sending money on his daughters. The fashionista's room was large, decorated with fake diamonds and in the middle, a soft-looking bed with purple sheets and lilac designs were on the sheets. There was a shiny chandelier, with many diamonds shimmering in the light of the room.As the girls were admiring the room, however, nobody noticed a small pink-and-purple haired teen with emerald eyes in pajamas slip in the room and hide in the closet.
"Ok, what should we do now?" Rainbow asked an hour later. All the girls were tired, having a rough pillow fight after watching an episode of Rarity's favourite anime.
'I donno! We could do-" Pinkie squealed as she fell through a closet that was half open, the same closet that Sweetie Belle was hiding in.
"Pinkie!" Sunset ran to rescue the party girl from the avalanche of clothes. "You ok?"
"Y-yeah." Pinkie said.
As Pinkie took Sunset's amber hand, however, a small girl tumbled out, her hair slightly messy from the fall.
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity gasped. "What in the name of Faust are you doing in that Closet of Shame?"
"I-I, I wanted to-to be with you guys!" The green-eyed girl stammered.
Just then, a small redhead opened the door to the bedroom. "Sweetie, you-" then stopped abruptly, watching the scene in the bedroom. Sci-Twi was sitting upright on the bed with Fluttershy, while Applejack and Rainbow had put down their controllers and were watching the scene on the corner of the bedroom, where Rarity, Sunset and Pinkie were around Sweetie, all of them confused beyond measure.
"Sweetie, care to explain why you are gatecrashing?" Rarity asked, a bit viciously.
Sweetie winced. " I-I wanted to spend time with you... wasn't sure when to say someth-"
"Darling, that is absolutely no excuse of gatecrashing!" Rarity said. "Off you get!"
"But-but" But too late. Rarity had managed to push her and Applebloom through the door and lock it firmly.
"Ok, Weren't you a bit rude to Sweetie?" Rainbow quipped.
"Oh, nonsense, darling, a lady must be punctual, always. A little bean like her should not interfere with her sister's plans." She said solemnly.
Little did they know, a young girl with red hair was trying to comfort a girl with green eyes, who had burst into tears.
Sweetie ran to her room, and flopped on the bed, tears leaking out again. Applebloom followed, angry at the Rainbooms for making her friend cry.
Wait... what if...?
"Sweetie, do ya know why Rarity didn't wanna spend time with you today?" She said slowly.
"How am I supposed to know?" The white-skinned girl sobbed from her bed.
Anger, hurt and hate was spreading through Sweetie like an infection. How dare Rarity treat her that way! How dare she talked to her like she was scum! Applebloom noticed this, and at once her brain started to click. She didn't want to drag her friends into the battle between her and Sunset, but Sweetie was in need. This was a perfect way to have more people into her 'plan'.
"Applejack told me dat... Sunset was tha reason for these sleepovers." Slowly, now Applebloom.
"W-what?" Sweetie stammered. "W-why?"
" She... wants to take our sisters fer herslef." Oh, applefudge!
"Really, Applebloom?" Despite herself, she raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, Ah'm sure."
"...."
"There is a way to pay her back, but it might be a little, dangerous. But that she-demon will pay for making Rarity say those things. Trust me, it's all her."
Sweetie thought about it. When she was in that Closet of Shame, They had been spending more time on Sunset. And called it-
Wait.
That sleepover.. was called Operation Sunset Sleepover.
Anger hit Sweetie like an avalanche. She looked at Applebloom, who was grinning openly now, and said two words.
"I'm in."
The girls had played in the Closet of Shame for the rest of the evening. When they had found the closet, they had questioned her about it and Rarity told them that is was a wardrobe full of clothes that were, well, not perfect. All of them had spent the rest of the evening trying on the clothes and dresses. Soon, it was late, and the girls got ready to say goodnight.
"Ya comin' tha sleep?" Applejack asked Sunset, who had her journal out.
"Just a sec." Sunset smiled a bit.
"Okay." Applejack then turned around in her sleeping back, and fell asleep.
Sunset pondered on what to say, then finally thought of her words and wrote:
Dear Princess Twilight,
It's only been my second sleepover with the girls, and I already fell like I had a family again! Thank you Twilight, for all you've done. You really are a Princess of Friendship. I hope the girls know, that I love them like family, and would do anything, absolutely anything in return for their friendship.
Your friend,
Sunset Shimmer.
Smiling, she closed the book and fell asleep.
Sweetie Belle slowly entered the room, Applebloom had confessed that she was Anon-A-Miss. She had been shocked at first, but she put that away so she could have revenge on Sunset. Applebloom had reminded her of all the things Sunset had done, and had got off scot-free. The more she thought about it, the more angry she got.
She'll get what she deserves soon enough.
Applebloom had told her to find something of Sunset's that was embarrasing to the girls.
Maybe on her phone? Thank Faust she only has fingerprint recognition. She thought, when she took Sunset's phone and it only had a fingerprint scanner in it.
She went to her gallery, then almost whooped with joy. There were so many videos and photos with the girls wearing those hideous outfits, except Sunset!
The girls have got to kick her out now!
It might be harder to seperate them, but she was ready.
She quickly took her own phone, and downloaded the photos via Bluethooth, as quietly as possible.
With a grin that could rival the Cheshire Cat's, she put the phone back and scurried off.
The next day, all the girls were waiting by Sunset's locker for her. All of them were visibly angry, and the hallways were clear, since it was very early.
Sunset went to her friends, happy about how things were working out for her on Christmas.
Finally, I'm not alone for the holidays!
"Hey guys! What's going...
..on?" finally seeing the looks on their faces.
Applejack stopped pacing, then said, "So...."