An Anon-a-Miss Carol

by sonicfan05

Chapter 5 - The Dark Things Yet To Come

The CMCs were downright horrified.

They don’t know how long they’ve been standing there, but the girls felt like they’ve been staring at the new ghost in fear for like an eternity. Unlike the first two ghosts, who were very warm and welcoming, this ghost, however, was very ominous and gloomy. They felt paralyzed just by being under the ghost’s gaze, despite not seeing his eyes at all from underneath his hood. Neither of these girls has ever experienced this kind of terror in their entire lives.

For Apple Bloom, out of all the ghosts they’ve encountered, the ghost that she was facing right now is what she was fearing the most. Apple Bloom could barely breathe, her body was shaking violently, and her heart was beating against her chest like a drum. Even though he was here as their "guide", she can't help but believe that he was out here to punish her for what she had done in the past two weeks. 

She really wished she had listened to her parents instead of acting like a stubborn mule.

Apple Bloom glanced back at her friends, who continued to stare at the third ghost with terrified expressions, neither wasn’t able to utter a single word. Realizing that she was the only one who was capable of talking to him, Apple Bloom slowly faced the ghost again. She gulped a huge lump down her throat like she was swallowing a softball as she tried to look directly at the ghost’s face.

The key word being, “tried”.

“A-are… are you our... t-t-third visitor… sent by mah p-p-parents, t-the g-g-ghost of… C-C-Christmas Future?” Apple Bloom stammered nervously.

Christmas Future simply nodded.

Apple Bloom gulped again. “A-a-and… are you… g-g-going to show us w-what may… or will happen… if we continue our roles as Anon-a-Miss?”

Again, Christmas Future simply nodded.

Apple Bloom frowned. “C-can… you speak at all?”

Christmas Future simply stood there like a statue, not answering Apple Bloom’s question.

Meanwhile, Scootaloo leaned over to Sweetie Belle’s ear.

"How is he going to show us… if he can't talk?” she whispered.

"Beats me," Sweetie Belle whispered back. "Out of all the ghosts we’ve seen, this one gives me the creeps!"

The two girls jolted their spines in fear when Christmas Future suddenly turned his head towards them as if he had heard them.

"Er, I mean– um… I really like your… robe?" Sweetie Belle fibbed nervously.

Scootaloo inwardly groaned at Sweetie’s pathetic attempt to cover up her earlier remark.

Christmas Future lingered his gaze at Sweetie Belle for a moment before he faced the brick wall, causing Sweetie Belle to silently sigh in relief. With a wave of his skeletal hand, dark energy was formed from within the wall. It grew until it was as big as him, creating a large portal that was an entrance to some kind of dark realm. Christmas Future then turned towards the girls, waiting expectedly.

Apple Bloom glanced at the portal and then back at Christmas Future.

"You… want us to follow ya… through dat?" she asked nervously.

Christmas Future nodded.

"...is it too late for us to be backing out of this?" Apple Bloom asked in a slightly hopeful tone.

Christmas Future simply pointed at the portal, wordlessly demanding them to not waste time.

"R-right," Apple Bloom drooped with a resigned look. "L-lead the way then."

Christmas Future then headed into the portal, gesturing the girls to follow him with his long boney finger. The girls were hesitant for a moment before Apple Bloom was the first to enter the portal. Shortly after that, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo followed after Apple Bloom before the portal itself shrunk behind them, preventing any chance for them to escape. 

The inside of the portal was dark and unpleasant as if they felt their souls were suffocating. The long dark hallway they were traveling through felt like it was never-ending. Even though they were under guidance from the third ghost, they looked around nervously as if they were waiting for something sinister to jump out and grab them.

As they continued to follow Christmas Future, Sweetie whispered to her tomboy friend.

"S-Scoots?” Sweetie Belle stammered quietly.

Scootaloo glanced at Sweetie. “Y-yes, Sweetie Belle?”

“...I'm scared."

"...me too."

"Ah don’t think he's going to hurt us," Apple Bloom said quietly, overhearing her friends. "But it's probably best to keep our guard up and just go along with this."

Sweetie frowned. "Oh sure… says the girl who refused to go along the trip from the start!"

Apple Bloom grimaced, hurt by her friend’s harsh jab against her.

"Please don't fight girls," Scootaloo pleaded quietly. "I… I want all of us to make it back home in one piece."

"Assuming we'll make it back at all!" Sweetie Belle retorted.

Before a fight breaks out, another portal opened and appeared in front of them, making the girls feel relieved that their unpleasant journey through the dark tunnel was over. The four of them walked through the portal and entered a whole new area. After they surveyed around the area briefly, the girls’ eyes widened in recognition.

"Hey… this place looks like our school!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"Ah think it is our school," Apple Bloom confirmed before frowning. "But there's something about our school that doesn't feel right."

Sweetie analyzed the area for a moment. While everything in the school looked the same as they left it hours ago, there was something about the area that was dramatically different. As she studied the area a bit more, she immediately noticed when her eyes were set on the students who were passing around the hallway.

"Hey! Everyone in here is… miserable!" Sweetie Belle pointed out.

As the other two CMCs were witnessing the students, Sweetie Belle was indeed correct. They watched as every single person was just heading to their classes, not uttering a single word to one another like they were emotionless robots.

Scootaloo frowned at the sight. "Yeah. They just… walked around with gloomy faces and didn't even interact with one another."

"Well, at least it's better than seeing them fighting one another," said Apple Bloom, trying to lighten up the mood.

Sweetie Belle glanced at her friend with a glare. "And who's fault was that?"

Apple Bloom felt another sting in her chest from Sweetie's cold remark. Just as she was about to respond, she felt a firm grip on her left shoulder, which belonged to Christmas Future. Apple Bloom and the girls watched nervously as he simply pointed towards the direction for them to look.

When the girls obeyed, they immediately noticed the three classmates they knew by association. Flash Sentry, former boyfriend to Sunset Shimmer and leader of his band the Flash Drives, Micro Chips, a school nerd who is a genius and tech expert, and Sandalwood, a friendly eco-kid with a chill personality. Despite that they were each from their own different clique, those three are well known as best friends.

Normally, the CMCs would often see those three interact with each other in a friendly manner whenever they passed them in the hallway. However, at this moment, they were just hanging around near their lockers in a melancholic state, not speaking to one another. The CMCs wondered if they're just going to stand around silently the whole time until they heard Flash Sentry let out a low sigh.

"Man… it's crazy that it's been a whole year since this whole mess has started," Flash stated.

Mico Chips nodded. "I know. After that fiasco, everyone just stopped talking to one another in fear of having our secrets exposed… and not trusting one another."

"Yeah, just like with Lyra and Bon Bon," Sandalwood added before he paused in thought. "Well… mostly Bon Bon. She still refused to speak to Lyra ever since the whole Roseluck thing."

Flash cocked an eyebrow. "And Lyra?"

"The poor gal wasn't herself," Sandalwood replied sadly. "She's so depressed about losing her best friend, she's acting like a mindless zombie, man."

"We also lost so many students in the process," Micro Chips shook his head with a frown. "Many who were badly bullied were transferred to other schools."

"Yeah… I lost count on how many people left this school this whole year," Flash spoke with downcast eyes. "Especially to a good friend of mine who used to bake me muffins every morning."

Sandalwood glanced at Flash. "You mean the one with those weird misaligned eyes?"

Flash glared at his eco-friend. "Sandalwood! Really?"

"Ooh! Sorry man! Didn't mean to disrespect!" Sandalwood apologized quickly before frowning. "Quite frankly, the ones who belittled her like that were disgusting!"

"The people who ostracized Octavia and DJ Pon-3's relationship are just as disgusting," Micro Chips added with fury. "But probably less than Octavia's folks!"

Sandalwood scowled. "Yeah, they're the worst! What parents do that to their kid!?"

Flash sighed sadly. "For me… the worst is what happened to Sunset."

Micro Chips and Sandalwood stared at their friend in concern.

"Hey man, what happened to her wasn't your fault," said Sandalwood.

"Was it?" Flash challenged. "I always knew from the start that Sunset was innocent and that she was obviously being set up from the start!" His gaze cast downward in guilt. "And yet… I haven't done a single thing to help her."

"Why didn't you?" Micro Chips asked with a curious expression.

Placing his hands in his pockets, Flash leaned back against his locker. "Honestly… I'm not sure. It was because I'm too much of a coward to stand up for Sunset against the majority of students who wanted her blood. Or maybe some part of me still resented her for what she did while we were 'dating'."

He then sighed heavily. "Still… it was no excuse for doing nothing… and I regretted that."

"We all regretted our actions," Micro Chips added with a look of shame. "Including how we treated Sunset."

Sandalwood frowned. "I bet the Rainbooms had it worse than us."

Micro Chips gave Flash his curious look. "Are they still together? They broke up shortly after the incident."

"The band, yes, but they're still friends," Flash answered, before he paused in thought. "...I think."

Sandalwood. "Whether they're still friends or not, I certainly don't want to be in their shoes right now… especially how it's all coming down later today."

"I'm just glad that the nightmare is finally over!" Micro Chips answered with a scowl on his face. "'They' will finally get what they deserve!"

Flash cocked an eyebrow. "Were you talking about Gilda and her cronies?"

Before Micro Chips could answer, they were spotted by one of the teachers from across the hallway.

"You three!" A male teacher with a short black toupee hollered. "Quit loitering around and get to your classes! Now!"

Not wanting to get themselves into any more trouble, the three quickly disbanded and headed to their own classes. 

As the boys were leaving, the CMCs watched quietly with somber expressions, feeling even more awful after learning the fates of many students, as well as the state the school is in now because of them.

"Oh, man…" Scootaloo uttered, shaking her head. "I know things at our school were bad, but I certainly didn't want to  take things this far!"

"Me either," said Apple Bloom with a look of guilt. "Ah was so busy tryin' to discriminate Sunset, Ah didn't even care what happened to the lives of others."

"That's the first thing you said right the whole night!" Sweetie Belle remarked coldly.

Before Apple Bloom could open her mouth to respond, Christmas Future grasped her shoulder and silently beckoned her and her friends to follow him again into a new portal that he just created.

The CMCs gulped, dreading that not only they had to travel through that dark place again, but also realized that they are about to be shown much worse things to see in their gloomy future.

After a whole minute of traveling through the dark realm, they finally reached another portal for them to step out. The moment they stepped into their new location, the CMCs were taken aback by their surroundings.

They were suddenly in a very long, yet wide hallway that was all white with a few hints of grey. There were also many heavy doors with a tiny window in the center along the hallway, which appeared to be very secure as if they were meant to keep something or someone locked tight.

"W-what is this place?" Sweetie Belle stammered, feeling uncomfortable with everything surrounding them.

Scootaloo swallowed nervously. "I… I don’t know, but I don’t like it!"

Apple Bloom glanced around a bit more until she noticed two people dressed in scrubs, holding a screaming man in a strange jacket on each side. As they walked past them, Apple Bloom's eyes widened in realization.

"Girls… Ah think we're in some kind of psychological hospital," said Apple Bloom, as she and the others started walking down the hallway.

Scootaloo turned towards Apple Bloom. "You mean it's a place for crazies?"

"Scoots! That's not a nice thing to say!" Sweetie scolded quietly. "This place is actually a felicity for patients who have mental and emotional problems."

"...isn't that the same thing?" Scootaloo questioned in a confused tone.

Before Sweetie Belle could respond, the CMCs crashed into the back of Christmas Future's back when he suddenly came to a complete stop in the middle of the hallway. The CMCs groaned after crashing into one another, only to freeze in fear when they noticed him staring directly at them. It was then they realized with looks of horror on how close they were against Christmas Future's body, and how uncomfortably cold it felt.

"W-we're sorry!" Apple Bloom squeaked at a high pitch voice, as she and her friends took a huge step back away from him. "W-we weren't paying attention a-and it won't happen again!"

Christmas Future only stared back at them not moving, making the CMCs feel a bit more uneasy.

"So…" Apple Bloom cleared her throat. "Why are we stopping spirit?" Apple Bloom asked, hoping to move past that awkward moment.

Christmas Future lingered his stare at the girl's a bit longer before he looked away and then pointed at the wall. The girls stared at the wall blankly, confused at his actions for a moment until dark energy appeared in the middle of the wall. The energy then grew into a large makeshift window for the girls to see everything on the other side of the wall.

Through the makeshift window, they see a plain white room with a white cushion floor and white walls which were also made of cushions. There was hardly any furniture in the room except for a toilet, a sink, and a bed, which were covered in white sheets and pillows. What caught the most attention to the CMCs was a lone sad girl with glasses who was sitting alone in the room, hugging her knees up to her chest.

"Hey… dats Twilight!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, recognizing the girl.

"The human Twilight!" Scootaloo added. "But what's she doing here?"

Sweetie Belle gasped, putting the two and two together. "Oh no… don’t tell me she became a patient here!"

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo studied Twilight a bit and they noticed that she was wearing a white patient uniform, confirming Sweetie’s suspicions. The sight of Twilight being in the room as a patient baffled the girls.

"Ah… Ah don’t get it!" said Apple Bloom with a stunned expression. "Why? Ah know she was lonely, but she was fine the last we saw her! Why is she here?"

At that moment, the door to Twilight’s room opened, revealing a familiar young woman who visited Twilight once before but wearing a gray dress instead of her green suit.

"Hey, isn't that Dean Cadance?" asked Sweetie Belle with a curious expression.

Apple Bloom nodded. "Yer right Sweetie Belle! She's here to see Twilight!"

Scootaloo furrowed her brow as her eyes were set on Cadance's slightly large stomach. "Is it just me, or does she look a little… different just now?"

Despite that Twilight never even acknowledged her since her entry, Cadance slowly walked over to Twilight’s bed before she sat on the bed next to her.

"Hey Twilight… how are you feeling?" Cadance greeted gently with a soft smile.

Twilight continued to remain quiet and hugged her legs, not answering or even sharing a glance at Cadance.

Cadance frowned. "Um… did they treat you well?"

Again, Twilight remained quiet.

"Have you eaten anything lately?" Cadance asked.

Twilight still said nothing, saddened the older woman more.

Cadance's eyes suddenly brightened as she dug into her large purse and took out a familiar purple dog.

"Look! I even brought Spike!" Cadance coaxed as she gently shook Spike around. "While this place doesn't allow dogs, I brought him here just for you! And He misses you! And I'm sure you missed him too!"

Spike barked, excited to see his best friend again.

Unfortunately, even with Spike, Twilight hasn't responded at all.

Seeing that his best friend hardly acknowledged him, Spike whined sadly as his ears drooped.

Cadence frowned, disappointed that her plan to sneak Spike into Twilight’s room didn’t work as she hoped. She sighed as she gently placed Spike on the bed.

"Twilight… I know things are… rough right now, but don't worry, your brother Shining and I will get you out of here soon!" She grinned as she gently rubbed her rounded belly. "And then you'll get to be an Aunt when the little one arrives." 

Cadence then gently placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. "Things will be better… you'll see!"

Twilight glanced slightly at Cadance for a split moment, before she looked away with a somber sigh.

Before Cadance could speak again, one of the staff members from the institution walked into the room.

"Excuse me, ma'am, visiting hours are over," a male staff member said sternly.

"But I just got here!" Cadence protested.

The staff member shook his head. "It's the rules ma'am… I'm sorry."

Swallowing her anger, Cadence sighed sadly before turning to Twilight. "Don't worry Twilight, we'll be back to visit you tomorrow."

With a quick side hug, Cadence placed Spike back into her purse and then walked out of the room, but not before giving Twilight her final glance. 

As soon as Cadance stepped outside, Christmas Future closed the makeshift window and then pointed towards the door near them. The girls watched as Cadance stepped out into a hallway with a sad sigh, looking like she was on the verge of tears. Before Cadance had a chance to cry, she, as well as the CMCs, heard shouting from the other side of the hallway. 

"What do you mean visiting hours are over!"

Everyone winced at the loud volume of the shouting as they all turned towards the source. In front of them was another staff member, who was trying to act professional, and another man with a very angry expression. He was tall with blue hair and light blue eyes wearing a purple sweater, light blue undershirt with a blue tie, jeans, blue shoes. They appeared to be arguing and the blue-haired man was getting angrier by the second.

"Sir, calm down!" a staff member said calmly. "I'm just following the rules of this institution."

"Bullroar!" the man yelled. "She paid you off to prevent us from seeing her, wasn't it? If you don’t let me see my sister I'll–"

"Shining Armor, that's enough!" Cadence shouted, ceasing the man from yelling further.

Shining Armor was about to retort, but Cadance's icy glare prevented from speaking any further. 

Cadance then turned to the staff member with an apologetic look. "You have to excuse him, we're… having a rough time with all this."

"Understood, ma'am," The staff member nodded, but with a warning look. "But if he's out of line again, both of you will be banned from visiting! Capiche?"

Cadence nodded. "Yes sir, we understand!"

As the staff member walked away, Cadance turned back to Shining Armor again.

"Shining, what did I say about controlling your temper?" Cadance scolded, causing Shining to winced from her frustrated tone. "That was the fourth time I had to bail you out! Do you want them to separate us from Twilight any more than they are already?"

Feeling ashamed of his earlier behavior, Shining drooped. "I'm… sorry Cadance. I'm still scared for Twilight. She hasn't improved since all those months ago and I feel so useless to help her."

"...I know Shining," said Cadance, no longer mad at him. "I'm scared for her too, but all we can do right now is to be there for her." She looked down sadly. "Even if she refuses to reach out to us."

Shining Armor punched a wall near him as he let out a frustrated grunt. "It was all because of her! We should have never left her at the hands of that witch! Twilight did everything she told her to do during the Friendship Games. She even has her students force her to cheat just to win a freaking game for Faust's sake! And what did Twilight get? Getting the fall for cheating and then sending her here to this institution for claiming there's magic!" 

Shining clenched his fist tightly. "I'll never forgive that woman… and those brats too!"

Cadance frowned in concern. "Shining… I know what she did was awful, and I don't forgive her either… which was why I quit as the Dean of that school." She placed her hand on Shining's shoulder. "But we're not giving up! We will fight until Twilight is free from this place!"

Shining yanked his shoulder away from Cadance.

"Will she?" Shining challenged with a skeptic look. "With her in power and having 'connections' to a place like this, I don't know if she'll ever get out! And even if we managed to get her out of here… what good does it do? My sister had lost her mind!" 

Cadance flinched as Shining raised his voice loud in anger. Realizing that he was scaring Cadance, Shining immediately changed his expression from anger to remorse.

"I...I'm so sorry, Cadance. It's just…” He sighed, placing his hand on his forehead. “Ever since the Friendship Games… our Twilly is never the same. She felt more alone than ever, became super depressed, and she rarely talks anymore. And even when she did, all she kept saying was that she wanted to...to…”

Shining shook his head while trying to keep himself together.

“I… don't think my sister is ever coming back from this. After our parents are gone, I’m supposed to look out for my sister… and I failed miserably! How can I be a good father to our child if I can’t even be a good brother?” His eyes then teared up. “I… I don’t know what to do!”

Shining buried his face into his hands, sobbing his eyes out. Seeing Shining in distress, Cadance walked over and hugged him, shushing softly into his ear.

As the couple comforted each other, the CMCs watched the scene in sorrow, feeling sorry for Twilight and her family.

“Oh, Twilight…” Sweetie Belle uttered, eyes becoming glassy from her unsteady tears.

Scootaloo shook her head. “I know things are rough for her at Crystal Prep, but I didn’t think it would be this bad!”

Not wanting to see this scene anymore, Apple Bloom turned to Christmas Future.

"Spirit… is there a way for Twilight to be spared from this cruel fate?" Apple Bloom pleaded.

Ignoring Apple Bloom’s question, Christmas Future waved his hand, opening another portal for them to travel through.

With a sad sigh, Apple Bloom, along with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, followed behind Christmas Future into the portal.

The girls and Future eventually reached another portal and they stepped through. Once they emerged from the portal, Apple Bloom was surprised to see familiar settings all around them.

"Hey… we're in mah house!" Apple Bloom exclaimed as she surveyed her family's living room.

Scootaloo blinked. "Are we seeing your family next Apple Bloom?"

"We're seeing more than Apple Bloom’s family, look!" Sweetie Belle spoke up, pointing towards one section of the living room.

Both Apple Bloom and Scootaloo looked where Sweetie was pointing at. They were surprised to see that the Rainbooms were hanging around the living room, sitting on their seats with gloomy, sad faces. Even Pinkie Pie looked so miserable; most noticeably, her hair was all flat and deflated instead of curly and poofy. 

The only Rainboom who wasn't in the living room with them was Applejack, much to Apple Bloom’s concern. Before she could comment about her sister, Rarity started speaking.

"A whole year has passed," Rarity said quietly in a somber tone. "And there's not a single day that I never stop thinking about her."

"We're all still thinking about her," Fluttershy whimpered sadly. "How can we not? We sent her away thinking she's the culprit. But it turns out… she's innocent."

"How could we do that to her!?" Rainbow Dash retorted, mostly at herself. "She's already proven that she became our best friend… our family!" She slammed her fist on the arm of the couch she was sitting on. "And yet, we still accused her and tossed her away like garbage… all without giving her a chance!"

"It was because deep down… we still resented her for what she did to us when she was a bully and we assumed the worst of her," Rarity explained with a look of shame. "Not that it was a good excuse. I just wish we hadn't jumped to conclusions and let our anger cloud our judgment."

"Has anyone reached out to Princess Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Rarity shook her head. "None of us did. Ever since what happened to Sunset… Twilight hasn't spoken to us again… not that I could blame her."

"We were supposed to look after her and teach her about friendship… but we failed her," Fluttershy sniffed quietly as Rarity rubbed her back to comfort her.

Rainbow Dash let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, I've never seen her so angry when she yelled at us for the way we discarded her… and we deserved it!"

"We're terrible friends!" Pinkie brawled, blowing her nose on her handkerchief… which came out of nowhere. "She was on the floor begging us to listen to her but we hurt her… and I took away her smile!"

"And worst of all," Fluttershy added. "She was all alone to clear her own name while trying to convince us she's innocent, even on the night when she came to visit us at Sweet Shoppe." Fluttershy began to tear up. "And while she presented a good case… we still drove her away."

"Technically, it was Applejack who drove her away!" Pinkie pointed out, only to wince when everyone but Fluttershy turned to glare at her.

Pinkie rubbed the back of her neck. "Sorry… Maud's boyfriend kinda rubbed off on me."

Rarity shook her head at Pinkie before she frowned. "Speaking of Applejack… the poor dear took it the hardest!"

Fluttershy wiped the tears off of her eyes. "Yeah… I'm getting worried for her. She just wasn't herself ever since the news on Sunset… and then the truth afterward."

"And after Granny Smith, bless her soul, passed away with a broken heart," Pinkie added, much to Apple Bloom’s shock. "Big Mac was the one who picked up the pace to keep the farm running."

Apple Bloom shook her head, her tears were forming at the corners of her eyes. "No… not Granny!"

Rainbow Dash huffed. "Man… I know AJ felt guilty like the rest of us, but Applejack… took her guilt to the extreme! She stopped smiling, she stopped doing farm work, she barely eats! It's like something inside of her just… died!"

Rarity gasped. "Rainbow Dash, surely you're just exaggerating."

"Rarity, we all know that I'm not exaggerating!" Rainbow Dash yelled. "As if what happened to Sunset wasn't bad enough, she became much worse when we found out the true culprit was–"

"Shhhh!" Pinkie shushed, placing her hand over Rainbow’s mouth.

She glanced up the stairs nervously before addressing Rainbow Dash in a quiet voice.

"Rainbow Dash, you know you shouldn't speak ‘her name’, especially while we’re in AJ’s house!"

Rainbow sighed as Pinkie removed her hand off of her lips. "Sorry… I got carried away. Even after a whole year, it was still a sensitive topic." Rainbow frowned bitterly. "Quite frankly… I didn't want to talk or think about ‘her’ either, especially after she cost me my sport scholarship!"

Scootaloo flinched at that.

Rarity sighed, rubbing her temples. "Yes… and ‘you-know-who’ is still a sensitive topic around my house as well. And I'm still upset at her for ruining my fashion career."

Sweetie Belle teared up in guilt.

"Have you ever talked to ‘her’ since the truth came out?” Rainbow Dash inquired.

Rarity raised her brow. "Have you talked to ‘her’?"

Before either of them could make another remark, Fluttershy cleared her throat. "Um… I hate to interrupt, but we have somewhere to be today."

"It's today!?” Rainbow Dash groaned loudly with an annoyed expression. “Do we have to?"

"We must," Fluttershy replied reluctantly. "Despite what they did… we’re still family to them after all!"

"I'm not even sure I'll ever consider her 'family' anymore!" Rainbow Dash remarked before her face changed to a forlorn expression. "Then again… that's how we lost Sunset in the first place."

Rarity sighed as she stood up from her seat. "I'll… go get Applejack."

As Rarity was heading towards the stairs, Apple Bloom immediately went after her.

"Apple Bloom, where are ya going!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

Apple Bloom ignored her friend as she continued to follow Rarity up the stairs and then towards her sister’s bedroom.

Ah need to see Applejack! Apple Bloom thought anxiously. Ah need to know if she's okay in da future!

By the time Apple Bloom reached her sister’s bedroom, Rarity was already in the room speaking to her sister.

"Applejack?" Rarity called quietly.

Apple Bloom peaked into her sister’s bedroom. The bedroom was dark and gloomy, making things harder for Apple Bloom to see into the room. The only source of light in the room was a single window, where her sister was currently staring at with her back facing her and Rarity. As Apple Bloom was processing the sight, Rarity tried coxing Applejack again.

"Darling… if we don't leave now, we're gonna be late for–"

"Do you know wat today is, Rares?" Applejack asked quietly.

Rarity blinked. "Um… Christmas Eve?"

"It's our one-year anniversary… when we last saw Sunset," Applejack revealed.

As Applejack slowly turned around to face them, Apple Bloom gasped in horror at the state of her sister.

Applejack's appearance was a huge contrast to how she looked earlier at the Shoppe. Her hair was ragged, her eyes were dark and baggy, and a look of deep sorrow and pain on her face. But what got the most attention to Apple Bloom was how thin Applejack was. Her sister looked like she hadn’t eaten anything at all for who knows how long.

"Ah still have dat same dream, Rares!" Applejack spoke quietly in a sad tone. "Dreaming dat I'm reliving dat night when Sunset came over to the Sweet Shoppe, begging us to give her a chance and to hear her out! And after she told me who was Anon-a-Miss… I threw everything back at her face… telling her that she's not family… and for her to disappear!"

Applejack swallowed heavily, keeping her own emotions in check. "Ah felt guilty fer wat Ah said, but Ah was too angry to care. But when Ah found out wat happened to Sunset, Ah… Ah felt terrible… knowing that it was because of me that she's gone! And when Ah found out the truth weeks later, Ah–"

Applejack slammed her eyes shut, keeping her tears at bay. 

Seeing her friend in pain, Rarity came closer to Applejack and placed her hand on Applejack’s shoulder. “Applejack… it’s not your fault. It was Gilda and those horrible Diamond Boys who were responsible.”

“But she wouldn’t have gotten in dat position in the first place if Ah hadn't turned her away!” Applejack argued miserably. “Ah might as well be guilty by association!” 

Applejack felt tears running down her cheeks, unable to hold them in anymore. "Ah just can't live with mahself because of it! I called her ‘family’… only to throw her away, twice! What kind of friend does that!? Wat happened to her should've been me! Not Sunset! It should've been me!"

Overwhelming in grief, Applejack buried her face into her hands and sobbed heavily. Saddened by her friend’s sorrow, Rarity pulled Applejack into a huge, while tearing up herself. As the two friends comforted each other, Apple Bloom watched the scene with tears flowing down her face, feeling guilty for being the main cause of her sister’s pain.

"Sis… I'm so sorry," Apple Bloom whispered sorrowly.

Apple Bloom jumped slightly she felt something touch her shoulder. She turned around and noticed Christmas Future was standing behind her along with her friends who also had looks of sorrow. Before Apple Bloom could say anything, Christmas Future becked her to come with him with his boney finger.

As Apple Bloom followed Christmas Future and her friends down the stairs, she wondered what else Future could possibly show her that was way worse than what was happening with her sister.

After about a mile of walking, the CMCs and Christmas Future have reached another portal to their next destination. As soon as the CMCs walked out of the portal, the girls were shocked as they looked around an unexpected location.

They were once again outside and everything around them was dusk and foggy. Snow-covered everything in sight, except for dead trees, iron gates, and some gravestones. At first, the girls were baffled in seeing so many gravestones, until they glanced at the plaque near the main gate which said:

Apple Bloom hitched her breath, eyes widening in recognition. N-no… not this place!

Not noticing her friend's distress, Scootaloo turned to her friend. "Apple Bloom, isn't this the place where your parents–"

"Spirit!" Apple Bloom screeched as she faced Christmas Future with a look of distress. "Why are we here!? What reason did ya take us to a place like this!?"

Wordlessly, the spirit pointed his finger towards a specific direction, to which the girls obeyed. They were surprised to see two familiar people, standing over a gravestone in their winter outfits.

"Hey, it's Princess Twilight!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed.

"And is that… Principal Celestia?" Scootaloo inquired, eyeing the woman in question.

"Ah don't know," Apple Bloom's eyes narrowed. "She looks like her, but she's also… not her." 

Apple Bloom studied their "Principal" for a moment. There was something different about her than usual, but she couldn’t put a finger on it. It was until Apple Bloom noticed two small details. 

The first was a few age lines on Celestia’s face, revealing that she was older than usual. That alone was probably not enough since they are currently in the future, so it's expected that anyone appeared to be older. Not to mention, they did not know their Principal's true age. However, it was until Apple Bloom noticed the second and the most crucial detail from the "Celestia" in front of her.

This Celestia was wearing a crown. 

And judging by its appearance, the crown looked a lot shinier and heavier than the fake crowns that were usually seen at a costume shop. In other words, it was the real deal.

"Girls… dats Princess Celestia!" Apple Bloom revealed with wide eyes.

The CMCs were also surprised by this revelation, mouths gaping in shock.

"If that's Princess Celestia… then why is she here with Twilight?" Sweetie wondered loudly before glancing at the tombstone. "And who are they seeing?"

Before either of the girls could guess, they all heard Princess Celestia begin to speak.

"Thank you for coming, Twilight," Princess Celestia said gratefully with a small frown. "I… I wouldn't have the courage to be able to come here all on my own."

Princess Twilight nodded. "Of course, Princess Celestia. You know I'll always be on your side." She then smiled. "After all… you've always been there for me when I needed you."

Princess Celestia smiled back. "Of course Twilight, you're like the daughter I never had." She then frowned sadly as she faced the grave. "I just wished I treated Sunset the same way."

Princess Celestia hung her head in shame and guilt. "She wanted me to be the mother she always wanted, but I turned her down because of my own fear of hurting her as I did with my sister. But ironically… I hurt her anyway."

Twilight frowned. "Princess Celestia, if you wanted to make amends with Sunset… why didn't you come to this world to see her yourself?"

"I'll be lying if I said that my duties kept me from seeing her, but that's no excuse," Princess Celestia sighed. "Truth is… I'm a coward and too ashamed of myself to face her. Even after hearing her wonderful accomplishments in this world, I still held back from seeing her, believing that I don't deserve to see her, not after the way I treated her." Her eyes then teared up. "If only I had done so earlier..."

Princess Celestia ceased her crying when she felt Princess Twilight grasp her shoulder, who was giving her a gentle and sympathetic expression.

"You know… Sunset told me herself that she really misses you and wanted to see you again many times. But she too felt ashamed for being a terrible student and wanted to make things right in this world before seeing you again… as a better pony for you to be proud of."

"I'm already proud of her!" Celestia assured, wiping her tears away. "I always wanted her to make friends with other ponies. I never expected her to make friends in another world, despite trying to get her to forget about the mirror." She let out a mirthless chuckle. "Destiny is a real funny thing sometimes."

"There's one more thing, Princess," Princess Twilight added. "She even told me that despite your rejection and your rocky history with her… she still considered you a mother she never had."

"...Thank you for telling me, Twilight," Princess Celestia responded quietly with a sad smile. "At least it's reassuring that she never hated me. I just wish we both weren't afraid of seeing each other and met for the final time on good terms before she…"

Princess Celestia couldn't keep her emotions in anymore as she suddenly broke down into tears. Princess Twilight immediately hugged Princess Celestia to comfort her former mentor and friend.

"I'm so sorry Twilight… I miss her!" Princess Celestia wept.

"I know, Princess Celestia," Twilight whispered, tears leaking out of her eyes as well. "I miss her too."

The CMCs watched in sadness as the two princesses continued to hug each other. After what felt like a few minutes, Princess Celestia sighed as she broke the hug.

"We… should probably head back," Princess Celestia said in a reluctant tone. 

She then turned towards the gravestone one final time as she kissed her palm and placed her hand on the stone.

"I love you… my daughter," Princess Celestia whispered tearfully.

As Princess Celestia slowly walked away in deep sorrow, Princess Twilight also kissed her palm and then placed her hand on the gravestone.

"See you soon… my dear friend," Twilight said quietly.

As Twilight slowly turned and followed her mentor, the CMCs watched the whole scene with widened eyes. The girls then slowly shifted their sights on a lone gravestone where the two Princesses were staring at moments ago.

"G-girls..." Apple Bloom stuttered nervously, her chest filled with dread as she was eyeing the gravestone. "D-dat grave… y-you don't think… i-it belongs to…"

Christmas Future suddenly stood beside the CMCs as he pointed at the gravestone, silently commanding them to take a look.

The CMCs just stood in their spots in fear. All three of them shook their heads with pleading expressions, but Christmas Future wouldn't budge. He pointed towards the gravestone with much more force, staring fiercely at the three girls through his hood.

Not wanting to anger the spirit any further, the CMCs gulped and faced towards the grave. Apple Bloom slowly and hesitantly walked closer towards the grave with her friends following behind her. They eventually reached the front of the gravestone, but the words were obscured due to the light amount of snow.

Apple Bloom glanced back at the spirit, silently pleading him one final time to back out from this. Christmas Future however stood his ground, pointing at the gravestone behind Apple Bloom with more force. Shaken in fear, Apple Bloom slowly turned back towards the grave and wiped the snow off of the stone. The girls gasped loudly in horror as soon as they were able to see the words right on the surface of the gravestone:

Sweetie Belle slapped her hand over her mouth, tears leaked at the corner of her eyes. "No..."

"This can't be!" Scootaloo exclaimed, her face was filled with guilt and grief.

Apple Bloom stared at the gravestone with a faraway look, couldn't believe what she was seeing. She had a feeling that something bad must have happened to Sunset because of everything she heard about Sunset throughout their journey in this future. But out of all the possibilities she could think of, this wasn't what she had in mind or even wanting this to happen to the former bully. Apple Bloom felt sick in her stomach in guilt, knowing that it was because of her who led Sunset to her demise and never thought the consequences could be so severe.

"No…" Apple Bloom whimpered as she fell on her knees in the snow. "No. No. No. No! This should not have happened! It's not supposed to be this way!"

"Are you happy now, Apple Bloom?" 

Apple Bloom turned her head towards Sweetie Belle, who was glaring at her angrily despite tears running down her face.

"Sunset Shimmer is literally 'out of our lives'... exactly as you wanted!" Sweetie Belle yelled, leaning her face close to Apple Bloom’s face. "Are. You. Happy?"

Apple Bloom shook her head, tears beginning to fall from her eyes. 

"N-no! No Ah'm not happy!" Apple Bloom croaked in remorse. "Ah… Ah didn't want this to happen. All Ah wanted was for Sunset to leave our school and go back to her world where she came from! Ah don't want her to die!"

“Ah don’t care what Sunset’s life was like or how everyone else felt!"

Apple Bloom gasped sharply from the distorted sounds of her voice. It was those very same words she had said to her parents before this whole trip had started. She abruptly turned around facing Christmas Future who was hovering over her. Christmas Future began to speak to her again, despite that it was her own voice coming out through the ghost’s hood.

"We will continue with this as planned. And I won't stop until Sunset Shimmer is gone! So that she won't be around in our school, or heck, even in our world ever again and out of our lives!"

Apple Bloom's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, frantically shaking her head.

"No… no no no no! Ah did not mean that!" Apple Bloom yelled desperately.

She then clasped her hands together in front of her, looking up at the ghost pleadingly. “Please Spirit! Please tell me that these events can yet be changed? Please tell me that there is time to prevent all of this? To erase our sisters’ suffering? Human Twilight’s fate? And Sunset’s… early demise? Please tell me!”

Christmas Future just stood over her silently, much to Apple Bloom’s frustration and distress.

"Um…"

Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned their heads around Scootaloo, who was fidgeting nervously.

"What is it, Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle sniffed.

Scootaloo bit her lip with a thoughtful look. "Well… there's something that's been bothering me ever since we came to the future."

"And what's that?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"...where's us?" Scootaloo inquired. "We've seen everyone's future because of us… but we have never seen our future."

Both Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle blinked at Scootaloo’s reasoning. Neither of them had ever considered their future selves ever since they were brought into this future. Heck, neither have thought about it ever since they started this journey.

"That… is a very good point," Sweetie reasoned, furrowing her brows. "Where are we during all this?"

Apple Bloom felt her heart hammering her chest. It was bad enough that they just learned about Sunset’s "fate", she was scared to find out what happened to her and her friends in the future after the damage was caused by Anon-a-Miss. As much as she dreaded to think about their future selves, she and her friends really must know.

Even if it was bad.

With a nervous gulp. Apple Bloom slowly stood up while looking directly into the spirit's hood.

"Spirit, Ah… we are afraid to ask ya this, but… what happened to us?"

Christmas Future only stared back at her, nor moved an inch.

"Please," Apple Bloom pleaded quietly. "...show us."

With a simple nod, Christmas Future opened up a portal behind him with a wave of his hand.

As Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were nervous at the new portal, Apple Bloom was determined to see this through.

Their trip in the dark realm took longer than usual, but they eventually reached a new portal and stepped through it. When they stepped out of a portal, the girls were both baffled and confused as they looked around their new destination.

“W-where are we now?” Sweetie Belle asked in a confused tone.

“Ah… Ah don’t know,” Apple Bloom answered, still processing what she was seeing.

They were now in a big, semi-dark room, sitting within the front row seats along with many other people. In front of them was a central area with a small wooden podium in the middle. Each side of an area was a tall table bench, containing one person in a suit behind it. But their most attention was the big bench at the middle back of the area where it was usually seated by a judge.

“From da looks of it, Ah believe we're at some kind of a courthouse,” Apple Bloom concluded.

Sweetie Belle blinked. "A courthouse? Why are we here?"

"Maybe it was a trial against Gilda and the Diamond Boys," Scootaloo theorized.

Sweetie frowned. "If it is, then good! Those monsters deserved to be locked up!"

Before Scootaloo could comment further, she spotted someone very familiar from within the spectating crowd.

“Hey! I see Rainbow Dash!” She exclaimed, pointing towards a direction a few feet away from them.

“And there’s our sisters! And the rest of the Rainbooms!” Sweetie Belle added, noticing her sister and the rest of her friends were seated as well. She then observed the rest of the spectators. “And… most of the students from our school are here too!”

Scootaloo frowned as she scanned the crowd. “But where’s us? I don’t see us near our sisters, or anywhere within the crowd!”

Apple Bloom furrowed her brows. “This doesn’t make sense! Why are we here? Where are we? And wat does this have anythin’ to do with us?”

Before the girls could debate further, they heard the bailiff addressing the crowd.

“All rise!” the bailiff announced.

Despite being invisible, the CMCs and Christmas Future stood up along the crowd.

The back door near the judge's bench opened, revealing an older man. He was bald, had a long gray beard, and was wearing a long black robe. The girls assumed that he was the judge as he climbed up the stairs and took his seat.
 
"Before we resume the trial," He said as he glanced at the Prosecutor's side. "How were our perpetrators from our previous trial, Prosecutor?"

The older man, who had a small tuft of hair and wore a gray suit and glasses, cleared his throat.

"That griffon girl tried to put up a fight as we arrested her, but we managed to restrain her," he informed. "Those Diamond Boys, on the other hand, we're taken to their cells without resistance and without a peep!" He then smirked as he was patting the top of his head. "All except for them crying for their mommies! Hee Hee!"

The judge nodded. "Yes, very good! Thank you for your update."

The girls were confused by this revelation.

"Wait," Apple Bloom said slowly, eyes widening. "If they arrested Gilda and the Diamond Boys already… then who's on trial right now?"

As the girls were still processing Apple Bloom’s question, the judge spoke again.

“Now then," the judge stated as he picked up his gavel and banged it on the sound block. "Court will now reconvene for the trial of Anon-a-Miss. Would the accused please come up to the stand?"

Everyone, including the CMCs and Christmas Future, turned their heads towards the main courtroom doors as soon as they opened. The CMCs waited in anticipation, curious who will appear in front of the judge. To their surprise, there wasn’t just one felon.

There were three.

Slowly, the three accused convicts slowly walked into the room towards the podium. From their appearances, the three of them are pre-teen girls, old enough as junior high students. Each was dressed in orange jumpsuits while wearing handcuffs on both their wrists. Their hair was messy and their eyes were baggy like they have been locked up for quite some time. But to the CMCs’ biggest shock, these three girls were alarmingly familiar to them. 

“...no way!” Scootaloo exclaimed, eyes widening in horror.

Sweetie Belle’s face was nearly as white as a bedsheet. "It's… it's…"

"Us!" Apple Boom breathed in a bewildered tone.

Indeed, the three convicted girls that the CMCs were seeing in front of them right now were their future selves. They all looked so tired and ashamed like they had been through Tartarus and back. They didn’t even flinch as the students from within the spectators booed and jeered at them like they had gotten used to it. The only ones who didn’t join in on insulting the future CMCs were the Rainbooms, who only looked away in shame, despair, and disgust in response.

When the future CMCs finally approached the stand, the judge glared over them, silently torturing them for a moment before he finally spoke.

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo," the judge began in an authoritative tone. "Based on all the evidence and testimonies from many witnesses presented to you, you three have single-handedly caused many rifts from your school, leading to many fights between students. Both with words and violence!"

"You posted many secrets of other students, secrets that you don't have the right to post. Which led to those same students you posted suffering from ridicule and bullying to the point of switching schools or even refusing to leave their homes… and that's just putting things mildly!"

"You're the biggest offender of all was framing an innocent girl and letting her suffer at the hands of angry students due to your posts, including Miss Gilda and her cronies! Because of that, on the night of Christmas Eve, she was cornered into an alleyway, beaten for a long period of time, and then was left alone to die… only for her body to be found three days later, barely buried in the snow!"

"The only reason you three were eventually linked to this crime was that we were able to track you based on your first two posts and MyStable were cooperative enough to hand over the IP Address, which led to your laptops and phone!" The judge leaned closer towards the CMCs' faces. "And after a full year of that incident and witnessing everything you see throughout this trial… what do you three have to say for yourselves?"

The present CMCs were taken aback, wondering how the judge had suddenly appeared in front of them, let alone could see them. They glanced around for a moment and slowly realized that they were no longer in their seats, but were standing in front of the podium instead. And when they looked down on themselves, their eyes widened in shock and in horror that they were now dressed in orange jumpsuits and had handcuffs around their wrists.

"W-wha!? Wat's going on here!?" Apple Bloom exclaimed, as she feverishly looked around for Christmas Future, demanding answers.

"How– how did we get here?" Scootaloo shouted, as she tried to get the cuffs off of her wrists, but to no avail. "D–did we just take our future selves place!?"

"No no no!" Sweetie Belle screamed in fear, trying to desperately shake the cuffs off of her arms. "I–I don't want to be here! I don't want to be a part of this! I don't want to go to jail!"

"Girls! Quit messing around and answer my question!" The judge roared impatiently, instantly shutting the girls up in fear. "I'll ask again: what do you have to say for yourselves!"

The CMCs were quiet, too scared and confused to speak up. Seeing how frightened her friends looked and felt responsible for her actions, Apple Bloom swallowed nervously as she looked up at the judge in the eyes.

"Ah'm… Ah'm sorry!" Apple Bloom wept, her expression was full of heavy shame and remorse. "If there's anyone to blame for this mess, it's me! Ah… Ah started all of this because… Ah was jealous that mah sister spends more time with Sunset Shimmer than she does with me. And Ah… also admitted… dat a part of me did wat Ah did… because Ah still resented her for what she did to mah sister, as well as mah friends' sisters when she was a bully." 

Apple Bloom's lips trembled as tears flowed down her cheeks. "All Ah wanted was to teach that former bully a lesson and for her to stay away from mah sister. But as it turns out, Ah'm the one who is a bully– no… a monster, to both Sunset and to everyone at school… all because Ah was being selfish. And Sunset didn't deserve everything that had happened to her… especially how hard she worked to become a better person… and Ah was too pig-headed to see that! Which is why… Ah’m the one who deserved whatever punishment you have for me… and Ah wanted to make up to Sunset and to everyone else Ah hurt to make things right!"

"So, mister judge… if anyone deserved all the harsh punishment from all of this… punish me! They were only part of this because Ah made them!” Apple Bloom bowed her head, letting her tears drop to the ground. “Just please… let mah friends go… and spare them from mah crimes!" 

Apple Bloom just kept her head bowed down in silence, accepting her fate.

"No way, Apple Bloom!" 

Apple Bloom immediately lifted her head and turned towards her friend in confusion. 

"Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo gave Apple Bloom her fierce look. "I wasn't part of your scheme because you made us, I'm part of it because I chose to! You're not the only one who became jealous and then made a terrible mistake! All I care about is to have Rainbow Dash spend more time with me again… while not caring about how Sunset or anyone else felt about our posts!" She then bowed her head in shame. "If anything… I deserve just as much punishment as you are… and I wanted to make up to everyone too!"

"And so do I!"

Apple Bloom turned to her other friend with a shocked expression.

"S-Sweetie Belle?"

Sweetie Belle gave Apple Bloom her angry expression. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still furious at you for that post you did about Gilda and put Sunset into that position!" Her expression was then changed to a regretful look and sighed sadly. "But then again... that would make me a hypocrite since I also did this to hurt my sister. I was just so… angry at her for ignoring me and then kicking me out of her room that night while completely disregarding my feelings. So I… downloaded Sunset's pictures of Rarity’s closet of shame to my phone… and then posted them just to get back at my sister." 

"But after s-seeing my sister s-suffering from all the t-teasing… a-and how S-Sunset was treated b-because of us… I-I felt horrible… a-and regretted everything I've done!" Sweetie sniffed, letting tears trail down her face. "So I… I too… deserve to be punished… and wanted a chance to make amends to everyone, including Sunset and my sister!” 

“So you see Apple Bloom," Scootaloo added, giving her friend a firm, yet determined look. "Like it or not, we’re the CMCs! And we all are going to face this together!"

Apple Bloom sniffed, touched that her friends are willing to stick by her side despite everything that happened because of her.

"You girls…" Apple Bloom whimpered tearfully.

Their moment was interrupted when they heard the judge loudly clearing his throat.

"As heartfelt as this scene is… I'm afraid that it is far too late for any apologies and to fix your mistakes," the judge stated apathetically. "But you three are right about one thing though… you three will face your punishment."

The girls' eyes widened at that as the judge announced his final verdict.

"Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo… I find that the three of you are… guilty on all counts: Cyber Bullying, Identify Theft, Encouraging Violence, and Involuntary Manslaughter."

The CMCs' faces were pale after hearing the verdict, but the judge wasn't finished.

"The accused will surrender to the court immediately. The three of you will be held in solitary confinement separately from each other for life, where there will be no chance for bail. And with that… this court is adjourned."

As soon as the judge slammed his gavel, several officers rushed towards the CMCs, pulling them away from the podium and towards the main doors.

"No! No, please!" Apple Bloom begged as she and her friends were being dragged away. "Let us go! Let us go!"

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo also pleaded to the officers to be spared. Unfortunately, all their pleas fell on deaf ears as the officers continued to pull them towards the main doors, which began to open. As soon as those main doors fully opened, the CMCs stared at the entrance in horror that all they saw was darkness, which turned out to be the dark realm where they've been traveling through in-between places.

And it looks like it will be their new permanent "home" in a matter of seconds.

The CMCs were even more terrified that those "officers" were transformed into demons. Even the spectators from the crowd were also transformed into demons like they just came from a nightmare that the girls simply couldn't wake up from. Apple Bloom looked around frantically as she was being dragged away until she finally spotted Christmas Future who just sat silently from the crowd.

"Spirit!" Apple Bloom screamed desperately. "Ah'm sorry! Ah'm sorry for everything! Ah'm sorry for hurting mah sister! Ah'm sorry fer hurting other students! And yes, Ah'm sorry fer hurting Sunset!"

“Stop!"

Apple Bloom quickly glanced behind her just as Scootaloo was the first to be dragged through the door.

"Girls, help!” She yelled as she was pulled and disappeared into the darkness!

"Scootaloo!" Apple Bloom screamed fearfully before turning back to Christmas Future.

"Please!" She begged tearfully. "Please give mah friends and Ah another chance! We want to make this right! Ah want to make this right! We all want to have a chance to make up to Sunset, our sisters, and every bad thing we did for the past two weeks– even if it takes me the rest of mah life!"

"No!"

Apple Bloom turned her head around, just to see Sweetie Belle being the next one to be pulled near the door.

“Apple Bloom, help me!” Sweetie Belle screamed as she was yanked into darkness, leaving Apple Bloom to be the last one remaining.

"Sweetie Belle!" Apple Bloom screeched, tears running down her face, while the "officers" continued to pull her towards the door.

As she was almost near the entrance to the dark realm, Apple Bloom quickly turned her head towards the Christmas Future for the final time.

"Please!" Apple Bloom begged. "Ah'll change!"

Apple Bloom felt a very strong tug behind her, pulling her quickly into the dark realm.

"Ah'll chaaaaaaaaaaaange!"

And then the courtroom door slammed shut on her, leaving Apple Bloom alone in the darkness.