“Derpy!” Octavia took a step back. “I… you do know kidnapping is illegal correct? I am pretty sure this counts as a kidnapping.”
“I doubt that would hold up in court or that you would try to take me to court.” Derpy said matter of factly. “Plus, we’re just two good friends that are talking, nothing weird about that.”
“And… What will we be talking about, Derpy?” Octavia asked hesitantly.
“Well, me and Bonny talked a little at lunch today. It was rather… cathartic to say the least and I got to thinking...” Derpy placed her hands together and pointed at Octavia. “Since I felt so good after talking with Bonny, I might as well get to talking with you.”
“Yes, I heard. Me and Bon-Bon were talking about it earlier. She uh…” Octavia cleared her throat. “She said you swore?”
“Oh yes! Over a hundred times in fact. I counted!” Derpy said cheerfully.
“Oh.” Octavia nodded. “I do not think I have heard you swear before.”
“Well, now you fucking will.”
Octavia physically recoiled, hearing Derpy swear seemed... wrong somehow. “Alright, that was… something I never want to experience again.” She cleared her throat. “What did you want to talk about Derpy?”
“I think we both know.”
“Well, yes. I’m just being polite.” She straightened her bow tie. “It’s a British thing.”
Derpy merely hummed in acknowledgement before continuing. “So, why in the ever living fuck did you decide to kick me out?”
Octavia grimaced, both at Derpy swearing and at being reminded of what she did “Well, I am not trying to defend what I did, but after Lyra's secret was revealed by Anon-A-Miss, we all got together and tried to figure out who was responsible. We… did not invite you because you were defending Sunset at the time. We compared who knew and it was only you and Bon-Bon.”
“You thought it was more likely I was responsible rather than Bon-Bon?”
“She swore she did not do it, and since she was Lyra's girlfriend, we believed her.” Octavia said, ashamed of herself. “Since there were no other suspects… well, it only made sense it was you, especially since you were defending Sunset so heavily.” Octavia cleared her throat awkwardly. “It was not personal Derpy. We argued extensively about whether you were guilty or not, but there just… there was not anyone else. I think you know what happened next.”
“I do.” Derpy grimaced. “You confronted me at my locker, Lyra accused me of betraying her and yelling at me, you demanded to explain how Lyra's secret was revealed, then Timey defended me and you two got into it before Vinyl got involved, and I cried when you, Bon-Bon, and Lyra left.”
“Yeah… that.”
There was a very long and extremely awkward silence between the two of them. “Still better than what Sunset got. At least I had friends that stuck with me.” Octavia could only nod in agreement. “... Ten years.”
“What?”
“We’ve been friends for ten. Years.” Derpy growled. “At any point did I ever seem capable of doing that to all of you?” Derpy sniffled. “What Bon-Bon did was shittier, but you thinking I was capable of doing that to all of you and throwing me out hurt me more.” Derpy wiped her eyes. “Fuck, what’s wrong with me? I was supposed to scream at you like I did Bonny, not blubber like a baby.”
“Perhaps you are all screamed out after Bon-Bon?” Octavia offered, trying to lighten the mood. It didn’t work, and she was left to awkwardly stare at Derpy as she cried softly. She walked forward and wrapped Derpy in a hug. “I am so, so sorry Derpy. I do not know why I ever thought you were capable of hurting us. You are the sweetest, gentlest, most dependable girl in the whole world, and I should have kept that in mind even if you were our only suspect.” She pulled away and pulled out her handkerchief, helping to wipe Derpy's tears. “Look, you seeing me after so long has made you emotional. How about we let you recover for a bit, then you can yell at me.”
“But I want to yell at you and call you a bitch now.” Derpy said half jokingly.
“And I want you to yell at me and call me a bitch if it makes you feel better.” Octavia smiled lightly and gave a curt laugh. Her eyes widened when she got an idea. “How about we work through our problems until you’re at a point where you wont get emotional, then you can yell at me in front of the whole school?”
Derpys eyes widened. “You’d do that?”
“If it makes you feel better. I’ll even have Vinyl film it.”
Derpy looked tempted but unsure. “I-I dunno Octie. In front of everyone? Isn’t your reputation important to you?”
“More important than getting my friend's forgiveness?” Octavia shook her head. “No.”
Derpy smiled. “Sounds like a plan… bitch.” The two laughed. “I’ll make sure to use even more swears when yelling at you. Now-” She grabbed Octavia. “Get the fuck out.”
Octavia was pulled away and thrown out the janitors closet. She struggled not to fall over, eventually regaining her balance, and looked to Derpy. “What? Derpy, why aren’t you leaving the janitor's closet?”
“I have my reasons.” Derpy waved goodbye. “Chow!” She said before disappearing behind the door.
Octavia was left staring at the door, her mind racing with what Derpy was up to. “She better not be calling Time Turner to meet her in there...” Octavia said before she continued to practice.
“YOU WANT ME TO WHAT!” Rainbow Dash jumped off the bed and recoiled from Sunset.
“I think you heard me.”
“Wha- Yeah I heard you!” She took a step forward. “You want me to talk with Scootaloo!? Are you crazy!? I can’t talk with her!”
“Sure you can, you said she comes to your house every day right?”
“Let me rephrase: I don’t want to talk to her!”
“Well, if you don’t, then I’ll just leave.” Sunset closed her textbook and began getting up. “After all, I don’t work for free.”
“Hold on.” Sunset stopped. “Why do you want me to talk to Scootaloo so bad?”
“I promised her that when you and I started talking again, I’d convince you to talk to her.” Sunset explained. “And, since you’ll have to talk to her or I won’t tutor you, it seems like a pretty foolproof solution.”
Rainbow Dash was quiet for a long moment. “Sunset… I can’t just… I…” She groaned in frustration. “I don’t think I’m ready.”
“Dash, she misses you. I know what she did hurt, I’m the main victim after all, but she misses you.” Sunset reasoned. “Sweetie and Bloom, they still have their sisters, Scootaloo doesn’t. And that… I feel bad. I do what I can, but I can’t replace you, especially with how complicated our relationship is. She needs you Dash.” Sunset grabbed Rainbow's hand. “I’m not saying solve everything tonight, but I just want you two to… talk things out, just a little bit.”
The two were silent as Rainbow stared off, thinking it over. The two looked over to Rainbows door when knocking came from the other side. “Dash, honey, Scootaloo is here to see you.” Rainbow groaned. “Should I tell her to go home?”
Rainbow Dash was about to say yes when she caught Sunset's eye, Sunset giving her a look. “... Not today. I’ll… I’ll talk with her.”
“Really?” Windy Whistles said with some surprise. “Well… Alright, I’ll send her in.”
Sunset smiled appreciatively. “Thanks Dash.” She pulled away and began packing up. “I’ll leave you two be, sorry we weren’t able to go a little longer. I promise we’ll spend more time tomorrow.”
“Ah, don’t sweat it, I’m just glad you came over. I think you actually helped me a bit.” Rainbow said somewhat awkwardly, thinking over her coming meeting with Scootaloo. “Plus, I think we needed a talk like that after everything that’s happened.”
“Perhaps, but let’s not make a habit out of it.” Sunset slapped Rainbow in the back. “I’ll see you later Dash.”
“Yeah, see ya.” With that, Sunset walked out the door and down the stairs.
A few seconds later, Scootaloo ran in, panting in a mixture of excitement and exhaustion, looking at Rainbow Dash expectantly.
“Scootaloo.” Rainbow said stoically. “Let’s talk.”
Apple Bloom idly took a bite out of an apple as she walked to the living room, watching her sister fuss over her various supplies for the sleepover. “Ah really don’t think yah need to fuss so much AJ.” Applejack looked over. “Yer not Rarity. Yah aren’t even bringing a sleeping bag.”
“Yeah, Ah know.” Applejack huffed. “It’s just… There's a lot riding on this. If Ah mess this up then it might set us back, and Ah don’t know how fragile she is after the Valedictorian debacle.”
“Valedictorian debacle?” Apple Bloom took another bite of her apple after she raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
“Yah don’t know?” Applejack asked with surprise. “Scootaloo was the one who brought it to our attention, Ah’m surprised she didn’t tell yah first.”
“Tell me what first?”
“Rarity told me that Scootaloo told everyone at lunch the school board has apparently barred Sunset from being Valedictorian.” Applejack huffed. “She took it pretty hard from what Ah heard.”
“Oh…” Apple Bloom stared at Applejack with a stunned expression, wondering why Scootaloo didn’t tell her. “Ah had no idea. Was it ‘cause of the Formal?”
“Yeah, she apparently didn't know until a few days ago. Just another thing to add to all the stress.” Applejack grumbled to herself. “... Hey Bloom?”
“Yeah?”
“Is it alright if Ah tell people yer gay?”
Apple Bloom gave Applejack a weird look. “What?”
“Ah did some research and apparently yer not supposed to tell other people someone’s gay, or trans, or whatever. It’s supposed to be at their pace or something. Ah just wanted to get yer permission before I go blabbing.”
“Um, Ah guess? Just tell people we’re close to and people who are already gay.” Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow. “Why do yah ask?”
“Well… Ah have no experience with a gay family member, and Ah was hoping Sunset might give me some pointers and advice on what to do. Can’t hurt right? Girl’s smart and bi, she’s gotta have some insight.”
Apple Bloom hummed. “Well, sounds like yah girls are gonna have an interesting night. Hopefully she won’t give yah bad advice to get revenge on me.”
“She wouldn’t do that.” Applejack looked over and shook her head. “Ah know she’s angry with yah, but she’s not the type to take petty revenge and sabotage someone… anymore. Pretty sure she left sexuality alone even then.”
“If yah say so. Just make sure not to pressure me out of it when yah get back cause yah thought it was sound advice.”
“Ah’m not that gullible.” Applejack smiled. “Ah may have no experience with this, but Ah have a basic idea of what not to do.”
“Is that because of yer ‘research’?”
“Partly, the rest is because Ah love my baby sister and Ah don’t want to make her uncomfortable.” She flashed Bloom a small smile, interrupted by an alarm on her phone. She took out her phone and silenced the alarm. “Well, that’s my cue to get out of here.” She zipped up her bag, grabbed it, and began walking out the door.
“Have fun at Sunsets! Try not to have so much fun yah’ll want to stay!”
“No promises! “Applejack yelled back as she walked out the door. “Love ya bye!”
Apple Bloom stared at the door for a few seconds before taking another bite of her apple. “... Why didn’t Scoots tell me? Was she too busy perving on me and Diamond? If Ah still had my phone, Ah’d give her an ass whoopin for that.”
“Yah’d give her a what now?” Apple Bloom seized up when she heard Granny Smith's voice behind her. “If yah don’t mind repeatin’ it young lady.”