//------------------------------// // Sunset really should’ve learned from Apple Bloom // Story: In the wake of Anon-A-Miss // by General Alduin //------------------------------// What!?” Sunset Shimmer recoiled from the phone. “I don’t remember agreeing to this!”  “What the hell did yah do RD!?” Applejack asked as everyone turned their head towards Rainbow Dash, waiting for an explanation.  “I Uh…” rainbow seized up, clearing her throat as she began sweating nervously.  “Rainbow. What did- I told you to talk with Scootaloo! What happened when I left?”  “Wait.” Applejack turned to Sunset. “Yah made Rainbow talk to Scootaloo?” “It was my compensation for tutoring her.” Sunset explained defensively. “I promised Scootaloo that I’d get Rainbow to talk to her when me and Rainbow were on speaking terms.” “What? Sunset, yah can't just-” “Applejack darling.” Rarity interrupted. “I’m sure we’d all like to admonish Sunset for her… heavy handed approach to Rainbow and Scootaloo, but I think the more important issue is what Rainbow Dash did.” Everyone immediately looked back to Rainbow Dash in agreement, the girl wilting under their looks. “Uh, well… you see… “Scootaloo.” Rainbow squinted at the younger girl. “Let’s talk.” Scootaloo smiled, nodded, and sat down on Rainbow's bed. The two sat in very awkward silence for a long time. “So… how have things been?” “Ok. As ok as they can be considering… what happened.” Rainbow cleared her throat. “Sunsets talking to some of us again.” “Yeah, I ran past her. I didn’t expect the two of you to be on speaking terms already.” “Well, I mean, technically we’re not? Like, she’s just trying to tutor me for science. We did hash some things out earlier but-” Rainbow shrugged. “- I wouldn’t exactly say we’re on speaking terms.” “Oh. Better than nothing I guess.” Scootaloo looked away awkwardly. “... Just say it.” “Why did you go after me?” Rainbow scowled. “I mean, you shouldn’t have gone after anyone with that little account of yours, but it was seriously fucked up when you went after me. I know each of you went after your sisters, but it was easy for your friends, you went out of your way to hurt me.” “It- I- Well-“ Scootaloo cleared her throat. “It’s not an excuse, but I was trying to ensure you’d stay mad at Sunset and wouldn’t think of hearing her out.” “I was already doing that.” Rainbow growled. “You didn’t… you didn’t need to do that to me. I was stubborn, I wasn’t going to hear Sunset out.” “Well I didn’t know that, I just wanted to make sure!” Scootaloo held up her hands. “You always taught me loyalty was important and I was afraid you’d have some lingering loyalty to Sunset and it would ruin our plan.” “That’s another thing.” Rainbow crossed her arms. “If you knew loyalty was important, why did you betray me? Why did you betray everyone!?” “In my defense I was loyal to my friends, through Anon-A-Miss and up till the end.” Rainbow scoffed at that. “I also rationalized what I was doing by saying I was helping you from being taken advantage of by Sunset. I thought that a little name calling and exposing a bad test would’ve been worth it in the long run, I told myself it wasn’t betrayal if you didn’t find out.” “Not betrayal? That makes it worse!” “Yeah, I know that now but…” Scootaloo sighed. “I was just… I…” “And you couldn’t have done anything else? You just had to go after my grades?” Rainbow Dash grumbled angrily. “The only reason you knew to look was because I told you. I told you in confidence. And then you just- you just… stabbed me in the back and made me betray my friend and then-” Rainbow inhaled sharply. “-you called me a dumbass!” “... Technically all I wrote was ‘buoyancy of her head’-” Rainbow held her hand up to silence Scootaloo. “You know I’m not the smartest girl in school, you knew I struggled with me grades, you knew it bothered me, but you just had to call me an idiot, my own sister.” Rainbow growled. “That fucking hurt, you stabbing me in the back and mocking my intelligence. Was there nothing else you could’ve done?” “What else is there?” Scootaloo threw her hands up. “It’s the only thing people would have cared about and that you kept secret.” “How about not doing it?” “I explained to you why I did it!” Scootaloo was starting to get annoyed. She expected some yelling and hostility, but not this. “Look, Rainbow, I’m so-” “I don’t want to hear your fake apologies.” “They’re not fake!” Scootaloo looked away. “I’ve felt awful for what I did, to you and the entire school. I really am sorry Rainbow Dash!” “Are you actually sorry, or do you just want your awesome big sister back?” “Well, she isn’t being very awesome right now is she?” Rainbow tensed at Scootaloo's words. “Everyone else’s sisters have forgiven them and are working through what happened, why can’t you?” “Yeah well, you’re not really my sister are you?”  Scootaloo's breath hitched and she looked hurt. She looked away, wiping the tears from her eyes before knitting her brows together. “Well maybe you shouldn’t have made it so easy for me!” “Excuse me?” “You heard me!” Tempers for both of the girls began to rise. “Maybe if you were actually Sunset's friend you wouldn’t have left her! Some Element of Loyalty you were!” “Enough.” “And maybe if you studied instead of kicking a ball around all the time, I wouldn’t have been able to call you stupid!” “Be quiet!” “You’re nothing but a selfish-” “Stop!” “-irresponsible-” “That’s enough!” “-ego maniac, and I’m glad I made sure Sunset will never be your friend aga-” “SHUT UP!” A resounding smack resounded around the room as Scootaloo was sent flying off of Rainbow's bed, being thrown into a pile of dirty clothes and discarded garbage. Rainbow's eyes widened and she looked shocked at her right knuckles, finding they had red specks of blood. Her eyes darted to Scootaloo as she heard the girl sobbing, her heart breaking when Scootaloo turned to look at her, holding her nose as blood spilled from her hands. Scootaloo looked at her with a mixture of hurt and hatred on her face. “Scootaloo-” Rainbow got up, which only caused Scootaloo to jump up and run out the house as fast as she could. “Scootaloo! Wait!” Rainbow cried, trying to run after her. She was paying such little attention that she knocked into her mother, sending her scrambling to keep her balance. She was about to run out the door to catch up to Scootaloo, but was stopped at the last second by her dad who held her in place while she struggled. “Woah! Hey now, what do you think you’re doing? What the hell is going on?” “Let me go! I-I didn’t mean- Scootaloo!” She cried desperately as Scootaloo ran to the right, disappearing from sight. No one said a thing for a long, long moment, each of the girls staring at Rainbow with a mixture of shock, horror, or furious anger. “Yah did what to Scootaloo?” “I-I punched her. But I didn’t mean to, I just- she- I was angry and I just-” Rainbows voice broke and she wiped her eyes with her sleeves. “I’m so sorry.” The group was about to tear Rainbow to shreds but were all silenced when Sunset held up her hand. “You know what… this is my fault.” She lowered her hand, everyone looking at her confused. “I shouldn’t have forced a confrontation between you two, you two are still clearly hurt by what happened and it was wrong of me to extort you into talking with her. I should’ve realized that what worked for me and AJ, probably wasn’t going to end the same way with you two.” “Ah guess both yah and Bloom learned a lesson about not forcing a meeting between people before they’re ready?” Applejack said, crossing her arms. “Yes, AJ.” She looked at Applejack with a slightly annoyed look. “I guess we have.” “That still doesn’t make her hitting Scootaloo right!” Pinkie protested. “No, it doesn't. But it wouldn’t have ended that way if I didn’t force Rainbow, Rainbow rightfully pointed out she was not ready to talk with Scootaloo when I told her what I wanted for compensation. She was mature and trying to make sure she wouldn’t hurt Scootaloo while I was being… dismissive of Rainbow's boundaries. And for that I’m sorry.” Sunset placed her hands on her waist. “Further, I should’ve had someone, probably myself, be a mediator for you two so things wouldn’t get out of hand. I’ll still tutor you Dash, with or without you talking to Scootaloo.” “I don’t care about tutoring!” Rainbow took a step forward. “I need your help trying to win back and make it up to Scootaloo!” “And I will.” Sunset said reassuringly. “She likes me, she’ll listen to me. Trust me Dash, I’ll fix this. It might take some time, but I promise I’ll fix this.” They couldn’t discuss further as the warning bell rang. “I think we should all get ready for school, we’ve spent too much time on this.” Everyone murmured in agreement or nodded, slowly dispersing and making their way to their lockers. Sunset and Applejack grabbed their supplies for school, said their goodbyes, and made their way to their separate classrooms.  Applejack entered her first period class, looked around the room for a second, and made her way over to Bon-Bon, who looked unusually sullen today. “Bon-Bon.” Bon-Bon jumped at Applejack's voice, turning around to face her. “Ah need to talk with yah, think we can talk at lunch?” “Talk?” Bon-Bon began to sweat nervously. “What kind of talk?” Applejack opened her mouth to answer but was cut off by the bell. “Yah’ll see at lunch.” She said before going to her seat. Bon-Bon looked even more nervous at that. If that wasn’t ominous, she didn’t know what was. ‘Still.’ She thought to herself as the morning announcements came on. ‘Can’t be worse than Derpy yelling at me.’