//------------------------------// // Chapter 47: Piggly-Wiggly // Story: The Other Journal // by Ganondorf8 //------------------------------// Day: Tuesday Weather: Snow Time: 9:00am Against my own judgment, I've agreed to go to five slumber parties, one hosted by each of my friends. While I appreciate them doing this for me, they shouldn't have given up their plans to celebrate the holidays. One thing I did learn from this experience, though, was to ask for a ride if I needed to get somewhere. Trudging through the snow didn't do me any favours, but at least I had Rainbow Dash to keep me company. We walked the remaining distance and arrived late at Pinkie Pie's place, much to the displeasure of the others. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned something about Applejack's past. While everyone else slept, I sent a message to Princess Twilight and told her about my experiences that night. The next day, things became complicated when students began using the nickname Applejack mentioned in her story. How did they come to know that? Had someone revealed her secret? Also, who was this Anon-A-Miss person? And why did their MyStable profile look like something I'd do? The Other Journal By Ganondorf8 January 27, 2016 Chapter 47: Piggly-Wiggly " As you mentioned earlier when you mentioned online bullying." Twilight said. " Remember how I said MyStable destroyed my life?" I asked. " Yes." " This would be the first instance of that site inflicting its damage. None of us were aware that anything was amiss, so we all went to sleep that night, looking forward to the next slumber party at Rarity's place." I said. " What about that message to Princess Twilight? Does it have any significance?" Twilight asked. " Not really. All I did was explain what my experiences were that night." " Oh." " What's wrong?" " I was hoping that you could have mentioned what you wrote to Her Highness and say what she said in response. It's not that I'm jealous of her or anything, so don't even think about it like that! She's just a different version of me who happens to be a magical princess." Twilight answered. The tone in her voice suggested otherwise, but I never considered her feelings towards Her Highness all that often. Twilight should never have to compare herself with Princess Twilight; that would just be unfair to both of them. Between the two of them, I prefer this version. She is much more approachable, and we have much in common. I know Her Highness and I have some things in common as well, but those are more along professional lines than anything else. " To be honest, the message I sent to Her Highness wasn't anything special." I said. " It would have been nice to know." " Let me bookmark the journal right here, and I'll see if I can find that message in the magic journal." I suggested. I had no intention of arguing with Twilight over this. I had gotten used to that glare in her eyes that she gives me whenever she wants to have her way with things. The only option was to simply accept that she wanted to know and go ahead and reveal it. I wasn't trying very hard to keep this information from her. I knew what I wrote to Her Highness wasn't all that much. Placing the bookmark in the journal, I reached into my backpack and took out the magic journal. I should probably just leave it out from now on, as I have a feeling I'll be coming back to it again, especially with Twilight's attitude. I opened it and began leafing through the pages until I reached the message in question. It wasn't very long, but she wanted to see it with her own eyes. I handed it over to Twilight, and she started to read it. It didn't take long before she began oohing and aahing over what she was seeing, and I rolled my eyes in response. I found it adorable that she was so fascinated by what was written down, yet it was just my messages and Friendship Reports, normal practice for me at this point. " I never get tired of reading what the two of you send to one another." Twilight said. " See? I told you there wasn't much there." " Do you think I could borrow this sometime?" " What for?" " I'd really like to study the scientific applications this journal possesses. I know it uses powerful magic to send messages between dimensions, but I think there's a logical explanation behind how it really works. I can see myself getting the Nobel Peace Prize for this endeavour, or a Pulitzer at the very least." Twilight answered. Her eyes started flashing stars so consuming was she with wanting to uncover the journal's secrets, and again I rolled my eyes over how cute she was being. My reaction hadn't gone unnoticed by Twilight, who blushed before handing the journal back. " I am so, so sorry for even thinking of such things. I know this journal means a great deal to you, and I was obsessed with wanting personal glory." " You were just being you, Twilight. If I were in your shoes, I'd have had the exact same reaction." I said. " Doesn't excuse me from how I acted." " At least you were cute in your little moment." I said. Twilight blushed again, and I closed the magic journal and placed it aside. I could have done what she desired a long time ago and become famous for having an item that could transcend dimensions. I never considered it because of the potential consequences and because I buried it in my locker in hopes of forgetting all about Princess Celestia. I opened the other journal to where the bookmark was placed and turned the page before groaning in anger. Twilight was confused by my behaviour and looked down at the page. " There's just one word on this page." " A word I hate." " 'Anon-A-Miss'... I can't say that's a subtle name." " It wasn't." " I take it that was the name used by the person who framed you for spilling secrets?" " Yep. They registered on MyStable on the night of the first slumber party, according to their page. They quickly gained friends who weren't exactly on good terms with the Rainbooms, but what really stung was her profile picture. It was an outline of me where my entire body was coloured in yellow and surrounded by a red background. This would be updated later to make it even look more like me." I answered. " Did anyone suspect you of being this person straight away?" Twilight asked. " No. Students were more interested in what was said about Applejack and ignored that little fact. However, there was one student who blamed me for revealing that secret, and she made sure to let Applejack know." I answered. " You were told later?" " Yep." " Who told Applejack?" " Her sister." Everyone was still sound asleep, aside from me, but that was because I had a lot on my mind. I enjoyed the first of five slumber parties my friends had put together for me, but I still felt bad about them giving up on their own plans. Granted, what they wanted to do wasn't all that much compared with some of the more ambitious plans other students had come up with. Nevertheless, I wish they didn't have to make such a sacrifice. I should have remained quiet when Applejack grilled me earlier. Oh well; there was no sense in talking about what could have been. My friends felt like they belonged here, while I was merely a spectator pretending to be part of the group. Why did I feel like I was the only one who wasn't truly happy? Could it be that I missed Hearth's Warming? I never really cared much for it, as I didn't spend time with anyone during that holiday. My friends wouldn't be able to understand my feelings on the matter. How could they? They were humans, and I was a pony in the shape of one. Maybe... Maybe I'm just overthinking all of this and allowing my anxieties to get the better of me? Perhaps. I needed to soothe these feelings before they ended up consuming my very thoughts. Reaching into my backpack, I took out the magic journal before staring at it longingly. Aside from the portal, this journal was my only connection to my place of birth. Part of me really wanted to go back to Equestria again and run around on four hooves instead of two legs and use my magic freely without restraint. But, I was only kidding myself. I could never return. Not yet, at any rate. I may have forged a friendship with Princess Twilight and become her student, but my actions prior to that still condemn me. I was certain Princess Celestia would welcome me back with open hooves, but I couldn't say the same for everypony else. I would be shunned for what I did and exiled to the desolate wastes. Was I overthinking that, too? I really needed to get my mind off of such matters or I'd start to lose it. Looking down at my journal, I felt the urge to send Her Highness a message of holiday greeting and perhaps inquire about how she was getting used to her new castle. It must be difficult for her to get used to such large surroundings compared with her much smaller library. I never did see the Golden Oak Library in all its glory, nor did I see Ponyville, for that matter. Should I ever return home, I'd need to pay a visit to Ponyville to see what made it so special. Opening the journal and taking out a pen from my pocket, I thought hard before beginning to write down my message. Dear Princess Twilight, Hope you're not surprised that I'm sending you a message at this time of night. Our friends decided to host five slumber parties to make me feel better, and so far, I'm really enjoying the experience. I'm also reminded of my disdain towards snow. Trudging through it isn't fun at all, but at least I used two legs instead of four hooves. Tomorrow will be the second slumber party at Rarity's, so I expect it to be really fancy. I'll be honest with you. This time of the year brings me nothing but pain. It's because I've spent the holidays alone, not in the company of family and friends. This experience with our friends is one that I'll surely cherish. By the way, I'm curious as to how you've managed to get adjusted to your new castle. Also, how go the Hearth's Warming celebrations in Equestria? That's all I have to say for now, but I hope to hear back from you soon. Your friend, Sunset Shimmer. I knew Her Highness would receive my message, yet I didn't want to go to sleep. I was under the assumption that she would be responding to me right this very moment, yet she was probably asleep herself. Time in Equestria was different from that of this world, yet there were similarities to be had. I initially hesitated to tell her how I really felt about the slumber parties, but I chose to go through with it. With Princess Twilight, I never felt the need to hide the truth from her. Unlike our other friends, she could understand me better than most; our histories were nearly identical up until I made that fateful decision. It's a harsh reality which had given me new experiences in life, but it also gave me heartache over losing so much. A few minutes had passed, and my eyelids struggled to keep themselves open. Just as I started drifting off, the journal started glowing. Her Highness had responded to my message--quickly, thankfully--so I looked down at what she had written. Dear Sunset Shimmer, Glad to see that you've accepted our friends' hospitality despite your reservations. I know it's difficult for you to accept their gift, but you need to open up your heart and not give in to despair. I didn't think that world got any snow, yet I suspect it comes naturally, without any Pegasi delivering it from a flying cloud city. Hearth's Warming is just a few days away, and already, everypony has been getting themselves prepared. I plan on spending the holidays with Spike at my castle this year, although I do plan on dropping by my parents' place for a visit. I haven't seen them since my coronation. My castle? It's taken some getting used to, but it's a work in progress. I've made a most remarkable discovery when the pony versions of our friends and I sat on our respective thrones. A map appeared, and it shows me places across Equestria where a Friendship Problem needs solving. Rather than bore you with the details, I'll simply explain things to you the next time I come through the portal, and I have a feeling it will be sooner than expected. Call it a hunch. Remember that I'll always be here if you need to send me any messages. I love hearing from you. Your friend, Princess Twilight Sparkle. Her castle had a map!? In all my years of going to Princess Celestia's castle in Canterlot, I had never seen nor heard anything like that before. It must be nice to have your own castle. Was I getting jealous of Her Highness? I shouldn't be; she was destined for her role. It was my destiny, but that had since been discarded in favour of what I had now. At least she didn't pry into my parent issues. I shouldn't feel upset over how she had a strong bond with her parents. They were crucial to her upbringing and probably encouraged her to study magic. My parents never had my best interests at heart. Ugh! Just thinking of them gives me a headache. I decided to try and get some sleep before my troubled childhood caused even more stress. The next day, my friends and I all travelled to school together, and that meant having to trudge through the snow. The weather forecast had stated that more snow would fall overnight, while I wished that it could have been sunny enough to melt it all away. We had partied a little too hard last night, so we were all exhausted. I was the worst among our group due to staying up and writing that message to Princess Twilight. At least Rainbow Dash and I could mock the others about what it felt like trudging through deep snow. We had all agreed that leaving early was the best course of action, mainly because it was our only option. Everyone else's rides were too busy to pick any of us up. Would this exhaustion repeat itself for the remaining slumber parties? My body wasn't looking forward to that. The silence was broken when Pinkie yawned. Loudly. " You sleepy, Pinkie?" Applejack asked. " Don't be silly! Why would you think that?" " A yawn that loud tells me you had a little too much fun last night." " I think we all did." " Reckon y'all are right." " Um, you do look sleepy right now. I mean, you've got big bags under your eyes." Fluttershy said. This was the case for all of us. Pinkie's parties usually were crazy, but the one last night was in a league of its own. The idea of making me feel better was appreciated, but not at the expense of our sleep cycles. " Never! Parties give me energy! Parties are my... my... my something important!" Pinkie Pie shouted. " She was just makin' a comment there, Pinkie." Applejack said. " Hey, Piggly-Wiggly!" " Wha!" Applejack immediately turned her head the moment she heard that name, and it took me a few seconds to figure out what it was. Did I really hear that? Impossible! Like Applejack, I turned towards where the voice had come from. All we saw were students chatting amongst themselves as they walked past us and down the hallway. Maybe all that partying had affected me more than I thought. I could have sworn that I heard someone say "Piggly-Wiggly" While I tried to figure out what my ears had heard, Applebloom, Applejack's younger sister, came running up to us, and she looked like something had her pretty concerned. " Sis! Sis!" Applebloom said as she tried to catch her breath. " You gotta see this! Look!" She then held up her cellphone, which Applejack took from her hand before looking over it to see what was wrong. Upon finishing, she showed it to the rest of us. On the screen was Applejack's MyStable page. It looked pretty normal to me, but then I noticed the most recent message that had been posted three hours ago. Did you guys know when AJ was a kid she loved playing with her pigs? OMG! She sat in the mud for hours! Her whole family calls her "Piggly-Wiggly" cause she loves them so much! What a PIG! There was the nickname again, but now it had been made public. Judging from the number of likes, this message had been seen by a lot of people. This wasn't right. How did this person know about her nickname? My instincts were telling me that someone blabbed when they shouldn't have, but that was quickly replaced with a more considerate perspective. Maybe someone accidentally overheard Applejack mention her nickname and decided to share it through MyStable. I quickly looked up at Applejack after staring at the cellphone long enough, and the expression she had said it all. She was completely beside herself in shock. " What!? How th-- What th--" " It got posted a couple of hours ago!" Applebloom shouted. " Look at the name." I said, pointing at the message on the cellphone. " It says 'Anon-A-Miss'. Ooh, catchy!" Pinkie Pie said. " I disagree." I said. " Who's this Anon-A-Miss?" Applejack asked. " Her profile was created at the same time as those posts. No clue who she is." Applebloom answered. This person had obviously taken a lot of precautions to hide their identity, even going with a rather ridiculous-sounding username, but that wasn't what was worrying me. I couldn't see the icon this Anon-A-Miss used very well, but there was something awfully familiar about it. I decided to pay it no mind and instead focus my efforts on comforting Applejack. " That means... anyone could be her." Applejack said. " Or it could be a him." Pinkie Pie said. " Why would it be a guy? The username clearly has the word 'miss' in it, so it has to have been a girl." Rainbow Dash said. " Do you suppose the male version would be Anon-A-Mous, or maybe Anon-A-Master?" " Not helping!" Actually, Pinkie's antics do eliminate roughly half of the entire student body. The name alone indicated that this someone was a female, but that still meant having to figure out who among the remaining half could have done this. " This wasn't just posted on yer page sis! She posted this on my page, your pages... Heck, the entire school probably knows about it by now. I ain't sure if the teachers know that something like this has been spreadin' 'round school. I don't know if they use MyStable." Applebloon said. The Piggly-Wiggly comments started getting more vocal, eventually followed up with oinking noises. How could our fellow students treat one of their own like this? We never had anything like this in Equestria! While there were quarrels between ponies, nopony would ever resort to defamation of character. Princess Celestia wouldn't have any of it under any circumstances. " Well, this ain't gonna bother me." Applejack announced. " Are you sure about that?" I asked. " They are getting worse." Fluttershy added. " I can handle a little teasing." Applejack answered. While that was true, I don't think she understood the seriousness of the situation. Applejack was proud. She usually never allowed things like this to annoy her, but I'm sure that deep down, she felt like her whole world had come crashing down on top of her. " Yeah, well, I'm not fine with this!" Rainbow Dash shouted. " What are you gettin' at?" Applejack asked. " You might be willing to accept this, but I'm sure not gonna start! What about this 'Anon-A-Miss'? How did she know about your nickname? I thought it was something only your family and closest friends knew about." Rainbow Dash answered. " Must be some kinda coincidence." " Oh, I'm so sure." " Look! I'm not gonna let this get to me, okay!" " I'm not saying you are!" " Um, can I, uh, say something?" Fluttershy asked, breaking up the argument. " Sure, sugarcube." Applejack answered. " Why would she post something like that online where anyone can see it? That's... That's just cruel!" Fluttershy said. While everyone else was pondering over what had just transpired, I had been looking at the female students as they passed by. None of them had any grudges towards Applejack, as she was popular in her own right and never really came off as arrogant. Yet, could they have had hidden desires to see her life completely ruined? Maybe I was overthinking things again, and I just shouldn't jump to any conclusions. We had very little information to go on, so accusing someone without proof would be foolish. What Fluttershy said finally caught my attention, and she made a valid point. Whoever this Anon-A-Miss was, they wanted to cause as much chaos as possible, apparently in an attempt to humiliate Applejack. While only the students of CHS were aware of this secret, it could quickly spread throughout Canterlot. That would make things even worse! This problem must remain isolated to the school. Before any of us could consider our next move, the school bell started to ring. That was inconvenient. At least we could take some time to come up with a solution, although my concern was towards Applejack. This whole experience had rattled her nerves something fierce, and she was putting on a brave face just to maintain her composure. If anyone could sympathize with what she was going through, it would be me. " I guess the questions are gonna have to wait until after school." Applejack said as she started to walk off. " Let us know if we can help, AJ." I said. " Sure thing, Sunset." Applejack said. While she and Applebloom walked off in one direction, the rest of us walked off in the opposite one, our thoughts fixated on our friend who had been publically humiliated by someone who wanted Applejack to suffer. As we were walking away, I could barely hear a conversation between the two sisters, but I didn't want to turn back and see what it was all about. It probably didn't involve us. What had originally started out as a celebration of the holidays with slumber parties in my honour had taken a downward turn. So far, it was an isolated incident, yet one of our group had been targeted for reasons currently unknown. Perhaps I should suggest to the others that we cancel the remaining parties for Applejack's sake. I didn't think she'd have the willpower to want to continue on until this problem had been resolved. I then started thinking about the icon this Anon-A-Miss had again. What was it about it that struck a familiar chord with me? I thought I could simply ignore it, but I couldn't. I had no time to ponder over it, though, as Rainbow Dash announced that we were to meet at our usual spot during the lunch period instead of the cafeteria. Applejack would most likely be late, as her classes were on the other side of the school, but I had a feeling I knew what was to be discussed. " That explains why you said MyStable destroyed your life." Twilight said. " Like any online site where you could post your opinions, anyone could say anything without fear of being exposed. A lot of people tend to post such horrible things under the shield of anonymity. Who they were was almost impossible to uncover. In any case, Anon-A-Miss could have been anyone among the female students at CHS, and since we had no idea as to the reason behind this attack on Applejack, we were running around without any evidence." I said. " Did Applejack really not let it get to her?" " She tried her best to ignore the taunting, but deep down, she was slowly losing her sanity. Thankfully, Applejack was someone who never resorted to violence under any circumstances. She knew better than that." I answered. During such moments, she would also rely on her most powerful weapon, which brought many to their knees: the truth. Applejack's ability to get the truth out of people was remarkably uncanny, and I'd attribute it to the Element of Harmony she represented: Honesty. While Applejack remained calm, Rainbow Dash was anything but that. Thinking back on it now, I'd say she did more harm than good. " I'm sure you've already come to the conclusion that Rainbow didn't take it lying down." I said. " What did she try to do?" Twilight asked. " She wanted to take matters into her own hands." " Why not let Principal Celestia know?" " That was the smart decision we could've used, but Rainbow insisted that we figure it out on our own. Besides, I told you that if the teachers had discovered what was going on, they would have cracked down on the use of MyStable and banned it from school grounds ." I answered. It still amazed me how Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna never found out about Anon-A-Miss. They were usually on top of situations like this. " Maybe you shouldn't have gone with Rainbow Dash's idea." Twilight said. " It didn't amount to much in the end." " Why do you say that?" " Applejack would finally arrive at our usual spot and insist on talking to me in private." " About what?" " Remember that conversation she had with Applebloom?" " The one you couldn't hear?" " Applejack told me about it. Before I get into it, why don't we look at the next page of the journal. I know it sounds like I'm being optimistic, yet that isn't the case at all. This is only the beginning, Twilight, and things are only going to get worse from here." I answered. " Here, let me do it." Twilight said. She reached out for the journal and grabbed it, placing it on her lap and turning the page over. There was another photo glued onto the page, but there was also another drawing, yet it looked really fancy compared to the previous ones. Upon closer inspection, Twilight determined this drawing had also been glued into place. She knew that I wasn't the artist; I don't draw so well. This one had clearly been drawn by a professional. The drawing was that of a dress, yet it looked different from anything Twilight had seen. Simply put, it looked tacky. It took me a few moments to remember the significance behind it. " Whose house does this belong to? It looks like it had been built during the late nineteenth century." Twilight said. " That's Rarity's house." I answered. " Makes sense that she would live in a fancy residence." " She was the one who made the drawing." " I didn't know she dabbled in art." " Most people don't. Rarity dedicates her free time to her designs, but on a rare occasion, she draws something for fun. That drawing depicts a dress which she has in her collection, yet it's part of her infamous collection that rarely sees the light of day." I said. " Rarity has something like that? Wow... I didn't think she would have anything tasteless." Twilight said. " Hence why she doesn't like anyone knowing she has it." " Are you going to explain the meaning behind the drawing?" " First, I'll tell you what Applejack said to me about her conversation with Applebloom. I should have taken her words more seriously. If I hadn't been so ignorant of it all, I could have figured out the problem much sooner." I answered. The rest of the morning passed by without incident, mostly. As I walked through the hallways in-between classes, I could hear students whispering the name Piggly-Wiggly and oinking. Just seeing them acting like that made me feel sick to my stomach. I often thought of this world as a positive alternative to Equestria, but after seeing everyone ridicule Applejack, I started to think my home world was a much better place. Still, my own thoughts were one thing, but what did Applejack think of it? She claimed that none of this bothered her, but she could snap at any moment. I needed speak to her whenever I had a free moment to make sure she's okay. If anyone understood what it's like to be teased, it would be me. I've been both a victim and an instigator of bullying, so I have both perspectives close to my chest. Rainbow Dash had insisted we all meet at our usual spot in the library in order to discuss what to do to find out who had spilled Applejack's secret. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to take matters into our own hands. When it came to a situation like this, letting Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna know would resolve things quickly. They were the proper authorities, and while I wanted to tell them, Rainbow said otherwise, which surprised me. I thought she was regressing back to her egotistical ways, but when she mentioned her reason for keeping the teachers out of the loop, it sort of made sense. If the teachers were to discover that someone had blackmailed another student through MyStable, they would ban the site from school grounds. While I had no problem with that, since I rarely used MyStable, Rainbow said it would stifle school morale. Apparently, a lot of students used MyStable whenever they had a free moment, so banning it would anger a lot of students. Sometimes, I think students would be better off without all of this multimedia nonsense dictating their lives. By the time I reached the library, students were still laughing at Applejack's expense. They were saying that Anon-A-Miss' MyStable page had exploded in views and friend requests within a span of several hours, and I felt crestfallen over them praising this person. Why would anyone praise someone who exposed a secret about someone else? That should be condemned! If anything, I should look at myself. I used to expose student's secrets all the time without fear of being caught. Students at first praised my work, but they quickly changed their tune once their own secrets became known. Could this be someone's attempt at recreating the chaos I caused? I surely hoped not. CHS has slowly recovered from the three years of damage I caused. I don't think it can recover from another one. My friends were sitting at our usual table, and while Rainbow Dash scolded me for being slightly late, she mostly ignored my tardiness, as her mind was clearly focused on what had happened to Applejack. The others all looked visibly upset over this whole Anon-A-Miss thing, and upon me sitting down at the table, Rainbow slammed her fists down with a loud thud that surely could have drawn unwanted attention. " I can't believe this happened to Applejack!" " Agreed, darling! This is truly the most horrific scandal this school has ever seen." Rarity said. " I don't think it's quite like that, Rarity." Rainbow Dash said. " Why ever not?" " This is a school, not one of those Miss Equestria competitions!" " It could be." " Um, shouldn't we wait until Applejack arrives before we discuss what we can do?" Fluttershy asked. " She'll be running a little late; she still has class." I answered. I was in agreement over waiting for Applejack to arrive, but Rainbow Dash wasn't in the mood. While she had gotten over her self-centered attitude, her impatience continued to pose a problem. I'm not sure why Rainbow felt this way over something that didn't even ruin her reputation. This was a problem Applejack needed to resolve. All we could do was provide emotional support and perhaps inform the two sisters of Anon-A-Miss. Again, Rainbow was insistent on keeping the teachers out of this. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear Applejack's stubbornness were rubbing off on her. " Okay, we need to figure out who's behind this." Rainbow Dash said. " Shouldn't we let Principal Celestia know?" I asked. " I'm in complete agreement with Sunset." Rarity added. " What!? And lose our privilege to use MyStable on school grounds? No way! We can't let them know!" Rainbow Dash answered. " It's not that big of a loss." I said. " Of course it is! You may not understand it, Sunset, since you barely use the thing anyway, but to those of us who use MyStable to get in touch with our friends, having it taken away would be like a kick in every student's gut. Just because one person decided to act like a complete jerk shouldn't mean the rest of us have to pay the price!" Rainbow Dash said. " But keeping the teachers out? Principal Celestia would easily be able to figure this one out." I said. " I, uh, agree with Sunset on this one, Rainbow Dash. We shouldn't try playing detective, especially when we have next to no information. If, uh, we were to, um, accuse the wrong students, that would just hurt all of our reputations. That would cause Applejack even more problems, and, uh, I don't think she would appreciate that. I know MyStable means an awful lot to everyone, but we still have access to it outside of school grounds. It's not that big a deal." Fluttershy added. " Got anything to add, Pinkie Pie?" Rarity asked. Our eyes then turned towards the most hyper-active member of our group. Pinkie usually would be spouting all kinds of things to make herself get noticed, but she had been relatively quiet. The reason soon became clear. Pinkie was drinking a soft drink, and her responses were regulated to slurping sounds and moving her head. Rarity asked her question again, and Pinkie shook her head back and forth several times. " Then let's come up with a strategy." Rainbow Dash announced. " Hey, everyone! Sorry I'm late!" We all turned around upon hearing that familiar voice, and sure enough, there was Applejack. It looked like all of our quarreling had lasted long enough for her to make it here and not miss out on anything. For some reason, Applejack was looking in my direction, which made me feel very uncomfortable. It felt like she wanted to say something, but wanted to do so in private. Why would she want to speak to me? What could I possibly do to make her feel better? " We were just talking about you." Rarity said. " And about to come up with a plan to find out who posted your secret." Rainbow Dash added. " If y'all don't mind, I'd like to speak with Sunset about somethin'." Applejack said. " By all means." Rarity said. " I mean, I'd like to speak to her in private." " In private, you say?" " Yeah." " Come on, Applejack." I began. " We can talk over there by that bookshelf." " Perish the thought!" Rarity said. " If anything, the rest of us should leave you two alone to have your private conversation. Come along, everyone! We should leave them to deal with whatever it is Applejack has on her mind. That includes you as well, Rainbow Dash!" My friends then started packing up their things before getting up from their seats and leaving our usual spot. Rainbow hesitated at first, under the assumption that they should be allowed to hear this conversation, but Rarity dragged her away by her ear, much to her annoyance. This left Applejack and I alone, and I felt nervous about this whole situation. Why speak in private? Why with me? As Applejack walked over to the table and sat down, she beckoned me to join her. Knowing there was no other choice, I nodded before pulling out a chair and sitting down near her. Something was on her mind, her expression told me that much, at least. " So, what did you want to speak to me about?" I asked. " When y'all left to go to class, I reckon you overheard my conversation with Applebloom." Applejack answered. " No. I could barely hear anything due to the noise." " I was hopin' you had." " Why?" " Sunset... I'll be honest when I say that this is a little difficult for me, so y'all excuse me for takin' this slow. You see, when y'all left, Applebloom mentioned somethin' that really got under my skin." Applejack answered. " What was it?" I asked. " She said that the colours on Anon-A-Miss' page were the same as your hair." Applejack answered. My eyes opened wide with shock and my jaw dropped. Did her sister accuse me of being Anon-A-Miss just because the colours she uses were identical to the colour of my hair? I had no words to describe how I felt about such an accusation. How could my friend's sister think such a horrible thing? I know that I used to expose students' secrets all the time, but that was the old me. I'd never do anything like that anymore. I looked at Applejack to see if she was kidding, but she had since lowered her head. She was being serious. I felt like throwing up, but I kept my composure, but still, how could she make such an accusation? There were many questions yet no answers, but perhaps Applejack had some. " Judgin' from the look on yer face, you ain't takin' this very well." " Can you blame me?" I asked. " No, I can't." " Why would Applebloom accuse me?" " Well, she said that you had only heard the story of where I got my nickname from just the other night." " So? You told the others, right?" " 'Course I did, and I refused to believe what Applebloom had to say. You're my friend, Sunset, and what could you possibly gain from bein' Anon-A-Miss. Granted, I reckon it's a might coincidental that your hair colour matches the colours on Anon-A-Miss' page, but that don't mean anythin'." Applejack answered. My heart, which had been beating like a jackhammer, started to calm itself down. Still, I felt like the damage had already been done. The sister of my friend accused me of revealing an important secret, yet I had done nothing of the sort. Unfortunately, my only claim of innocence were my own words. That wouldn't hold up very well against the student body, and I knew from experience that they could turn against anyone at the drop of a hat. " You... don't think I did it, do you?" I asked. " Not at all." " Thanks, Applejack." " Are you gonna be okay?" " I... just need some time to think about this, but I'm glad you brought it to my attention." " That's what friends are for." " Yeah." " Reckon I oughta go to the cafeteria and grab me a bite before headin' on over to my next class. I'll see you later, Sunset." Applejack said. She then got up from her seat and walked away, leaving me to think about what I had been told. My mind was thinking about what happened after I was defeated when I became a demon. I've already had the displeasure of being isolated from my peers once before, and the thought of having to experience it again was just too much for me. I'm glad that Applejack didn't believe what her sister said, but why did she accuse me in the first place? As far as I knew, I never once did anything to Applebloom. Perhaps this was her way of getting back at all those times I made her sister suffer during my darker times around here? The thought of getting revenge briefly crossed my mind, yet I knew doing that would only make things worse. I'm better than that! Besides, I accused Applebloom of wanting revenge herself. Am I really that petty? This whole accusation thing was giving me a headache. I needed to take my mind off of such things. There was the second slumber party at Rarity's place tonight, so that was something to look forward to. I also had the remaining parties in the coming days, as well. Also, I could always send another message to Princess Twilight if I felt the need to find out what was happening back home. Yes, all of this stress over Applebloom's words wasn't doing me any favours. I just needed to forget all about this nonsense and focus on what's important. All that reading made my throat dry, so I popped open my bottle of cider and took a big gulp before wiping my arm across my mouth. I then felt something latching onto my arm, so I looked down and saw that Twilight was holding on tightly, tears trickling down her face. It didn't take me long to figure out that she was upset over how Applebloom had accused me of being Anon-A-Miss. However, I knew she would get even worse, especially when I eventually tell her how Applebloom truly connects with what happened. I started to cough to let Twilight know that I needed her to let go of my arm. When she heard me, she immediately relinquished it before blushing. " Why... Why would Applebloom accuse you?" Twilight asked. " She seemed to assume that Anon-A-Miss was me because her page used colours that were the same as my hair colour." I answered. " That's so petty!" " Maybe, but I paid no attention to her ramblings thanks to Applejack's advice." " Applejack is such a good friend." " I should have listened." " To Applebloom?" " Yeah." " Why?" " Let's just say that her words had more significance than I initially suspected. I would eventually figure out their meaning, but at that time, I was ignorant. What happened to Applejack was only the beginning. Anon-A-Miss would post more secrets that night, and these proved to be more damaging than what she posted before." I answered. " Are you going to tell me the significance behind the photo and drawing?" Twilight asked. " The photo has nothing to tell you because it's just Rarity's house, but what I can say is that she wanted us to experience a more refined party as opposed to what Pinkie had given us. Would you believe that Rarity had ordered some of that really fancy food you'd find at those posh restaurants?" I asked. Twilight scratched her head as she pondered over my question, but I quickly gave her the answer when I nodded. This made Twilight cover up her mouth before turning her head away from me, and I could barely make out what sounded like suppressed giggling. Was she trying hard not to laugh at what Rarity did? I don't know why she thought it was funny; Rarity did things like that all the time. A few moments later, Twilight finally turned around, laughing in my face before falling over with laughter. All I did was roll my eyes, as usual, and wait for her to get it out of her system. Rarity's choice of style often got a laugh from others, but she didn't allow that to deter her from wanting to be fabulous whenever she did anything. I'll admit that it did take me some time to get used to her mannerisms, but it was well worth the wait. " Are you finished now?" I asked. " I couldn't help but laugh, but I feel like I was being insensitive to Rarity." Twilight answered when she calmed down. " Most do what you did." " Doesn't change the fact that I was wrong to have laughed." " You can apologize to Rarity when you next see her. Anyway, the drawing of the dress is an example from what she refers to as her 'Closet of Shame'. Not everything she makes or purchases turned out the way she had wanted, so she hides them away so that no one can see them, not even herself. Rarity is always dead serious when it comes to her fashion, and this made her an ideal target for Anon-A-Miss." I said. " Anon-A-Miss got to her?" Twilight asked. " 'Fraid so." " How did she pull that off?" " Would you believe she got unexpected assistance from me?"