//------------------------------// // Ch 13 - Confrontation // Story: Bitter Tears: An Anon-A-Miss Fanfic // by hattafan2593 //------------------------------// "So...how'd it go?" The sad look on Twilight's face was the only answer Flash and the others needed. "So what now?" Rainbow asked, her shoulders slumped. Twilight shrugged. defeated. "I guess....you guys go home....and Spike and I go back to Equestria....and we just wait and see." "Wait, that's it?" came Spike's muffled voice from inside Twilight's backpack. "We're just leaving? What about Sunset?" "Spike, you saw how Sunset was," Twilight said sadly. "This is a lot more complicated than just a simple squabble. This whole Anon-A-Miss thing has affected her more deeply than any of us could've imagined." She looked at her friends with a pained face. "Sunset...she needs help. Help that I can't give her. This is something that friendship alone can't fix." She wiped a single tear away. "I'm sorry. But there's nothing I can do." Twilight hugged her arms as she walked slowly down the hall. The others, completely dejected at seeing their friend so defeated, followed her. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle clung to their sisters' arms, shame and sorrow clear on their faces. Scootaloo walked dejectedly behind them, with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy placing one hand on each of her shoulders for support. "Well, well, well. Isn't this a sight." The group froze at the familiar voice as they walked through the exit, and turned to see three figures emerge from the shadows. Three figures that they had hoped they would never see again. "You!" Rainbow snarled. "Me." said the lead siren, cocking an eyebrow. Though she no longer had her magical amulet, Adagio looked as smug and threatening as ever. Aria was grinning like the whole thing was just one big joke. Only Sonata scowled at them, and she clearly was not happy to be there. "What're you three varmints doin' here?" Applejack barked. "We thought we got rid a' y'all fer good!" "And where are we supposed to go, you dumb hick?" Aria sneered. "We've been banned from Equestria, we've been kicked out of your stupid school, and moving to a new town costs a shit-ton of money, which we don't have." "You three belong in prison for what you did!" Rarity said curtly. Adagio gave a condescending laugh. "By all means, darling, call the police on us! Tell them all about the evil sea ponies from another dimension who tried to take over your school with pop music. I'm so certain they'll believe you!" "No they won't," Sonata said, still glaring at the group. "They'll be laughed out into the streets, if not thrown into a loony bin." Aria and Adagio sighed at their sister once again missing the the joke, before turning their attention back to the group. "Face it, loves. You're stuck with us" Adagio purred, sauntering up to Rainbow and gripping her chin in her hand. "Whether you like it or not." Rainbow looked positively murderous, and it was only through Twilight gripping Adagio's arm and forcing her out of Rainbow's personal space was she able to reign her temper in. "Why are you here?" Twilight demanded. Adagio smirked and innocently placed her hands behind her back. "Oh, we were just in the neighborhood and we thought we'd go for a little stroll about town. Imagine our surprise when we came across two certain students from Canterlot High." Adagio dug out her phone and scrolled until she came to what she was looking for. She held it up for the others to see. "You take a really good picture, Flash." The entire group paled. The picture was of Flash and Sunset in the park. Sunset appeared to be in the midst of falling, and Flash had his arm outstretched. "You were spying on us?" Flash asked angrily. Adagio shrugged. "What can I say? I just happened to have my phone out and took a picture at the wrong time." Her smirk turned nastier as she admired her handiwork. "I wonder what the students of Canterlot High would think...Flash Sentry, the school Golden Boy, assaulting a defenseless girl?" She clicked her tongue and wagged her finger. "Can't imagine they'll be too happy." "That's not what happened! She lost her footing...she tripped!" Flash cried, a look of rage and horror on his face. "A picture's worth a thousand words, honey." Aria said, placing her hands on her hips. Flash gritted his teeth. She had a point; Twilight and the others knew the context behind the photo, but to anyone else, it would appear that Flash was pushing Sunset to the ground. "And why would you do that?" Twilight asked. "What would you have to gain from it?" "Princess, I'm a siren. It's what I do." Adagio pocketed the phone and folded her arms. "And if it's one thing I've learned in all my time here, is that you don't need magic to ruin someone's life. Isn't that right, Anon-A-Miss?" Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo turned ghostly white, and hid behind behind their sisters' backs. Rarity, Applejack, Big Mac and Rainbow Dash instinctively held out their arms to shield them. "How did you find out about that?" Twilight asked sternly. "It's the Internet, dumbass." Aria snarked. "Anybody can read what was posted. And the students weren't exactly quiet about what they did...or how much they hate them." The three young girls shivered at Aria's predatory smirk. "I have to say, you three would've made excellent sirens." Adagio commented in a faux cheerful voice. "You did far better at tearing the school apart than we ever did." "I don't know, Dagi. It seems like they did all the work for us." Aria said, coming to stand by her sister, gesturing to the group in front of them. "Remember the semi-finals? 'Now there's the bad girl we all love to hate! Dur dee dur dee dur!" Adagio snickered as Aria crossed her eyes and did a poor imitation of Flash. Flash's face turned bright scarlet. "That...that was all you! I never would've said that if-" "Honey, all we did was light the match. You supplied the kindling." Adagio said pointedly. "Our spell gave you a need to be the best; a compulsion to win. How you did that was all you." Flash tried to make words come out, but he couldn't. He turned to Twilight, who sadly turned to look at the ground. Flash hung his head, ashamed. Twilight's reaction said it all. They were telling the truth - all those awful things he said to her, his behavior during the semi-finals...that was all him, not the Dazzlings. "You know, I honestly don't know what I find more amusing," Adagio said as she and Aria began to circle the group like sharks. "The brutal humiliation Sunset Shimmer endured at the semi-finals, or the fact that not a single one of you stood up for her." "Yeah. You all just stood there while she was being booed and hissed at. You didn't even try to comfort her." Aria sneered. "So much for friendship." "But then, you were never really friends with her to begin with, were you?" Adagio grinned, loving how her words were affecting the group on front of her. "Sure, you were nice to her, but, let's face it, she's more your pet than your friend." "That is not true!" Fluttershy cried, holding back angry tears. "Oh? Then why didn't you let her join your band? She knew just as much about magic as Princess Twilight, she wanted us defeated as badly as you did. Were you afraid she couldn't play as well?" Adagio asked condescendingly. "Or maybe you were just afraid no one would want to see you play if she was in the group." Aria dug. "Maybe you thought she'd turn into a raging she-demon onstage." "Shut up." Rainbow growled. Her eyes were hidden behind her hair and her hands were balled into fists. "Of course, why Sunset would want to be friends with all of you is beyond me." Adagio added, throwing her hands up for dramatic effect. "You treat her like garbage, toss her aside at the slightest provocation, constantly distrust her - hell, you can't even get along with each other!" "What are you talking about?" Pinkie Pie asked, narrowing her eyes. "Surely your memory can't be that bad." Aria snipped. "We absorbed your magic - your supposed 'magic of friendship' - while we were onstage. If you hadn't escaped and kissed and made up at the last minute, we would've drained you dry." "We didn't even have to use our magic on you!" Adagio exclaimed, her smirk growing ever wider and more malevolent. "You imbeciles were fighting long before we showed up. All we had to do was lock you in a room together and soak up your magic like a sponge. You lot are easier to play than a piano!" "I said SHUT UP!" Unable to control herself anymore, Rainbow pulled her arm back and swung. Adagio was knocked to the ground as she skidded a foot away from them. "Dagi!" Aria and Sonata were by their sister's side in a flash. As Adagio sat up, she let out a deep laugh that slowly rose to a maniacal cackle. "HahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! What's the matter, Rainbow Trash?!" She turned to reveal a frightening Cheshire grin and a bloody nose. "Does the truth hurt? Can't hurt any worse than what you did to Sunset!" "Dag, stop! You've made your point." Aria tried to reason with her sister before she wound up in a body bag. But Adagio kept going. "Deny it all you want, but we both know the truth!" Adagio stood and faced the group, pointing at them accusingly. "At the end of the day you're no better than us!" Adagio's smile, if possible, got even wider, her voice filled with manic glee. "You all succeeded where we failed! You! Broke her!!!" With a cry of rage, and before anyone could stop her, Rainbow Dash charged like a bull at the siren. She skidded to a halt as Twilight moved to block her path. "That's enough, Dash!" Twilight cried. "Get out of my way, Twilight!" Rainbow snarled through clenched teeth. "Dash, this isn't solving anything! How do you think Sunset would feel if she saw you like this?" That took all the fire out of Rainbow, and she collapsed onto her knees, looking deflated. "What the hell is going on here?!" A nurse scrambled outside to confront the source of several noise complaints inside. "You all need to leave! Now! Before I call security!" "Come on, Dash." Applejack helped Rainbow to her feet. They began to walk with Big Mac and Apple Bloom towards Big Mac's truck. Rarity, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo walked towards Rarity's car. "Well, this has been fun." Adagio said smugly, wiping the blood from her face. "Ciao." She blew a kiss at them, and with a small wave, she and her sisters walked off and disappeared into the dark. "Wait a minute!" Twilight said, walking after them. "What about the photo?" "Forget it." Flash said, gently grabbing Twilight's arm. "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." Pause. "Listen...about what happened..." "Bygones." Twilight said, holding up her hand. "Besides...we have other things to worry about." Both looked up at the hospital building, and then at each other, wondering where to go from here. After they walked several blocks, Adagio pulled out her phone and pulled up the photo of Flash. "You're deleting it?" Aria asked, looking at what her sister was doing. "Why?" "I got what I wanted." Adagio said with a shrug and a smirk. When the deed was done, she pocketed the phone and asked, "You girls hungry? Let's go to Joe's."