And Where You Wanna Go This Time
"Sweetie Belle, are you sure you heard her right?"
Three girls were inside a room, the owner of which paced about as she ran a hand through her short, spiky purple hair and occasionally kicked aside the stray piece of dirty laundry or stepped around the stray sleeping bag they had set up for a sleep over. While Scootaloo was visibly agitated, her two best friends seemed both numb and close to crying respectively. Applebloom had sat down on Scootaloo's bed, not saying anything as she just stared at the floor while Sweetie Belle kept wringing her hands as she looked between the other two girls.
"I saw it! Fluttershy got a note from the janitor that's suppose to be from Sunset Shimmer and I heard her say that Sunset Shimmer wrote that she left town! What're we gonna do?!"
The pink and purple haired girl was starting to encroach on level one of Rarity hysterics. Scootaloo wasn't too worried about the noise since her mother wasn't yet home from her shift and her father was resting up for his night shift but the last thing she wanted to deal with was Sweetie Belle crying! So she reached out and took Sweetie Bell's shoulders, giving her a light shake to get her attention as her purple eyes bored into the other's light green.
"Look... whose to say this is a bad thing?"
Immediately Applebloom's head shot up, amber eyes as wide as could be at what the young soccer player suggested.
"Are ya' outta' yer mind Scoots?!"
"Oh come on! This is what we all wanted, right? To drive Sunset Shimmer out so I can spend time with Rainbow Dash and you guys could spend more time with your sisters! Now it looks like she's gone, we can shut down Anon-A-Miss and no one will even have to know we're behind it!"
All the red head could do was stare at Scootaloo, almost unable to comprehend what the other was suggesting. Then Applebloom quickly stood up, fists clenched as she glared at the tomboy.
"No, we gotta' tell 'em! This's gone too far, ya' e'er hear stories 'bout runaways? Who knows what could happen ta her!"
While Sweetie Belle seemed to at least consider this was a good idea, it was Scootaloo's turn for her eyes to go wide, shaking her head and crossing her arms to make an 'X'.
"No way Bloom! No way in hell! Do you know how angry they will be if we tell them? Rainbow Dash will never forgive me for this!"
"Well tha's a price we all gotta' pay Scootaloo!"
"NO!"
As Applebloom took out her phone, no doubt to text Applejack about the whole Anon-A-Miss situation, Scootaloo reached out and tried to take it away from her. This resulted in them both struggling for the phone while Sweetie Belle watched from the sidelines, having no idea what to do or whose side to take but continuing to shrink back against the far wall a the fight got worse. It escalated to the point that Scootaloo had the farm girl pushed up against the opposite wall, her shoulder pressing into Applebloom and pushing her full weight on the red head as her other hand held the cell phone out of reach.
"Give it back!"
"No! Not until you promise you won't tell anyone!"
"GIVE IT BACK!"
"NO!"
As she struggled to slip away or try to reach her phone, Applebloom began to think of a scene a couple days earlier. Of Sunset Shimmer, surrounded by an angry group of students, her running off in tears, and then a new image conjured up by her imagination. That of Sunset Shimmer, lying face down in a pile of snow, having frozen to death during the night. This set her blood to a boil, her first taste of the Apple temper as she pulled her hand back and curled it into a fist.
"Give. It. BACK!"
It happened so fast Applebloom wasn't sure she had done anything until she looked down and saw Scootaloo on the floor, one hand still holding onto the cell phone as the other hovered over a big, red angry spot on her cheek that was already starting to swell. They stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity, both waiting for the other to make a move. Finally Applebloom's fist opened, shaking slightly as she held out her hand to Scootaloo.
"... give it back."
After a moment Scootaloo finally moved, slowly and cautiously rising to her feet before placing the cell phone back in Applebloom's hand.
"... why can't you understand that it's different for me?"
Looking up from her cell phone to Scootaloo, Applebloom waited patiently for the other to continue.
"You and Sweetie Belle? You're related by blood. I'm not. I don't want Rainbow Dash to cut me out of her life forever. If you do this, I'll lose the best older sister I never had and a great friend. Don't do this Bloom..."
There was a moment's hesitation hearing the pleading tone in Scootaloo's voice and seeing the sad, desperate look on the other's face. But only for a moment.
"Ah have to. Ah should've known this was wrong from the beginning. But Ah was jealous n' actin' like a brat, Ah didn' think 'bout who would get hurt."
Seeing Sunset Shimmer run off crying and hearing that she had run away... it made her realize how disappointed Applejack would be. How disappointed... her parents would have been. And not just them but the rest of her family. Apples were supposed to be honest and respectable, she never truly took those words to heart until now. Wiping her eyes, Applebloom squared her shoulders before she sent a text to her sister, saying that she needed to be picked up from Scootaloo's and that they needed to talk. Once it was done, she looked up and gave Scootaloo a hard look.
"Ah won't tell 'em 'bout how you two were involved. But ifn' they start thinkin' 'bout it, Ah don't doubt they'll figure it out."
"B-But they'll want us to come clean and clear Sunset's name, right? What about the rest of the school?"
All this time Sweetie Belle had her back to the wall, having been horrified while watching the two fight and too shocked to speak up until now. Applebloom simply stared at the other girl before letting out a sigh.
"I dun' doubt there'll be heck ta' pay. But this's gotta' be done."
For the next stretch of time, Applebloom busied herself by packing away her sleeping bag and other things she had brought for the sleep over. By the time she finished it only took a couple more minutes before Applejack texted her, letting her know that she was parked by the sidewalk and waiting. The young farm girl headed for the door and stopped, turning to look one last time at her two friends.
"It's over girls. Jes' come clean so it's a lil' less worse for ya'."
Then she was gone, leaving Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle alone in the room. Scootaloo was eerily quiet while Sweetie Belle was starting to fret up a storm.
"Oh gosh, oh gosh... come clean? B-But with what they did to Sunset Shimmer... we can't! I don't want to have to face that! It's already going to be bad enough from Rarity!"
"... so you're saying we should do something about it."
The girl looked over to Scootaloo, confusion clear on her features while Scootaloo seemed contemplative, glancing over at her desk where her laptop sat.
"Ya've bin awful quiet Applebloom, what's wrong?"
Applejack glanced over to the other side of the truck, having caught movement out of the corner of her eye that suggested her younger sister had flinched. The other had been acting strange since she came out of Scootaloo's house, anyone could see that and the blonde farmer was determined to get to the bottom of this. However before she could start pushing for an answer, Applebloom took a deep breath before taking out her phone.
"Sis... Ah... ya'd love me no matter what... right?"
".... yeah?"
That right there had sent up a flag. Applejack was used to her little sister getting into trouble with the antics she and her friends got into but this sounded serious. The blonde patiently waited for the other to continue as she continued navigating the truck down the icy streets on their way back to Sweet Apple Acres.
"... Ah'm Anon-A-Miss."
".... yer' kiddin'."
There was a wry smile on her face as she looked over to Applebloom, knowing it had to be a joke. A pretty inappropriate joke with all of the Anon-A-Miss drama and now them searching for Sunset Shimmer. Yet no laughter came, no words to assure her that it was a gag, just Applebloom staring down at the floor of the truck, looking guilty as sin.
Suddenly the truck swerved, the motion making Applebloom jump and hold onto her seat as the truck came to a stop at the side of the road, only minutes away from home. Applejack turned off the engine but kept the power on so that they still had heat and the light from the dashboard could still give them some light. The blonde kept one hand on the steering wheel but it was so tight that her knuckles were losing color, piercing green eyes staring at the younger sibling, who could only look away in shame.
"Tell me this's jes' some sick joke, Bloom."
"I'm sorry!"
Applejack felt the life start to drain out of her as Applebloom started crying, the smaller girl's entire frame shaking as the words rushed out of her.
"Ah-Ah din't mean for her ta' jes' runaway! Ah jes' wanted ya' ta' spend more time with me! It got outta' hand!"
Seeing the cell phone held out to her, Applejack snatched it up and saw it was on the MyStable page, logged in to the Anon-A-Miss account. The farmer lost her grip on the steering wheel as she slid back against her seat, it being the only thing holding her up right now.
... how? How could Applebloom do this? How could she not consider this option?
No, she knew how... it was because she took the simplest, easiest answer instead of sticking with a friend. She should have stuck with her gut the first time and believed Sunset Shimmer wouldn't betray her like that! But no, when the evidence seemed to all point to Sunset Shimmer she went with it because the simplest explanation was always the right one, right? It was what a dumb hick like her did, wasn't it? And Applebloom knew she wouldn't believe blood family would do something like this. Wouldn't believe that Applebloom, the little sister she had raised from a baby, an apple to the core, would do something so dishonest and cruel.
"... sis?"
Applejack had been as quiet as the grave the entire time, just staring at the cell phone. Applebloom was used to Applejack yelling at her when she deserved it, she only had reason to worry when her sister became so quiet like this.
"... yer gonna' tell e'eryone 'bout this 'n show 'em it was you. Ya' understand me?"
Furiously nodding, Applebloom fumbled with the phone as it was tossed back to her before looking back to Applejack. She could see the other's jaw jumping as she started the car, could see how tightly her grip was on the steering wheel, and she could see the hard as steel look in her eyes as she watched the road. The youngest Apple shook softly as she tore her gaze away from her sister and to her phone, seeing the Anon-A-Miss page and knowing that none of this had been worth it.
Then the page refreshed....
"Huh? .... no.... no! No, no, no, no!"
Ignoring Applejack for now, she tried refreshing the phone but the same message came up.
The account had been deleted...
"Here we are! Casa sweet casa!"
Having parked her car in the lot behind the building, Jackie had gotten out and was retrieving her dufflebag from the back. Sunset Shimmer was simply taking in her surroundings, the neighborhood that most likely wasn't safe to go out in after dark, the old looking building before her that was probably run down, and what looked to be a case of projectile vomit on the side of the building near the back stairs.
"Hey, what did you honestly expect I could afford?"
The look Sunset gave her hadn't slipped by Jackie, who simply shrugged her shoulders before tossing her bag over her shoulder and heading to the back door after Sunset got her things out of the back.
"Well, when you said you already had a roommate I expected maybe a little nicer neighborhood."
"Yeah he's a college student Sunshine. If he was one of those rich boy college students then he wouldn't be rooming with me."
Using her key, she opened the back door and held it open for the red head to go in first before following, the door immediately slamming shut behind them. The inside was at least clean and it looked pest free. Otherwise Sunset noticed the wall paint chipping and the outlines of mystery stains on the floor that was probably best not to think about. She followed the blue haired woman up the stairs, feeling a bit on edge due to her surroundings.
"Maybe I should've thought this over..."
"Hey, you begged me to give you a ride and a place to stay. And, as you may or may not be told, I am a very kind and generous friend."
Having been about to correct Jackie's memory on the whole 'begging' thing, Sunset stopped mid-way up the second flight of stairs.
"... friend?"
This made Jackie stop as well, a quizzical look on her face as she looked back down to the high school girl.
"Uh, yeah? I mean we had good talks along the way, I know about your current situation and you mine. I mean, that's how some friendships start, right?"
"... right."
For the rest of the climb up the stairs, Sunset Shimmer was quiet, deep in thought as she mulled the situation over. She'd latched onto Jackie because the other hadn't scorned her, she was a way out for Sunset Shimmer but... they did have some good talks during the drive and it had been nice to have someone to vent to. But the thought of actually calling Jackie a friend after everything she had been through with her ex friends... she felt her chest tighten up and a gnawing in the pit of her stomach. Sunset was only snapped out of her thoughts when she nearly ran into Jackie, the guitar player having stopped in front of a door and using her key to unlock it.
"Ugh, fuckin' Bobby..."
Once she stepped inside, Sunset Shimmer easily found the source of Jackie's frustrated sigh. This place was a mess! The living room had pizza boxes here and there, along with big gulps and papers all over the coffee table. There were a couple stains on the shag carpet near the couch and a glance over to the kitchen showed some dishes that were looking fairly neglected. But other than that it wasn't bad.
"Bobby crashes on the couch, you can share my room for now. It's the door towards the back, to the right of that is the bathroom and then you got the closest on the left. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."
"Sure thing."
That being said, she headed right for the bedroom, ignoring the fact that Jackie had just opened one of the pizza boxes and was taking a bite of pepperoni pizza that looked like it had been left out for awhile. When she closed the door, she hesitated when her finger was on the lock before opening it up and calling down the hallway.
"Is it alright if I'm alone for awhile? I... need some time to think."
"Sure, but when I'm ready to sleep I'm coming in. And even if Bobby comes back don't go out! You never go out by yourself at night, understand?"
"Got it."
When she closed the door again, Sunset Shimmer stayed at the door for awhile longer before finally locking it. As she turned and leaned against the door, she finally had an opportunity to take in Jackie's room. It was messy but it was more from clutter than actual trash, with a fairly filled laundry bag in the corner, some errant socks that hadn't quite made it, and even a couple books here and there. The small, beat up desk in the corner had stacks of CDs on the edges, surrounding stacks of paper that from a glance Sunset could guess that some had lyrics and others were music sheets. The CD player was on the dresser along with a couple of pictures, one with a group of people, one with a pair of adults and a younger Jackie, and even a picture that had Jackie and Treehugger in it.
There were some random accessories on the nightstand, mostly wrist bands and necklaces, but what was noticeable were the posters hung up around the room. There were about six in all and four of them seemed to be for the same band. One had green graphics with a large, red pepper prominently displayed, one had that red asterisk that Sunset had noticed was on Jackie's wristband, then there was a concert poster with a naked angel sitting on a perch and looking away, but the final one was the most bizarre. It showed four naked men, staring straight on at the viewer with their arms crossed and only tube socks covering their privates. Such a wide range of images, with the name of the band printed somewhere on all of them...
"The Red Hot Chili Peppers, huh?"
While Rainbow Dash and the others had introduced her to a range of music, this was a band she was not familiar with but that Jackie was obviously a huge fan of.
Shaking her head, Sunset Shimmer sat down on the queen sized bed and winced when she heard a rusty squeak. She was willing to bet that if she stripped back the bed cover, this mattress would have signs of age. At this point Sunset was growing to accept that most of Jackie's things were probably second hand used and simply started taking off her boots before stripping off her jeans and a white, clean shirt that the blue haired woman had insisted she wear that morning. The dresser managed to produce a clean pair of cotton shorts and a black tank top that Sunset Shimmer slipped on before returning to the bed, lying down on her back and staring at the ceiling for awhile.
Now that she was finally here it all seemed... surreal. She was far away from everything familiar, she had her phone turned off since the night Jackie had saved her from Gilda and she hadn't even checked her book for messages. She rushed into this, she wouldn't deny that, and now she was still taking help from a stranger who thought that they were friends. Now that she really had time to think about it... yeah, it seemed like they were there. Sunset had been able to relax and smile for the first time in days and Jackie had been so nice... just like her friends had been nice before they left her.
"Why did she have to bring that up?"
With a sigh, Sunset Shimmer turned over and stared at the window, any light from outside blocked by a think, black blanket. It had been so simple to just think she'd get here and do her thing. Yeah she'd take Jackie help until she could stand on her own feet or when she went back to Canterlot... if she ever went back.
No, she hadn't wanted to think about all this... didn't want to think about all of this. She didn't come here to make friends, just to get away. As nice as Jackie was Sunset wasn't sure about it and it disturbed her how she had gotten so low due to her ex-friends she just opened up to Jackie. She hadn't thought about it, she just needed to vent... and talking about good memories wasn't getting close, hell she didn't tell Jackie everything.
With a frustrated huff, she turned onto her back once more, too tired and determined not to think about this right now. Slowly her eyes closed and eventually she drifted off to sleep.
Tomorrow was another day...
*before writing* Okay, this is it, possibly the chapter that will make or break this story!
.... *curls up under the desk crying* 
*finished writing chapter* Woo what a rush! I know this is a different handling of the human CMC but let me know what you think!
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I smell foul play, but good chapter
7472147 Indeed, but I will say that in this case the simplest answer is the right one.
Well, if you're thinking in the way you're thinking of course.
7472157 i would say Scootaloo did it but i never assume anything.
7472161 Well all I have to say is....
STAY TUNED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!
7472169 .......damn you. Just kidding
O...M...G!!!! NOOOOO! The Anon-A-Miss account was deleted?! Blast it all! Now this opens up an even bigger can of worms for Sunset Shimmer and the Humane 6! What'll happen next?! Personally, I'd say this calls for another chapter and soon! The suspense and drama...it's so MUCH!!!!
I really hope Sunny will be ok. That and Scootaloo along with Sweetie Belle will get their comeuppance. Keep up the great work! I'm loving this! To even tell ya the truth, I almost cried at some parts! No lie!
7472186 Many thanks for the kind words, it makes me happy hearing people are enjoying the direction I'm taking this in.
7472188 Of course! It's a fantastic story after all!
Damn it the account got deleted now there isn't any proof I am starting to hate Scootaloo now.
but still great work my friend.
7472282 Mwa-ha-ha!
Jeeze! There no proof now even with apple Bloom, she can't prove Sunset Innocence now! Well tot he rest fot he school!
I really hope SCoota gets it!
7473039 BWA-HA-HA-HA-HA!
7473089
Wait they could still get the data known fact even if you delete the old page or so, it can still be tretived, she just needs to call mystables and they coudl retrive it.
I don't care if Sunset ever returns to the school, if she leaves be great, but still be better if everyone knew she was innocent, this way everyoen can equally felt like a bunch of morons!
7473586 Shhhhhhhhh...
Trust me?
7473720
err ok. Hehehe.
Curse you Occum's Razor!
7473720 I like this story