Act II
After hearing about the vile actions of a MyStable user known as Anon-a-Miss, and the plight of high school student Sunset Shimmer, who was being wrongfully accused of being Anon-a-Miss, wealthy man-about-town Lawful Crane took up his alter ego of The Shadow and proceeded to expose the real culprit. After saving Sunset from a pair of would be attackers, The Shadow put Sunset under the care of his personal friend Pearl Lane. He then interrogated the possible suspects Sunset had suggested to him in search for clues. Eventually, he came up with a cunning plan to further prove that Sunset was not Anon-a-Miss.
That evening, Sweetie Belle sat in her room with her two best friends, Applebloom and Scootaloo. On Sweetie Belle's desk was a laptop computer, and on screen was a very familiar MyStable page.
Applebloom was smiling confidently as she said, "At this rate, no one in the entire world will want to be around Sunset Shimmer! Ha! That demon shoulda known she'd never get away with what she did!"
Scootaloo nodded and said, "Plus, we're the proud owners of the most popular MyStable page in history! Internet famous!" She held up her right palm and said excitedly, "High five!"
Sweetie Belle did not share her friends' enthusiasm as she watched as them victoriously gave each other five. She had a nervous look about her, and she said, "You know, I've been thinking. . . Maybe it's gone on long enough. Maybe we should end it now."
Applebloom and Scootaloo turned to stare at Sweetie Belle as if she'd just grown a second head.
Sweetie Belle gave a nervous smile in return and continued, "I mean, we've beaten Sunset Shimmer, haven't we? We won. She won't be stealing our sisters away from us anymore, so do we really need Anon-a-Miss anymore?"
Applebloom frowned in frustration and said, "Sweetie Belle, Sunset Shimmer is super mean and cruel and doesn't show mercy. If Anon-a-Miss just fades away, if it just stops with no grand finale, then people might start thinking that Sunset isn't her after all because that's not how the old Sunset would have done things. We have to keep going!"
"And HELLO!" Scootaloo said loudly, "Most popular MyStable page in history! We got the whole school dying to see what we post next! We get so many messages every day! We'd be crazy to let go of all of that fame!"
"Yeah. . .but. . ." Sweetie Belle said slowly.
Scootaloo looked at Sweetie Belle suspiciously and said, "You aren't wussing out on us, are you? You aren't gonna tattle on us, are you?"
Sweetie Belle's eyes went wide and she shook her head. "No! No! I'd never do that! You girls are my best friends, I'd never turn on either of you!"
"Of course she wouldn't," Applebloom said as she shot a disapproving glare at Scootaloo, who looked back apologetically. Applebloom then gave Sweetie Belle a gentler gaze and said, "Ah know it seems wrong, but the ends justify the means. We need to get rid of Sunset Shimmer if we want our sisters back. It's as simple as that."
"That's right," Scootaloo said with a nod, "Now, what secrets did we get this time?"
Sweetie Belle turned back to her computer and scrolled through the inbox. She paused and said, "Huh. . . what? Trixie just posted a secret about Sunset Shimmer!"
Applebloom and Scootaloo both ran up to the computer in a rush.
"Sunset Shimmer eats flowers?" Applebloom read in disbelief.
"Look, there's a link to a private document," Scootaloo pointed out.
Sweetie Belle clicked on the link, and the trio was greeted with a photo of Sunset nibbling on a daisy with a forlorn expression on her face, almost as if she was feeling a wave of nostalgia and longing for something she'd left behind. The angle from which the photo was taken revealed that Sunset was not aware of the photographer's presence and probably didn't even realize she was being photographed.
Applebloom and Sweetie Belle both snickered while Scootaloo simply stood with a look of pure delight on her face.
"Woah. . ." Scootaloo finally said, a big grin on her face.
"This really is an embarrassing picture!" Sweetie Belle said.
Scootaloo rubbed her palms together deviously and said, "This is so good! Oh man, when we post this, Sunset is gonna be-!"
Applebloom gasped and shook her head. "No. We can't post it," she interrupted.
"Huh? Why not?" Scootaloo asked, surprised at her friend's words.
Applebloom face palmed and said, "Ugh! Think, Scootaloo. The whole point is to frame Sunset. Why would Sunset post a secret about herself?"
Scootaloo deflated a little and said, "Oh yeah. You're right."
Sweetie Belle was confused and asked, "But why did Trixie send this? When did she even take this? It's not winter in the picture, so. . ."
Applebloom shrugged and said, "Ah don't know when or how, but Ah'm pretty sure Trixie still thinks Anon-a-Miss is Sunset just like everyone else, so she probably sent it in just to spite her."
"So, we're not posting it," Sweetie Belle said.
"Right," Applebloom said with a nod.
"Aww," Scootaloo said in disappointment, but then she perked up a bit and said with a sly grin, "But we're keeping the link, right?"
The next morning, Sunset Shimmer sat at the counter of the kitchenette in Lawful Crane and Pearl Lane's apartment. As Lawful sat to Sunset's left sipping a cup of coffee, Pearl set a slice of buttered toast and cup of hot tea in front of her.
"Thank you. . ." Sunset said softly.
"Oh, it's no trouble at all," Pearl said pleasantly.
Sunset shook her head and said, "No. . .I mean, thank you for everything. I mean. . ." Sunset sighed and said, "I don't think I showed my gratitude enough last night."
Pearl smiled understandingly and said, "You were clearly emotionally drained and in a state of shock from your experience with your attackers. You did go to sleep on that couch quite quickly."
"But still," Sunset continued, "I really can't put into words how grateful I am for all this. I mean. . . why help me of all people?"
Lawful shrugged and said, "That's just how The Shadow is. He helps the innocent and brings the guilty to justice. You've been framed by someone who takes pleasure out of turning people against each other. The Shadow won't rest until this situation is resolved, and Anon-a-Miss is brought to justice. And we agree wholehearted with him. We aren't going to allow you to suffer while the real culprit gets away with everything. The innocent deserve protection. We're just doing what we feel is right."
Sunset thought on this for a moment before asking, "You both must have known The Shadow for a while, right?"
"Indeed," Lawful said with a smile, "And I must say that he has never failed in carrying out justice."
"But how is he able to turn invisible?" Sunset asked, captivated by what her mysterious rescuer represented, "Is it some kind of magic?"
Pearl shook her head and said, "The Shadow has power over the minds of others; we can say no more. It is a secret we have sworn to keep."
Sunset nodded with understanding, "I get it. I suppose everyone has their secrets. . ." She then started on the toast in front of her.
"Tell me, Sunset," Lawful began, "What has the principal of Canterlot High done to alleviate the Anon-a-Miss situation?"
Sunset took a sip of tea, and then she said sadly, "Nothing, if I'm honest."
Lawful appeared surprised by this, and he said, "Nothing?"
Sunset shrugged and said, "Principal Celestia has never really gotten directly involved in stuff like this. For instance, there's these two bullies that I told The Shadow about, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon. They basically do whatever they want, but then again they do both come from wealthy families. And back when I was a. . . power hungry fool, I rarely got caught or in trouble or anything. It's like, Celestia has this weird hands-off approach to things, and it tends to blow up in her face a lot from what I've seen so far."
"I see. . ." Lawful said thoughtfully.
"Vice Principal Luna is a little better," Sunset added, "But she's kinda easy to fool and jumps to conclusions and flies off the handle and stuff like that. Like, this one time, when I vandalized the gym, I was able to convince her that someone else had done just by cut and pasting some photos together. It would've worked perfectly If the photo scraps hadn't been found and shown to Luna."
Lawful nodded and said, "Well, don't you worry, Sunset. While they may not be of much help to you, I can guarantee that The Shadow will get to the bottom of this."
Sunset nodded, "I sure hope he does. My friends. . ." Sunset paused for a moment, her eyes tearing up slightly, ". . . They. . . they're more than friends to me. There my family. I just wish they'd realize that the Sunset Shimmer they've shared so many good times with, the Sunset Shimmer they helped change, would never do something like this to them."
Pearl put a gentle hand on Sunset's shoulder and said, "They will. Don't you worry, Sunset. They will."
Vice Principal Luna burst into Principal Celestia's office in a furious huff.
Celestia, calmly sitting behind her desk, looked up from her paperwork and said, "Luna. I take it you have an issue you wish to discuss with me."
"SISTER!" the Vice Principal shouted irately, "Don't you feel that this Anon-a-Miss business has gone on long enough!"
Celestia shook her head and said, "Oh, Luna. You have to understand. All of these things will sort themselves out-."
"THIS WILL NOT SORT ITSELF OUT!" Luna shouted as she slammed both of her hands on Celestia's desk for emphasis, "Anon-a-Miss is tearing the very foundation of this school asunder, and you are content to sit here and do nothing!"
Celestia sighed and looked downwards, looking nearly ashamed, "Luna, of course I would not allow this school to collapse. I honestly thought the goodness in the hearts of our students' would prevail. Naturally, if things got too far, I would step in and do something. But now that the moment has arrived, I have realized that I have no way to stop a faceless anarchist on social media."
"There is always a way," Luna said unwaveringly as she removed her hands from the desk and stood up straight.
"You cannot stop people from using social media," Celestia said as she continued to stare downwards, "And we do not know who Anon-a-Miss is, so we cannot stop her or him. But what truly worries me is the fact that so many students have accused Sunset Shimmer of being the culprit, combined with the fact that she hasn't come to school today."
"Perhaps she is hiding from justice," Luna muttered bitterly.
Celestia's head snapped up and she said in shock, "Luna! You don't truly believe Sunset to be guilty!?"
Luna folded her arms and said, "Old habits die hard."
"Hmhmhmhehhehhehhehhehheh!"
Both sisters looked around the office nervously at the sound of the laughter.
"Who was laughing?!" Luna demanded furiously, and she turned towards the door and opened it.
"Step away from that door, Luna. I'm here in the room with you."
Luna turned around fast. Her eyes searched the room while Celestia merely sat in silence, carefully looking to the left and right.
"Where are you?" Luna asked slowly, her suspicious eyes still sweeping the room.
"I am right here, but you cannot see me. I have willed you to not see me, for I am The Shadow."
Celestia nodded slowly, and said calmly, "It seems Canterlot High has become a magnet for very strange things. Why are you here, Shadow?"
"I have come to inform you that I will be handling the Anon-a-Miss situation because you have clearly failed at doing so, as expected of the both of you."
"What do you mean by 'as expected'!?" Luna shouted angrily.
"You both have grievously failed at your jobs in keeping order in this school. Bullies like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon run rampant, and you allowed Sunset Shimmer to become far too powerful back before she had transitioned to the path of the straight and narrow. Celestia, your passiveness has allowed the wicked to grow bold and lose their fear of consequences. While your faith in the goodness in others is admirable, it has grown to the point where those with evil in their hearts can carry out their deeds freely. And Luna, you are a great fool."
"WHAT!?" Luna shouted.
"You are a great fool to be so easily tricked into believing that Sunset Shimmer is Anon-a-Miss."
"She has clearly fled!" Luna argued.
"Yes indeed. She has fled the accusations, abuse, sneers, hate, and threats of violence that have constantly been aimed at her. She has fled those that had tried to assault her the previous day."
Celestia sat up straight and took notice of this. "What!? She was attacked?!" she asked with great concern.
"She very well might have sustained grave injuries had I not intervened. As for the identity of the attackers, you will find an ID card which I secretly relieved from Lightning Dust on your desk. Upon apprehending her, she will undoubtedly confirm that the other attacker was Gilda, as all criminals and thugs desire to take down as many people as they can with them when they are finally caught and brought to justice."
Indeed, Celestia immediately spotted the ID card on her desk, which she knew had not been there a few seconds earlier.
"I see. For this, I thank you Shadow," Celestia said, "But I must ask, do you know where Sunset is?"
"She is under my care and protection, and I cannot in good confidence disclose her location to either of you when your utter failure to care for your students is taken into account."
"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Luna shouted again, her rage at The Shadow growing bigger by the second, "YOU TELL US WHERE OUR STUDENT IS!"
"Are either of you aware that members of the student body have been providing Anon-a-Miss with the secrets she has been posting?"
Celestia's eyes widened in disbelief, "What?"
"Preposterous!" Luna scoffed.
"You truly are a great fool, Luna. How else would Anon-a-Miss know so many secrets about so many people? The sheer amount of sensitive information being revealed must have come from a large number of sources. I will tell you who is responsible for giving Anon-a-Miss so much power: It was the students who viewed it as a harmless joke at the start. It was the students who were peer pressured into joining into this cruel activity. It was students that were so deeply hurt by the revelation of other secrets that they decided to lash out and reveal the secrets they knew to drown out their own pain."
Celestia could only bury her face in the palms of her hands.
Luna found herself unable to combat The Shadow's reasoning, so she simply asked, "But who started all of this?"
"That is what I intend to find out, but I need to work without any inference. All I ask of you is to give me two more days, and I will have the answer. If I cannot produce the true Anon-a-Miss by then, you are free to use whatever method you have planned. Do we have an understanding?"
Luna was deeply frustrated by pretty much everything, and yet she knew that there was not much she could do against an unseen presence.
Celestia uncovered here face and said somberly, "Luna. . . I believe we have no choice. Just as Twilight Sparkle came to our aid during the Fall Formal and the Battle of the Bands, it seems as if we must allow The Shadow to clear up the Anon-a-Miss crisis, no matter how much of a blow to our pride it may be. Perhaps we can both learn something from this experience and become better at our jobs."
Luna turned away from her older sister and nodded impatiently, "Yes, yes, very well. It seems we only have one choice. We will allow you to work your will, Shadow. We hope for a speedy resolution to this mess."
"As do I, Luna. As do I. I will eventually return here once I have discovered Anon-a-Miss' true identity. At that point, I will need to make use of the school PA system. Until then, do not expect to hear from me."
The door suddenly slammed shut, and both sisters stared at in silence for the most tense few minutes of their lives.
After school that very day, Sunset's five former friends were gathered together at the Sweet Shoppe, discussion current events.
Rainbow Dash drummed her fingers on the table and said furiously, "It's bad enough that Sunset posted a bunch more secrets today, but she even has the nerve to not even show up to school? Huh! What a coward!"
Applejack nodded and said, "Darn tootin', she is. But Ah suppose a rat like that is bound to be a coward at heart."
"Uh-huh!" Pinkie Pie chimed in, an uncharacteristically sour look on her face, "She's just a meanie cowardly secret spilling. . . meanie!"
"Hear! Hear!" Rarity added.
Fluttershy, however, simply stared at her feet in silence, with a distressed look on her face that hinted at a turbulent inner conflict within her.
Suddenly, the door to the Sweet Shoppe swung open, and a familiar voice said, "Trixie knew she would find you five here."
The group looked to see Trixie approaching them, with Snips and Snails following close behind her.
Rarity fixed the other girl with an icy glare and said, "What is it you want? Have you come to gloat about knowing our secrets so you can feel better about yourself?"
Trixie appeared unaffected by Rarity's words. Rather, she looked at the five girls in disgust and said, "Trixie has proof that Sunset Shimmer is not Anon-a-Miss."
"WHAT!?" shouted everyone but Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and said, "Heh. Yeah right. Stop wasting our time, Trixie."
Snips suddenly stepped forward and said, "No, really. We do! You see, back when Sunset was all mean and we were doing whatever she told us to do, we secretly took an embarrassing photo of her."
Snails stepped forward as well and nodded, "Yeah. It was just in case Sunset decided to ditch us or target us. It was kinda like a secret weapon."
"And so," Trixie cut in, "We sent that photo to Anon-a-Miss yesterday, and it was never posted."
"Duh!" Rainbow Dash said in annoyance, "Why would Sunset Shimmer post an embarrassing photo about herself? Of course she wouldn't post it."
"Ugh!" Trixie groaned, "You simpleton! She totally would have posted it! With all the torture the whole school has been unloading on her, she would do anything to get everyone to believe she's innocent! Even if it meant slightly embarrassing herself! She would have posted the photo and said 'There! See! Anon-a-Miss posted a secret about me! This proves I'm innocent! Stop treating me like dirt!'The fact that the photo wasn't posted proves that the whole thing is a plot to frame her!"
Applejack got out of her chair and said angrily, "Like hay it does! Sunset was the only untrustworthy person who knew about mah nickname! Not only that, all of those photos and videos from Rarity's slumber party were taken by Sunset with her phone, and they all showed up on Anon-a-Miss! Sunset is guilty! She's gotta be! There's no one else it could've been!"
"Sunset is not stupid!" Trixie argued, "Trixie didn't get this at first, but now she realizes that Sunset would've realized that she'd be named the culprit so fast- Ugh! She just wouldn't have done this! Why would anyone ruin their own life on purpose! Sunset doesn't even gain anything from this!"
Rarity humphed and said, "How about the sick satisfaction of seeing others suffer for her own amusement."
Snails shook his head wildly and said, "That ain't who she is anymore!"
"Yeah!" Snips said defiantly, "And besides, that ain't worth all the bad stuff that's been happening to her ever since Anon-a-Miss has been going crazy!"
Trixie rounded on the pair and shouted, "Forget it! It's hopeless! These five fools can't see reason." She then walked towards the door, shrugging her shoulders and saying, "Oh well. The Great and Powerful Trixie has tried! Maybe-."
"WAIT!"
Everyone stared in shock at the normally quiet girl who had unexpectedly raised her voice.
Fluttershy stared wide eyes at the people staring at her, and then focused her attention on Trixie, who had turned around in response to her shout.
"Well?" Trixie said impatiently.
Fluttershy bit her lip nervously, then with an assertive nod, she said, "You're right, Trixie. Anon-a-Miss being Sunset doesn't make any sense."
"Fluttershy?!" Rainbow Dash said in shock.
"Sugarcube, please," Applejack said gently, "Don't let Trixie mess with yer head. Sunset didn't post the photo 'cause she couldn't handle the taste of her own medicine."
Fluttershy shook her head sadly and said, "I would much rather be humiliated than lose all of my friends."
"She deserved to lose all her friends!" Rainbow Dash shouted furiously, "How could you possibly defend her?"
"Because she's suffering!" Fluttershy shot back, although not quite as loud as Rainbow Dash. Then tears filled the gentle girls eyes as she continued, "I can't imagine how that must feel. To lose everyone who ever cared about you. To be hated by everyone. I've seen how the school has been treating her. It was just terrible, seeing her being insulted and pushed around while she kept saying she was innocent. And after how far Sunset has come. . . I just can't see her doing something like this."
"Me neither, to be honest," Applejack said grimly, "Ah mean, Applebloom was the first one to suggest that it was her. Ah refused to believe it at the time. But now. . . well. . . the evidence don't lie."
"Well, maybe we're missing something?" Fluttershy said, "Maybe some clue or detail or-."
"I'm sick of this!" Rainbow Dash interrupted, pounding the table with her fist and scaring Fluttershy into silence, "I can't believe you're letting those three idiots over there turn you against us like this!"
"Hey. . ." Snips said weakly, while Trixie and Snails just watched the events unfold.
Rainbow Dash glared at Fluttershy and said, "So, how about I make this easy for you, Fluttershy. You're either with us or against us. Pick one!"
Fluttershy stared into Rainbow Dash's angry filled eyes. Fluttershy felt sick to her stomach, and she shut her eyes tightly as tears began to leak out. "I. . . I. . ." she whispered softly, then she shouted, "I'M WITH SUNSET!"
Fluttershy then jumped out of her chair, grabbing her coat as she moved, and ran right out the front door.
The room was eerily silent for a moment, then Trixie smiled and began to slowly clap her hands.
"Well done, Rainbooms," Trixie said, "Now you've lost two members of your little friendship club. How sad."
Trixie then turned and exited the Sweet Shoppe. Snips and Snails followed close behind her, each giving the four girls sympathizing looks.
When the group left, Pinkie Pie rounded on Rainbow Dash and shouted, "Rainbow Dash! How could you!?"
"What do you mean 'how could I'?" Rainbow Dash shot back, "Don't you mean 'how could Fluttershy'?" Then Rainbow Dash looked away from everyone and said, "Alright, I get it. I was kinda loud and harsh with her just then. But it just made me so angry. I mean, I couldn't believe one of my oldest friends was taking the side of someone who earned our trust, pretended to be our friend, and then betrayed us in the worst way possible. I didn't really think Fluttershy would stick up for someone like that."
Rarity held up her right index finger and said, "Ah, but you mighthave been a little too hard on the dear. Don't you think."
Rainbow Dash frowned and said bluntly, "I don't think so. There's no worse person in the world than a traitor, and that's what Sunset is. She's scum. And if Fluttershy is willing to take sides with her, than she's a traitor too. Good riddance to both of them, I say. She's gotta learn that loyalty is a two way street."
"Hmhmhmhehhehhehhehhehheh!"
Everyone sat up straight at the sound of the eerie laughter.
Pinkie Pie's entire body trembled violently, and she said, "Um. . . I've never heard laughter like that before."
"I find it amusing how easily you disown your friends, Rainbow Dash."
Rainbow Dash jumped to her feet and shouted, "Who are you? Where are you? Where are you hiding? Show your face, you coward!"
"Oh, but you cannot see my face, Rainbow Dash. I am The Shadow, and although I stand in your presence, I posses the power to will your minds into not seeing me."
Pinkie Pie looked quite impressed by this, and she said, "Ooooh! So you're an invisible man? Cool!"
Rarity looked from side to side fearfully and said in a hushed tone, "What do you want from us?"
"You have all had quite the impact on Sunset Shimmer, and she has had quite the impact on all of you. And yet despite how completely out of character the actions of Anon-a-Miss are to Sunset, you were all quick to assume that they were one in the same?"
"That's why you're here?" Rainbow Dash said incredulously, "To defend Sunset Shimmer?! Isn't obvious that she just went back to her old ways?"
"Tell me, Rainbow Dash, is someone who is quick to cast aside their friends truly loyal?"
"Yes, if those friends are backstabbers!" Rainbow Dash argued.
"How did Fluttershy stab you in the back by showing sympathy and compassion?"
"Anon-a-Miss doesn't deserve that!" Rainbow Dash shot back.
"Trixie provided you with evidence supporting Sunset's innocence."
Applejack shook her head and said, "It ain't enough. Besides, what about the videos and photos from Rarity's slumber party? They had to have come from Sunset's phone."
"Would you be so kind as to take out your own phone, Applejack?"
Applejack frowned and said as she reached for her phone, "Alright, but what does-?" She froze, and then began searching her pockets frantically. "What the-? Where's my phone?"
"On the table on the far side of the room."
Everyone turned to see that the phone was where The Shadow said it was.
"A small object like a phone can be easily stolen."
Rarity looked slightly impressed by this, and she said, "Hmmm. . . So what you are saying is that someone stole Sunset' phone, copied the files, and then put it back. Well, I must say, that as a fan of The Adventures of Shadow Spade detective novels, I'm quite impressed Mr. Shadow. However, as I am a fan of that series, I must use my own detective skills, which I have gleaned from those books, to poke holes in your theory. You see, Sunset never lost her phone, nor did she ever notice that it was missing. The act of stealing those files would have taken some time, and would have required Sunset to remain in one location for said time. There was never any such time and place where anyone with a strong motive to do such a thing could've done such a thing."
"On the contrary. There was, in fact, a time and place for such a thing to happen. Clearly your detective skills, while impressive, are no match for The Shadow."
Rarity's eyebrows rose, and she started to ask, "What do you-?"
"One last thing. I was told that the first three victims of Anon-a-Miss were Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Is that correct?"
"Well, yeah. But-," Applejack said.
"Then all I need is a bit more evidence, and the true Anon-a-Miss will face justice at last. As for the rest of you, I strongly suggest you take the time to really think about this, and ask yourselves if the Sunset Shimmer that you know, the one that views you as her family, would really do this to you."
The Sweet Shoppe then fell into complete silence.
". . . . Uh, creepy Shadow voice? Hellooooooooooo? . . . Is he gone?"
"Pinkie!"
"Sorry."
When Rarity arrived home, Sweetie Belle was waiting for her. The younger girl had a big smile, and he face held nothing but adoration and love for her older sister.
"Hi, Rarity! You wanna do something fun?" she asked eagerly.
Rarity shook her head and said, "Not today, Sweetie. I'm really not in the mood."
Sweetie Belle looked up at her big sister in concern and asked, "Why? What's wrong?"
Rarity sighed and said, "Well, if you must know, Trixie claimed to have proof that Sunset isn't Anon-a-Miss."
Sweetie Belle looked quite alarmed for a moment, but then she just laughed and said, "Aw, what does Trixie know? Everyone-."
"She claimed to have sent in an embarrassing photo of Sunset to Anon-a-Miss, and it was never posted," Rarity continued on, staring blankly into space as conflicting thoughts and emotions bounced around in her mind, "She said that if Sunset were Anon-a-Miss, she would have posted it to try and throw suspicion off herself. The fact that it wasn't posted suggests that Anon-a-Miss was created for the sole reason of framing Sunset."
If Rarity hadn't been staring into space, she would have noticed the look of utter horror on Sweetie Belle's jaw-dropped face.
Rarity shook her head sadly and continued, "The whole thing got me thinking about Sunset. How much she had changed. How much we had all grown to like her. I know the evidence points to her. . . but I just don't know if I can truly believe she's guilty anymore."
Rarity walked further into the house, leaving Sweetie Belle standing near the front door in a state of shock. Eventually, she snapped out of it and whipped out her phone. She then sent a group text to Applebloom and Scootaloo."
Sweetie Belle: Emergency meeting at Scootaloo's. Now. ☠❗❗
She waited a moment, watching the screen anxiously, and then got two replies.
Applebloom: What's wrong?😨
Scootaloo: OK. But why?
Sweetie Belle swiftly replied.
Sweetie Belle: Tell you when I get there.
Scootaloo: OK. . .😕
Applebloom: Fine. I'll be there🍎
Sweetie Belle then quickly threw on her coat and put her hand on doorknob to open the front door.
"Hmhmhmhehhehhehhehhehheh!"
Sweetie Belle gasped and froze in place at the sound of the laughter. "Who's there?" she asked in a trembling voice.
"Since you have refused to listen to the voice of your conscience, you now have no choice but to listen to the voice of The Shadow!"
"W-w-what do you want?" Sweetie Belle asked nervously, her eyes darting around to find the source of the voice.
"Are you aware that Applebloom was the very first to accuse Sunset Shimmer of being Anon-a-Miss?"
Sweetie Belle nodded slowly and said, "Yeah. . . so?"
"Are you also aware of the fact that the first three victims of Anon-a-Miss were the sisters of Applebloom, you, and Scootaloo?"
"Well, yeah, so-."
"Are you also aware that Diamond Tiara sent in some embarrassing photographs of you and your two friends, yet Anon-a-Miss did not post them?"
"Well, yea- What? I mean, no! I mean, what are you doing?!" Sweetie Belle said in a panic, now beginning to sweat.
"If Sunset Shimmer is not Anon-a-Miss, that would mean someone would have had to steal her phone in order to access the photos and videos of Rarity's slumber party. Tell me, Sweetie Belle, were you present in the house during that sleepover?"
Sweetie Belle pulled open the door and ran out as fast as she could.
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When ppl panic they make mistakes.
Love this story! Can't Whait for more!
It's useless, Sweetie Belle. Just confess!
This is getting tense! Keep it up!
Thank you the Shadow!
Seriously. I get the Shadow has his abilities but I'm seriously waiting for someone to be in the bathroom when he shows up. That would be funny.
I do know why you're being scared, Sweetie Belle. Because; as a super saiyan kid once said: "There's no point in being afraid of the inevitable."
I'm surprised the Shadow's power works on Dash. Shouldn't it need an actual brain to hypnotize?
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Rainbow's gonna need some ointment for that burn!
Says the girl who's every bit the traitor she believes Sunset to be. Rainbow Dash, you are a hypocrite!
Don't be so shocked, Sweetie. You had to have known that someone with an actual brain would've found the CMCs out sooner or later. Then again, you're about as stupid as the people you fooled into thinking that Sunset was Anon-A-Miss. It makes perfect sense that you would think you could get away with ruining the life the sweet girl who saved your sorry ass from the Sirens.
Rainbow Dash, everybody, the element of loyalty in action, forcing her oldest friend to walk away!
Glad the Shadow got right to Sweetie, it's rather obvious once you think about it. Though it does bring up the one anon-a-miss story I've yet to see.
Is there one were Sunset turns it around on one or all of them? She knows the time line, the only time frame someone could have gotten into her phone. With as fast as the girls turn on her, has there been a story we're she calls them out and flat out says one, or more, of them is tired of "faking" it for the Princess' sake and did this to force her out? Because I know that is where my mind would go, had I been in her place.
And now to wait for the other boot to drop.
I see now how all the parts of The Shadow's plan to expose Anon-A-Miss are coming together. I haven't read many of these Anon-A-Miss stories, so I wasn't certain going into this whether the CMC would be exposed as the ultimate culprits as in the original comic. I see here that they are. Still, a howcatchem can be just as fun as a whodunit. My familiarity with The Shadow remains limited. I surmise The Shadow radio show's plots were more often howcatchems then. I eagerly await The Shadow finally exposing the guilty. Keep up the good work.
Goddamnit; stop doing a Dumbledore, Celestia! Don't just stand there and pontificate over "this will be a learning experience for everyone involved" or "we mustn't punish bad kids, since surely forgiveness and unlimited second chances will lead to them turning over a new leaf"!
Dumbledore did nothing when the whole school hated Harry because he was the supposed 'Heir of Slytherin', which is a crime; now Celestia's doing nothing when the whole school is hating Sunset because she's supposedly revealing everyone's secrets.
Negligence should lead to a firing.
Exactly what I'm trying to say; Celestia and Dumbledore are both guilty of this.
Oh really? That's not suspicious at all; surely you would've come to that conclusion on your own without this prompting, without this successful attempt to colour your view and create a nasty false impression.
This chapter had a much better feel and flow to it than the previous one. While the first chapter was good, it was somewhat ... repetitive in its narrative as it mostly consisted of stylistically similar segments of The Shadow confronting different individuals. True to the original radio program, perhaps, but the repetition would have grown stale if it had continued in such a rote fashion in this chapter. Thankfully, that wasn't the case, and I enjoyed how you used the previous chapter as a springboard to show how characters were acting and/or reacting in this one.
It's funny, I wasn't sure how well a Golden Age, pulp hero like The Shadow would fit into the modern Equestria Girls universe, but you've done an excellent job of blending the two narrative worlds together. I like that Rarity was genre-savvy enough (given her canonical love for old-time mysteries) to question The Shadow on his own level, but too caught up in her own personal blindness (in failing to consider Sweetie Belle as a suspect) and the drama of the situation to be dissuaded from her viewpoint. Keep up the great work!
Am I the only one who read the shadow with Orson Welles voice?
Seriously, this was a great chapter
Thank you Shadow.
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I wouldn't say Orsen Welles to be sure, but I definitely read it in A voice. Complete with vintage radio sound filtering.
The Shadow has them cornered
Caught red handed!
I would have put some stuff about questioning the Rainbooms motives.
Like:
It could be one of you five could be it. Maybe you Rarity is Anon-a-miss. You just couldn’t forgive her for ruining your dayview in the spring fling.
Now wait a darn minute! Applejack yellled. Rarity would never do that!
So quick to defend, but honestly has a dark side. Just by defending you open yourself it a possible canitdate as well. Maybe for revenge for making you a lier? Everyone here is a possible one. It is as easy taking a photo. Applejack take the photo with your phone.
Where is it?
Over on the far table.
Look like Fluttershy has got a brain and a backbone.
Rainbow Dash just digging that hole of your's deeper.
I thought I had seen all that could be done with Anon-a-Miss. It feels good to have been proven wrong. This is a wonderfully clever and unique idea that raises the bar for this genre.
I don't particularly know the original radio program, but I'm getting a distinct Graham Greene vibe from this. I imagine the scenes in B&W, and wonder if there will be any chases down long tunnels!
Purely theoretical query; what if someone were to successfully hit the Shadow with a bullet whilst he was stealthed?
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He stays invisible unless knocked unconscious, or so I've been able to deduce from the radio show. But if he bleeds, people can see the blood if it touches something.
That happened during an episode where his hands were burned with acid and then he had to climb a freezing cold ladder. The bad guy taunted Shadow about seeing his blood trail as they fought.
Those times where the bad guys hear him shot and fall while still invisible and think they've killed him seem to be him using ventriloquisum to trick them so far, but he has been shot successfully several times and yet managed to stay unseen as far as I can tell.
The one episode so far where he was knocked unconscious while as The Shadow, he was able to be seen while knocked out.
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Thanks. Based on this story and your description, I would hate to be Sweetie Belle right now!
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I found the sequel to that!
Shadow/Batman
Also an earlier Batman meets The Shadow comic:
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Batman-1940/Issue-253?id=17867
And its sequel:
https://readcomiconline.to/Comic/Batman-1940/Issue-259?id=17873
I strongly suggest using an adblocker for that site^.
Hello, Matthais? I sent you a couple of private messages. Just letting you know here in case they got lost or something.
The human versions of the Cutie Mark Crusaders are in for it now.