An Anon-a-Miss Carol

by sonicfan05

Chapter 4 - Present Issues

Apple Bloom woke up with a violent gasp and then she sat up from her bed. She looked around the area frantically until she calmed down once she realized she was back in her room. She then checked her own body and was relieved that she was turned back into a human again.

Dat was tense! Thank goodness it was only a dream! Apple Bloom thought with a sigh before narrowing her eyes. Sunset Shimmer as an orphanage while being bullied and has no family? Talk about ridiculous!

"Apple Bloom!"

Apple Bloom turned her head to see both her friends, who are also back in their human forms, run up to her with worried expressions.

"Apple Bloom, are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked, checking her friend over.

"Yeah, Sweetie Belle, Ah’m fine," Apple Bloom assured. "It was only–"

"Oh good!" Sweetie Belle sighed with a relieved expression. "When Somna had us trapped in her smoke, I thought we were goners!"

Scootaloo nodded. "Yeah! And the way her eyes lit up in green was scary… n-not that I'm scared or anything!"

Apple Bloom was about to tease her friend about being scared, but then she paused. "Wait… you have that dream too?"

Sweetie Belle blinked. "Apple Bloom… we just came back from Equestria in the past… remember?"

"And we saw most of Sunset’s past from the day she was born to her falling out with the princess?" Scootaloo added.

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened, shaking her head in denial. "N-no… dat's impossible! It… it has to be a dream!"

"If it was a dream, then how could we possibly be having the same dream at the exact same time?" Scootaloo pointed out.

"Um… coincidence?" Apple Bloom offered lamely.

Suddenly, they heard an alarm go off, coming from Apple Bloom’s digital clock on her night table near her bed. They all read the display on that clock which reads 'nine and two zeros'. As Apple Bloom read the time, her father’s words once again echoed in her mind.

"The second ghost will arrive at a struck of nine."

Apple Bloom shook her head. No… what we've experienced has to be a dream… isn't it?

Suddenly, her bedroom door burst open, starling her and her friends in the process. The lights from the hallway were already on, despite that Apple Bloom knew for sure that they were off earlier and that she and her friends are the only ones in the house right now. Before either of the girls commented, they all heard a loud boisterous laughter coming from beyond Apple Bloom’s bedroom.

"Come lassies!" The mysterious voice boomed. "Come on down and join me downstairs!"

The girls looked at each other with nervous expressions.

"Girls," Scootaloo uttered. "Could that be… our second visitor?"

"Um… I think so," Sweetie Belle replied, eyeing the bedroom door warily. "Although, he sounds friendly."

Apple Bloom shook her head. "Ah don’t like this! Ah say we stay up here and wait for that ghost to leave!"

"Actually… I think we should go down there and give him a chance!" Sweetie Belle suggested.

Apple Bloom eyes widened. "But Sweetie Belle, we don't know what that ghost is like or what he'll do to us! How could we possibly trust him?"

"Your parents said that we should be open-minded and listen to these ghosts, remember?" Sweetie Belle reminded. "We did it with Somna, it's only fair we do the same with the next two ghosts."

Sweetie then walked towards the door. "Now let's not keep 'em waiting!"

Scootaloo nodded in agreement before following Sweetie Belle, leaving Apple Bloom behind.

"Girls! Hold on a second!" she called out, but her friends paid her no heed as they practically walked out of the room. Realizing that they're not coming back and fearing for her friends, Apple Bloom jumped out of her bed and ran after them.

"Girls, wait for me!"

Apple Bloom eventually caught up with her best friends as they slowly climbed down the stairs towards the Apple's living room. As they got closer, the light source from the living room grew brighter. It was then that they realized that the light source wasn't coming from the lamps or anything electric at all. The light itself was much more organic and natural.

The girls eventually made it down the stairs and entered the living room. When they did, the CMCs were taken aback by what they saw in front of them. Several different candles were around the room all lit up, which was the main light source of the area. With the lighted candles, they've noticed that the Apple's living room has changed. The whole room was redecorated with evergreen garland with red bows around the walls and windows. The Apple's original decorations that were on the Christmas tree were replaced with red and gold ornaments with a gold garland.

But what got the girls' attention the most was the amount of food all over the room; possibly more than the food that was made from all the previous Apple Family reunions combined. There were many different types of food that the girls could even make out: turkeys, prime ribs, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potato casseroles, steaks, lasagnas, the list goes on. There were even so many desserts in the room; about half of them were several different kinds of pies alone.

In the center of the room was this mysterious man. This man was huge, probably around seven feet tall. He has a long orange and yellow beard and hair, of which only both sides of his head were braided. He has blue eyes, big muscles on his biceps, and his teeth were so shiny, they were practically blinded from his smile.

He wore a tan headband, a long brown fur shirt that only covered his chest, and some kind of chest belt with a metal round stone in the middle. He also wore three belts around his waist with the same round stone in the middle, long toga black pants, brown leather straps around his wrists and ankles, and crown boots. He even has a long metal shovel over his right shoulder.

The mysterious man smiled even further as soon as he spotted the girls. "Come in! Don't be shy little ones, I won't bite!"

Despite the invite, the girls were a little hesitant at first. Eventually, the girls slowly entered the room and approached their new visitor. They jumped slightly when the muscled ghost let out his boisterous laugh again.

"I bet you tots have never seen someone like me, have ya lassies?"

The three girls shook their heads in unison.

They still felt apprehensive towards their visitor, despite him giving them his friendly smile. Before Apple Bloom had time to react, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nudged her towards him, silently volunteering her to talk to him first. Apple Bloom glanced at her friends with a glare before nervously facing the big guy himself.

"Um… howdy mister," Apple Bloom began timidly with a gulp. "U-um, are ya… our second visitor?"

"Aye!" He answered with a grin before pointing at himself. "I am the ghost of Christmas Present! But my friends called me Rockhoof!"

Scootaloo’s eyes widened. "You're the ghost of Christmas Present?" She exclaimed before covering her mouth in fear of angering the ghost. "Um, no offense… but you certainly don't… look like one."

To her surprise, instead of him being offended, Rockhoof laughed heartily as if she just told a joke.

"I get that a lot, lass!" Rockhoof grinned. "I may look intimidating, but I can assure ya, that I'm your guide tonight!"

Sweetie nodded. "We pretty much figured." She then glanced at the roasted turkey across from her. "One question: are all these foods real?"

Rockhoof nodded. "Aye, lass. The piles of food you see here represent the heart of every individual in Canterlot City. Mainly, their goodwill, happiness, and generosity."

"Generosity?" Sweetie Belle repeated with a grin. "That sounds like my sister!"

"Aye," Rockhoof grinned. "But around this time of year, nearly every individual would be full of merriment and generosity like your sister." He then frowned solemnly. "But not this year."

From the sudden change of demeanor from their visitor, the CMCs frowned worriedly.

"What do you mean?" Apple Bloom asked.

Rockhoof gestured towards the food. "Take a look for yourself, lassie."

The CMCs obeyed as they observed the food with confused expressions. The food looked exactly how they appeared when they first walked into the room, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But that changed quickly when the food slowly disappeared by the second, shocking the CMCs in the process.

"W-what's going on?" Apple Bloom exclaimed as more food disappeared from their sights.

"People are losing a lot of their goodwill and happiness after a series of events happening within this town," Rockhoof stated. "Specifically, because of what is happening right now from your school based on the effects of a certain online user who's been tormenting others."

Sweetie’s eyes widened. "You mean…"

Rockhoof nodded gravely. "Aye… Anon-a-Miss."

The CMCs stared at Rockhoof in stunned silence. While they knew that their posts made most of the students angry and upset, neither thought that their actions could cause that huge of an effect to the point of losing the spirit of Christmas.

"You mean… we caused this?" Sweetie asked with a guilty expression.

"Aye," Rockhoof answered. "And to show you the extent of the consequences of your actions, we'll be visiting some of your fellow peers you have wronged, including that poor lassie you've been tormenting from the start!"

Knowing where this was going, Apple Bloom let out a loud groan. "Let me guess… Sunset Shimmer?"

Rickhoof nodded. "Aye!"

Apple Bloom threw her hands up. "Oh, come on! We were forced to look through Sunset’s life with the previous ghost! Isn't dat enough?"

Rockhoof shook his head. "Nah, lassie! Everything you have seen with Somnambula was all the struggles that Sunset went through from her past. But with me, I'm showing you what's going on right now after you pulled this whole heinous stunt and how this affects everyone around you, including Sunset Shimmer!"

"Yeah, well… we don't want to see it!" said Apple Bloom in an annoyed tone. "None of us are interested to find out what happened to Shimmer!"

"Actually," Sweetie Belle interjected while giving Apple Bloom a hard, yet determined look. "I wanted to see it. I wanted to know exactly how our actions hurt others since we followed along with your plan."

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Okay, so it's me and Scoots who aren't interested in–"

"Actually…" Scootaloo spoke up, not looking at Apple Bloom as she rubbed her arm. "I… want to see those too. I thought Sunset and our sisters could handle everything we posted on MyStable. But after seeing Sunset’s past, I'm… not so sure anymore."

Apple Bloom gave Scootaloo her deadpan expression. "Et tu, Scoots?"

"It would seem like you were outvoted, lassie!" Rockhoof stated in a manner of fact tone. "And even if you refused, I would have to drag you across the entire town, kicking and screaming."

"So in other words… Ah don't have a choice," Apple Bloom said flatly.

Rockhoof shook his head. "Nope!"

Realizing that there was no way out of this, Apple Bloom let out an irritated huff. "Alright, fine! Ah'll go!" She said redundantly before narrowing her eyes. "But only if we skipped Sunset Shimmer!"

Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared at Apple Bloom in disbelief, couldn’t believe how stubborn her friend was.

"Oh c'mon, Apple Bloom!" Sweetie Belle scolded. "You can't just–"

However, Sweetie Belle was interrupted when Rockhoof held up an index finger, gesturing for her to wait, before addressing Apple Bloom.

"Very well, lass, we won't be seeing Sunset Shimmer," he said calmly, much to Sweetie and Scootaloo's shock.

Apple Bloom crossed her arms with a satisfied smirk. "Great! That's wat Ah like to–"

"Until after we finish seeing certain other people," Rockhoof finished. "Specifically, students from your school!"

"Wat!?" Apple Bloom shouted angrily. "But you just said–"

Whatever argument Apple Bloom was going to say, died in her throat the moment when Rockhoof stood over her so suddenly. Gone were the warmth and merry expression that were on his features a moment ago. Instead, it was replaced with a cold and furious expression that was so tense, Apple Bloom felt her spirit was suffering just being under his gaze. Even Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, despite not receiving the ghost's wrath like their friend, shook themselves in fear from his sudden demeanor.

"You listen to me lassie," Rockhoof spoke in a low, yet dangerous voice. "In case you have forgotten the words from Somnambula, let me refresh your memory. The reason you're in this position in the first place was that you threw your parents' advice back into their faces, even though they were trying to save you from making a terrible mistake. This isn't some family field trip, this is a rehabilitation trip, and you're in no position to negotiate who we get to see or not. You will see all the things you have caused to everyone around you, including that young lady you tormented the most, whether you want to or not! And if you resist me any further, I'll be forced to remove my kids’ gloves! Understand?"

With a terrified expression, Apple Bloom nodded mutely.

"Good!" Rockhoof stated before glaring intensely at Apple Bloom."You're very lucky that I'm generous enough to give you a warning. Because if you tried to pull that stunt on the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, trust me… he won't be as nice as I am!"

Apple Bloom, as well as her friends, gulped loudly in fear.

"...now then!" Rockhoof announced, suddenly back to his cheerful self as if the whole event with Apple Bloom never happen. "With that out of the way, let’s be on our way!"

"Um… how do we do that?" Sweetie Belle asked, still feeling uneasy from earlier.

“With this lass!” Rockhoof answered as he took out his shovel, much to the CMCs confusion.

“Uh… it’s only a shovel,” Scootaloo pointed out.

Rockhoof chuckled. “Just watch!”

Before either of them could blink, Rockhoof struck the earth down with his shovel, instantly teleporting them all out from the living room.

---

Within a second, the CMCs and Rockhoof reappeared, no longer in the living room from the Apple’s home. The CMCs were only disoriented for a moment before they recovered. Apple Bloom shot Rockhoof an annoyed expression.

“Seriously!?” Apple Bloom retorted. “Yer teleporting us to other places without warning us too?”

“Well, how do ya think we get to those places lassie, we walk?” Rockhoof asked in a sarcastic tone.

Before Apple Bloom could argue further, Sweetie Belle interrupted her. “It’s fine, Apple Bloom. This certainly beats having to walk from one place to another.”

Scootaloo nodded in agreement. “Yeah, and it’s not nearly as bad then how Somna teleported us. So points for him!”

Rockhoof grinned. “Well, I’m glad that some of you don’t mind it. Though I don’t see why anyone would though. Many would have loved to be in your place as of means of travel, instead of using their so-call flying machines or these traveling metal boxes you mortals use these days!”

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever!”

She and her friends looked around and they realized that they were outside at Canterlot City’s Park. Everything around them, including the playground, benches, and fields were covered in snow. Despite that everything was still dark out due to nighttime, the lamppost lit up alongside the snow-covered pathway of the park.

Suddenly, a thought came to Apple Bloom and she glance down towards herself.

“Um, Rockhoof, we’re still in our pajamas!”

Sweetie Belle also glanced at herself, realizing her friend was right. “Yeah! And you’re not wearing any layers at all Rockhoof. Won’t we get cold?”

Rockhoof let out another boisterous laugh. “Don’t you worry lass! We’re practically spirits ourselves! So you don’t have to worry about getting cold!”

“Well, that’s a relief!” said Scootaloo. “And what about the people we are seeing?”

“It’s the same when you’re with Somna,” Rockhoof answered. “No one will see us. But unlike your trip with Somna, we’re seeing just how things played out at a current time.” He then glanced at the side. “Speaking of which, here comes our first group of people we are seeing.”

The CMCs turned towards the direction where the ghost was facing. Their eyes widened when they spotted two familiar girls from the distance. The two girls in question are Lyra and Sweetie Drops, or “Bon Bon” as most people called her. These two girls are openly known as best friends and often stuck together like glue. But to the surprise of the CMCs, Bon Bon appeared to be trying to walk away from her friend with crossed arms and an angry expression. Lyra, on the other hand, was trying desperately to keep up with her friend with a pleading expression.

"Bonnie, wait! Listen to me!" Lyra begged as she ran through the snow.

"No Lyra! I'm done listening to you!" Bon Bon replied coldly, still walking away from her.

Lyra eventually caught up to Bon Bon and grasped on her shoulder.

"Please, Bonnie," said Lyra. "It was all a misunderstanding!"

With a growl, Bon Bon turned to face her friend.

"A misunderstanding!?" She shouted. "What's there to misunderstand? Anon-a-Miss posted a photo of you and Roseluck together, hanging out at your house, and then lied to me that you were busy. Even though we've been best friends for years!"

"What you saw wasn't the full truth!" Lyra cried desperately. "Please, let me explain!"

With a scoff, Bon Bon yanked her shoulder away from her friend. "Forget it Lyra… consider our friendship over!"

Lyra watched her former best friend walking away with a heartbroken expression, tears leaking out from her eyes. "Bonnie! Bonnie please!"

As Lyra tried to chase her again, the CMCs watched them with guilt expressions. As soon as Lyra and Bon Bon left the area, Rockhoof then loudly cleared his throat

"Well, I'm sure you three know what this was all about?" he asked, but more of a statement than a question.

Scootaloo rubbed her arm. "Yeah… it was from the photo of Lyra hanging out with Roseluck at her home, supposedly on the day Lyra was supposed to be with her family."

"Rumor has it that those two hung out a lot more behind Sweetie Drop's back," Apple Bloom added. "We posted this after someone sent the photo and rumor to us."

Rockhoof hummed. "The lass was hanging out with that other girl, but it was only because she needed Roseluck's help to create a Christmas gift for her best friend… and crush."

Sweetie Belle's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"

Rockhoof nodded solemnly. "Aye. Lyra… was planning to confess to her best friend, who she had fallen in love with for quite some time. And that gift she made for her friend was only a surprise. Unfortunately, after that photo was posted on MyStable, Sweetie Drops misunderstood the situation and broke her friendship with Lyra before she could even explain.

The CMCs craned their necks, feeling guilty for breaking up a friendship and possibly more due to their influence.

"We… had no idea," Apple Bloom said quietly. "Now Ah feel bad!"

"If ya think you feel bad now," Rockhoof stated with narrowed eyes. "Just wait until you see the rest of the people we're visiting!"

Once again, Rockhoof struck the ground with his shovel, teleported everyone out of the park.

---

As soon as they reappeared at a different location, the CMCs, feeling less disorientated after the teleportation, looked around. This time, they were in the bedroom of some person's house. The room itself looked very messy with various equipment and clothes scattered around the room. What got their attention the most was the two girls sitting on the bed.

These two girls were Octavia Melody and Vinyl Scratch, aka DJ Pon-3. Judging from all the DJ equipment, the room belonged to the latter. Like Lyra and Bon Bon, those two are well known as close friends and often partners for their music performances. However, the two of them were currently in distress as DJ Pon-3 was hugging her friend from behind while Octavia just sat there, letting her friend hug her.

"Thank you for taking me in, love," Octavia said softly before glancing at her friend. "Are you sure you and your folks don't mind?"

DJ Pon-3 simply nodded while giving her friend a small reassuring grin.

Despite her friend’s reassurance, Octavia let out a sad sigh.

"How in the world does it come to this? I thought we were careful. But someone took a photo of us without our knowledge while we were… 'tongue wrestling' under the bleachers."

While DJ Pon-3 blushed at that, yet had a proud smile on her face, Octavia continued.

"Whoever took that photo, Anon-a-Miss somehow got their hands on it and posted it on MyStable for everyone to see!"

Octavia pulled her knees up to her chest. "It was bad enough that we've been getting looks and judged by everyone at school. But what's worse…" she began to tear up. "Is that my parents saw it too! And they… they…"

As Octavia began to brawl into her knees, DJ Pon-3 pulled her closer to her hug, comforting her girlfriend.

As the scene played out in front of them, the CMCs turned their attention to Rockhoof, who had a neutral expression.

"This was about a photo between Octavia and DJ Pon-3 we posted… wasn't it?" Scootaloo asked meekly, despite already knowing the answer.

Rockhoof nodded. "Aye. After these two became an item a month back, they were trying to keep their relationship a secret. The Raven lass, in particular, wasn't comfortable to share her relationship to the public yet, especially after figuring out that she likes girls." Rockhoof eyes narrowed. "Unfortunately, someone spotted them and took a photo of them during one of their private moments. And ever since you posted it, they become… 'celebrities' so to speak, around the entire school."

The CMCs winced at that, feeling responsible for exposing their relationship and then the aftermath from their post.

"Yeah… Ah've heard some… not nice comments from other students towards them," Apple Bloom uneasily. "But not everyone is bothered by dat. Heck, Ah'm not bothered by dat!"

Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded, also weren't bothered by the relationship between the two musicians.

"Well, it's good to hear that you three approved of their relationship," Rockhoof stated, but had a frown on his face. "But while there are those who approve of this kind of relationship, there are some out there who don't."

Rockhoof then sighed through his nose. "Especially Octavia's parents."

Sweetie Belle gasped, placing her hand over her mouth. "Oh no… don’t tell me her parents tried to separate them!"

Rockhoof had a grave expression. "Worse… they kicked her out and disowned her."

The CMCs were shocked beyond belief. It was bad enough that the couple were teased relentlessly after the CMCs had posted a photo, but to hear that one of their parents had kicked them out because of it as well, was beyond horrible.

Sweetie felt tears running down her cheeks. "No…"

"B-b-but why?" Scootaloo exclaimed, feeling rage towards Octavia's parents. "Why would anyone, let alone a parent, be so cruel to their child?"

"I wish I could answer that, lass," Rockhoof sighed solemnly. "But what I can say is that not everyone is so lucky to have parents who are open-minded and accepting. And even if their parents are accepting, no one should ever be forced to come out and take away their choice to share their relationship… just for someone's own sick amusement."

"Yeah, I get it," Sweetie Belle said quietly. "I certainly wouldn't like that if people invaded my personal life."

"Same here," said Apple Bloom with a guilty expression. "But Ah still feel bad for what we did with Octavia."

"Me too,” said Scootaloo. “But at least it was only these two that we… forced them out of their closets."

Apple Bloom nearly winced at that. She neglected to mention to her friends that just before her parents’ arrival, she made another post of a certain girl, just to get back at Sunset. At the time, she thought what she had done was right. But with everything she had seen so far, Apple Bloom was starting to feel less confident about her earlier decision.

"What's the matter, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked, noticing Apple Bloom’s worried expression.

"Nothin'!" Apple Bloom replied quickly. "It was… nothin'!"

Rockhoof raised his brow at Apple Bloom’s statement but chose not to comment about it.

"Well anyway," He announced. "It's time we make our next stop!"

Rockhoof once again struck the ground with his shovel and teleported everyone out of DJ Pon-3's room to their next destination.

---

With a blink of an eye, the gang reappeared. This time they were in a completely different room, assuming another house. Before any of the girls could ask Rockhoof where they are now, they heard someone crying nearby.

When they turned to see who it was, they felt their hearts drop to their stomachs when they spotted a familiar blonde-haired girl, sitting on the bed with tears in her yellow misaligned eyes. She was also wearing a blue shirt, long green skirt, long white socks, green sandals, and a short yellow tie.

"Why… why is everyone being so mean?" The girl wept, burying her face into her hands. "I… I know I have an… wall eye problem, but that doesn't mean… that I'm dumb! I… I…"

As the girl continued to cry her eyes out, the CMCs watched the whole scene, with a look of guilt. Then they glanced at the girl's laptop screen, only to cringe when they saw their post about that girl on MyStable from a few days back.

Those eyes of hers make her look like a freak and dumb! They're so freaky… that even her father left her as soon as she was born! LOL!

Just reading their own message made the girls feel even more guilty. They wouldn’t even bear to look Rockhoof in the eyes, knowing that the ghost was probably either disgusted or very disappointed in them.

"Do I really need to say this?" Rockhoof stated in a disappointed tone.

Apple Bloom sighed. "No… we knew what we did was low."

"Especially to someone who had an eye problem all her life," Sweetie Belle added, who was on the verge of tears herself.

"But we did it anyway just to make Sunset more and more guilty… and not caring about her feelings," Scootaloo concluded with regret on her features.

Rockhoof let out a knowing grunt. "Even if the lassie didn't have a physical disability, there was no reason to bring her home life, or anyone's home lives into the spotlight like that. Not only did she feel ashamed of herself, but she also believed that no one would ever love her for who she is!"

"We didn't mean it like that!" Scootaloo cried, tears trailing down her face. "We only did it because people wanted us to post them!"

"And yet, it was still you three who pulled the trigger," Rockhoof remarked.

"We get it, what we did was terrible!" said Apple Bloom, feeling bad about the whole thing. "We'll delete her post as soon as we get back!"

Rockhoof shook his head. "I'm afraid it won't be so simple. Even if you take your posts down… the damage was already done. And just because you got rid of them… that doesn't mean that the things you posted will disappear completely."

"What do you mean?" Sweetie Belle asked with a confused expression.

"Well… let me put it this way," Rockhoof explained, as he was stroking his beard. "Let's say… that this internet is like one big ocean and each webpage, like MyStable, is like a lake. And the connection between the webpage and the internet is like a river."

"Now suppose each negative comment or an embarrassing photo is like a poison that you keep pouring into the lake. And each poison is as bad and harmful as the other, which could affect you and/or everyone else around you. You could try to clean up the lake in hopes to get rid of all the poison you just poured in. But by the time you did, the poison had already traveled through the river and into the big ocean, making it impossible to completely get rid of all the poison."

"So, in other words… that once we posted stuff online, it could stay up there forever?" Scootaloo summarized with widened eyes.

"Aye. The reason is that sites like MyStable can have backups to everything you posted, even if you deleted them off of the web from your end. Or sometimes it could be from other users themselves who decided to download a copy of what you posted and then posted a copy on their own account on MyStable. Or even worse, a whole different website. And the next user will do the same. And so on. And so forth."

"It's even worse when you posted something about someone that was meant to be private. And depending on what kind of information about this person, whether it may be true or false, could affect that person in a big way. It could affect what schools they applied to, or their jobs, their relationships, their whole lives. The things that I showed you up to this point… were small examples of how your posts affected their lives."

Apple Bloom, as well as her friends, widened her eyes in fear. It had never occurred to them that their posts could potentially affect people's lives outside of school, including their sisters.

"Does that mean… Ah ruined mah sis' life?” Apple Bloom asked in guilt.

"And my sister?" Sweetie Belle added, feeling more upset with herself.

"And even Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo inquired fearfully.

"Your actions aren't bad enough for their lives to be… ruined per se, but if things kept going at this rate, you might as well be," Rockhoof answered vaguely.

He let his words sink in for a moment for the girls to digest before he narrowed his eyes at them.

"So the next time if you three even think about posting something funny or mean about another person… think long and hard about how this could affect theirs and your lives before you do so!"

The CMCs just stood in silence, feeling ashamed of themselves for using other students’ secrets as weapons against Sunset. They were so set on their goal to make Sunset look bad, they never once considered how they affected other students’ lives or how they felt after making so many posts. If humiliating and hurting people was by means for them to take down a former bully, then they are no better than Sunset when she was a meanie.

"So… are we seeing Sunset and our sisters yet?" Apple Bloom asked quietly.

Rockhoof shook his head. "Almost lass, there is still one more person we have to see."

Before anyone could blink, Rockhoof struck the ground with his shovel again and teleported them all out of the blonde girl’s room.

---

The gang then reappeared in a different location. However, unlike their previous visits, this particular location was hard for the girls to make out. The room was semi-dark and it had stone walls, pipes around the ceiling and at the corner of a wall, and a ceiling light hanging from the middle of the ceiling. But what caught the girls’ interest was that there were some desks and tables with various books, beakers, and equipment like a computer and a microscope. There was even a large bulletin board on one side of a wall with so many different pictures and red strings, which was something that came from a generic cop show.

“W-where are we?” Apple Bloom inquired as she surveyed the room.

“Yeah. It feels like we’re in an underground lab for a mad scientist!” said Scootaloo before narrowing her eyes at one of the pipes. “Or… some janitor’s closet.”

“Well, you’re kinda right on both ends,” said Rockhoof. “We’re in a makeshift lab belonging to a student from Crystal Prep.”

The CMCs widened their eyes in shock.

“Crystal Prep!?” Scootaloo exclaimed. “We’re in a lab belonging to Crystal Prep? Why are we here?”

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah! Our school has been rivals to them for years and they are not usually pleasant people!”

“I’m with them! These guys here are the worst!” Sweetie Belle squeaked.

Rockhoof had a knowing expression. “Oh, not everyone.”

As Rockhoof said those words, the door opened and a girl, who was wearing a Crystal Prep uniform, entered the room and walked through them. As the girl was sitting down near one of her desks, the CMCs noticed that something about that girl looked very familiar. Aside from the Crystal Prep uniform, the girl had dark blue hair with purple and pink stripes, which was made into a bun, a star hair clip on the side of her head, and purple eyes. After studying the girl for a moment, Apple Bloom’s eyes widened in recognition.

"Wait, is that… Twilight!?" Apple Bloom exclaimed in shock.

After looking at the girl a little longer, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were also shocked by the revelation.

“Hey, you’re right, Apple Bloom! That is Twilight!” said Scootaloo.

"I thought she lives in Equestria!" Sweetie Belle added in confusion. "What's she doing here?"

"That isn't the same person you know, lass," Rockhoof informed. "Look again!"

So the girls did as Rockhoof instructed. They didn’t understand what Rockhoof meant at first until their eyes set on one particular item, which was sitting on the bridge of Twilight’s nose.

"Hey! This Twilight wears glasses!" Scootaloo pointed out.

Apple Bloom nodded. "You're right Scoots! And she's also wearing a Crystal Prep uniform!"

Sweetie Belle furrowed her brows. "So if that's not Princess Twilight, then…"

Rockhoof nodded. "Aye. That lass you're looking at is the human Twilight of this world."

For the second time within a couple of minutes, the CMCs were shocked by this revelation.

"Holy guacamole!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Ah can't believe there is another Twilight!"

Suddenly, they heard a bark, which was coming from Twilight’s backpack. Twilight immediately unzipped her bag and a familiar purple dog jumped out of the bag and licked Twilight’s face, causing her to giggle.

"And there's even another Spike too!" Sweetie Belle said in a surprised tone. She then held her chin in thought. "I wonder if he talks like the other Spike?"

"I can't believe she's a Crystal Prep student!” Scootaloo said in disbelief while narrowing her eyes. “She's probably acting as high and mighty as all the others!"

Sweetie Belle watched with doubt as Twilight went back to her laptop, which had a tired expression.

"I don't know. She doesn't act like the rest of those preppers."

Apple Bloom nodded in agreement. "Yeah. In fact, she looks… lonely."

Despite having her dog on her lap, Twilight was still working on her laptop with a deep sigh, laying the side of her face on her left hand with a somber expression.

"Aye. The poor lass is all alone in her life," Rockhoof spoke in a soft tone. "While she is the smartest girl in school and on the top of her grades, no one wanted to be her friend."

"But… why?" Sweetie Belle inquired, couldn’t comprehend that no one wanted a nice girl like Twilight as their friend.

Rockhoof frowned. "As you say, those preppers only associate those who are worthy of their circle for the sake of their social connections. And unfortunately, Twilight doesn't benefit them at all and treats her like an outcast."

Scootaloo granted in disgust. "Man… just when I thought I couldn't dislike these preppers any further."

Suddenly, the door opened again, catching everyone, including Twilight by surprise. A young woman walked into a room. She had long purple, maroon, and yellow hair and purple eyes with blue eyeliner around her eyes. She was wearing a blue dress jacket, light blue shirt, long green skirt, yellow heels, and yellow necklace.

“Twilight?” The young woman called.

“Oh! Dean Cadance!” said Twilight in a surprised tone. “What brings you here?”

“Twilight, the school was over a few hours ago,” said Cadance, shaking her head. "And you don't have to call me 'Dean' if it's just us. After all… I am seeing your brother now."

"O-oh, right!" Twilight uttered, blush appeared on her cheeks. "Sorry… I'm still getting used to that!"

"For not calling me 'Dean' or me seeing your brother?" Cadance asked.

"Yes."

Cadance rolled her eyes in amusement at Twilight’s joke.

"But in all seriousness, you've been working on your research for months now. Don't you think it's time you take a break?"

"But I'm so close!" Twilight insisted. "Ever since I picked up these strange readings from CHS a couple of months ago, I've been trying to look into these readings and learn more about them. I even visited their school grounds a few times."

The CMCs nearly dropped their jaws throughout Twilight’s explanation, including the part when she mentioned their school during an important event.

"Was she… talking about the magic battle between our sisters and the Dazzlings during the Battle of the Bands two months ago?" Sweetie Belle uttered, afraid of the answer.

"Ah think she was," Apple Bloom replied, who was just as nervous. "Ah figured dat this Twilight is just as smart as the other Twilight, but the fact dat she knew about the magic back at our school is scary!"

"Especially that she's a student at Crystal Prep no less," Scootaloo added bluntly.

"Shh! Quiet girls!" Rockhoof scolded quietly.

The girls quickly got the message and resumed listening in on the conversation between Twilight and Dean Cadance.

"Twilight, you know that you shouldn't be messing around at another school district, especially since the students here currently aren't… getting along with the CHS students right now," Cadance reasoned.

"They won't notice that I'm there," Twilight assured, completely disregarding Cadance's concerns. "Besides, my research will help me get closer to my independent study at Everton!"

Cadance frowned. "Twilight, about that… are you sure if this is what you really want?"

"Of course this is what I want," Twilight responded with a sigh, despite having already answered to Cadance numerous times before. "I can focus more on my project, as well as some advanced math and science projects."

"But there won't be any classrooms with other students, you'll be all alone," said Cadance in a concerned tone.

Twilight frowned. "So?"

Cadance sighed as she leaned on a table near Twilight’s desk. "Twilight, while it's good that you're getting the best education, it's also important to be around other people."

Twilight frowned, looking away from Cadance. "I'm just… not good with other people."

"You're good with me and Shining," Cadance pointed out.

"You guys don't count. You're practically family," Twilight huffed. She then glared at her computer screen. "Even before I came here… no one ever liked me or even bothered to get to know me. All the students here certainly made that clear! If I end up being alone, then I might as well apply to a program where I can focus on my work by myself!"

Spike let out a small whine.

"...and Spike too, of course!" Twilight added with a small smile as she petted her dog.

Feeling concerned, Cadance gently placed her hand on Twilight’s shoulder, which got her attention.

"Twilight, I know it's hard dealing with people who gave you a hard time, but not everyone is like that. There are people out there somewhere who want to be your friend and like you for being... you. You just… have to let yourself meet them."

Twilight glanced at her dog, doubting Cadance's words. "I… don't know."

“Just think about what I said before you decided to transfer, okay?" Cadance requested in a soft tone.

While remaining doubtful, Twilight nodded.

Satisfied, Cadance stood up from the table. "Anyway, I’ll be coming over to you and your brother’s house for our Christmas dinner within a half-hour. Promise me that you’ll come home on time and stay for Christmas?"

“Yes Dean– I mean, Cadance! I promise," Twilight assured.

With a small smile, Cadance turned and then walked out of the door, leaving Twilight, Spike, and her unaware visitors alone.

Feeling assured that Cadance had completely left the area, Twilight resumed her work on her laptop.

“Well, she didn’t say that I should stay after Christmas!” said Twilight with a mischievous expression.

Spike let out a small whine, which Twilight ended up hearing.

“What? I’m technically keeping my promise!” She reasoned. “Besides, it’s not like I have anything else to do for the holidays!”

She then let out a sad sigh. “Or anyone here who actually wanted to be with me for Christmas.”

As Twilight quietly went back to work, the CMCs watched her with looks of pity.

“Poor Twi,” said Sweetie with a sad frown. “Even if she never admitted it, she’s all alone!”

“I still can’t believe that no one in this school wanted to be her friend,” Scootaloo said quietly, feeling bad for judging her earlier.

Apple Bloom immediately cleared her throat, getting her friends' attention.

"Ah don’t mean to sound heartless. While Ah am sad for our world's Twilight… but wat does that have to do with us?"

“Normally, we’re forbidden to share a potential future to you mortals, but in this case, we’re making an exception,” said Rockhoof, as he glanced at Twilight. “At some point, there will be an event called the Friendship Games, which will take place at your school. Only a select few students will participate in the games… and this Twilight is one of them.”

The CMCs were surprised by this information, not only with what's going to happen at the school in the future but also a future involving this world's Twilight.

“Really? I thought she wasn’t interested in making friends?” said Sweetie in her confused tone.

Rockhoof frowned. “She wasn’t. She will be forced to go by her Principal… by blackmailing her access to her independent study program.”

The girls were shocked by this sudden bombshell, neither of them thought an authoritative figure from their rival's school could act so cruel.

“Seriously!?” Apple Bloom exclaimed. “Even the Principal is bullying her?”

Rockhoof nodded. “Aye. That Principal doesn’t care about the students’ wellbeing, as long as it helps further the school’s reputation!” His eyes narrowed. “And that Principal will continue to use her by any means until that lass nearly falls into darkness.”

Scootaloo scowled in disgust. “Okay… now I really dislike this place!”

“Fortunately," Rockhoof continued. "She will be saved by your sisters… especially Sunset Shimmer.”

Apple Bloom’s eyes widened. “You mean Sunset Shimmer will save her?”

“Aye," Rockhoof confirmed. "She is the key member to save that lass from that darkness, just like how she was a key member of defeating the Dazzlings.” He then frowned solemnly. “But without Sunset…”

Rockhoof went silent after that, making the girls feel more nervous and concerned about Twilight by the second.

"Rockhoof… what's going to happen to this Twilight without Sunset?" Sweetie Belle asked in a pleading tone.

"Yeah, will she be okay?" Scootaloo added.

Rockhoof continued to not say anything, as he still set his eyes on Twilight. Eventually, he let out a heavy sigh.

"I see her in an empty white room. Sitting all alone, void of any joy or happiness in her eyes," Rockhoof revealed vaguely in a grave tone. "If these shadows remain unchanged, then Twilight’s future… will be bleak."

The CMCs were horrified by this. Could their actions as Anon-a-Miss really be going to affect Twilight's future, even though they never met her? And how exactly are their actions affecting Sunset in some way which determines if Sunset is going to save Twilight? Before either of them could ask, Rockhoof spoke up.

"Now then… it is time to get to the heart of our trip!"

Just as before, Rockhoof raised his shovel and struck the ground, vanishing everyone out of the lab.

---

As soon as the group reappeared at a different location, the girls were taken aback as soon as they identified some familiar bookshelves all around the room.

"Hey, we're in the school's library!" Scootaloo exclaimed.

"But why are we here?" Apple Bloom asked, looking up at Rockhoof. "The library, as well as a school, is closed at this time."

Rockhoof simply glanced away. “You’ll find out soon enough.”

Before any of the CMCs could ask to clarify, they all heard a quiet sob coming from the backside of the library. Rockhoof started heading down the aisle towards one of the ends of the bookshelf with the CMCs in tow. They eventually reached the end of the row where a small room took place where people rarely visited. When they saw who was in the room, the CMCs eyes widened in shock.

The person who was sitting on a pile of books was none other than Sunset Shimmer and she was currently all hunched up, crying into her knees.

“It’s… it’s Sunset,” Sweetie said quietly.

Scootaloo frowned, taking no joy in seeing a crying person, even if it was a former bully. “What is she doing here? Shouldn’t she be at home?”

“Why don’t you take a closer look at those books she is sitting on,” Rockhoof suggested.

Apple Bloom did as he suggested and she immediately noticed the way those books were rearranged, including that long sheet next to the books.

“Is… is that supposed to be a bed?” Apple Bloom inquired.

Scootaloo tilted her head in confusion. “Why would she make those books into a bed?”

“Because this is where she has been sleeping… and living for the past few years,” Rockhoof revealed quietly.

Needless to say, the CMCs were shocked beyond belief.

"You mean… she has been living in the school's library all this time?" Sweetie Belle asked quietly, feeling sad for the poor girl.

"Well, yes… and no," Rockhoof answered. "While this is where she hangs the most, sometimes she would sleep in one of the homeless shelters if she was locked out of the school or kicked out."

Scootaloo had a look of dread. "And… if those shelters are… full?"

Rockhoof sighed. "Then she'll be lucky to find a warm, safe place somewhere under the city's bridge."

Sweetie Belle began to tear up. “But why… why was living like this?

“Y-yeah!” Apple Bloom spoke up. “Couldn’t she just go back to Equestria where she originally came from?”

Rockhoof frowned at Apple Bloom. “Have you forgotten your trip with Somnambula when you witnessed her having a fallout with her mentor?”

Apple Bloom winced. She had forgotten that. Or rather, she never cared to remember due to her vendetta against Sunset at the time. Now she was starting to regret her past behavior.

“Even after the portal to her world became accessible, Sunset still felt ashamed to face her mentor for how she treated her and their last exchange before coming to your world,” Rockhoof explained. “And it was also because she wanted to make amends with everyone here at your school before she could even face her. And even without that reason, she had nowhere to go since she had no family. And ever since she befriended your sisters, she felt her friends became a family she never had and considered this world her true home… until recently.”

The CMCs winced again, feeling a bit guilty for causing this.

"She was usually all alone for the holidays and spent her day here just like any other day," he continued before looking at Apple Bloom in the eye. "That was the main reason why your sister started this whole sleepover plan; so Sunset wouldn't have to be alone for the holidays for once."

Apple Bloom felt her throat tighten in guilt. "Did… mah sister know about this? That Sunset is… homeless?"

Rockhoof shook his head. "No, she didn't. Sunset didn't want to burden her or her friends any more than they were already… not that it matters now." He then shrugged. "But hey, I'm sure this was no big deal!"

The CMCs couldn't believe what they were hearing. After everything he said about the hard times Sunset had to go through right now, he suddenly acted like he didn't care and disregarded Sunset's situation.

"What's wrong with you Rockhoof!" Scootaloo yelled angrily. "This is a big deal! She can't be living like that and she needs help!"

Rockhoof let out a scoff. “Oh C’mon there lassie, she’s Sunset Shimmer! Since she had already handled her rough childhood, being homeless, ostracized, bullied, and being left behind by her former friends… I’m sure she can handle anything else whatever comes her way!”

Realizing that he practically used her words against her, Scootaloo glared back at Rockhoof as a lone tear trailed down her cheek.

“That… was a low blow!”

Rockhoof shrugged. “Your words, not mine!”

Scootaloo tightened her fist in rage, but couldn’t fight back.

Despite Rockhoof's harsh words, deep down, they all knew that he was right. Since they never really bothered to get to truly know Sunset, they have completely disregarded her life and feelings. They kept trying to justify themselves that what they did was right and that Sunset had it coming. But after everything they learned about Sunset up to this point, they couldn't deny it anymore. Instead of trying to take down a bully, they end up becoming bullies themselves.

They all wondered why life had to be so ironic.

Suddenly, they all heard a loud buzzing noise, and Sunset immediately stopped crying as a result. The girls became confused when they saw that the buzzing came from Sunset’s journal. Sunset sniffed as she reached for her journal and then she opened it.

"Sometimes, all you can do is stay strong. Stay yourself. And find your family," Sunset read out loud.

Sunset paused for a moment as if she was letting those words she read sink in. Then her face changed to a determined expression.

"Twilight’s right!" said Sunset as she wiped her eyes. "I need to try to convince them… one more time."

With that, Sunset packed her journal into her backpack, stood up from her "bed", and then she left the area. As the CMCs watched Sunset disappear from their view, Rockhoof spoke up again.

"Well, it would seem that Sunset is on the move to go talk to your sisters." He said knowingly. "And what a coincidence… your sisters will be our next stop.

With that, they all vanished from the library as soon as Rockhoof struck the floor with his mighty shovel.

---

As soon as everyone reappeared, the CMCs immediately recognized the warm decor of the building they were in now. There were many tables and chairs around the area, but sometimes there were green couches at certain spots. There was a counter with a desert display where customers usually ordered their coffee and shakes. There was even a huge menu behind the counter, listing many different drinks and sweets to choose from.

"Hey!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed. "This is…"

"The Sweet Shoppe!" Apple Bloom finished. "Our sisters' hangout!"

"And there they are!" said Scootaloo as she pointed at the direction in front of her.

The CMCs turned to where Scootaloo was pointing at. Sure enough, the Rainbooms, including their sisters, were sitting near a lone table in the center of a Shoppe. Aside from the owners, Mr. and Mrs. Cake, the Rainbooms were the only ones present in the Shoppe. Normally, the Shoppe closes around that time, but because Pinkie works and is friends with the cakes, they were granted access to the Shoppe just to get away from all the relentless teasing. But even so, none of the girls looked so happy as they just sat there quietly.

Scootaloo frowned at the sight. "Oh man… they all looked so miserable, even Pinkie Pie!"

Rockhoof nodded. "Aye, they are. But that's what usually happens when they are constantly mocked by others due to their secrets exposed online and finding out that their supposed friend betrayed them."

The CMCs grimaced in guilt, feeling responsible for causing misery to their sisters and their friends.

"So… why are we here?" Scootaloo asked.

Rockhoof simply turned to face the Rainbooms. "Let's just sit back and watch, lassie."

The CMCs obeyed, watching the Rainbooms as Rainbow Dash let out a loud huff in frustration.

"Well… this turned out to be a fun Christmas!" Rainbow Dash remarked.

Pinky Pie gave Rainbow her confused expression. "What are ya talking about Dashie? We're not having fun."

"I'm being sarcastic, Pinkie!" Rainbow Dash snapped with a scowl on her face.

Pinkie frowned angrily. "Hey! You don't have to shout at me, Dashie!"

"Now hold on everyone," Applejack spoke up calmly. "Let's not fight here!"

"Why not? That's what everyone's been doing lately!" Rainbow retorted. "Have you seen what's been going on at school lately? It's becoming a war zone over there!"

"Everyone has been yelling and at each other's throats all day, even during lunchtime!" Fluttershy whimpered. "I feared that a fight may break out at any given moment!"

"Yes, things are getting hectic at school," Rarity sighed. "The only good thing that came from this was that we weren't being mocked anymore… at least, while everyone is busy yelling at each other."

Pinkie furrowed her brow. "Well… the only time people stopped yelling at each other was when Sunset’s around… then yelled at her."

Everyone but the CMCs and Rockhoof frowned at the mention of their former friend.

Applejack's expression changed to a look of anger, clenching her fist tightly. "Ah still can’t believe she did that to us and everyone at school, even after everythin' we did to make her feel welcome!"

"We trusted her with our secrets and look what happened," Rarity added bitterly. "I guess what they say is true: a leopard never changes its spots!"

"I'm still mad at Sunset for what she did to us!" said Rainbow Dash frowned. "And yet…"

"And yet wat, Rainbow Dash?" Applejack pressed.

Rainbow's face scrunched up, deep in thought. "And yet, I couldn't help but feel… that we may have made a mistake in accusing Sunset."

Everyone blinked with surprised expressions. Out of everyone in the group, no one expected Rainbow Dash of all people beginning to doubt their decision to cut off Sunset after their confrontation.

"What do ya mean, Sugercube?" Applejack asked in a surprised tone.

Rainbow sighed as she crossed her arms. "Well… I know that she had used similar tactics before when she broke up our friendship before the Fall Formal. And yet, there was something about this whole thing that felt… off! I just can't put a finger on it!"

"I have to agree with Dashie," Fluttershy interjected in a quiet tone, getting everyone's attention. "Before, she usually planned carefully and did all of those mean things from behind the shadows. But this time around, she was sloppy with her posts and made herself a little too obvious… which doesn't make any sense."

Applejack scoffed. "Whether it makes sense or not, she still did it!"

"Did she?" Fluttershy challenged. "I don't know about you, but lately… Sunset has become more isolated… and sad every time I see her. And everyone has been giving her a hard time ever since we called her out."

Fluttershy then bowed her head in shame. "I also feared that we may have made a mistake in our judgment. And even if she was the one who's behind this, she doesn't deserve to get ganged up by angry students every day… and I can't help but feel responsible for letting that happen."

Pinkie glanced down at the table after hearing Fluttershy’s words, starting to feel guilty as she remembered making Sunset sad after ditching her.

"Well… we have accused her without giving her a chance," Pinkie said quietly with a somber expression. "Dashie and Flutters are right… maybe we were a little too quick to judge Sunny."

Applejack growled, couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"But the pictures we've seen online were from Sunset’s phone! It has to be her!" Applejack argued.

"But what if we're wrong?" Fluttershy countered.

When Applejack didn't answer, Fluttershy sighed and gave the farmer a pleading, yet firm expression.

"Applejack… I think we should hear Sunset out the next time we see her. And I mean really hear her out! I'm already feeling bad for ditching Sunset like that because of our anger. And if this turns out to be a mistake, I will feel even worse. And when she does talk to us, please keep your temper in check. Whether she's innocent or not… I don't want us to do any more damage to Sunset for us to regret later."

Before Applejack had a chance to reply, they all heard the bell ring from the Shoppe's entrance. When they looked up, half of them were displeased when they spotted Sunset who looked like she had just run a marathon, but had a determined expression. While most of the Rainbooms were starting to question themselves with their decision, that doesn’t mean they wanted to see Sunset right now.

^*"Hey! Get out!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

Applejack stood up from her seat with an angry expression. "Yer not welcome here, Sunset!"

“No, wait! Please!” Sunset pleaded as she slowly walked towards them. “I know you don’t trust me, a-and I can’t prove I’m innocent but please…”

Sunset then presented her journal to them. “Look at this!”

Applejack was about to retort but was stopped when Fluttershy was giving her a very stern glare, silently reminding her of their conversation from earlier. Despite that she still doesn't trust Sunset, Applejack crossed her arms with a huff, quietly allowing Sunset her chance.

“I’ve been telling Twilight everything that’s been happening," Sunset explained as Fluttershy took the journal from her. "And–”

The Rainbooms immediately started reading the journal while Rainbow Dash occasionally kept Sunset at arm’s length with her distrustful expression. This hurts Sunset, but she continues to push her exclamation.

“And… she reminded me: you’re more than friends… you’re my family. You know me better than anyone.”

After reading most of the journal, the Rainbooms looked up with distrustful, yet unsure expressions.

“Ask yourself," Sunset stressed, hoping her words get to her friends. "Would the Sunset Shimmer you know… the real Sunset Shimmer… the person I am now… would she do this?”

The Rainbooms paused for a moment, looking at each other. While they still have their doubts, Sunset made a very good point. They all have assumed that this whole mess was something the old Sunset would do, which was why they accused Sunset. But after spending enough time with her before the first sleepover, it was getting much harder to picture Sunset as the culprit.

After a few minutes of silence, it was Fluttershy who spoke up for the group.

“If… if you’re not Anon-a-Miss… then who is?”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to figure out,” Sunset replied, taking one of the seats from their table. “AJ, you said us and your family are the only ones who knew your nickname, right?”

Applejack frowned. “Yeah… but I know none of my family would tell, and I trust you five–” She paused, glancing at Sunset. “You four.”

While Sunset didn't show it, she once again felt hurt by her friend's statement.

“Maybe someone overheard it?” Rainbow Dash suggested.

“Maybe,” Sunset mumbled as she rested her chin over her hands in thought. “But what about the party photos? I had my phone with me the whole time after the party.”

“And the only people at the party were us!” said Rarity, but then added when a sudden thought came to her. “Well, and my family, of course.”

“You’re… family?” Sunset repeated processing Rarity’s words. She pondered about those words for a moment until her eyes widened in realization. “Wait…”

Sunset turned to Rainbow Dash. “Dash, Anon-a-Miss posted a science paper you wrote, right?”

Rainbow Dash cocked an eyebrow. “Uh, yeah?”

“Did you have soccer practice the day you got that paper back?” Sunset inquired.

“Soccer Practice?” Rainbow blinked, not sure where Sunset’s question was going. “Um… yeah.”

“And the junior team was practicing too, right?”

Rainbow shrugged. “Well, sure. They usually do.”

Eyes narrowed, Sunset stood up. “I know who Anon-a-Miss is!”

The Rainbooms stood by, waiting for Sunset to announce who was the "true" culprit.

“...it’s Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo!”

The Rainbooms were taken aback by this revelation while the CMCs watched in shocked expressions. The pre-teens thought that they were very careful with covering up their tracks. How was Sunset able to figure out that it was them?

While the Rainbooms were staring at Sunset with stunned expressions, Applejack had a look of disbelief, as if Sunset just told a bad joke.

“Wat?” she deadpanned.

“Think about it, AJ! It all makes sense!” Sunset reasoned. “When your sister called you on our first slumber party, she was the one who first mentioned your nickname, leaving you to believe that’s where I got the name from! And then later on the next day, she posted about your nickname on the Anon-a-Miss’ page!”

Sunset then turned to Rarity. “And on our second day of our slumber party, Sweetie Belle was also there at your house! She must’ve snuck into your room when we were sleeping and somehow took my photos and videos off of my phone!”

Finally, Sunset faced Rainbow Dash. “And Scootaloo is one of the members of the junior team, which happened to be around the same time as your soccer practice! Because you both share the same practice, Scootaloo has easy access to get to your locker, take a photo of your science paper, and then post it on MyStable for everyone to see!”

As the Rainbooms were processing Sunset’s reasoning, Apple Bloom was slightly impressed by Sunset's deducting skills, even though it wasn’t good on her and her friends’ end. It would seem that they weren't as clever with covering up their tracks then they thought. Apple Bloom was then taken a step back as her sister let out a loud growl.

“You can’t be serious!” Applejack exclaimed, eyes filled with fury. “You’re accusing mah sister as Anon-a-Miss?”

“But AJ, if you think back to all those incidents, it all makes sense!” Sunset insisted.

“But wat about all those secrets from other students?” Applejack demanded. “How does mah sister get them, hm?”

“That… I don’t know,” Sunset answered honestly. “But it’s possible that some students send those secrets to your sister and have them–”

Applejack threw her chair down to the floor, causing everyone to watch nervously at the sight, especially Apple Bloom. She knew how her sister acts that way when she gets angry and is too stubborn to listen to reason. She silently hoped for Sunset’s sake that her sister wouldn’t do or say anything that gets too far.

They all watched helplessly as Applejack marched right up towards Sunset with a look of rage.

"That does it! You have gone too far, Sunset!” she screamed. “There's no way in Sam's hill that mah sister is capable of doing this! I mean, why would she and her friends be doing this to her own kin?"

Sunset raised her palms at Applejack to calm her. "I don't know for sure as to why the CMCs were doing this, but I do know for sure that your sister is one of the few people who openly dislike me, even after I changed!"

Applejack scowled. "So you accused her simply because she dislikes ya?"

Sunset shook her head. "No. I accused her simply because she's the most likely culprit behind this whole mess based on facts. Maybe even as the ringleader because of their first post about you!"

"That's ridiculous!" Applejack shouted, pointing her finger at Sunset. "You have no right to accuse mah sister without any evidence!"

“Said my so-called friend who accused me without any evidence!” Sunset countered but remained calm. “But unlike you, I actually have evidence to back up!”

"Evidence mah foot!" Applejack spat. "Yer tryin' to tore mah family apart just like how ya tore away mah friends in the past!"

"I'm not!" Sunset yelled.

“Yes, you are!” Applejack shouted. “You’re nothin’ but a snake in the grass just like before!”

Sunset frowned, hurt and angry at Applejack’s remarks. “I’m not the same person as before! And I thought you considered me as your family?"

"Yer never family to me and never will be!" Applejack snapped.

Everyone, except for Rockhoof, gasped and in shock. Neither one expected Applejack to speak so cruelly like that to anyone, not even at their enemies.

Applejack, who was too mad to notice, continued to yell at Sunset out of anger.

"We've all heard enough out of ya, Sunset! So just get out and don't come back! And do us all a favor and just disappear!”

There was tense silence all around the room, everyone standing around with stunned expressions. It was then that Applejack realized what she just said as her eyes widened. Her chest was filled with guilt as Sunset had a devastating expression, her eyes were filled with tears.

For Sunset, she felt her heart had been shattered into several pieces. She had been hurt several times throughout her whole life, but what Applejack had said to her was a lot worse than all of her bad moments combined, even more than when her friends ditched her a couple of weeks back. Choking back a sob, Sunset tilted her head downwards, hair obscuring her eyes.

“Fine… if that’s what you want,” Sunset said quietly in a broken tone.

Sunset slowly turned away and walked towards the door. As soon as she reached the door, Sunset glanced back slightly towards her former friends.

“For all that’s worth, even if you don’t think of me that way… I consider you girls like family to me… Merry Christmas.”

With her head down, Sunset exited the door and left the Shoppe, disappearing out into the night.

After Sunset Shimmer has left the Shoppe, Applejack slowly turns back to see her friends, dreading to see their reactions. Needless to say, none of her friends are happy, including the CMCs.

“Applejack, that was uncalled for!” Fluttershy scolded, upset at her friend's behavior.

“Yeah, Jackie, that was really mean!” Pinkie shouted.

Rarity frowned angrily. “While her believing that our sisters are Anon-a-Miss was simply ridiculous… don’t you think you have gone too far?”

“She’s the one who has gone too far when she accused mah sister!” Applejack reflected, trying to justify her actions.

“So it’s alright to tell her that she’s ‘not family’ and for her to ‘disappear’?” Rainbow Dash retorted, unimpressed with her friend's excuse. "That was a low blow, AJ... even for you!"

With nothing to defend herself, Applejack simply growled. “Ferget this! Ah'm going to the washroom!”

Applejack angrily stomped her way towards the women's restroom, slamming the door behind her. Unbeknownst to Applejack, Apple Bloom followed her sister and reached towards the restroom door, which was slightly ajar. As soon as she took a peak, Apple Bloom frowned sadly as she spotted her sister, who was burying her face into her hands, feeling guilty of what she said to her former friend.

"Well, lassie… this is what you wanted, right?"

Apple Bloom turned slightly to see Rockhoof and her friends, who were standing quietly behind her.

“W-wat?” Apple Bloom uttered.

“Your sister told her to stay out of her life,” Rockhoof clarified, narrowing his eyes. “This is what you wanted, right?”

As Apple Bloom was left hanging by his question, one of her friends spoke up.

“Ah certainly didn’t want this!” Sweetie Belle answered without hesitation, her expression filled with guilt. “I… I thought I should be relieved that Sunset was driven away from my sister. But after seeing that, I… don’t want that to happen to her.”

“Me either,” Scootaloo added quietly, also feeling terrible from her past actions. “I thought Sunset was still a heartless bully and simply taking Rainbow Dash away from me… but I was wrong... and I felt terrible!”

Rockhoof regarded the girls with a nod before focusing back on Apple Bloom. “And what about you, lassie?”

Even though Rockhoof asked the same question twice, Apple Bloom just stood there like a deer caught in the headlights. If he had asked her this question before this journey, the answer would have been obvious. But after seeing everything at this point, she doesn't even know what to think. Despite witnessing all of Sunset’s struggles, Apple Bloom was still very conflicted towards the former bully. But despite her mixed feelings towards Sunset, even Apple Bloom admitted that what Applejack just said to Sunset was beyond cruel.

And on top of that, Apple Bloom has seen what she and her friends’ actions have done to the students that they hurt, including her sister. She knew that the students were upset whenever their secrets were brought up, but she never thought that the results could be this bad to the point of breakups, being bullied, and even being kicked out of their home. And worse of all, they could never undo the damage they have done from their posts, even after deleting them. And this could potentially ruin her sister’s life too.

This was all too much for her.

Apple Bloom shuts her eyes. “Ah… don’t wanna see anymore!” Apple Bloom said quietly, her voice distorting in emotion. “Please take us home!”

As the Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo stared at Apple Bloom in concern, Rockhoof shook his head.

"It's not over yet, lassie! We still have time for one more trip… but we're going to pull back the clock a bit."

Before Apple Bloom could protest, Rockhoof struck the floor with his shovel again, and they all vanished.

---

A second later, they all reappeared to a new location. As soon as CMCs surveyed the area, they became confused when they identified their location.

"Wait… we're outside?" Scootaloo blinked as she eyed the streets of Canterlot which was covered in snow.

"Not only that, look!" Sweetie exclaimed, pointing at something.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo turned towards where Sweetie was pointing and was surprised to see a very familiar building that was across the street away from them.

"We're… right across from Sweet Shoppe!" said Apple Bloom with wide eyes.

The CMCs were surprised further when they spotted a certain flaming-haired girl through the windows of Sweet Shoppe, talking to Rainbooms.

"And Sunset is back in the Shoppe again… like it never happened!" Scootaloo added, stunned at what she saw.

Apple Bloom blinked. "Okay… this is getting weird!" She then turned to Rockhoof. "Why are we out here while everyone else is in there?"

"So that you three will see our final special guests," Rockhoof answered vaguely.

Before they could press further, the girls spotted someone lurking in the shadows from the alleyway. This creeped out the girls as they eyed the mysterious stranger, only to feel a little more frightened when the mysterious person walked closer to them. When the stranger was close enough, the girls could make out the details of the person from the moonlight. It was a tall muscular girl with white hair with purple marks at the tip and yellow eyes. She wore a brown leather coat with white feathers around the collar, yellow gloves, gray jeans, and brown boots.

After identifying the girl, Scootaloo's eyes widened in realization. "Hey! It’s Gilda!"

Sweetie gasped. "You’re right Scoots! It is Gilda!"

Suddenly, three more figures emerged from the shadows which were the three boys. They were also from CHS, but they had a reputation as a group that anyone should not mess with. One was tall, yet lackey. Wearing a red vest, white shirt, blue jeans, and a diamond collar around his neck. The second was huge and muscular. He was wearing a green shirt, gray jacket, blue jeans, and also a diamond collar. And the third one was short. He wore a yellow shirt, gray vest, brown pants, and a diamond collar as well.

Sweetie Belle gulped at the sight of the three boys. "...and it looks like the Diamond Boys are with her too!"

Scootaloo eyed the bad group nervously. "What are they doing here?"

"Shhh! Quiet you two!" Apple Bloom shushed, trying to watch the scene unfold.

Reluctantly, yet nervously, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo obeyed just as Gilda addressed the Diamond Boys.

"Are you all sure she's here?"

The short one nodded. "Yeah, we're positive! We saw her heading to that Shoppe!"

"Probably trying to talk to her former friends again!" The muscle one added.

"Doubt it!” The lackey one laughed. “She's pretty much the most hated person in school right now ever since her friends dropped her like trash!"

Gilda sighed in annoyance, rolling her eyes at the boy’s antics. "I don't care why she's there!” Her eyes narrowed. “All I care about… is to have my revenge!"

The CMCs let out a light gasp as the short one of the group gave Gilda a knowing look.

"Oh, was this about that photo of you and Rainbow Dash kissing each other on MyStable?" the short one asked slyly.

The muscled one laughed. "I think that's totally what this was about!"

The lackey one snickered. "Never would have thought you swung the other way, eh Gilda!"

"How about I swung my fist to all your faces if you don’t shut up!" Gilda growled threateningly with her fist right up to the lackey one’s face.

The Diamond Boys gulped in fear, keeping their mouths shut.

Gilda scoffed, stepping away from them. "The only reason I'm not pounding you three right now is that I need your help to track Shimmer. And when we do…"

She then clenched her fist with an angry scowl. "We're all going to corner her… and I'll finally settle the score with her once and for all!"

The CMC’s eyes widened, fear at Gilda’s implication on what exactly she’s going to do to Sunset.

Suddenly, they all heard the door ringing from the building across from them. They all turned to see Sunset, who glanced back at the Shoppe for a moment before shutting the door behind her. Sunset then walked down the street as she hugged herself from the cold, tears falling from her face in sadness.

As soon as Sunset walked past them and around the corner, Gilda addressed the Diamond Boys again.

"She's on the move! Quick, let's follow her!" she ordered.

The Diamond Boys obeyed as the four of them followed Sunset’s movement, disappearing around the corner. This, of course, freaked the girls out, including Sweetie Belle who had a look of panic on her face.

"Oh my gosh! Gilda is coming after Sunset!" She screamed fearfully before taking off after them. "We have to stop her!"

"Sweetie Belle, wait!" Apple Bloom exclaimed as she and Scootaloo chased after her.

The three girls ran around the corner, only to stop in confusion. Instead of a road, they were blocked by a dead end, which was a tall building made of bricks. They tried to turn around, only the way they came had disappeared with another dead end in its place.

"Wha– where are they!?” Sweetie Belle exclaimed, desperately trying to find another route. “And how did we get here?"

"I brought you all here!"

They all turned around to see Rockhoof, who appeared out of nowhere with a neutral expression.

"W-why!?” Sweetie Belle shouted angrily. “Why did you do that? You must let us get to Sunset and–"

"And then what?" Rockhoof challenged bluntly. “Try to warn her that the big lassie and her goons are going to attack her, even though she can’t see you?”

As the girls stood there in stunned silence, Rockhoof crossed his arms.

“Besides, the point of all of this is to show you the consequences of your actions, which are happening right now.” His eyes narrowed. “And believe me… the worst is yet to come.”

Sweetie Belle was taken about by this. “Worst!? How could this get any worse than what’s happening to Sunset?”

“What I want to know is how the heck Gilda knows about the photo of her and Rainbow Dash?” Scootaloo demanded. “We never posted it!”

Rockhoof cocked an eyebrow. “Oh really? Why don’t you ask your red-headed friend!”

Apple Bloom flinched as Rockhoof continued in a low tone.

“After all… this whole journey wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for her actions before her parents’ visit!”

Both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo slowly turned to face Apple Bloom, while the latter had a mixture of nervous and guilty expressions.

“Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked in a suspicious tone. "What was he talking about?”

“Yeah, Apple Bloom," Scootaloo pressed. "What is it that you are not telling us?”

Apple Bloom stammered. “Well, A-Ah…”

“Yes, lassie,” Rockhoof interjected as he inched closer to Apple Bloom. “What did you do exactly?”

Once he was close enough, Rockhoof leaned close to Apple Bloom’s ear.

“If you don’t tell them the truth… I will!”

Apple Bloom gasped in fear. “Y-you wouldn’t!”

Unfortunately for Apple Bloom, Rockhoof’s "whispering" was loud enough for her two friends to hear, making them even more suspicious of Apple Bloom.

“Apple Bloom! What’s going on!?” Scootaloo demanded.

Apple Bloom darted her eyes around nervously. “Um… Ah…”

Feeling impatient and frustrated with her friend's lack of response, Sweetie Belle went up to Apple Bloom’s face with her heated glare.

“What. Did. You. Do!?”

Realized that she had no way out of this, Apple Bloom sighed reluctantly.

"Ah… posted that photo of Gilda on MyStable," she confessed.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo widened their eyes in shock.

"You did what!?" Sweetie Belle screamed. "When!?"

Apple Bloom had an uneasy look. "It… it was after y'all went to sleep… right before mah parents showed up."

"Apple Bloom, how could you!" Sweetie Belle yelled, furious at her friend. “I told you not to post that photo! Why did you do that?”

Apple Bloom flinched at Sweetie's anger tone, stepping back slightly. “Ah… Ah still wanted to get back at Shimmer and thought… this would be a sure way for her to stay away from mah sister.”

“By provoking Gilda to go and attack Sunset?" Scootaloo shouted in disbelief. "Are you kidding me!?”

“Ah thought she was going to scare her, not to hurt her!” Apple Bloom cried while being defensive.

“Apple Bloom, Gilda’s from a street gang!" Sweetie Belle shrieked. "What made you think that she won’t attack her?”

“And while we’re on that topic, something about this bugs me,” Scootaloo added, furrowing her brow. “I know a photo of her kissing Rainbow Dash is pretty embarrassing for her, but I didn’t think it would be enough for her to hurt Sunset.”

Apple Bloom rubbed her arm. “Well…”

“You mean there’s more!?” Sweetie Belle squeaked, getting angrier. “What else did you do?”

Apple Bloom gulped, dreading her friends' inevitable reaction.

“Ah… ah said things like that Gilda’s a lesbian and that she secretly admires Rainbow Dash by… hanging around near the… women’s locker rooms.”

Just as Apple Bloom predicted, both her friends had jaws hanging from their mouths. After a brief moment of silence, both her friends’ expressions change to a look of rage.

“Apple Bloom! What the heck!?” Scootaloo roared. “It's bad enough that you're further damaging my idol's image, you also put more gasoline into the fire!"

"And worse, Gilda thinks it was Sunset and she's going after her because of that!" Sweetie Belle screamed. "What were you thinking?"

Apple Bloom felt powerless under her friends' glare, and couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Ah-Ah… Ah was just..."

Realizing that she was set up, Apple Bloom let out a low growl.

"What the heck, Rockhoof? Why ya rat me–”

As soon as she turned around to face him, Rockhoof was nowhere in sight, leaving them trapped alone in a blocked alleyway.

“Rockhoof? Where are ya!” Apple Bloom shouted, looking around feverishly for any signs of him. “Rockhoof! Don’t leave us like this! Take us home! Take us home!"

When no one answered, Scootaloo let out a distressed groan. “Great… he ditched us!” She looked at Apple Bloom expectedly. “Now what?”

Apple Bloom bit her lip, trying to keep herself calm. “Ah… Ah don’t know! But we’ll think of somethin’!”

“Oh, there’s no 'we' in this Apple Bloom!” Sweetie Belle spat. “It’s your ideas and stunts that got us here in the first place! Everything that has happened so far is your fault!"

"Mah fault!" Apple Bloom yelled angrily. "That's not fair! Yer also played a part in this too, Sweetie Belle! Need Ah remind you that it was you who stole the photos off of Sunset’s phone and then posted about your sister's closest of shame?"

While the two girls were arguing, Scootaloo noticed something dark was forming on the brick wall in front of them, making her nervous.

"Um… girls?" Scootaloo spoke up.

"I only did it because you told me to!" Sweetie Belle retorted, ignoring Scootaloo. "And yes, I'll admit that I also did it just to get back at Rarity for ignoring me and kicking me out of her room. But now I regret it… and I wish I never have done that! My sister's future career as a Fashion Designer could be ruined because of me!"

As the argument continued to escalate, the dark form became a shadow of a cloaked figure, and it began to grow taller.

"Um… g-g-girls?" Scootaloo stammered nervously.

Realizing that her friend was super angry and blaming her, Apple Bloom desperately attempts to calm her down.

"Listen Sweetie Belle, everything is going to be fine! We just need to–"

"No, Apple Bloom! Everything is not going to be fine!" Sweetie Belle screamed, glaring daggers at her 'friend'. "You know what, I’m done listening to you! I’m done helping with your little scheme! And I’m done being your friend!”

As Apple Bloom let out a loud gasp at Sweetie's words, Scootaloo squeaked in fear as the shadow grew into a very tall figure, probably taller than an average adult. Scootaloo nearly screamed as a skeletal hand from the shadow figure slowly emerged from the brick wall.

"G-g-girls!" Scootaloo cried in fright.

"Sweetie Belle… you don't mean that!" Apple Bloom cried, hurt from Sweetie's words.

"I meant it!" Sweetie Belle shouted. "And I won't associate with anyone who continues this madness just because of their selfish reasons and not caring how this hurts others, including our sisters and Sunset Shimmer!"

Apple Bloom was on the verge of tears. As much as she hated to admit it, but her friend was right. She was selfish and she didn't care if people were hurt. All she cared about was getting Sunset away from her sister as Anon-a-Miss and keeping her sister to herself. But in the process, she divided the school, hurting everyone including her sister and Sunset Shimmer, and now she is losing her best friend.

Apple Bloom was beginning to wonder if her whole scheme was worth it.

"Sweetie Belle…" Apple Bloom stammered tearfully with guilt on her features. "A-Ah–"

“Girls!”

Interrupted by Scootaloo’s scream, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle turned to their friend.

“What? What is it Scoo–”

Apple Bloom’s words died in her throat as she and her friends witnessed the most terrifying thing they have ever seen, more terrified than all the horror movies they've watched combined.

Right in front of them, was a tall, dark-cloaked figure, looming over them with boney fingers poking out of its sleeves. Despite that it was too dark to see its face under the hood, they felt their souls were pierced from under its gaze. It was then it occurred to the girls that they were in the presence of a third and final visitor to conclude on their little "journey".

They were now facing the third ghost himself, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Author's Note:

And yet another emotional rollercoaster of a chapter.

And worst... Christmas Future has arrived!

^*From the moment when Sunset showed up in the Sweet Shoppe and after Sunset revealed the true culprits, those are the only quotes that were taken from the original My Little Pony: Equestria Girls Holiday Special comic.

The description of the human Rockhoof and Gilda was based on these images, except Rockhoof didn't have pony ears and Gild was not wearing yellow gloves:

Designed by: Pyrus-Leonidas

Designed by Lhenao

And of course, the description of the Diamond Boys (even though they're officially called the Diamond Dogs in Equestria Girls world, which was weird) is based on the image below from EqG: Rainbow Rocks short, Player Piano.

Anyway, just for heads up, the next chapter is when things start to get a bit dark and emotional. And is what bumped up the rating to "T" for this story. So be prepared and read the next chapter tomorrow... if you dare.

Comments

[sonicfan05]

11091750
11091795
Both those soundtracks are good, but I got something else in mind in regards to "Christmas Yet to Come".

[WarriorofFaith18]

Yeah, that was uncalled for, AJ!

I love this! This is gonna get rough next time. Nice work on bringing Twilight in this

[Arthor2017]

11092734
Okie Dokie Lokie.

Now, things are getting interesting. And darker as well.

Sure, the Future Christmas Ghost is only going to show the Crusaders things that would happen if things remains unaltered. Tough it may happen within minutes - if not seconds.

In a note apart: Sweetie Belle, you are also as responsible as Apple Bloom and Scootaloo. You opted to form part of the Anon-a-Miss fiasco when you could avoided it. Now, you ladies must fix it and take responsabilities as grown women.

[zachary12]

nice work look forward to it

[PonyPuffy 2012]

Some one should of decked Applejack for her comments to Sunset. Though that does explain where Apple Bloom got her stubbornness from.

[Desconhecido2000]

Oh my god, if i was totally shocked by this chapter, i have high expectations about the next chapter

[Samurai_Arashi]

I'm going to admit that this is a great story and for some reason in my mind I can see Sunset Shimmer after all of this happens getting really angry and giving Applesmack (Applejack) a good pounding even swearing. is that weird?

[MDCommissioner]

You know...much as I tire of the attention this one comic book story has gotten...the personalities of the Rainbooms in this make the most sense. ...even if AJ was being as stubborn as an ass.

[Arthor2017]

11092817
It's the Apples we're talking about. Stubborness is in their blood, like it or not.

And rest assure, Applejack will get her beat up/lament moment when the time comes.

[SuperSonicHeroes]

I knew that Rockhoof would be perfect for the Ghost of Christmas Present!

Everything else here was pretty sad though. We saw everyone who had their holidays ruined because of Anon-a-Miss, maybe even their lives ruined. Even Sweetie Belle declaring she is done being Apple Bloom's friend after this was pretty harsh, if perfectly justified.

It looks like Sci-Twi is the Tiny Tim of this tale if Rockhoof's warning is any indication. I know in most versions the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come doesn't talk and is implied to be something like the Grim Reaper, but I have seen a few versions where his cloak is removed and he occasionally speaks, so I wonder if anyone we know is playing the role here?

Just reading their own message made the girls feel even more guilty. They wouldn’t even bear to look Rockhoof in the eyes, knowing that the ghost was probably either disgusted or very disappointed in them.

"Do I really need to say this?" Rockhoof stated in a disappointed tone.

Apple Bloom sighed. "No… we knew what we did was low."

Heck yeah! Derpy is off limits!

Instead of trying to take down a bully, they end up becoming bullies themselves.

They all wondered why life had to be so ironic.

I see you quoted One Bad Apple. I don't know how to feel about that since that was one of the worst episodes of the series (arguably the worst).

[LiterallyAL]

Wow! Great chapter. Can't wait to see the next ghost and for the CMC to make up with Derpy with breakfast in bed for the rest of their lives!

[PrimalEmperor626]

Real smooth, Applejack. Element of Honesty, my foot! More like Element of Backstabbing! And it looks like Gilda’s about to grant your wish, ya stone-hearted scorpion! Hope that was worth it!

And let me guess, Sunset will either literally jump in a lake, offer herself up to Gilda and her gang just to get her misery over with, or at worst, hulk out into a she-demon and set this world on fire in retribution so they can feel her pain. Surprise me.

[MLPSolarDash1907]

Dang, Applejack you can be so stubborn, unreasonable, and downright stupid you backstabbing punk! That's the way to treat your family, isn't it? This chapter was another rollercoaster and it was quite horrible to see how much damage the CMC (especially Apple Bloom) have done to the entire town. Rockhoof was perfect and well written as the Ghost of Christmas Present and man was it low to see poor Derpy in tears like that.... And what Octavia's parents did to her was downright cruel!

Another great chapter and I'm kinda nervous to know what the Future Yet to Come has in store for them all.

[Rictor Yagami]

I've been reading this story for a while and I am so loving it! I will admit I've had ideas of writing a story like this but it seems you and WarriorofFaith18 have beat me to it. 😔I feel dissapointed in myself and I'm wondering if I should try wrting it. I had an idea like your's Sonic though I had no idea on who to make the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future. But anyway on to my review.

I really hated Apple Jack this chapter and wish I could have punched her in the face for what she said. I'm also surprised that I read what Rainbow Dash said being the first to admit that she and the Rainbooms might have been wrong about Sunset being behind the whole Anon-A-Miss fiasco. But now Sunset has been cast out and it's going to get worst because that bitch Gilda is going after her over a stupid picture and she's got the Diamond Dog bitches following her.

Well Apple Bloom you have gone and fucked up big time! You wanted Sunset out of you sister and her friends life and now you may just get your wish because through out this whole story you were being nothing more then a selfish little prick and throughtout the story there were times I wanted to reach in and slap the shit out of you for the cruel things you said about Sunset!

But sadly Sunset isn't the only one suffering as poor Derpy is being bullied and harrassed for something that was out of her control. Octavia was thrown out and disowned by her parents for her sexuality which was a bullshit reason and I hope those pricks get arrested for it. Even Lyra and Bon Bon suffer because of what you and your friends did.

I can't blame Sweetie Belle for what she said to Apple Bloom near the end as she and Scootaloo regret their actions and want to make thing right. I like who you chose for the Ghost of Christmas Past and Present. I'm honestly wondering who is going to be the Ghost of Christmas future. But then there is the human world's Twilight Sparkle and I already have a bad feeling on what will happen to her after what Rockhoof said when they visited her.

Plus I can see or guess one of two outcomes happening to Sunset in the next chapter. One is she dies at the hands of Gilda eithere being shot or stabbed by that bitch though I believe the Diamond Dogs would wuss out. The second outcome is Sunset get's saved but by the Dazzlings and she ends up becoming evil again and wanting to take revenge on the Rainbooms and the whole world after being hurt. I'm only guessing though.

Also there was a mistake in this part.

Rockhoof shook her head. "No, she didn't. Sunset didn't want to burden her or her friends any more than they were already… not that it matters now." He then shrugged. "But hey, I'm sure this was no big deal!"

I think you meant to say Rockhoof shook his head, not her head. If I spot anymore in this chapter I will let you know. Also when I get the chance I'll review the other chapters. Before I forget all I have to say to the CMC is you reap what you sow. And be careful what you wish for, you might just get it. This is getting good and I look forward to the next chapter.

Merry Christmas and Good Luck Sonicfan05.

[draph91]

Suggestion: make the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come the Pony of Shadows like how Pete was in the Disney Christmas Carol movie

[sonicfan05]

11092996

I knew that Rockhoof would be perfect for the Ghost of Christmas Present!

He is perfect for the role! I chose him as Christmas Present even before I started writing this story.

It looks like Sci-Twi is the Tiny Tim of this tale if Rockhoof's warning is any indication.

She is... and you'll probably not going to like what's going to happen to her in the future.

Heck yeah! Derpy is off limits!

Indeed she is off limits!

I see you quoted One Bad Apple. I don't know how to feel about that since that was one of the worst episodes of the series (arguably the worst).

While One Bad Apple is probably not the best episode, but you gotta admit, the song "Babs Seed" is really good and that line, "Why does life have to be so ironic?" was a pretty memorable quote.

[sonicfan05]

11093279
Once again, I appreciate your review, and thank you so much for pointing out my mistake. I just fixed it.

And don't give up on trying to write your own story. Even after WarriorofFaith18 and I have already released an Anon-a-Miss Christmas Carol, you could still try to write your own adaptation of it. You just need to give it your own spin!

I'm also surprised that I read what Rainbow Dash said being the first to admit that she and the Rainbooms might have been wrong about Sunset being behind the whole Anon-A-Miss fiasco.

I forgot to mention this in the author's notes. In the original holiday special comic while Rainbow Dash had a conversation with Fluttershy in the cafeteria after they left Sunset, she admitted that she doesn't truly know if Anon-a-Miss was really Sunset, despite that Sunset is a strong suspect who could've known their secrets.

literarytravesty.files.wordpress.com/2021/03/anon_45b.png

There are many other Anon-a-Miss fanfics out there that made Rainbow Dash the most stubborn and strongly believed that Sunset is the culprit to an extreme degree, while ironically, Rainbow Dash acted the opposite in the comic. So in this story, I tried to make Rainbow Dash act closely from the comics while still suspecting Sunset as Anon-a-Miss.

I'm glad you enjoy my story so far. I won't say much, but let's just say that in the next chapter there will be a dark future for Sunset as well as the others... and it will be a bumpy one!

And Merry Christmas to you too!

[sonicfan05]

11093525
This story is already written months in advance. It is too late for suggestions and requests.

[sonicfan05]

11093585
Actually, I replaced Suri with Upper Crust, not Jet Set. I originally have Suri in mind for that chapter, but someone pointed that out that Suri is an Earth pony, not a unicorn. Because of that, I replaced Suri with Upper Crust.

[Riddleja]

Kicking out their daughter just because she loves DJ-PON3? That's the most petty excuse for abuse I've ever heard of. I hope Octavia's parents either apologize and take their daughter back in, or get threatened with prison time/the electric chair for Child Abuse.

[draph91]

11093611
Oh right it's just that I can't imagine any of the Pillars of Equestria as the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

[draph91]

11093594
Let me guess, Midnight Sparkle? only she's turned back to normal and is driven insane by the experience, Rockhoof did mention an "empty white room"

[draph91]

11093058

Are you talking about The Magister of the Deep?

if so it was the Rainbooms who survived, not the CMC

[sonicfan05]

11093651
I won't say much, but it isn't one of the Pillars or any of the MLP characters, for that matter, is the Ghost of Yet to Come.

[draph91]

11093675
looking forward to it, will you explain who he is, if no one recognizes him?

[sonicfan05]

11093683
It will be addressed who he is in the author's notes, though it should be straightforward.

[draph91]

11093675
I assume it's not from another Hasbro franchise as well, right?

[sonicfan05]

11093754
It's not. This story won't crossover to another Hasbro or any other franchise.

[The Blue EM2]

Apple Bloom gulped, dreading her friends' inedible reaction.

I assume you meant 'inevitable'. Inedible means impossible to eat.

[sonicfan05]

11290745
Thank you for pointing that out. It's fixed!

[crystalgems]

Right in front of them, was a tall, dark-cloaked figure, looming over them with boney fingers poking out of its sleeves. Despite that it was too dark to see its face under the hood, they felt their souls were pierced from under its gaze. It was then it occurred to the girls that they were in the presence of a third and final visitor to conclude on their little "journey".

It's just like Thanos once said;'i am inevitable."