"Rainbow Dash, quit hollerin'. People are starin'."
"How can you be so calm about this? Did you not see the photo?"
"Yes, Dash, Ah did. An' ya know wut's not gonna fix it? You screamin' like a banshee an' pointin' fingers."
"Oh come on, AJ! It's obvious she did it!"
"Just like it was obvious that you had purposely bailed on me at mah bake sale?"
That shut Rainbow up. All four of Applejack's friends visibly flinched. It was a very painful thing to be reminded that, three years ago, all five of them had stopped talking to each other over a series of texts and messages, a squabble that could have been easily cleared up had they simply taken the time to talk to each other. Applejack's words were like a wet blanket on a campfire, taking out any anger they had.
"Did it cross yer mind that we may be wrong, Dash?" Applejack asked, crossing her arms. "Just cuz somethin' looks one way, it don't make it so. After all we been through, Ah thought y'all woulda learned that."
Rainbow Dash scowled and looked at the floor, but said nothing.
Applejack pulled out her phone. "Ah don't know about y'all, but Ah'm not losin' another friend cuza false accusations. When Sunset gets here, we are gonna talk to her. We will ask fer her side, and we will hear her out." Applejack looked pointedly at Rainbow, who simply crossed her arms. "After everything she's done fer us, we at least owe her that."
"Owe me what?" asked a voice from behind.
The group turned to see Sunset Shimmer standing behind him, her brow furrowing at their uncomfortable stares. "What's wrong?"
Applejack took a deep breath, and stepped forward. "Sunset....did you lose your phone?"
Sunset dug in her pocket and pulled her phone out, looking confused. "No, it's right here.....why?"
Applejack sighed, then logged into Mystable with her phone. "Sunset...Anon-A-Miss has put up another post. She's posted pictures from our slumber party." She held the phone up for Sunset to see.
"What?!" Sunset cried, taking the phone from Applejack. "But...how?! How could she have gotten hold of these?!" She looked up, and realized that her friends weren't looking at her....except for Rainbow, who was glaring at her. "What?"
"Sunset," Applejack said cautiously, taking her phone back. "Yer th' only one not in these pics. So we can only conclude....that they came from yer phone."
Sunset stared, confused, then her eyes slowly widened as it began to sink in what Applejack was implying. She took a step back, visibly wounded.
"You think I did this." Sunset whispered hoarsely.
"Darling, you were taking photos last night," Rarity said sadly. "And you're the only one not in the pictures."
"And you're the only one besides us that knows about Applejack's nickname." Rainbow said coldly.
Something broke inside Sunset. A tiny part of her could understand her friends' point of view. But after everything she had endured after the Fall Formal, after nearly risking everything to save the entire school from the sirens, she had actually believed that everyone would finally see she had changed, and her sins would finally be forgiven and forgotten.
And yet, here they were. Once again, something had gone wrong, and once again, she was the prime suspect. And this time, it was her friends pointing the finger at her. It was as if everything she had gone through had been nothing but a cruel waste of time.
A tiny smirk formed on Sunset's lips, and she barked out a bitter laugh. "So that's it? You all think I'm Anon-A-Miss?" She looked from one face to another. No one answered. Sunset nodded, visibly holding back tears. "I see. Well then, if there's nothing else-"
"Sunset, we're willing to hear your side of things." Fluttershy reached out to Sunset, but Sunset shook her off.
"Why bother? It seems to me you've already made up your mind." Sunset snapped, forcibly brushing back tears. "And besides, there's nothing to tell. I didn't do it! I don't know how those pics got posted. But, obviously I can't prove it, so obviously I must be lying right?!"
She let out another bitter laugh. Students were starting to stare at the group, but Sunset was far too upset to care. "You know, I should've known that whole 'family' thing was just a bunch of garbage."
Applejack puffed up, offended. "Now wait just a gotdang minute-"
"NO!" Sunset screamed, tears streaming down her face. "It's all the same! No matter what I do, I always get blamed for everything that goes wrong in this school. I try and I try to prove I've changed, but it's never enough!" She wiped her eyes and glared at the group. "And you guys are no different."
"Sunset, would you please just listen?" Applejack pleaded. She had figured that Sunset would be upset but not to this extent.
Applejack's words fell on deaf ears. Sunset was too far in her hurt to listen to reason. She marched a few feet away before turning back, her face full of anguish. "I'm not Anon-A-Miss. Believe me. Don't believe me. I don't care anymore. I'm done."
And with that, she turned and stormed away.
The five girls just stood there, looking lost. Even Rainbow looked uncertain.
"Dammit." Applejack sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"Well that could've gone better." Rainbow muttered. The others glared at her, and she shrugged defensively. "What?"
The bell rang, signifying the end of class and the beginning of lunch period. The students filed out into the halls and went to their lockers or headed to the cafeteria.
Applejack searched the halls with sharp eyes. She spotted her target and marched down the hall against the flow of traffic, barely noticing that her friends were right behind her. This Anon-A-Miss crap needed to be dealt with, and she was determined to clear this up once and for all.
"Sunset!" Applejack called, quickening her pace.
Sunset didn't turn around, but it was obvious that she had heard her, because she started walking faster.
Sunset had all but broke into a run now. Suddenly a blue blur ran past Applejack and tackled Sunset to the floor.
Applejack stopped sprinting and facepalmed as Sunset was dragged into a nearby closet. Dammit, Dash....
Applejack flung the door open to Sunset struggling as Rainbow held her arms behind her back.
"Dash, let 'er go." Applejack demanded, placing her hands on her hips.
"But-"
"Let her go!"
Rainbow released Sunset and walked out of the closet, hands raised in surrender. The others backed up to allow Sunset to leave the closet. Sunset stood in front of the group, but wouldn't look at them, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.
"Look, ya think this is easy fer us?" Applejack asked, her voice tinged with frustrated sadness. "Ya think we enjoy th' idea that one a' our friends stabbed us in the back? We're th' ones whose secrets're gettin' passed around. We're the ones gettin' laughed at! And you stompin' off an' throwin' a hissy fit ain't helpin' things!"
Sunset's arms fell to her sides, but she still wouldn't look at them.
Applejack took a step forward, her arms held out imploringly. "All we want is the truth, Sunset. We just wanna find out what's goin' on."
Sunset raised her head and glared at them, her bloodshot eyes tinged with heartbreak. "Applejack, if you all would just stop and think for just one minute, you would realize that I have literally nothing to gain from this! I went through hell after the Fall Formal, and I was only able to endure it because I had you five. Why, after all the shit I went through, would I choose to go back to being alone? Why, in the hell, after everything we've been through together as friends, after all the work I've done to improve my reputation, would I throw all of that away, just to post some stupid pictures?! I may have been a bitch, AJ, but I'm not stupid!"
Silence fell on the group as they contemplated Sunset's words. Sunset sighed, running a hand through her hair. "It doesn't matter. Like I said, I can't prove I didn't do it."
"But this can." Everyone turned to see Pinkie scrolling through her phone. "Anon-A-Miss just made another post." She held her phone up for the others to see and pointed to the screen. "Look at the time stamp. This was posted fifteen seconds ago!"
This simple sentence sent a ripple effect throughout the group as their eyes widened. Sunset had been standing in front of them in all that time, without a phone or computer in sight. She couldn't have posted that. Anon-A-Miss had finally slipped up.
Rainbow Dash rubbed her arm nervously, her face a mask of guilt. "I...guess you didn't do it after all."
Sunset sent her a glare that all but screamed, No shit, Sherlock!
Rainbow averted her gaze. She knew she deserved it.
As the final bell rang, the girls gathered in the band room to collect their thoughts. Applejack stood in the middle of the room as de facto leader of the meeting.
"Alright. Ah think we can all agree," Applejack nodded pointedly at Rainbow, who chose to stare at the floor. "beyond a shadow of th' doubt, that Sunset ain't Anon-A-Miss."
Sunset just sat in her chair, her arms crossed. It was obvious that she was still angry at being accused in the first place.
"Now, that being said," Applejack faltered slightly, placing her hands on her hips. "It still don't change th' fact that the pictures from this mornin' came from her phone."
Sunset nodded stiffly. They had compared the photos with the ones on her phone and confirmed that, yes, they were the same pics.
Applejack took a few steps towards Sunset and asked carefully, "Sunset, is it possible, that ya sent th' photos ta someone else, and they posted them?"
Sunset fought back the urge to snap at her friend at the implication, her sense of logic overcoming her anger. She instead shook her head and said. "After I took the pictures, I turned my phone off, wrote to Twilight, and went to bed. I didn't send them to anyone."
"Are you sure, darling?" Rarity asked at her right. "Not even by accident?"
Sunset didn't even turn around as she answered. "There's no one to send them to, even by accident. You five are the only friends I have listed in my phone."
An uncomfortable silence fell on the group.
"Maybe....someone hacked into her phone?" Fluttershy spoke up for the first time since that awful morning.
Rainbow nodded. "It wouldn't be hard for someone from the Computer lab." She narrowed her eyes and muttered. "Never did trust those nerds..."
"But that doesn't explain how they found out about 'Piggly Wiggly'." Sunset pointed out. "I definitely didn't have that in my phone."
"Yeah. Th' only ones that know about it are you guys and mah fam.........ly........." Applejack's eyes widened and her speech tapered off as a horrible thought crossed her mind. "Rarity.....besides the six o' us, who was in the house last night?"
Rarity's brows furrowed in confusion as she answered, "No one expect for my parents. And......." Her eyes became wide too and a hand covered her mouth as she realized what Applejack was getting at.
And slowly, the others began to catch on as well. Pinkie and Fluttershy looked at each other in horror. Rainbow clenched her jaw and her hands fisted in her lap. Sunset's mouth set into a firm, grim line.
Applejack's hands balled into fists at her side. "Where are they now?"
"I think I heard them mention going to Scootaloo's house...." Fluttershy whimpered out.
As Applejack whirled around and placed her hand on the doorknob, Rarity called out. "Now Applejack, dear, I understand you are upset. But please, for your own sake, don't do anything rash."
Applejack turned her head and said calmly, "Oh don't worry. Ah won't kill 'em. But that's only cuz it'd be a pain in th' ass to bury all three 'o their corpses."
She turned the knob and held the door open. "Y'all comin'?"
As one, the group rose fro their seats and walked out the door.
Apple Bloom sat at the edge of Scootaloo's bed, staring at her phone. She could feel Sweetie Belle's and Scootaloo's stares boring into her.
"Maybe we should stop...." Sweetie Belle said nervously.
"Oh come on, Sweetie." Scootaloo said rolling her eyes. "You wanna hang out with your sis, don't you? Bloom said she saw them fighting this morning. We just need to give 'em a little push."
"But-"
"Hey, you were fine with it yesterday. We all agreed this is the only way to get our sisters to hang out with us. And besides, we've already gone this far. May as well see it through to the end."
Apple Bloom sighed. Scootaloo had a point. It was far too late to turn back now. What was one more picture in the long run?
But before Apple Bloom could press "send", Scootaloo's bedroom door exploded open and her phone was forcibly swiped from her hand.
Apple Bloom's heart pounded in her chest as she slowly turned to face the furious expression on her big sister's face.
The room was deadly silent, save for Applejack's heavy breathing. She turned to her friends and showed them the content of her sister's phone. The group looked as if they'd been slapped, their suspicions confirmed.
"So it's true...." Rarity whispered, her eyes filling with tears as she stared accusingly at Sweetie Belle. Sweetie, to her credit, had the decency to look ashamed.
"How could you do this?" Rainbow demanded, her voice thick with hurt and betrayal. Scootaloo's face had turned pale white, her mouth opening and closing several times, unable to say anything.
Apple Bloom cowered under her sister's cold stare. She looked like a deer in headlights. "Sis...Ah-Ah can explain..."
"No, Apple Bloom, Ah don't think you can." Applejack said softly, her voice a deadly calm. "But please, humor me. Explain why this says yer signed inta th' page." She shoved the phone in Apple Bloom's face and pointed to the screen. "Or are ya gonna say this is Sunset's fault, too?"
Apple Bloom looked over Applejack's shoulder and saw Sunset standing near the door. Her arms were crossed and she was glaring at her, as if daring her to say anything. A lump formed in her throat.
"And while we're on th' subject, how 'bout you explain how Sunset coulda possibly made that post at lunch, when she was standin' right in front of us without her phone or a computer th' whole time?"
The three younger girls felt sick. There was no way their sisters would have bought that Sunset was Anon-A-Miss if Sunset was with them when Anon-A-Miss made a post. They screwed up big time.
Applejack let out a bitter chuckle. "Ya know, Ah really don't know what I find more insultin'. The fact you did this at all, the fact you tried ta frame mah friend fer it, or th' fact that you think Ah'm so stupid that Ah wouldn't eventually figure it out.
"You were never a good liar, Apple Bloom, especially ta me. Th' other day, Ah figured somethin' was goin' on when ya tried to pin 'Piggly Wiggly' on Sunset, but Ah ignored it as you not knowin' any better. Now Ah see that you wanted me to think it was Sunset, di'nt ya? Ya wanted me ta think Sunset told everyone one a' mah personal secrets."
Scootaloo muttered, "She's done it before," before she was silenced by the cold stares of the older girls. Applejack scrolled through the phone to the very first post.
"'Did you guys know when AJ was a kid she loved playing with her pigs? OMG! She sat in the mud for hours! Her whole family calls her "Piggly Wiggly" cause she loves them so much! What a PIG!'" Applejack read the post aloud, her voice shaking with bitterness. "So nice ta know how little you think of me. It's bad enough everyone at school thinks Ah'm a dumb hick, but it's extra wonderful to know you think it too!" Apple Bloom mumbled something under her breath. "What was that?"
"....Ah don't think yer dumb."
Applejack scoffed. "Really? Cuz this post seems ta suggest otherwise." Her face twisted in disgust. "Ma and Pa would be so proud of you."
And just like that, Apple Bloom burst into tears. Applejack's expression faltered slightly. Even angry, she couldn't stand to see her baby sister cry. She turned away, unable to look at her.
Rarity took over, stepping forward. "Why? Why on Earth would you girls even think of doing this?"
Sweetie Belle fiddled with her hands before nodding towards Sunset. "It was...cuz of her."
Sunset pursed her lips. Rainbow looked incredulous. "Seriously? You've been caught red-handed and you're still trying to pin this on Sunset?!"
"Rainbow." Rarity said softly, calming the female athlete, before turning back to Sweetie. "And what does Sunset have to do with this?"
"She took ya away from us." Apple Bloom sniffled, wiping her eyes. "Y'all were spendin' all yer time with her instead o' us. Ah'm yer family, AJ. Yer supposed ta spend Christmas with yer family. When ya sent me away, Ah was so mad....Ah made th' Anon-A-Miss account and posted th' thing about Piggly Wiggly."
"I felt the same way." Sweetie Belle added. "When everyone was asleep, I snuck into your room and took Sunset's phone. I posted those photos."
Rainbow stood there, completely dumbfounded. "You did this...because of a slumber party?" She turned to Scootaloo. "And what about you? Those two at least have an excuse. What's yours?"
Scootaloo shrugged, not looking at her idol. "They said they needed help. I'm their friend, so....."
"And it didn't occur to you that you might be doing something bad?" Rainbow asked angrily. "Not to mention illegal!"
Scootaloo's face paled once more. "Illegal...?"
"Cyberbullying is against the law in this city." Fluttershy spoke up, her voice filled with disappointment. "And so is creating a fake account to harrass other people. The only reason Sunset was never punished when she did it is because there was no definitive proof she did it."
The three girls all looked like they were going to throw up. "I don't wanna go to prison...." Sweetie whimpered.
"You won't." Applejack spoke up, her face stern. "Because this stops now." She shoved the phone into Apple Bloom's hands. "Delete it. The page, the pictures, all of it. Delete it right now."
Apple Bloom didn't need to be told twice. Her fingers shook as she pressed "Delete", erasing the Anon-A-Miss profile and its content forever. She held the phone up to Applejack to show her.
Applejack sighed, and placed the phone in her pocket. "Yer not gettin' this back."
"But-"
"Do not test me, little girl. Yer lucky I don't call Celestia and have her deal with you."
Apple Bloom shut up. Cyberbullying was a serious offense at CHS, one that could result in expulsion. And Applejack didn't make idle threats.
Rarity held out her hand to her sister. "Hand it over, Sweetie Belle."
Rainbow did the same. "You too, squirt."
Scootaloo and Sweetie dug their phones out of their pockets and handed them over, not daring to complain.
"So, you three did this cuz y'all wanted ta spend time with us?" Applejack asked, crossing her arms. "Well, Apple Bloom, yer gonna get yer wish. All Christmas break, you an' Ah are gonna be spendin' a lotta time together....." She leaned in, narrowing her eyes. "Sweepin' the barn, doin' the dishes, feedin' the pigs, peelin' potatas, and anythin' else Ah can think of."
Apple Bloom gulped.
"You know, I just had an inspiration just now. For an entire line of winter ensembles and sweaters." Rarity said in a faux cheerful voice. "It could take me weeks to finish them. I could certainly use a model."
Sweetie cringed. She had an idea who that "model" was going to be, and she knew by the look on Rarity's face that it wasn't optional.
"Hope you got some strong running shoes, squirt." Rainbow Dash said.
Scootaloo winced. She was afraid to ask why she needed them.
"One more thing," Applejack said, nodding to Sunset. "You three owe her an apology. And you better sound like you mean it."
The three girls looked at each other, then said in unison, "We're sorry, Sunset."
"Sorry you did it?" Sunset asked bluntly. "Or sorry you got caught?"
They stared at the floor, unable to answer. With that, Applejack pulled her sister up by the arm and marched her out of the room. Rarity did the same, but with more grace. The remaining girls gave one last glare to Scootaloo before following their friends.
As Applejack turned the key in the ignition, she turned to Apple Bloom, who was staring at her lap. "Ah wanna make mahself very clear. What Ah said in there? That's me bein' nice. You ever pull this crap again, y'all better git down on yer hands n' knees 'n pray ta God fer mercy, cuz you sure as hell won't get any from me. Two things that piss me off royally are dishonesty and disloyalty, little sis. You don't betray yer kin, especially an Apple."
And as the small family truck backed out of the driveway and onto the road, Applejack's words imprinted themselves deep into Apple Bloom's mind. She made a vow, right then and there, that she would do everything in her power to earn her sister's trust back, and that she would never, ever, betray that trust again.
Sunset closed her locker, trying to ignore the murmurs of confusion and groans of disappointment from the other students.
Yesterday left a bad taste in her mouth, as well as the other girls, and they had all unanimously decided that after everything that had happened, another slumber party was just out of the question, though she still stayed at Fluttershy's last night.
Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow all told their parents (and Scootaloo's parents) what happened, and the adults agreed that the youngsters deserved the punishment their sisters had in store for them, fixing them with stern glares and shaking heads. They debated whether or not to tell the school Anon-A-Miss's identity, until Sunset pointed out, rather bitterly, that the students didn't really care who Anon-A-Miss was as long as they were posting secrets. The others couldn't help but agree; the profile had been taken down and the culprits had been punished. That was all that mattered.
Sunset was still hurt at having been accused, but after being bombarded with a dozen apologies, two dozen hugs, a lecture from her logical side about holding toxic grudges, and a box of triple-chocolate banana ripple cupcakes from Pinkie Pie, she couldn't bring herself to be mad at them anymore.
She turned when she sensed her friends approaching, scowls on their faces.
"You still getting picked on?" she asked sympathetically.
"Yup." Applejack sighed. "Don't really know what Ah was expectin'. The horse's already out. Closin' th' barn door won't do any good at this point."
"At least we only have two more days of school." Fluttershy pointed out. "And the Apple family Christmas party to look forward to."
"And perhaps this whole mess will have blown over by the time school starts up again." Rarity added.
"I must say, Trixie is quite impressed!"
All six girls mentally groaned as they turned towards the source of the irritatingly familiar voice, who was looking even more smug than usual.
"What do you want, Trixie?" Rainbow Dash growled.
"Trixie is simply expressing how amazed she is that all of you can even show your faces at school." Trixie sneered. "I mean, if her secrets were posted for the viewing world to see-"
"Well they weren't." Applejack said bluntly.
Trixie's smirk grew even wider as she innocently put her hands behind her back. "Very true. But then again, I'm not personal friends with the person who posted the secrets, am I?"
The girls' eyes grew stormy as they caught on to what she was implying. Except for Sunset, who kept a neutral expression.
"Not that Trixie's pointing fingers," Trixie stated rather loudly, drawing the attention of the other students. "but really, who else besides someone in your group could have known about the stuff that was posted?" She shook her head in mock sympathy. "I guess you really never know who your true friends ar-"
"Sunset didn't do it." Fluttershy said stiffly.
Trixie paused, then placed her hands on her hips. "Oh? And you know this for an absolute fact?" she asked, dropping all pretense. "I mean, we all know she doesn't really-"
"As a matter o' fact, we do know." Applejack interrupted. "We found out th' real culprits yesterday an' had the profile deleted."
Trixie rolled her eyes and flipped a strand of her hair. "And who, pray tell, are these so called 'real culprits?'" She didn't notice Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo quietly sneaking away.
"That is a matter that has been handled privately, and is frankly, none of your business." Rarity said curtly.
"Yeah! So butt out, Miss Nosy Pants!" Pinkie chimed in.
Trixie stared at the group, then snorted derisively. She turned to Sunset and said coldly, "Amazing. They're still sticking up for you even after you dragged their names through the mud. I don't know what you did to get them on your side, but you can't fool Trixie. We all know you're nothing but an evil she-demon, and that's all you'll ever be!"
The sounds of snickering and loud whispering resounded, the students obviously agreeing with Trixie.
Now, a couple of days ago, this statement would have gotten under Sunset's skin and left her on the defensive. But instead, her friends, who were angry on her behalf, stood amazed as Sunset showed almost no reaction at all. She simply stared impassively, blinked, and then said calmly, quite casually,
"You're a fucking hypocrite."
The whole hallway gasped at Sunset's use of such vulgar language. Trixie reeled back in disgust as if Sunset had spit at her. "Excuse me?"
Sunset crossed her arms and leaned against the lockers. "Let's just say that I am Anon-A-Miss. Why do you even care?"
Trixie's brows furrowed. "Trixie doesn't-"
"Why. Do. You. Care?" Sunset emphasized. "Why do you care who Anon-A-Miss is? Why do you care if it's me or not? You were laughing at my friends along with everyone else. Hell, some of you are still laughing. So you're obviously not that outraged at what Anon-A-Miss did. And none of you had your secrets posted, so you have no reason to be angry."
Trixie faltered as her bravado began to fade. The students began to murmur amongst themselves.
"I'll tell you why you care." Sunset said, her voice turning cold. "Because now that the profile's been taken down, you all need a scapegoat so you don't have to feel guilty about laughing at the posts. Because you still haven't forgiven me for my past actions, and you need an excuse to make me a pariah again.
"I was a bitch. Okay? I hurt people, I lied, I spread rumors, and then I used a magical artifact to transform into a literal monster, brainwashed the students, and destroyed the front of the school. I was a horrible person, and even though I have friends now," she turned to look sadly at her friends. "I will have to live with everything I've done for the rest of my life.
"But you know what? At least I can admit I was a bitch." She turned back to Trixie, scowling. "Did it ever occur to you that you're no prize either? Or did you sending me and my friends through a freaking trap door just slip your mind?"
"That was the sirens doing!" Trixie shouted defensively. "And besides, you weren't really hurt-"
"Bullshit!" Sunset snarled. "The sirens didn't hold guns to your head! You sent us through a twelve foot drop because you wanted to win a stupid band contest! We could've broken our necks! It was a miracle we didn't break our legs! And you weren't planning on letting us out, were you?" Trixie had the good sense not to answer. "We literally could've died down there! And let's not forget that if we hadn't escaped at the last minute, all of you would be the siren's playthings right now!"
The hall had gone completely silent. Trixie, unable to think of a counter-argument, backed down, looking visibly chastened.
Sunset sighed, then addressed the rest of the students, softly. "I've done everything I can think of to get you guys to see I've changed. I've even risked my life for you. I don't know what more you people want."
And with that, she gripped the strap of her backpack and walked to class, her friends doing the same shortly after.
Dear Twilight,
The last two days have been real hectic. I'll go into details later; I'm at the Apple Christmas party and they're about to open presents, but I want you to know that I learned two important things:
One: Friends will disagree, they will fight. And sometimes, they'll think you did something you didn't do. But a real friend will listen to you and try to work towards a solution. And hopefully, everything will work out in the end.
Two: sometimes you can do everything - literally everything - to get others to change their opinion of you - and it won't work. Some people's minds can't be changed, no matter what. All you can do is pick up the pieces and move on. Lucky for me, I have five awesome friends who know who I really am. And really, that's all that matters.