Applejack quickly stands up, placing herself between Sunset and Rainbow.
“Easy there Dash,” she warns, putting one hand forward, palm out. “Sunset didn't hurt Fluttershy.”
Rainbow squints her eyes, but she crosses her arms and adopts a slightly less aggressive pose.
“Alright...” she says, quietly. “So she didn't hurt Fluttershy. Today. But the lying bitch hurt all of us with that blog. So why the fuck is she here?”
“She didn't do it.” Applejack steps back and sits on the toilet lid. “Go on sug, tell her.”
Sunset lets out a dark chuckle. “‘Shimmer, you're dead’... Funny you phrased it that way, Rain. But it doesn't matter. Like I said a hundred times before, I’m not Anon-a-Miss. I just have proof now.”
Rainbow snorts. “Still in denial, huh? I'd have been less pissed with you if you were just up front and honest about it.” She leans forward. “And I see you slashed the shit out of your arms to get sympathy points.”
Applejack stands and puts a warning hand on Rainbow’s shoulder. “Applebloom told me that she’s Anon-a-Miss. Not Sunset.”
“Bullshit. Applebloom couldn't have posted any of the stuff from our phones.”
“May I interject?” Sunset asks.
“No.” Rainbow smacks Applejack’s hand away. “Applebloom’s lying because she feels bad. But whatever. I take it Fluttershy passed out when she saw the blood?”
Applejack sighs. “Yeah, she's fine. But my sister is not a liar.”
“Right.” Rainbow nods. “So for that entire month where she allegedly ran that blog and framed Sunset, that wasn't lying? Really? Please. You're so gullible, AJ.”
“Don't insult me.”
“Insult you?” Rainbow laughed. “If I wanted to insult you I'd call you a liar for staging a friendship emergency when there was none, just so you can try to feed us a sob story about the bitch queen herself. She's manipulating you like she always has, since we first even came to school here.”
“She is not! You weren't there in her apartment!”
“Let me guess. She was sitting in the cold and the dark in just a hoodie, covered in blood, trash and dirty laundry thrown everywhere, they shut the water off, I have no money left, whatever. But I bet her phone still has service.”
Sunset stands up. “I tried to kill myself today.”
“I'll bet.” Rainbow rolls her eyes. “Remember the year before last when you wanted to take over the soccer team and you pulled the same stunt to me then in order to make me miss out on the practice where you planted weed in my locker? Almost got me expelled? ‘Oh Rainbow Dash, I know I've been mean to you in the past but I really need a friend right now.’ You don't fool me for a second.”
“I’ve already apologized for that!”
Applejack steps over and forces Sunset to sit. “She ain't gonna listen to you. Save your energy.”
She turns to face the athlete. “What can I do to make you believe that I ain’t- that WE ain't lying?”
Rainbow shrugs. “I dunno. I’ll let you do this friendship emergency but I'm not doing anything for her unless there's solid actual evidence. Give me the IP address, then I'll believe you.” She turns and leaves the bathroom.
Sunset kicks the wall.
“That ain't gonna do anything but make your toe sore.” Applejack kneels down. “Come on, let’s finish these last couple cuts, okay?”
Sunset nods, dislodging a single tear. “...Okay.”
It only takes another minute or so, before the job is done and Applejack wraps Sunset’s other arm with fresh gauze. The two walk back into the living room.
Rainbow had pulled Fluttershy’s head into her lap, and is now gently rubbing her scalp with her thumb.
“Rare and Pinks should be here in a sec,” she says when they emerge. “I had Rare park the car while I came up here solo. Thought Fluttershy was the emergency...”
The two take a seat on the couch opposite Rainbow. An awkward silence emerges.
“I'll be civil,” Rainbow eventually says. “If everyone else believes you then that's fine. I'll go along with it. I won't say anything negative. But don't expect me to be all buddy-buddy about it. You hurt my friends and betrayed their trust.”
“That's fair,” Sunset says. “It's a step up.”
“But.” Rainbow points an accusing finger. “If you do anything like this again, and hurt Fluttershy, AJ, Pinks, or Rare... I will hospitalize you.”
“Dash,” Applejack warns. “Don't say things you'll regret.”
“I don't think I'm gonna regret saying I'll hurt someone if they hurt my best friends. I've said the same thing to lots of people and I meant it each time. Luckily they all believed me and never did anything. So if Sunset is a good little girl and stays pretending to be good from now on, there won't ever be a problem.”
“It's fair, AJ,” Sunset murmurs. “I really don't think Bloom or Belle are gonna do anything else with this.”
“Belle?” Rainbow sighs. “You're dragging Sweetie Belle into this too?”
“It makes sense-” Applejack starts before being cut off.
“Oh yeah, Sweetie Belle posting her own sister’s underwear pics from Sunset’s phone. That makes sense. You know, it's believable that Applebloom would share that story about your family nickname because whatever, but there's a huge difference between piggly wiggly and everyone slut-shaming Rarity. Sweetie Belle wouldn't do that. What next, Scootaloo, the one person in the whole world who idolizes me more than my parents, photocopied my progress report to show everyone I have all Ds?”
Applejack shakes her head and looks off to the side, pressing her fist to her mouth.
Sunset continues to stare glazey-eyed out the window, silently willing the rest of the group to arrive. Luckily her prayers are answered somewhat as Fluttershy begins to stir.
“Shy?” Rainbow asks, voice instantly softening. “You awake?”
“Nnnn... Dashie?”
Rainbow grins and leans in closer. “Yeah, it's me. I heard you passed out.”
Fluttershy slowly leans up and scoots over, staying in her oldest friend’s embrace. “I did?”
“Me an’ Sunset are here too,” Applejack chimes in. “We came here, you saw the blood, and passed out.”
“Blood?” The sleepy teen rubs some grit out of her eye. “Sunset?”
Rainbow rubs her shoulder. “Pinkie and Rarity will be here any second now. For the... emergency friendship meeting.” She spits these last words as though they were poison.
Fluttershy finally opens her eyes and blinks a few times, bringing the world into focus.
“Oh... right. Sorry Sunset.”
“It's okay,” she says. “I'm not upset.”
Rainbow shoots a dagger or two at her before returning her focus to the friend in her arms. “So... you believe them when they say Anon-a-Miss was Applebloom?”
She nods, yawning. “It makes more sense. And anyway, if Applejack says Applebloom said something, I believe both of them. I just don't understand what could have driven Applebloom to start the whole business in the first place. Sunset didn't deserve any of what happened.”
Rainbow bites her lip. “And the other two?”
“What other two?” Fluttershy asks, turning her head to the side slightly.
“You know, Belle and the squirt. Their involvement in this mess. You really think they'd be in on it too?”
“I... I don't know honestly. I feel like it would make more sense that Applebloom and Sweetie Belle were jealous of all the time we started spending with Sunset, than it would that Sunset would just go and post all of our secrets online like that. I really truly believe Sunset is a good person now, and that she just got framed.”
Rainbow sighs and pulls her oldest friend close. “I won't tell you to change your mind but... please just be careful. I don't wanna see you hurt ever again.”
“You mean you don't believe it was the kids?”
“All I'm saying is, Sunset’s done similar to this before. I personally believe it's just another stunt.”
“Warn’t no stunt,” Applejack snipes, refusing to make eye contact. “You weren't there.”
“I was there before, AJ,” Rainbow volleys right back. “Last time she did this whole charade. But hey, you wouldn't know that, since you just up and shut me out after the bake sale mixup.”
Sunset snaps her attention to the altercation. “Don't.” She growls. “Rainbow, you're upset with me for Anon-a-Miss, so don't take it out on AJ. Besides, the bake sale was my fault anyway, remember?”
“Yeah, maybe you sent those fake texts,” Rainbow accuses, standing up. “But she didn't even talk to me. At all. You know how long I was beating myself up over every little thing I might have said to make her upset with me, upset enough to give me the cold shoulder over a suspicion? Probably not, because you were too busy fucking over the rest of us!”
“You're choosin’ NOW to bring this up, Rainbow?” Applejack stands as well. “Right now when Sunset needs us? In Fluttershy’s apartment no less. Oh, c’mere hun,” she coos as she steps over the coffee table to comfort Fluttershy, who had begun to cower as Rainbow started yelling.
Rainbow glances down and then away, guilt written on her face. She then turns her attention back to Sunset.
“You wonder why I don't trust you...” she mutters, before turning and pulling the front door open. She then walks directly into Pinkie Pie, and the two fall to the floor. Rarity shrieks at the sudden movement.
Sunset murmurs a curse to herself as she steps over to the tangle of limbs. “Need help up?”
“Hi Dashie!” Pinkie greets from the floor. “Vertical hugs are new but hey whatever works!”
“Gah... sorry Pinks,” Rainbow regains her footing and reaches a hand out, pulling Pinkie back to her feet. “Sorry Rare, didn't mean to scare you.”
“It's quite all right dear,” she placates, putting a hand over her chest, clothed in a black turtleneck sweater. “I just wasn't expecting anyone to barge out of the door. But what on earth was that about?”
Rainbow huffs. “Ask her.”
She then turns, and the four new arrivals notice Sunset. Their expressions changed instantly. Pinkie’s to confusion, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle’s to alarm, and Rarity’s... to pure blind rage.
“It's okay!” Applejack whisper-shouts from the couch. “She's with me. Sunset, get over here and sit down, let ‘em in.”
Sunset obeys, as everyone slowly filters into the room. Scootaloo, who takes up the rear, closes the door. Sunset takes the side of Fluttershy opposite to that of Applejack’s, and gently rubs the timid girl’s shoulder.
“Explain.” Rarity snips, voice curt. “Someone bloody well better explain what in the hell SHE is doing here.”
Silence rings as Applejack, Rainbow, and Sunset share a silent conversation through their eyes. After a few moments, Rainbow sighs. “Applebloom told AJ that she’s Anon-a-Miss, AJ and Fluttershy believe that, I don’t, and the three of them also assume that Belle and the squirt were part of it. Which is, of course, bullshit. Sunset is the so-called friendship emergency... she tried to kill herself today, apparently.”
Rarity snorts. “What are you blackmailing Applebloom with?” She pointedly asks Sunset. A few seconds pass with no response, and she takes an aggressive step forward. “You disgust me, traitor.”
“I didn't post your fucking pictures, Rarity,” Sunset spits. “And I'm not blackmailing-”
“And you!” Rarity growls, whirling on Applejack. “How can you just abandon your sister like this? For Sunset Shimmer? If it were anyone else I might understand, but this? What is wrong with you?”
“Can ya tone your voice down a smidge? Fluttershy-”
“It wasn't Sunset,” Fluttershy murmurs. She looks up and wipes the tears away. “And even if it was, that's no reason to be mean to Applejack!” She glances over to Rainbow. “And that goes double for you. We’re supposed to be friends. Friends don't yell at each other like this!”
“Friends also don't accuse people who didn't do shit,” Rainbow retaliates, before turning her attention to Scootaloo. “Squirt, according to them, you’re in on the Anon-a-Miss gig too.” She turns back. “I don't wanna be mean to you, you know this, but right now you're... making a really bad decision. And it's hurting everyone in this room.”
“The only one in this room who’s hurt is Sunset!” Fluttershy puts her arms around the former pony. “She’s been hurting herself for weeks because of us.”
“She's even to the point of suicide,” Applejack adds. “And we don't even have any hard proof whether she did it or not. All we have to go on is that Anon’s colors look like her hair, Anon had access to pictures on her phone, and my sister full-on admitted to runnin’ the blog. All signs point to her bein’ the mastermind and us bein’ a bunch of ignorant fools.”
Rarity clenches her fists. “Do you really think that your sister is capable of hurting all of us as much as she did? That Sunset isn’t above blackmail and cutting for attention and concocting a fake story about killing herself-”
“It ain't a story!” Applejack roars. “Applebloom told me she saw it!”
“Then you're just gullible,” Rarity responds, crossing her arms and looking off to the side.
“Thank you!” Rainbow cries. “Tried to say that earlier.”
“Applebloom didn't lie about that.” Applejack takes a breath. “She was upset today. More than she’s been in years. It was the guilty kind of upset, not the helpless kind of upset. Y'all don't know my sister like I know her. And she was tellin’ the truth. We made all her favorite foods, and she didn't touch a thing. That's how she shows guilt. And anyway, she ain't got nothin’ to be blackmailed by.”
“Then threatened.” Rarity narrows her eyes at Sunset. “Maybe what you saw as guilt was fear. What was it, Sunset? What did you threaten her with?”
“What...” Sweetie Belle asks before clearing her throat. “What exactly did Applebloom say?”
“She said she's the one that made the blog.”
Sweetie Belle shares a glance with Scootaloo, who nods. “I... don't believe that. She'd have told us about it.”
Sunset turns her head and glares at them.
“And besides,” Scootaloo continues. “She has been acting a bit distant recently. Come to think of it, that's about the time when... when Sunset started following me around town.”
“You LYING BITCH!” Sunset screams, standing.
“Don't fucking cuss at her,” Rainbow warns, putting a warning finger up. “Or I'll throw you out the fuckin window. Don't even think I'm playing.” She turns and nods at Scootaloo. “Go on, kid, you're safe here.”
She glances between Sunset and Rainbow before taking a breath and turning back to Applejack. “A couple weeks back she told me something like, we need to stop hanging out together, or something... said she didn't want me to get hurt. I didn't know what that meant at the time, but the next day I thought I saw Sunset behind me. She followed me into an alleyway. She was far back, but it was... scary.”
Applejack sighs. “I gotta make a phone call.”
Sunset puts her hand out. “AJ-”
Applejack nods her head. “Guilt ain't fear, Suns. I trust you. I just need to call Bloom and see if the story checks out. If you really are innocent, you ain't got nothin’ to fear, okay?”
Sunset sighs and nods, but something behind Applejack catches her eye.
“Who ya texting, Belle?” She asks.
“Don't talk to my sister.” Rarity snaps. “And Applejack, I can't believe you can sit right there and believe Sunset over Scootaloo. What cause does she have to lie?”
Applejack narrows her eyes. “Hold up Rare. What, may I ask, could be more important to you than Scootaloo’s safety and well-being?”
“I'm...” Sweetie Belle gulps and sticks her phone back in her pocket. “I’m telling mom and dad that... I'm... with Rarity. Because they... don't know where I am.”
Rarity turns at this. “...Why?” She asks. “They already knew you were at Rainbow Dash’s house. That's what I told them. And then I texted them in the car.”
Rainbow stands as well. “Yeah, and your dad called my dad to check in. Because they're, like, drinking buddies. The fuck’s going on, Sweets?”
Scootaloo makes a quick hand signal.
“She's texting Applebloom,” Pinkie says from the kitchen. She's swirling around a glass of water as everyone turns in her direction. “She typed her number as soon as AJ said she was gonna call someone.” She drained the glass fully before clunking it back on the counter. “And while you all were fighting like a bunch of meanypantses, I had Micro Chips do a trace on the Anon-a-Miss blog to find the parent email. He just told me he tracked it to an internet connection he recognized...” She points an accusing finger at Applejack. “It was the same one that your GameStation 360 uses when we play Star Destroyer 6. I remember it because I typed it in so many times.” She turns her finger to Scootaloo, and a single tear falls down her face. “Why are you lying just to hurt Sunset?”
Silence runs through the air so deep, the only sound any of them could hear was Sunset’s slow but heavy breathing becoming slightly less slow.
“Pinkie...” Applejack murmurs. “What does the 360 have to do with any of this?”
“Not your 360, AJ. Your wifi domain. Anon-a-Miss’ blog was first made on your internet. The Piggly Wiggly post was uploaded through your internet connection. So unless Sunset was in your house that day... it wasn't her.”
Applejack slowly dials her sister’s number, and puts the phone to her ear.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Ri-
“Eeyup?” Big Mac’s voice says through the device.
“Mac, did Sweetie Belle just text?”
“Eeyup.”
“What’d it say?”
“Says here... uh... AJ call. scot lie. say sun threaten scot. say you no hang scot no want get hurt. they're onto us... looks like a bunch of paranoid gibberish, sis. You need to talk to her?”
“Mhmm. Put her on,” Applejack whispers, putting it on speaker. After a moment passes she locks eyes with Rarity.
“...sis?” Applebloom asks.
“Did Sunset Shimmer threaten to hurt Scootaloo if you didn't tell me that you made the blog?”
“What?” She asks, confused. “N... no. Like I said, she jumped in front of that car. I hadn't seen her before that since y'all stopped bein’ her friend... Is she okay now? Can I talk to her?”
“I...” Applejack turns her head to see Sunset’s eyes boring holes into the kids. “Don't think that's such a good idea right now. She's okay. Just... she’s more angry than sad now. That's all I needed to know.”
“Okay... can you tell her I’m sorry? I ain't got the right words that she deserves right now, but I want her to know that...” she sniffles. “That if I could take it all back, I would?”
Applejack nods. “I can do that... now do as your brother says. We will talk about this whole mess later, okay?”
“...okay sis. I love you.”
“I love you too...” and with that, she hangs up, and slips her phone back in her pocket.
“So that means...” Rainbow murmurs. “She wasn't lying?”
Applejack nods. “Not today. For the past month she absolutely was, but as for today... Sunset really does need our help.”
Rainbow puts her face in her hands. “Damn it...”
“Big deal,” Rarity murmurs. “So Sunset has dirt worse than I thought-”
“Oh, are you fucking kidding me Rarity?” Rainbow snips, throwing her hands down and standing up. “She didn't do it. Unless, what, you think she’s also blackmailing Belle, Scoots, Applejack, Pinkie, and Micro? Really? Applebloom’s the fuckin blog.”
“Oh please!” She drawls, stepping over to her sister. “You and I both know exactly how deep her tendrils can crawl, how complex her schemes can run, how much influence she has over people. Do you really think that my own sister would dig into Sunset’s phone, send them to herself, send them to Applebloom, and have her post my pictures? My personal, private pictures that I entrusted to her like a fool? You think my sister would invade my privacy like that? Then you really are as stupid as everyone says you are.”
“Rarity!” Pinkie yells.
Rainbow’s mouth falls open as she takes a step back. Her eyes glisten and her face darkens. She clenches her fists and seethes. She takes a step forward, but is held in place by Applejack.
“Don't!” She snaps. “Not here!”
“But she-”
“I know... grr, Sunset!”
Sunset walks on the coffee table to jump on Rainbow’s other side, helping contain her.
“The fuck is wrong with you?” Sunset growls at Rarity. “Why would you say that?”
Rarity rolls her eyes. “As if you're one to talk. Or have you so easily forgotten the past fall formal?”
Fluttershy stands. “That has nothing to do with Rainbow... I want you to leave.”
Rarity scoffs. “Very well then. Fluttershy, please accept my apologies for overstaying my welcome in your home. I will be waiting in the car. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, let’s go.”
Rainbow stops struggling, and slumps her shoulders.
“Whore.”
Rarity freezes in her tracks.
Pinkie gasps, covering her mouth.
Fluttershy turns and gapes.
Applejack widens her eyes, and Sunset closes hers. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo push past and out the door.
“Well, Sunset...” Rarity whispers. “I hope you're proud of yourself.”
Rainbow rips out of Applejack’s loosened grip and hurls her keys just to the left of Rarity’s head.
“Fucking drive yourself home. I'll walk.”
Rarity takes a deep breath in and lets it out. “I ought to slap you. But that's what you want... isn't it? A fight? Whatever. I'll be waiting to accept your apology.”
Rainbow waits until Rarity picks up the keys and gently closes the door behind her. Then, she falls to her knees and begins sobbing.
The remaining four standing girls exchange glances between each other, Rainbow, and the door.
“Rainbow...” Fluttershy murmurs, coming down to her knees and pulling her crying friend’s face into her lap. “You shouldn't have said that... but she shouldn't have said that either. Stay here tonight.”
Applejack follows her down, and puts a hand on Rainbow’s back. “It'll be okay darlin’...”
Pinkie comes to Rainbow’s other side and offers support herself.
Sunset just sits down, her face a blank slate.
“Great...” she murmurs to herself. “Just great.” She glances at her arms and sighs.
‘If the car didn't miss... this wouldn’t have happened.’
/x/x/x/
Rarity stands with her arms crossed as the elevator brings the trio down to the parking basement. At her side stand Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who simply hold hands and stare at the floor.
“The nerve...” she bitterly grumbles. “Call me a whore... she’s probably had more sex than I have. Walks around braless in crop tops. No shame in the girls locker room after gym. Wears yoga pants every day she can get away with. Just wants to show off her ass to all the boys. She's the slut.”
The elevator dings, and the three exit.
“Not my fault you've never had a sister you can trust. Not my fault you believe any lie that bitch spoonfeeds you. Not my fault you blamed my sister for something she wouldn't do... Sweetie, Scootaloo, go ahead and warm the car up, I'm too restless to drive, I need to pace a bit.”
She hands them the keys before continuing on past the dark blue SUV on down the parking lot. The two kids exchange a glance and so as they are asked.
Once inside the car, Sweetie Belle groans.
“What’s wrong?” Scootaloo asks.
“Applebloom’s gonna be grounded forever because of us...”
Scootaloo sighs. “Yeah, probably... what's worse is the plan kinda blew up in her face. Now AJ is gonna spend way more time with Sunset than before.”
“Right... and I don't really think you'll see Rainbow that much any more.”
“Eh, it's fine... I have you.”
“Pfft, whatever...”
“And hey, it worked well for you. You'll probably have all the time in the world you wanna spend with your sister.”
Sweetie hits her head against the window. “Yeah, I guess. I just feel bad that I'm the only one who benefits from the whole ordeal. And that Rainbow cried.”
“Rainbow’s strong, and she has friends. She’ll get over it. Besides, they're just low grades and a few mean names. She'll be fine. Nothing she hasn't been able to handle before.” Scootaloo flashes a confident smile. “And Applebloom will only be grounded for so long."
“You think she’ll forgive us?”
“Well duh. If she didn't, she'd have sold us out by now. She knows the risk. Problem is she cracked under the pressure. Of course Sunset was gonna try to hurt herself, but like, that car couldn't have been going more than twenty five on the street since they're all so icy. She'd have broken a few bones, maybe. It was just bad luck that Bloom was there when it happened.”
Sweetie leaned her head into her companion’s chest. “Yeah, I guess so... you don't think Rarity is suspicious?”
“Suspicious? Nah. If she was suspicious she’d have killed you. You're in the clear.”
“Still, I feel bad... you saw how she reacted in there. Plus, you weren't there when the photos got posted. She cried for hours. I feel like maybe that was going too far.”
Scootaloo shushed her and started stroking her hair. “It's fine, they're just underwear pics. Not like they were actual nudes. Man, lucky for you that Sunset doesn't know how to encrypt files on her phone, then we’d have been majorly effed. But you hit gold.”
“I don't know... Sunset looked pretty messed up. You don't think we went too far?”
“Really? Feeling bad for Sunset Shimmer? She's been an evil bully the entire time we’ve gone to school here. She's a jerk, and she deserves it. Even if she did end up dying.”
“Yeah...” Sweetie closed her eyes and snuggled in closer. “I guess you're right. Evil once, evil always.”
“That's my girl...” Scootaloo leans in and kisses her temple. “At least OUR secret will stay secret.”
Sweetie nods, smiling. “Love you.”
“Love you too.”
/x/x/x/
Okay... Wow! I didn't expect Rainbow to be convinced and Rarity to be stubborn in her stance
Just a bit much his chapter; hope rarity accidentally sees sweetie’s phone and the drawer photos from there
Plus I hope the others all give her the cold shoulder after this
Wow... just... wow! I was expecting Rainbow Dash to be the stubborn one, but Rarity!? While Rainbow Dash realized her error (but still have a LOT to make up for), but I can't believe that Rarity is so pig headed even though the truth is staring right at her face!
And Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. I just... UGH!
Those three are gonna regret their actions BIG TIME!
Wow, just wow.
Oh Rarity..... I just want to strangle you right now!
Yeeeaaahhhh, Sweetie and Scoots, if only you could see yourselves right now, you'd be looking at the old Sunset, except worse, cause I'm not sure even old Sunset ever really thought "they would deserve it even if they died." That's just disgusting.
Shows how much they actually care about AB, eh she's just grounded. Not like her losing the trust of her family matters, she'll be able to hang out with us soon enough. All that matters is that Sunset pays, and that no one finds out that we're actually into each other.
Why do you play with my heart like this?
That was some masterful use of Pinkie btw. Indeed, many, writers included, tend to forget just how smart she is.
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What you all read is a clear example why; in my very own two eyes,
THAT THEY WILL NEVER, EVER! LIVE UP TO THEIR EQUESTRIAN COUNTERPARTS!!!
Heck, if they're reading this right now, here's how I think they're reacting:
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Well said.
Not usually one for drama, but holy shit! Fantastic work as always! I'm sitting on the edge of my seat for the next chapter!
RARITY BETTER PAY FOR THIS I HOPE SHE NEVER FORGIVEN AND DRIVEN OUT!!
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So it's either a good guess that either Rarity's too prideful in herself or if she does know and currently going through The Five Stages of Grief and is and will be stuck on the first stage for a long time: Denial.
i thought for sure a fight was gonna break out between dash and AJ, never expected it to be dash vs rarity. also ScootaBelle Shipping abound
Wait...I know that sunset is pretty depressed but since she now knows who actually did it, isn't she gonna do anything about it? I mean, trying to be good doesn't mean you have to take it laying down. But I'll just wait and see where this goes for now
Rarity you are the biggest fool if you think you can trust little sisters, they are supposed to be evil.
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She's been trying to do something about it from the start, but depression tends to sap people into very bad places. There was a spark of hope, but when not even a confession from Applebloom herself can convince Rarity, that's only going to push Sunset further down the depression spiral. Sunset's... not going to be able to do much here. Not until her friends help her back up.
God I hate those kids.
And so the guillotine drops, and we see some heads roll. But, two of the culprits escaped its blade and one is too hard to be cut.
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I think it's most likely the former, although it's possible that she's in denial too.
Either way, if Rarity don't wise up soon, she'll lose more than just Sunset Shimmer.
Rarity, Sweetie Belle... And Scootaloo... I have 24 hours to deal with you bozos... Sunset Shimmer has trying to redeem herself for X amount of years going up in smoke... AND YOU FUCKERS DON'T BELIEVE HER?!
GAHHH!
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It's not that Pinkie's dumb, it's just that... Well... I've once heard it said that a politician can speak for hours but never say anything. Well if that's true, Pinkie could be empress of both worlds by the end of an hour. She'll get sidetracked and launch into several different tangents before she reaches her original point.
me @ Rarity
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me @ RD
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Now THIS is a good Anon-A-Miss story!
Rarity must be in love with Sunset. That's why she refuses to except the truth that's smacking her in the face.
If she admits the truth then she has to admit she made a mistake and hurt the one she cares about.
She'd also have to admit that her angel of a little sister is actually a devil.
Prime stuff👍
Good anon a miss stories are not easy to find, but we certainly seem to have one here
Oof... This one was heavy. I loved every second.of it. I never did like Scootaloo, her pony counterpart was basically the worst of the crusaders by pushing them to do more dangerous stunts kinda makes sense that she's the enabler here. Can't wait for more!!
*Grabs Sweetie and Scootaloo by the throats*
Listen here, you little shits, you have a lot of owning up to do.
10060297
To be fair in Rarity's case, She had VERY personal photos spread through the school and possibly beyond that. That kind of thing can negatively impact ones reputation and future in a BIG way. Teachers have been fired when parents discovered they had provocative Instagram accounts.
10060727
Yes
I'm sorry, I don't buy it. You're telling me that AJ didn't put the phone on speaker when she had Apple Bloom on the phone? That Rarity wouldn't even confirm what Pinkie shouted to the whole room by checking Sweetie's text? I thought RD was a bit over the top at first, but she does get fiercely loyal. But suddenly she believes them? I was game so far, but the idiot ball really got tossed around.
If Bloom knows about Scoots and Sweetie (I assume she does already, they share so much else), she learns they're not stopping the throwing under the bus of Sunset, she could hold their relationship over their heads to get them to owe up for their parts in Anon-A-Miss.
I dought that's the direction NightCore plans/did plan on going, if my lack of thinking on the same wavelength as them as shown by their response to my last comment is anything to go by.
Edit: It's literally took me 5 minutes to find a flaw in my own idea
AB: What's more important to the two of you, framing Sunset or keeping how close you are secret.
SL & SB: Frame job, all the way, way less hate being gay with each other than driving someone to suicide.
New chapter already? You're on a roll. Love the title, btw.
Holy shit, tone it back girl.
Okay, Rainbow is brash but she's not heartless. Like yeah, she thinks Sunset hurt her friends and she also always has trouble admitting she's wrong, but like... She's never been someone who's hurtful for the sake of being hurtful. Her saying anything like this is overkill and kinda OoC, even if she was right.
*then
Ironyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Sometimes it can be tricky to decide when to use pronouns, especially in a scene where every character is a "her." That said, Lavender Unicorn Syndrome is pretty jarring and learning to avoid it makes one's writing a whole lot better.
Again, I know they're mad, but... This seems like plot-driven ignorance for the sake of generating conflict. I guess that's a tricky needle to thread in a frickin' Anon-a-Miss story of all things, but... I dunno. Just feels a little off.
It's worth saying that despite the criticisms I have here, the writing is very much good. The dialogue is to the point, and each character's voice is distinctly their own. Even if you took away the dialogue tags, I'd still know who was speaking each line. That's a hard thing to pull off, so kudos.
Well that was easy.
I really enjoy how AJ's handling all this, especially how she's treating her sister. She has her priorities straight--punishment and vitriol can wait until everyone's safe. Some of the other characterizations may be a bit shaky in places, but not hers. This is pitch-perfect Applejack right here.
i.imgur.com/19RPFvx.png
And there it is. Suicidal thoughts are nothing if not tenacious. Here's wondering if she'll try to act on them again--seems like a very real possibility.
Aren't they like... Fifteen? I dunno, being raised Catholic has screwed with my perception of what "normal" high school life is like--my favorite sexual activity at that age was "no one fucking touch me or I will scream."
Hey, when you're as flat as
I amshe is, sometimes you can get away with stuff like that. At least in hoodies. I don't even think I own a crop top x_xYikes. These kids are goddamn sociopaths.
Okay holy fucking fuck, this is scary. Normal human beings do not think like this. The Scoots in this story is the most black-hearted atrocity on the planet.
Did... Did the girls just forget Sunset's hurting herself? Like, they're comforting Dash while Sunset is literally bleeding next to them. Not that I'm saying it's OoC or a fault of the writing, cuz it totally seems like something they'd do. The theme of this chapter seems to be that the girls are more preoccupied with their own dramas and issues than with the one person with them who really needs help, and damn if that ain't a high school girl thing to do. While the way it's shown isn't always perfect, the message comes through clearly enough, and I suppose that's what matters most.
All in all, not a bad chapter. I hope this comment wasn't discouraging; I know that these kinds of scenes are exceedingly hard to write, what with so many characters and clashing ideas present. I think you did a pretty good job overall. As you could probably guess, my main issue is with how completely fucking cruel beyond belief some of them were. Dash and Rarity snapping at each other fit the tension of the scene well, but the "oh yeah she deserves to die lulz" was just... Horrifying. This is still far better than most I've seen, and yeah AAM tends to bring out the worst in these characters, but maybe it's something to keep in mind for the future. They aren't bad people; they're stupid, emotional teenagers. That said, even stupid emotional teenagers have lines they don't cross.
Overall, though, I really hope we'll get into Sunset's head soon. I get the sense that this chapter served to show yet another thing Sunset blames herself for; even if she didn't hurt the girls this time, the damage she's done to them in the past never really went away completely (which reminds me of her attitude in some other Anon-a-Miss fic <_<). It would be tragic, if not painfully ironic, for the girls to be so preoccupied with repairing their own bonds that they neglect Sunset's ever-growing guilt and self-loathing. Sounds like a recipe for an awfully realistic disaster.
tl;dr - Next chapter whennnnnnnnnnn
10060283
*light yagami voice* just as planned
10060290
may i ask what specifically there was a bit much of? oh, and don't worry, i have somewhat of an idea of how rarity will be convinced, and there will of course be consequences for every action.
10060297
as messed up as it sounds i'm glad my work is powerful enough that it's inciting people to have visceral reactions like this. it means i was successful at what i was trying to accomplish.
10060318
I understand where you're coming from, and that's the intended feeling I wanted the readers to walk away from- since psychological torture of that magnitude is of course horrible- but, well, spoilers for a future chapter. and yeah, scootaloo isn't exactly the best at empathy. but, uh... well, i'd say something else but spoilers :3
10060321
i play with your heart because
it's easy, and it does a lot of damage. Also thank you. Pinkie is one of my favorite characters to write for, and read for when she's done properly, and also one of the hardest to write for bar none. So I'm glad you think she was used properly.
10060330
yeah they probably wouldn't be too happy with their counterparts' behavior here, ehehe...
10060342
thanks! i'm glad you're digging something i wrote in a genre you're not the biggest fan of.
10060348
hey now, if someone bullied you for years, then was all but forced to be your friend, then you got lewd photos of yourself leaked when the only person who had those photos was the bully, and you were confronted with the idea that maybe it was your own sister rather than the bully, and all of your friends teamed up with the bully against your sister... anyway if you truly do hope she's never forgiven and driven out, i don't think you're gonna enjoy the later parts of the story :P
10060384
that's right you expected a zig SO I ZAGGED!
10060402
well keep in mind that it's been maybe an hour since applejack came to her apartment in chapter 1, mr hopkins :)
10060420
bro trust me i have 6 little sisters and a niece and nephew (and one more on the way), they are *mermaid man voice* EEEEEVIIIIIIL!
10060425
astute observations; you get it
10060557
in their defense, the fall formal of the first equestria girls movie took place just a few months ago as of this story- so it hasn't been years- but yeah i can certainly sympathize with your empathy.
10060591
pinkie pie for president
10060609
thanks <3
10060670
whaaat rarity couldn't possibly have feelings for sunset [sweeps "like copper sulfate in flame" under the rug] literally impossible, this hypothesis [sweeps subtext in "the beach house" and "tfw you find your crush's nudes" under the rug] she would never because she's totally 100% heterosexual [sweeps stories i haven't published yet under the rug] good heavens what could possibly have given you that idea
10060710
i'm glad to be welcomed into the cool kids table
10060715
i personally don't much care for canon scootaloo either. which is a damn shame because there was a lot of potential that wasn't used until, what, season 9?
10060846
It was on speaker, I seem to have just neglected to mention it; I'll make a slight edit, sorry for the confusion. Pinkie has no reason to lie and Rarity trusts what she said, BUT she doesn't trust that everything was as it seemed because again, perhaps Sunset has Micro under her control like she did in [unwritten flashback scene]. Rainbow, however, does trust that, because- as will be explained in a bit more detail next chapter after everyone takes a chill pill- Applejack can be supremely gullible and Fluttershy can be naive (at least in Rainbow's eyes) and Sunset is not very trustworthy at the moment based solely on context and the fact that's she's only been good for less than a tenth of the amount of time that she's been evil, BUT in her mind because of Pinkie's observational, social, technological, and logical skills, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo's suspicious behavior, Applebloom's confession and affirmation of Sunset's suicide attempt, Sunset's bloodied arms, and Applejack and Fluttershy's (and Twilight's) trust in Sunset, she figures it's much more likely that Micro was telling the truth than that Sunset is still a master marionette after getting facef*cked by Twilight's magic rainbows. Your questions are valid, and they will be answered within the fic, just not immediately as it comes up. In real life, when drama and arguments break out, people don't talk through their trains of thought fully before flying off the handle with accusations, and the confusion and assumptions and chaos is the intended angle I wanted to portray. Plus I'm going for a third person style without omniscient perspective in this fic. Alas, if that type of storytelling and the plot details utilized here aren't your cup of tea, then so be it; I won't be able to please everyone. I just hope that whatever you read instead of this brings you more joy than you've found here.
10061001
Applebloom is in the dark about Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle's relationship... and will be for some years. But even if she would, Applebloom knows how bigoted EqG's Magnum & Opal are [I use the pre-S4 naming conventions for "Hondo and Cookie"], and isn't the type of person to blackmail her best friends out of the closet. She might say it though, but not honestly mean it, merely to drive the point home.
10061110
Thanks, I'm a big fan of juxtaposition and irony.
Yeah Rainbow was a bit scary here, but keep in mind... she speaks without thinking a lot, she was in the post-"oh god fluttershy's in trouble or hurt" adrenaline rush, and as I mentioned but will go into further detail over, Sunset legitimately did fake self harm and suicide before to distract Rainbow in the past. This is 100% a boy who cried wolf situation, but it's the perfect storm, because evil Sunset knew that Rainbow would drop everything to help her if she legitimately was feeling suicidal, and Rainbow knows that now, thus her suspicion now. As far as Rainbow is concerned, Sunset is just rehashing a plan she used before.
Irony indeed.
I just googled the tvtropes page for Lavender Unicorn Syndrome to defend my usage of infrequent monikers to indicate that LUS was when you used a dozen different monikers in a row, but APPARENTLY that page was deleted back in like 2015 and I can't access a cached page. Still, I will literally rewrite entire paragraphs if the finished product is "proper noun verbed proper noun, quote, proper noun verbed proper noun, quote," etc. I'm aware that monikers are obscenely horrid in large quantities, so I sprinkle them in as sparsely as I can. I did a quick re-read just now and there were 6 others before the example you chose, and 3 others after. "The athlete" "her sister" "the timid girl" etc. So this is a legitimate question here, is it okay to use things like that, things like "the blonde-haired girl" or "the dark-skinned boy" etc, but nothing specifically pony-related? Because writers like Charles Dickens, John Steinbeck, F Scott Fitzgerald, George Orwell, Douglas Adams, HG Wells, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien, other authors I use as baselines for sentence structure and flow, they all do the same thing. I don't intend to be like "well they can do it so why can't I", but I do intend on releasing my own original literary works, and I wanna know if this is like a high fantasy thing or if it's just a general grammar thing of the post-millenium since everyone I cited above all published in the 1800s and 1900s and stuff. Also I just realized they're all white men. Oh. Oh god no.
...anyway before I ramble...
Rarity and Rainbow's anger I specifically tailor-made to their personality and the secrets posted by Anon-a-Miss. Rainbow told AJ she's gullible for falling for the same trick that got her (which is why she brought up the bake sale, because, well, if AJ hadn't been so stubborn about it then maybe they could've talked more and then maybe Rainbow could've talked to AJ about the aforementioned wolf-crying and then she wouldn't have fallen for the trick). Rarity told AJ she's gullible because surely Sunset was still a plotting scheming conniving evil-pants who had a finger in every pie and was manipulating everybody in secret because the only other option is that Sweetie Belle posted her lewds for all to see. Perhaps I should be a bit more clear with that in the future, so it doesn't come off as, well, the idiot ball.
I do appreciate the criticism, though. I take it to heart, you can track my entire history through my various accounts on here. First fic I ever submitted to this website under a different name, well... I was a fanfiction dot net writer. You may cringe now. It was a very long author's note full of talking down to an inferior audience because they don't know any better, but then people were like "dude that's unnecessary, we're smarter than you give us credit for" and I was like "oh my god these people actually know how to say more than MORE PLZ and FLAMING TACOZ OF DOOOOOM". And as you point out little things I can work on, no doubt I'll be on the lookout for them in the future. So thank you.
Yeah, MyStable seems to be short-form blogging on par in stability to early Tumblr and, well, MySpace. That shiz was SO easy to crack if you bothered to look at it. Part of why I think the Cyberbu//y movie was trash, like, THATS NOT HOW WEBSITES WORK, YA DINGUS! My main qualm with the comic is, like, why the unholy f[heck] didn't Microchips just FLIPPIN DOXX ANONAMISS? DROP A DDOS ATTACK BRO! I'd like to think the reason why is because, well, of course it was Sunset, it couldn't POSSIBLY be anyone else. The plan was so stupid and flawed and imperfect that it just worked. Like Bethesda games.
Well I'm glad to hear that my Applejack is down pat, since this is LITERALLY my first fic written that focuses on her since my fic from 2013 "Only On The Surface" that dealt with her realizing "oh god I'm a lesbian". She's been a side character in everything else and I wanted to give her some love with this fic. I realize I gotta fudge everyone around because like... the entirety of the Holiday Special was OOC as fuck and I'm trying to respect canon but also say "f[heck] you I do what I want".
Yeah, good ol' depression, anxiety, and other assorted mental illnesses. Where's that Simpson's meme where Moe throws Barney out of the bar and he just shows up right behind him again? Barney's the suicidal thoughts.
They're around fifteen or sixteen right now, yes. And not to be rude but "raised Catholic" explains a few things. But yeah, in "normal" high school life, kids as young as 11 and 12 have sex. I personally didn't do anything like that until I was 18 but even then I didn't have /actual/ sex until I was like 23. Still, I wasn't exactly "normal" high schooler either, but I was friends with some of the normies, and they all did the do from early teenagerhood. If you really want your perceptions screwed with, read my fic Stupid Girl rife with weed and booze as well, taking place within a year of this.
I think it also depends on how thick the crop top is. But yeah, Rainbow is a block of muscle. I'm also A. The three of us should be leaders of the IBTC, lmao. Especially hoodies too, which Rainbow is quite fond of wearing. And, well, "raised Catholic" doesn't exactly scream "i wear crop tops" lmao.
Sociopaths? Maybe if it was to just anyone, but... this is to Sunset "Bitch Queen" Shimmer. The literal demonic necromancer. Terror of the high school. She'd fuck you up and laugh. If Literally Hitler came back to life and was like "hey I'm a good guy now" would you trust him even when zombie nazis were ravaging the country eating people's brains? Okay this analogy got away from me but still. Yeah it seems fucked up what they're doing, and it is, but honestly when I was twelve years old, and someone who bullied me and my family was standing at the top of a bridge, I'd grab popcorn and yell "DO A FLIP!". Twelve year olds are evil little bastards. Especially when, well, Sunset is at least partially responsible for Scootaloo's shitty home life. Spoilers.
And yeah, high schoolers be dramatic. Applejack did do a pretty good job getting Sunset cleaned up, and her gauze isn't crimson. Only Applejack knows the full extent of the wounds. Rainbow saw the good arm mostly clean. Give me time to have them viscerally react to just how bad it is, because like. I've never drawn blood with a sharp knife. My weapon of choice was a box cutter, and it would give me welts upon welts. One time I used an actual knife, but I only broke a few layers of skin, and it was just thin red lines. Then you have people who use literal razors and go an inch deep and gush. The girls haven't seen the latter quite yet, so I don't blame them for being preoccupied with the emotional help they know Sunset needs. "oh she's sad" buddy there is a long, loooong divide between sad and suicidal depressed. Which I'll go into further, in a later chapter. This is not going to be over soon, so there will be plenty of time for the rest of the main 7 to catch up and realize, oh my god Sunset is so much worse off than we thought.
I'm not discouraged. Part of why I love writing dramatic MLP group scenes so much is because there's so much you can do. You've got a half dozen or more different characters with completely different backgrounds and clashing ideology. But yeah, you're right, it's haaaaaard. I'm just like. Sweet jesus it's been 3,000 words and you're STILL TALKING ABOUT THE FRIGGIN WEATHER! Like Tarantino having them talk about tipping waitresses for twenty minutes. I can certainly understand the discomfort associated with Scootaloo's apparent sociopathy, and I see where you're coming from. Just know that I do have reasoning. See, Applebloom's motivation in the comics was clear: she's jealous and misses her sister, so she shared the Piggly Wiggly story. Sweetie Belle's motivation is that she's feeling left out and treated like a child, so she shared the silly outfit photos. But that's little league. That's comic books for kids. I have no choice but to edge it up so it's not hammy, therefore BOOM lewds. But that still doesn't give Scoots motivation, especially not for sharing Rainbow's bad grades. For the sake of the plot arc, Scootaloo needs to be a jerk right now. And in order to have a suicidal Sunset not be enough to turn Scootaloo's guilty conscience around, Scootaloo has to REALLY loathe and despite Sunset to the point that she legit doesn't care if she lives or dies. And there IS a reason for it. Just so you don't think I threw a dart and said "yes, that one is THE EVIL ONE" like, well, every single "x character is gay so applejack is a raging homophobic assdouche to them" story on this website.
You are correct, this is the "end of act 1" chapter that sets the stage for the meat of the story. Frodo just left the Shire, Luke just left with Han, Uncle Ben just got shot, etc. We'll be mostly focused on Sunset from this point forward. Hmm that fic's author seems familiar ;) It would certainly be tragic and ironic if something like that were to happen HA HA HA *sweats*.
Wish I could offer a tl;dr myself, but I can answer you and say... uh... in February.
10060846
Yeah, it’s almost like these people act irrationally when in a hyper-emotionally-charged situation or something. What kind of teenagers would behave like that?
10061240 I'll still continue reading for a bit, it's just very definitely contrived, third person omniscient or not. Especially the vicious reactions between Rarity and Rainbow Dash. As 10061110 said—and I agree—it really comes across as just happening for the sake of hurting each other and creating drama, rather than a logical sequence of events. Especially considering the circumstances. IRL I sincerely doubt AJ wouldn't have put AB on speaker specifically to confront the girls or ask Rarity to think about the message Sweetie sent. Especially your AJ, who understands that it's not about hurting them or punishing them, but about mending friendships.
Whether the story will entertain me or not... I guess I will see.
10061252 Cute, but as I've pointed out it doesn't flow naturally.
10061240
y-yeah... those people. weirdos, amarite?
>_>
<_<
no seriously don't ever do that
10061254
You're cute but don't flow naturally. Whatever that means.
It's 2:30am don't judge me :v
10061240
It is was a nto much of arguing to keep track of and shifting
10061254
Not really...
You just kinda listed some of the events of the chapter as questions, then pointed out how they were playing catch with the idiot ball... as teens are wont to do.
10061261 Thanks you're cute too.
10061273 Bottom line, we'll have to see where it goes.
10061274
:o
:D
Y'all heard it here first. I'm the cutest bitch in town.
but let's be real, the true Cutest Girl is Wallflower. This is a scientifically accepted fact.
10061240
Lucky guess
Just a hunch really
Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo you two are bunch of shit weasels! I hope Apple Bloom finally get the balls to rat you two out. So she won't be facing punishment alone.
And Rarity. All I can say about you is this. Go ahead. Remain being a gullible fool. But when Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo finally confess or that Apple Bloom rats them out. DON'T come crawling back to Sunset and the rest of the Rainbooms like the worthless dumb bimbo you really are.
The darkest pits of hell are open for these three. So don't keep the devil waiting.
This whole chapter pissed me off.
What the girls did. They just get away with it and let Applebloom take the fall?
Then there's rarity like holy shit. I really hope sweetie and scoots get what's coming to them. Hard like I need to pace around I'm so mad. XD
I read this for a while now and it's good, though this new chapter has got me really pissed off. I really hope Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle get their ass's kicked for this. Same with Apple Bloom along with Rairty. In all honesty I wanted to see Sunset beat the shit out of the Rainbimbo's and the three little bastards but it's your story so your call. All I know is that Sunset has been through way too much crap and I doubt she will ever want to be friends with those jerks again or even trust them. I can only imagin what Twilight will do when she finds out what's been going on. And the last chapter I wish I could beat the shit out of Rainbow Trash for what she was about to do and what she said toward Sunset in this chapter. Sorry it's just how I feel.
But there is one thing I know that's going to happen when the truth comes out. AJ and her family are going to get sued along with Rarity and Scootaloo's family. I hope those three little bastards get expelled for this crap and end up in juvinile prison. And I hope the other asshole's who sent the Crusaders secrets get punished as well since they helped contribute to the crap.
And like you I hated that stupid comic book as it made the adult's useless, made the Rainbooms look stupid and even made Sunset look weak which I hate. I even hate the crusaders as I felt they got off too easily and their whole reason for doing so was just petty and stupid. What makes this comic even worst is that it is a horrible retelling of Ponyville Confidental. I think this will be it for now and I really hope Sunset get's justice and make those ass whipe fake friends of her's suffer.
Good Luck NightCoreMoon.
10061274
I’m not sure what ‘it’ is in this context, so I can’t rightly agree I’ve seen it before. I’m not trying to be a smart-ass or troll here; I honestly seem to have lost track somewhere, and would vey much value your option on the matter.
10060330
These pictures. ....right reaction. ...And I personally hope that Rainbow or Cherilee spanks Scotaloo so freaking bad she won't sit on it a Year!
Goodbye any relationship between Scotaloo and Rainbow after truth comes out, Sweetie Belle is also in tough situation
Scoota-Belle confirmed.
media.giphy.com/media/JIUYwgWQ5INSU/giphy.gif