A Second Chance

Watching the Prius drive away, I felt an emptiness awash within me. Why would Flutters text the other girls telling them to not bring me? I wondered aloud, then I set off, walking briskly in the falling snow.

Almost immediately, I regretted leaving the car so readily in just my favorite leather jacket. The air was piercing cold and each inhale burned like fire before it was exhaled in a cloud of steam.

It was just another nuisance of poverty. I pulled my jacket closer around me and walked faster, pulling out my phone as I did so.

SUNSET: Anyone at school today? Pink’s gone home sick.

It wasn’t until I was within sight of the school that I got a reply.

APPLEJACK: Think it’s just me and you Sun. Rare and Dash are staying with Shy. Meet me at the statue when you get to school.

Why did she want me there? I wondered.

SUNSET: Be there in 5.

I picked up the pace again, and before long I had passed through the gates of Canterlot High.

I spied A.J pacing the portal, dressed in a thick over-jacket, and I involuntarily shivered.

Her eyes widened as I drew nearer. “Land sakes, Sunset! D’ye wanna catch Pnemonia?!”

I tried to reply, but my teeth were chattering to hard to form a coherent sentence.

Applejack sighed, and she took off her over-coat, revealing another underneath, and she threw her overcoat around my shoulders. “Lucky ah anticipated this.”

She embraced me for a few moments, helping me warm up, then stepped back and spoke again.

“Better?” She asked me, eyebrows raised in concern.

“B-better, th-thank you.” I managed to reply. “W-w-what was it y-you wan-wanted t-to talk to me ab-bout?”

“Naw, we’ll talk inside t’school, even ah’m feelin th chill out here.”

She led the way, and my curiosity aroused, I followed behind her.

Inside the building, I was treated to furious stares and accusing whispers.

Applejack laid a restraining hand on my arm. “Jest ignore them, they won’t do anything.” she murmured to me, guiding me towards a classroom.

After checking to make sure it was empty, we went inside and she shut the door.

It quickly became apparent to me that she was nervous about something, pacing around the room.

Alright, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked her, zipping up the coat she had loaned me.

She stopped pacing and stood near the door, tapping the wall gently. “Weel Sunset.” She began, avoiding my eyes. “It’s well, it’s like this you see? When the six of us were hangin’ out in mah orchard, that’s jest it, there was only t’six of us.”

“Go on.” I replied, wary or where we were heading.

“Now ah’m not talking ‘bout all the other attacks here, s’jest the one on Fluttershy, so don’t get offended.”

She was still avoiding my eyes and tapping nervously. I didn’t like where this was going at all, so I glared at her suspiciously. “A.J, just get on with it.” I told her flatly.

“Promise yah won’t get mad at me?” She asked me pensively.

“Just. Tell. Me.”

Applejack hesitated, and taking a deep breath, she looked at me and clenched her fists. “Ah want you ta tell me honestly.” She said, her tone lightly colored with anger. “Sunset Shimmer, are y’all the person behind the cyber attack on Fluttershy?”

I was ready for something big, but this, well.

It was a few moments before I could respond. Anger and outrage flooded through my body, but the biggest pain I felt, was disappointment, even upset that one of my closest friends could stand there and accuse me of something that horrible.

She watched me apprehensively as I stood in silence. “Well, ya gonna answer me?”

Finally I got ahold of my emotions long enough to reply. “You call me one of your best friends, and yet, you ask me if I’m Anon-A-Miss because you, doubt me?”

I saw sadness in those lime-green eyes as she turned away. “Sun, Ah…”

I was steadily losing control of my emotions, and my voice shook slightly as I continued. “You think that I missed being the school bully, hated by all, so much that I became the cyber-attacker?”

“We didn’t…” A.J was fumbling as she tried to come up with blatant excuses. “There were only six of us,  down there, are ye sure ye didn’t let slip, or somethin? Ah jest have ta be sure, Ah mean, after what Shy tried to do…”

My body shaking, I realized that tears were running down my face as I stared at one of the six worst people in the world. “Were you guys ever my friends?” I choke out, fighting to finish my sentence. “Or did you just take me in because Twilight said?”

“Sunny, it’s not like that!” Applejack tried to hug me, but I pushed her away. There were tears welling up in her own eyes as I coldly replied. “True friends don’t doubt friends.” I unzipped her coat and dropped it on the ground.

She reached out towards me as I walked out of the classroom.