Diamond Tiara, daughter of Filthy Rich and Spoiled Rich, and also the editor of the school newspaper was working late. With her was Silver Spoon, her only friend.
Diamond Tiara had holiday plans to get to, but those plans had been derailed by something new.
It was the Anon-A-Miss account on MyStable.
Anon-A-Miss, an account that posted secrets for all to see. First, it was that ‘Piggly Wiggly’ post about Applejack. Diamond Tiara had fun teasing Apple Bloom about it. Honestly, it was so embarrassing and Diamond Tiara couldn’t help but twist the knife.
For some reason, Apple Bloom didn’t bite back and just sulked away. Like she was guilty about it or something. Well, it didn’t matter.
Anon-A-Miss kept growing. More posts turned up and they were so many embarrassing secrets and photos being posted.
And everyone suspected it to be Sunset Shimmer. It just seemed so obvious.
A bit too obvious, in fact.
Diamond Tiara was a lot of things. She was a diva, a bit of a bully, and ambitious. But she wasn’t completely ignorant. Everyone believed it was Sunset Shimmer, but it just didn’t make sense.
In a lot of ways, Diamond Tiara admired Sunset Shimmer. She was ambitious and always got what she wanted. She won the Fall Formal crown each year until the last.
Honestly, Diamond Tiara would want her as a big sister or a mentor. It was just that Sunset was too intimidating to get close to. She was a bit jealous that Snips and Snails could get close to her, even if they were just lackeys.
Now, the Anon-A-Miss story. Diamond Tiara didn’t really think Sunset was responsible. Sure, it may seem like it. The old Sunset didn’t hesitate in humiliating students. However, there was always a goal. There was always an endgame.
This just seemed like it was posted for shits and giggles, like some kind of troll.
Sunset Shimmer was no troll. She was smart, determined, and ambitious. Anon-A-Miss just seemed like something more...juvenile.
And as the editor of the School Newspaper, Diamond Tiara needed the facts. Yes, she twisted the facts around, but she never really lied. It was how she remained in charge all this time. The facts were always there, she just had a clever way of editing them to make them more sensational.
So, Anon-A-Miss was going to be her new headline, and she needed facts to expose the truth. She could interview Sunset, but part of Diamond Tiara was still intimidated by the girl.
Oh, she just wished she got a hold of something that could make a great headline.
Diamond Tiara heard a knock at the door.
“Silvy, do you mind getting the door, thanks,” Diamond Tiara ordered sweetly.
Silver Spoon got up and opened the door.
“So, who is it?” Diamond Tiara asked.
“Just someone who says he can get us the scoop on Anon-A-Miss.”
The next day, the Rainbooms entered the school. They were really upset over the last post Anon-A-Miss put up. It was an embarrassing photo taken at their last slumber party. It had all of them in it.
All except for Sunset Shimmer.
They needed to confront her. She was supposed to be their friend but then decided to go back to her old ways.
“I’m going to kill her,” Rainbow growled as she cracked her knuckles. She was angry. All those embarrassing secrets, like her, failed test paper, for all to see. It just wasn’t right.
Everyone was upset and they needed Sunset Shimmer to pay for it.
But then Pinkie Pie noticed a crowd gathering up on the notice board.
“Hey, lookie what’s going on there!” Pinkie Pie pointed.
“It does seem intriguing,” said Rarity. “Do you think it’s worth looking? I mean, everyone is looking at it.”
“Let’s go see what’s up,” Applejack suggested.
The Rainbooms headed to the ground and had to really push through to get a clear look at what was so interesting.
It was the first page of the latest issue of the school newspaper, the Canterlot High Chronicle.
The headline read: “ANON-A-MISS EXPOSED”
And the picture under it caused Applejack’s jaw to drop, Rarity to go speechless, and Rainbow Dash to gawk.
The Crusaders were heading to school. Sweetie Belle would usually bike to school with her friends instead of going with Rarity.
“What’s wrong, Sweetie?” Scootaloo asked.
“I...I just don’t know if I can do this anymore...” said Sweetie Belle. “This Anon-A-Miss thing.”
“Look, Sweetie. We’ve all come so far. Once Sunset’s out of the way, we can spend more time with our sisters again,” reasoned Apple Bloom.
“...I...I guess...”
They parked their bikes and entered the school together. As soon as they walked down the hallway, they saw the students staring at them silently. They were even whispering to each other. It was odd to be looked at with such scrutiny.
“Wonder what they’re whispering about?” Apple Bloom asked.
“Probably the new Anon-A-Miss post,” Scootaloo answered.
“Well, look who had the guts to come and show their faces!” Diamond Tiara sneered as she stood in front of the Crusaders. Silver Spoon was with her, looking smug.
Apple Bloom sighed.
“Whaddya want, Diamond Tiara?”
“Oh, just here to hand you the latest edition,” said Diamond Tiara as she held a copy of the school newspaper. “Here you go. Check the headline. You’ll love it.”
Apple Bloom unrolled the newspaper and her eyes widened as she saw the headline:
“ANON-A-MISS EXPOSED”
By: Diamond Tiara Rich
And right under it was a photo of the crusaders.
The article read:
“Recently, we’ve had a terrible case of cyber-bullying happening here in Canterlot High. A MyStable user, dubbed “Anon-A-Miss” has been posting embarrassing secrets of members of our beloved student body. It was initially believed to be the work of Sunset Shimmer, a student who is reformed and trying to change her ways. I initially believed it too, considering her reputation in the past. However, as a reporter, I could not work on assumptions.
“So, it was quite a surprise that I was able to come across evidence that showed that Sunset Shimmer is not Anon-A-Miss. In fact, Anon-A-Miss is none other than these girls. Collectively known as the ‘Crusaders’, they started a campaign of embarrassing our student body and putting the blame on an innocent girl.
“I am shocked and appalled at such behavior. That poor girl, Sunset Shimmer. I just hope that she can recover from this ordeal.”
“And it’s all there in black and white,” Diamond Tiara's grin widened.
“How...how...?” Apple Bloom began to sweat as her eyes bugged.
“Oh, just a few things I got from an anonymous source. I just decided to do the right thing.”
“Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle. Please report to the principal’s office.”
“Oh, and some people have some words for you. You're in trouble~”
Sunset Shimmer came to school and found her friends gathered at her locker. They didn’t look too happy to see her. In fact, they looked ashamed.
“Hey, girls,” Sunset greeted. “Why the long faces?”
“Sunset...” Applejack removed her hat with a look of remorse. “I...we...we gotta apologize to you.”
“Apologize for what?” Sunset asked, confused.
Rainbow Dash took over, “It’s just, well, this Anon-A-Miss thing.”
“You mean that MyStable account that posted Applejack’s secret?”
“Yeah, that one. You see...well...”
“We believed it was your doing,” Rarity finished and then she looked away.
Sunset was stunned.
“What?” She turned to Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. “Even you?”
“We thought you were being a Secret Stealer and bad friend,” Pinkie Pie confessed sadly.
“We’re so sorry for suspecting you,” Fluttershy added apologetically.
Sunset Shimmer’s eyes narrowed angrily.
“You...you thought it was me? You didn’t trust me?”
“Sunset, please...” Rarity began.
“No, I’m not really surprised that you didn’t trust me. I mean, you didn’t even trust each other. Remember? Back when I originally broke you up? It just took some texts and misunderstandings and you all wouldn’t even talk to each other.”
That really was not their finest moment. Sunset Shimmer crossed her arms. She didn’t like to bring up old wounds, but the situation called for it.
“Look, I get it. I was a bad person back then. I can understand if you girls are still holding a grudge. But, at least be smart enough to know I would never do this for no good reason. Even back when I was bad, everything I did was for personal gain. This Anon-A-Miss was just posting your secrets for fun.”
“Well, we’re not sure about that,” Applejack sighed. “We just found out who Anon-A-Miss was.”
Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle sat in Celestia’s office. Luna stood next to her sister. The co-principals were giving the Crusaders a look of disappointments.
“Principal Celestia, please! Let us explain!” Apple Bloom begged.
“If you wish to deny your involvements, then don’t bother. Diamond Tiara provided us with evidence,” said Luna sternly.
“But how can you believe everything she says?” demanded Scootaloo and she scooted back as Celestia glared at her.
“Before she publishes the newspaper, she needs to have a copy of her articles sent to me for review and approval. I did call her about the Anon-A-Miss article and she delivered some very convincing evidence,” Celestia said.
“Like what?” Sweetie Belle gulped.
“Just some voice recordings and other things,” said Luna.
“Someone was spying on us!?” Apple Bloom cried.
“Seems someone took offense to Anon-A-Miss and did their own investigation,” said Luna.
“They also checked the timestamps on the posts and compared them with the sign in sheet for computer use at the library,” Celestia added. “You used school computers to post those horrible things. And don’t lie. We verified by checking your student accounts and search histories.”
The Crusaders knew there was no way out now.
“I know you are good girls deep down, so tell me why you did this,” Celestia requested.
Diamond Tiara leaned back in her chair. It was good to win something. Exposing Anon-A-Miss made her a hero. Putting Apple Bloom and her loser friends in their place was just icing on the cake.
“And it’s all thanks to you, Justice Time,” Diamond Tiara said as she recalled their anonymous source. He made a really strong case about Anon-A-Miss but he already had her when he exposed the identity of the notorious cyberbully. Who would have thought Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle had it in them? It was a shame they got caught. They really could’ve done a lot with that sort of influence.
Now the Crusaders were facing detention and a loss of privileges. They were even rumors of them being separated, citing that they were a bad influence on each other. Their sisters would never trust them again, at least not for a long time. They had a lot of work to do in order to make up for what they had done, starting with taking down the Anon-A-Miss account after posting an apology.
Honestly, Diamond Tiara never intended to break their friendship. She just wanted to expose the truth.
Well, that was the end of that.
There was a knock at the door and it opened.
Sunset Shimmer had come into the School Newspaper office.
“Oh, it’s you,” Diamond Tiara smiled, welcoming Sunset. “Come, take a seat. Do you want anything? We got some soda in the mini fridge.”
“No, I don’t need anything,” Sunset replied as she took a seat. “I was told you helped to clear my name. Is that true.”
“Yes, as well as an anonymous source,” Diamond Tiara confessed.
“Well, thanks,” Sunset Shimmer said. “I owe you. I really didn’t want all my hard work to go down the drain.”
“Yeah, your reformation,” Diamond Tiara recalled. “You know, I used to look up to you. I still do.”
“Look up to me?”
“You were the Queen of the School, Sunset! Everyone knew not to mess with you! Everyone knew to get out of the way when you entered the hallway! Now, you’ve changed. You’ve gone soft.”
“I’m just trying to be a better person.”
“Yeah, we all want to be better, but don’t compromise yourself for them. Be true to yourself. You were a bad girl, yeah, but you had passion and ambition. Things that I really admire.”
“OK, so you liked that I was bad?”
“I liked when you ruled the school. I wish I had that kind of influence.”
“Yeah, I had power...but I was also lonely. Took the sense being knocked into me to realize that.”
“So, you gave up power for friendship. You know, if you could have power and friendship, that would be the best of two worlds.”
Sunset Shimmer cocked an eyebrow.
“What are you proposing?”
“I want to control the school, but I don’t know if I can. The money I have is from my dad’s, and my influence is because my mom is President of the School Board. I want to make something of myself and I think you can help me.”
“You need an advisor.”
“I need a mentor.”
Sunset Shimmer considered Diamond Tiara’s offer. She did owe the girl for clearing her name. While Sunset didn’t want to go back to being a bad girl, the lure of power was something she couldn’t resist.
And if she could keep her friends, all the better. Applejack and Rarity apologized on their sisters’ behalf. Even Rainbow Dash apologized for suspecting her. She felt guilty.
And while Sunset was still upset with her friends, they were still her friends. They gave her a chance. She might as well give them a chance. Though, they needed to learn to trust each other better. They couldn’t suspect each other or think the worst of each other. It was what broke them up in the first place.
“OK, we have a deal,” Sunset Shimmer agreed.
Diamond Tiara smiled.
“Good, now let’s talk and iron out the details.”
It was the start of a beautiful and equally profitable relationship.
Author's Note
OK, so this is another Anon-A-Miss fic. It's also separate from my other Anon-A-Miss fics. Honestly, I kinda enjoy using Diamond Tiara in this. Yeah, she's a mean girl, but in this story she has some integrity and wants to reveal the truth. However, the vindictiveness is there. Also, I kinda see Sunset and Diamond getting along. Diamond would benefit in a mentor and Sunset does have the experience. She can impart her knowledge onto Diamond so she can rule the school. Yes, Sunset forgave the Rainbooms. Friendships have their ups and downs. As for the Crusaders' punishment, that does seem kind of harsh. But they thought it was wise to keep the girls separate. It's kinda karmic if you ask me.
Anyway, I just wanted to write this oneshot which I wrote in under an hour. Yes, it's a quick fic but I guess I just wanted to get the idea out of my head ASAP. I had a whole lot.
Please, enjoy. If you think of it was a sequel hook, be my guess to pick it up.
I just do this for fun anyway.