Chapters Canterlot City, Massachusetts.
Royal City Apartments
7:00 PM
=====================
Aiden Pearce sighed and turned back to his laptop, emblazoned with the DedSec logo as its background. He looked over at the TV, the news blaring.
"...Chicago officials report the mysterious vigilante known as "The Fox" has disappeared from the Streets, after the downfall of CToS and the end of street crime. Chicago citizens have mixed opinions, however. The twitter hashtag "Find the Fox" has been trending for four hours now...."
Aiden shut off the TV and sighed.
"Three weeks." he said quietly. "Three damn weeks since CToS."
Aiden sighed and changed into PJs, and collapsed into bed, turning off his cell phone.
"Let's hope this new gig lets me retire in peace." he said, his voice muffled from his face being in his pillow.
=====================
Principal Celestia sighed as she finished her work for the night. Ever since "Anon-A-Miss" occurred, she had been staying later and later at the school to deal with the fallout. More students hurt, more students complained. She then looked over at the application she had been sent by the School Board. Ever since Mr. Sparkwire, the former Electronic Communications teacher retired, only one person had accepted the offer. An "Aiden Pearce", of Chicago. His references were sound and his experiences were good, but a few things didn't make sense in his resume'.
"I'll worry about it later." she decided. "I've got a school to run."
She packed her things and left the office.
===================
Aiden stood in front of the school the next morning, his bag packed with all of his materials. She glanced at the statue of a galloping horse before walking in. Several students gave him curious looks as he passed, and he stopped in front of a door labelled "Principal Celestia."
"Celestia." he scoffed. "What kind of a name is that?"
He opened the door to find a woman with pale skin and vibrant hair waiting for him behind a desk.
"Mr. Pearce, I presume?"
"That'd be me." Aiden said. "Shall I sit?"
"Sure." Celestia said. "I've read your file, Mr. Pearce. I must say, we would be thrilled to have you with our current faculty. A few questions, though. What did you do in Chicago?"
"Freelance work." Aiden replied. "IT, courier jobs, etc."
"I see. And do courier jobs require an extendable baton?" she asked, noting the object on his belt. Aiden smiled.
"Well, sometimes I ended up on the bad side of people. Helps to be prepared." he said.
"Alright, I see." Celestia said. "Any teaching experience?"
"Not much. Good with kids, though. Frankly, the way I see it, if they listen, you can teach them." Aiden replied.
"Fair." Celestia said. "Well, everything seems to be in order. Welcome to Canterlot High, Mr. Pearce."
"Glad to be here." Aiden said, shaking her hand. "Where's my room at?"
"2301." she said. "Here are your keys."
Aiden took them, thanked her and smiled.
"I can start immediately, if you want."
Celestia smiled.
"I would appreciate that. Mr. Sparkwire, our former colleague, retired recently. His class hasn't had much to do since then."
"I see. Well, I guess I'll be going."
"One more thing." Celestia said. "A MyStable account by the name of Anon-A-Miss has been spilling student's secrets for all to see. I am doing my best to find the culprit, but if you hear anything, don't hesitate."
"I never do." Aiden said. "Have a nice day."
Aiden tipped his cap and walked to his room. Entering it, he smiled. It was long, with several rows of tables each with a laptop at each seat. A SmartBoard, and a large separate office were at the back, and several bookshelves full of IT manuals were present. Aiden sat himself down at his table and smiled. Logging in to his new computer, he smiled when he saw a document called "Lesson Plans."
Then, the sound of footsteps brought him to the doorway, were a group of seventeen students walked in and took their seats.
"Morning, everyone." he said.
"Morning." came the reply.
"I"m Mr. Pearce, I'm your new teacher. Let's get some ground rules set. One? Work hard. Two? Be nice. Three? You do what's needed, you'll get an A. I don't believe in tests, or homework, or really academics for that matter. I believe in the "Hands-on" approach to education." Aiden said.
Several students fists hit the air.
"Yeah, I know. It's not all sunshine and rainbows, however. You screw up in my class, I will screw you over...with a detention." Aiden said, laughing. "Now, I know about Anon-A-Miss, I was told about it. I don't want a SINGLE mention of it in my class. You don't want to know what happens if I hear about it."
The students paled.
"Anyway, roll time."
As Aiden took the rolls, he noticed one absence.
"Where is Mrs. Shimmer?" he asked.
"Mr. Pearce, last I saw her she was in the bathroom, crying." a female student asked.
"Which one?" Aiden said.
"Next to the cafeteria." Came the reply.
"All of you, log in and wait. I'll be right back." Aiden said. He walked out at a brisk pace, he found a girl with bright orange skin and reddish hair walking towards him.
"You're Mrs. Shimmer, right?" Aiden asked. "You're late for my class."
"Yeah. Sorry…"
"It's alright. Come along." he said. Bringing her into the classroom, he put her next to his desk.
"You all logged in?" he asked. "Good. You should know one thing. This isn't your average class, and I'm not your average teacher. So, like I said, let's get to work. Grab a manual and start the first lesson. I need to check on something."
As the students set to work, Aiden sat down next to Sunset, whose face was streaked with tears.
"You okay?" he asked.
"No…" she said. "my only friends just abandoned me because of…"
"Anon-A-Miss?" Aiden asked.
"Yeah." she said. "Everyone thinks it's me. It's not true! I've changed." she whispered. "Thing is, no one believes me. I've been jumped more times than I can count..."
"Hey, it's okay. Tell you what. Stay after class, we can talk things out. Get to work, okay?" Aiden asked.
"Sure." she said. As she logged in, Aiden watched as she set to work on the assignment. He sighed and sat down at his desk to monitor the student's progress. Glancing at his phone, he silently opened the DedSec app and browsed through the latest news. CToS San Francisco had been taken down by a DedSec hacktivist and Blume had been put under investigation. Aiden smiled slightly, knowing that what they were doing was good.
"Let's get to work." Aiden said quietly as the bell rang.
As the bell rang and class ended, Aiden watched Sunset pack a journal emblazoned with a sun into her bag. Aiden checked the DedSec app, and saw some welcome news. A pharmaceutical company had been conducting illegal experiments, and a DedSec operative called Marcus Holloway had exposed it, along with Blume. Aiden sighed and shut off his phone.
"Miss Shimmer?"
"Yes?"
"Come here. Let's talk."
Sunset walked over to his desk and sat down.
"Why does everyone think Anon-A-Miss is you?"
Sunset sighed and explained everything to him, including her past as an Equestrian, the Fall Formal, The Battle of the Bands, the Friendship Games, and eventually, Anon-A-Miss. Aiden scowled slightly, and sighed.
"Let me get this straight. You're a pony from an alternate reality and because you literally brainwashed the entire school and turned into a demon, et cetera, everyone believes it's you?" Aiden asked, not sure it was the the truth.
"Yes." Sunset said."I've changed, but they refuse to believe me. Why would I want to push away all the friends I just made?"
Aiden sighed.
"There's something you should know about me. Ever heard of CToS?"
"That fancy computer they installed in Chicago to run the city?" Sunset said. "I saw it on the news. They said it was taken down by a vigilante."
"That was me." Aiden said. "I was that vigilante. Most called me "The Fox"."
"Bullshit." Sunset said.
Aiden smiled.
"It's true. I lost my niece to CToS. I made it my mission to take it down, once and for all. I've inspired others, too. They tried a second CToS in San Francisco, but some of my allies in DedSec took that one down, too. Marcus Holloway, if I'm not mistaken."
Sunset dropped her jaw.
"Why'd you stop?" she asked.
"Got tired of being constantly hunted by police and being shot at on a daily basis." Aiden said. "By the way, Don't tell anyone that I'm the fox."
"I promise." Sunset said.
"Good. Anyway Sunset, I think we can help you out."
"We?"
"DedSec. I need to make a phone call."
=============
DEDSEC HQ, San Francisco.
Marcus Holloway spun his Thunderball on his finger, smiling. Then, he heard his phone go off.
"Marcus! Your shitty-as-hell phone's ringing!" came Wrench's voice.
"I know!" Marcus said. he tapped ANSWER, and asked.
"Marcus Holloway here."
"Marcus, I believe we've met." came a voice.
"I don't know who's talking, so…" Marcus said.
"It's the Fox."
"Shit!" Marcus said. "Aiden Pearce?"
"In the flesh." Aiden replied. "Heard how your DedSec cell took down San Fran's CToS. Nice going."
"Getting a compliment from you? That means the world!" Marcus said.
"Who's calling, asshat?" Wrench said, poking his head into the room.
"The Fox." Marcus replied.
"BULLSHIT!" Wrench yelled, leaping over.
"Talk to him." Marcus said, laughing.
"Aiden Pearce?" Wrench asked.
"Yep. Wrench, right?"
"Yep. That's me, your stereotypical asshat of a DedSec operative." Wrench said. "I bow before your shit."
"Thanks. I need a favor."
"Name it."
"I could use your cell's help."
"What for?" Marcus asked.
"I started teaching at a high school, and there's been some...digital trouble."
"Digital trouble?" Wrench said, his eyes displaying X's. "That's worse than real trouble!"
"Yeah, some student's been wreaking havoc with posting other student's secrets for all to see. And the worst part is, they all are pinning it on a scapegoat. I could use a hand in bringing it down."
"Oh, cyberbullying!" Wrench said. "The voice of the people...who have not an iota of shit in their minds! What fun!"
Marcus nodded.
"We'll be there."
"Good. Come to Canter City, Massachusetts. Look for Canterlot High school. Room 2301."
"You got it." Marcus said.
"Good. See you when you arrive."
Marcus hung up, and Wrench began to laugh.
"THE FOX asking us for a FAVOR? This is gonna rock the boat!"
"Hell yes." Marcus said, giving Wrench a high-five. "I still can't believe it."
"Believe it, man! We're going on a ROAD TRIP!" Wrench said, smacking his knee while laughing.
"Yeah, I'll get packed." Marcus said. "But we're flying, alright?"
"Yeah, that's probably good, considering most cars we take get shot at." Wrench laughed. As he and Marcus prepared, back at Canterlot High, Aiden got off the phone and looked at Sunset.
"Help is on the way."
Sunset smiled.
"Thanks, Mr. Pearce. When are your friends coming?"
"Soon, hopefully." Aiden said. "Shit, it's lunchtime. You had better get going. I'll talk to your other teachers, get them to excuse your absences."
"Thanks." Sunset said. "See you around, Mr. Pearce."
"You too. Hey, tell me immediately if anything happens." Aiden said. As Sunset walked out, Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo watched her leave. They had just left the cafeteria to head to their usual meeting spot, the Commons area. They found their seats and sat down.
"I can't believe we're doing this." Sweetie said.
"Well, if anything, I just didn't want to see Sunset get hurt like that." Scootaloo said. "Maybe...we should…"
"We can't!" Apple Bloom said. "They'd kill us if they found out! If anything big happens, we'll confess. But until then, just stay quiet, okay?"
"Okay." the two others said, as they sat there in silence.
===========
Aiden locked his room with his keys and headed out towards the main entrance. As he was walking to his car, he pulled open his phone and pulled up "Anon-A-Miss." To his surprise, there were nearly seventy-five messages in total, all contained secrets that should remain secret. Aiden growled, and turned off his phone. He opened the glove compartment, and pulled out a neck warmer scarf, the scarf he had worn as a vigilante. He wrapped it around his head, and frowned.
"We're going to show who Anon-A-Miss is really fucking with." Aiden said, as he drove into the night.
As the car carrying Marcus and Wrench drove through Canter City, they were both surprised at the lack of CToS, and the excess of things to hack.
"Never been one for small town life. Not enough chicks." Wrench said.
"You with a girl? Get outta here!" Marcus said. "I mean, I've only seen you without that mask once."
"Well, I was being interrogated that time." Wrench shot back. "Oh, here we are, Canterlot High School! Wonder if they've heard of King Arthur."
Marcus parked the car, and headed towards the entrance. As they walked in, they were surprised to see what you would expect from a small-town high school.
Awards, Sports memorabilia, and stares.
Lots of them. Students gave them wide-eyed looks as they headed to and from their classes. Wrench was in his element. Marcus was...well, not so much.
"2301. The den of The Fox." Wrench said.
"Let's go!" Marcus said as he opened the door. There, sitting and waiting for them, was Aiden Pearce.
"The Fox in his glory!" Wrench said.
"Wrench, I presume?" Aiden said, shaking Marcus's hand.
"Yep."
"Nice to meet you both." Aiden said.
"Where's the scapegoat?" Wrench asked.
"She takes her classes with the Principal now. She got jumped last night." Aiden said.
"Shit." Marcus replied.
"Yeah, yeah. Take a look." Aiden said, sliding a laptop towards them. Marcus and Wrench spent a few minutes looking through the secrets Anon-A-Miss had spilled.
"That's not right!" Wrench said.
"Amen to that." Marcus replied. Aiden sighed and nodded.
"Whoever they are, they're good. I can't access the account, thanks to MyStable's security protocols. It's near CToS level." Aiden said. "Plus, a hack would put the culprits on alert, and they could do even more damage."
"So we need an opportunity." Marcus said.
"Which I think we have." Aiden replied. "There's a football game tonight, versus the Crystal Prep Shadows, here. I think their Jumbotron could be useful."
"Shit." Wrench said. "A few hacks, we have our most effective message-sender in DedSec history!"
"Game's at seven." Aiden said.
"We'll be there." Marcus said.
"It's GAME TIME!" Wrench cackled.
=====================
Sunset walked through the halls to her usual allotment of glares and insults. But, ever since she met Aiden Pearce, she didn't feel as bothered by them as she usually was. In fact, she was feeling a bit better. She started to smile, for the first time in quite a while.
"Excuse me." she said, slipping past a few students that tried to block her path. Slipping into the Library, she went to her hideout. When Anon-A-Miss first started, she had found a doorless closet in the Library. It had a previously contained boxes of books, but she had smuggled a few blankets, some snacks and water, a lantern, and a pillow into the alcove, and rigged up a pull-cart as a rudimentary door. It was the only real place she could vanish to on school grounds. Pulling out her phone, she browsed Anon-A-Miss's latest posts. The unfortunate victims this week were Jockey Ride, a Sophomore, and Wild Run, a Junior. It showed them both in the locker room, cavorting around while in a state of undress. Sunset turned off her phone and sighed.
"Nice hideout."
Sunset turned to see Aiden Pearce standing outside, visible through the sliver of light left by the door.
"Thanks." Sunset said. "Took me a while to find it."
"I got some help for Anon-A-Miss. Two DedSec guys from San Francisco, Marcus and Wrench. Do you by any chance, know where the Jumbotron controls are?"
"In the press box." Sunset said. "Why?"
"We're going to show Anon-A-Miss who they are fucking with, for all to see." Aiden said, before leaving. Sunset contemplated his words for a moment.
"All to see?" she thought. "What's that mean?"
=====================
Canterlot High Football Field, Seven PM.
Aiden stepped out of his car, followed by Marcus and Wrench. As expected, the grandstands were full of people from both schools.
"Halftime?" Aiden said.
"Halftime." Marcus and Wrench replied. "We got the message."
"Good. Enjoy yourselves for a bit. Meet outside the Press box." Aiden said before walking off. Marcus and Wrench headed for the Grandstands, to seats near the press box.
=======================
Halftime, 8:43 PM.
Aiden headed back from the concession stand towards the press box. As planned, Marcus and Wrench were waiting. Marcus broke the lock on the Press Box door, and to their relief, there was no one inside, as the score was kept in a separate room. Aiden hacked into the Jumbotron, while Marcus placed a USB into the Control Port.
"We're in." Aiden said, tapping away on his phone. "Send the package?"
"Send it, and let's amscray." Wrench said. Aiden tapped SEND on his phone, and they rushed out.
======================
The group of Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie were in the stands, watching the game with bated breath. Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo were a few rows above them. As the clock on the Jumbotron signalled halftime, the jumbotron display suddenly flickered, and went out. Then, in bright green for all to see, the DedSec logo was displayed.
"Hello, assholes of the world." the DedSec logo spoke. "May we have your attention for a few moments? Good. We come with a warning. Anon-A-Miss, this here's for you."
The entire stadium fell silent at those three words.
"We know what you have done. You've ruined the lives and spread the secrets of countless students, and you blame it on an innocent person, one clean of her crimes. We simply can't have that happen. We've brought down those called untouchable. We brought down CToS. No one is safe from us. But..Anon-A-Miss, We...will find you. We...will stop you. We...will expose you. We...will bring the truth to light. You...will get what you deserve and more. WE...ARE...DEDSEC. Anon-A-Miss, your days...are numbered."
As the Jumbotron display faded, several images began to play...A guillotine with JUSTICE written on it decapitated a skeleton with Anon-A-Miss written on it...A roach called "Anon-A-Miss" being squashed by a boot, with DEDSEC written on it...and more. As the DedSec Logo displayed one last time before the Jumbotron returned to normal, the stadium was deathly silent. Scootaloo was the first to speak to Sweetie Belle.
"We're screwed." she said.
"We're more than screwed." Sweetie replied. "I heard about them on the news. They're hackers! They took down that CToS thing in two different cities!"
"We gotta tell 'em!" Scootaloo said.
"No!" Applebloom whispered. "We can't! We'll change the password or something!"
"Girls?" Rainbow said. "I think...we're gonna go."
"Yeah, let's go." The three of them replied. As the eight of them walked off, Aiden, Marcus, and Wrench watched from afar.
"Now, the fun begins." Aiden said, giving Marcus and Wrench fist-bumps.
"Let's get this show on the road!" Wrench replied as they drove off from the field, towards the school.
Chapter 2.5-The Interlude
As the Rainbooms headed to the car, they were all silent over what they had seen. Rainbow especially. Her faith in Sunset was all but shattered when Anon-A-Miss came around, but what she just heard...changed everything.
"Hey, Rainbow..." started Fluttershy timidly.
"Yeah, Fluttershy?" the athlete responded.
"About what happened? The message on the Jumbotron...I'm starting to think Sunset isn't Anon-A-Miss."
"Do you?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yeah," Fluttershy admitted. "I mean, I don't think even Sunset could've done something like that. I read about DedSec. They're supposed to be the best."
"And you think they're telling the truth that Sunset isn't Anon-A-Miss."
"They're all about exposing the truth." Pinkie said. "Even I read."
"I'm not sure what to believe..." Rarity said. "What now?"
"We wait." Rainbow said as they drove off. No one in the car noticed the CMC shaking slightly.
=====================
After the PA reveal.
=====================
The school was talking about what they heard. Anon-A-Miss was actually three people and not one person like they believed?
But, who were Bloom2Flower, HyperSpeed4, and LibertyBelle1? How could it be three people?
At their table, the Rainbooms were just staring at their lunch in silence. This revelation completely shattered what they thought they knew. Rainbow especially. She collapsed and placed her head in her hands.
"Girls, I think we owe Sunny a huge apology," said Pinkie Pie.
"Big time." Rarity said. "How could we be so...stupid?"
"We need to find her!" Fluttershy said.
As the Rainbooms left, they searched high and low for Sunset, only to find her in the library, reading on the computer.
"Uh, Sunset?" Rarity asked.
"If you came to hear me beg, you're sorely mistaken." Sunset said, not even looking in their direction.
"We came to apologize." Pinkie said. Sunset spun around and gave them a hard glare.
Sunset Shimmer asked, "OK, then. Tell me the truth. Are you apologizing because you feel sorry, or because you want to make yourselves feel better?"
"We really are sorry!" Fluttershy said.
"Then explain why you betrayed me." Sunset said. "I thought you were my friends, and as soon as something gets pinned on me, you leave me behind and turn me into a scapegoat. What friends you are."
"Sunset…" Rainbow said.
"I thought I could start over after the Formal." Sunset continued. "Now, I see I was just fooling myself. If you want to apologize, you had better make sure you've EARNED that I'll listen. Get out."
"Sunset…" Applejack said.
"OUT!" Sunset growled. The group backed off, and then, the PA system crackled once more.
"Sunset Shimmer, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, please come to the Principal's Office now."
Sunset stormed out of the library and followed the Rainbooms to Celestia's office, where to their shock, Aiden Pearce, Wrench, Marcus, Vice Principal Luna and Principal Celestia, and Scootaloo, Sweetie, and Applebloom were waiting for them. Aiden walked over to the Rainbooms, and glared at them.
"Sit down, you five. This may take a while."
As Aiden's final class of the day filed out, he smiled. Ever since the "Big reveal" at the football game, the incident had been covered by nearly every radio station in Canter City. The students wouldn't stop talking about it. Theories as to who and what "Dedsec" is were running rampant, and Aiden couldn't help but feel a sense of pride blossoming in him. He smiled, and pulled up his phone, and texted Marcus and Wrench.
School's out. Heading over.
"Roger that" was the reply. Aiden packed his bag and headed out of the classroom, until he noticed something strange. The first floor computer lab door was open. He slipped inside, and every computer but one was dark. He quickly accessed the login history through a hack from his phone, and he frowned as he cross-referenced the student logins with the hours of the day.
"English...Math...Lunch...wait, lunch?" Aiden said. "This room's locked during lunch."
He scrolled a bit more and found the login.
"Bloom2Flower@CCHS ." Aiden said. "I mean, breaking into a computer lab isn't bad, but…"
Aiden then got a thought. He plugged into the computer webcam and sent a virus into the computer, making it so that whenever someone logged on, the webcam would activate and record the perpetrator. Aiden nodded and slipped out, his trap set.
================
Marcus and Wrench headed into Sugarcube Corner to a few weird stares, mostly directed to Wrench. As they sat down and ordered, Aiden opened his laptop and explained what he had found.
"Good to know." Marcus said.
"Yep. Always good to have a plan T, for trap." Wrench said.
"Yeah. Anyway, since I have the login, I can access their browsing history." Aiden said. "Wikipedia, Google, Mystable...wait."
"That's Anon-A-Miss's site!" Marcus said. "What were they doing?"
"This." Aiden said, showing them a photo of Boreas Gale, a Football team member, in a very compromising situation with athletic tape while he was in the Nurse's office.
"That's Anon-A-Miss." Marcus said.
"There's more." Aiden said. "I think we're not dealing with a solo operation. Two others, Hyperspeed4 and LibertyBelle1, have the exact same history."
"Meaning they're working together." Wrench said.
"Right. Anon-A-Miss isn't one person, it's three." Aiden said. "We have their logins, we just need to find out who they are. Problem is, we won't be able to get them to confess based on their handles."
"So, we need to catch them in the act." Marcus said.
"Right. I think that during lunch, we'll put a little more pressure on Anon-A-Miss. With this, we can probably get them into a very compromising situation."
"Agreed." Wrench said. "First the JumboTron, then the PA system!"
"Which I can access since I'm a teacher." Aiden said.
"Let's get to work." Marcus said as their food arrived. Outside, however, Scootaloo listened with shock. She had been playing soccer with Rainbow, who headed inside to get some Hot Chocolate for the two of them. Then, she sat down and heard the conversation coming from inside.
"They know my school login?" she thought frantically. "How? I mean, the only people who know that are the teachers! Well, all the teachers are monitoring the computers, since...I need to tell the others. This is bad."
"Scoots!"
Scootaloo jumped and smiled at Rainbow.
"Hey, got our drinks. You okay?"
"Yeah, just thinking." Scootaloo replied.
"You're good, squirt." Rainbow said. "I feel bad for Boreas, you know. Anon-A-Miss nailed him hard today. He's a nice guy, now a laughingstock."
"Yeah." Scootaloo said. "Wanna keep playing?"
"Sure."
================
The Next Day, Lunchtime.
=================
As the students sat down for lunch, everyone didn't know what would happen next. Then, the PA system crackled.
"Hello again, assholes. This is DedSec."
The whole cafeteria was silent.
"We know who you are, Anon-A-Miss, or should I say...Bloom2Flower, HyperSpeed4, and LibertyBelle1. We know who you are here. Now we'll find out who you are there. We've given you the truth. It's up to you to use it. Anon-A-Miss, your little safe haven is going down...HARD."
As the PA system crackled and went silent, the students burst into chatter. Applebloom, Sweetie, and Scootaloo slipped out in the chaos and headed to a locker bay.
"You were right, Scoots!" Sweetie said. "We're dead!"
"They don't know what the login is, though!" Applebloom pointed out. "As long as that's safe, we're fine. We'll delete the account tomorrow, and we'll be fine."
As the other two voiced their agreement, they didn't know Aiden was listening from behind the corner. He smiled, downloaded their phone data onto his own phone, and slipped away.
"Big news, guys. I've got them right where we want them." Aiden said later to Marcus and Wrench.
"Booyah!" Wrench said. "What's it gonna be?" How are we gonna reveal them?"
"I have a plan." Aiden said. "Let's show Anon-A-Miss's viewers the truth."
"Music to my non-existent ears." Wrench said.
"Let's go!" Marcus said.
====================
At the end of the day, Applebloom heard her phone ring.
"Hello?"
"Hello...ANON-A-MISS. This is DedSec." Aiden spoke, using a voice distorter. Applebloom gasped.
"No way…" she said.
"Way. And yeah, I know it's you and your two other friends. You've got nowhere left to run. I know your school login, the account login, and I have your plan, too. You'll find that your account has been locked and cannot be deleted, for the time being."
"What?" Applebloom said, scared beyond belief.
"I have taken over the account and I am now making a few...edits of my own." Aiden said. "You have until the end of the day tomorrow to confess, you and your little gang, or I'll leak your real identities onto the Anon-A-Miss page, along with this."
The conversation Applebloom had with Sweetie and Scootaloo played, and Applebloom started to sweat.
"You have your deadline. Make your move carefully, Anon-A-Miss. DedSec out."
Applebloom called Sweetie and Scoots, and relayed the info she had just heard.
"WHAT?" both girls cried. "We can't confess! The other students will kill us!" Sweetie cried.
"She's right! We're dead! We're so dead!" Scootaloo said. Applebloom bit her lip.
"Let's come clean to the Principal as soon as we can. Hopefully then, we'll be fine. Check the account. What's changed?"
"Everything!" Sweetie replied. "The posts have all been replaced with the same logo that was on the jumbotron at the game! And the header's just "We are Dedsec, and we have won!"
"Oh no. Oh no. Oh no!" Applebloom said. "Listen, we'll come clean, and we'll be okay. As long as we don't let anything slip, we'll be fine."
"Alright…" the other girls said, though they didn't sound convinced. Applebloom hung up and walked home silently. Heading upstairs, she collapsed on her bed and cried.
============
As lunchtime came around, The three of them headed into Principal Celestia's office to a shocking sight. The new electronic communications teacher, Mr. Pearce, along with a man wearing a weird helmet, and a man spinning a pool ball on a bolo were waiting for them, along with Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna.
"Hello, you three." Aiden said. "I believe you have some explaining to do."
