Phoenix

“So… I’m guessing none of us have had any luck in finding her?”

The other four members of the Rainbooms seemed to ignore Rainbow’s question, each of them preoccupying them with something in the festively decorated room of the Apple Family’s farm.

“An’ it’s not like any o’ us will, Rainbow.” grunted Applejack as she finished adding another log to the fireplace, slapping her well calloused hands together as she stared the athlete, taking notice of the bags under the unusually tired looking eyes. “Plus we ain’t likely ta hear from the Princess anytime soon.”

“So we bust our asses trying to find her, just to get more or less told to fuck off?” Rainbow’s head connected with the table she sat before, the various novelties that sat upon it clattering in response.

“Maybe it was for the best?”

Three pairs of eyes glued themselves to disheveled lengths of pink hair that surrounded Fluttershy. Her hands were wrapped tight around Winona, the dog resting quietly in complete oblivious bliss of the current mood of the room. The wallflower remained still, refusing to jump like she usually did whenever she earned everyone’s attention.

“Wh… Whatever do you mean, Fluttershy?” inquired Rarity, the normal perfect appearance of the fashionista a pale mockery of a fashion disaster compared to how she currently presented. “How could… this be for the better?”

“I think she’s right…” mutter what the girls thought was Pinkie Pie, the dull grey that seemed to wash over the girl. Her normally eccentric happiness vanished with her poofy hairstyle. “Why should we care now?”

“Cause she’s…” Rainbow found her voice suddenly unwilling to do as was instructed. The bombastic girl struggled and failed many times over the next few moments to finish her thought, before letting out an exasperated groan as her hands connected with the sides of her head.

“A- A.J.?” the farm girl tore her gaze away from the silently sobbing form of the athlete, staring blankly at her little sister. “Granny is wonderin if’n tha four ah ya are comin out ta decorate tha tree.”

“We’ll be out shortly, Bloom.” Applejack said dismissively, returning to poking lamely at the fire.

“You said that already.” Scootaloo said as she entered the room, grabbing one of the extra chairs and taking a lazy seat beside the still bent over Rainbow Dash. “C’mon, when are the five of you are gonna stop mopping already? It’s the holidays, your home with friends and family and you don’t have to worry about people heckling you because of Anon-A-Miss, right?”

The five older girls in the room froze at the comment, remaining silent even as Sweetie Belle entered the room, only her two friends noticing the worried look on her face as she walked over and joined her older sister on the sofa by the fireplace.

“Rarity?” she asked softly, resting her hand gently on her sister’s.

“Don’t worry, dear.” came the response, Rarity trying her best to give a strong, reassuring smile to her sister. “We will be out shortly.”

“But why have you been so sad since the Princess left?”

“Probably cause they were hoping for her to stay for the holidays. Who cares?” Scootaloo went to swing her feet up onto the table, only to have her chair slip and crash to the ground. “Oof! What do you say, Rainbow? Why don’t you-”

“Just shut up!” Rainbow yelled as she shot to her feet, tears running down her face in large, turbulent rivers. “How could we possibly enjoy the holidays with Sunset with them!? And it’s all our fucking fault!”

“Rainbow Dash! Language!” Rarity admonished, her hands shooting to cover her younger sister’s ears. “There are minors here!”

“Why do you suddenly care so much about that bitch?” Scootaloo asked, pushing herself up onto one elbow, only to notice the glare she was receiving from her idol. “What’s with the look? She was a total traitor, right?”

“What did Rainbow mean by ‘them’, Rarity?” Sweetie asked as she shook free of her sister’s protective hold, looking worriedly at the girl she held above all others.

“Ah, why don’ we all go out an’ decorate that tree now?” Applejack said somewhat loudly, hoping to distract everyone from the situation that was brewing.

“Rarity?” Sweetie was giving her sister puppy dog eyes at this point, trying to figure out what was going on.

“We, er…” Rarity ran a delicate hand through the mess that was composing her hair. “Well, I guess we may as well tell you now. We had a run in with the Princess, and some… issues came to light, which is why she is not here right now.”

“Aw, for fuck’s sake, Rare, just tell them the truth.” mocked Rainbow Dash as she turned towards the pale white girl. “Princess Twilight chewed the ever living fuck out of us because we fucked up with this whole Anon-A-Miss shitstorm. Then! Then the god damned Sirens show up saying that they have Sunset, who apparently is fucked right to hell if that blue one is to be trusted, and what does Twilight do? She takes the journal from us and runs after them!”

“Don’t forget the fact that she called us traitors…” added the small pile of grey that was Pinkie Pie. “She really let us know how bad we messed up by not listening to Sunset.”

“Seriously?” Scootaloo had shot to her feet, wincing as she reached her full height and delicately rubbing the back of her head. “Does she seriously believe that Sunset is innocent? Hell-ooooooooo! Did you girls even show her the Anon-A-Miss page? Who else could it be?”

“Whoever it is,” Applejack said softly, a deadly note added to her surprisingly somber tone. “It sureas hell ain’t Sunset. And if’n Ah ever find the vermin that’s behind this… Ah don’t think my gloves will survive the wringing that Ah’ma give their sorry necks. Now com’on! Let’s leave this right dreary subject behin’ an’ go decorate that tree.”

Slowly, one by one the room emptied. First Rarity, then Fluttershy who was dragging the slumping form of Pinkie Pie with her, followed up by Rainbow Dash, who apologized to Applejack on her way out about the cussing.

“Bloom? Are you an’ yer friends commin?” Applejack turned as she reached the doorway, noticing the three young girls frozen in their spots.

“S-sure thing, Applejack!” Apple Bloom responded, hoping her sister didn’t catch the small stutter in her voice. “We’ll all be right out!” Applejack tilted her head as she reentered the room, her arms crossing before her.

“Come now, Bloom. Don’ you go worryin’ yer little neck about what you just heard. Leave it to us older gals, alright?” Apple Bloom nodded as her sister paused in front of her.

“Uhm… A.J.? Were ya… Were ya serious about what ya are gonna do ta Anon-A-Miss?”

Applejack’s face darkened as she looked down at her sister, before shifting to a warm smile.

“Bloom, you know Ah stand up for mah family. Sadly, Ah made a big mistake this time, an’ Ah don’ know if’n Ah can make amends for it or not. As far as what Ah’ll do ta Anon-A-Miss, well..” Applejack chuckled as she turned away and started to head back out of the room. “Tha world better hope that tha two o’ us never meet.”

The three girls watched silently as Applejack left the room, waiting in frozen terror for the front door to open and close, signaling for them to rush up to Apple Bloom’s room. They didn’t waste their chance, the farmhouse almost rocking from their frenzied charge through the house and up the stairs.

“We have to delete it!” Sweetie Belle shouted, her voice squeaking.

“We can’t! It’ll be totally obvious to them if we do!” Scootaloo yelled back, slapping Sweetie on both cheeks. “If Anon-A-Miss suddenly vanished or stopped posting right now, they would totally get suspicious! You heard what A.J. Said she was gonna do!”

“Both a’ ya, quiet down!” Apple Bloom whispered loudly. “Do ya want them ta hear ya?”

“But what are we gonna do, Apple Bloom?” Sweetie Belle slunk to her knees, tears running down her face. “What if they were right? What if the Sirens are taking care of Sunset? What if she’s really as hurt as they say?”

“Are you telling me you don’t think she deserves it?”

The other two girls slowly turned their heads in shocked unison towards Scootaloo, the girl crossing her arms across her chest.

“Don’t tell me you two think she doesn’t deserve this! Especially after what she did at the fall formal!? Or what about all those years she spent pushing everyone, and I mean everyone, around?” Scootaloo glared at her two friends. “We’re just supposed to believe that she’s sorry? That she never had any friends or whatever sob story she spun?”

“Wasn’t she the one tutoring you and making it so that you actually started to pass your tests?” Sweetie Belle choked out between sobbing heaves. “After school she helped all three of us in someway, never wanting thanks. She just wanted to try and make up for her mistakes!”

“So what? A couple months of ‘helping’ and she’s free to go?” Scootaloo looked over at Apple Bloom. “And what do you think? Don’t you like having your sister back? To be able to spend time with her? ‘Cause I know Sweetie there won’t ever shut up about all the time she’s been spending with Rarity of late, and I definitely love being able to hang out with Rainbow again without Sunset messing things up.”

“But don’t yah think we may’ve gone too far?” Apple Bloom looked at Scootaloo worriedly, studying the girl’s face. “She was bad, yes. But she never-”

“Never what? Attacked anyone? Do you not remember what happened at the Fall Formal? She brainwashed everyone! She was ready to send us to our deaths!” Scootaloo was wild with disbelief.

“Scootaloo, please, calm down!” Sweetie begged quietly. “Just… Just delete the account! Before someone finds out!”

“I’m not deleting it! It would be too obvious! We have to keep Anon-A-Miss going, at least for a bit so we don’t draw attention to ourselves.” Scootaloo reached out to Sweetie Bell, helping the unsteady girl to her feet. “Trust me, just a few more posts and then we can look at shutting it down in the new year, once we make sure that Sunset is really gone from our lives… Alright?”

Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom looked at each other, before timidly looking back at Scootaloo, nodding softly.

“Good! Now let’s go have some holiday fun!” Scootaloo’s smile beamed brightly as she looked at the two girls, her hands resting on her hips. She didn’t notice the nervous shivers that ran down the two of them as they nodded again.