Prelude to Anon-A-Miss: Catalyst
"Whoever this is," Applejack said over the phone. "Y'all just ruined a heartwarmin' moment."
"Hey, big sis," Apple Bloom said. "Granny wanted me to call and make sure you're doin' all right."
"'Course I'm all right! I'm with all my friends! Tell Granny Smith to quit her worrying!"
"Yeah, AJ's fine," said a voice that caused Apple Bloom to grit her teeth. "She's wearing nail polish!" That voice belonged to none other than Sunset Shimmer. Initially, she was happy for the former bully of Canterlot High. She didn't mind that her sister and her friends had begun to hang out with her on a regular basis, but now? Now she began to feel left out. Applejack used to spend so much time with her, Big Mac and Granny! She had more than just friends, she had her family too!
Apple Bloom took a deep breath, then heaved a sigh. "All right, all right," she said. "I'm just the messenger." She felt frustration begin to simmer her blood. "Have a good night... Piggly Wiggly." She hung up, then snarled. How could her big sister treat her like this, leaving her bored out of her skull?! Wait. What was she feeling all lonely for? She had friends, too! Maybe talking to them will make her feel better. She went into her contacts and called Sweetie Belle.
"Hi, Apple Bloom," Sweetie Belle said in a flat tone.
"You okay," Apple Bloom asked.
"I'm bored out of my skull," Sweetie Belle said, then sighed. "Usually Rarity's in her sewing room, so I'd at least be bored with her... but now she's been spending so much time with Sunset Shimmer-"
Apple Bloom's eyes widened in surprise. "You feel the same as I do," she asked, cutting Sweetie Belle off.
"Wait, what," Sweetie asked flatly.
Apple Bloom told Sweetie about all of her frustrations regarding the situation, then finished with a sigh. "Y'all reckon we should do something about this?"
"Hmm...I'd like to, but maybe we should talk to Scootaloo before making any decisions," Sweetie said. "The three of us do pretty much everything together, after all."
"That's true," Apple Bloom said with a smile. She, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle had been friends since kindergarten. If one of them was spotted, then the other two were almost never far behind. They had always done things as a group, and that was never going to change as long as the trio could help it.
"Okay, hold on. I'll call her," Sweetie said, and silence filled the air for a few moments until a raspy voice spoke up.
"Hey guys, what's up," Scootaloo asked. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle told her everything, and there was a momentary pause between the three. "Well..."
"Well, what," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle asked in unison.
"I get where you two are coming from," Scootaloo said. "I've barely spent any time with Rainbow Dash lately."
"So then what should we do about it," Asked Apple Bloom.
"Hang on, you didn't let me finish," Scootaloo said. "Like I said, I get where you two are coming from, but why do we need to 'do something' about it? They're just hanging out, it's not like Sunset's keeping our sisters from us."
"Yes, she is," Apple Bloom said as she felt frustration. "It's like Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Applejack only have time for school and her!"
"And even when they're at school, they're with Sunset," Sweetie Belle exclaimed.
"Exactly," Apple Bloom said.
Scootaloo sighed. "Look, I'm sure if we-"
Apple Bloom gasped. "I just remembered something!"
"Yes," Sweetie Belle asked.
"Remember that girl...what was her name again?"
Scootaloo gasped. "Wait, you're not seriously-"
"Wallflower! Wallflower Blush," Apple Bloom said. "Remember a few months back when we spoke to her?"
"Yeah," Sweetie Belle said with a hint of impatience. "What about her?"
"She said that if Sunset Shimmer ever wronged us, we should contact her!"
"Oh, yeah," Sweetie Belle said, recalling the conversation. It was vague in her memory, but she had enough details to work with.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Scootaloo said. "I don't think that's such a good idea."
"Why not," Apple Bloom said angrily.
"She seems to have a grudge against Sunset. How can we be sure that nothing bad's going to happen?"
"But we have something against her," Sweetie Belle said. "Come on, don't you want to spend more time with Rainbow Dash?"
"I do," Scootaloo said. "I just don't think we're going about this the right way."
"We could put it to a vote," Apple Bloom said, still frustrated. "But I think we all know what the outcome would be."
Scootaloo fell silent.
"Well," Apple Bloom demanded.
"Come on, say something," said Sweetie Belle.
"I... I need some time to think," Scootaloo said quietly.
Scootaloo hung up her phone and sighed heavily. She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all. Her two friends were acting irrational over something that could easily be solved by basic communication. She didn't like Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom yelling at her, let alone being the target of their anger. She put her head in her hands and sighed again. At times like this, when things were tough and seemed insurmountable, she would always ask herself one question.
What would Rainbow Dash do?
Her eyes widened in shock as she realized the answer almost immediately. Rainbow Dash would stand by her friends, no matter what. But would she really stand by them if they wanted to harm someone in any way, shape or form? Sure, she was a prankster and occasionally obnoxious, but she would never harm anyone unless... Unless they wronged her or her friends! She took a deep breath. Despite her revelation, she still didn't like the idea of getting in touch with Wallflower. It felt wrong. So very wrong. But Rainbow Dash would help her friends, so why shouldn't she?
Slowly and reluctantly, Scootaloo sent a message to her friends.
Okay. I'm in. - Scootaloo
Later that night, Apple Bloom sent Wallflower a message.
All right, Wallflower. Sunset's wronged us.
In a room with walls painted with exotic foliage, Wallflower received Apple Bloom's message. A grin slowly formed on her face.
End of Prelude to Anon-A-Miss
