Pinkie Pie hummed a merry tune as she wrapped a perfectly delectable Mont Blanc to a patient customer. She was excited for the upcoming Christmas party at Applejack's place and nothing was going to dampen her mood at all. Not even Sunset Shimmer, as horrible as she was, would ruin her excitement over the holidays. She frowned a bit as she remembered that girl and how she was this close to tricking everyone again. She had to admit that Sunset nearly got to her with Twilight and her tears. But she deserved to feel bad after everything that Canterlot High School had been through thanks to her.

Shaking her head, she smiled as Mrs. Cake delicately topped delicious pink frosting to an equally delicious vanilla cake. It's a miracle that the Cakes took the Rainbooms' side on this matter for she knew that many employers would still pursue the art of making a quick buck over anybody's feelings and safety. Then again, they knew that Pinkie Pie would have no reason to lie whatsoever. So, they went with their gut and everyone was better off for it, right? Right.

"Excuse me, miss," A boy called out to her suddenly.

Pinkie Pie gave an award-winning smile as she bounced merrily towards the customer. He had golden hair, black eyes, and was wearing fancy prep clothes. Her smile slipped a little as she briefly wondered whether the boy went to the rival school known as Crystal Prep. She cleared her head of those thoughts and she beamed at the customer.

"Yes," Pinkie Pie batted her eyelashes. "What can I help you with?"

"It's about the food," The boy frowned. "I've had the unfortunate experience to find that there are roaches in it."

"Roaches?!"

That scream got the attention of Mrs. Cake, who put down the vanilla cake and marched towards the counter. Not once in her many years as a confectioner had she ever had someone complain about both the hygiene or the food that she made. In fact, for at least a decade, the establishment that she and her husband set up had been ranked the highest in the whole of Canterlot City. Who was this person to say something like this?

"Excuse me," The older woman began professionally. "I heard that you have a complaint with the food. Is there something wrong with it?"

"Yes," The boy nodded. "I'm here to complain about the roaches found in my food." He finished by holding out the pastry.

The two women looked inside and was instantly greeted by a giant roach leaping on to Mrs. Cake's apron. They screamed, which grabbed the attention of Mr. Cake. As soon as he entered the room, there were a multitude of pests ranging from a colony of rats to an army of maggots. The Cakes were quickly swept away into the backroom by the giant roaches, leaving Pinkie Pie with this scary boy. The boy in question looked down at Pinkie as if she were an insect.

"It's just you and me now," He cooed.

With a snap of his fingers, strings attached themselves to Pinkie's limbs and squeezed tightly. Suddenly, she was on a little stage where she could see nothing but the glint of eyes staring at her. As her mind tried to process what was happening, a sudden jolt hoisted her into the air. She slammed into the back of the stage hard and she swore that she saw stars circling about her head. Her arms were then awkwardly thrusted upwards while her legs uncomfortably stretched apart.

"Ow, Ow, Ow," She yelped. "Stop it! Please stop it!"

"Come on, come on," A rough male voice heckled. "Be funny, why dontcha? Ain't that your trademark, girl?"

"Honestly," A low female voice sighed. "What was the point of coming here? This is making me sleepy."

Pinkie whimpered as she felt her limbs being stretched for god knows how long. They were twisted and mangled in places that she didn't even know about. Then, food was being thrown in her direction. From milkshakes to tomatoes, they landed on the pink-haired girl while she dangled helplessly, tears rolling down her face. She wondered why she did to deserve the torment. All she wanted was to make people smile!

After a while, it stopped and she was on the floor, shivering as the boy approached her. He snapped his fingers once more and the Cakes were brought in, unconscious. The vermin disappeared from sight and he squatted down to her eye level. A moment of solemn silence passed before he grabbed her face in both hands and stared directly into her eyes.

"So, do you admit to your sin?"

"Sin," She sobbed hysterically. "I didn't do anything! They didn't do anything! Why are you doing this?"

"You shed heavy tears right now," The boy sighed. "But where was your anguish when Sunset Shimmer was involved?"

"Her," Pinkie Pie squawked angrily. "She's a meanie secret-stealer! She was the one who posted those secrets online! She's the one behind this! Why aren't you punishing her?!"

"So," The boy smiled wickedly. "It seems that the sugary-sweet employee is nothing more than a mere mask. Sunset is in a place of pure limbo right now, brought on by those who wished to harm her. Of course, you and your friends don't care at all, do you? For someone who plays the part of a joyous clown, baking delicious treats, you hide a bitter interior. That's the reason why I found roaches in your confections. They are just as bitter as your real self."

"My...My real self," Pinkie Pie stammered, eyes shrinking to pinpricks. "No! My real self is the Element of Laughter!"

"No, Pinkie Pie," The boy shook his head, holding a doll that eerily resembled Pinkie Pie. "That's not your real self at all."

"Your real self is a cynical heel who nearly killed Sunset because of a group's desire for blood."

The doll grew larger until it was the exact height of Pinkie Pie. Its skin changed to a drab puce, its eyes were the size of tiny needles, and its jaw was loaded in cavities. She moved at a sluggish pace and she pointed a finger at the real Pinkie Pie. At her doppelganger's point, Pinkie Pie scooted away but ultimately, she was frozen as the double's gaping maw screeched a laugh.

"Ding Dong, Sunset's probably dead," The double shrieked. "And we'll throw a party to celebrate! While we're at it, we can dance on her dead body at the morgue! Wouldn't that be a fun party to be at? Maybe Twilight will come too! Wouldn't she be happy that Sunset's dead too?"

"Stop it, stop it, STOP IT," Pinkie screamed. "Please! Pretty please!"

"You still don't want to admit to your sin, do you," The boy raised an eyebrow in disappointment. "Very well. This is just the beginning of your punishment, after all."

With a clap of his hands, the doppelganger disappeared and there was nobody left in the store but Pinkie Pie, the boy, and the Cakes. Pinkie Pie shivered as she looked up at the boy in fear. Suddenly, she screamed as she felt a burning sensation. She looked at her right hand to see a dark blue circle with the symbol of a clown's mask in tears. She looked up to see that the boy had changed into an orange robe with a white hem.

"The mark of gloom," The boy explained with a bow. "Until you confess your sin and do what's right, that mark will stay on your hand. My name is Isaac, a name that means laughter. I would stop with you but since your employers also treated an innocent girl with disrespect, they will suffer retaliation as well. It would be a nice lesson for them to not jump and attack a person just because of what their employee says. Ta-ta for now."

He vanished and the Cakes woke up to Pinkie Pie crying hysterically at the shameful mark on her hand.

Rarity tapped her fingers as she tried to brainstorm new design ideas for the upcoming winter pageant. Her mind was in a huff, it seemed, so she decided to take a short break and take a walk through the boutique. As she browsed through short skirts and long dresses galore, she stopped at a certain item within the store. It was a hand-crafted doll made by Sunset. A wave of bitter anger rippled through as Rarity took the doll in her hand. It was supposed to be for good luck.

How could Sunset do this to them after everything that they'd been through? Was their friendship not enough? What more did she want out of them? They did everything that they could to support her. Yet, she decided to repay that with mockery and deceit. Now, Rarity couldn't stand things that reminded her of the red-and-yellow haired witch, including the doll. She threw it in the trash and turned around, leaving the forsaken thing.

"You shouldn't do that, miss," A voice called out to her.

Rarity turned to find a young man picking up the doll from the trash. He had long red hair tied back in a ponytail, hazelnut eyes, and wore a tied-dyed shirt with white jeans. He was examining the doll, seemingly marveling at its craftsmanship. To be extremely honest, she found him a little unhygienic considering that it was placed in an area where bacteria congregate to make people sick.

"This is such beautiful craftsmanship," He mused. "Why would you wish to throw it away?"

"Because that doll was made by a bully," Rarity answered. "I refuse to endorse work that was made by people who hurt others."

"Even if you yourself hurt someone?"

"What do you mean?"

Before the young man could answer, a girl walked in angrily, carrying a shopping bag. Without warning, she threw the bag at Rarity. Rarity stood agape at the girl, trying to process why this girl was angry with her at all. The fashionista looked into the bag and was horrified to see one of her dresses torn to shreds. Upon further inspection, she noticed that there were a cluster of white flakes attached to the dress.

"What happened?"

"Your dress gave me a rash," The girl shrieked, removing her sleeve to reveal raw, patched skin. "I specifically told you that my skin is allergic to polyester fiber! Why on earth would you put that on my custom order? Are you trying to kill me?!"

"I, I," Rarity stammered, flabbergasted at the accusation. "I would never do that! I would never harm my customers!"

A boy came into the shop with patched skin on his head. He was in tears as he handed out the bag that contained a pretty fedora hat laced with beautiful red silk. Soon after, more customers were heading into the boutique. They were bawling in buckets or demanded their refund angrily. Rarity had to back away as the swarm of customers increased in size, making it difficult to breathe. She escaped to the back room, trying to take in heavy gulps of air.

'What's going on', She thought to herself. 'Why is this happening?'

Suddenly, her computer glowed brightly with the signals of multiple emails surging her inbox. She stared at the screen for a moment before sitting down and checking them. Of course, they were just another barrage of angry complaints about a metric ton of issues that she wasn't even aware of. The complaints ranged from gossip of her products being produced of cheap quality to her products actually harming the skin. There were even angry threats of closing her boutique for good!

"Why is this happening," Rarity mumbled to herself.

She heard an ominous scuffle come from the boxes of her new clothing designs. Opening them with hesitation, she felt an extreme surge of horror when she found moths infesting and consuming her hard work. They then latched on her clothes, eating at the ends of her skirt and shirt. She shrieked and ran as fast as she could, trying to find her emergency mothballs. But it seems that even mothballs couldn't deter the beasts as they nipped at her skirt, shirt and even her skin. It felt like an eternity of the moths tearing into her before they left for the vents. This left Rarity on the floor stunned with her clothes in disarray.

"Have you learned your lesson," A soft voice taunted behind her.

Clenching her fists in anger, she turned to the red-headed boy who smirked at her. Without warning, she stood up, walked up to him, and tried to slap him. But he grabbed her wrist before it could make contact with his face. Holding her hand, he snapped his fingers to return her ensemble back to normal. He then shoved her back and glared at her coldly.

"My lesson," She shrieked. "Why do I have to learn a lesson?!"

"Isn't it obvious," He replied coolly. "You attacked Sunset Shimmer due to your selfish need of saving your own reputation. When Sunset was accused, you didn't think twice of casting her out like a plague. You exist for nobody but your own self."

"That's not true," Rarity snarled. "We gave Sunset Shimmer a chance and she threw it away by posting our online secrets! She brought her own misery to her own self!"

"Oh, I see," The boy glared. "You're too perfect to ever make a mistake, am I right?" He moved closely towards Rarity. "You have prided yourself as being a lady with depth and not like those shallow girls who backstab each other when the chance arises. But whenever someone like Sunset is accused of wrongdoing, you found a perfect opportunity to hurt her. Are you sure that you are not one of those shallow girls you despise?"

"How dare you call me shallow," Rarity growled, even though she was stung by his words.

"You are," The boy continued, unfazed. "And the fact is that instead of pondering my words for even a second, you decide to retaliate with anger over your own self. That is quite selfish of you. But then again, that has always been your real self. After all, why care about Sunset Shimmer when your inner self is nothing more than a mere puddle of water."

"No, that's not true," Rarity screamed. "I'm the Element of Generosity!"

"Tis but a mask to hide your real self," The boy declared. "Do you know what your real self is?"

"Your real self is a selfish witch who nearly killed Sunset due to the need of protecting your own reputation."

A mirror appeared with a snap of his fingers and Rarity peeked into it, unsure. The reflection stepped out and immediately began to transform into something horrible. Her skin sagged and drooped from her face, her eyes were bloodshot, and an filthy, chipped nail was pointing at the real Rarity. She grinned wickedly and began to move closer to the petrified girl.

"Sunset Shimmer should lie rotted and stinking into the earth," The doppelganger cackled. "I'm glad she's dead! Otherwise I might have to rely on Twilight Sparkle to make sure she stays dead! I'll even make sure to burn her body in the morgue!"

"Stop it," The fashionista shrieked, now scared. "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!"

"You still won't learn your lesson, then," The boy sniffed. "This is just the beginning after all."

The doppelganger disappeared, leaving Rarity stunned beyond words. Then, she winced as she felt a burning sensation on the back of her left hand. She looked down to see an ugly puce circle with a broken diamond with blood pouring from it. A slight breeze caused her to look up at the boy who wore robes of green. She backed away from him until she felt her back hit the wall.

"The mark of selfishness," The boy declared solemnly. "Until you make things right with Sunset Shimmer, it will never wash away. My name is Ithel. It is a name that signifies generosity. It would be wise of you to remember it for we will meet again in the future." He placed the doll made by Sunset next to her. "Keep this out of the trash. It was someone's hard work, you know. Someone who still loves you even if you never loved her."

He turned on his heel and vanished, leaving Rarity shivering and hugging her knees to her chest with the doll lying sadly at her side.

Applejack let out a relieved sigh as she heaved the last of the apple crates onto Big Mac's truck. She was thankful that the work was completed before the snow storm set in. From what she could gather, the snowstorm would start in two hours, which meant that she had to get up early to set the crop for distribution. She was glad as it gave her some distraction on the whole Anon-a-Miss ordeal.

It just made her blood boil that Sunset would turn on them like that. She was given their friendship, given their hospitality, and even given her a family so that she wouldn't feel lonely during the Christmas Break. What ended up happening? They were betrayed by her and for a cheap laugh with other people. Luckily, her ma and pa didn't know much about her or this might've broken their hearts. Her ma especially would've been real devastated by this; she was always soft at heart. It had reminded her of Fluttershy in a way. Her fist clenched. No matter what happened, that snake wouldn't worm her way into their lives ever again.

"Excuse me," An authoritative voice called out behind her.

Applejack turned around to see a girl around her age looking quite stern. She was wearing a police uniform, had stern red eyes, and had white hair up to her waist. Applejack briefly wondered why a girl so young was on the police force before an eerie and unsettling feeling churned in her stomach.

"Sorry," Applejack apologized. "What seems to be the problem, officer?"

"Are you Applejack of the Apple Family," The officer asked, eyes never leaving Applejack's.

"Yes, yes ah am."

"Turn around," The officer barked. When Applejack did so, she cuffed the cowgirl's hands behind her back. "You are under arrest for attempted murder and verbal assault. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. Now, come along."

"What," Applejack shrieked, stunned by the charges presented. "Those are all lies!"

"Tell it to the judge," The officer said, dragging Applejack along.

They walked for at least ten minutes before entering a courthouse. Applejack was trying to take it all in. This had to be one huge mistake, it had to be. She didn't assault anyone, verbal or otherwise. And she definitely didn't attempt to murder any single person. She looked down and saw that she was no longer in her regular clothes, but instead a smart business dress and shoes.

"These are all lies, yer honor," Applejack began.

"Quiet down, Miss Applejack," The judge banged his gavel. "You'll get your turn to speak. Prosecutor, what are the charges on Miss Applejack?"

"The People request remand, your honor," The prosecutor stated. "The defendant attempted to murder one of her friends in addition with the verbal assault."

"Lies," Applejack protested.

But those protests fell on deaf ears as the scene changed. Now, she was sitting in a chair while a lie detector was attached to her. The officer sat across from her with a neutral look in her eyes. The judge and prosecutor were nearby as well. Then the officer sighed and picked up a stack of papers. Applejack tried to move but she couldn't much to her horror. She could only watch in anticipated fear as the officer took out three pages out of the stack.

"This is different from a normal lie detector, Applejack," The officer said. "This lie detector is to make sure you tell nothing but the truth to us. Otherwise, it will deliver a painful electrical shock. Are you ready?" At Applejack's uncertain nod, it felt as if the temperature dropped. "Applejack, are you friends with the person named Sunset Shimmer?"

"Ah'm not friends with her," Applejack snarled. "Not after what that snake did. She posted all those secrets online, startin' with mah childhood nickname."

"Ah yes," The officer replied with a curl of her lip. "The dreaded Anon-a-Miss profile. Do you honestly believe that Sunset Shimmer would ruin her chances of redemption as well as her friendship just for a cheap laugh?"

"Yes," Applejack retaliated. "Ah don't see why yer not goin' after Sunset Shimmer."

"That's because, to our knowledge, she's not an accessory to attempted murder. Let's continue. Were you friends with the victim before this incident?"

"Yes,"

The minute Applejack answered, though, a painful shock coursed through the electroshock nodes and into her body. It felt like the pain was setting her nerves on fire. While it stopped after a mere 30 seconds, it left the cowgirl rattled all the same because apparently she told a lie. No, she wasn't lying, right? She was the Element of Honesty, for crying out loud. But why then was she electrocuted?

"Strike one," The officer called out. "Did you believe that Sunset Shimmer was redeemed after the Fall Formal aftermath?"

"Yes,"

Another bolt of electricity shot out, making Applejack convulse painfully. She slammed onto the desk, twitching in agony. A bucket of sweat poured out of the cowgirl's skin. As soon as she stopped spasming, she looked up at the officer. The older woman did not seem to have a trace of mercy on her face. Indeed, she looked like the Angel of Death.

"Strike two," The officer said. "Applejack, it would be easier for you to tell the truth."

"Ah AM tellin' the truth," Applejack retorted. "We did trust Sunset Shimmer until this Anon-a-Miss blog came along! It's all her fault!" She shuddered as that last sentence came tumbling out of her mouth. She sounded so spiteful at Sunset, even if the former bully deserved her ire.

"I see," The officer replied. "Because everything bad that happens is immediately Sunset's fault, right? It's never your fault for believing that Sunset is back to her old ways even though it isn't logical for many reasons. Why should she hurt you at all if all she's ever going to be is an outcast for all of Canterlot High School?"

"Sunset is guilty," Applejack protested feebly.

"Have you never heard of 'innocent until proven guilty', dear? Surely with you being the Element of Honesty, this would be at least a silver rule in your books. But with one action, you disregarded that rule and became judge, jury, and executioner without consulting her side on this matter."

"Why...Why should we listen to her," Applejack asked, her stubbornness clinging desperately like a lifeline.

"Because she listened to your problems during the Battle of the Bands? Because she actually admitted to being cruel after she was redeemed? Because she put all her problems and feelings aside so that she could comfort and support you in the darkest hours of your life? She has no illusions of her own self anymore. You, on the other hand, are so self-righteous that you can't ever fathom being wrong. Your Element has masked your true self to everyone around you, including your kin."

The officer took the cowgirl by the arms and pointed towards a miniature statue of Applejack looking proudly over the bull in the rodeo a couple of years ago.

"Your true self is nothing more than a lying snake who nearly killed Sunset because of foolish trust and petty grudges."

The statue grew until it was Applejack's height, then transformed into something horrible. Its skin was scaly and speckled with measles all over, it had tiny, cat-like pupils that were a mixture of white and grey, and it slithered a bit like a snake. A wicked grin formed when she spotted the true Applejack and she cackled a hair-raising cackle.

"That no-good snake should be out of our lives for good! Why don't ah just murder her? Maybe ah can shove her down an elevator shaft! She should be dead and the world would be better off for it! Ah hate her fer comin' into mah life! She's just nothin' but a plague on everyone she comes across! She should just die and lie in the stinkin' earth!"

"No! NO! NOOOO," Applejack howled in fear. "Ah...Ah...Ah'm not...Ah'm not..."

"You still won't admit to your sin," The officer sighed. "It's to be expected given your nature. After all, this is only the start of your punishment."

The statue, along with the environment and other people, disappeared in the blink of an eye. Applejack was in her room, a light flickering above her. She breathed heavily as she tried to process what just happened. Suddenly, she yelped as a pain akin to burning carved into both of her palms. She looked down to find a horrible black and red mark shaped like a forked tongue. She looked up at the officer who was now wearing turquoise robes.

"That is the mark of a liar," The girl declared. "Until you make things right with the one known as Sunset Shimmer, that will never come off."

"W-Who are you," Applejack rasped out.

"My name is Maemi. From what I am told, it is meant to symbolize the truth. It's good that you ask me of my name as this is not our last meeting with each other. Farewell for now."

With that, she vanished and a somber silence settled over the room. A few moments, the door opened and she turned her head to find Applebloom entering.

"Ma says that dinner's ready," Applebloom said before her eyes widened. "Sis, what happened to ya?! Are ya okay?"

"No..." Applejack admitted. "No, Ah'm not."

Author's Note

Phew! This was a long time to write out. Tackling three people instead of two can take a whole lot out of you!

Yeah, Applejack's family is alive in this universe. Why? I just think it would be a little more cathartic when the ball drops on them on what their daughters did.

Next chapter focuses on Flash and Sunset's conversation in the dream world as well as Twilight Sparkle entering the arena. This is going to not end well in some ways.

Thank you guys for waiting patiently for this chapter. Hope this didn't disappoint!