Sunset stood in front of her friends, looking at each as they stared back angrily. She swallowed hard. She could see that Applejack had the most anger showing in her eyes, but it was the hurt in Rainbow's that caught Sunset's attention the most. Looking into the rainbow-haired girl's pink eyes caused Sunset to take a slight step backwards.

Applejack noticed how uneasy Sunset looked. She pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes, trying to form her words. Finally, she said, “Sunset, Pinkie tells us that ya had yer phone hooked up to yer computer. And that our pictures are on yer computer.” Looking back up at Sunset, who stared at her confusedly, she continued, “We need ta know. Did ya download our pictures from Rarity's sleepover ta yer computer?”

“Is that why you all look so upset with me?” Sunset replied, trying not to look upset. “Yes, my phone was hooked up to my computer, but I don't see the big deal, AJ.”

Rainbow snarled out in anger, “Just answer the fucking question, Sunset!”

Applejack turned to face Rainbow, saying to her while trying to keep her own anger in check, “Rainbow, Ah've got this.”

“FINE!” Rainbow yelled back. “Just get her tell us the fucking truth, for fuck sake's!”

Applejack turned back to face Sunset, saying while trying even harder to keep her anger in check, “Sunset...” She looked down. A single tear slipped past her forest-green eyes and trickled down her cheek as she continued, “Have you lost yer phone recently, like between the time that Pinkie found yer phone in yer room hooked up to yer computer until now?”

“My phone?” Sunset replied with a slightly confused look. Digging into her coat's left front pocket, she retrieved it, showing her phone to her friends. “No, AJ, my phone is right here. I've had it the whole--”

Applejack’s head snapped up. She couldn’t believe what she just heard. Without thinking, she shoved her own phone into Sunset's chest, screaming out in anger, “THEN EXPLAIN THIS!” Applejack watched as Sunset, took her phone from her, turned it on, and looked at her with wide eyes. “EXPLAIN HOW OUR DAMN PICTURES GOT ONTO MYSTABLE, SUNSET SHIMMER!”

Everyone else in the hallway froze, all eyes turning to the group. A hushed, uneasy silence fell upon all those within the hallway. From her vantage point in the music room, Apple Bloom watched expectantly. While she remained silent, she was finding it hard to contain her excitement. Forgetting that her phone was still recording, she whispered, “Yes, our plan worked. Sunset's finished. Ah’ll get my sister back, and so will Scoots and Sweetie Belle.” Watching with sickening glee Apple Bloom, recorded the horrible events unfolding in front of her, her excitement growing ever more and more.

“First, it's Applejack, not AJ. Ah only let m' friends call me AJ. And second, just unlock the phone.”

Sunset didn't miss the implication, but she said nothing. Instead, she let out a quick breath before silently complying with Applejack's request. To her horror and shock, she saw what had upset her friends so much. Looking at the screen, she saw that her friends' pictures were on the Anon-a-Miss account. Sunset could barely believe her own two eyes as she thumbed through the pictures.
“What!?” She exclaimed. “I-I don’t understand how she got ahold of our pictures. This doesn’t make any sen--”

“They're not our pictures,” Rainbow interrupted, “THEY'RE YOUR PICTURES, SUNSET!”

Looking back up, Sunset’s eyes went wide with fear as she realized what her friends were accusing her of. Stammering on her words, she brought a hand over her mouth as she said in total shock, “I-I didn’t do this!”

“Yeah, right, Sunset,” Rainbow snarled. “Stop lying. Just tell us the fucking truth for once in your damn life.”

“No, wait, you guys. I didn’t do this. I could never hurt any of you! I swear, I nev--”

Applejack looked down while almost whispering out, “H-How did Anon-a-Miss know about m' family nickname, Sunset?”

“I don’t know, AJ. I really don’t know how she knows about your--”

“How did she get our photos, Sunset? Tell us.” Applejack pulled her hat down over her eyes, not wanting Sunset to see the hurt in her eyes.

“The photos, my family nickname, all the other postings. It all points to you, Sunset.” Looking back up, she finally let her temper flare. Thrusting her index finger outwards right into Sunset’s chest, causing her now-former friend to take a step back, she yelled out, “ADMIT IT, SUNSET! YOU'VE BEEN LYIN' TA US THIS WHOLE TIME! YOU'RE ANON-A-MISS!”

“NO! No, I'm not Anon-a-Miss. I couldn’t do this to any of you. You're my family. You all are. I would never hurt any of--”

“But you did hurt us Sunset!” Pinkie cried out, tears running down her cheeks. “You were just pretending to be our friend, when all along, you were just after our secrets! You're nothing but a--a secret stealer!”

Sunset took a step back as each of her friends stared angrily back at her. She took another step just as Fluttershy stepped forward. She, like Pinkie was also crying, and her own tears began to make Sunset cry, as well. Sunset raised her hands up, palms facing outwards. “I’m not that type of person anymore. I'm different now. I wouldn’t do this. I beg you all to just listen to me! Please, I'm not--”

“NO, YOU’RE NOT!” Fluttershy cried out in anger, pain clearly showing on her normally-calm happy face. “You’re not the person we thought you were, Sunset Shimmer. You're not the person who we all let into our hearts, who Rainbow fell in love with. You’re nothing but...but...” She buried her face into her hands, then looked up and screamed out, “YOU'RE NOT OUR FRIEND!” Fluttershy turned and bolted down the hallway, leaving her friends behind to deal with Sunset, who was up against the second row of lockers, crying hard.

“Look, I don’t know how Anon-a-Miss got ahold of our pictures. I don’t know how she got ahold of the other stuff, but it wasn’t me. Please, why won’t you all just listen to me?”

Rarity looked down, taking ahold of Pinkie, who had turned and buried her face into Rarity's shoulder while crying hard. She looked at Sunset, who was beginning to slide down the locker to the floor, and said to her sternly, “Sunset, after all we've been through with you--taking you in after the Fall Formal, the Battle of the Bands, finding out you were homeless, calling you family--this is how you repay our compassion our generosity?”

Applejack looked down at Sunset as she hit the floor, pulling her legs up to her chest and burying her face into her arms. Applejack snarled, “This is it, Sunset. Tell us the truth. Tell us that yer Anon-a-Miss!”

“I'm not Anon-a-Miss, AJ,” Sunset sobbed. “Really, I'm not her. Please, just hear me on this. I'm not her.”

“I’m sorry, but you did this, Sunset,” Rarity began while slowly starting to walk away, leaving Sunset to cry. “Tell whatever lies and secrets you want to about us. We're through.”

“We ain't gonna let ya take advantage of us anymore, Sunset Shimmer.” Applejack also walked away, stopping to look over her shoulder as Pinkie stood next to Rainbow, wiping away her tears. She continued, “But m' friends don’t hafta listen to yer lies no more. So go ahead and spill yer guts. Ah don’t care, and neither do my friends.”

Sunset looked up, her eyes red from crying. Everyone that had stopped to watch the spectacle play out in front of them wondered what she was about to do. Finally, Sunset stuttered, “W-What are you saying?”

“What Applejack is saying,” Rainbow said bitterly, “is that because you lied to us and because we trusted you and you broke our hearts, you're not our friend anymore. We can’t be friends with a traitor like you, Sunset.” Turning to leave, Rainbow finished, “To think I actually slept with you to help with that nightmare.” She looked back at Sunset, who had her face fully buried into her arms. “I wonder if you really were having a nightmare or if you were just trying to get me in bed with you. I guess now we'll never know, will we?”

Rainbow closed her eyes and bolted down the hallway, screaming as she ran away from her former friend, “I HATE YOU, SUNSET! I HATE YOU!”

Pinkie remained for a few more moments, saying as she, too, was about to leave, “I’ll do you this one favor, Sunset Shimmer, even though you don’t deserve it.”

“W-What favor, Pinkie” Sunset said, her face buried into her arms and her legs pulled up tight against her chest, “I don’t--”

“I won’t tell them about that crystal I found under the step in Sugar Cube Cafe.”

Before Sunset could look up or say anything, Pinkie, ran off, leaving Sunset to cry alone in the hallway. Apple Bloom waited for a few more moments before saying, “Yes! It worked. She’s toast.”

Just as she was about to come out of the music room, Vice Principal Luna came around the corner, saw Sunset crying, and went to her side. Kneeling down in front of the very distraught student, she said, “Miss Shimmer, are you alright?”

“Please, just leave me alone,” Sunset sobbed out. “I just want to be alone.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. You’re in distress, and I need to help you. Come with me, please.”

Reaching behind her, Luna took out her walkie-talkie and called Celestia, who came down the hallway right away. Seeing how upset Sunset was, Celestia quickly dispersed the crowd that had formed, then helped Luna to help Sunset up. After she got to her feet, Sunset sobbed out, “She hates me. They all hate me.” Before anyone could stop her, Sunset pushed Luna and Celestia off of her and ran down the hallway towards the front door. Luna and Celestia picked themselves up and gave chase.

Sunset ran out of the front doors and down the sidewalk towards the park. Celestia was the first to get to the doors. She ran outside and looked both ways but was unable to find Sunset. Turning back around to her sister, she said, “Do you have any idea what just happened?”

“Yes. I think we now know who Anon-a-Miss is, and I think her friends do, as well.” Luna walked past her sister as she continued, “You go back inside. I’ll look for her and bring her back. Then, we can talk with her about this.”

Luna looked down at the sidewalk. Seeing fresh boot prints in the snow, she began to follow them, not giving her sister a chance to say anything further to her about the situation. She followed the boot prints until she came to the park, where she soon found Sunset curled up on the same bench Sunset and Applejack had their heart-to-heart not too long ago.

Next Chapter: An Unexpected Meeting (Edited by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 17 Hours, 56 Minutes