Vinyl waited to make sure the Stallion brothers were out of sight before opening the door that Fluttershy had been trapped behind. She soon found the timid girl coming to behind several heavy boxes. Looking up as her vision blurred in and out a few times, Fluttershy said, “Ooooh. Where am I?”

Vinyl, not being able to speak, knelt down and started to help the dazed girl up to her feet, stopping when Fluttershy let out a yelp and quickly sat back down, saying, “Ah, I think my ankle's twisted, and my hip really hurts.”

Vinyl took out her phone, opened a text program, and typed, Should I leave you here and go for help or can you make it on your own?

Fluttershy looked at the message and said, “No, I think I can make it. I need you to help me stand up, though. I have to stop those brutes before they hurt Sunset.”

Taking her phone back, Vinyl texted again, If you think you're gonna be alright, I'll help you, but leave those guys to me. I have a score to settle with Dumbbell.

Fluttershy swallowed hard before saying, “What do you mean?”

Vinyl didn’t reply. She helped Fluttershy up and to the door. Seeing that her work was done, she turned to leave, stopping to text one last message to Fluttershy.

I need you to head to the music room first. Get a girl with black hair and gray skin. She's in a pink skirt and purple vest. Tell her it's time to settle things. She'll know what you're talking about.

Fluttershy, not fully understanding, nodded and left to get Vinyl's friend and to talk with the principals about the Stallions. Vinyl headed over to her locker and took out a small tape recorder. She slipped it into her pants pocket, then looked at a manilla folder that was hidden in the back of her locker.

As her eyes caught a picture that was paper clipped to the file, she thought to herself, “Soon, you’ll pay for what you did to us, you bastard.” Vinyl shut her locker, clenching her hands into a tight fist, her fingernails digging deeply into her palms. She mouthed only two words as her eyes became cold as ice: “I swear!”

---

Sunset sat in the back seat of her father's car, staring coldly out the window as she watched the houses and cars fly by. Her father looked in the rearview mirror to see Sunset’s expression. Clearing his throat, he said as he brought the car to a stop at traffic light, “Sunset, I have something I want to talk to you about. I didn’t want to say anything at the meeting, because I want you to take some time to think about this before you decide on your answer.”

Sunset didn’t answer at first. She just remained steadfast in her silence towards her father. Just as her mother was about say something, Sunset finally said, “Dad, can I ask you something?”

“Sure, honey. What is it?”

Still looking out the window, Sunset swallowed hard before saying, “Is it wrong of me to be angry with my former friends for what they did?”

“No, it's not wrong to feel hurt by what they did to you. It's what you do with that anger that matters, honey.”

Sunset lifted her backpack up off the floor of the car and put the Demon’s Heart back into her right, front pocket. Patting the pocket gently, she replied softly, “Thanks, Dad. I needed to hear that.”

“Sunset, there's something I want you to think about while you're in school today,” Mr. Cake said softly, pulling up to the curb of the school. “If worse comes to worst, I want you to know that your mother and I are fully prepared to pull you out of school.”

“And then what?” Sunset asked, not liking where this was going. “What would you do if I had to be pulled out of school?”

“We could home-school you, or we could enroll you at Crystal Prep across the city, or...” Mrs. Cake looked down, swallowed hard, then nearly whispered out, “we could move. We could move to Ponyville or some other small town."

Sunset got out of the car, not looking at her parents as she said, “I-I need some time to think about this.”

Sunset walked away from her mother and father without another word to either of them, leaving both confused and slightly hurt. A few moments later, Sunset found herself standing in front of her locker, putting away her things. When she looked to her right, she found Trixie standing next to her locker.

“Hello, Trixie,” Sunset snarled bitterly.

“Ah, Miss Sunset, how are you, dear?” Trixie cooed wickedly.

“I'm fine!” Sunset snarled back as she felt her anger brewing to the surface. Turning to face her locker, she continued, “Leave me alone, Trixie. I don't have time to play your stupid games."

Trixie, sensing she could have some fun, smirked and said, "Why, whatever is the matter, Sunset, dear? Don't you like your new life? You asked for it, after all."

"GET LOST!" Sunset shouted back in rage, slamming her locker door closed, which drew in a small crowd from the hallways. "I have enough going on in my life without you making it worse. And why do you even want to talk to me, anyway? You've hated me and my former friends for years, even after the Battle of the Bands, when I should have finally redeemed myself. But no! You just had to make that stupid account just to hurt us.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes. "What are you implying?"

"I'm not 'implying' anything!" Sunset snapped. "I'm saying that you're Anon-a-Miss!"

Trixie’s eyes widened in surprise briefly, but her face quickly turned to smug arrogance as she laughed, saying, “HA! That’s a good one, Sunset. The Great and Powerful Trrrrixie wishes she was Anon-a-Miss, if only to claim that she's the one that made you the pariah you so deserve to be.”

“Oh, come off it, Trixie. Who else hates me and my former friends enough to spread everyone's secrets around to hurt them and frame me?”

As Sunset fired her accusations, a small crowd formed behind her and Trixie, each student wondering what Sunset or Trixie would do. As more students filled up the hallways, Trixie, ever the showman, laughed out with glee.

“Oh, I'm not Anon-a-Miss, but I do wish I could shake her hand! She’s stirred up this school more than the Great and Powerful Trixie could ever do in a single week.” Sunset wasn't amused by Trixies antics, which only served to cause the latter to laugh even more as she continued, “And she's like a super spy. I have no idea how she found out that Flash Sentry was in the hospital, but--”

“What!?” Sunsets eyes went wide with fear. “F-Flash is in the hospital?”

Seeing the look of shocked fear plastered over Sunset's face, Trixie stopped laughing long enough to say, “What, you didn’t know? He tried to kill himself last week. Didn't you notice how he was absent all this time?”

Sunset trembled in cold terror and stammered, “W-What happened to him?”

“Don't know, don't care.” Trixie smiled smugly, seeing how hurt Sunset was. She wanted to savor the moment but knew it wouldn’t last, so she continued coldly “All Trixie knows is that he did it because of you.” Trixie thrust her right hand forward, planting her index finger right into Sunset's chest.

“M-Me? B-But...” Sunset's eyes began to glaze over becoming, cold and lifeless as the grave. Her skin turned a light white as her fear began to set in. “Which hospital is he in?”

“As far as Trixie knows, he was sent to Canterlot Memorial Hospital.”

“Th-Thanks. And you really don’t know who Anon-a-Miss is?”

“Why, dear, I assumed that Anon-a-Miss was you. You tricked your friends, stole their secrets and, to top it all off, posted them for all to see.” Trixie laughed. “All Trixie knows for sure is that she isn't Anon-a-Miss. Those photos of your friends were taken at Rarity's house, right? Trixie was never there, so Trixie couldn’t have done it.”

Sunset looked up, glaring hard enough so that Trixie took a step back from Sunset. Turning to leave, Trixie stopped when she heard, “If you're lying to me, I’ll make you pay for it, Trixie.”

Trixie laughed coldly as she ignored Sunset's warning. Sunset headed around the corner, ignoring the crowd that had formed around her and Trixie. Getting upstairs a few moments later, she soon found herself sitting in her Home Ec classroom in front of her computer. Not caring if she'd be caught, she began to type.

Dear Flash,

I am so sorry to hear you're in the hospital. I know you're there because of me, because of how I treated you back during the Fall Formal and probably even before that. I was such a bitch to you back then. I don’t know how else to say it. I was a controlling, manipulative bitch. I am truly sorry for all that I did to you and for how I broke your heart. I don’t blame you at all for being angry with me. I deserve it. I used you to make myself more popular and strung you along like a worm on a hook.

I don't know what to say to help you get through this difficult time in your life, Flash. Apologizing isn’t easy for me (I don’t normally do this sort of thing), but I want you to know that no matter what, I'll be here for you as your friend. When I look back on what I was back then, I shudder. Because of me, you lost everything! You gave up your scholarship just to be with me. And I didn't care.

So yes, Flash, you have every right to hate me. If I could turn back time, and I really wish I could, I would take that awful bitch that I was back then and set her straight. I love you, Flash. I hope you know that. You were my only friend back then, and I was too blind to see it.

Sunset blinked away her tears as she continued to type,

I also want you to know that I will work every day to be a better person to be worthy of both your friendship and your trust. I will walk the hard road, and I will prove to you somehow that I've changed and that I care about you.

So you get yourself better and come back to school soon. We all miss you here, and I can’t wait to see you. The band has some new music I'm sure you’ll love. I’ll make you a recording so you can have something to listen to while you're in the hospital.

Well, I have to go make that recording. Before I do, though, I want to say to you that no matter what, no matter how bad things are, no matter how dark the path ahead is, and no matter how lost in the world you are, you’ll have me there right beside you to guide you through it.

Love, now and always your friend,

Sunset Shimmer

Next Chapter: Striking at the Boot (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 14 Hours, 40 Minutes