Twilight, Mr. Cake, and his wife stared bitterly at the three girls in front of them. Brushed Jade had gone into the hallway to take a phone call, leaving the group temporarily. Before the Crusaders could speak up, Twilight said to Vice Principal Luna, “Can you tell me where Spike is? I'd think he was with Fluttershy, but I'm not sure.”

“I believe he is indeed with Fluttershy. I sent her home, and I think he went with her. I can call her to find out, if you want.”

“Please do. I need to send him back to the portal before Sonata, Gilda and Summer get there. Then,” Twilight turned to face the Crusaders, letting out a tough sigh as she continued, “I'll help deal with these three.”

“Remember, Twilight,” Luna said. “You are only a teenage girl in this world, not a princess. Your words may carry weight in Equestria, but not here.”

“Twilight,” Octavia said, taking a hold of Vinyl's hand. “If you're going to start yelling at them, please allow me and Vinyl to excuse ourselves. I don’t want her to see or hear this.”

Twilight nodded and watched as they both headed for the door. Just as Octavia held the door open for Vinyl, Twilight heard Brushed Jade say, “Vinyl, we got him. Your nightmare is over.”

Twilight watched through the door window as Vinyl suddenly threw her arms around Brushed Jade, sobbing hard into her shoulders. Her viewing was interrupted when Luna handed her phone to Twilight. “Fluttershy?” Twilight said. “Is Spike with you now?”

"H-Hi, Twilight. Yes, he's here," Fluttershy replied.

“Good. Listen, I need you to send him back to the portal. Tell him to make sure Gilda stays in the castle and completely out of sight.”

"Uh, okay, but--"

“I know I'm asking a lot right now, but this is very important. Make sure to tell him to keep Sonata out of sight, as well. I don’t mind them exploring the castle, but Gilda needs to stay clear of Rainbow Dash. I’ll explain everything to him once I get home. Oh, and please tell him it might be a day or two before I get home, so he needs to keep the journal in its place so I can get through the portal.”

"Um, okay. I'll do that."

"Thanks, Fluttershy. I'll see you soon." Twilight handed the phone back to Luna, who shut it off and waited. Twilight turned her attention to the Crusaders, saying sternly, “Well, now that that's taken care of, who among you three would like to tell me what caused all this?”

Scootaloo looked down, gulping. Sweetie Belle sniffed, blinking away her tears of shame. Finally, Apple Bloom looked up, saying, “It was me. Ah did this to Sunset. Please don’t punish my friends, Twilight. Ah never meant for things to go this far. Honest, Ah didn’t.”

Twilight clicked her tongue, sighing heavily and saying sternly, “Well, congratulations. You and your two friends here have invented a whole new type of stupid.”

Mr. Cake snarled, “'Stupid', nothing! These brats did this out of sheer spite! Why else would they do something this horrible?”
“Hey!” Scootaloo yelped in anger. “We weren't being spiteful! We just wanted our sisters back!”

“Really?” Vice Principal Luna began sternly. “Because you three have not only wrecked Sunset's life but also turned the whole school upside down, and to top that off, you used a website designed to bring people together to bully someone who's trying her hardest to make up for what she's done in the past. Sounds like this goes a bit deeper than just wanting your sisters back.”

Before anyone could say anything further, Brushed Jade came back into the room, saying, “I'm sorry, but I need to take them in now. You can talk with them once I get them processed at the precinct.”

“Before you take them,” Celestia began, entering the room behind Brushed Jade, “Scootaloo must go to a holding cell by herself. She has brittle bone disease and could get hurt badly if one of the inmates decides to attack her.”

“I’ll send her to a detention center designed for such cases, Celestia.” Brushed Jade quickly read the Crusaders their rights just as two other officers walked in. Brushed Jade began with Scootaloo. “Now, if you struggle with me, you’ll only make things worse for yourself, Scootaloo. Please don’t.”

“I won’t. Can I see my sister and mother?”

“Yes, but after I get you processed.” Brushed Jade finished cuffing Scootaloo, hands in front so as to avoid any damage to Scootaloo's arms. “You’ll have to see your family without your friends present, though. We can use a camera and mic when you see your family in case you want to say anything to your two friends.”

“Twilight,” Luna began while Jade led the Crusaders and officers out of the room. “There is something my sister and I need to speak to you about in private.”

“I understand.” Turning to the Cakes, Twilight continued, “Can you excuse us, please?”

Mr. Cake headed for the door, saying to Luna as he left, “Go easy on her.”

“I will, but that won't make what I have to say any easier to say.”

---

Sunset made her way across town and to the animal shelter, ignoring all the stares she was getting from those she passed by. Entering the shelter and looking around, Sunset didn't see Fluttershy anywhere, so she headed behind the desk, sat down, and began to write in her binder.

Twilight Sparkle,

By the time you see this, I'll be gone from this world. I know now that you and I were never friends. I know that you never wanted me as your student, and I know you never really trusted me. I looked up to you, and you, like everyone else, broke my heart. I don't know why that should surprise me, though. Remember what you said to me at the Fall Formal?

"You will never rule in Equestria! Any power you may have had in this world is gone! You’ve shown them what is in your heart."

You said those words while I was in that crater, barely conscious after being blasted with the Elements of Harmony. Your face was so cold and heartless, I thought you were going to kill me, or toss me into Tartarus. You didn’t even care that I was hurting, that I was crying, that I wanted only to be held and told that I may have made a mistake but that it would be alright. Remember what you said as you pulled me out of that crater?

"The magic of friendship doesn’t just exist in Equestria. It’s everywhere. You can seek it out, or you can forever be alone. The choice is yours."

Find friends, or lose hope forever. What an ultimatum! Giving me a choice without actually giving me a choice. Of course I was gonna choose the path with an iota of hope! But how false that hope turned out to be! Now, I know what friendship really means to you.

"She wouldn’t know how to be good if you hit her with the Elements of Harmony! You know what she's done! Mind control, attempted murder, declaring war on you, the list goes on! For the good of all of Equestria, you have to stay away from her! She can't be redeemed. She belongs in Tartarus, where she can’t hurt anypony else."

But you know what, Twilight? For all my anger and sadness, I know that you were right about me. I don’t deserve to rule Equestria, and I don’t deserve to be loved, held, or taken care of. So I am ending my life so that you can’t put me into Tartarus and so that I won’t be a problem for anyone else.

Please do me one last favor. There is a letter in my locker. Be sure to have Applejack read that letter to everyone. It will explain to her and to everyone else what I am and why I am so alone in this world. Please also see if Fluttershy will adopt Lucky for me. I want him to go to a good home, and I know she can provide that.

Goodbye, Twilight.

Your failed student and ex-friend,

Sunset Shimmer

Sunset folded the letter, placing it into an envelope she found in the middle drawer of the desk. Finished, Sunset went into the cat center, found Lucky, and took him out of his cage. Holding him in her arms as he softly let out a sad mewl, her tears dripped onto his head.

Fluttershy was just entering the shelter when she saw Sunset in the cat center. Quickly setting her things down, she entered, saying, “Sunset, what are you doing here? You should be at the hospital?”

Sunset looked up, and Fluttershy took a reflexive step back. “You see, Lucky?" Sunset said. "Even Fluttershy is scared of me. I have no choice.”

Sunset took a step towards Fluttershy, who gulped, saying, “What do you mean you have no choice? What are you going to do?”

Placing the cat into Fluttershy’s arms, Sunset sniffed, saying softly, “Take care of her, Lucky. She's your friend now.”

“Sunset, you're scaring me. How'd you get here? Why aren't you at the hospital?”

Looking into her eyes, Sunset gently pulled Fluttershy into her, saying as she reached into her own back pocket and pulled out the handcuffs, “I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but I can’t let you stop me from ending my life.” Before Fluttershy could react, Sunset took a hold of her right arm and handcuffed her to Lucky’s cage, saying, “I’ll leave the key on the desk next to a letter I wrote to Twilight. Be sure to give it to her, will you?”

“Sunset, you can’t do this!” Fluttershy tried to pull her hand free, only to fail as Sunset finished cuffing her to the cage. “Sunset, there's no reason for you to kill yourself! We can work it out!”

“No, Fluttershy, we can’t. My death will end this nightmare once and for all. Besides, you’ll be happier without me in your lives to wreck your friendships. Just ask Rainbow. She told me the truth about all our time together.”

Sunset sniffed, then gently petted Lucky on his head, saying, “Don’t worry. She’ll take care of you. I know she will.” Lucky mewled, seemingly in response. “I’ll miss you, too, little guy, but I have to do this. Goodbye.”

Sunset kissed Lucky on the head and walked away. True to her word, Sunset left the key sitting on the edge of the desk and slowly made her way to the front door.

“Sunset, come back here!” Fluttershy yelled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Sunset, please, you don’t have to do this!”

Fluttershy could only watch in horror as Sunset stumbled over to the door. With one last look over her shoulder, Sunset smiled and said, “I wish I could've known you under better circumstances, Fluttershy. I bet you and I could have been really good friends.”

Fluttershy began to sob as she watched Sunset walk out to the street and turn towards the school. Fluttershy tugged and tugged on the cage, stopping only when Lucky jumped out of her free arm, landing on the ground in front of her. Fluttershy watched as the cat jumped up onto the desk and swatted the key onto the floor. Fluttershy quickly said, “Lucky, be a good kitty and bring me that key.”

Miraculously, the cat seemed to understand. He picked up the key in his mouth and brought it over to Fluttershy. Fluttershy quickly took the key from the cat, freed herself from the cuffs, and ran out the door. Not finding Sunset anywhere, she took out her phone and dialed Rainbow, saying when the athlete picked up, “Rainbow, I need your help to find Sunset.”

“Why do you want me to--”

“She’s going to kill herself! Stop thinking of yourself for once and actually be as loyal as you claim to be!”

Fluttershy heard over the phone as Rainbow said, “Mom, take me to CHS. I think Sunset might be there. I need to fix things between us, and I need to do it now.”

---

Sunset found herself at the park and sat down on the bench she had used to have her conversation with Applejack and Luna. Taking out the water flask, she shook it to make sure everything was dissolved properly. Satisfied, she popped the cork, drank the liquid inside, then dropped it into the snow beneath her boots. Taking out her notebook, she began to write one last letter, this one to her former friends.

"I wish there was another way, but I know there isn't." Sunset muttered to herself, not caring about the cold weather. "I can't live like this anymore. I can't be what I'm not."

Once finished, she tucked it into her jacket pocket and stood up as she felt the liquid taking affect on her. Sunset headed over to the pond, seeing that the ice wasn't fully formed. She took off her coat and her boots, hanging the coat over a sign near the pond's edge and leaving her boots in front of the sign.

"Goodbye, everyone," Sunset said. "I loved you all, but this is the way it has to be."

Sunset walked out onto the icy pond, allowing the ice to break beneath her weight. As she sunk into the frigid water, she smiled and closed her eyes, allowing both the poison and the cold water to do their work.

---

Ten minutes later, after failing to find Sunset at CHS, Rainbow got out of her mother's car and headed towards the park, knowing it was one of Sunset's favorites places to go. Rainbow took out her phone and quickly called Applejack on the way into the park, giving her the gist of the situation. As she waited for Applejack to show up, Rainbow began to look around, trying to find any sign of Sunset.

Applejack pulled up in her truck a few minutes later, calling Rainbow back and letting her know she was at a different entrance to the park and would meet her halfway. Finally, the two girls met up, only to find Sunset's coat and boots in front of the sign she had hung them on. The only other clues were her binder on the bench and a suspiciously sized hole in the ice of the pond.

Next Chapter: Blame (Re-edited version by both SadisticFluttershy and Iccreammac titled by Iccreammac ) Estimated time remaining: 12 Hours, 44 Minutes