Fluttershy stared at Sunset's empty chair. Nobody had seen Sunset Shimmer in a few days now, though most of them didn't care. Fluttershy shouldn't either, but couldn't help but be worried. She kept thinking back to how Sunset left Sugar Cube Corner in tears after they refused to listen to her.

"Wh-why won't anyone believe me?!"

Fluttershy hurt when she heard that line. Fluttershy didn't really pay attention to the lesson. Thankfully this was the last one, and the bell couldn't ring soon enough. She sighed, not really wanting to talk to her friends. She quickly went home. Her response to her parents asking how the day went was "Good."

Fluttershy was quiet during dinner and went to bed early. She was quiet during breakfast too. She sighed as she stepped out the door. She avoided her friends, still not feeling like talking. After the first class, she sighed and went to her locker.

Fluttershy was looking down at her feet, so the first thing she noticed that indicated that something was wrong was how quiet the crowded hall had become. She looked up and her eyes widened at what she saw.

Sunset was back.

Sunset walked in the parted halls, seeming ignoring the hateful gazes directed at her. She looked tired. Bags were around her eyes and she limply clutched the book that she and Twilight used to communicate. Fluttershy wondered if Sunset told Twilight what had happened. As Sunset neared, Fluttershy saw something on her neck. Were those...bruises? How'd she get bruises there? She couldn't have....no, she couldn't. Did she?

Fluttershy put her hands to her mouth in shock as she got a better look at the bruises. They were definitely rope burns. Sunset tried to kill herself. Fluttershy gulped, "S-Sunset?"

Sunset didn't say anything as she walked past Fluttershy. Fluttershy stared as Sunset turned the corner. Fluttershy needed to tell someone.

As Fluttershy went off to find one of her friends, Sunset continued walking, staring blankly ahead. Her eyes caught something. A trash can. Sunset slowly looked down at her book. Something cracked and broke in her. Sunset started to smile, and gave a chuckle. She ignored the looks, now tinged with worry as she went to the trash can. She threw the book in the trash, just like her so-called friends had done to her. She grinned, a huge weight lifted off of her shoulders. She was happy. The happiest she felt in a long time.

~~~

Fluttershy managed to find one of her friends, Rarity. Rarity knew something was wrong as she saw tears in Fluttershy's eyes, "Fluttershy, dear, what's wrong?"

"I-it's Sunset."

Rarity's face darkened, "What did she do now?"

"She...she..." Fluttershy broke down in tears.

Rarity hugged her friend, "There there. We just have to ignore her, that's all."

"I-it's not that..."

Rarity blinked and drew back, "Then what's wrong?"

"S-Sunset tried to...k-k-kill herself!"

Rarity's mind went blank as she tried to comprehend what she was just told, "Wh-what?"

"Sh-she had bruises on her neck. I-I think she tried to hang herself."

Rarity stared at Fluttershy before shaking her head in denial, "N-no, that can't be true. Y-you must have been seeing things."

"I didn't see things!" yelled Fluttershy, causing Rarity to flinch back, "She tried to kill herself! Because of us!"

Rarity felt her legs go weak. While she didn't want to see Sunset anymore, she didn't want her to kill herself. Maybe...maybe they were wrong to be so quick to judge. They should've giving Sunset a chance. Rarity desperately didn't want to the be the reason that made Sunset try to kill herself, "I...w-we need to tell the others..."

Fluttershy sniffed and nodded. The two hurried off to find their friends and tell them about this new development. Unbeknownst to them, Sweetie Belle heard them. She felt sick. She didn't want Sunset to kill themselves. This thing had gone to far. She needed to tell the others.

Sweetie Belle ran and found her friends. She pulled them in the bathroom. Applebloom and Scootaloo looked at her, worried. Applebloom spoke, "Whut's wrong, Sweetie?"

Sweetie Belle drew a breath, "We...we need to stop Anon-a-Miss. We need to tell our sisters."

"WHAT?!" yelled Scootaloo, "Are you out of your mind!? We'll get in so much trouble!"

"Ah hafta agree wit' Scootaloo, 'Belle. We can't tell 'em we're Anon-a-Miss."

"Sunset tried to kill herself!"

The other two took a step back in shock, "Wh-what?" asked Scootaloo, "A-are you sure?"

"I overheard Fluttershy tell Rarity about it," Sweetie Belle stayed silent for a moment. She walked past them.

"Where are ya goin'?" asked Applebloom.

"To tell our sisters. I won't say you were involved. I'll say it was all me," said Sweetie Belle somberly.

"No," Sweetie turned back to Applebloom, "If yer goin', then so are we. We're all ta blame, aren't we Scootaloo?"

Scootaloo nodded, "We all go down as one."

"Thanks, girls."

As one, they raced out of the bathroom. Asking around, they quickly found Rarity and Fluttershy. They just caught up with them when they reached Applejack. Rarity opened her mouth but Sweetie Belle spoke first, "We did it."

The three girls turned to the other three. Applejack raised an eyebrow, "Ya'll did whut now?"

Applebloom hesitated before speaking, "W-we're Anon-a-Miss."

The three older girls stared at them before Applejack burst out laughing, "That was a good one! We all know it was Sunset Shimmer. Right girls?"Applejack looked to see that Rarity and Fluttershy staring at them in shock, "Girls? Whut's wrong?"

Rarity ignored her, "P-prove it."

Applejack looked at her sister and the other two in confusion as Scootaloo pulled out her phone. That confusion turned to shock as Scootaloo proceeded to sign out of Anon-a-Miss and signed back in, "Wh-whut?" Applejack shook her head, "N-no! That can't be true! I-it has to be Sunset! Sh-she's Anon-a-Miss..."

"Sh-she tried to kill herself," said Fluttershy quietly.

Applejack turned to Fluttershy in shock, "She tried to what?!"

"She almost killed herself because of us..." Rarity said, trailing off before putting a hand to her mouth.

Applejack turned to her sister with tears in her eyes, "H-how...? H-how could ya'll do somethin' like that? How could you do that to Sunset...oh no."

"Oh dear God," said Rarity, having the same thought, "Sunset."

The three girls ran out to find their other friends. Applejack turned and glared at the other trio, "We're gunna have a talk later," she said before running to catch up with Rarity and Fluttershy.

They found Pinkie and Rainbow Dash by texting them. Once all gathered, they told the two what had happened.

Rainbow Dash shook her head, "Y-your joking...Y-you have to be joking..."

"I don't think they're joking," Pinkie quietly said, looking ill.

Rainbow grasped her hair and pulled at it, "We...we gotta find Sunset, now!"

By sheer luck they quickly found her, "There ya are! We've been lookin' everywhere fer ya..." Applejack trailed of at the sight of Sunset. While the black eye and bruises around her neck were worrying, that wasn't what made Applejack and the others pause.

Sunset was smiling.

It wasn't a nice smile either. There was no warmth in it. It was like one would see when one played a very cruel joke on somebody. And enjoyed it. Sunset's grin widened, "Go on, Applejack. Whatever did you need to speak to me about?"

"Th-those are some pretty nasty bruises on yer neck...whut happened?"

Sunset continued to smile, "Oh, I tried to hang myself," The girls' eyes went wide and paled in horror at her confirmation. Sunset continued, "Unfortunately the rope snapped."

"H-how is th-that a b-bad thing?" stammered Pinkie.

Sunset looked confused, "That's what you girls wanted, right? To me be gone from your life forever? What better way than to kill myself?"

The girls looked visibly ill.

Applejack gulped but continued speaking, "W-we jus' came by ta say how sorry we are...We were wrong. Wrong about ya. We shouldn't have abandoned you like that."

Rarity stepped forward, "There is no word for how sorry we are. How ashamed we are."

Rainbow Dash stepped forward too, "I'm...I'm sorry I was such a...bitch."

Pinkie Pie sniffed, "W-we didn't mean for you to try to k-kill yourself."

Fluttershy was too busy silently sobbing to say she was sorry.

Sunset didn't say anything, just continued to smile that cold smile. Applejack steeled herself and continued to speak, "Ah know we don't deserve it, we screwed up big time, but will ya ever forgive us? We can still be friends again eventually, right?"

Sunset stayed silent for a moment before bursting into laughter. Applejack and the others flinched back at the outburst.  She doubled over, hands on her knees before wiping a tear from her eye, "Oh wow. That's rich. It really is," she said.

Applejack realized that something was wrong with Sunset Shimmer, "A-are ya...alright?"

Sunset continued to chuckle for a few moments before managing to calm down, "Perfect actually," Sunset seemed to enjoy their confused looks, "I'm surprised as well. After all, the entire school and most of the surrounding business places not to mention my closest friends," she spat out that last word, causing the girls to flinch again, "turned against me. I'm just peachy."

"Uh..." started Applejack, that uneasy feeling in the back of her head growing.

"I find it funny, real funny, that you think I would ever want to be friends with you ever again," At this, Applejack's and the others hopes of being friends again were crushed. Sunset continued, "Still, I have to thank you girls, though."

Applejack blinked through her tears, "Wh-why?"

"Thank you for proving I was right all along. Friendship is useless," The girls took a step back, "Thank you, girls, for showing me the truth: it's every human for themselves," her face turned dark, " Thank you for bringing the old, true Sunset Shimmer back."

The girls paled in horror at this. Sunset turned on her heels and started to walk away. Rainbow started to go after her, "W-wait!"

Sunset's only reaction was to flip them off. She turned the corner, smirking back at them before disappearing from view...