I eased the pressure of the knife but made sure to keep it in contact with my skin. I looked in the mirror to see who the girl talking to me was.

"I'm... I'm leaving, permanently," I cried. "No one cares. After a group lovefest by the statue this morning, those two-faced... bitches showed me that all that matters to them is winning a stupid band competition. Now if you don't mind, it's time for me to go."

"Sunset, can you please put the knife down?" she asked me.

"Why?" I asked distressingly. "What do you care? I was set up earlier today to get me to lower my guard. And... and... then they took advantage of me."

"Sunset, why would they do something like that?," she said softly.

"Because... No. One. Cares," I said to her aggressively as my grief continued to take over."Don't you understand? No one."

"Sunset, please give me the knife," she pleaded. "I will help you. If others won't, I will. I promise."

I looked at the knife through my tears then at her and back down to my knife. I began to reapply more pressure against my skin.

"Sunset, please. If I didn't care, would I have been a figurative shoulder to cry on early this morning on the phone?" Twilight continued to press.

I eased the pressure again as I thought about what she asked. She had a point, but so did I and mine was resting on my wrist.

"Sunset, will you please let go of the knife?" she asked again.

I felt a small trickle of blood begin to run down my arm from where the skin was cut. My eyes had all but blinded me with tears as I continued to cry.

"Please, Sunset. Let me help you... I want to help you. More than you know..." Twilight begged softly.

My hand began trembling as the pain and confusion consumed me. I looked at the knife once more before I finally dropped it into the sink and fell to my knees, bawling into my hands.

Twilight knelt down and cradled me in her arms. "Everything is going to be fine, okay?" she told me. "I'll help you through this the best I can."

"Wh-why is this happening t-to me though?" I cried. "I-I just can't take... much... m-more."

"I don't know why this is happening, Sunset," Twilight told me as her eyes began to water. "You need to stay strong. I'll try to be with you for advice and an ear for you to talk to when you're down. When this issue with the Sirens is over, you'll still be able to keep in touch with me after I return to Equestria."

"You... you... really mean it?" I asked through my sobs. "You... you'll really be there for m-me?"

"Absolutely," Twilight replied as tears began running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry for how I treated you since I've been back. I had no idea you were near this point. How long have you been near ending your life?"

"About a-a month but th-the thoughts have *sniff* grown exponentially in th-the last two days," I told her as my crying began to subside slightly.

"Oh Sunset," Twilight said as she pulled me in tighter. "Why didn't you tell me things were this bad when you poured your heart out to me this morning?"

"I... *sniff* I don't know," I replied, still sobbing.

"Sunset, I imagine that is has got to be difficult but if you need help, please tell someone," Twilight said softly. "I know you have the strength to make it through this."

"How can you be so sure?" I asked her quietly. "I'm nothing. No one cares about me except you and Spike."

"Listen," she said as she pulled herself away and looked me in the eyes, "I'll have another talk with the girls with you present to make them see how they've treated you."

An weak, uneasy smile appeared on my face when told me that. I had stopped crying but my face was still soaked with tears.

"You'll really do that for me?" I asked.

"Of course," she smiled. "That's what friends do. They stick up for each other."

Twilight stood up, reached in the sink and grabbed my pocket knife.

"Can you show me how to close this?" she asked me as she held my knife.

"You should probably wash the blood off before you close it," I told her as I reached for the knife.

"No, I want the others to see how far they've pushed you," Twilight said sternly as she pulled the knife back out of my reach. "I know it sounds grim but I feel they need to see this. Also I'm going to hold on this for now to make sure you don't try cutting your wrists again."

"Ok then," I responded somewhat upset as I finally got off the floor. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?" Twilight repied as we left the restroom.

"How did you know to come check on me?" I asked her.

"Please don't take this the wrong way but I wasn't checking on you," she replied timidly.

"You weren't?" I asked, surprised.

"No, I was coming in here to have a moment to think and relax from writing the counter-spell," she admitted quietly. "The timing when I walked in was just a coincidence but I'm so glad that timing worked out how it did. I don't know what I'd do if you died by your own hoof, er, hand."

I stopped and pulled Twilight into a tight embrace and rested my chin on her right shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for caring. I would like to ask a favor please."

"Sure, what is it?" Twilight asked.

"Um, when you go back home..." I started nervously, "...will you ask Princess Celestia if I am... how to put this... welcome... back in Equestria in case things don't work out here?"

"I don't know why you wouldn't be," she replied assuringly. "She asked if you were ok when I returned after the Fall Formal. I will ask to be sure though."

I began to release more tears, this time they were tears of relief, before we broke the hug and went to join the rest of the girls at the amphitheater.

"Sunset, you wait here and hide until I motion you over. Then I want you to roll up your sleeve to show them where you tried cutting your vein," Twilight whispered after we got to the outdoor stage.

"Okay," I replied as she left me to hide as she approached the other girls.

"There you are Twilight!" shouted the prismatic-haired prima donna as Twilight went on the stage where the finale was being held.

"What happened to you? Did you get lost? I, mean, it's not it's hard to miss this place because its huge but I guess if you're not from around here and you get separated from your group..." Pinkie rambled before Twilight interrupted.

"How dare you?" Twilight said angrily. "All of you..."

I saw the Rainbooms stand there staring blankly at her as I hid just out of view. I never saw her angry before. Then she pulled out my pocket knife and opened it up.

"I went the restroom to take a short breather and found this in the sink," she chastized them. "This is Sunset Shimmer's pocket knife and I hope you all notice what's on the blade."

"Is... that... blood?" Fluttershy asked quietly.

"Yes it is," Twilight continued. "It's Sunset's blood. I hope you are all proud of yourselves."

"Oh my... no," Rarity gasped.

"Are y'all tellin' us that Sunset killed herself in th' lavatory?" Applejack asked with worry in her voice.

Twilight didn't say anything. She continued to stare daggers into her friends.

"I asked one favor of you girls after the Fall Formal," Twilight continued to yell at them. "Show Sunset Shimmer what it means to be a friend and how to make friends. Like I told all of you this morning, she has been feeling shunned and lonely. And now I find out that she's been suicidal lately."

"We didn't think anything was wrong," Rarity replied. "She never said anything to us until this morning."

"From what I've read, ponies, I mean, people that are depressed don't always say anything when something's wrong. Especially if they're shy or feel like they don't have anyone to talk to," Twilight told them. "You guys almost drove a good person to kill herself."

She then motioned at me to join her and as planned, I pulled my left sleeve up just past my wrist to show them the shallow cut that I had made about twenty minutes earlier.

"Had I been any later, I would've had to call the undertaker instead of joining you all on stage," Twilight said as her voice changed tones. "I can't begin to express the disappointment in you that I'm feeling."

The other five girls were silent as Twilight paused from her speech to catch her breath. I wanted to say something during this break in the tirade but the words kept escaping me.

"What's really disappointing is the fact that just this morning you all apologized to Sunset," Twilight resumed. "She let her guard down for the first time and then you guys, Rainbow Dash and Rarity especially, proceded to yell her after your performance in the semi-finals. Sunset, what are you looking at?"

Busted. Again.

"Oh. I, um, thought I saw someone's, uh, dog over by the speakers," I lied while I looked for a way to get to the top of the amphitheater. She may have stopped me in the bathroom but there was still a decent amount of spare cable to allow me swing like a pendulum after the show.

"I want you to stay in my sight at all times for now, Sunset," Twilight told me after I noticed she looked in the spot that I had been looking. "And stay away from those cables." She turned her attention back to the others and continued, "This is what I'm talking about. I'm trying to talk to you guys about how Sunset's been feeling and she's checking out the cables and the top of the stage. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what's going through her mind."

"Sunset, we are truly sorry," Fluttershy said weakly.

Then the rage hit me.

"Are you? You all joined in the feelgood moment by the statue, said you're sorry and all that shit. How can I be sure you're not putting on another act?" I yelled angrily as tears began to roll down my cheeks again. "Twilight's right. If she was any later, you... you..."

"Shhh," Twilight told me softly. "It's going to be fine. Trust me."

"No!" I shot back. "I need to get this out. I think Aria was right when she told me that no one would want to see your band if I was part of it. That's why no one asked me if I was interested. I have a beautiful voice that could help on backup vocals at the very least. But you all decided to get your revenge on me instead."

"Wait. What?" Rainbow Dash said, confused. "You think I'm getting..."

"Oh shut up Rainbow," I continued to rant. "You're the worst one. Everything always has be about you, doesn't it? My band, my songs, me, me, me. That's all you think about."

"Sunset? Why are y'all..." Applejack began before I interrupted.

"You know what?" I continued. "I should've said goodbye months ago. I could've avoided all this heartache, pain and anguish. I looked forward to learning what it means to be a friend and the example you set made me feel like our roles over the previous two and a half years had been reversed. I laid in bed almost every night, wondering if... if..."

My speech was cut short as I broke down again. Fluttershy approached me to try to comfort me but I pulled away before she could hold me in her arms. Rather, I turned and rested my face on Twilight's shoulder, which was followed by her wrapping her right arm around my back and holding my head with her left hand.

"It's going to take a long time for her to get over how she's been left out," Twilight calmly told her friends. Then she looked turned her attention to me. "Sunset, I know you've been hurt a lot recently but will you be willing to give them one more chance?"

I lifted my head, looked at Twilight, looked over my shoulder at the girls and then back at Twilight. After looking at the girls one more time, I thought for a few minutes, then gave my response.

Author's Notes:

I know, another cliffhanger, but where's the fun in giving the answers at the very end of the chapter if there's another chapter following it?