“This’ll be our room. I don’t have many rules, just keep your half clean.”

“Hm.”

“Lunch is in twenty, you’re gonna want to eat even if you’re not hungry. You won’t be getting any commissary for at least two weeks.”

“Alright.”

Twilight was hardly listening to her cellmate. Though she had never been arrested before, she knew how prison worked. It was simple. All she had to do was mind her business, do her work, and be where she was supposed to be. If she stood to herself, she would be fine.

“You good? This place can be a bit overwhelming,” said Shimmer. She introduced herself by her surname, which she said was the procedure in the prison. Twilight had ignored this and gave her full name, truly unconcerned with the place she found herself.

“I’m fine. Introduce me to some of the other prisoners.”

Shimmer nodded, then led Twilight out of the cell. They strolled around the block, chatting to most of the prisoners they came across. Shimmer avoided a few, but those that she did speak to where nice enough. Twilight barely paid attention to her neighbors, keeping her responses to simple hellos and goodbyes. When they had spoken to just about everyone, it was about time for lunch, so Shimmer directed her towards the cafeteria.

“All the jokes about prison food are kind of unfair,” said Shimmer, passing through the line with Twilight right behind her. “It’s not that it’s disgusting, it just doesn’t taste like shit. So, my advice is to go heavy on the salt and pepper, and get yourself some hot sauce as soon as you get some commissary.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small orange bottle “Here, I got some spare honey mustard, take it.”

“Thanks,” said Twilight. She took the bottle, wondering why Shimmer was being so nice to her. “Anything else I should know?”

“Uh, yeah, you’re gonna want to spend your comm cash wisely. I don’t know if you have someone sending you money, but your job won’t pay much. When you shop, you should grab your snacks and drinks and whatnot before anything else,” said Shimmer. “The commissary never runs out of toiletries and lady stuff, but they always run out of snacks. People will clear out the commissary and hoard the product so they can raise the price or get favors. Try not to take anything from people, because nothing is free around here.”

Twilight wasn’t listening. She was staring towards the center of the cafeteria. Shimmer noticed, frowning slightly.

“Hey, you should really pay attention,” said Shimmer. “I’m giving you some grade-A prison strategy. I could be charging for this shit.”

“Sorry, I was just distracted,” said Twilight. She pointed across the room.“Who’s that over there?” Shimmer turned, her face immediately going pale when she saw who Twilight was looking at. A prisoner near the back who was massive, matching Twilight’s height from his sitting position. He looked as though he could break Twilight in two with his bare hands.

“Stop pointing, right the fuck now,” hissed Shimmer. She practically dragged Twilight through the line. She sat her down, then pulled another bottle from her pocket which she used to douse her food.

“So? Who is he?” asked Twilight.

“His name is Biceps.”

“Biceps?”

“Look, I didn’t name him. Anyway, he’s a bad dude. Don’t cross him,” said Shimmer. “Matter of fact, don’t talk to him. Don’t look at him. Don’t say his name. He’s a bad guy.”

“I’m no saint, myself,” said Twilight.

“No shit, but this guy… He runs the block. You want something, you get it from someone who gets it from him. Everything goes through Biceps. You piss him off, you end up shanked in the shower by the end of the week.”

“Hm. He has a crew?”

“Hell yeah, he has a crew. That’s why you gotta be careful. These walls have ears,” warned Shimmer. “And eyes. And shivs. So don’t talk shit about Biceps.”

“How do you get into his crew?” asked Twilight. Shimmer dropped her fork, staring at her new roommate.

“You don’t. You don’t want that. If one of Biceps’ guys makes even a tiny mistake, they get whacked,” said Shimmer. “And that’s assuming you even get in, which you won’t. You don’t just fill out an application, give in your resume and send a letter of recommendation. Biceps picks you if he wants you, and he doesn’t want a freshie like you.”

“Of course. Just curious,” said Twilight. “I’m stuck here for a very long time. I want to know as much as I possibly can.”

Twilight lay in her bunk, staring up at the ceiling in thought. It was still strange, referring to it as her bunk. All of her years heisting, she never thought she’d see the inside of a prison cell. Now, over a year later, she was calling this place home.

“Got something for ya,” said Shimmer. In the time since meeting, the two had become rather close friends, close enough that Shimmer had shared her first name with Twilight.

“I told you to stop slipping me snacks, Sunset” said Twilight. “You’re gonna get me fat.”

“Start going to lunch and maybe I won’t have to,” said Shimmer. “Besides, it wasn’t snacks I was talking about. You got mail.”

“I never get mail.”

“Thus the announcement. It’s from someone with the initials H.A.R. Mean anything to you?” asked Shimmer, handing Twilight the letter.

“No. Probably some reporter trying to buy my story,” sighed Twilight. She split open the envelope and pulled out the letter. Immediately, she was intrigued. The letter was slightly scorched around the edges, as if the letter had been left too near a fireplace overnight. Twilight read the letter over three times, a grin spreading across her face.

“Well? Don’t leave me in anticipation,” said Shimmer. “What’s it say?”

“A friend of mine is coming to visit,” said Twilight. “A friend I haven’t spoken to in quite a while. He said to expect him two weeks from now.”

“That’s good. I’m happy for you,” said Shimmer. “Anyway, I gotta head to work. Keep out of trouble, Twilight.”

“Not on your life,” said Twilight with a devious smirk. Shimmer chuckled, then left the room to go to her prison-appointed job. Twilight smirked, amused by Shimmer’s assumption that she was joking.

“I’ve always been bad at that,” Twilight mumbled to herself, making a mental list of the things she’d need to gather in the next two weeks.

Twilight Sparkle was ready for her visit long before the day of the event. She had everything she needed. She could hardly sit still the day of the event. Shimmer noticed it when she went to meet up with Twilight for lunch.

“You still never told me who’s coming,” said Shimmer. “Who has you so excited?”

“It’s complicated,” explained Twilight. “And that’s all I’m going to say.”

“Fair enough. Well, the sooner we get to lunch, the sooner you get your visit. Let’s go.”

The two proceeded to the cafeteria and through the line, just as they always did. They sat near the back, their favorite table, and chatted idly while they ate. Shimmer always seemed to know the goings-on of the prison before anyone else, which was very useful to Twilight, who wanted to learn everything she could about how the prison worked. In return, Twilight had several stories from her past that Shimmer found to be extremely interesting. Their relationship was mutually beneficial, which is why Twilight thought they got along as well as they did.

“So we’re supposed to be getting a new busload of inmates from the South,” said Shimmer. “Some place in Appleloosa, I think. Warden doesn’t know really what to do with all of us, so we’re gonna be packed like sardines in a couple of weeks.”

“Hm. I imagine that we’ll be fine,” said Twilight. “Some of us are bound to be released soon enough, that’ll help. And I know a couple of girls who are getting moved to minimum security.”

“Yeah, but still,” sighed Shimmer. “This place fucking sucks. I need to talk to a lawyer about getting transferred to some place I can breathe,” She glanced at Twilight, regretting her statement. “Not that I’m in a hurry to leave you behind or anything. I’ll miss you when I’m gone, it’s just—”

“Shimmer. I get it,” said Twilight. “Don’t worry about it, I get it.” She glanced to the entrance, where, just on time, Biceps was strolling into the cafeteria. “Hey, Shim. I’ll be back.”

Twilight stood up, ignoring Shimmer’s protests. She made a beeline for Biceps, intercepting him at the food line. For a moment, Biceps didn’t even notice her. Twilight remained silent, waiting for her presence to be acknowledged. Biceps turned slightly, looking down at the woman beside him.

“What do you want?” he asked. Twilight reached into her pocket, strolling alongside Biceps.

“It’s my understanding that you’ve run the prison for quite a while,” said Twilight.

“What of it?”

Twilight pulled a sock from her pocket, in which there was a hard, metal padlock. Before Biceps could move, Twilight swung at his head, catching him with enough force to bring him to his knees. Twilight whipped her improvised flail wildly into Bicep’s face, battering him into a bloody mess.

“Not anymore,” said Twilight. She dropped the bloody sock, raising her hands above her head as the guards swarmed her. She allowed herself to be handcuffed easily and hauled away, a smile plastered on her face the whole time.

“What the hell?” Shimmer stared, utterly perplexed at what just occurred. Twilight merely smiled as she was ushered out of the cafeteria, towards the Security Housing Unit. She ignored all of the guards shouts of giving out shots and spending up to a week in solitary. She didn’t care. Why would she? Twilight had far more pressing things on her mind.

She had a visitor on their way, and she needed to be ready.

Twilight had lost track of how many days she had been in solitary confinement. Based on the number of meals she had received, she reasoned it must’ve been three. The guards that had shoved her into her box never said exactly how long she’d be stuck there, but that ultimately didn’t matter. Twilight knew that, for beating her fellow inmate half to death, she’d be in the SHU for quite a long time.

Her room was closet-size, so small that Twilight could touch both walls by spreading her arms. It contained only her thin, stiff bed, a dirty, grimy toilet, and an equally grungy sink. The door was the same dull, dreary grey as the walls, with a slot near the bottom to allow for air circulation and for food to be slid in.

Twilight stood in front of her sink, brushing her teeth. The guards hadn’t even given it to her, she had been forced to buy it and keep it on her person beforehand. As she was rinsing the vileness of the previous night’s meal from her mouth, there was a knock at the door. Twilight smirked. She didn’t know what day it was, but she knew that it was too soon for another meal.

“Yes?” she said, spitting into the sink. “How may I help you?”

A tray slid through the slot. Sitting on the tray was a respirator mask, one that Twilight recognized. She had used one similar, if not the exact mask, for the Museum heist. She smirked, then grabbed her sheet from her bed. She soaked it in cold water for a bit, then slipped the respirator onto her face. She slid the tray back out, pressed the cold sheet over her eyes and, still clutching her toothbrush, knocked on her side of the door.

A faint hiss slithered through Twilight’s cell, the room growing a bit warmer. Despite her improvised protection, her eyes still burned slightly, though it was nothing that she couldn’t persevere through. She waited patiently, about ten minutes passing before the hissing died. She heard the click of a lock, then a heavy thunk of her door swinging open. She pulled the sheet and mask from her face, grinning at what she saw.

“Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” said Twilight. “You know, you could’ve wrote to me. You didn’t have to go through all this trouble just to say hello.”

“Fuck off.” If Twilight hadn’t been expecting her, she might not have recognized Dash. She wore a drab, grey prison guard uniform, carried herself more stiffly. She even cut her hair to fit with regulation. Without another word to Twilight, she went on down the hall. Twilight took her toothbrush and followed her.

“Where’s evac?” asked Twilight.

“Window upstairs,” said Dash flatly. “We rappel down. Rift is waiting for us.”

“Mh-hm. Who cooked up the knockout gas?”

“Who do you think?”

Twilight didn’t respond, but she clutched her toothbrush just a bit tighter. She followed her former partner from the basements of the SHU, all the way up the stairs. They were silent for most of the trip, neither of them wanting to show their hand just yet. They passed by Twilight’s cell, where Shimmer was laying on the floor. Twilight let her gaze linger on her friend for a moment, but moved on quickly. When she was out, she’d look into returning for her. Right now, Twilight had to worry about herself.

“Here,” said Dash, pausing at a window on the uppermost floor of the prison. It was one of the only sources of natural light the prisoners received.

“Why are you here?” asked Twilight. Dash pushed the loose window open, then grabbed her climbing rope from her belt. She attached it to the window and threw it to the ground.

“You were right. Apparently, I can’t protect her from shit,” snarled Dash. “At least now I know who to really be mad at.”

“Did you break me out with the intention of killing me later?”

“I don’t want anything to do with your fucking Crew anymore. I just want to get my sister and leave.” Dash gestured for the rope, eager to get out as soon as possible.

“Where’s Rift again?” asked Twilight. Dash pointed a bit to their right, where Twilight could just barely make out the front of Rift’s car. She nodded, then turned to face Dash. Smiling, she flipped her toothbrush upside down to show the sharpened end of the plastic.

She stuck Rainbow just under the ribs, then in the gut, the chest, and the throat. Rainbow Dash lay on the floor, trembling as the blood leaked from her wounds.Twilight dropped her shank onto Dash’s body, taking a seat next to her head.

“I… I came to save you…” gasped Dash.

“And that was a mistake. You should’ve left me to rot,” said Twilight. “You don’t have much longer. Get out your last words while you can.”

“Leave… Leave Scootaloo…” she begged. “Let her go. Give… Give her my… Cut. Tell her… To run…”

“Hm… No,” said Twilight after a moment of thought. “I’m not going to let her go. I’m going to put a bullet in her brain.” Dash tremored, some part of her still attempting to protect her sister. “And I’m going to tell her that you left her behind before I do it. She’s going to think you abandoned her. Her last moments of conscious thoughts will be used cursing your name to hell. Then, I’m going to look her in the eye and tell her exactly why I’m going to shoot her.”

“Why…?”

“Because you went against me. She's going to die knowing that it was all your fault.” Twilight stood up, wiping the blood on her hands onto Dash’s pant leg. “Goodbye, Apollo. I’ll miss you.”

Twilight scaled the window, sliding down the rope to the floor. She smiled as she approached Rift’s car, ready for his inevitable attempt at making light of the situation. True to her prediction, he was out of his car and holding open the passenger door by the time Twilight arrived.

“Your chariot hath arrived, m’lady,” he said with a smirk. Twilight laughed slightly, giving Rift a light hug.

“It’s good to see you, Rift,” said Twilight. “I was a bit afraid that you’d be on your way out of the country once I went on trial.” She slid into the car, while Rift closed the door and did the same.

“Nah, I had confidence in you. Plus, I knew you had powerful friends,” said Rift. He looked out of his window, tapping the steering wheel impatiently. “Where the hell is she?”

“Dash won’t be joining us,” said Twilight. Rift looked at her, puzzled. “Just drive, Rift. Don’t ask questions. Just drive.”

“O-okay. Where to?” asked Rift. Twilight looked up at the prison she had just escaped, suddenly feeling a wave of disgust pass over her, a disgust that she hadn’t felt before.

“Home,” she said simply.

Twilight walked into the laundromat, puffing on the cigarette she had gotten from Rift. It had been far too long since her last smoke, and this single cigarette was extra soothing. She let out a swirling cloud of smoke as she pushed over the broken dryer, then descended down the ladder. She strolled down the hall, pushing open the double doors of the Planning Room.

“Welcome home.”

Twilight stared at him for a while before speaking, getting lost in the surrealness of the moment. It had been so long since the two last spoke, it was almost like meeting for the first time. He looked just the same as always, though his piercing emerald eyes had a tired sort of gloss to them.

“Aren’t I supposed to be the big mastermind here?” asked Twilight. “Where do you get off, planning a job better than me?”

“Well, you went on the biggest heist in history without me,” said Spike. “It’s only fair I steal the only thing worth more than the crown by myself.”

“Aww, that’s sweet. How long did it take you to put this all together?”

“I’ve been working ever since you were sentenced. Had to burn through most of your cash in order to get all the pieces together,” said Spike. “Sorry about that.”

“That’s okay. We’ll have plenty of time to earn it back,” said Twilight. “Where’s my mask? Did you manage to get that, too?”

“I left Widow’s, but the Gorgon is on the chess table.” Twilight strolled past Spike to the table, all of her focus devoted to the mask. Spike watched her, his hand hovering over the gun on his waist. “Now, Twilight… You’ve got that look in your eyes, and I just wanna say something before you get yourself going.”

“Go ahead,” said Twilight.

“Twilight, I’m with you to the end. You know that, right? I’ll stand by your side until the very end. No matter what choice you make, I’ll support you,” said Spike, slowly drawing his pistol. “But I’m going to give you some options, because I know you don’t think you have any. You can put the mask back on, start planning the next heist, and keep on going as if nothing happened. Or… We can leave. We can try having a normal life. I’ve been doing that since you left Appleloosa, and it’s way underrated. We can live out our days in peace.” Spike flipped the safety off of his weapon, keeping it at the ready. “You have options. So, what are we going to do next?”

Spike silently begged his friend to make the right decision. He pleaded mentally that the stars align and Twilight did the right thing, made the right choice. His hands trembled slightly as Twilight stood there, stewing on what Spike had said. Spike’s stomach knotted as Twilight raised the mask to her face. With a heavy heart, he raised his pistol, his aim true, his trigger finger ready.

“Simple,” said Twilight. “Next, we rebuild.”

Spike closed his eyes, but could do nothing to stop himself from hearing the shot ring throughout the laundromat. There was a dull thud, as well as the soft clattering of chess pieces hitting the floor. With tears streaming down his face, he dropped his gun, the barrel still smoking. Spike stepped over the fallen chessboard, grabbed the mask from Medusa’s face, stowed it into a duffel bag, then headed for the surface. When he was outside he took in a deep breath and released it in the form of emerald flames that licked up and down the laundromat.

Spike went on down the street, praying that the Queen of Thieves may finally know peace.

Author's Notes:

Thank you all for your time. I appreciate everyone who read this through to the end. You kept me running this past year.

Goodbye.