Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Luna all headed inside the asylum to search for Rainbow and the three girls. Once inside, Applejack said, “Let’s split up. We’ll each take a floor and meet back here in twenty minutes.”

“We need to be careful around here, as well. This place looks like it could fall on our heads at any moment,” Luna said, looking around warily.

“Vice Principal Luna and I will try the second and third floors and will call you two if we find them upstairs.” Rarity said, pulling out her phone. Her eyes narrowed slightly as her phone showed no reception could be found. “Oh, blast it. My phone isn’t working. How about the rest of you?”

Applejack looked at her phone. “No, my phone don’t work out here, neither.” Looking at Twilight, she added, “What about you, Twilight? Does yer phone work here?”

“I don’t have a phone,” Twilight said. “I’m from Equestria, remember? I don’t even know how to use one.”

Rarity looked at her incredulously and said, “Darling, do you mean to tell us that in all the time you’ve been here, no one has ever shown you how to use a cell phone?”

Shaking her head, Twilight said, “No, but we can worry about that later. Come on, Applejack. Since they’re searching upstairs, we’ll search down here.”

“You got it, Twi,” Applejack said, turning her flashlight app on.

Giving Rarity and Luna a nod, both Applejack and Twilight began their search as Rarity and Luna went upstairs. Applejack moved her flashlight around her surroundings, finding it hard to shake the nervous feeling she got at the run-down state and dead silence of the building, not helped by the sharp shadows formed by her flashlight.

“This sure is one spooky place, huh, Twilight?”

“I am not focused on that right now, AJ. I am more worried about the girls than I am about this place,” Twilight replied sternly.

The girls stopped as they came to a large, steel door, the first of many. Applejack gulped lightly as Twilight pushed and pulled on the door. Unable to open it, she banged her fist on it, the sound echoing in the hallway behind them and in the room beyond. After a few seconds of silence, Twilight said, “I don’t think the girls are in there; if they were, we would have heard something.”

“You’re right,” Applejack responded. “Let's move on. There's plenty more rooms to check.”

The pair continued on, checking every door and room along the way. Moving around the corner and further down the hallway, the girls stopped when they saw they couldn’t go any further; half the hallway was blocked off by a gigantic tree that had fallen many years ago, blocking all access to the rooms that remained on that half of the first floor. Looking around, Applejack said, “We ain't going no further, Twi. Let's check out the other side of the building.”

Twilight nodded, and both girls turned around and started to head back the way they came. Trying to keep her mind occupied, Twilight asked, “Do you know what Mr. Cake meant when he said this was the only place Sunset feels safe? I mean, I don’t see how anyone can feel safe in this awful place.”

“Ah don’t know, but we’ll find out once Sunset is back to herself and once Ah give her a good talking to,” Applejack replied with conviction.

“Sounds good to me. Let’s keep our eyes peeled.”

As the pair passed the main staircase in the lobby, they heard a shrill whistle from the second floor. The two rushed upstairs and saw Luna waving them over. Rarity stood nearby, peering into one of the cells. As they approached, they heard Rarity speaking excitedly to someone inside.

“We found them!” Luna said with a mix of relief and distress. She pointed to the room Rarity was in front of. “Go ahead and look, but it’s not pretty.”

Twilight and Applejack rushed over as Rarity moved aside. Applejack shined her flashlight inside, lighting up the dingy room. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo all stared at them, relief painted on their bruised and filthy faces. In the next room over, Applejack’s light flashed on a battered and bruised Rainbow Dash, who lay motionless in the middle of the room.

Twilight gasped when she saw how badly hurt her friend was, saying, “Rainbow Dash! What happened to her?”

“She picked a fight with Sunset,” Scootaloo called. “Sunset got really mad and went nuts, then she beat the crap out of Rainbow. Please, do something!”

“Alright, you girls see if you can get them out. I’ll get Celestia. She’ll know what to do,” Luna said, walking back down the path the group had come from.

“Alright. Come on, girls. Let’s get you four out of here. Then, I’ll take care of Sunset,” Twilight growled bitterly.

Applejack shined her light into Apple Bloom's cell, saying, “Apple Bloom, are Y'all alright?”

“No, Ah ain't alright. My ankle’s broken and I wanna go home!” Apple Bloom responded irritably.

Twilight asked, “Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, how about you? Are either of you hurt?”

“My elbow’s broken, and so is Scootaloo’s leg,” Sweetie Belle said.

Twilight and Applejack exchanged worried glances. Finally, Applejack said to them, “Y’all just sit tight. We’ll think of a way to get you three out of this here cell...somehow.”

---

Summer slowly rolled over onto her back, moaning in pain. Gilda rushed to her side and gently pulled Summer into her lap as Summer woke up.

“Ooooh, my head.” Summer tried to sit up, adding, “What happened? Where's Sunset?”

“She’s gone, Summer. You got yourself struck by lightning!” Gilda said. “You big dummy! What were you thinking? How could you take Sunset on by yourself?” Holding Summer in her arms, she added as a tear trickled down her cheek, “I don’t want to lose you, Summer. I don’t want to raise this baby by myself.”

“Gilda, try to keep her from moving around too much,” Celestia said. “I’ll go check on Carrot.”

Mr. Cake began to stir as Celestia approached, and Celestia helped him sit up against a nearby tree. As he got his bearings, he noticed the state Summer was in. “Celestia,” he said, “I have a first aid kit, a blanket, and a tarp in the back of my van. Go get them for Summer.”

“Good idea. We can keep her warm while I look her over and use the tarp to carry her to a better place.”

“Celestia!” Celestia heard Luna call out to her as the woman ran towards them. “We found them!”

“That’s wonderful!” Celestia said, relieved. “How are they?”

“They’re in pretty bad shape. Sunset did a number on all of them. We need your help.”

“It’ll have to wait until I can deal with Summer,” Celestia said apologetically. “You saw what Sunset did to her.

“What can I do to help?” Luna asked, worried.

“Warm up the van. We need a warm and comfortable space for Summer and the girls,” Celestia replied.

“Get my saw, as well,” Mr. Cake said. “You’ll need it to get some branches to make a makeshift stretcher.”

“Got it.” Taking the key, Luna got in the van and started it up. Her eyes fell to a picture of Sunset taped to the dashboard. The picture showed Luna, Sunset, Celestia and Mr. Cake, each holding a cup of hot cocoa, each looked very happy. Closing her eyes, Luna said to herself, “If only we go back to that, back to being a family again.”

Celestia grabbed the indicated items and rushed back to Summer as Mr. Cake slowly walked over to them.

“How bad is it, Celestia?” Mr. Cake asked. “Do you think you can you help her?”

“I don’t know, Carrot; Summer took an awful beating,” Celestia replied, opening the first aid kit and kneeling down next to Summer. “I have never seen Sunset so angry before. Not even during the Fall Formal did I ever see her act like this.” Celestia trailed off, applying ointment and bandages to Summer’s burns and open wounds. Once finished, Celestia got up and took the saw. “I’ll start cutting down branches.” Turning her attention to Gilda, Celestia added, “Gilda, try to keep Summer’s mind off her pain.”

“What about me?” Luna asked, getting out of the van. “The van’s warm. Is there anything else I can do?”

“You can stay there or go inside. You’ll just get in the way here!” Mr. Cake snapped.

“Hey!” Luna snapped back, surprised at the sudden hostility. “We are all worried about Sunset and the girls, but taking your anger out on me won’t help.” Looking down, she added, “I wish none of this happened, too. I wish more than anything in the fucking world that Sunset was--”

“Was what?” Mr. Cake demanded. “Still dead? Is that what you want? I have a chance--a once-in-a-lifetime chance--to get my daughter back, and you want her to still be in the damn grave?! Do you have any fucking idea how much pain my wife has gone through losing Sunset the first time or what I’m going through knowing that we might have to…to…”

“To what, Carrot?” Luna asked.

“To kill my beloved daughter. To destroy her entirely to make sure that nothing of her is left,” Mr. Cake finished with a soft, forced whisper. Sighing, he added, “I’m sorry I lost my temper with you, Luna. You’re right; I shouldn’t take my anger out on you or anyone else.”

“It’s alright, Carrot. We’re all stressed,” Luna said softly. “And for the record, I was going to say ‘cured’. I wish Sunset were cured of whatever the hell is affecting her. As for what I’ll do, I’ll get back to the van. We need to be ready to leave at a moment’s notice in case Sunset comes back.”

Giving her a nod, Mr. Cake headed over to Celestia, who was just finishing her second branch. She stripped the long, sturdy branches and laid them on either side of the tarp.

“Can I help?” Gilda asked from where she sat. “I need something to take my mind off of things.”

“I can handle this, Gilda,” Celestia said, tying the tarp to the branches. “If you want to help, talk to Summer. Give her something to focus her attention on, and try to keep her from losing consciousness.” Looking up from her work to Carrot, Celestia added, “Carrot, once I’ve made sure Summer is stable, we’ll get the girls out of the asylum and take all five to a hospital.”

“Alright,” Carrot replied, “It’ll be a tight fit, but we have no choice.”

Finished tying the tarp to the branches, Celestia rolled her sleeves up in preparation for moving Summer. Gilda noticed a tattoo on Celestia’s right forearm of a coiled snake with a skull and dagger over its head. Gilda gulped, saying, “You were a part of the Forty-Seventh?”

“Huh? Oh, my tattoo. Yes, I was. How’d you make the connection?”

“My grandpa. He has the same tattoo on his right arm, and he was also a part of that unit. He fought at Heartbreak Ridge during the Korean War.” Gilda paused. “He got his left arm blown off.”

“What is your last name, Gilda, if I may ask?”

“Griffin. Why?”

“Your grandfather was Commander Gruff Griffin, yes? He’s a legend in the military. In fact, he’s the reason I signed up in the first place. When I was younger, I wanted to be like him: a big wartime hero. It didn’t turn out the way I had hoped, though. Listen, when this is over, perhaps I can help you to...locate him.”

Gilda’s eyes widened in shock. Her jaw trembled lightly as she felt her heart pounding in her chest. “Y-You know where he is?”

“Yes, I do. You see, he saved my life.” With a smile, she added, “I’ll tell you little more later, after we get out of here.”

“Okay,” Gilda said excitedly. Looking down at Summer, Gilda said, “You hear that, Summer? Celestia’s gonna help us find my grandpa! Isn’t that great?” Gilda’s excited speech was cut short when Summer began to shake violently in Gilda’s arms, her eyes rolling back into her head. “Summer!”

“She’s having a seizure! Move!” Celestia snapped, pushing Gilda away. “I need to get Summer on her side to keep her airway open.” Quickly rolling Summer to her right side and putting her coat underneath Summer’s head like a cushion, Celestia leaned back, adding, “All we can do is let her ride this out, Gilda.” Seeing Gilda was about to grab onto Summer, Celestia quickly grabbed her, holding the worried girl in her arms. “I know you’re scared, Gilda, but she’ll be alright. You have to trust me on this.”

Gilda watched helplessly as Summer flailed about for several minutes like a fish out of water before finally coming to a rest. Slowly, Summer opened her eyes. Breathing heavily, she looked around, clearly disoriented. Gilda broke free from Celestia's grasp, grabbing tightly onto Summer. Celestia gently laid her hands on Summer's shoulders, saying to Gilda, “I need you to move over to her feet. On three, we’ll lift and move her onto the stretcher and then together pick it up and move her to the van.”

“A-Alright.” Gilda swallowed hard, worried “I-I--”

“It's going to be alright, Gilda.” Turning her attention to Summer, Celestia continued, “Summer, this might hurt a bit, but I need to get you on this stretcher.”

Gilda got up and took her position at Summer’s feet. Celestia counted to three, and both lifted Summer, who screamed in pain. Gently setting her down on the stretcher, Gilda and Celestia picked up the stretcher and moved as fast as they could towards the van. They arrived not a moment too soon; a light drizzle was beginning to fall on the women. The duo set Summer into the back of the van, and Gilda climbed in next to Summer while Mr. Cake headed inside the asylum to search for the girls.

Suddenly, Celestia heard Twilight call from the second floor, “Celestia, we need a way to open their door! Do you have something that can pick the lock?”

“I might be able to help you. Carrot’s on his way, and I’ll be up in just a minute. Try to keep them calm,” Celestia called back. Looking to Gilda, who held Summer in her arms, she said, “Gilda, I have to go help the others. Will you--”

“Go on. I’ll be alright, and I’ll make sure Summer will be, as well.”

“Make sure you keep her warm and conscious, Gilda,” Celestia said seriously.

“I-I’ll try, but make it quick. I don’t know how much longer Summer will last without medical attention.”

Quickly heading inside out of the drizzle that quickly strengthened to rain, Celestia met Mr. Cake, and they both rushed to the second floor. They soon met Twilight, who led them to the prisoners’ cells. “The kids are as calm as can be given the situation,” Twilight reported, slightly impressed.

“That’s good,” Celestia replied. Looking around, however, she noticed someone missing. “Where’s Rarity?’”

“Dunno,” Applejack replied, looking around as if just noticing the fashionista’s absence. “She was here a minute ago. Guess she wandered off.” Sudden moaning from Rainbow’s cell grabbed everyone’s attention as the athlete began to awaken.

Twilight said through the window, “Hang on, Rainbow. Celestia is here now. She’ll get you out of there.”

Mr. Cake said, “I’ll go find Rarity and bring her back. Now’s not the time to be wandering around this place.”

“Alright. I’ll stay here and help to get the kids out of these cells,” Celestia said. Kneeling down, she looked at the door’s lock. “Hmmm. Seems like a circular spring lock, only bigger. I am rather.....familiar with this type of lock. I should be able to open it, I hope.”

Leaving the women, Mr. Cake headed down the hallway, soon finding Rarity sitting on a bed in a cell, her eyes coldly staring at a very old, musty, leather-bound book. Her fingers ran up and down the pages slowly.

“Rarity, why are you here?” Mr. Cake asked, worried about the young girl. “Where did you get the book from?”

Without looking up, Rarity replied, “I got it out of Warden Night Medstone’s office. This is my grandmother's journal.” Looking up, she wiped a hand over her eyes, adding, “My mother told me horror stories of this place, but I didn’t actually believe that my family was actually committed to this place. But this is proof.”

Entering the room, Mr. Cake gently helped her up, saying softly, “There will be plenty of time to read this journal once we get Summer and the others to the hospital. For now, we need you to stick with the group, alright?”

“Alright.” Taking in a deep breath and slowly letting it out, Rarity added, “I just needed a moment to process everything, is all. I’ll be alright now. Let's get back to the others, shall we?”

Giving her a slight nod, Mr. Cake led Rarity by her hand back to the group, where Celestia was inspecting the door. Reaching into his coat pocket, he took out a pen and said, “Try this, Celestia.”

Looking at the pen, she practically snatched it from his hand to everyone else’s surprise. She blushed bashfully and said, “Let’s just say I’ve been around the block a bit.” Setting to work, Celestia soon had the door open. Taking his pen back, Mr. Cake set to work on the other door as Celestia headed inside to begin checking on Rainbow.

It didn’t take long before Mr. Cake had the door unlocked, getting similarly surprised looks from the group. He smirked and said, “I was no saint in my youth, either. Who knows where I’d be if Celestia’s mother hadn’t set me on the right path.”

Her blush returning, Celestia exited Rainbow’s cell, the nearly unconscious teen athlete in her arms, “Alright, everyone. Let’s all head out to the van. You all will take these girls to the hospital. I’ll be staying behind with Mr. Cake in the hopes of helping Sunset if she decides to return here.” Turning to Twilight, she added, “Twilight, I’ll need you to stay, as well. Perhaps the three of us can help Sunset overcome what has happened to her.”

Everyone began to help the Crusaders out of the cell. Rarity took her sister in her arms in a surprising show of strength. “Come on, Sweetie Belle. Let’s get you to a hospital. Then, we can get you a proper night’s rest in a proper bed and hopefully put this whole dreadful ordeal behind us.”

“I’m scared, Rarity. What if Sunset comes back?”

“Don’t worry, sweetheart. I won’t let her hurt you again. I promise.”

Holding the scared girl close to her chest, Rarity began to carry Sweetie Belle out of the asylum, getting outside with everyone else in tow a few minutes later. They trudged through the downpour to the van, and Luna helped everyone get inside. Looking to Celestia, she said, “Tia, are you sure about staying here? What if Sunset comes back? I don’t think she’ll be happy to see that you’re the only ones here.”

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back to her normal self. I won’t lose my goddaughter again, Lu. Now get in. I need you to take everyone to the hospital.”

“Alright. Just be careful.” Luna climbed into the driver’s seat, saying, “It's been a long time since I drove a stick shift, so this might be a bit of a bumpy ride.”

Putting the van in gear and setting the wipers on high, Luna called, “I’ll send help as soon as I can!” and pulled away from the asylum, stopping when a taxi pulled up to the parking lot. Luna watched uneasily as Sonata Dusk stepped out of the cab, giving the group a stern look, seemingly unfazed by the storm.

“Uh, why are you here, Sonata?” Luna asked loudly.

“I’m here to help Sunset. Do you know where she is?” Sonata replied with none of her normal, chipper attitude.

“I’m right here!”

Everyone looked up in horror to see Sunset floating in the sky above them, a deep, angry look plastered on her face as lightning danced in the sky above her. She descended slowly, looking from the van to her father. “Why are you still here, Father?” she asked. “I don’t want you involved in this! Leave!”

“I can’t do that, honey! I have to help you!” he replied. Looking down, he added, “Despite everything that you’ve done, you’re still my daughter, and I still love you, Sunset. Please, come home so we can be a family again.”

“It’s too late for that, Father! I love you too, but it’s too late for me to have a family, for me to be at peace.” Landing in front of Sonata, she added, “If you turn on me as well, Sonata, I’ll kill you along with them. Leave or die. The choice is yours.”

“I can’t do that, Sunset. I love you, but I can’t let you hurt anyone else. I’m sorry, Sunset. I truly am." Looking down, Sonata's face showed pain and anger as she added, "I know what was taken from you, Sunset. I know the real reason why you’re doing this. Please, let us help you. You can get back what was stolen from you. I know you can if--”

Her words were cut off when Sunset right-hooked Sonata in the jaw, sending her flying into the taxi cab. Roaring a guttural, bestial roar of rage, Sunset turned and charged at Twilight.

Next Chapter: Pulled from Elysium Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 32 Minutes