Sunset drove for nearly two hours in silence, leaving the three girls to whimper and struggle, though their struggles ended after the first twenty minutes of the trip. Finally, as Sunset neared her destination, she broke the silence. “Don’t worry, girls; we're almost there. I know you're probably hungry, so I'll leave some food and water for you, even though it's more than you deserve.”

Each of her captives gave her a worried look as Sunset drove along the broken, dirt road under the setting sun. Getting to her destination a half-hour later, Sunset pulled over, shut off the truck, got out, and set to work moving the girls. She took Apple Bloom first, saying as she hefted the frightened thirteen-year-old over her shoulder, “Now, don’t struggle, kid. You don’t wanna make me angry.”

As Sunset approached the building, Apple Bloom saw a worn-out, stone sign in front that read ‘Cryst--’, the rest of the words having worn away with time. The building was bricked and boarded up, and nature was in the middle of reclaiming the place. The spreading shadows of the evening sun simply served to make the building darker and more menacing. Carrying her captive inside and down a filthy hallway, Sunset reached a room that had clearly seen better days. Setting Apple Bloom down on a very old, musty bed, she ungagged the farm girl.

“Where are we?” Apple Bloom asked, scared. “What are you gonna do ta us?”

“This is an abandoned insane asylum. As for why you're here, it's simple: You're bait. I need a way to get your sisters all in one place too far away from civilization to go for help, and what better way than to use their dear sisters to lure them in?”

Seeing that Sunset was leaving the room, Apple Bloom yelled out, “Sunset, let me go! Ah won’t tell anyone about this, Ah swear.”

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Apple Bloom watched as Sunset closed the door and locked it. To her fright, Apple Bloom noticed that the door had bars on its window and locked from the outside, cluing her in that she wasn't just in a bedroom; she was in a cell.

Leaving Apple Bloom alone in the silent, dark asylum cell, Sunset headed back outside, returning with Scootaloo a few minutes later. She placed the young athlete in the same room as Apple Bloom, and once Sunset undid Scootaloo's gag, the teen begged, “Please let us go, Sunset! We're so sorry for everything we did to you!”

“'Sorry' doesn’t cut it anymore. I've heard those words too many times to believe they mean anything!” Sunset got in their faces and glared venomously at them. “Never again will I sit back and let assholes like you take advantage of me. Love? Friendship? It's all a lie! And I'm through with believing in lies.”

Sunset stalked out of the room, going back outside one last time to get Sweetie Belle, who was crying in the back of the pickup. Somehow, her gag came loose from her mouth. Looking at the sobbing teen angrily, Sunset snapped, “Get up, bitch! It's your turn.”

“Why? Why are you doing this, Sunset?” Sweetie asked as she tried to choke back her tears.

“You're still on that?" Sunset snapped. "Well, let me enlighten you. Not only did you three begin a chain reaction that destroyed my life, but you also broke my parents' hearts! They were the only people in both worlds who ever truly cared about me, and you hurt them in the worst possible way. Even before I killed myself, you should've seen the pain in my mother's eyes whenever I told her about yet another person hurting me or yelling at me, pain that you three caused.”

“B-But, you're back now! Didn't you go see them?”

“No, I didn't. They probably already know by now after the stunt I pulled at the dance, but I never went to see them in person."

"Why not?" Sweetie asked slightly indignantly. "If they're so important to you, why didn't you show them their daughter is alive?"

Sunset counted on her fingers. "Well, for starters, the cops are on my tail, and I don't want to bring them to my parents. Secondly, they'll know how I've come back, and that'll just do more harm than good. And last, but not least, I don't want them getting involved in something that could just end up hurting them." Sunset re-gagged Sweetie and hefted the teen over her shoulder. "But enough about that. You have some scum to join.”

Sunset carried Sweetie to the cell, where she placed the crying girl on the bed next to the others. Before she left, she ungagged and untied Sweetie Belle, allowing the girl to cradle her broken arm and began untying her friends. Locking the door behind her, Sunset smirked through the bars and said, "Now, I need to go run some errands. Don't go anywhere." Sunset's laughter echoed through the halls as the girls hugged each other and silently cried.

“Now to get some food and water to keep them alive. And something to keep them warm, I guess," Sunset said, a chilly gust of wind reminding her that winter was still on. Pulling out Big Mac's wallet, she counted the money and tutted. "Looks like I'm gonna have to shop cheap if I want enough food and water to last." She climbed into the truck and settled back into the seat, almost jumping when the cold faux leather touched her back. "That's right: I destroyed my shirt during my little episode back at the farm. Guess I was too worked up to notice something like this."

Sunset dug around in the back, hoping to find something to cover herself; her back and shirt would just draw too much attention. She smiled when she found a light coat and hastily put it on. Feeling less exposed, she pulled out Big Mac's map to plan her trip. Her eyes lit up when she noticed that there was a farm nearby. "Bingo. I should be able to stretch this cash out a little more on a farm, and there won't be anyone nearby to notice me." Her mind made up, she made her way to the farm in the growing darkness.

The drive was uneventful, spent mainly with Sunset thinking of a convincing story for the farm owners, and after ten minutes, Sunset found herself knocking at the door of a quiet farmhouse, potted flowers dotting the windows and patio while the orange glow of the sunset gave the house a tranquil, lived-in look.

The door opened, revealing a small, elderly woman. The woman flashed a neighborly smile. “Hello, dear. How may I help you?”

"Uh, hi, ma'am," Sunset said, wearing a faux-sheepish smile. "Sorry to bug you so late, but my friends and I are going camping, but while we were at a rest stop, some raccoons stole all our food and blankets. And it turns out that someone didn't pack enough water for the cabin. So, uh, if it's not too much to ask, could I maybe buy some food, water, and blankets?" Sunset ended her speech with as hopeful a smile as she could muster.

"Oh, you poor dear, of course, you can," the woman said sympathetically. "It's just my husband and me here, so we have plenty to spare. How much do you need?"

“Uh, about two weeks worth,” Sunset said shyly. "And enough blankets for three people."

“Well, it's a lot, but I can't just turn away a nice, young woman in need. Wait right here.” The woman closed the door and went inside, where Sunset could hear her talking to her husband. After about ten minutes, the door opened up, and the woman reappeared with a large wagon holding several sacks of vegetables and jugs of water. A stack of folded blankets sat behind the edibles. "Here you go. Just go ahead and leave the wagon when you finish loading your truck; we'll take care of it."

Sunset pretended to sigh in relief. “You're a lifesaver, ma'am. Oh! Do you have an extra first aid kit? We forgot ours at home.”

“Why, yes, we do.” The woman went back inside for a few moments, returning with the kit and placing it in the wagon. "Here you go."

Sunset quickly paid the woman and set to loading the truck. Just as she finished and got ready to leave, the old woman stopped her, saying kindly, “Here, dear, take these pies with you, free of charge. Veggies are fine and all, but sometimes, something sweet is in order.”

Sunset smiled gratefully, already able to smell the baked cherries in the pies and planning to keep them for herself. "They're too good for those brats," she thought. Placing them in the passenger seat, she thanked the woman and returned the wagon. Finally, waving goodbye, she climbed into the truck and drove back to the asylum.

Getting out of the truck, she began unloading her cargo, when her eyes fell onto the asylum's stone sign, and she found herself unable to look away. Slowly, her anger began building as her memories of Crystal Ridge returned from the depths of her subconscious. Grinding her teeth nearly to the point of breaking them as memories of her dismissal played out in front of her eyes, she grabbed a log and flung it at the sign with as much force as she could muster, bellowing, “Damn you, Celestia!” The log shattered on impact, destroying the sign with it.

Breathing heavily, she forced herself to calm down before she attracted any unwanted attention. Deciding to keep her body and mind occupied, she began unloading the truck, taking several more trips than, were really necessary to get everything inside. The girls stayed silent whenever she was in the room, the look in her eyes making it clear that she really, really didn't want to hear anything from them.

Once she had everything inside and was sure the kids had enough supplies to last a while, Sunset wordlessly walked back to the truck and climbed in, where she sighed and said to herself, “Soon it'll all be over. I'll have my revenge, and then, I can find a new home far away from this shitstain of a city.” She looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror. "I'll have to find a way to support my family from a distance. It's better if they don't end up living" Sunset started the truck and got back on the road. "With a monster."

---

Under the light of the streetlights and the moon, Sunset found herself driving down the Canterlot streets. She was only paying enough attention to avoid hitting anything, but that changed when she saw Gilda, Summer, and Sonata rounding a corner a short distance ahead. Surprised and slightly suspicious, Sunset pulled the truck over and honked the horn, catching the woman's attention. The three rushed over to her, each wearing a different expression: Gilda worried, Sonata happy, and Summer angry.

“Sunset!” Sonata squealed. “How'd you know we'd be around here?”

“I didn’t," Sunset said, "Why aren't you back at the apartment? I would've figured you gave up looking for me hours ago.”

“We did,” Summer said irritably, opening the passenger door and helping the other two in. After she herself climbed in, ignoring Sunset's warning glare, she said, “As for why we're out here, some idiot set off the fire alarms, which made someone call nine-one-one. So, when the cops and fire department showed up, Gilda freaked out and punched one of them.” She finished with a pointed glare at Gilda.

“Don't you pin all the blame on me!" Gilda snapped, "I just gave one a black eye. You were the one who used your magic and threw one across the street!"

"Only because I was trying to protect you!" Summer retorted. "If you couldn't tell, they were gonna rush you after your little stunt."

“Sunset, guess what!" Sonata said, interrupting the argument. Before Sunset had a chance to guess, Sonata shouted, "Gilda's pregnant!" Oblivious of Gilda's angrily shocked look, Sonata continued gushing, "She's already two or three months along! Can you believe none of us noticed sooner? She's gonna be a mom! Isn’t that great?”

Groaning in irritation, Gilda said, “Damnit, Blue, I wanted to be the one to tell her that!” Looking to Sunset as Summer reached back took Gilda's hand into her own in camaraderie, Gilda added, “So, uh, yeah, I'm pregnant. Surprise. So, now that we're on the run--again--we need to find a new place to stay until we figure out our next move. Any chance you know a place?”

Shaking her head, Sunset said, “Gilda, you've been on the run for weeks. Don't you think it's time to go back to the police and try to sort things out? I mean, you don’t wanna raise a baby on the road, do you?”

Looking down, Gilda said, “It's not that simple.”

“Why not? Okay, you're on parole, but again, it's better than--”

“It's because of Sombra, damnit! I have to get out of this damn city before he gets his hands on me!”

“Babe,” Summer gently stroked Gilda’s hand with her thumb. “Why's that monster so deadset on getting rid of you? Seems kinda excessive for some random street girl.”

Gilda was silent for a moment, the expressions on her face betraying her internal argument. Eventually, she relented, saying, “What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this truck, got it?" When all three listeners nodded, she hesitantly said, "I have dirt on him. I have books and ledgers that can put him and his entire crime syndicate away for good. And I'd turn them over to the cops, too, but doing that isn't just risking my own life anymore.”

"What do you mean?" Sunset said, "Sounds like the cops are the best place to go to about this."

“No, they aren't. He has them all in his pocket, including Jade. I saw her name in his books. I know he's paying her to kill me,” Gilda said, fighting back tears, “Why the hell do you think I'm trying so hard to get away from her? I'm not afraid of some parole board; once they know I'm pregnant, I'm pretty sure they'll keep me out of prison. I'm afraid of hired guns.”

“What about that guy you called at the hospital?" Summer asked, "Who was he, and can you trust him to help us out?”

“He was my cousin, and we really don't get along. I don't know if I can trust him, but I don't really have a choice, do I?”

“Sure you do,” Sunset said plainly. “Look, Gilda, I'm not gonna pretend I know what you're going through, but you don't seem to be getting anywhere with what you're doing. You either stay on the run for the rest of your life, or you stand and fight for your freedom.”

After a moment of consideration, Gilda sniffed and wiped away her tears, saying, “Sunset, I know we haven't really seen eye-to-eye recently, but can I trust you to take me someplace safe?”

“Yeah, but I'm gonna warn you: After I get you three to a safe place, that's it. I don’t want you three or your baby involved with me or my goals anymore,” Sunset said sternly.

Summer looked irritated, while Sonata looked positively heartbroken. Gilda, however, simply said, “Fine. Take us there.”

"Don't you need those books?" Sunset asked.

"You think I'm letting them out of my sight?" Gilda asked sarcastically, opening her jacket and revealing the books in her inner pocket. "I carry them with me wherever I go. Might be a bit more dangerous, but if Sombra gets his hands on them, I at least want to know about it. Even if he takes it from my cold, dead hands."

Sunset solemnly nodded and started the truck, heading straight to her hideout, the mood tense and silent through the whole trip.

Next Chapter: The New Hideout (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 6 Hours, 44 Minutes