Rainbow held her phone tightly against her ear, sweat on her brow and hands shaking with fear. Her jaw quivered as she heard the cold, familiar voice on the other end.

"You there, Rainbow?" Sunset asked, her voice still tauntingly calm.

“S-Sunset?”

“Ah, there you are. Good to see that you recognize me. How've you been? I've been so looking forward to seeing you again.”

"How did--Where are--"

Rainbow was cut off by a commotion coming down the hallway. Risking a peek out into the hall, she saw paramedics rushing past the room with a gurney. Her stomach sank when she saw Mrs. Cake lying on the gurney, unconscious.

Ducking back down, Rainbow quickly said, “Sunset, wherever you are, you need to come to the Canterlot General Hospital; your mom's just been admitted!”

“Uh huh. Sure, Rainbow. And I'm the queen of Mars.”

“It's true! Get over here, Sunset. We can deal with our issues later, but right now, your parents need you!” Rainbow said frantically.

“Bullshit! I just saw them a little while ago, and they were fine! Gotta say, Rainbow: Lying about my parents being hurt is a new low even for you.”

Rainbow opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by a soft knock on the door. Figuring that it was a doctor about to tell her to get out of the room, Rainbow opened it and was surprised to see Fluttershy and Luna standing in the doorway. Fluttershy looked very frightened, while Luna only looked coolly calm. Rainbow covered the mouthpiece of the phone and said to Fluttershy, “Get the others. I’ll explain in a bit.”

“What are you doing here, Rainbow?” Luna began sternly. “I don't think you're allowed in unoccupied rooms."

“I’m talking with...Sunset,” Rainbow said quietly. "And I don't think she's all that happy with us."

Luna took a step back in surprise, and Fluttershy gasped sharply. “But that can’t be," Fluttershy said. "She's dead. We saw her."

“It's her, alright. Now please, Fluttershy. Something is very wrong here.”

"I've seen her, Fluttershy," Luna said grimly. "At the dance. She...hurt some of the students. Hospitalized two and kidnapped another."

“That...That can’t be right! Sunset would never do something like that. A-And besides, God wouldn’t do that to us. He wouldn’t take her from us only to give her back and let her hurt us.”

“I...I don't think this is God's work, Fluttershy. Sunset mentioned something called the Demon's Heart in Applejack's letter and talked about how it could bring back the dead. Remember that thing Dumbbell stabbed Sunset with at school? I think that was the Demon's Heart.” Seeing a look of terror come over Fluttershy, Rainbow quickly added, “Look, everything’ll be fine, Fluttershy. You two go get everyone while I keep Sunset busy.”

Doing as she was instructed, Fluttershy quickly left with Luna in tow while Rainbow returned to her phone.

“Sunset, I--”

"Finally! That was awfully rude, leaving me hanging like that. There's something important I wanted to tell you, but if you're not gonna pay attention, then--"

"What is it, Sunset?" Rainbow said impatiently, her uneasy feeling returning in full force.

Rainbow could hear the smirk in Sunset's voice. “I have someone here that wants to say hi.”

After that, Rainbow heard muffled voices and noises as the phone switched hands. Rainbow tried to listen to the oddly familiar voices but couldn't make out any words until someone finally spoke into the phone.

“Rainbow, help!”

Rainbow froze as Scootaloo's voice, laced with pain and terror, hit her ears. A deep dread washed over her. She faintly heard the door open behind her, but she paid it no mind. Gradually, the world faded out of her senses until the only things that existed were herself, her phone, and Scootaloo. Suddenly, something sparked inside Rainbow. It started small, but soon, a white-hot flame of anger filled her being, and the world exploded back to reality as she yelled, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Sunset?! You leave Scootaloo out of this!”

“Scootaloo? Sunset?” Applejack asked from the doorway. “What the hay's goin' on, Rainbow?”

“Go ahead and tell her, Rainbow. I’ll wait,” Sunset said snidely, having reclaimed the phone.

"Applejack! Good, you're all here. Sunset's on the phone. Sh-She has Scootaloo. I don't know where they are, but--”

“I’ll let you all know in just a minute, Rainbow!" Sunset interrupted. "Just put the phone on speaker.”

Everyone looked at Rainbow expectantly while the athlete put the phone on speaker and held the phone in front of her. "Okay, Sunset," she said. "Go ahead."

“I have Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, and Apple Bloom here with me. Now, Fluttershy, Pinkie, I want you two to stay out of this. I don't have any business with you two.”

Fluttershy and Pinkie exchanged worried glances. Before Rainbow could answer Sunset, Celestia snatched the phone from her hand, a stern glance silencing Rainbow's protests. Taking the phone off the speaker, Celestia took the phone down the hallway and said into it, “Sunset, it's Celestia. We're alone.”

“Alone? What the hell? I wasn’t done with Rainbow yet.”

“I wanted to talk more privately with you.” Sighing deeply, Celestia continued, “Sunset, honey, listen. If you really do have Sweetie Belle and App--”

“Principal Celestia, she really does have us," came Apple Bloom's faint but frightened voice, Sunset having apparently put her own phone on speaker. "Please, ya have ta do somethin'.”

“Apple Bloom, are you three hurt?" Celestia asked urgently. "Can you--”

“Oh, they're hurt, alright," Sunset said angrily. "And I’ll do more than just hurt them if you don’t give the phone back to Rainbow.”

“Sunset, please don’t do this. You can still turn yourself around. We can work together to make things right.”

“It's too late for that!” Celestia heard the sound of someone choking over the other end of the phone. “You better hurry, Celestia, or Rainbow won't have a sister to save!”

Celestia rushed back to Rainbow and gave the phone back to her, saying, “Do whatever she tells you to do, and don’t push her. Your sister's life is at stake.”

Nodding, Rainbow took the phone and put the speaker back on. "Okay, Sunset. I'm here," she said hesitantly.

“Good. Now that you're back, you're gonna take a little trip. And you will come alone. If I see anyone else, you'll be seeing your sister in a casket.”

“Okay, just don't hurt Scootaloo. Where do you want me to go? I promise I’ll show up alone.” Rainbow gave each of her friends a hard stare. “No one will follow me.”

“I want you to go to Crystal Ridge.”

“Crystal Ridge? Where's that? And why there?”

Silence fell over the other end of the phone. For a short while, Rainbow felt as if time had stopped. Twilight, unsure if Sunset was still on the other end, said, “Rainbow, give me the phone. Maybe I can talk some sense into her.”

Rainbow relinquished the phone, and Twilight turned the speaker off. She heard Sunset’s breathing over the other end, letting her know that Sunset was still there. Finally, Twilight said, “Sunset, it's Twilight. Can we talk?”

“What do you want, Princess?”

“Listen, Applejack read us your letter. I know what happened to you at Crystal Ridge. I know about how you came to be and about how Princess Celestia hurt you. I know how you lost everything that you ever loved. Let's talk, Sunset, and try to find some peaceful way out of this mess. I promise I'll come alone, and I promise I won’t fight with you. I’ll let you say your piece, and then together, we can find a way to get through this.”

Twilight didn't get a reply, only deep breathing on the other end. Turning away from her friends and taking a few steps from the group, Twilight looked up to the ceiling, silently praying that her former friend would come to her senses.

“You know, that's the third time you've lied to me, Princess. Believe me, after tonight, it won’t ever happen again.”

“Third time? What do you mean?”

“Don’t play dumb with me, Princess! The first time was when you said I could find love, friendship and happiness in this world. The second time was when you said I could come home whenever I wanted, right before you exiled me to this fucking world! And this is the third time. I know you won’t come alone, and I know you won’t let me do what I have to. This won’t end how you think it will, Princess. Tell Rainbow that if she's not here, alone, in three hours, I’ll kill her sister.”

“Sunset, wait! Please don’t---”

Click

Turning to face her friends, Twilight gulped, saying, “She wants Rainbow to come alone.” Rainbow looked worriedly into Twilight's eyes as the princess continued to her, “She's given you three hours to show up alone. Otherwise, she'll kill Scootaloo.”

“But I don’t even know where Crystal Ridge is! How am I supposed to show up in three hours if I don’t even know where the hell I'm going?” Rainbow asked frantically.

“Crystal Ridge was the name of a small town in Equestria, so it should--”

“Crystal Ridge is--er, was--an insane asylum in this world, darling," Rarity interjected. "It was used during the early nineteen hundreds to lock up the poor souls that society deemed unfit or unqualified to live among the rest of humanity.”

“And y’all know this how, Rarity?” Applejack asked with a hint of suspicion.

“My mother studied our family's history. Let's just say that I have some...family history with that place and leave it at that.” Turning to face Rainbow, Rarity continued, “The address is eighteen-ninety Canterlot Dodge Road. You should be able to find directions on your phone. It's about an hour from here, so you have time, but you should still leave as soon as possible; no telling what Sunset will do in the meantime.”

Rainbow quickly typed the address into her phone and rushed to the entrance of the hospital. It was there that she noticed that the group followed her, Rarity and Applejack especially right on Rainbow's tail. Rainbow stopped in her tracks, saying, “Guys, what're you doing. I have to go alone.”

“Darling, you are never alone," Rarity assured. "And besides, if you think I am going to sit by while my little sister is in danger, then think again.”

“Ah'm goin', too. Ah ain't about ta let nothin' happen to my li'l sister,” Applejack said with conviction.

“Guys, that's really cool and all, but you heard Twilight. If you all show up, Sunset will kill Scootaloo. I'm sorry, but I'm going alone.” Looking down, Rainbow added solemnly, “Besides, we don’t even know if Crystal Ridge really is where she took our sisters.” Looking back up, she continued, “Look, it's simple. I’ll go check things out, and if she's not there, I’ll call you guys.”

Rarity and Applejack nodded sadly, and Rainbow rushed to find a taxi without any further words to her friends. Celestia closed her eyes, thinking to herself, “This has to end. We have to find some way of bringing Sunset back to her senses.”

Rainbow was about halfway across the parking lot when she noticed that she was still being followed. Looking behind her, she found Pinkie, Celestia, and Twilight running to catch up to her. Getting irritated, Rainbow said sternly to them, “Didn't you hear me? You three can’t follow me.”

“We can, and we will,” Twilight said sternly. “How are you going to get Sunset under control without us?”

“Twilight, you heard Sunset. Shit, she told you to tell me. I have to show up alone. If she sees any of you, she’ll hurt Scootaloo, and I can’t risk that.”

“We know what she said, Dashie.” Pinkie said, wincing when she saw Rainbow scoff at the nickname. Her hair deflated completely, Pinkie continued, trying to fake a smile, “I wanna talk with Sunset again, to make up with her, to hug her again. I wanna tell her how very sorry I am for all the pain I helped cause. Please, Rainbow, don’t shut me out. You need me.”

“I have a feeling you’ll need Pinkie, Celestia, and me on this one, Rainbow,” Twilight injected.

“Need you for what!? I can see how you can help, Twilight, except that she told me to come alone or my sister dies! And besides that, what's Pinkie gonna do, throw her a fucking party? What's Principal Celestia gonna do, give her detention?” Her patience at its breaking point, Rainbow punched a nearby signpost, causing Pinkie to take a step back. “How the fuck's that gonna help, Twilight!? All any of you are gonna do is piss her off and get Scootaloo killed!”

“That's enough, Rainbow! Look, I know you're worried about Scootaloo, but you can’t take this out on Pinkie,” Celestia snapped, trying to hold back her anger. “You need someone to drive you there; I doubt you’ll have enough money on you for this. Now get in my car.”

Rainbow clenched her jaw, looking down while she squeezed her hand into a tight fist. “No! You're all staying here, especially Pinkie. I don’t see how she's gonna help, and I can’t risk my sister's life.”

“But, Rainbow, I just want to help,” Pinkie said softly.

“For fuck's sake, Pinkie, you can't fucking help! You're just going to get my sister killed! Now fuck off!” As Celestia quickly pulled the terrified, crying girl into her, Rainbow's voice cracked as she finished more softly, “J-Just stay out of this, Pinkie. P-Please.”

Rainbow forced herself to calm down, her own tears threatening to break the surfaces of her eyes. "I'm going to Crystal Ridge," she said coldly. "None of you better follow me. You may not care about Scootaloo's life, but I do." She turned around with purpose and hailed a cab as the women rushed to catch up. Getting in the taxi the moment it stopped moving, Rainbow said to the driver, “Take me to the old Crystal Ridge asylum at eighteen-ninety Canterlot Dodge Road. I’ll pay extra if you don’t stop for anything.”

Pinkie rushed to the window, saying, “Rainbow please don’t go by--”

“Drive!” Rainbow pressed, and the driver immediately obliged, peeling onto the road.

“...yourself,” Pinkie finished softly as she watched the taxi take off into the night.

Hurt and angry at the accusation, Celestia ushered Twilight and Pinkie inside the hospital to talk about their next move. When they entered the lobby a few moments later, they saw Mr. Cake at the front desk, a worried look on his face. Celestia quickly approached him.

“Carrot, is everything alright?”

“No," Mr. Cake replied. "My wife is hurt, my unborn children are at risk, and Sunset's out there somewhere, hurt and alone.”

“Wait, you saw Sunset?!” Celestia replied urgently.

Looking a bit conflicted, he replied, “Yes, I did, but she's...different. She has wings, black and silver, and her hair was snow white. Her skin was a light red, and her eyes were this piercing blue. And her face...” Mr. Cake sighed. "She's so similar and yet so, so different."

Celestia and Twilight exchanged worried glances, while Pinkie said, "That sounds pretty scary, actually. And Rainbow's gonna meet her alone. I hope she doesn't get hurt."

His eyes widening slightly, Mr. Cake laid his hands on Pinkie's shoulders, saying to her urgently, “What do you mean Rainbow's meeting Sunset? Are you saying you girls know where my daughter is?”

“Yes, Carrot. We have a pretty good idea where she might have gone. Please go back inside and tend to your wife. We will handle this,” Celestia said with determination. “Twilight, we need to get going. Rainbow has a head start on us, and we need to get to Crystal Ridge before she does something very foolish.”

Rushing out into the parking lot, Twilight and Celestia got into Celestia's car, and Celestia quickly took out her phone, calling her sister.

“Hello, Tia,” Luna said when she picked up, “Is everything alright?”

“Luna, I am going after Rainbow. I need you and the others to stay at the hospital and keep Mrs. Cake and Granny Smith safe, and above all, don’t interfere if Sunset shows up. If Rainbow comes to her senses and comes back, do whatever it takes to keep her there. Hopefully, Twilight and I can talk Sunset out of whatever scheme she's planning.”

Celestia hung up before Luna could reply and started the car. As she pulled onto the street, Twilight sighed, saying, “How are you going to find Rainbow in a city this big, Tia?”

“We'll just have to get to Crystal Ridge before she does,” Celestia answered matter-of-factly. Glancing at her glove box, she added, “Open the glovebox, Twilight. I need my GPS to find Crystal Ridge.”

Doing as she was instructed, Twilight quickly took out a small, hand-held GPS, saying as she held the device in her hands, “Okay, now what?”

“Press your finger to the screen, type in 'Crystal Ridge', and press 'Fastest Route'.”

The machine beeped out, "Finding directions to Crystal Ridge." As the machine worked, Twilight said, “Can I ask you something, Tia?”

“As long as it doesn’t involve Sunset, fine. I could use the distraction.”

“Alright. How about we talk a bit more about Eventide? Uh, if that's alright with you, that is.”

Celestia tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she came to a stop at a red light. Looking down while she waited for the light to change, she sighed and said, “It was my fault.”

“What was your fault?” Twilight asked curiously.

“That Eventides in Equestria. We had a fight the day she disappeared, and she ran away. It all started when I was visiting Tokano shortly after my Twilight was...Anyway, Star Swirl took me to a town in Japan called Tokano to help me cope with my loss. I figured I'd just spend a few months there and return to America, but I ended up staying six years.

"It was over the first two years that I met Chrysalis, who was, coincidentally enough, also was visiting Japan from America. We became fast friends, and she and I got to know each other very intimately over the years. We were very, very close, perhaps even in love. That is until Sombra came into the picture.

"Sombra was a student in Star Swirl's school of martial arts. He was very skilled and rose through the ranks very quickly, and eventually, Star Swirl gave him the distinct and impressive honor of heir to his school. Unfortunately, Sombra's prodigious skill and ambition were outmatched by his greed, and I caught him trying to steal a priceless artifact from the school. I immediately informed Star Swirl, and Sombra was expelled in disgrace.”

"That's so sad," Twilight said. "He had such potential, only to waste all his work just because he couldn't keep his hands to himself."

"That's not where it ends, though," Celestia said sadly. "Sombra was livid. Eventually, he decided to vent to Chrysalis--Chrysalis's family and Sombra's family have close connections, you see--but when she let it slip that she and I were lovers, he..." Celestia's breathing hitched.

"You don't have to continue if you don't want to," Twilight assured gently.

Celestia held up a hand and shook her head. After she composed herself, she continued, "He...took all his rage out on her. He beat her to within an inch of her life and...and..." Unable to continue, Celestia decided to skip forward. "She blamed me for all of it, saying that if she and I weren't so close, he wouldn't have done that to her. She also cited a promise I made to always be there to protect her as if the promise made me psychic." Celestia huffed angrily. "She dumped me on the spot."

"That's horrible," Twilight said, incredulous.

"It gets worse," Celestia continued. "Despite our break-up, I resolved to help Chrysalis and turned to Sombra's family; Sombra was a member of a powerful Japanese family, so I figured if I went to them, I could force Sombra to face the consequences of his actions. They fast-tracked me to the head of the family: Sombra's grandfather, a cold, hard man. He was very interested in what I had to say.

"Remember those connections I told you about?" Waiting until Twilight nodded, Celestia continued, "Sombra's grandfather valued those connections very highly. Upon learning of his grandson's destructive and dishonorable actions, he disowned Sombra and demanded Sombra leave Japan and never return on pain of death. Humiliated and angry, Sombra left for America. To everyone's surprise, Chrysalis followed him, and the reason was even more surprising and horrifying: She was pregnant with Crystalis.

"The abuse didn't stop, unfortunately. If anything, it only became more frequent after Crystalis was born. I remember the first time I learned about it, too. I dropped by the courthouse to try to make up with her, and though reluctant, she did come out to meet me. It didn't take long for me to notice the black eye she was sporting. I guess she didn't think anyone would notice it with her black skin, but I knew her intimately enough that it didn't fool me. After a bit of pressing, she spilled everything.

"That's not where it ended, though. Although Chrysalis stayed with Sombra for Crystalis, the constant abuse began to wear on her. However, she couldn't do anything to stop him. I'd imagine he threatened her with his more...unsavory connections should she go to anyone about it, and he was bigger and stronger than she was. She needed an outlet for that anger and misery, and that outlet turned out to be Crystalis."

"She...abused her own daughter?" Twilight asked, sickened.

"Not physically, no, but she did intentionally neglect and verbally and emotionally abuse her. I didn't find out about that until I saw it with my own eyes at the mall one day--I returned home by this point--when Chrysalis did hit Crystalis, slapping her across the face. I reported her, and though it took a little while, CPS investigated and found out about the constant abuse. They took Crystalis and allowed me to take care of her while they sought a more permanent foster home. Over time, Crystalis and I became very close, and she began to regard me as her mother in all but name, and CPS allowed me to be her legal guardian."

“So that explains why you're taking care of Crystalis, but what does this have to do with Eventide?” Twilight asked as Celestia turned onto a road much older than the city streets.

“Do you remember when I told you I hit Eventide, Twilight?”

“Yes.”

“My father gave me an ultimatum when he found out: let him raise Eventide alone without my or Luna's involvement or risk losing custody of her forever. You see, he had gone to Chrysalis for this, our international relationship a secret to everyone involved in the process. She was very quick about taking Eventide from me and letting him raise her, while I kept silent about what happened between us in order that Eventide stayed within the family.”

"That's terrible!" Twilight exclaimed. "To do that to his own daughter--It sickens me."

"I thought so, too. Honestly, I'm surprised they didn't take Crystalis away, too. Regardless, it worked. I agreed to his demands, and Chrysalis secured custody to my father. He promptly took Eventide to his cabin in the Everfree mountain range and raised her for five years. Unfortunately, another issue became apparent during those years.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked. "What issue?"

“Sometime during those years, Eventide began manifesting signs of a mental illness called schizophrenia. She hears things that aren't there, voices that taunt her and hurt her, and while she can ignore it sometimes, it can also be very hard on her.”

“How did your father react when he found out?" Twilight asked.

Celestia sighed again, rolling her eyes. "Likely with prayer, thinking it was just a trick from Loki.” Getting a confused look from her young friend, Celestia added quickly, “My father taught her about the elder gods of his religion. You see, he despised electrical technology, and he didn’t believe in mental illness or in medical science. He was always sure such things were schemes from the elder gods, particularly Loki. She took his teachings straight to the heart, which is one reason I had such trouble dealing with her.”

“I see,” Twilight replied, deadpan. “I’ll have to make sure to come back here and actually study about these, uh, elder gods when I have the time, but for now, please continue.”

With some difficulty, Celestia continued, “Well, Eventide's time with my father was tragically cut short. During a hunting trip, Eventide was attacked by a grizzly bear, and my father, in a desperate attempt to save her, interceded and was mauled to death. I didn't find out until I received a letter from Eventide letting me know what happened three days after the fact.

"Hysterical, I sped to the cabin to meet Eventide for the first time in five years. Nothing could have prepared me for our meeting. My father's training took its effect on her. Eventide had grown to be a strong, very willed young woman, dressed in deer and elk skins and looking more at home in the woods than in the city. When she saw me, she gave me this look of such intense hatred that I could hardly believe that this was the same girl I had raised from birth up to her stay with my father. It was terrifying.

She told me to stay in the cabin while she went hunting. I objected at first--it's not like my father never took me hunting before, and I wanted to spend some time with my daughter--but she wouldn't hear any of it. A few hours later, she came back, covered head to stomach in blood and wearing a still-wet bear pelt."

Twilight looked ill. "But she seemed fine in Equestria!" she insisted. "Okay, yeah, she talked to ponies who weren’t actually there, but she didn't go around bathing in gore!"

"She got better over time after being reintroduced into actual human society. But that wasn't before she was institutionalized after attacking several cops trying to take away my father's body and attacking the doctors at the hospital the body was taken to."

Celestia gritted her teeth and gripped the wheel tightly. "Her stay at the mental institute was...horrible, to put it mildly. She, like many patients there, was neglected and abused by an uncaring or violent staff. Combined with the improper treatment they put her through--electric shock therapy at its worst--her stay left her worse off than she was before she was ever institutionalized, and while she did meet a sweet girl there named Fireheart, it wasn't enough to soften the blows she received almost daily, nor did it lessen the impact her stay left on her.

"Because of Eventide's account to Luna about all this, my sister began to investigate the hospital, working with a nurse and security guard there who had spent quite some time compiling evidence of the terrible things happening there. A report was filed, and a state investigation was performed, the hospital was shut down, the patients either relocated or discharged. Thankfully, Luna was able to convince the state to give custody of Eventide back to me, citing my care of Crystalis both before and after I hit Eventide."

As the GPS signaled that they were getting close, Celestia sighed. "Anyway, it was a rough next couple of years. Eventide and Crystalis got along well, but we were constantly at each other's throats. Eventide became obsessed with Renaissance fairs as a coping mechanism for the shit she went through in life. Finally, her girlfriend Fireheart was tragically killed by a drunk driver, and after the funeral, we both exploded at each other, I said some stupid things in my anger, and she ran away. I never saw her again."

As Celestia stopped at another light, Twilight was about to say some consoling words, when Celestia's phone rang, cutting her off. Rolling her eyes, Celestia pressed a button on her steering wheel. The call came through the speakers of her car, and Celestia said, “Hello?”

“Celestia, it's Carrot. Cup is awake, and our babies are doing fine. She’ll be on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy, but other than that, she’ll be alright.”

“That's wonderful, Carrot!" Celestia said, relieved. "At last, we have some good news. Do the doctors know what happened to her?”

“Yes. All the stress from the last few weeks, from Sunset's abuse and death to see her alive again, wreaked havoc on her body. But she seems to be recovering well. I can't leave her side, though. I need you to find Sunset and bring her home to us. Please, Celestia, I'm begging you.”

“We’ll find her, Mr. Cake," Twilight affirmed. "I promise, I'm not going back to Equestria till she's back to how she was before all this started. I’ll make sure she knows how much you love her and that you only want the best for her.”

The light changed, and Celestia resumed her drive, saying, “Carrot, go back to your wife. We'll handle things here. Tell her that we all love her and wish her a speedy recovery. I need to let you go now; we're getting close.”

“Thank you so much, ladies. Goodbye.”

Turning another corner as she hung up, Celestia slammed on the breaks when two teenagers, one with familiar, fiery hair and the other with short, white hair, ran out in front of her, a very familiar rainbow-haired teen on their tail. As Celestia honked the horn and put the car in park, Twilight jumped out of the car, yelling, “Rainbow, are you nuts!? You could have gotten yourself killed!”

Ignoring Twilight, Rainbow screamed at Summer, “Where is my sister, you bitch?!” as the trio ran into the parking lot of a closed gas station.

“For the last time, you lunatic, I don’t know what you're talking about!" Summer snapped, stopping her flight and turning to confront Rainbow. "Now leave me and Gilda alone!”

"Not until you give Scootaloo back!" Rainbow said, stomping closer to them.

"Alright, then," Summer said. "Have it your way."

Summer started approaching Rainbow, ready to fight, when Gilda got between them, saying, "No! No fighting! Rainbow, this isn't Sunset!"

"Get out of the way!" Rainbow yelled, reeling back and punching Gilda in the jaw, knocking her to the ground.

After a moment of shock, Summer suddenly snarled, "Oh, you just crossed the line!" Her hands and eyes started glowing as her skin began to change color. "I'm gonna tear you limb from limb!" she howled.

Frightened, Rainbow backed away as she beheld Summer's transformation. Licking her lips and baring her fangs in a dark grin, Summer advanced on Rainbow with murder in her eyes.

“Summer, stop! Don't hurt her!” Twilight yelled, causing both Rainbow and Summer to halt in surprise.

"Twilight? I told you not to follow me!" Rainbow snapped.

"Piss off, Twilight! This doesn't concern you," Summer spat.

Gilda climbed to her feet, nursing a busted lip and wearing an angry scowl. Before she could say anything, though, Celestia screamed, “Enough!”

Everyone froze in their tracks, two girls worried what Celestia was about to do, two girls livid at her presence. Celestia stormed over to Rainbow, grabbed her by the lapel of her coat, and pointed to a spot a small distance away, saying, “You, over there.”

As Celestia lightly pushed Rainbow toward the indicated spot, Gilda turned her attention to calming Summer down. “It's alright, Summer. I'm fine. You don't have to hurt anyone. Just take a deep breath and calm down.”

Gulping down the cold, night air, Summer soon calmed down, changing back into her normal form as she repeated to herself, “It's over. Calm down. It's over. Calm down.” Eventually, she stopped her mantra and asked Gilda worriedly, "H-How's the baby?"

“We're fine, Summer,” Gilda said gently, hugging Summer warmly. “Crash just caught me off-guard, is all. She only hit my face, and I only landed on my ass. It's all good. I’ll just get checked out at the clinic after we pick up Sonata.”

"You're in league with the Dazzlings, too? What the hell, Sunset?" Rainbow asked angrily.

“Rainbow!" Twilight snapped. "That isn’t Sunset. Her name is Summer.”

“Oh, not you, too!" Rainbow groaned, exasperated. "Are you blind? That's Sunset, plain as day!”

Twilight sighed. “Prove it, Summer,” she said tiredly.

"Oh, I'll prove it, alright," Summer said irritably, her hand erupting in blue flames. She pointed her hand to Celestia's car, smirking. “Tell me, Rain-bitch: Can Sunset do this?”

“No, not the--” Celestia began.

A deafening explosion rocked the city, and a giant, blue fireball briefly lit the night sky before settling over the flaming remains of the obliterated car.

“...car.”

Next Chapter: Ghost of the Mind (Edited by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 22 Minutes