A little, yellow-orange-skinned girl in a white dress pranced about the floor of the asylum, a silly smile on her face. Her red and orange hair, decorated with blue ribbons, bounced up and down with every hop, skip, and jump. Her black buckle shoes made a monotonous clacking sound as she skipped around, deafening in the otherwise silent building, and her white ankle socks were stained by the dust she kicked up.

Sunset simply stared at the girl, confusion etched on her face. The girl had come from seemingly nowhere and seemed to be having the time of her life running around the abandoned hospital, but no matter how many times Sunset shook her head or rubbed her eyes, the child stayed. One thing was sure, though: the kid creeped Sunset the hell out.

“Sunset, come play with me,” the child said suddenly, snapping Sunset out of her stupor.

“N-No. Go away,” Sunset replied hesitantly.

“But I’m bored, and so are you. Come on!” the child insisted.

“I said no! Get lost!” Sunset snapped.

Sunset's three captives sat in silence in their cell, listening to Sunset talk to someone but unable to hear whoever she was talking to. Judging by what she was saying, she didn't seem to be on the phone. The girls didn't like the implications of that. Sweetie Belle held Scootaloo in her arms while her friend quietly cried in fear, and Apple Bloom stood nearby, looking out the barred window of their cell to the cold night's sky above, silently praying for a fast rescue.

“Sunset,” Sweetie Belle called out. “Sunset, who are talking to?”

Hearing footsteps approach the door, Sweetie waited for a few moments until Sunset's silhouette appeared in the dim light of the hallway. Gripping the bars on the door, Sunset peered into the room. “Shut up, Sweetie Belle. I already have to deal with the kid out here. I don't want to listen to you brats, too.”

Sweetie exchanged nervous glances with Apple Bloom. “Sunset, I don't hear anyone else out there. Please, just let us go. We’re cold and scared, and I want my sister.”

Sunset snorted. “I don’t have time for your shit, Sweetie Belle. I have to get this kid out of here before Rainbow shows up.”

“She's on her way?” Scootaloo asked excitedly.

Not answering, Sunset turned away, only to stop when she heard Apple Bloom yell, “If ya don’t let us go, we're gonna die here! We need a hospital!” Seeing Sunset was about to leave again, Apple Bloom added, “Ah know ya want revenge, but is this really gonna make ya feel any better?”

Spinning on her heels, Sunset grabbed the window bars again, quivering in rage. Her eyes flashed bright blue. “Revenge?! You stupid piece of shit!” she screamed in rage. “You think I want this?! I wanted to be at peace in life, but that was ripped away from me, just like everything else!”

Turning around, Sunset saw that the little girl was gone. She spat out, “Now look what you fuckers did. You made that kid run away. She was much better company than you three.” She pressed her back against the cold, metal door, sliding down onto her butt. Folding her wings around her shoulders, she pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them.

Sunset's voice began to crack as she said, “None of you understand what was taken from me. I was finally at peace. I had friends. I had family. I had a life! I finally got a fresh start. But no! You tore that away from me, you whores!” Breaking down, Sunset sobbed loudly into her arms.

Sweetie Belle, unsure if talking was a good idea, softly said, “Sunset, I know we all hurt you. We did horrible things to you. We slandered your name, we hurt your family, and we hurt our sisters, all because we wanted you out of our lives.” Gently placing Scootaloo in Apple Bloom's arms, Sweetie Belle continued, “If this means anything to you at all, we're all so very sorry for what we did to you. Please, let us go. We all want to go home, the three of us and you.”

Getting up, Sunset wiped away her tears, saying coldly, “Sorry, Sweetie Belle, but 'sorry' doesn't cut it anymore. I'm gonna go find that kid. At least she just wants me to have fun. She never hurt me. Yet.”

Trying to calm down, Sunset headed down the hallway and picked a room at random to search. Briefly looking around and not seeing the child, she was about to walk away when a flash of light caught her attention.

It was a mirror, but there was something weird about it, something not quite right about her reflection, but it was too dark for Sunset to see from where she was in the doorway. Slowly, she crept toward the mirror, only to stare slack-jawed at the image of a very familiar athlete in the glass, it's face a scowl of hatred.

Sunset's initial shock gave way to burning rage, and she slammed her fist into the glass. “Damn you, Rainbow, you fucking cunt!” Glass shattered around her fist, falling to the floor alongside droplets of blood. “You let this happen to me! The lies, the beatings, the hatred, all of it! And for what?! Was I just not good enough for you?! Did all my efforts mean nothing to you?!” Stepping back, Sunset took several deep breaths, tightly holding her bleeding hand. “Calm down, Sunset. Just focus on finding that kid. That'll keep your mind off that traitor.”

Meanwhile, hearing her screams echo throughout the hallway, Scootaloo tightened her grip on Apple Bloom's shirt, sobbing into her friend's shoulders. Sweetie Belle, like Sunset, had sat crying into her own arms, her knees pulled tightly against her chest.

Sunset continued her search until she heard a sound like thunder. "Weird," she thought. "Could've sworn there weren't any clouds out tonight." Deciding to investigate, Sunset went back to her hostages' cell. “You three be good in there. I'm stepping out. I’ll be back in a bit,” she said curtly.

Heading outside, she breathed in the cold, night air, her lungs stinging from the chill. Spreading her wings, Sunset flew to the roof and looked into the sky. Sure enough, a storm was brewing around her, lightning flashing throughout the churning clouds that must've arrived over the last hour. Sunset watched the storm in delight.

“Simply beautiful. I didn't expect something like this, but I'm not complaining." Thinking a bit, Sunset continued, "No reason I can't enjoy the show. I can even call Rainbow and give her a little more time to get here to give me some more time to relax before the shit hits the fan.”

Sunset took a seat on the edge of the roof, watching the storm with fascination. Feeling playful, she started waving her right hand lightly about like a conductor of an orchestra. Suddenly, as she brought her hand down, a lightning bolt suddenly and very violently struck a nearby tree, causing it to burst into flames.

In utter shock, Sunset looked at her hand. “Did... Did I…?” she began, before she shook her head. "No, of course not. It was just a coincidence." Narrowing her eyes in thought, she continued, "But, given everything that's happened to me...”

Deciding to experiment, Sunset raised her hand and pointed a finger towards a few nearby trees. Concentrating, she swiped her finger downward, and lightning immediately struck. Each tree exploded into flames. Raising a eyebrow and taking in the sight, she said, “Okay, that's new.” Looking up at the pitch-black sky above, she chuckled lightly to herself, her eyes drinking in all the flashes of lightning. “Oh, this is a nice turn of events. Can't wait till Twilight gets a load of my new powers.”

Hearing a soft beeping from her phone, she fished it out from her skirt pocket and looked at the screen. The clock read midnight. Sunset sighed. "On second thought, I guess I should keep looking for that kid and keep myself busy until Rainbow gets here."

Sunset re-entered the asylum and searched the lonely corridors. Walking past the Crusaders' cell, she stopped for a few moments, noticing that the room was dead silent. Peering through the bars on the door, she searched for the three girls, soon spotting Apple Bloom standing in front of the window.

“Apple Bloom,” she called out to her captive.

“What do ya want, Sunset?”

“Just checking to see if you're alive. Did you see that kid run by?”

“Fuck off, Sunset. And there ain’t any kids 'round here 'sides us.”

Watching her for a few moments, Sunset sighed and let go of the bars. She turned to head into another room, stopping when she heard Scootaloo's voice.

“I'm so sorry for all the pain I caused you, Rainbow,” the frightened girl whimpered. “I never meant to take Sunset away from you.”

Deciding to jump on that, Sunset headed back to the door and glared inside, “Never meant to take me from her, huh? If that's the case, then why'd you go along with what your two friends were planning? You could've stood up to them and been loyal to your sister, but you chose to take her down with me.”

“I did it because I was jealous," Scootaloo admitted hesitantly. "Rainbow spent so much time with you and so little with me. She even forgot about a promise she made just because she was hanging out with you.”

“Jealousy? I can empathize," Sunset said. When Scootaloo looked at her in surprise, Sunset continued, "Oh, yes. I know a thing or two about jealousy, and I know what it can do to a person. Remember when I was top dog at CHS, feared by all?" When Scootaloo nodded, Sunset continued, "A lot of what I did was because of jealousy, the jealousy only a daughter can feel when she sees that her own mother has all but replaced her with someone else. But look at the bright side.” Sunset smirked. "Now, you're more similar to me than you are to Rainbow. Doesn't that make you feel all warm inside?"

Getting up, Sunset stretched, cracked her neck and laughing coldly as she walked away from the door to continue her search, letting her words sink in. “I might as well check the upper floor next. I swear, as soon as I find that kid, I'm putting a bell on her,” she thought.

Walking down the hallways, her quest brought her to a large, wooden door with a worn-out sign on it that read, "Warden Night Med--”, the rest of the sign too damaged by rust to be read clearly.

Opening the door, she came into a large room. A broken desk sat in the middle of the room, and a few toppled chairs littered the floor to her right. To her left was a large, burned-out fireplace, an old painting hanging above a badly broken mantel. Examining the painting, Sunset saw a man with curly, white hair and soft, kind eyes, one of which was covered by a monocle.

Sunset snorted bitterly. “I bet whoever this guy was is rolling in his grave for what I'm about to do here.”

Turning around, she made it to the door before a giggle came from behind her. Sunset whirled around to find the little girl playing with a doodad on the desk.

“There you are!" Sunset said. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Come with me. I need to show those three that you're real.”

“You don’t remember me, do you, Sunset?” the girl asked sadly.

Sunset paused. “No. Why would I? We just met,” Sunset replied, confused.

“Look closer,” the child said simply.

Looking more closely, Sunset noticed a necklace around the girl's neck, the charm a very similar shape to Musical Skies's cutie mark. Sunset gulped, trying to force down the memories that bubbled up to the surface of her mind. “That necklace. Why didn’t I see it before now?”

The child giggled and ran out the door, shutting it behind her. Unnerved and irritated, Sunset rushed to the door and reached for the handle, only for her hand to go right through it. Startled, Sunset blinked a few times, and when her eyes opened the last time, she saw that the door was now open, and she could no longer hear the child's laughter.

Staring at the open passage in fear, Sunset began to hug herself. "Wha... What's happening to me?"

Next Chapter: Arrival at Crystal Ridge (Edited and Titled by Icecreammac) Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 13 Minutes