Sunset hadn't slept for almost two days. She wasn't sure anymore if it was the nightmares, or the prescription pills that kept her up. It surely wasn’t the booze either. She didn't feel drunk. Only terribly wide awake and very very tired.

There was no line between reality and nightmare anymore. Life just found a way to mesh the two together, bringing her to a never ending spiral of dread and constant paranoia.

A year ago she was an excellent student, taken a few jobs to support herself. A year ago she was healthy and perfectly fit. She ate three times a day, had no trouble sleeping, exercised regularly, kept herself busy while drowning out the loneliness of the real world that gave her, of not being able to keep in touch with old friends anymore because life… just happened.

It was technically a tragedy she had to face; life. It wasn't an everyday magical adventure with friends, it was a struggle to keep up with the bills and taxes. It was coping up with loneliness. It was trying to fit in and reach people’s expectations.

Sunset thought it was okay, despite everything. But the universe managed to ruin it all.

Her sanity, her relationship with the people around her, were all hanging by the thread now. And she wasn't certain if she was able to hold on much longer.

A knock came at the door. Sunset immediately knew who to expect on the other side.

“It’s open.” Sunset croaked.

The door opened, and entered her apartment was Twilight Sparkle.

“Sunset…”

“Hey...”

There was sympathy in Twilight's eyes, and pain in Sunset's smile.

“Do your parents even know you're here?” Sunset asked, that painfully forced smile still plastered on her face.

“No.” Twilight barely choked out. She quickly rushed towards her and grabbed her in a tight embrace. A fearful one.

“Why are you even still with me?” Sunset whispered weakly, not even returning Twilight's embrace.

“Shhh. You know why.” Twilight managed to say, gently caressing the other girl's messy red locks.

Sunset slowly wriggled herself out of the hold, so she could meet those hopeful purple eyes that wept for her for months.

“If–” Sunset paused as she carefully arranged the right words in her head. “If you're gonna lend me your parent's money again, please know that I can't. Not anymore.”

There was a great defiance in Twilight's eyes, one that Sunset was ready to fight.

“I-I promise I–” Sunset immediately cut her off.

“You’ve been a pretty great help this past six months but... I can't let you keep this up. I don't want to be a nuisance to your parents, and I don't want you to get in trouble for bothering me.”

Twilight didn't protest to that last sentence. Her parents were not delighted with the situation they were in, considering Sunset's condition had overstayed its welcome and her medication didn't promise any positive results.

“I'm sorry.” Twilight said.

She looked down, and noticed Sunset scratching her wrists, like she was irritated. Then it dawned to her, and shot Sunset a mad glare.

“Don't worry ‘bout it. It'll barely kill me.” Sunset said immediately, after seeing the familiar chastising look on the other girl's face.

“You can't keep doing that!”

Sunset just chuckled weakly, moving away from the other girl. “Six months is a long time. The pills don’t work. My therapy, my medication, it's all just bullshit now. I don't think I'm ever getting any better.”

Twilight shook her head violently, moving closer to her. “Do not think that way. We will get through this. We can.”

“And waste how much more money?” Sunset asked, her smile a cynical one. “Twilight, this isn't working.”

“And you think this would?” Twilight gestured to the space around them, dark, disorganized and weighed with so much misery. “You think hurting yourself would make it any better?”

“It doesn't. But it's the only thing that's making me feel other than the numbing, crushing feeling that's killing me inside.”

Twilight paused and looked at her. How come Sunset's once vibrant cyan eyes just become so grey and lifeless? This wasn't the Sunset she once knew and loved.

It was… so heart wrenching.

Twilight walked towards Sunset, cupping her face desperately in her hands. “I want you to get better. I won’t give up until I find someone to make you feel better again. I don’t care much I’ll spend, I just want to help you.”

Sunset held Twilight's hands on her face in her own calloused ones. “Spare yourself the trouble.” She said, her voice barely above a whisper. “You’ve cancelled enough plans, wasted so much time and energy for my sake. I can’t let you rot here.”

“I can't let you rot here either. I can't let you give up.”

“No.” Sunset pulled Twilight's face closer to hers, and let their foreheads touch. “My condition will eventually get worse and it will take its toll on you. Your parents, especially Shining, will never forgive me if they see you popping pills to cope up with the stress. Because of me.”

Twilight leaned back to meet her, trying to comprehend the weight of the words she just heard.

“Can't you see it?”

“See what, Sunny?”

“I am slowly dragging you down with me.”

“No, you're not.” Twilight shook her head, her eyes watering. “I know what you feel. You don't want me to take the responsibility because you think I'm not strong enough to handle it. But as you can see, I'm still here. And I won't abandon you.”

Sunset broke away from the embrace to meet those eyes once more, and she looked at them with deep irony, as she daringly cracked a smile.

“You don't know what I feel.” Sunset said, chuckling darkly. “You have your parents, your brother, a comfy home, you have opportunities and goals! You can't feel what I feel, because you haven't hit the ground yet. You haven't drowned to my level yet.”

There was a pause. An agonizing one.

“You just don't know.” Sunset added, holding Twilight on both shoulders.

“But… you only have me.”

It was Sunset's turn to grab Twilight into a tight embrace, their faces barely an inch close to each other. She cupped the younger girl's face, wiping her tears away with her thumb.

“You need to go back to your parents, and apologize to them. Tell them I'm sorry you had to bother with a mess like me. And… tell Shining I'm sorry too.”

“This isn't your fault!”

“How can you be so sure? It's all in my head. I'm practically screwing myself up. I have no control.”

“What are you talking about? Listen to me. It’s not you, it’s the illness that’s telling you this. It’s making you doubt things. It’s making you doubt me–”

“Shhh. I'd rather have to blame myself than having to blame you too. I can't let you ruin your life trying to fix me, Twilight.” Sunset held the back of Twilight's head as she buried herself into the crook of her neck, before eventually letting go.

“This can't go on.” Sunset croaked.

Twilight lunged into Sunset's face, and pressed her quivering lips against hers. Twilight kissed her as hard as she could, hoping she wouldn't give in to the call of isolating herself from her. She kissed her hard in hopes to let her stay by her side so she could fight with her.

Sunset, overpowered by an immense flurry of sadness, longing, desperation, and pain all around, compelled her to kiss the girl back, pulling her closer and grabbing her by the waist. Tears flowing, hearts throbbing, in sync to the pain and love slowly killing her inside.

Then, Sunset pushed Twilight away, both catching their breath.

“This,” Sunset gestured to the space between them. “Can't go on.”

“W-what?” Twilight's jaw dropped.

“I'm ending this.” Sunset said, the look in her eyes hardened, one that was shockingly foreign to Twilight.

“W-why–you can't do this!”

“Twilight, stop. I'm begging you. This has to end.”

“Why do have to give up so easily?! After everything we've been th–”

Sunset snapped. “Are you really this fucking naive, Twilight?! Look around you! This isn't a fairytale! This is real life! This is real world! I am broken! I am tired! I can't keep watching you crawl down to my level, feeding me with your pity, while your family is looking down on us, judging our relationship! Just stop pretending like everything's getting better because it's not! Okay?! My ‘condition’? It's the reason why I dropped out of University. And it's the reason why Flash got expelled, and now his father hates him for it. It's also the reason why ‘this’, everything is falling apart! So why do you still keep fighting?!”

Twilight's words were snatched out of her tongue, as she was rendered frozen on her spot. Every single word that fired from Sunset's mouth, the way she raised her voice in a way that was filled with scorn and so much pain, it crushed her like never before.

“Did you… did you really think it was easy for me to do this? Wasn't my loyalty after all those years being so away from you enough for me to prove that I am capable of fighting for what we have? I had responsibilities to sort out, time that I had to manage, work that I had to comply! It was hell for me too! Yet I still came home for you! I came to help you! So don't you dare invalidate my reasons.”

“And how long do you have, huh?” Sunset retaliated. “You think you have all the strength in the world to try and fix me?”

“I would if you can just stop doubting me and my capabilities!” Twilight yelled, fighting back the new wave of tears threatening to fall from her eyes. “But I don't have to be the only one fighting here, do I? I’m just asking you to have a little more faith in me! To have a little more strength!”

“Oh, for the love of god!” Sunset grumbled in frustration, flailing her arms in the air. “You know, for a very intelligent person, you are just as dumb as a rock!”

“Are you insulting me?!”

“Stubborn and always trying to get your point across! Fixated with the idea of false hope and faith! Grow the fuck up, Twilight! Why can't you see? You will never understand what it’s like to be in my place because you've never been abandoned. You've never had an empty pocket. You've never had an entire society bringing you down. Because you live in a perfectly, peachy life where nothing goes wrong and everything goes in your way!”

Twilight felt all of her blood boil in her veins. “Oh, and all of the sudden you blame me for all the misery you've dealt with in your life? That it's my fault?” She scoffed.

“Twilight, that's clearly no–”

“No! That's clearly what you're saying! You may not say it to me face to face, but I know deep down, you regret it. All of it.”

“That's enough!”

“I didn't force you to live in a world that's not yours, Sunset.” Twilight said quietly, but every word seemed to echo loudly into Sunset's ears.

Silence. The two stared into each other's eyes, with intensity that made the air around them too heavy to bear.

Then, Sunset cracked a sardonic smile. “You got me there.” She laughed halfheartedly.

Twilight realized what she just said, and regret washed over her like a hurricane. “Sunset, I–”

“No. You're right.” Sunset admitted with her lips pursed. “Why complain living in the world that's not even my own?”

Twilight said nothing, but instead let the heaviness consume her entirely, as she shed her tears like she'd never before. There, she finally let it out. She cried. She sobbed. But she did it without being in Sunset's embrace, and it was something so difficult to take in, knowing Sunset just stood there, and watch the love of her life break into tears.

“Wipe your tears and get outta here.”

“Please, don’t do this. I’m sorry.” Twilight mumbled between cries.

Sunset swallowed. “I… I'm tired, Twi. I just can't anymore. This shit is too much and I don't want you to have it. I’m toxic to you and each day you try to visit me and fix me like you wish to, it just gets a lot harder to keep it together. I have nothing to give you. But you have them. Go back to them.”

Twilight looked away and cried even harder. She was literally falling apart. And Sunset fought her hardest not pull her into a hug.

“Please. Go home. Don't make me chase you.”

Those purple eyes met her cyan ones. They were unbearable to look at. Swollen, broken and most of all, defeated.

No goodbyes were said, no begging, and not even a simple kiss from the two of them. In the most unceremonious fashion, Twilight took a deep breath, wiped her tears, turned away and walked straight out of the door.

Watching her departure was the hardest thing Sunset had ever endured as she was internally fighting herself not to give in. She really wanted fall to her knees and beg Twilight to stay. She really wanted Twilight to protest harder. She really wanted to take everything back and tell her she loved her so much.

But in the end, Sunset merely watched. In silence. With that cold look in her eyes. She made it seem so effortless to do. And those eyes, were the last thing Twilight saw before she left.

Like the universe being the asshole that it was, it punched her right in the gut. Sunset felt it like a storm within her, then it intensified, hit her with a wave of overwhelming sadness that brought inexplicable ache into her very being. She fell to her knees and lied there on the floor like the miserable being she was.

This life failed her. And she had no one else to blame but herself.

“Freak!”

“You don't belong here!”

“What an ass!”

The voices came at her, every single one of them. Sunset didn't know where they come from, but it felt as if they filled the room. Mocking her, shaming her, telling her things that compelled her to do the unspeakable. Months of medication and they kept coming back like some kind of curse that wouldn't let her be.

Sunset stood groggily from the floor and stumbled her way into the bathroom. There, she met her reflection, wrecked and in misery just like her. But unlike herself, her reflection seemed to take everything as one big joke, smiling mockingly while she herself wasn't.

“Oh, look at you. Trying to be the selfless hero to spare Twilight the burden of your suffering.” Sunset's reflection said. “But you're just a selfish bitch with an inflated ego.”

“Fuck off!” Sunset growled, opening her cabinet and taking her reflection off her sight. She searched for her pills, and she didn't care which.

Defeat and dread washed down on her when she realized there was none left, not one bottle.

“Shit. Shit!” Sunset slammed her cabinet door close, allowing her reflection to meet her once more.

“Tsk tsk tsk. Always trying to ward us off. Honey, you gotta embrace the dark side. It's much more fun!”

Sunset ignored her reflection’s suggestions. She walked out of the bathroom searching for spare money and coins, hopefully so she could buy herself the meds she needed. Or else, she would have to endure twenty four hours of manic hallucinations and insomnia, and it would cost her another night of sleep.

“You don't really think you can keep this up forever. Do you, Sunny?”

That annoying childish voice spoke again. It was the one that bothered her the most. She could say that it was the most malevolent of all.

“Someday, you'll learn to break. And there will be no turning back!”

Sunset looked at her phone, it was nearly evening. And she couldn't bare to listen any longer. She had to move.

The Canterlot evening was cold, and the icy breeze urged Sunset to hug her jacket closer to herself. She cursed every second of the venture, she cursed the fact that Flash hadn't returned her bike yet, meaning she would have to walk all the way to the pharmacy, which was a couple of blocks away.

All that was left for Sunset to worry about was the pestering muggers that could potentially jump out of the shadows to get a piece of her. She had no time to deal with them, let alone fall into the voices’ temptations of ‘entertaining’ them. Violently.

Others such as catcallers did get under her skin from time to time, but she never gave them the satisfaction. She tried to, atleast. All of them were never worth her attention anyway.

The heaviness inside her was enough distraction.

Sunset kept her head down, as she headed for the dark alleyway. A shortcut. A bad shortcut, unfortunately. And she was already regretting it.

There, in the dark and narrow spaces, was a group of young teenagers smoking crack like nobody's business. They were loud, bantering about how messed up they were already.

Sunset let out a cough when she passed through a thick cloud of cigarette smoke, emanating a couple of hoots and laughter from the younger individuals, possibly amused by her lack of tolerance.

There were a few whistling and clicking, as if they were summoning a dog. Footsteps grew louder and they echoed throughout the dirty alley. Sunset remained cool, kept her head down, and hands tucked inside her pockets.

“Ey, redhead!” One of them called.

Sunset merely kept walking, only in a faster pace. The other end of the alleyway was only a few corners away and she couldn't wait to get out of there.

“Yoohoo! Where ya goin’?”

The group began swarming behind her as they followed, poking her and laughing, hoping they would get a reaction.

Sunset turned around to face them, giving off a blank, uninterested glare to ward them off.

“Why don't you boys go back to your mamas’ and call it a day?” She asked nicely, forcing a small smile.

“Nah, there’s plenty of time. What do you think, guys?”

“I think she's hot.”

“Yeah, I have thing for redheads.”

The level of cringing was almost excruciating to bare for Sunset, and she merely laughed it off. Forcefully.

“Aww, too bad this redhead just isn't feelin’ it, pal.”

They all seemed a little shocked at Sunset's cold reply. Though the rest of them eventually found humor in it and proceeded to burst into an obnoxious laughter. Awkwardly enough, Sunset joined the laughing, while sneaking out of the unwanted encounter.

“You're not going anywhere.” One of them grabbed Sunset by the arm in an awfully tight grip, preventing her from leaving the scene.

“Ah, great.” Sunset grumbled, already anticipating what's about to come.

The voices in her head began rambling, telling her to do something morbid and unspeakable, which was pretty tempting given her current situation.

Meanwhile, the teenagers looked like they were about to have the greatest meal of their lives, and it sickened Sunset to her very core. She resisted to their touch as she shot them one of her threatening glares, but they were apparently too above there to be acknowledging her cues.

“Hey! Get the fuck off me!” Sunset barked when one of them took a grab at her thigh.

“Oh, so you're gonna put up a fight now?”

“Playing hard to get?”

They laughed. They all did.

“Alright. Enough bullshit.”

Sunset retrieved her hands from her pockets and threw a punch at the one teenager who was about to plant a kiss, popping his lip into a pulp. She swung another fist at the one at her right, and kicked the one standing in front of her.

While the teenagers were disoriented from her blows, Sunset took the chance and ran out of there as fast as she could. But seconds after she did, the group quickly went after her.

Focusing on her escape began difficult when the voices rambled sporadically inside her head. They were so loud she could swear her head was about to pop off.

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!”

Sunset's addled thinking cost her her focus, and she tripped on a broken bottle.

“Shit!” She cursed as her face met the ground. The light was only a few meters ahead.

As she was about to get back on her feet, someone grabbed her by the collar from behind and pulled her back into the darkness.

There, she met face to face with the hyperactive teenagers once more, laughing excitedly like rabid dogs in a frenzy.

“I'll go first.”

Something clicked in Sunset's head, and before she could fully understand it, she threw her head forward, bashing the teenager's nose in.

“Ahh! Fuck!”

Rage boiled within Sunset as she decided to lunge for the other. She threw a few punches and kicks before she was knocked down by the one behind her, hitting her at the back of her head.

As she fell to the ground again, the teenagers rained her down with relentless blows of kicks. Sunset tried her hardest to fight, but the urge to curl up and shield herself from the attacks was much stronger. Not that it did much. The shoes met her face repeatedly, as did the rest of her body until she was completely bruised and weakened.

“Ah! Stop! Please! Please stop it!”

Despite her protests, the teenagers didn't stop but only kicked her harder. Before she knew it, she was already tasting the blood that poured from her popped lip.

“Please! I'm begging you!”

Tears of desperation and anger filled her eyes, but that didn't stop them. A few seconds later, they slowed down until they decided for themselves to proceed with their desires, with Sunset weakened and powerless at their mercy.

“CCDP!”

A loud, familiar voice that was recognized by everyone boomed into the alleyway. Sunset couldn't see where the voice came from, but she suddenly felt relief warming up inside of her, letting out a gasp.

“Holy shit!” On of the teenagers yelped in panic.

“Scram, boys! Scram!” The other insisted, and they all ran like scared pups.

“Hey! Come back here!”

Strength seemed to return to Sunset's body, and as it did, she heave herself up, a small smirk of victory appearing on her battered face.

She looked up, and saw the tall looming silhouette standing right in front of her, dressed in his fitting suit and tie, with skin fair and white, and his dark blue hair cleanly cut.

“Hey… Detective…” Sunset panted, wiping the blood off the corner of her mouth.

Shining offered her a hand, with that familiar chastising look he always gave her whenever they laid eyes on each other.

“Sorry ‘bout that.” He said, genuinely distressed.

“Aren’t you gonna go after those mooks?” Sunset nodded her head towards the alley.

Shining shook his head. “No, I'm gonna have my guys take care of them. How ‘bout you? You alright?”

Sunset dropped her shoulders and flashed a blank stare.

“Well, of course you're not.” Shining grumbled, quite embarrassed at the obvious. “Come. Let me fix that for you.”

The two of them walked out the alley, and back into the loud and windy streets, where Shining's car was parked. Sunset waited at the hood, as Shining retrieved his kit from his car. As he returned, Shining began aiding the wounds and bruises that afflicted Sunset's features. It wasn't long before he fully completed the task.

“So,” Sunset began, a wry look on her face. “Something up?”

“What?” Shining looked at her, slightly bemused.

“I know you, Shining.” Sunset said with confidence. “You eat bad guys three square meals a day.”

Shining's eyes lightened up at the implication. “Oh. Heh. I took the day-off. It's only rightful for Canterlot’s greatest detective to get one damn break.”

“Hmm.” Sunset nodded knowingly. “Bowling night, I guess?”

“Yeah. I'm supposed to pick up my dad in an hour so…”

There was that heavy pause. The two of them fidgeted in their places against the hood, eyes wandering about, trying to dig out the next words to say. Though, they both already knew with deep awareness where the conversation was heading.

“So,” Shining continued, taking in a huge breath. “You and Twilight are…”

“Yep.” Sunset finished. “Sucks.”

Shining nodded. “Of course.” He replied quietly.

Out of nowhere, Sunset cracked a smile. A mocking one. “Thought you were gonna celebrate.”

“Celebrate?” Shining raised an eyebrow.

“Oh, please. I know you've been wanting the two of us to split up.” Sunset said bitterly. “Well, there you have it. I shooed her off. All because I can't get my shit together like I'm supposed to.”

Shining didn't answer immediately, instead he just looked at the younger girl with an unreadable expression.

“So, aren't you supposed to be glad about the ‘development’, Detective Shining Armor?”

“What development?” Shining raised a brow. “Breakups are tough. It's not something you can easily move on from. It's going to put you into a spiral of breakdowns and heartaches. You may call it release, but to go through all that is hell.”

Sunset had to admit she felt her chest ache at the thought of Twilight having to go through all of that.

“Look, Sunset, I never liked you. Not one bit.”

“Heh. Feeling's mutual, Detective.”

“But for all you've done for her, being loyal and committed after all those years, can't say I don't respect you for it.” There was a certain softness in Shining’s blue eyes that Sunset took notice. “You took good care of her, for someone who's surprisingly volatile for my taste.”

Sunset had to laugh at the comment. Shining joined her.

“Volatile seems a strong word.” Sunset remarked.

“Along with passionate, headstrong and a major pain in the ass.” Shining added, smirking. “Yeah, you are one hell of an explosive combo.”

“But despite all that you still respect me?”

“I hate to admit it but I do.” Shining said. “You're a good person, Sunset.”

“Good is a broad term. I'm good at being a spectacular fuck-up. That’s for sure.” Sunset said casually.

“I can't argue with that.”

“Yeah.” Sunset chuckled. “Sometimes, I feel like I'm just one of those criminals you're trying to catch. Misunderstood. Pushed to the edge. Broken.”

“In all my years serving this city, taking down outlaws, I realized it's more than just the good and bad.” Shining said. “But trust me when I say I still know a good person when I see one.”

Sunset just rolled her eyes at the flattery. “Oh, so now you're telling me that?”

“You are one. But like many good people, they get tired. Misunderstood, pushed to the edge until they break.”

“Exactly. Twilight can't see that.” Sunset said in an upset tone.

“Don't worry about her.” Shining said with a reassuring smile. “She’s way too good for this world anyway.”

“Too good for me, you say?” Sunset smirked.

Shining nodded. “People like Twilight are not deserved by those with so much darkness within them.”

Sunset squinted her eyes, slightly appalled by Shining's words, despite them coming from him of all people.

“You didn't need to rub it in.” Sunset scowled.

“Forgive me, I'm just being honest.” Shining said in an unapologetic manner. “With your current condition, Twilight would have drained herself from wanting to carry all the burden of taking care of you…”

“Yeah yeah, I get it.”

“Your relationship would have become more toxic and sooner or later it would have destroyed both of you, as you two would have destroyed each other.”

“I said I get it, Shining!” Sunset snapped. “You don't really need to remind me every damn thing about it.”

Shining paused, allowing the two of them to breath the cold evening air. Then he continued, with a softer voice this time.

“You love her.”

“You have no idea.” Sunset said with a sad grin.

Shining offered a consoling smile. “And instead of being selfish, you decided to let her go, even though it killed you inside.”

Sunset let out a chuckle to shove off the sorrow swelling like lump. “It sure felt like it.”

“I understand.” Shining said. “Breakups are very difficult to cope with. Especially when the two of you are both trying to fight through it all, but just end up hurting each other.”

“Geez, that sounded like it came from the heart, Detective.” Sunset humored. “Almost makes me think you and Cade–”

Sunset stopped at the look on Shining's face. Smiling yet sorrow filled his eyes instead of joy.

“Oh, shit.” Sunset gasped in realization. “No way!”

Shining released a heavy sigh. “Yep.”

“Damn. Twilight never told me. What happened?”

Shining chuckled weakly. “Yeah. Well, it's not really a pretty story to tell.”

“Tell me anyway.” Sunset insisted softly.

Shining shifted in his position, eyes furrowing as certain memories troubled him deeply. He took a deep breath, cleared his throat and continued.

“She was so ready to settle down.” Shining began, his voice grey and full of dismay.

“But?”

“The city keeps calling me. My will of serving justice and bringing order to Canterlot is not something I can easily put in a drawer only for me to look at when I'm already bound in a wheelchair. It’s my job. My purpose in life. And Cadence, well, she was my light. I thought I could have that. But I realized I can't have both.”

Sunset nodded in understanding, staring at the sorrowful look in Shining's blue eyes.

“Seems like she couldn't bear watching her fiancé risk his life everyday, huh?” Sunset commented.

“She couldn't take it, no. After so many close calls, me going out and trying to face danger over and over again, her wanting a safe and quiet life, then all that’s left were broken promises and an unhappy home. It was no way of living.”

“I can relate to that. Well, at least half of it.” Sunset said, pursing her lips.

Shining acknowledged Sunset's response and planted a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We tried making things work. But you see, life made it clear that I don't really deserve her.”

“How can you managed that?” Sunset asked, her brows furrowed in a contemplative trance. “Having to suffer from the fact that you can have no one else other than the one you don’t even deserve?”

“You can't, I think…” Shining said, frowning with dismay. “You gotta live with it.”

“Even if it hurts?”

“There's no other way.” Shining admitted. “Now, that you're on your own, last thing I want to happen to you is to die in a ditch.”

Shining fished out his wallet from his suit, and handed Sunset a couple of bills. Sunset eyed the older man suspiciously. Doubtingly.

“Twilight doesn't have to borrow money from dad's bank account.” Shining took Sunset's hand and placed the bills on her palm. “I want you to have that for your medication.”

“What?” Sunset was confused now.

“You don't deserve my sister, Sunset. Not in your condition.” Shining said.

“You… want me to stay away from her, don't you?” Sunset said, her voice melancholically certain.

“I want you to get your shit together.” Shining said in his serious tone. “You stay away from her until we finally get you fixed up.”

“Hold on a minute. We?” Sunset asked, curious.

“Flash is a reliable guy. I already told him to keep an eye on you.”

“O-kay?”

“Twilight doesn't believe that you belong in the psych ward but I do. And I know you do too.” Shining added. “Look, I'm not a doctor or a psychiatrist, but I believe it's the best option for you to get better. Hopefully.”

Sunset was rendered speechless for a while.

“You'll have my full support.”

“I… I don't know what to say…” Sunset uttered. “Thanks.”

“Don't thank me yet, kid.” Shining said. “I need to know if you're ready to cooperate.”

“Does… Twilight even know?”

Shining paused for a bit. “She doesn't need to know. At least, she doesn’t have the mental and emotional altitude to take it all in.”

“I guess.”

“Now, promise me you'll try. Not for Twilight, not for me, but for yourself.”

Sunset pondered at Shining's plans. Detective Shining Armor, Twilight's overprotective brother and sometimes a stick in the mud, had come down from his glorious pedestal to give a helping hand. How amusing and delightful.

“I don't have to promise anything.” Sunset responded shortly with a carefree shrug.

“Then swear.”

“I don't have to swear.” Sunset smirked, looking deep into Shining's eyes with her weary stare. “She won't ever see a piece of me. No talking. No connections. I’ll completely disappear.”

Shining nodded. “Good.”

“And may I ask?” Sunset's eyes narrowed, which Shining immediately took notice. “Why?”

Shining didn't hesitate to answer with his most casual tone. “Why the hell not?”

The two faced each other with acknowledging and respectful looks. Quietly and peacefully as they did so, despite having the lack of fondness towards the other. The night's cold breeze kicked them out of their revery, and as time dictated them, they decided to part their ways.

“See ya around, Detective.” Sunset hit off the street, flashing that cheeky yet thankful smile before finally disappearing from his view.

“Stay out of trouble, kid.” Shining whispered to himself, smiling, then headed back to the driver's seat.

Sunset took the bag of along with the receipt from the pharmacist. And she didn't wait a second to gulp down a couple of the pills before another one of her episodes could potentially distract her from doing anything essential like crossing a street.

The hospital was never a great place to be, for her at least. For the most obvious of reasons, she had associated its smell and atmosphere with death itself. After the many times she had visited the place, she had witnessed a lot of unpleasant things that occurred almost often. Especially within the white corridors.

It was past eight. Sunset made a mental note to stop at a pizzeria and grab a dinner, knowing she had a lot of money to spare, courtesy to Shining's assistance.

Sunset had overstayed in the hospital for too long, and eventually decided to head out before she could see anything she didn’t want to see.

Speaking of the Devil, frantic voices boomed into the halls. Sunset jumped out the way and stood by the corner as a group of nurses came rushing through, dragging two trolleys with bloody bodies lying on top.

Sunset made the decision to immediately get the hell out of there, now she was traumatized by the images imprinted in her head. She headed for the hospital's exit and caught a cab straight home. What she just saw back there destroyed her appetite.

The cab dropped her off in front of her apartment, she entered her unit with a stunned expression on her face then proceeded to sit down on the floor.

Of all the things Sunset hated, she had the ultimate loathing towards gore and blood.

She took a deep breath, shoving away the horrid images before they could make their way into her nightmares. That would just suck for her.

Her phone rang, destroying the peace she was basking in. Begrudgingly, she picked up the phone, but immediately stopped herself as she read the screen.

Sunset ended the call before even answering it. She closed her eyes as the ringing repeatedly went on for minutes. She tried with every remaining will power she had to not pick up the phone and hear that voice again.

She never enjoyed it. In fact, it was literal torture as she was nearly compelled to just break the damned thing to stop it from ringing ever again.

A knock came at the door. Sunset flinched in surprise but immediately recovered. She wasn't given the slightest chance to even stand so she could open the door, when a familiar tall blue haired young man already stepped into the dark and gloomy room she was dwelling in.

They stared at each other for awhile. Neither of them talked, instead they just let their eyes observe each other's selves. Flash walked closer, and he did with what Sunset noticed to be some kind of heaviness that was weighing him down.

Slowly, Flash sat next to Sunset, the loud phone ringing between them. He looked at it, then looked back at Sunset, who was looking at him with a tired expression.

“Aren't you gonna answer that?” Flash asked with concern.

Sunset shook her head. “Nah.”

“Did somethin–?”

“It's over.”

Flash was quiet for a moment, trying to take it all in.

“Oh.” He said, slumping his shoulders. “Well, isn’t this just the worst timing ever.”

“Tell me about it.” Sunset mumbled depressingly, sighing. “It’s better this way.”

“I don't think it'll make things better.” Flash said, shaking his head with a look of dismay.

“Trust me.” Sunset pushed, raising her voice. “She is better off without me. If she can't understand that, then that's not my problem anymore. We're done.”

Flash looked at her with sad eyes. “You… make it look so easy.” He remarked.

“I have the rest of my life to get miserable about it.” Sunset said. “I just wanna sleep this through.”

Flash picked up the phone from the floor, ringing for the fifteenth time. He looked at it. Apologetically. Guiltily.

He shut the phone off then placed it back on the floor.

“Thanks.” Sunset mumbled. “By the way, are you here to return the bike?”

Flash took a deep breath. “No. No, the bike's still under repair.”

Sunset nodded, extending the silence between them while contemplatively chewed on her cheek.

“Look, Flash.”

Flash perked up at the sound of urgency in Sunset's voice. “Yeah?”

Sunset swallowed the thorn in her throat before proceeding. “I'm… I'm sorry. About everything.”

“You shouldn't be.” Flash whispered softly, shaking his head.

“If it weren't for my sickness, your dad wouldn't have disowned you for getting expelled.”

“Sunset, it wasn't your fault.” Flash moved closer to her, his voice gentle and consoling.

“If… if I just stayed out of trouble. I-if I just stopped listening to the voices, none of this would've–”

“Hey, now.” Flash cut her off. “You had an episode for pete's sake and I wasn’t just gonna a let a group bastards take advantage of you. No way in hell I'd let that.”

“Yeah, and I guess you went too far. We went too far.” Sunset croaked. “Look at where we are now.”

“Dad and I never really had the best of relationships. He just never had the right reason to fully hate me. But you know, I think I kind of understand him.”

“Why?”

“Let's face it, Sunset. None of the things I do ever makes him happy. Just makes me think that maybe… maybe I'm just that big of a disappointment.”

Sunset didn't know how to respond to that.

There was an overpowering sadness that dwelled within Flash's blue eyes. It wasn't hard to notice, even in the darkness that shrouded them. Something else was bothering him.

“Sunset…” Flash said, barely above a whisper.

“Hm?”

“There's actually… uhh… something I need to tell you. It's the reason why I'm here.”

The young man slowly nested his head between his knees, curling up like a distressed little boy.

“Are you okay? What the hell’s going on?” Sunset asked, starting to get agitated.

Flash raised his head and revealed his eyes to the girl, filled with tears that he was struggling to keep at bay. In his quivering voice, he said,

“Shining's dead.”

Sunset's heart dropped to her stomach. Her blood ran ice cold and her mind was bombarded with so much emotions and thoughts she could never process all at once.

“W-what?”

Flash swallowed the swelling lump in his throat before answering. “Car crash. The doctors tried to save them. He and his father didn't make it.”

Everything was just too much to comprehend at the moment. A few hours ago, Sunset just had a chat with the detective–she made a deal with him, for pete’s sake. Then, she remembered the bodies at the hospital.

It all clicked. She could not believe it. All of it.

She looked down at her phone, heavy and unbearable guilt crashed down on her as she realized the reason why Twilight wanted to talk to her so badly. She felt incredibly awful, and felt repulsed at herself.

It was as if the gravity around them had intensified, dragging them down until they would ultimately collapse under their own weight.

“I just talked to him.” Sunset said, tears began welling up in her eyes. “He-he just told me he wo-would help me–” she broke into uncontrollable sobs.

“I'm sorry.” Flash sniffled. “I am so sorry.”

“Why did he have to give me hope?” Sunset cried through gritted teeth, her knuckles turning white and in the verge of punching something.

“Sunset…”

“Why?!” Sunset shouted, her face scrunched in intense confusion and remorse. “Why did he have to do that?!”

Flash didn't answer, but just let the girl beside him cry her heart out. The room was filled with her mournful wails, and it crushed him dearly. He watched her fall apart right there, screaming and yelling out her hate, rage and grief once bottled up for such a long time.

“I fucked up!”

When Sunset harshly threw her phone across the room out of blind anger, Flash wrapped her tightly in his arms to prevent her from going further. She tried to fight him. She tried to escape his hold by pushing him away. Flash was bruised dearly for it but he did not let go of her, as she eventually weakened and drowned in his embrace. Crying, sobbing, and yelling, all while Flash shed a few tears that he failed to hold back.

The two lamented in each other’s arms. Sunset cried for hours until she couldn't breathe. Flash tried his best to console her, to get her to stop, but the pain and guilt was just too much.

“Why’s everything so unfair?”

It was just so cruel. Plain cruel.

Canterlot mourned for the death of the great Detective Shining Armor. A few days after his death was announced, a funeral was arranged. A huge one, it was. All of the city’s important figures, the Canterlot City Department of Police officials, friends and family, and citizens who all witnessed the detective’s deeds and the great service he gave, all of them attended the funeral with heavy and mournful hearts, as tears were shed and respects were given.

It was only fitting to have Night Light's burial the same day. Even though he was just an ordinary man, people paid tribute to him as the father of their most beloved detective.

No one had a heavier heart witnessing the two great men's descent to their graves than Twilight Sparkle with her mother and Cadence standing by her side.

Twilight had nothing left to say for the rest of the ceremony. Grief completely consumed her, as did her mother. Everything had fallen to pieces.

Losing Shining was heartbreaking. Losing Shining along with Night Light, in the exact same day as Sunset Shimmer, was just all too much.

It broke her.

She was relieved when Cadence came. But during the ceremony, Twilight would look around and scan through several faces, hoping–wishing to herself for Sunset to show up, but everytime she tried, she failed.

Twilight never saw Sunset the whole day. And the fact that the girl never even had the courtesy to attend the funeral made Twilight resent her with passion. Though a part of herself tried to be considerate and understanding. She really tried not dwell in that awful hatred. But honestly, how could she not?

All that's left of her was a gaping hole in her chest.

Up in the hills, two figures watched from a distance at the ceremony that occurred below them. Sunset and Flash stood side by side, quietly observing, all while quietly letting themselves die for a moment.

“You sure you don't even want to talk to her?” Flash asked the girl beside him, eyes pinned towards the cemetery.

Sunset just stood still. Staring, possibly contemplating. She didn't answer nor even had the effort to gave Flash a glance.

“You might regret this, Sunset.” Flash said, almost urging her. “Just let her see you. Just this once.”

Sunset answered in her slightly harsh tone. “What for?”

Flash sighed, defeated knowing he can never convince Sunset with that heavy pride she was carrying.

“I’m leaving.” Sunset said, earning her a concerned look from her companion.

“Where are you going?”

“Far away from the main city. That way I can technically disappear for good.”

Flash didn't protest, but simply nodded with the least encouragement. He thought to himself for a moment, before responding.

“I'll come with you.”

It was Sunset's turn to give a concerned look. “You wanna leave the city with me?”

“I promised him I'd keep an eye on you.” Flash said, his blue eyes glimmering with sincerity.

Sunset shook her head refusal. “Oh, come on. I'm broke, Flash. And I'm a hopeless nutcase. You don't hav–”

“I'll come with you.” Flash repeated. “And it's all the more reason why I should.”

“What about your dad?” Sunset asked, her voice sounding cautious. “I mean, even after everything, he's still your–”

“Forget him.” Flash said without hesitation.

Sunset decided not to fight it. “Okay.” She nodded.

The look in Flash's face didn't change. A look only a loyal friend could ever give. But Sunset never deserved someone as such. She stared at him, not noticing he was moving closer towards her and began to wrap her in a warm hug.

One that Sunset never felt obliged to return. She was either weak to do it or just too numb to acknowledge the meaning behind it.

A familiar voice interrupted the two, causing the two of them to jump.

“What are you two doing up here?”

It seemed to them that Thunder just popped out of nowhere. Just like everyone else, he also attended the funeral, given he was wearing a formal suit.

“What are you doing up here?” Sunset returned with a raised eyebrow.

Thunder just shrugged back. “No offense to Shining and all, but funerals aren't really my thing.”

Sunset and Flash fixed a fair distance between them to allay the suspicious look that Thunder was already giving them.

“You two are supposed to be down there.” Thunder said, pointing a thumb back at the ceremony. “Maybe there's something I'm missing here?”

Flash took a deep breath before enlightening his friend. “We're leaving.”

Thunder's suspicious gaze intensified. “Wait… what's going on here?” He pointed at the two.

Sunset gave Thunder a sad smile, and her eyes glistening with defeat. “It's over.”

The look on Thunder's face softened and he decided to stop questioning it. “Makes sense.” He commented with a shrug.

“Goodbye and take care of the Flash Drive for now.” Flash said, escorting Sunset on their way to the car parked a few feet away from them.

Thunder blinked. “Oh. Wow. This is… for real now.” He remarked, watching them enter the car. “Hey, you two stay out of trouble.” He added loudly.

And just like that, the car drove away beyond Thunder's sight, leaving him alone, standing at the hills.

Flash and Sunset sat there, in the car, with the secret and quiet oath of never looking back to the life that failed them. It was the last time they'd laid eyes on the people they were deeply attached to.

“So what now?” Sunset asked, while staring aimlessly out the window.

With one hand steering the wheel, Flash used the other to reach for his compartments, retrieving a shiny dog tag that Sunset immediately took notice. He held it tight in his hands, a heavy and unreadable look in his eyes.

“We move on, I guess.” He said, putting the dog tag around his neck.

“How is that even possible?” Sunset whispered.

Flash placed a hand on top of Sunset's. She gave him a slightly surprised look, but she never resisted his touch.

“We will try, Sunset.”

“Do you regret it?”

It took awhile for Flash to reply.

“Yes.” He answered quietly. “You?”

“Yeah.”

Sunset gave Flash a look, one that he briefly returned before firmly fixed his eyes back on the road. It was only for a moment, but Sunset saw something within those brilliant blue eyes. Something that told her, that even with all the good that existed in the world, a man like Flash wasn't truly innocent as she thought he was.

There was doubt in her. But then again, who was she to judge him, when she was a mighty train wreck herself.

“We're just a bunch of losers.” Sunset said to which Flash rightfully added with,

“Damned, defeated and lonely losers.”

“So we’ll stick together, then.”

“Always.”

It was a long day of work for Sunset Shimmer, and she thanked the universe for giving her the chance to finally relax in the comfort of her own home. She pulled out the keys for the door, once it clicked, she got inside her house.

A loud thunder broke into the winds and flashes of lightning flickered momentarily through the windows. Sunset jumped, but shrugged it off immediately.

She put down her stuff, took off her shoes, and rested her coat onto the rack beside the door.

Everything was clean and tidy as it should be. She reached for the light switch, but the odd thing was the lights wouldn't come out. She was certain she paid the bills on time.

There was a noise. A faint one, but it was audible enough for Sunset to hear. She assumed it was her dog.

“Spot?” She called, loud enough for the dog to hear.

She heard the sounds of a bell clanging in the kitchen. Spot carried a bell in his collar, so she instinctively went there to check.

Still, the light switches didn’t work. It was becoming an annoyance at this point. Sunset fished out her phone from her pockets and used the flashlight to navigate her way around her house.

“Spot?” Sunset called again. “Here, boy!”

Again, she heard the bell, but the dog was nowhere to be found. She frowned. Naturally, Spot would come out for her whenever she called.

She entered the kitchen. Immediately, right after she stepped within the area, she knew something was wrong. It was unnaturally quiet. The air was heavy and there was still no sign of her dog. No scratches, no paws softly tapping against the floorboards, and most of all, no barking.

“Spot? Are you there?” Sunset called with a louder voice.

She froze. She heard someone. It sounded like a faint breathing. And all if the sudden, she was reluctant to flash the light around the dark corners.

She decided to move around cautiously, but as she took one step, her foot stumbled upon an object on the floor. She looked down.

It was the collar. With the bell on it. But Spot was nowhere to be found.

Sunset dropped her phone to the floor when she heard a loud shuffling in the kitchen, like the sound of a moving cloth.

The darkness welcomed her, with only the light of the moon peeking through the glass window. Sweat began building up on her face, and the air around her was cold, wrapping her up like a blanket that's brought her nothing but dread.

Her eyes tried their hardest to adjust to their dark surrounding. And for some irrational reason, she had become too hesitant to move a muscle.

Then, her eyes stumbled upon the suspicious corner, where the shadows moved with awareness. She froze, her blood running cold in her veins.

There was a tall figure, standing perfectly still and from the shadows it observed her. Sunset couldn't move when she even saw the shadows shift in its place and the figure stepped out with it like its own coat.

What Sunset saw was something that awakened her, with terror filling her very being. The figure's face was covered in bloody bandages. The eyes, cyan just like hers, peeked through the holes. They were abnormally bright, almost as if they were glowing in the dark. Below those haunting eyes was a large opening where the mouth was.

Sunset felt every hair on her body stand once she saw an unsettlingly wide smile stretch from inside those bandages. She could have ran from there and informed the police about the intruder. But, she was too terrified to move and the figure before her was aware of her fears.

She wanted to scream out of terror, but seeing those eyes and that smile tore away her natural instincts and instead compelled her to ‘behave’.

“W-who are you?” She squeaked, her heart pounding wildly against her chest.

The figure tilted its head and stepped further out of the shadows, and it loomed over Sunset with its intimidating height. It wasn't strikingly tall, but it towered her still with a few inches.

A hand reached for the bandages, and the figure slowly tore them away, letting them fall to the floor softly and quietly.

“It’s like looking in the mirror, isn't it?”

Sunset's heart stopped for a moment, her eyes widened in shock and fear. Hearing her own raspy voice mocking her, thickly coated with mischief coming the spitting image of herself.

If that image was distorted entirely. But it wasn't possible. No way it was.

“Oh, my god…” She gasped as she continued to stare at the other Sunset. A taller one, no less.

“How’s life, other me?” The other Sunset spoke, moving closer to her with slow, calculating steps.

Sunset thought it was the most terrifying thing ever, to see her own carbon copy emanating dangerous aura. Those dull and lifeless cyan eyes, accompanied by the unmoving, wide devilish grin plastered on a face so hideously scarred. It was like a living and breathing nightmare.

The other Sunset began circling around her, slowly and like a predator as she did. “Me? I've been a recluse for far too long. Crawling on the dirt like a wounded dog and struggling to survive this unforgivably cruel world.”

Chills immensely ran down her spine when she felt the other Sunset’s breath against her nape. With that monstrous growl, the other Sunset continued, “While you sit here in this beautiful and warm house, filled with content and comfort without any worry or troubles keeping you up at night.”

Sunset was whimpering now, tears flooded down from her eyes from the overwhelming fear she was feeling. The other Sunset's hand crept from behind her and gently cupped her jaw.

“Life is unfair, other me.” The other Sunset pouted. “You know, I suffer from this rare case of ‘Destructive Jealousy’. It's not a medical term, but I assure you it drives me to do very, very bad things.”

“What do you want?” Sunset asked between sobs.

The other Sunset moved closer to her ear and whispered with a smile, “This world is not big enough for two Sunsets. It might cause problems. And it will. So...”

“N-no. You can’t be real. I am Sunset! I am the–”

The other Sunset clasped her hand on the girl's mouth, shushing her panicked whimpering. With that cold and malicious tone in her voice, she giggled and whispered in her ear once more.

“Sunset is dead. Long live me.”

Author's Notes:

Sunset still has no chill.

As always, lemme know what you guys think of this one! Your feedbacks are highly appreciated!