Pride. It was one thing that Nimbus never even dared to let go despite being faced with the ultimate peril that had him and his son shaking in fearful anticipation. He watched in front of those screens how effortless it was for his trusted guards to be taken down. It was clear that Sunset wasn't going to stop there, and the only thing separating Nimbus and his son from her were the protective doors locking them up.

But even that failed to secure them from the impending danger.

A loud and powerful explosion obliterated the doors into a thousand splinters and sent Nimbus and his son flying into the walls. It felt like ages waiting for the dust to settle in and for the ringing to stop. Nimbus tried to gather himself despite his throbbing head and blurry vision. He held onto his gun for he knew his life depended on it.

As Nimbus began standing up, and with Stratos wobbling up to his feet as well, he saw the look of absolute terror dominating his son's features as his eyes darted towards the busted doors.

"Oh my god." .

A tall and ambiguous silhouette approached them from the cloud of dust and smoke. By the time Nimbus got a clear picture of the monster that caused the night's terror, he wasted no time as he began pulling the trigger.

Nimbus shot her twice. Thrice. He was sure a fourth bullet went straight into her chest. His blossoming confusion was immediately disrupted when he found her charging towards him with an alarming speed that reminded him of the Sentinel's.

The next thing Nimbus knew was he began bleeding through his nostrils and he was shaking on his knees.

"Dad!"

Nimbus jumped from the sudden gunshot that followed Stratos' cry. Sunset managed to dodge the shot by some ridiculous luck. The only damage she sustained were small scratches on the side of her face, reducing her mask into pieces and fell to the floor.

Now, Sunset's attention had switched towards Stratos.

"F-fuck!" Stratos stuttered hysterically, trying his best to cock his shotgun again but failed when Sunset bolted towards him and shoved the barrel up to the ceiling.

"Hello again, Junior!" Sunset grinned widely, slamming the shotgun hard against Stratos' face and popping his nose.

Stunned out of pain, Stratos lost his grip around the shotgun, allowing Sunset to snatch it away from him without sweat. She butted his nose once more and he wobbled backwards.

"I still hate you very much." Sunset fake pouted before letting out a whistle.

The dog sprinted into the office and bit into Stratos' crotch with an iron tight grip.

"Aaahh!!! Please! Stop it! Fucking stop it! Dad!!! Help me!!!"

"Leave him alone!" Nimbus roared authoritatively, only to be faced with the shotgun's barrel.

"Don't even try, Mr. Nimbus. There's nothing you can do to save your already dickless, pathetic excuse of a son."

They stared down at each other and neither of them gave the impression of surrender. Sunset was amused at how Nimbus stood defiant and proud, as if ignoring Stratos' wails that filled the room like an infectious Pandemonium. Stratos cried loud and hard for his father to help him but to no avail. It went on and on. Eventually, Stratos became exhausted and his screaming grew weak, reduced into pathetic whimpers.

"Are you scared, Mr. Nimbus?" Sunset asked with a taunting look.

Nimbus scoffed with disdain. "I'd never submit to someone like you."

Sunset was taken aback by the lack of caution in his tone, considering his son was at stake. Nevertheless, she found it interesting, and the Devil would suggest that it would be better if she would at least try to enjoy the moment.

And Nimbus had not let go of his gun yet.

"Though it's true, isn't it?" Nimbus said. "This is all your doing. All this time."

Sunset gave a sheepish shrug and giggled. "I can take credit for that. I must say that I very much enjoyed discovering some interesting things along the way. Yes. It's just me. The one scum you failed to get rid of."

Nimbus continued to stare down at Sunset, the look in his eyes growing more severe.

"There's no apocalypse coming for you. I canceled that shit a long time ago. You can thank me now if you want." Sunset said.

"Canceled?" Nimbus asked, slightly tilting his head. Then, after connecting a few dots, conclusion came. "You're the anonymous transactor." He said, nodding.

"Right again, Mr. Nimbus. It wasn't hard gathering all that money for you." Sunset's grin grew childishly. "You thought you saved your asses from a greater threat six months ago. It's still funny. That was Junior's fault from the start. But I guess I shouldn't complain about that whole ordeal. I loved every second of it."

"What do you wish to gain from this?" Nimbus asked out of irritation than genuine curiosity. "All of this destruction and death you brought upon this city, what kind of statement are you tryi–"

Sunset groaned, interrupting Nimbus. "Oh, please no. Separate me from that complicated and political bullshit, Mr. Nimbus. I'm much more simpler than that. I came all this way… to talk."

That final sentence multiplied the wrinkles on Nimbus' face. Even more so when Sunset dropped the shotgun to the floor, eyeing him in a welcoming manner. But even with her visage, malice never left her presence no matter how much she pretended otherwise.

"Talk?" Nimbus repeated.

"Yeah. What better way to spend my time with the highly recognized kingpin of the underworld than have a nice little chit chat?"

Nimbus wanted to shoot her repeatedly until her brains tainted his walls. But other part of himself remained cautious, holding his destructive urges back. There was an explosive kind of danger radiating from the girl in front of him. So much unpredictability contained within her that Nimbus couldn't fully comprehend. It left him curious and now he wished to decipher it.

"What are you?" Nimbus asked.

Sunset shifted in her position and put up her collar boastfully. "I guess you should ask your old pal Canyon for that. Oh wait. I forgot. He's already in the morgue."

Nimbus was disturbed upon hearing the revelation. But he didn't say anything, allowing Sunset to continue with her story.

"Long story short, I was a neglected drug experiment. They weren't happy with me so they threw me away and let me turn into a hopeless nutcase. Life was so hard after that, I tell you."

"Drug experiment?" Nimbus said, confused and frustrated. He was starting to think that maybe Sunset was just making stories to provoke him into madness.

"Oh, you didn't know? Hell, I didn't know either until Canyon told me. You should keep an eye on your people more often, Mr. Nimbus. Geez. Who knows what kind of monsters they're trying to cook up these days."

"And I'm supposed to believe in your stories? You? A mass-murdering psychopath? No. Not a chance."

Sunset's eyes grew dark upon hearing Nimbus call her the P word. "You're the biggest crime lord in Canterlot. I'm a fucking rookie compared to you."

"Don't even try to compare yourself to us." Nimbus said. "You have no idea how insignificant you are in the face of what we do. What you think you know is just a tiny fraction of something bigger. You're nothing. That's all you are."

Sunset giggled as a response.

"What's so funny?

Sunset wheezed. "I don't know. Maybe 'cause you people like saying the same damn thing over and over again."

"You're out of your mind."

"Oh, they all say that!" Sunset sputtered. "You know, after peeling off this city's dirty layers, I find it quite shameful that you still have no idea who I am and what I'm supposed to be."

"Care to enlighten me then." Nimbus asked, quietly this time.

Sunset took out pieces of paper from under her coat, soaked with her own blood.

"Found these on Canyon's desk." She said, waving the papers in the air. "Police reports on Shining Armor's death."

The mention of the late detective's name caught Nimbus by surprise, as his confusion turned into mild intrigue and suspicion.

"Let's go back to a couple of years, Mr. Nimbus. Did you know Shining Armor?" Sunset slowly asked.

Nimbus returned an irritated look. "What's he got to do with this?"

"Answer the fucking question." Sunset's tone was calm yet demanding. "Did you know him?"

"Yes. Everyone knew him."

"Okay," Sunset looked down at the papers and added, "According to these reports, the car he was riding had its brakes broken, as if it had been cut which caused him to run past a red light and into a train track."

Sunset briefly glanced at Nimbus, expecting some sort of reaction. But he just stood there quietly, inviting her to continue.

"Last I remember, no one, not the news nor the cops, ever mentioned about the brakes being cut. It was just a plain old car crash." Sunset paused to let out a laugh, one that seemed forced. "To think that I found these papers on a fucking drug dealer's desk years later makes things a lot more interesting, doesn't it?"

The look on Nimbus face suggested that he knew where Sunset was heading.

"Oh, come on. I know you want to add something to this conversation. Speak up."

There was a brief pause between them, one that was welcomed, as it allowed the heaviness to settle in. And with that, the air grew more unbearable than before.

"Shining Armor was a vigorous young man. One of the greatest in his department." Nimbus cleared his voice as he began. "He was what I considered as someone committed to his job. Sometimes, and most of the times, almost too committed. He stubbornly tread dangerous waters, most of which he wasn't ever allowed to."

"Barbatos' Paradise." Sunset said.

"Shining knew what he was getting himself into. He crossed the line when he started taking the law into his own hands. He was willing to risk everything."

"Maybe because the law wasn't enough for him." Sunset said, scowling. "Maybe because you couldn't keep him in your pocket, unlike the entire CCDP who took a blind eye and cover up the truth about his death. And surprise surprise, after he went out, the cops became the next level scumbags. They became just as bad as those fucking lepers."

"I respected Shining Armor. I truly did. But he never listened. He antagonized the people who were willing to negotiate with him but as you can see, he kept pushing. That was the choice that cost him the ultimate price."

The smile on Sunset's face turned bitter, and the papers in her hands crumpled under her rage. "I always thought that Canterlot lost its greatest man by accident. Turns out, it fucking murdered him. Ain't that a bitch?"

"What does Shining have to do with you exactly?" Nimbus asked.

Sunset paused. "To tell you honestly, my memories are kinda hazy now." She said absentmindedly, making pointless motions in the air with her fingers.

"Maybe you've come here for some kind of vengeance for his death, huh? Am I correct?" Nimbus said, eyes furrowing.

"No." Sunset mumbled, the papers in her hands had already turned into a ball. "Why would I do that?"

"But I thought–"

Sunset chuckled, tossing the paper across the room. "I lost so much in life and it sucked. I could use some fancy validation for me to burn this entire goddamn city while I make you and your fucking crew watch and cry your eyes out for mercy but… I guess none of that really matters anymore now, right? I'll do it for the sake of the fun because life really is just one hell of a joke." She said, the look on her face torn between joy and scorn.

"I believe this is the part where you kill me." Nimbus said, taking a step back.

"No. No, it's too early for that. I'm still enjoying this." Sunset shook her head.

"You've come this far…"

"And yet, I feel like there's still so much more to know about. I'm just a scum who knows nothing, after all. So tell me, oh great king of Canterlot, who's the one that did it?"

"Did what?" Nimbus had already pointed his gun back towards her.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"Is this about avenging Shining's death?"

"The only death I'm avenging is mine." Sunset closed the space between the two of them until Nimbus could feel her burning breath. "Now, who fucking did it, Pops?"

"I never gave an order to kill him. Anyone could have done it. God knows they may already be dead because of you. And if that's the case, then you've come to a dead end."

Sunset's eye twitched as she found herself lost for a moment. She absolutely hated how she could not trace the lie within those words.

"Get away from him, you sick evil bitch."

Cobalt's voice broke the building tension between Nimbus and Sunset, who were now in a state of surprise upon the newcomer's entrance, accompanied by a few angry mobsters who were all armed with guns.

"Blue boy. The backup has arrived, I see." Sunset forced a smile as she glared at Cobalt, who was standing at the broken entrance. Still, she hadn't moved an inch away from Nimbus. Meanwhile, the dog's growling grew immensely louder in the background.

"We're tired of playing your twisted games. Get away from Mr. Nimbus or el–"

"Or else you'll shoot me." Sunset rolled her eyes. "Cool, like that's going to stop me."

Nimbus pinned the barrel of his gun against Sunset's hip and said, "Maybe not."

Bang!

Sunset flew backwards and fell to the floor with a bleeding hip and a damaged spine. While she was rendered temporarily paralyzed, Cobalt and the rest of the mobsters rushed inside.

The dog finally moved away from Stratos' body and instinctively charged towards the group, only to be shot in the head by Cobalt. Its last whimper lingered in space, and rang tremendously through Sunset's ears as its dead body fell.

Everything else became a blur as Sunset was faced with the dead dog's empty stare, its tongue spread across and out its bloody mouth, eyes partially popped out of their sockets with the remainder of its brain and skull smeared across the floor.

A dog will do anything for you.

A hazy shadow wiggled in the background until the image appeared clear. It was Flamepuff, sporting a halfhearted guilty look.

"Oops. My bad." The little demon gave a carefree shrug.

"Fuck." Sunset groaned. In pain, in annoyance of her sudden immobility, worsen by the sight of the now dead dog that she grew fond of. She reached a hand to pat its lifeless snout. "You did good, boy."

"Yeah, well too bad dogs aren't bulletproof. And that's not my fault." Flamepuff said.

While the little demon went on with his useless banter, Sunset managed to move her arm and snuck into the crevices of her coat to reach for something.

Meanwhile, Cobalt tended to his master while the others assisted Stratos. It was both horrifying and ironic for them to see the son of Nimbus get castrated. They rushed his weakened body to a nearby table, blood dripping from his inner thighs.

"I'm glad you're alright, sir." Cobalt said, both relief and worry present in his features.

"Finish her already." Nimbus ordered, fixing up his tie.

Cobalt gave a nod and walked over Sunset's struggling form. He never knew he would hate someone so badly, that he almost wanted to let her live and make her suffer forever. That or the grief and utter regret made him a little insane. He harshly planted a boot against her back, pinning her to where she crawled.

"You're going to pay for all the things you've done to this family." Cobalt pressed his boot harder, until Sunset's suppressed groans became growls of sheer agony, one that he admittedly craved to hear. Maybe he was a little insane, but he guessed there was no harm in embracing it just for once. "You're gonna pay for what you did to Olivia."

Cobalt hunched down until his lips were near Sunset's ear, gently pressing the barrel against the back of her skull. "You're gonna pay for what you did to Zoomer."

Before Cobalt could even pull the trigger against Sunset's skull, screams and gunshots erupted throughout the hallways, making its way into the office.

"What the hell?" Cobalt gasped, perching up.

"Looks like my backup has arrived."

With Cobalt distracted, Sunset heaved herself upward after regaining control over her body, making Cobalt lose his balance over her. She swung her leg hard against his head and the world became a blur. As he fell onto one of his knees, Sunset jumped at him and plunged a knife repeatedly at the side of his neck, with each stab earning her a bloody splatter on the face.

"Blaster!!!" Nimbus cried. "What have you done? What have you done?!"

Sunset grinned wildly. She ignored Nimbus, and instead giggled into Cobalt's blank face. "Thanks for the fun, blue boy. Don't worry. Miss Cyan Eyes is gonna take good care of Olivia."

Nobody except Sunset was quick enough to react once the raving asylum escapees entered the office. Sunset went for the large glass windows at the other end of the room and pulled the trigger several times with Cobalt's gun until it shattered. Sunset made a run for it without a second thought.

After a few seconds that felt longer than it should have, Sunset landed on another building's rooftop, breaking both of her ankles pressed under the weight of her landing.

"Fuck!!!"

Sunset yelled in pain, curling into a ball as she tried to reach for her ankles, now throbbing awfully in her boots.

"Man, if I knew we were jumping off of buildings at some point, I should've reminded you to get a parachute." Flamepuff said, hovering just above her.

Sunset found the urge to wail dissipate from her throat, and instead, she smiled and cackled through her misery.

Heaving a few breaths in, she rolled onto her back and faced the broken glass window fifty foot above her. Several gunshots flickered before the noise evaporated. She smiled.

At least the asylum escapees were a good distraction.

"You should get up before you start rotting here." Flamepuff jested.

Sunset wasn't healing fast after all the extensive beating she took. Her spine was still aching, but the pain was becoming constant to the point where her body just felt overall numb. Flamepuff was right. Her nerve endings were messed up.

Shortly after the pause, the mobsters stood at the edge of the broken window with their guns aimed below and towards her.

"Oh, shit."

Bullets were sent flying down to the building's rooftop, and Sunset struggled to scram with her broken ankles failing her after every three steps forward.

"God-fucking-damn it!!!" She yelled when a stray bullet went through her calf, causing her to fall on her face.

"Hurry up, bacon strip! A bullet's ain't gonna stop you!"

Sunset wanted to curse the little demon for his useless words, but instead she focused hard on getting out of the scene and not take anymore bullets to let healing take place. Her back was aching tremendously while her ankles were getting butchered by her clumsy balance.

"Come on!!!" She roared as she gathered all the remaining strength she had left within her. Finally, when she was back on her feet, she scampered and jumped off of the ledge and slid down of the structures of the building until she was out of the mobsters' sight.

After a whole minute of jumping over rooftops, Sunset slumped down on one spot to stabilize her labored breathing. She muttered to herself as she began picking off the remaining pellets stuck beneath her flesh.

"Oh, I know. I know. But at least you're not the only one suffering now." Flamepuff said with a cheeky smile. "Listen to the Hell you've created."

And she did. The night was filled with the howling dissonance caused by screams and flames. It was the sound that once ravaged her head in years and cost her many sleepless nights. Now, everyone was given the chance to hear it. The sickening atmosphere filled a different kind of warmth within Sunset's aching chest. The kind that would seem like a painful curse to a sane man, but here she was embracing the fire that burned her dearly, and she had learned to love it.

"Do you hear it?"

"I do."

For the first time in a very long time, a genuine smile formed on Sunset's face.

Azure wanted to leave, but she wasn't really heartless enough to ignore the severity of the situation. If she was going to defy Sunset in her own way, then she would have to stop turning a blind eye and start taking action.

"Come on, let's get you kids outta here." Azure hurriedly ushered a group of street kids to safety inside a stolen van, parked dangerously near an ongoing riot.

"You sure we're gonna be okay, Az?" One of the kids asked, eyes glistening with fear.

For what it was worth, Azure forced a hopeful smile. "Yeah. Sure. But we have to stick together no matter what happens, you hear me?"

The children tried to show their optimism despite the fear of the occuring danger. And Azure wasn't going to spoil such optimism, so she smiled back at them, for their sake.

Azure hopped behind the wheels immediately and began to hit the pavement. There was nothing she could do to shield the kids from the horrendous sight that plagued the streets, as she heard them all gasp and whimper collectively at the back, fueling her to stomp the pedal harder to escape from the madness.

The van frantically sped down the streets of Canterlot. Seeing the chaos up close made the guilt a lot more potent for Azure, aware of the fact that she was involved in the orchestration of this descent. But if there was a moment for redemption, the time was now.

A collection of screams broke out within the van as a flaming school bus nearly hit them at the intersection. Azure was quick to react and stomp into the brakes.

They weren't given a moment to breathe after that near death encounter when a massive group of rioters rallied across the road, blocking their way to the other side.

"Damn it!" Azure cursed beneath her breath. She looked around for a moment to see if there was another way out, but the road was heavily occupied, and she wasn't about to ram the van through the wall of moving bodies.

In a brief fit of resignation, Azure finally decided to turn the van around to find another route. After barely turning the van, one of the kids yelled out.

"Wait! There's a kid in the crowd!" He exclaimed, pointing a finger outside.

"What?" Azure darted her eyes towards the crowd and gasped when she found a kid caught between the bodies of the rallying adults around her. The kid was crying in sheer terror and confusion, and no even batted her an eye.

"We can't leave her, Azure!"

"She has to come with us!"

"Please! We need to take her!"

Azure battled herself, struggling behind the wheel. She couldn't leave these kids behind. It was too dangerous. But she looked at the poor kid standing there in the midst of the chaos. She hesitated. All she had to do was turn the van around and get out of there as soon as possible before the madness consumed them whole, then again, she made a point to herself to make a difference for once.

But was it worth the risk?

As soon as she was done cursing the heavens for what she was about to do, Azure jumped out of the van and sprinted across the pavement. She dared to squeeze herself between the bodies and grabbed the kid as soon as she had the chance.

"Shhhh. Don't worry, I got you." She cooed as she raced back to the van.

A deep thundering sound of a horn blared out of nowhere, speeding dangerously towards the moving crowd. Azure caught a glimpse of the two blinding headlights. She stopped and immediately jumped out of its path, tumbling into the sidewalk with the kid wrapped around her arms. The moment passed within a second that when Azure looked up, she found the van brutally crushed, lying meters away from its initial position with its tires facing up.

Azure felt her heart sank to her stomach again. Surrounding the van, the entire road was filled with bodies, crushed from the ten wheeler's impact. She had seen dead bodies before, but it was different seeing dozens upon dozens of them scattered like fish being washed out by the shore.

Azure instinctively gathered herself back and made sure to avert the kid's eyes from the horrendous scene. As she wept quietly. Secretly. Biting her knuckles as she did. She hugged the kid tightly around her arms, wishing to escape from such a hellish nightmare. No words escaped her mouth except for the encroaching anger gritting between her teeth.

Suddenly, there was scurrying within the piles of debris from the ten wheeler's crash sight located a couple of meters away and it echoed loud enough for Azure to hear.

A few seconds later, a body popped out of the rubble, stumbling into the middle of the bloody road. Upon recognizing who it was, the depressing look on Azure's face slowly turned into resentment.

After placing the kid down near an abandoned shop, Azure drew out her gun and walked over towards Sunset. Azure waited. She didn't know why, but she stood there in silence until Sunset noticed her presence.

Sunset was nearly unrecognizable if it weren't for her bright cyan eyes and her red hair. Bruises and cuts filled her entire body. She limped on her feet, a hand tenderly placed against her rib, while armed with a gun on the other. Her eyes wandered and looked at the mess she made, a pleasant look residing within them. A sight which Azure felt disgusted upon witnessing. She scoffed, catching Sunset's attention in return.

"Hey, girlfriend."

"Don't call me that."

Sunset noticed the gun in Azure's hand. "Oh, I see. A sudden burst of courage. Bravo."

"I should've just killed you when I had the chance." Azure said, tears streaming down her face.

"Why didn't you?" Sunset asked tauntingly.

Azure didn't answer.

"You don't have the guts."

Azure raised her gun, hatred burning in her eyes.

"How cute." Sunset mocked, raising her gun as well. "Trying' to play hero, huh? Aren't you afraid to die?"

"It'd be worth dying if it means killing you."

Sunset mocked a pout. "You're really not having any fun, are you, Az? Why do you care so much about all this? Isn't this what you wanted?"

"You don't give a shit about what I want, Sunset. This was always about you. You never cared about me. You never cared for anyone or anything ever!"

"Tss. You don't say that stuff into my face like you have an idea who and what I cared for." Sunset shot back.

"Maybe because you failed to keep them."

Sunset's expression became unreadable for a moment. She stifled a chuckle, then lowered her gun to smile at the ground with that soft look in her eyes.

"That's funny." Sunset said, her voice audibly weak. "You reminded me of… something."

Azure didn't move an inch. She waited patiently for Sunset to begin a tale when suddenly the words quickly evaporate from her mouth.

"Heh. Why does it matter, anyway?" Sunset said to herself, unknowing of the single tear streaming down her cheek. "Okay. Screw me now if you want. This is your chance. Unleash all that frustration inside of you." She said, spreading her arms out wide in a form of invitation.

"Don't fuck with me, Sunset!" Azure cried, tightening her grip on the gun with a trembling hand.

"It's okay, Az." Sunset urged gently, smiling.

It should be easy to pull the trigger and end it already. Though maybe Azure was starting to lose her mind at that very moment, as she wasn't sure why and how, but somehow, in some twisted and untimely joke, she saw a glimpse of the Sunset she once knew and cared for. In that moment, Sunset was helpless and vulnerable.

It should be goddamn easy. But Sunset made it feel like torture.

At last, Azure gathered all her might and fired at Sunset repeatedly, with each shot growing louder and louder as they went out until the round was empty, leaving Sunset hunched over to the ground before collapsing.

Azure furiously threw the gun away, then bit her knuckles as she continued to cry out of rage, sadness, and most of all, guilt.

Seconds passed. Then minutes. All remained still and isolated in that period of time masked like eternity. Sunset hadn't moved a muscle after Azure emptied a round on her. She wasn't breathing. At that point it was hard to believe that Sunset was perhaps well and truly dead.

Azure stared at the corpse, waiting for some kind of release inside of he; a sense of relief to blossom within her chest. Anything. She waited. She breathed. But there was nothing. She only felt heavier.

Turning around, Azure found the kid peeking out of the doorframe of the shop, terrified and confused as always. Azure sighed and dragged herself to pick up the kid into her arms once again after wiping the tears off her own face.

"Don't worry. I'm here. I'm still here." Azure whispered, a lump swelling in her throat.

"As am I."

Azure froze in terror upon hearing Sunset's distorted voice. She slowly turned around, and every hair on her body stood up as she saw the redhead's corpse back on her feet. Sunset's eyes were much more unsettling than before, bloodshot and filled with nothing but monstrous apathy, wide and void of all the vulnerability she had moments before.

"Now that was fun." Sunset beamed, her teeth smeared with red, and a slimy string running down her chin. "Did you really think I'd go out easily?! Did you?!"

Sunset's voice echoed horrendously that the kid hid herself into Azure's embrace and cried in terror.

"No. G–get away." Azure held the kid tighter as she retreated backwards.

A group of vehicles suddenly appeared out of the corner of the street, and came out of them were an armed group led by Titania. They all stood behind Azure, completely opposing Sunset. Azure instinctively moved closer to the group, though they were strangers to her, she didn't care at this point. She was willing to take a side, even just for tonight.

"It's over." Titania said, tired yet firm.

"Oh, looky looky here. The street sweepers have finally come." Sunset mocked as she spread her arms. "Such a busy night for all of us, yes?"

Azure turned towards Titania with a frantic look. "She can't die. It's no use shooting her if she can't die." She whispered.

"And who are you?" Titania asked.

"I'm Azure, from Barbatos' Paradise."

Titania gave an understanding look.

"Don't worry. We'll lock her up." Titania said.

"Oh, wow. More bursts of courage! Good for you! Now you can pretend like you didn't at least help me turn Canterlot into a burning wasteland! And you can also pretend you weren't at least responsible for the deaths of hundreds of people!"

Azure frowned, as she turned her eyes away from Sunset's piercing glares. "Please, just take her away."

"We wi–"

Strong beams of light shot down from the heavens, illuminating the grim streets below. Everyone shielded their eyes and upon facing the sky, they found three helicopters hovering above them.

"What the hell is this?"

Sunset turned away from the lights and looked at Titania accusingly, but even she seemed confused about the situation. With no answers to grasp on, Sunset let out a growl of vexation.

Meanwhile, the Devil on her shoulder grinned like a kid on Christmas. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

"What? What is?" Sunset snapped.

Men in black came climbing down from thick ropes. Titania, Azure, and the group stepped back as the men landed one by one onto the pavement. All of them wore black masks, obscuring their identities and rendering them nearly inhuman. Each of them were dressed with a shoulder pad that had an emblem of a black unicorn's head, its eyes a neon green glow, in contrast to the blackness that the rest of the men wore.

Azure was attentive the whole time, and she recognized the look of regard coated above the creeping apprehension present on Titania's face. She knew who these people were, at least, that's how Azure saw it.

"Oh dear…"

Titania made a gesture to her group to put their guns away. At first they hesitated, but when they realized that they were truly outnumbered by the men in black, they eventually obeyed her orders. Azure saw it as an act of submission being done out of fear. Something she had never seen them do before. They all sensed importance and power among these men, and none of them even uttered a single word. It was as if Titania, Azure, and the group never existed in the same plane, as the men in black failed to acknowledge their existence, and instead they turned their full attention towards Sunset.

Aware of the growing number of bodies slowly surrounding her, Sunset went with her instincts and bolted off as fast as she could.

A wall of body blocked her path, and Sunset bared her teeth like a cornered wolf.

"Who the fuck are you people?" She growled.

A sudden jolt of electricity pierced Sunset's side and she went completely unconscious, falling to the ground once more.

Titania and the rest could only observe the scene in utter cluelessness, yet they were welcomed with a strange surge of relief at the sight of Sunset being apprehended. The men in black tied her up with multiple straps and even put a muzzle on her face. When they were done, they then carried her body back to the helicopter.

It all happened so fast that when it ended, Titania, Azure and the group merely stood in one spot with their mouths agape.

"Who… who were they?" Azure had many questions, but it was all she could muster to get out.

With that clear gravitas in her eyes, Titania answered with, "A much higher order."

It was the surrounding coldness that shook her back into consciousness. With heavy eyelids, Sunset opened her eyes…

And she saw darkness.

There was nothing that welcomed her. All she could hear was the faint found of her own breathing, too loud for the air that held only silence. The pain that she had been carrying the entire night had now diminished from her body, replaced with serenity and the confidence of her regained strength.

But she couldn't move. Something was preventing her from doing so. Taking a few breaths and blinking the slumber away from her eyes, she tried assessing her surroundings with her other senses.

She was vertically strapped to something, as she heard the rattling of metal against leather whenever she tried moving her arms and legs. The struggling caused her to breathe harder, and as a result, the air around her lips grew hot.

Sunset realized she had a tight muzzle on her face. She wanted to speak, but the muzzle prevented her jaws from moving.

It was then that she truly remembered what had happened to her. The images came rushing into her mind, jumbled and fast. Canterlot burned and before she could go any further, something stopped her.

Without warning, bright beam of light flashed from above her. Sunset groaned, adjusting her vision to her surroundings, barely illuminated by the single light source. She looked down, and realized that she was naked.

O...kay?

The floor beneath her feet was wet, metallic, and overall unpleasant. Sunset shot her head up and scanned the void that surrounded her, and could swear she saw shadows creeping, moving, and shuffling within them. She could swear there were eyes, watching from the darkness, baring multiple judgements she wasn't truly concerned about.

I swear, whoever you are, I really hope you have a gun with you because you'll be damned if you don't have one.

There were footsteps, slow, heavy, yet deliberate, approaching her from the shadows. And from it, a tall male figure emerged, barely touching the light, while the rest of him blended in the dark still.

Sunset squinted her eyes, struggling to make out the man's features. After adjusting, she could see a pair of green eyes, emanating a bright neon glow. And if she wasn't mistaken, she could see an image of an old man, his face lined with wrinkles like battle scars. Though he didn't look frail, no. The man, despite his aging features, looked strong, sapient, and more importantly, capable.

If it weren't for Sunset's immunity to fear, she would have retreated from the sight of those domineering eyes, staring down at her relentlessly. Silently. Like a creature of the night. Like… a shadow. An umbra itself.

The man took one last step, and finally, he was under the same light as Sunset. He truly was tall. He towered her entirely, but she didn't cower. His face was the color of ashen grey, flush touching his nose, and his lips obscured by a thick yet neatly groomed beard. His black wavy locks were combed to the back of his head, with his years catching up to him in the form of white streaks of hair.

A golden medallion hung from his neck, glowing a bright color that stuck out from the blackness of his suit. His shoulders were broad and his frame strongly built. There was a regal and rather mystical quality radiating from the man, and his presence alone demanded respect, as if he carried a certain importance that Sunset was unaware of.

At last he spoke. His voice deep, old, and thick, and the words came out of his mouth smoothly like a knife through butter.

"It is my delight to finally meet you in person, Sunset Shimmer." The man said. "My, you have been a real handful for Canterlot. But do not let my fascination flatter you. As amazing as you are, there's no denying that you are somewhat, to put into better words, an anomaly that needed suppression and control."

A freak of nature, if you will? I believe so.

Sunset frowned a little, visibly confused. Extremely confused. The man took note of this and he smiled softly.

"Yes. We know what you are. And we have been watching you for quite a long time."

We? Shit, who the hell are these people?

A shadow cast over the man's eyes as he looked slightly over his shoulder. And past them, Sunset could see a slight movement in the darkness. There were people around them, hiding within the void. Just as she thought. She could hear the sound of their medallions moving about just a little.

Among the shadows was Flamepuff dancing around like a clown, flaunting his freedom while Sunset was bound in her place. He landed on the man's shoulder, and he looked down at her tauntingly, a smile never leaving his face.

Where the fuck are we, you little shit?!

But Flamepuff never answered her. He teased her with a look of 'I think I know', but then his face turned into innocence, or a mockery of it. He swayed his head side to side, his crimson eyes intently scanning the shadows so that Sunset would follow his gaze, believing that if she did she'll find some kind of answer as to why she was strapped in her current predicament. Butt. Naked.

Sunset followed him, then she stopped.

Oh… fuck…

Sunset saw a figure. Familiar yet different. Her eyes had already adjusted enough that she could manage to see the slightest details even in sheer darkness. There, just beyond the man's right shoulder, was a girl and she stood like a phantom crawling its way out of Sunset's troubled past. The girl's eyes were an awfully familiar shade of violet protected by a pair of lenses, now tearing deep into Sunset's recollections. Her hair was barely at shoulder's length, but Sunset also recognized the pretty colors and the highlights. Those delicately flushed cheeks that Sunset used to caress with her finger tips, and those lips. Those pink lush lips...

Sunset felt a flurry of emotions ballooning up inside of her, and she didn't know how to respond.

Twilight Sparkle… of all the times… why now?

It was then that the entire room was filled with the Devil's laughter, overjoyed that Sunset had finally caught the punch line.

Author's Notes:

So. Here we are. Better hold on to your butts.

Thank you for your patience, everyone!