Sombra gave himself a drink, while his favorite piece of music played in the background. As he did, he sat behind his desk, relaxing in his designed solitude. He sighed, as he began to think to himself just how tedious his day was.

One thought was conceived to counter the former. Perhaps it was his years catching up to him that produced such sentiment. Seeing those guilty in front of him over and over again, being punished for their inadequacies, cowardice and foolishness, started to lose its thrill of satisfaction.

Though, there was a time when he felt a sense of fulfillment being in his position. A sense of control and power used to spoil him and he sought to chase that feeling for a long time until the urge dwindled. Because in reality, it was all nothing but an unwanted obligation to fill up big empty shoes.

Sombra was a man who led a grotesque life. And it was his pedestal that granted him the leverage to hold onto his role of society's lesser god. So maybe he was less of a scum.

Was this even the life he dreamed of having? Dreams, he thought. For men like him never carried dreams but only kept them hidden somewhere just so he could look at them in secret. Maybe give himself hope. But all they did was destroy every bit of hope of attaining them.

Carefully reaching under his collar, Sombra scooped out a little silver locket hidden behind his shirt. He let his thumb gently run across the locket's small form as another sigh escaped his mouth along with a bitter smile.

"Mercy…" He whispered. "Too much of it has been a punishment in itself."

A few moments later, Sombra's deep rumination was interrupted when Twilight entered his office in her lab coat. And there was a sudden shift in the old man's mood, and a small smile now occupying his lips.

But the old man restrained his excitement when he noticed the visible exhaustion that dominated Twilight's features. "Hello, my dear. Busy day?"

"Busy week if you ask me." Twilight beamed, in efforts to mask her lethargy.

"It's been a while since we've had the chance to sit down and actually talk. Would you mind if I give you something to drink? Surely working on your research all week has been tiring for you." Sombra said, offering a glass to the girl, to which she declined politely.

"Oh, no. I'm fine. It's fine. I just need some air, I think." She said, pulling up a chair and sitting across Sombra.

"We've all been busy." Sombra said, placing the glass back down. "As for you, have you been sleeping well?"

Twilight tried her best not to yawn or rub her eyes at the moment. "Yes, I have." She lied half-heartedly.

Sombra chose to smile than call her out. "Don't you worry. Once we finish tending to our respective duties, I'm sure we'll all be granted a chance to breathe." He said before shifting in his seat. "Now, about your findings…"

Twilight took a deep breath, and adjusted her glasses before continuing. "Right. There's a lot of things I've discovered. Most of which I've already hypothesized."

"Let's hear it." Sombra said, leaning back into his chair. "What have you found?"

"So, we know that our subject has been given an experimental drug, one that is a failure by design obviously." Twilight began.

Sombra noticed how Sunset's name was omitted on purpose, but he just kept the thought to himself instead of entertaining it. "Hmm. So you're suggesting that she's a prototype?"

"The indications say so." Twilight answered with confidence. "See, as far as we've observed, she's been exhibiting unnatural traits. Heightened senses, acute awareness, superhuman endurance and accelerated healing, all of this is the perfect recipe for creating an effective living weapon."

Sombra's frown grew with intrigue, cupping his bearded chin as he carefully listened to every information.

"But as I've stated earlier, it's a failed design." Twilight stood and grabbed the chalkboard that stood just beside the book shelf.

"With the device implanted in her head, it's easy for us to monitor her brain activities from time to time." She picked up a chalk and began scribbling charts and lines, while the old man watched carefully. "One moment, brain activity is normal. But then it can be totally different in the next," she said as she drew a huge spike that repeated itself unevenly.

"Disorganized thoughts, disturbed perception of reality, accompanied by aggressive tendencies and violent impulses." Twilight added after she put the chalk down. "These long term damages are clearly direct results from being subjected to that drug experiment."

Sombra narrowed his brows thoughtfully. "But despite the negative effects from this experimental drug, she's still capable as an intellectual."

"An IQ of one hundred and twenty now pushed to one hundred and forty. Above average intelligence. I believe that somehow, whatever tampering was made, it caused the sudden spike in her intelligence."

"Has this unstable part of her brain hindered her before? Or perhaps will hinder her in the future?" Sombra asked.

"It's less of a hindrance for her really. Rather it's more of a feature. Adds to her unpredictability." Twilight said, shrugging.

The intrigue in Sombra's eyes grew more potent. "Is there a chance we can change her back to normal?"

Twilight shook her head in half-hearted dismay. "No. There isn't. The irony is, despite having an almost superhuman endurance, her already unstable mind can only endure too much tampering. If we stick one more needle into her brain, that could be the end of her." She said, mindlessly picking up the chalk from the desk.

"Why is that?"

"Brain trauma. Though her brain is perfectly intact, evidence suggests that she has suffered severe head injuries many times before." Twilight answered while she fiddled with the chalk in her hand.

Sombra hummed in acknowledgement before proceeding with a new set of inquiry.

"What about that device in her head? Can it provide some sort of cure?"

"It's designed to merely subdue her. At this point, the amount of psychological damage she has is beyond any cure or reprogramming. We can make her obey certain orders, restrict her from going too far. In the end, a dog is a dog. Chained or not, its bite stays the same." Twilight said, crushing the chalk in her grip.

"I wonder..." Sombra hummed, scratching his jaw. "Are any of these otherworldly forces responsible, or at least, have contributed to these physiological changes?"

Twilight shook her head dismissively. "I doubt it.

"You told me that you've seen her in such a state before." Sombra pushed with a hopeful look.

"Yes I have." Twilight answered in a distant tone, as if she was ruptured into deep thought. She pushed her glasses between her eyes and cupped her chin. "But I never once saw her in her corrupted form, only when she was in her most benevolent."

"What if she is in her most malevolent?" The grim undertone within Sombra's question made Twilight shiver.

"She's become too distant, and too detached from the forces outside our dimension to even tap into them. But I do believe that a trace of it is still intact in her biological code. In fact, that code is the only evidence we have left that she's not of this world." Twilight said with intense exhibition before a careful inquiry. "Are you asking this as a precaution or something that you intend to explore? Because it seems to me that you are mostly intrigued by the latter."

Sombra laughed at the girl's sudden burst of agitation. "I have no interest in tampering with nature, especially one that is beyond ours." He shook his head. "For now, we can just utilize what she has to offer. We have the luck of the Devil on our side."

It had been a productive week for Sunset. A mildly enjoyable one at that. At least, it was in her best interest that she tried to find every bit of enjoyment in being subjected to The Court's whimsical arrangements. She liked being thought of as a force worthy of being cautious about, but her resentment towards her detainment remained still.

There was a new character to keep her company. He was a man named Vanta Black, society's top assassin and said to have served The Court for over two decades now. Impressive title, and yet another unfortunate fellow to carry the burden of having to deal with Sunset and her antics. The first time she laid eyes on the man, she vowed to make his life miserable by never having to keep her mouth shut.

It was the farthest she could go. Everyday she was reminded that she lacked the choice to act on her own free will, like maybe shove a barrel down her throat and pull the damn trigger. Sometimes she fantasized about burning the whole place down, and then she could finally have her way with Twilight. She never thought far from there though. That was still something she was careful about.

It was funny, she thought. She started having this crawling sensation of being cautious everytime Twilight was around. Though, the two of them had only interracted once since their first meeting. Sunset would argue that her docile behavior around Twilight was a natural response, but the worst of her had always accused the device into tricking her with feelings of vulnerability.

No. Never she would succumb to weakness. For now, she would play their game. Admittedly, she had enjoyed most so far. Her training with Vanta was fruitful and being trained by a vigorous and radical mind could take someone towards great lengths, and Sunset had been pushed into a mile in week's time.

Sunset was practically programmed into their ways of thinking, moving and fighting. She was quick enough to assemble five different types of firearms in under three minutes after being instructed once. One time, Vanta taught her how to stop a knife without cutting herself. And since they knew she had a high endurance towards damage, that gave them the opportunity to test how much she could take.

At the end of every expected carnage, samples of her blood was taken to the lab for examination. For seven days, she learned how to properly handle various kinds of weaponry, move quicker, think faster, and fight smarter, and then being tested afterwards. Apparently, despite Vanta's displeasure towards Sunset's mere existence, her healing factor never failed to amuse him to a slight degree. Or maybe it was the torture he found amusing. Sunset could never bother.

By the end of the week, Vanta had taken Sunset to the deepest part of the castle. She never knew where because of the blindfold. Later she figured that something significant was about to happen, and Vanta was not about to confess as to what.

They arrived and everything was still blank. Sunset stood in silence for about a good minute until she fully realized that Vanta was not around anymore. If something was going to happen eventually, she was now equipped and prepared to deal with it.

Sunset took a deep breath, flexed her arm and fingers at her side and listened carefully. Beyond the beating of her own heart, she could hear the faintest shuffling all around her. She was in a large square room, but she wasn't actually alone.

A huge grin formed on Sunset's half covered face, just in time before the first body lunged at her side. She blocked an upper strike with her arm then swung a leg at their middle. The second body came from the opposite side, who immediately met Sunset's palm against their head, followed by five quick strikes into the torso and a boot to the crotch.

Another body jumped from behind her and she quickly rolled over to the side to evade the attack. As she got back up to her feet, she readied herself with a defensive stance. Two bodies charged at her from both sides. Sunset went for the other and swung a huge kick to the head, then she threw herself against the one approaching her left, both of them tumbling onto the floor.

After elbowing her attacker to the chest, Sunset quickly got up to her knees just in time to stop a knife mid air. She turned her head towards the side, before jumping up to her feet and threw it back to where it came from. She heard more shuffling. Now she was surrounded.

One body came and fell after the other, and Sunset truly proved that she was quicker than all of them even in complete darkness. And never once did she stumble or fall from her footing. She came standing, and she remained standing still.

When all was quiet again, save for Sunset's labored breathing, her suspicion grew.

"What kind of sick torture are you planning to pull off now, maestro?"

The gnarly sounds of metal doors sliding open destroyed the peace, causing Sunset's alerted mind to boost itself into maximum when she heard the familiar growling all around her.

"Oh, fuck me…"

They charged towards Sunset, jaws aimed to lock themselves around her every limb. But Sunset was every bit as feral as them. The first dog met a harsh boot straight to its face. The second one had its jaws caught in a struggle against Sunset's hands, forcing them to stretch outwards until a loud nasty crack broke into the air. Sunset wrestled with the third and fourth, both now gnawing at her arms, while the fifth began chewing at her ankle.

It hurt. But it didn't hurt enough.

Sunset forcefully tore both her arms off the dogs' jaws and hammered the one at the left straight between its eyes, yelping and retreated at the impact. She jammed her heel at the jaw of the dog at her foot. She wrestled with the other still standing, her hand pushing it far from her face as her grip tightened around its jugular. She threw several punches into its gut before finally deciding to pull it closer to her face and rip its throat out with her own teeth.

Fearful whimpers echoed, and the blood stained the exposed part of Sunset's face, the rest soaking her hands and chest. She let go of the dog, and tore the blindfold off her face. As she did, all the lights in the room flashed to life, making her squint but not retreat.

The scene around her was revealed. The entire room was a giant mirror, making her reflection endless. Bodies dressed in black lay on the ground, still breathing. Most of the dogs retreated back to where they came from while two were laying dead on the floor. One with a broken jaw, while the other had a torn up throat.

A slow clap erupted, making Sunset swivel her head around to see Vanta standing at the corner of the room just beyond the carnage. Their eyes met, and Sunset could see the smallest glint of pride in them. Though she only reveled in it in secret, displaying a boastful smile smeared with mongrel blood, as she praised herself for the work she had done and the rush of adrenaline it had brought to her.

"You finished earlier than I had initially expected. And you've gained less injuries this time." Vanta wryly commented as he examined the brutal bite marks on the girl's arms.

"Oh, fuck off, Vanta." Sunset spat the remaining blood from her mouth.

"At least you didn't fall on your face."

Vanta gave a very knowing look as he turned his gaze towards the wall of mirror at his right, its surface blinked and both of their reflections were replaced by a familiar scene, revealing The Court standing in a row with their usual observant glares and menacing grins as if what they just witnessed entertaining.

"Ladies and gentlemen, what do you think?" Vanta said, nodding at the people behind the glass.

Sunset shot Vanta an accusing glare, but never said another word as she found her vocal chords refusing to function. She gave up and anticipated for The Court's answers.

Among the rows of people standing, Sunset saw Twilight again. And the moment they laid eyes on each other, Sunset was struck with the urge to look away. Was it embarrassment? Guilt? Or maybe fear?

"You've gone soft." Flamepuff materialized and hovered in front of Sunset's face. "So, after a long time creating a badass image for yourself, one judgmental look from Twilight Sparkle can manage to make you clench and squirm back into your shell."

Says the one who's been gone and left me hanging for a fucking week, you damn asshole.

"Oh, get over it, you whiny baby. You were doing so much fine without me and here you are now, The Court's newest biological weapon ready to reap the souls of sinners who dare to oppose their will." Flamepuff said, his grin stretched to the back of his head. "I promise you, if you're patient enough, you will see the bright future that I'm seeing."

What are you seeing?

"I wouldn't spoil it for you now, would I? That'll ruin the fun. For both of us."

"I'll speak for everyone here," Sombra's voice snatched Sunset out of her trance and brought her to his attention. "First of all, I would like to congratulate the head of the Dark Horse for doing a fine job at ironing the creases out of our faulted subject. With your help, Vanta my friend, we not only have a living lethal weapon in our hands but finally, we can send a reminder that none shall have greater possession of power or control than this institution, this government of ours."

The bearded old man swivelled his body towards his fellow members' direction. "Ladies and gentlemen, as of late, our subordinates back in Canterlot made a move to threaten our authority by making the most baleful creation they could ever imagine," He continued, urging all eyes to turn towards Sunset. "Shouldn't we set an example for anyone who dares to challenge our strength next?"

Sombra locked eyes with Vanta and was full of steely conviction. "Shouldn't we punish the ones responsible with the very beast serving as their ultimate verdict?" He grinned challengingly.

"Sombra, what is this?" Vanta grunted, pressured by his peers' expectant glares.

"While you were busy training Sunset Shimmer for a week, one of our associates made an alarming report. That Nimbus White has just given permission to continue the operation that kickstarted their own bloody quagmire. Sunset was merely a prototype, and a very faulty one at that." The relaxed energy surrounding The Court was replaced with a sudden dread. Twilight turned to her mentor's direction and tugged his suit, and one look of affirmation from his absolute green eyes was all she needed, and everyone else shared the unease that began to plague her very being.

Vanta was surely one of them, and his face proved his disbelief. "They've gone mad." He gasped.

"I'm afraid so, my friend." Sombra said.

"Then we can't let him have the chance to release these monstrosities into the world." One of the members exclaimed, igniting a chain of verbal paranoia among the rest.

"Yes. The only thing left to do now is to investigate the current status of this horrendous experimentation and burn everything to the ground."

"Fear not. If we are to enter this dangerous pit, then might as well send one that is most capable."

"Yes, we shall not risk any old blood in this!"

Vanta gathered his bearings after hearing everyone's suggestion over the matter, and bitterly acknowledged Sombra's victorious smile. Then he looked over to his bloodied apprentice and nodded eloquently.

Sunset seemed to comprehend, watching the frenzied expression of the people at the other side of the glass. There was something truly uncomforting about the look in their eyes, especially Sombra's. There was the notion of a twisted breed of excitement, like the old man's fire was slowly being rekindled.

Their discussion was eventually continued inside Sombra's office, with only Vanta, Sunset and Twilight present. The redhead made the choice of wiping the blood off her face to make herself at least presentable. Though she really had no say in the matter at hand. It was Vanta who needed a bit of further persuasion from Sombra himself, and the two girls watched the older men's exchanges for two full minutes side by side, unknowingly as they did so.

"Now, I agree with you wanting to deploy Sunset into the unknown but shouldn't a Dark Horse at least assist her in this mission?" Vanta said, sounding frustrated.

"It is unanimous, Vanta. The Court needs to see how she will apply her new set of skills in this dire situation. After an entire week of training her, don't you atleast want to see the results of your hardwork in action by putting her out in the field?" Sombra countered, hands behind his back in a stoic and confident posture.

"Of course I do. But do you really trust her being out there too soon?"

"I trust in my apprentice's technical capabilities." Sombra barked with a smile, the kind that claimed victory over their argument. "The system that Twilight built on Sunset is impeccable. What Sunset sees, we see. Our will, she obeys. She has no choice." He added, his sentences emphasized word for word.

"Isn't that right?" Sombra asked aloud and both men shifted their attention towards the two expectant girls.

Twilight cleared her throat. "She's programmed to obey The Court's orders, yes."

"Hooray for that." Sunset muttered under her breath, though Twilight heard it perfectly and she shot the redhead a castigating glare.

Sombra clapped his hands together and gleefully voiced his announcement, "That settles it then. My friend, you and I will be in charge of overseeing this mission. Does that ease your nerves?"

The discontent in Vanta's face was still present, but he did not object. "I'll make sure she won't fail."

"She won't." Twilight intersected, catching everybody's attention and earning a side glance from the taller girl in return.

"Very well then." Vanta bowed. "Preparations will be made tonight."

"Thank you." Sombra then turned his attention towards the redhead beside his apprentice. "You need to be ready. The mission will precisely begin tomorrow night."

"Sir yes sir." Sunset sighed, which came out like a mocking grumble.

"You too, Twilight." The girl stiffened before she could move a muscle. Sombra's words sounded urgent, so she heeded them.

Sunset felt this urgency too, and she licked her lips in anticipation. She and Twilight straightened their postures like awaited soldiers as the older man approached them.

"Is there something that I can contribute in this mission?" Twilight asked, tentatively.

"I need you to see this experiment for yourself."

Twilight swallowed the nervousness in her throat. "What do you mean?"

"I figured this mission needs two people working side by side, and it will be a lot faster for the both of you. You need to retrieve as many samples as you can for future examinations."

The first instinct that came to Twilight's mind was to object. Sunset felt extremely shocked by Sombra's appointment, and they both had different reactions in the end, with Sunset keeping quiet to herself and secretly smiling like an idiot. While Vanta displayed a look of mild amusement but nothing more than harmless criticizing.

Before Twilight could blare out her words of odjection, Sombra continued with his stern authority. "I have personally trained you myself. That gives me enough reason to be confident in you. Your sheer intellect is a fine complement to Sunset's combatant skills."

Sombra darted a sharp look towards Sunset, his eyes stern and hardened like any proud authority. He spoke in a lower and almost foreboding voice. "It does not take an intricate programming for you to know how valuable she is to The Court. I expect you to do everything to keep her from harm's way."

The redhead and the old man stared down at each other for ten good seconds, that while they were both aware of Twilight's begrudging acceptance of her part in this mission, there was a good level of amusement and even gratitude buried deep somewhere from either their gazes. Gratitude for the opportunity. Gratitude for the compliance. Gratitude for the trust. Even though there was so little of it.

Sunset offered a smile, one writhed with vanity and excitement. "Don't worry. Your apprentice will be safe with me."

And with that concluded, Sunset and Vanta left the room, leaving Twilight and Sombra in an awkward and obvious tension. What ignited the girl's aggravation was the way Sombra acted, and how he seemed composed despite the looming future perils brought about his decision.

Amongst that frustration was also the fact that she could never defy his ordinance. The Court was the utmost government, as it stood above all existing government in both secrecy and presence. And Sombra was the one member whose voice heeded the most as he was seated at the center of it all.

To defy the will of the judges was to wish for judgement itself.

"Why must you do it?" Twilight's voice sounding restrained.

"You were never to implore your skills within this castle's confinement forever. You knew that and you should have anticipated it."

Twilight was not swayed by the harsh response. She looked up and shot Sombra an accusing glare. "You're doing this on purpose." She sneered between bitter chuckles.

Sombra was no fool when it came to understanding why Twilight reacted so violently. He had full knowledge of it all. And that was the same reason why he did not spare her his considerations. Because for him, it was less than substantial to her growth and more of an unnecessary pampering.

"Do you wish to withdraw?" Sombra said, which was the start of a lecture rather than a genuine question.

"No, I am just astounded by the fact that you're willing to throw me into the pit with her." Twilight said with a certain edge in her tone. "You saw the look in her face, Sombra. She shouldn't be given any form of satisfaction after you spared her any of the punishment! And even though she is under our control, she's still a monster!"

"Dear, I understand your frustration." Sombra grumbled exasperatedly. "Especially yours. But both of us know that not everyone in this world is dictated by what they deserve. Do I believe that Sunset deserves redemption after the appalling crimes she's committed? No. But this isn't about redemption. It's an opportunity that will surely benefit us in the future. Don't take it as something it is not."

"You're not threatened? Even in the slightest?"

"As far as I can tell, you're the one who's more threatened than I am. I suggest you should endure." The equally frustrated tone in Sombra's voice nearly compelled Twilight to bow her head in submission. But she never did. She remained in her place.

"Asking me to endure is almost the same thing as asking me to show mercy."

Sombra found himself lost for words for a second. He sighed, after seeing Twilight's hardened look indicating that she has yet let go of her convictions, and he didn't have the heart to ignite a potential conflict.

"Endure." His voice was softer this time. "Facing your fear may be the hardest thing in the world. Sunset doesn't have to receive your mercy. In fact, she'll receive nothing from you." He said as if he was speaking to a child. Authoritative, but softer still.

The old man recognized the sudden vulnerability in Twilight's pleading eyes, and he softened his heart to acknowledge its severity but not enough to tolerate.

"You may think of me as being inconsiderate. But I was the one who first believed in your strength when the world was unfair towards you." Sombra said, his hand cupping the round of Twilight's cheek. "Endure, my dear. Not for me, but for yourself."

Twilight understood that the old man was always a firm believer of her capability of not having her walls crumble in the face of imminence. Such expectations must be met, and meeting them was going to take a whole mountain to cross.

"I will do my best." Twilight finally answered weakly.

"I know you will." Sombra said, hopeful amidst many uncertainties. "One day, you'll be taking the reigns. The Court only allows the strong to occupy its space. And in time, my dear, you will understand."

Author's Notes:

Brace yourselves. It's gonna be rough.