The moment Twilight and Sunset left that club and nicked a random patron's car, it was as if the entire atmosphere was pressing itself against their heads, urging their minds to assume the worst possible outcomes that might afflict them by the time they return to the castle.

Twilight took the wheel, of course. And they had been driving around Canterlot for nearly an hour. If Sunset only had the energy, she would have asked Twilight what was going on and why they were not on a chopper that was supposed to transport them back to the castle. Not that Twilight would even answer her anyway. Neither of them said anything to each other since they drove off that parking lot. Luckily, no one seemed to be following them. Yet.

Every now and then, Twilight would sneak a look at Sunset and secretly make mental notes to herself. The bleeding still continued, though it wasn't as severe as before. Sunset would instinctively wipe the leaking with the back of her hand, then lightly scratch her barely healing wounds like a mangy dog. It went on and on. Almost like a routine.

The redhead was always threatened to doze off. The only thing keeping her awake was the constant feeling of uneasiness in the air that made her turn her full attention towards Twilight. Or at least she tried to. She took notice of the girl's firm and stoic demeanor. But Sunset could tell that the uneasiness definitely infected them both. She saw it just by the way Twilight's grip tightened around the wheel. It was almost reassuring to watch.

As the night grew colder with incertitude, Sunset found herself in a familiar setting when she turned her eyes to the world outside the car. Twilight parked the car to the nearest unoccupied lot, then turned off the engine to let the dominant silence take over the air like a ghost.

Sunset nearly laughed upon eyeing the familiar shape of the school that still stood its ground after so many years. A wave of nostalgia embraced her, a feeling snatched away by the powerful curiosity behind such untimely visit.

"Can you walk?" Twilight asked in a flat and cold tone, not even bothering to give the redhead a look.

Sunset hesitated before nodding in confirmation. As much as she hated to admit the pain that afflicted her every joint, she didn't want to feel even more of a nuisance around Twilight. She was aware that she had no other way of answering the question without receiving a look of disapproval.

"Follow me." Twilight said.

The two girls approached the school yard as a pair of uneager visitors, walking in a place that had been considered dead to them in their own minds. It was much like taking a stroll in a graveyard of disregarded memories.

Sunset briefly looked at the horse statue, feeling distant and indifferent towards the sentiments she once associated with it. She merely looked away to face Twilight's back once again.

The absence of security around the area was concerning at first, but Twilight proceeded with unlocking the school's front doors without dwelling on the curious fact. Seconds passed by and the doors opened, granting them a welcome no less ceremonious than the soft creaking of the hinges and the breezy whisper of the night.

The two girls entered quietly. Twilight took out her mini flashlight to illuminate their path. She noticed the active red dot staring at them from the corner of the hall. Sunset followed her gaze and noticed it too, both of them sharing an unsaid comprehension yet chose to be unbothered.

They made a stop by the clinic. And it was then that Sunset seemed to understand a little when Twilight took a first aid kit with her before they made their way into the school laboratory.

Twilight managed to hack into the laboratory's security system. An achievement that she would not have commited if she had led a different life. Upon entering, the two girls took a moment to settle in their new setting. Twilight didn't bother to turn on the lights, deciding the moonlight shining through the glass windows was preferably enough and less distracting.

"Sit." Twilight ordered, gently sliding a stool towards Sunset's leg.

The redhead slumped down the stool and leaned against the metal table behind her, careful not to disrupt the still orderliness of the apparatuses that sat on its top.

"Take off your coat." Twilight said in her demanding tone, leaving Sunset in a surprised yet delighted daze. As ordered, Sunset removed her bloody coat, letting it fall to the floor in a soft thud.

The light that peeked through the windows gently illuminated Sunset's arms, revealing more of her gnarly bruises for Twilight to view. But the true horror lied just below Sunset's breast, where a portion of her red shirt was soaked with an even darker shade of wet and sticky crimson.

Twilight pulled in another stool for herself before she began attending to Sunset's wounds. Sunset wordlessly watched the girl lift up the damaged and bloody shirt, exposing more of the bruises and nasty cuts that covered the rest of her abdomen. A small smile crept up Sunset's face, absorbed by the reality that Twilight was finally laying a hand on her for the first time since she was brought to The Court.

Twilight's touch was methodical and carried none of its usual warmth, only the isolated goal of patching up the redhead's wounded rib with cruel needles. Though harsh, Sunset welcomed it nonetheless.

Sunset was aware that she was embracing the new wave of vulnerability, such that burned her once cold and hardened chest. She felt weak. Truly weak. Twilight was so close to her, and could feel her steady breathing against her rib. Twilight's short leg occasionally brushed against Sunset's everytime she shifted into a better position.

Sunset realized that she missed how she smelled. She remembered the first intimate moment they had together in that very laboratory, when they were then interrupted only by another familiar face that she didn't bother to recall.

If only The Court had not dictated her body to submit into its helpless docility, Sunset would have ended her torture a few moments ago. But having no other option, the only thing she could cherish was that little moment. Simple yet torturous.

"Why haven't we gone back?" Sunset said in a hushed whisper.

No answer.

"I bet your old man's pissed by now." Sunset added, a sad attempt in brightening up the tense atmosphere between them.

"He could be. But he's never made a move in the past hour to stop us anyway." Twilight said, before tending to Sunset's shot ear that stopped its healing halfway. Their faces were so close now. So close perhaps, that Sunset nearly forgot how to breathe accordingly.

"It sure as hell wasn't Vanta's call." Sunset hissed at the pain. "Now why did the old man let us off?"

Twilight muttered something under her breath that Sunset didn't catch. It sounded like a complaint.

"More importantly, why are we here?" Sunset coaxed.

Twilight met the redhead's eyes again, this time closer and far more dangerous. "Stop talking." She demanded in a slow and quiet voice.

Sunset breathed through her nostrils as a response, afflicted by the urge to seek refuge from those judging eyes, yet so equally tempted to lean forward. In the end, she let Twilight finish her work. When Twilight was done, she placed the tray of tools on the table.

"Stay put. We're not done yet."

A sudden jolt of pain made Sunset's eye twitch. She looked down and saw that Twilight had just punctured her index finger with a needle. Twilight squeezed it until she saw a small bead of red come out of Sunset's finger, in which she immediately scraped off with the edge of a tiny vial. She held it out close to her eyes for close examination and gave it a little shake. Then, she stood from her stool and moved to another table where the microscopes were placed, picking the one nearest to the windows where the light of the moon was at its brightest.

After moments of anticipation, Sunset saw the sudden change in Twilight's posture, switching from reserved to tense. Twilight slowly leaned back from the microscope, but she never looked back to Sunset. Twilight was temporarily frozen in her place, as if she was trying to assimilate something that was beyond her comprehension. At least that's what it looked like from the redhead's perspective.

"I know you've got something to say. Whatever it is, just say it." Sunset said, though clearly not expecting an immediate answer. A few seconds passed before Twilight uttered a word.

"Well," Twilight sighed, resting her chin on top of her folded hands as she leaned against the table. "He obviously had anticipated your arrival."

"Rave?" Sunset inferred.

Twilight confirmed with a nod.

Sunset scoffed angrily. "Well, of course he did. Out of all the people I hunted down, he was the only one that got left out of my list. It was hard for him not to get paranoid." She paused as Twilight turned around to reveal the anxiety in her eyes. "Hey. Whatever it is, it's nothing you can't fix. I mean, hell! I literally got cremated for a good ten seconds and it did absolutely nothing to me. Nothing."

Sunset's jesting reassurances did nothing to appease the perturbed look in Twilight's eyes.

"He created you, and he knows how to bring you down. Exactly how to bring you down. Even… even I myself hadn't expected it to be that effective. But he did it. He did it."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Sunset asked with a much severe expression. "What's so awfully indescribable that you deliberately disobeyed a direct order from Sombra and decided to come here?"

The shadow casting over Twilight's violet eyes only made it more difficult for Sunset to peel off the layers. Not that she ever succeeded in doing it in the first place.

Twilight spotted a scurrying mouse just behind the farthest table near the wall she was facing. She thought of its presence as of little importance, but suddenly it sparked an opportunity.

"Do you smell any animal in this room?" Twilight asked Sunset, who was a bit shocked by the bizarre turn.

"What?"

"Answer the damn question."

"No."

Sunset's answer earned a disappointed grimace from Twilight.

"Please, just tell me what the hell is going on?" Sunset asked with evident desperation.

Twilight took a deep breath. It was the least she deserved, she thought

"The substance in your blood, the one causing your excessive bleeding, delayed senses and debilitating your enhanced healing capabilities, isn't actually poison."

Sunset swallowed. "What is it?"

Twilight continued. "It's caused the rapid production of antibodies to fight back the foreign pathogen that's been inside you for years. The bleeding could have been an allergic reaction but it's nothing trivial."

"Which means… ?"

"In the simplest of terms, you're cured."

The new expression on Twilight's face was something Sunset couldn't entirely read. She couldn't tell if Twilight was relieved, raptured in some twisted gratification, or shaken by certain doom. Maybe it was all of the above.

As for Sunset herself, she didn't know if she had the proper word to describe the emotion she was feeling after hearing the revelation. Such news would have brought great joy to her if she had not yet already fallen in a much inexorable path. But one thing was for sure, she felt far more vulnerable than before.

Their eye contact was broken when a message popped up in Twilight's lenses.

The words read, 'CANTERBURY CEMETERY. ONE HOUR. - S'

Twilight thought it was a fair and cruel punishment for her insubordination. But she knew deep down that Sombra had a different purpose in mind. Now she had to endure another hour, alone, with the person she despised the most.

"Pick up your coat. We're leaving."

"We're going back?"

"Not yet."

The two girls then made their way out of the corridors and back to where they first entered. Sunset gave the horse statue its final acknowledgement by pausing in front of it, just a meter away from its base. Twilight did not seem to mind this as she too joined Sunset in that serene yet equally intense moment, which led to Sunset asking Twilight a question one knowing mind would give.

"Do you want her to interfere?"

Sunset expected a long contemplative silence to stretch between them, but it took no longer than two seconds for Twilight to respond in her usual neglecting disposition.

"No. It's best we settle this on our own."

It was decided that their short exchange should be buried at where they stood. Nothing else was worth mentioning after that.

Every existing problem that has been lurking behind them was all set aside for another time to conquer. They continued to drive around Canterlot, passing by all the familiar and haunting places until finally stopping at the one location that they both hated more than the city itself.

Stepping on the grounds of the cemetery was a heavy task, and the unpleasant, antagonizing air embraced them close in its twisted welcome. They passed by tombstone after tombstone, until they stumbled upon the one name that neither of them would dare utter out loud.

'Shining Armor. Canterlot's Finest Knight.'

The timing was impeccable. Sunset's walls were falling apart, while Twilight had enough fortitude to prepare for the inevitability. Everyhing was laid out like an elaborate torture.

"Do they know?" Sunset asked in a shaky whisper.

"They always know." Twilight said. "I had to make that confirmation myself first. Not that it makes all the difference."

Sunset's better senses reminded her that the girl's spiteful nonchalance shouldn't be much of a surprise for her. But things have changed, and in her desperation she felt the need to begin defending what was left of her.

"Of course it does." Sunset said with evident spite.

"How come?" Twilight flashed her a captious glare.

Sunset inhaled sharply. "You know what this will mean for me. But you won't do anything to stop it. Because you believe it's time that I should be punished for all my fucked up decisions. Decisions that I made out of the reality that I had no liberty to make the other choice to begin with."

"Don't even try to justify what you've done." Twilight spat. "If this means you are no longer an asset to us, then so be it. Because there's no changing the fact that you are a loose cannon that needs silencing."

"But there's another reason why you're so determined in condemning me, is there?" Sunset narrowed her eyes challengingly. "Me killing all those people and ruining their lives, that's not it. You don't care about all of them. You don't even care about this godforsaken shithole and I know too well."

"You know nothing." Twilight sneered warningly. "Do you understand? Nothing."

Sunset chewed on her cheek. She couldn't believe she was being put through this all over again.

"It's crazy. We finally found the bastard that started all of this." Sunset said. "But even that doesn't matter to you. What matters is that now you have the opportunity to destroy me however you like, regardless of what Sombra thinks of me. Though, I'm sure he'd be fucking glad to do the job for you."

Twilight snapped. "If you think that being suddenly cured means we're entitled to reconcile, then you're terribly mistaken. What do you think will happen if somehow I've forgiven you after everything that's already happened? After everything that you let happen?"

A lump was now growing in Sunset's throat. Fuck.

"Closure." Sunset managed to get out. "If there was a reason why fate brought us back together, it was for us to finally look at each other's' eyes and see the truth for ourselves."

A heavy silence settled in the cemetery.

"You know I had to do it. I had to leave." Sunset said, secretly directing her words towards the tombstone as if it could acknowledge her.

Twilight nodded mockingly. "You let your misguided pride get the best of you." She said, clearly not the response Sunset wanted to hear. "I've known you long enough to recognize your sins. Vanity was definitely your favorite. You even threw your diary out into the ocean to spare yourself the shame of being reminded who you used to be."

Sunset had no means of disagreeing with what Twilight had just said. She threw her diary out into the ocean three months into her medication. It was a subject that she hardly ever mentioned to anyone else for the unwanted weight that it carried was too much for her to handle back then. How foolish of her to consider that she could contend with it now.

Sunset bent down with her aching knees to pick up the dying bud of weed in the growing blanket of vegetation that coated most of the tombstone. She lowered her head, fearing that Twilight might catch a glimpse of surrender that was welling up in her eyes.

"I was here." Sunset said, barely above a whisper.

Twilight scrunched her nose. "What?"

"The funeral. Me and Flash." Sunset clenched her jaw after mentioning her former best friend's name. "We were up in the hills so you wouldn't see us. I… I made a deal with your brother. He told me he'd help me get through my medication as long as I stayed away from you. And we were to keep it that way until I got better. But as you can see…" She stopped as a sigh escaped her mouth.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Sunset slowly raised her head to meet Twilight's harsh, disapproving eyes, looking like she wished everything that came out of the redhead's mouth was part of some cruel trick.

"It's the truth… " Sunset said.

Twilight tilted her head. "The truth. The one thing that's supposed to free us all. What were you hoping to gain from it? Forgiveness? Redemption? "

"No." Sunset said, shaking her head. "Your half of the truth. So you can free us both."

"Oh, really?"

Sunset stood up from her knees. "Listen, Twilight. Don't make me say it again. You know why I had to end it. And I gave your brother my word. I had to let you go to spare you the pain."

"Spare me?" Twilight violently sputtered, an alarming fire lighting up in her eyes. "You really believe that's what you did?"

"Twilight… "

"Whatever deal you had with my brother obviously died with him. You didn't leave because of some expired promise you made. No, you left because you were scared that I would damage your ego even more. You turned away my help and you abandoned me just like you did to your diary. And now, you show up and decide I could be yours again."

Even though they were a few feet apart, Twilight's words were laced with so much resentment and venom, that Sunset felt them coil around her neck like a barbed snake.

"How predictably moronic." Twilight scoffed. "But I guess it would just be more frustrating for me to continue pushing, considering that all of your senseless acts of violence were obviously influenced by the chemical imbalance in your brain. And to ease our frustration, might as well offer you my truth."

Sunset swallowed in preparation for the next words.

"The truth is I buried you with the rest of my family. Including my mother who died a month after my brother and father did."

"Y-you… you weren't alone at that time, were you?" Sunset asked with foolish hopefulness. "W-what about Cadence?"

Twilight waved a dismissive hand. "Oh. No need to bother her. She's living a peaceful life with a better man. There was really no other reason for me to overstay my welcome so I flew back to Berlin and continued my studies."

"Obviously, that's not where you truly ended up." Sunset said with curious and determined eyes.

"It's obvious, huh?" The amusement in Twilight's tone was apparent. "Let's just say there was a moment where I could consider it as the final push for me. Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse..." She managed a small laugh. "Life gave me another reason to decide that it was time to leave it all behind."

Sunset swallowed. "Something happened to you… "

"Yes." Twilight said, her eyes clouded and distant.

"Was it a man?"

"Yes."

"Did he… did he… ?" Sunset couldn't bring herself to finish her sentence without choking.

"He did."

Sunset felt the moment when her heart dropped to her stomach.

"Sombra came and saved me just in time." Twilight continued. "And I suppose if it weren't for you, I never would have understood what it was like to feel the misery that you thought I was incapable of suffering from; helplessness, desperation, abandonment. To be brought down by the people around you again and again. To be abused by the one you thought you could trust. To be left with nothing. Such comedic timing, wasn't it? Almost as if the universe itself made sure to keep the equilibrium. One action led to another. You did not spare me any pain. You merely paved the way for all of it."

Sunset's heart ached terribly, ravaged by emotions that made her physically weaker than she'd already become. This wasn't the kind of game she was intent on playing. Yet again, there was no game to even begin with. It was an illusion, like many others she created for herself.

"It is a funny thing indeed." A familiar dark and thick voice echoed within the midst of the cemetery. "Strange how life plays out like a game composed of different players, and each with different moves to spare. And it all comes down to who played the smartest."

From the mist, Sombra emerged behind Twilight like a great shadow that towered her entirely. Quiet, patient, and frighteningly attentive. Twilight regarded the old man's presence with a subtle nod, sporting a certain awareness that the three of them weren't alone in that place.

Sunset merely looked up at the tall old man, like a lost and beaten child anticipating for the night to end against her favor.

Another shadow appeared behind Sunset. It was Vanta. Sunset didn't look up to acknowledge him. Two pairs of judgmental eyes were enough.

"But even life has its favorites and not everyone comes out as victors." Sombra said, putting a gentle hand on Twilight's shoulder.

"But there is no game, is there?" Sunset said quietly.

Sombra's lips curled into a gentle, casual grin. "Certainly, it's a powerful metaphor that enslaves us all." He said.

"I think you're all being a bit too harsh here." Sunset said, eyeing Twilight.

"Harsher than you?" Sombra retaliated with a playful snark. "Trust me. This is mercy. And by the way, I am personally congratulating you on retrieving the information regarding Rave Shackles' involvement in the experiments. I couldn't have picked a better team, even though one of you clearly disobeyed my orders." He said, earning a scowl from Sunset when he mentioned 'better team'.

"It was not without purpose." Twilight defended, refusing to flinch after Sombra lightly squeezed her shoulder.

"As is this solemn occasion." Sombra smiled. "Nothing is without purpose."

More shadowy men came out of the mist, all of them surrounding Sunset. But instead of protesting or lashing out, she just stood there in bitter acceptance.

"This must be such a disappointment to you, old man." Sunset told Sombra with a sly grin.

"On the contrary, an unexpected development such as this never fails to amuse me." Sombra said. He shifted his eyes towards Vanta and nodded affirmatively.

Sunset felt Vanta's heavy hand against her back.

"It's a shame, really. I was looking forward to further utilizing more of your skills after all that training you went through." Vanta whispered. "Don't look so disappointed. You had a great run." He added, sounding rather disappointed himself.

Sombra interjected. "Things had not gone according to plan, unfortunately. But at least we finally brought in a deserving convict for judgement. And no, it's not you, Sunset. Not yet. This one could not wait."

"Who is it?" Sunset asked.

"Nimbus White."

Author's Notes:

Yes. I just did that thing. You're welcome.