Author's Note

Hey, so this is a long one... I kinda had a bit to do with this one and the same will most likely be true with the next chapter. Just a heads-up for this one-- there is an attempted SA and mentions of rape and suicide in this chapter.

Road Block

Not too long after visiting his old home, Kyle and Sunset were on their way down Main St. to the police station. While driving, Sunset glanced at her passenger in the mirror for a moment.

“So, what was that third room for?”

Kyle choked on air for a minute as he quickly came up with an explanation.

“It was my mom’s at-home office. She uses it after she comes home from work...” He fibbed.

Sunset observed his nervous fidgeting for a moment before turning her attention back to the road.

“Okay...” She dismissed the matter.

Several rotting corpses littered the sidewalks, with a few shambling around and walking toward the truck but losing interest very quickly after being sped by.

“It’s still hard to believe... seeing them shambling like that.” Kyle confessed.

“Yeah-- I was getting so used to the World War Z zombies, but next thing you know, we’re in The Walking Dead. It’s frustrating.” Sunset chuckled.

Chuckling back, Kyle shrugged.

“I’m not complaining.”

“Oh, absolutely—walkers are way better than sprinters...”

Hearing the names, Kyle hummed.

“Walkers and Sprinters... not a bad way to separate them.” He shrugged.

They both shared an affirmative hum.

“So, what happens if we find her but someone else already killed her?” Sunset asked suddenly.

Kyle turned to her for a moment but turned back after that.

“Then, I’ll bury her. Like I was always going to...”

The two stayed silent for a bit more of the ride. They were only stopped a half-mile out of the station by a sprawling wall of piled-up corpses...

“What the hell...?” Sunset whispered as she hit the brakes, bringing the car to a stop.

They examined the bodies comprising the wall that went up to the roof of the truck and sprawled across the street, ending at the closest buildings on both sides. Many were shot, bashed, or stabbed in the head while some were reaching out with rotting arms.

“Maybe we can go around?” Kyle asked, looking out the back of the truck.

Sunset began to go to reverse but stopped when she saw a string of bodies hanging from the nearby lampposts...

“Uh, Kyle...?”

He turned and saw the armored corpses dangling from the lamps, with Sunset recognizing the armor...

“Caribou.” She revealed.

Kyle looked at the brutal display, and he turned to Sunset.

“Maybe whoever did this is on our side? ‘Enemy of our enemy’ and all that?”

Sunset didn’t show much reaction to that hopeful reply.

“We should move on... maybe there’s an opening to the station.”

Sunset turned to him. She knew that going inside was the wrong call.

“Kyle...” She started.

Kyle sensed her tone and sighed.

“Please, Sunset... I know what I’m asking us to do, but if there’s even a 1% chance she’s there, I have to know... I owe her that much.”

Sunset wanted to state the obvious—that the station was most certainly a no-go if the maniac who made a wall of corpses is behind it-- but knew that turning back and heading home wasn’t an option for him.

“We’ll see if there’s an open road, but if this guy adds us to that wall, I’ll haunt you in the afterlife.” She sighed, pulling the truck around and following the adjacent road.

As they drove, Kyle studied the town just within Crystal Prep’s district line that he used to call home. The desolate remnants of his old life stood before him, but he felt little to no remorse over it. After all, this small town was never home to him...

The two drove for only a few minutes before finding an un-walled section of town. They cautiously drove through, both of them keeping their eyes on the road and their surroundings.

As they got closer to the station, they began to notice trails of blood on the ground as well as piles of burnt, skeletal remains...

“Someone’s living here...?” Kyle asked out loud.

Before Sunset could answer, a gunshot rang out, and the windshield had a hole right through the middle.

“Shit!” Sunset shouted, ducking her head and reaching for the shotgun under the driver's seat.

Kyle pulled out his M16 and did his best to locate the shooters.

“I can’t see them!” He shouted as bullets began to fly, hitting the sides of the truck.

“Hold on!” Sunset shouted, stomping on the brakes and drifting the truck back around to the way they came.

As she drove, Kyle set the rifle into the rear window, aiming down the sights and blindly opening fire. They were just about to reach the way they came...

Until they passed a strip on the ground, followed by a vicious POP!

The truck swerved before skidding against the pavement. Sunset tried to control the vehicle, but that was hard with no tires... The truck swerved against the sidewalk at over 60 miles an hour, resulting in it bouncing into the air and flipping over. The two were violently thrashed, with Kyle hitting the roof of the truck in mid-air.

Once the wreck was over, Sunset struggled to collect her senses thanks to the sudden impact. She unbuckled her seatbelt and tried to check on Kyle, but failed thanks to her ears ringing and her head spinning. She managed to reach him, but saw that he was badly hurt... he was out cold, blood was running down his head, and his left arm was bent the wrong way, blood oozing from the wound.

She heard footsteps approaching and quickly grabbed his rifle, opening the door closest to her and peeking her head out.

“Well, I’ll be damned... a Canterloter!” A low yet familiar voice laughed.

Sunset was blinded for a second by the sudden change in light, but once it passed, she saw an armored Caribou approaching, with three more following from behind. Acting quickly, she pulled the handgun holstered by her hip and aimed it at the four Caribou.

“Stay the hell back!” She shouted, her shaking arm barely holding it to the one in the front.

The four were unphased by her gun as they drew four rifles and aimed them all right at her. She studied the rifles drawn on her and knew that fighting back would only make things worse. Relenting, she dropped her gun.

“That’s cute... but let’s get this part out of the way quick, shall we? The fun part’s right up next...” The ringleader smirked, pulling out some rope from his belt.

Seeing the imminent threat, Sunset refused to go down quietly. The man charged her, giving her no time to run. She madly thrashed against him as he tied her arms behind her back. As he was about to start tying her legs, she saw an opportunity and bit down into her captor’s hand, immediately drawing blood.

“Argh! Crazy bitch!” The soldier shouted, giving Sunset a backfist for her troubles.

Sunset’s head cracked back, and she was knocked down, giving the soldier access to tie her legs together.

“There... not so bad, now, was it?” He asked her.

Sunset slowly regained her senses and began to recognize the voice before her.

“Who are you...?” She asked him.

He decided to comply, undoing the buckles on his horned helmet.

As he removed his helmet, Sunset’s eyes grew wide with shock as she struggled to conceive the blue-haired teen before her...

“...Flash...?” She whispered.

Indeed, before her was her ex-boyfriend/old friend Flash Sentry. However, even now, Sunset could tell something was wrong with him. His spikey blue haircut was shaved down to a buzzcut, a distinctive brand was imprinted into his left cheek, and the look in his eyes was one she never saw in him—not even while they were together. The look of sheer, unhinged lust and hunger put more fear into her than the undead could...

“Hey, Sunny... Miss me? ‘Cause I sure missed you...” He chuckled, slowly stepping towards her.

Sunset tried to back away, but her efforts were futile thanks to her limbs being tied.

“Flash, you... you wouldn’t do this! They took you away, remember?!”

Flash laughed at her plea for logic.

“Yeah, He did... but He also helped us. He showed us the way things were always meant to be—the way they should be!” He proclaimed, walking up to the left side.

Sunset already knew what was about to happen and turned to the smoking truck, knowing Kyle was out cold... Flash noticed her glance, however.

“You, search the truck—you'll have a turn when I’m done.” Flash instructed, fiddling with his belt buckle.

Sunset’s heart rate quickened as Flash pulled his belt out and tossed it to the floor and as the soldier peeked inside the window.

“Hey, there’s someone in here!” He shouted, prying open the door and beginning to pull Kyle out.

Sunset’s breath quickened, and Flash took his time approaching her.

“Hey-- eyes up here, beautiful... if you’re lucky, I’ll take you back as my pet—it’d be pretty ironic, wouldn’t you think?” Flash sadistically smiled.

Sunset tried to think of a way out of the situation before her, but all of her ideas fell flat... Just as Flash knelt down to her and started to unzip his jeans, the soldier called to him.

“Hey, what should we do with this kid?!”

Sighing, Flash released her for a moment.

“Just put him in one of the buildings—we don’t need any more dead weight.”

“But boss, we should see what he knows, first—maybe he knows where the others are.”

The other three seemed interested in that idea.

“Yeah... maybe he knows where that rainbow one is...” The taller one said.

Sunset froze, his voice sounded familiar, too...

“B-Big Mac?” She asked, frozen in shock and horror once again.

He didn’t take off his helmet for her, he didn’t need to...

“Eeyup.”

Sunset realized the gravity of her situation, and she barely had time to respond as Flash pinned her head to the ground...

“Just relax, Sunny... I’ll make sure I’m gentle enough on you...”He smiled.

As he leaned in and rested his lips on her cheek, a loud gunshot rang out, and the head of the soldier dragging Kyle was blown open, blood staining the wrecked windshield.

The shot rang in Sunset’s ears as the remaining three immediately drew their guns around them, trying to figure out where the shooter was.

“I was wondering when you’d show up... Come on out, Shining! We outnumber you!” Flash shouted.

Sunset’s mind struggled to comprehend the following moments, but she had no time to process any of it. Several more gunshots rang out, keeping the three soldiers busy.

She watched as from an adjacent building, a gas-masked feminine figure approached, grabbing Big Mac from behind and holding Flash and the third soldier at gunpoint with a pistol. As the other two turned to respond to the new threat, the masked woman wasted no time blowing the masked soldier’s brains out and putting a bullet in Flash’s right leg. Once the two were dispatched, she used the butt of the pistol to knock Big Mac out cold. Gently dropping him to the ground, she walked over towards Flash, delivering one fine kick to his head, knocking him out, as well.

With the situation resolved, the woman reached to her side and unattached a walkie-talkie from her belt.

“It’s clear. I see two down here. One of them is pretty injured...” She radioed.

With an affirmative beep from the other side of the radio, she holstered it and walked over to Sunset. Reaching into the other side of her belt, she pulled out a small pocket knife. Carefully, she cut only the knot of each rope apart, pulling the rest of the rope away. Once her legs were free, she made her way up and crouched down to Sunset’s eye level.

“Sunset Shimmer, I believe?” She asked her, unattaching her mask and revealing the face of Redheart-- Canterlot High’s former nurse.

Sunset barely saw her, however, her eyes focused on the grizzly scene that unfolded before her. As Redheart went to cut her hands free, Sunset jumped back a little.

“It’s okay—it's over now. They won’t hurt you, anymore...” Redheart assured her, cutting her hands free.

Sunset held her freed hands, noticing an imprint from the rope abrasing her skin.

“I’m gonna check on your friend now. Can you help me and tie those two up? I’ll be right here if they try anything.” She said, handing Sunset the roll of rope.

Sunset nodded, her senses beginning to return. Walking over to the two old friends, she tied their hands, similar to how they tied hers.

Redheart noticed Kyle’s broken arm and removed her backpack, unzipping it and pulling out a handful of thick sticks, medical tape, and bandaging. Working fast, she formed a splint around his arm, setting the bone as best as possible.

Once Sunset was done tying, she looked out toward the street and saw a cloaked figure making their way toward the scene, dragging two sleds with them. A sniper rifle hung past their shoulder, which Sunset put together was the one used to kill the two soldiers.

“Who are you people?” Sunset asked Redheart as she pulled a tarp and two telescoping poles from the bag.

“We’re survivors... Now, get over here. We’re gonna help your friend. I’m gonna fold this up, and we’re gonna get him on this. We’ll give him help, but not here. Understand?” Redheart asked.

Sunset nodded, but Redheart observed the girl’s distant behavior.

“You’re in shock. Take a seat here, breathe. It’s gonna be alright, now.” Redheart gestured for her friend to hurry over.

Jogging over, the cloaked figure studied the two soldiers who were knocked out. He quickly put both men into the sleds, testing their weight and seeing that he could drag them back to base with no issue.

“Good catch. Where did these two wash up from--?” The figure stopped seeing who exactly was laid out on the ground with a splinted arm and the girl leaning on the wrecked truck for support, trying to catch her breath.

The cloaked figure removed his hood and glanced at Sunset.

“Sunset Shimmer?”

Sunset heard her full name and looked to see the face of Shining Armor, Twilight’s older brother and sergeant of Canterlot’s police department.

“Shining Armor?” She asked, struggling to decide if she should trust him, seeing that her ex just tried to assault her...

He sensed the distrust and turned to the boy on the ground.

“How do you know him?” He pointed at Kyle.

Sunset glanced at him and nodded.

“He’s a friend.” She answered.

Shining nodded, saving that tidbit for later.

“Okay, we’re gonna do everything we can for him, but we need to move. We shouldn’t see any more inside our boundary, but we never know...”

Redheart finished forming a makeshift stretcher with the poles and tarp. With that done, she laid it out flat and glanced at Sunset.

“Can you help me with this?” She asked, preparing to pick up Kyle.

Nodding, Sunset came over and helped carry Kyle onto the stretcher.

“Okay, on the count of three, we’re both going to carry this, okay? One... two... three!” Redheart counted.

They both picked up the stretcher, carrying Kyle with relative ease.

“Good. Let me know if you need a break. We shouldn’t be moving long.”

Sunset shared one last nod, and the group was off. Redheart and Sunset carried Kyle while Shining dragged the two prisoners.

“Why are you keeping them?” Sunset asked Shining.

“Because they’re not themselves. Dainn brainwashed them... I’m trying to fix them.”

Sunset was immediately confused.

“We killed Dainn... Celestia killed him.”

Shining and Redheart shared a look.

“No-- Celestia killed a body double. Dainn himself never leaves his compound these days.” Redheart revealed.

Sunset’s eyes grew wide at that information, but she put it aside for now.

“Where’re we taking him?” She asked.

“The police station. It’s secure, we have some refugees inside. We have medicine, and Redheart was a pretty good nurse—we'll help him as best we can.” Shining said.

The rush to the station was relatively short. They were outside the two-story building in no time at all, and Kyle was brought inside and laid inside an open cell in the holding area.

Sunset was seated in the lobby alongside Shining, holding two steaming cups.

“I don’t know if you’re a coffee person, but...”

Sunset took the cup and slowly took a sip.

“I saw what happened to the high school. I thought... I thought no one made it.” He confessed.

“I still don’t know how we did. It all happened so fast. It’s... good you weren’t there for it.”

Shining stayed silent at that suggestion.

“So, what caused it? I thought they were fine with us being around, as long as we gave them whoever they wanted...” He scowled.

Sunset cracked a smile as she looked over to a still-unconscious Kyle.

“He showed up. He called them out on their bullshit, and they didn’t stand for it.”

Shocked, Shining glanced over to Kyle and back at her.

“Really? How so?” He asked.

Sunset cracked a smile, the image of him smack-talking a man with a “sniper” on him flashing in her mind.

“He called out how they had pulled back on their resources when they were visiting us. We all took that as them getting weak... turns out we were wrong.” She sighed.

Shining almost scoffed at the idea of the Caribou getting weak.

“Very wrong. They were accumulating what they had for an expansion. An aggressive one... they’ve been tearing their way through the city for weeks, now. Taking whatever and whoever they want for themselves and killing anyone that stands in their way. It’s not safe up here anymore... I’ve been looking for a way to get people out, but more and more escapees come every day and...” Shining sighed, “...I can’t just leave them to die or worse.”

Sunset took in what he said, struggling to devise a better solution for them.

“We’re from a place out east, but... we can’t take any more people in. Besides, it’s not our call, anyway.”

Shining turned to her.

“You have a camp?”

Sunset chuckled, tilting her head a tad.

“We have a city. Townsville, not too far from the shoreline.”

Shining finally let out a scoff.

“The Townsville? Home of the Powerpuff Girls?”

“Yep-- they’re our neighbors... depowered, sadly.”

A moment passed as they both took sips from their cups.

“So, Dainn’s alive... inside that prison with everyone he’s ever taken.” She voiced out loud.

Shining hung his head.

“Yeah. I’ve been trying to fix whatever he’s done to as many people as possible so we could have an army against him, but... nothing I’ve done has worked.”

“How many have you captured?”

Shining paused for a moment to count.

“About 49, now, counting Flash and Big Mac. I only realized that they were brainwashed thanks to a few escapees I took in about two weeks ago. I’ve been trying to help them ever since.”

Sunset took another sip.

“Why did you two come back this way? This whole place has been a warzone ever since Canterlot High was taken.”

Sunset shrugged.

“Kyle’s mom. She died during the outbreak, and he never put her down. So, she’s out there as one of the walkers.”

Shining’s eyes widened and his head lowered.

“Beth’s dead...?”

He sat with that statement before Sunset glanced toward the door.

“Did you make that wall of corpses outside?”

Shining glanced at her and sighed.

“It’s a fear tactic. Rotters show up on a regular basis, so I had the idea... It’s supposed to scare those savages away, but... you can see how well that worked.” He sighed.

Sunset tilted her head at that name.

“’Rotters’?”

“It’s what I call the slow ones.” Shining chuckled.

Sunset slowly nodded, taking in the name.

“And the fast ones?”

“Ragers.”

“Rotters and Ragers... I like it.”

Inside the cell, Kyle began to stir.

“Ugh... Sunset...?” He slurred, slowly coming to.

Redheart quickly rushed by him, stopping him from trying to get up.

“Kyle Williams? You were in an accident. You’re safe, now.”

Hearing the new voice, Kyle quickly jolted back, turning to see Sunset and Shining.

“Shining Armor?” He asked, stunned at seeing such an old face.

Shining got up and made his way over, taking a seat beside Redheart.

“Hey, kiddo.” He said, his voice in a nostalgic tone.

Kyle slowly rose up to hold Shining in a hug, a gesture that neither of them had time to protest to.

“Kyle, your arm!” Sunset finally shouted before he could fold his arms.

Stopping, Kyle finally noticed the wrapping on his arm.

“What about it?” He asked, wiggling his fingers at the end of the cast.

Doing so made Redheart’s face go paler than it already was, and Shining’s eyes widened.

“That... shouldn’t be possible.” Redheart said.

“What? What happened?” Kyle asked.

“We were in an accident; the Caribou aren’t gone... Dainn sent a body double to the school instead of going himself.” Sunset filled him in.

Kyle processed the events he had just been told and looked at his arm again.

“Jesus... So, my arm’s broken?” He asked in confusion, puzzled over how he could move his hand and that his arm wasn’t in pain.

Redheart shrugged.

“It was earlier, but your hand’s moving, so... I don’t know?” She concluded.

It took Kyle a moment, but the answer hit him like a flash.

“Oh, shit! I completely forgot to tell you!” He turned towards Sunset, “When we were in holding for Townsville, one of the guards bashed my nose... it healed in seconds!”

Sunset’s eyes widened as she looked toward Kyle’s cast.

“So that means...”

Redheart quickly began unbandaging his arm and looked at the splinted area. Sure enough, what was once purple and swollen was completely healed.

“That’s certainly not normal...”

Shining groaned.

“Here I thought we were done with the magic shit...”

Kyle chuckled at that.

“Oh, not by a longshot... so what else do we need to know?”

Once Kyle was caught up and checked once again by Redheart, they were brought upstairs where they saw that the offices and work desks of the station have been converted into a sort of living center of over 20 women, all wearing police-related wardrobe-- T-shirts labeled with the Canterlot PD and cargo jeans.

“They’re all escapees?” Kyle asked.

The group all looked at the two in either confusion or panic. Shining was quick to calm them.

“He’s not with them. He and Sunset Shimmer are friends."

With that reassurance, they all went back to their business. Kyle watched the scene in shock, surprised at how few were able to escape.

“I always hope that Twilight or Cadence will be next... From what I heard, they escaped some time ago.”

Kyle’s eyes widened, and Sunset felt a strong wave of relief.

“They got out? They—they're free?” Kyle asked her.

Shining sighed.

“It’s not that simple... the Caribou broke them completely before they did. They were Black Collars.”

The two shared a confused look that Shining noticed.

“The Caribou rank their slaves with collars... black is the most broken.”

The relief Sunset felt was quickly washed away.

“Oh, Shining, I’m so sorry...” She sighed.

Shining nodded, looking away from the two.

“I’m sorry about your mom, Kyle... but I’m afraid I can’t help you. My hands are full here. You can stay for the night if you’d like... I can clean out a room or two in the lobby. After that, you should head back to Townsville and... stay there.”

Shining made his way downstairs, with the two quickly following. Once they were downstairs, they all shared a seat in the lobby.

“I’m sorry you had to come back to this... but it’s all I have.” Shining said to the two.

Kyle nodded, leaning into the desk they were sharing.

“So, what...? Every one of the Caribou is under some spell?”

Shining shrugged.

"Not all of them. The inmates that used to be there are of their own free will, maybe some stragglers here and there. I should go make sure they’re settled for the night...”

As Shining got up, Kyle and Sunset did, also.

Shining paused and let out a sigh.

“Not you, Sunset. I’m sorry, but if they see you, they’ll... they’ll lose it.”

“What do you mean?” She asked him.

“Dainn’s spell, it... it affects their lust, makes it uncontrollable. It’s...,” He froze and started staring into the distance, “... It’s a nightmare.”

Kyle shared a worried glance with Sunset before he looked back to Shining.

“I’ll stay behind, then.” She said, backing up and taking her seat once again.

With that, Kyle and Shining took the lead, making their way downstairs under the lobby. Once they were a fair distance away, Sunset quickly stood up and began to follow...

“So... how’ve you been, man? What’s it been, four years?” Shining asked.

“Three and a half, actually.” Kyle chuckled.

Shining let out a laugh.

“Oh, keeping count, are we?”

Kyle smiled, playfully punching Shining’s arm as if no time had passed at all.

“Shut up, man. But yeah, I’ve been...”

He froze, remembering all of the events that occurred during those years.

“I’ve been surviving.” He answered.

Shining chuckled and gave his head a tilt.

“Yeah, we’ve all been... I guess you know something about that, though, right?”

The pair reached the door of the holding area. Reaching into his belt, Shining conjured a set of keys, unlocking and opening the door.

Once the door was opened, the pair were greeted with a chorus of angered, pained wails.

“Don’t touch the glass...” Shining quipped, walking inside first.

Kyle wasn’t far behind, used to such sounds from the infected Ragers. However, he quickly realized that the sounds weren’t coming from infected...

He looked into one of the doors and saw a teenager about his age with blue spikey hair and Caribou armor on him starting to twitch a little until he saw Kyle.

“You! You were with her... where is she?! Where is my Sunset?!” He asked Kyle, pounding against the door in desperation and anger.

Kyle backed away and quickly caught up with Shining.

“What’s wrong with them...?”

“The longer they go without... getting off, the more riled up they get. Part of Dainn’s curse.”

Kyle’s curiosity finally got the better of him.

“Sounds like you know about that. You were under it, weren’t you?”

Shining stopped, not turning to face Kyle. Without saying a word, he let out a pained sigh and pressed on.

“Sorry...” Kyle responded.

“Don’t be. They should be good.” He said in a monotone voice, turning around and getting ahead of Kyle.

Kyle stopped and took a moment to witness the state the young men around him were in and quickly joined Shining.

“Applejack’s brother was one of the four who shot at you... I’m gonna guess she’s with you in Townsville?” He asked as he locked the door leading into the screamfest.

Kyle’s eyes widened as he nodded.

“Yeah...”

Shining sighed.

“That filthy dog... tearing families apart, and for what?Some sick...” Shining noticed himself about to start a rant and cut himself off, instead slamming the side of his fist against the brick wall and slumping onto the floor.

Kyle took a moment before walking towards him and slumping down beside him.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t help you, here... You should turn in. Sounds like you guys have a bit of a drive in the morning...”

Kyle nodded.

“Yeah... I don’t know if I can go back, knowing she’s still out here. Shining, I...,” Kyle felt himself begin to choke up, “I said some things to her. Awful things that wound up being the last words I ever said to her...”

Shining let out a gentle sigh.

“I was meaning to talk about that. I heard what happened that day—what you... almost did. I’m sorry it got to that point.”

Kyle scoffed.

“It wasn’t just them... it was a lot of things, man. My dad... my old friends... Twilight...”

Shining hung his head.

“She never wanted to stop hanging out with you, you know...”

“Yeah-- Cinch and her mind games. I was caught up on all that.”

Silence washed over the duo for a moment.

“You know, it’s days like this... where part of me misses Crystal Prep.” He confessed.

Shining slowly turned to Kyle in confusion.

“Really? You missing Prep?” He let out a soft chuckle.

Kyle shrugged.

“It wasn’t all bad. Sure, students made me a punching bag-laughing stock, but hey—outfits were sharp, school songs were catchy--”

“Hey, don’t get me started on those... stupid earworms they had...”

Kyle smirked at that.

“~Na, na, na-na-na, oh...~” He started.

Shining quickly turned to Kyle in horror.

“Kyle, stop...” He pleaded.

“~All the way, all the way, all the way to the Friendship Games.~” Kyle softly sang, with a voice that somewhat startled him.

Shining chuckled in annoyance, quickly covering his ears.

“Kyle, I’m telling you, man—you're not too old for me to whoop.” He laughed.

Kyle quickly stood up and began a playful/uncoordinated dance to go with his singing.

“~Na, na, na-na-na, oh! Na, na, let's go!~” He sang proudfully.

Shining tried to fight but sighed, his amusement growing too powerful to ignore.

“~All the way, all the way, all the way to the Friendship Games!~” They both sang together before breaking down into laughter.

The laughter slowly died down, with the two letting out long sighs.

“Thanks, man... I needed that.” Shining chuckled.

“Yeah... me, too.” Kyle smiled.

As the two sat there, Kyle’s chest began to glow a faint red... red enough that it barely shone through his shirt... neither of them noticed this moment, however.

What they did notice was the sudden silence in the holding cells.

“Hey... you hear that?” Shining asked.

Kyle listened and shrugged.

“I don’t hear anything...”

Shining quickly got up and opened the door to the cells, only to be met with silence, this time...

As the doors opened, several of the inmates leaned against the doors.

“Hello? Is anyone out there? Where’re the others?” Flash called out first.

Several others began to call out in confusion. Some were angry while others were scared...

“What the hell...?” Shining asked.

About two hours after the incident in holding. Shining and Kyle checked in on their last inmate—Flash Sentry.

Flash nervously waited to see what fate was awaiting him-- he felt strong worry about the others who had been taken just hours ago as far as he knew... However, he was surprised to see Shining enter the room.

"Shining! What... what happened? Where're the Caribou?"

In that instant, Shining knew that he was cleaned... but still, he took a seat.

"Flash Sentry... What's the last thing you remember?" He asked, already having his questions saved from the other inmates.

Flash thought for a moment, struggling to recall for some reason...

"We were just loaded up and taken away-- Shining, you were with us! Is-- is Twilight okay?"

Shining instinctually clenched his fists, but calmed himself.

"Do you have any strong or violent lustful urges of any kind?"

Flash looked absolutely bewildered.

"N-no! Why would I...? Shining, is everything okay?"

Shining nodded.

"They're fine, now. Does the name Dainn mean anything at all to you?"

Flash scoffed.

"Yeah-- he's the douchebag stealing our friends. What the hell's going on?!" Flash raised his arms in frustration.

Shining nodded and sighed.

"Flash, you were under Dainn's control for at least four months. In that time, you have raped and enslaved several women... you were brought here just before you were able to attack Sunset Shimmer." He sighed, knowing it was better to rip the bandage off.

Flash's eyes widened as he sunk back into the chair in terror.

"I... I wouldn't. I wouldn't! There's no way I would--!"

Shining's sorrowful expression told the young man everything he needed to know. Tears of shock began to fall, and Shining was quick to embrace the boy, his eyes beginning to finally dampen, as well.

They stayed embraced for a few minutes until Shining assured Flash everything was going to be okay before finally walking back out.

"They're all fine." Shining shrugged to Kyle.

Kyle shrugged back in bewilderment.

"How's that possible?"

Shining shrugged.

"Maybe the curse... wears off? Maybe they all were wiped off of it at once? Or maybe something happened to Dainn...? There're too many possibilities to pinpoint it right now... let's just save this for the morning, yeah?" Shining let out a dragged-out yawn.

Kyle nodded, heading back upstairs. Up there, Sunset had already put her pack into a small office.

"Sorry, guys-- this was all I could spare." Shining sighed.

"We'll make it work." Sunset said, opening her pack and setting up a cot for herself.

Kyle noticed how cold Sunset felt after the wreck. He wanted to ask what happened but felt that it would be in bad taste-- he had seen this situation before to have a good guess as to what had occurred.

He wasted no time entering and unrolling his own cot.

"Good night, Sunset." He said to her.

"What did you last say to your mother?"

Kyle quickly turned towards her, who was looking straight into his eyes.

"W-what?"

"I heard what you said to Shining. What did you say to her?"

Kyle hesitated but relented.

"I don't think you saw what happened that day, did you?"

Sunset shook her head.

"I, uh... I liked to go up to the roof of the school. Just to reflect, you know? But this day... this day I walked right up to the edge. I don't know why I did... but it doesn't change the fact that I had one foot over."

Sunset's eyes widened in horror. She never saw anything about a suicide attempt, and she didn't mark Kyle as someone who would attempt.

"Someone spotted me, and it became a whole thing... my mom showed up and got me out. We were driving home, and she was... she was quiet. She had been ever since Dad died. I couldn't take it, anymore-- I wanted her to say something, to scream, shout some sense into me-- anything... So I said the worst thing I thought of... I said that she never cared about me."

Sunset softly sighed as Kyle continued, his voice beginning to break.

"I didn't mean it... I didn't mean it. I just wanted her to be angry at me! Her son just tried to kill himself but she's just-- she's just fine?!" Kyle shouted.

He quickly caught his tone and sighed.

"I couldn't... I couldn't stand it. I said it, we shouted, and she took her eyes off the road. Another car sped towards us, and..."

Sunset gasped-- she saw the wreck but not the argument that caused it.

"Sunset, I killed my mom." He cried, tears streaming down his face now.

Sunset didn't hesitate to scooch over and hug him, her eyes looking out the closed door...

"I hurt him so bad..."

Kyle's tears slowly subsided as he slowly broke the hug, facing Sunset again.

"What do you mean?"

"My mom, she was always busy. My dad was never really in the picture... for the most part, it was my brother and I. He loved studying magic. It was a passion for him... for me, it was something I was just good at. He admired me, looked to me for advice, and when I got accepted into Princess Celestia's academy, he lost it. He was so excited for me, and you should've seen his face when I told him that I was chosen to be her apprentice..." She laughed in nostalgia.

Her smile quickly faded, however.

"I was selfish. I was greedy... prideful... I let the power-- the promise of power get to me. I pushed everyone away from my life... even Sunburst. I saw the mirror-- the portal to this world. I saw myself in it-- as a princess, ruling all of Equestria."

Sunset paused to take a breath.

"I let that image turn me into something else... something ugly. I got caught trying to sneak back in, and I was banished from the palace and expelled... I didn't stay home long, but I didn't need to... Sunburst asked me just so many questions, and I... I exploded. I said a lot more than 'he didn't care for me'... I broke him." She sniffled.

"And that was the last time that I've seen him. Over six years ago, now..."

Kyle listened to her, both of them finally crumbling after so long of staying strong.

"I don't want that to be the last time I ever see him... but if it is, I'm gonna do everything I can to make up for it. You have to do that, too. So let's do that together."

Kyle smiled, and the two shared another embrace. This time, however, they didn't break away. They stayed huddled together, crumbling and keeping each other together until sleep enveloped them both, bringing an end to a hectic day...