//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: A Not So Fresh Start // Story: Hearsay // by Nyhll //------------------------------// Saturday, October 4th 9:33AM Old Town District Sunset gave an angry hiss as she padded the wound on left shoulder blade. The disinfectant has done its job, but it was making it hard to keep the gauze in place long enough to apply the bandages. She had made sure to wake up early to get cleaned up, given where she lived, it only made sense to sanitize before and after going to bed.  She tossed the damp tissues into the nearby trashcan and glared at it angrily as she reached for her gauze. Sunset had learned all about first aid rather shortly after her arrival in this world, after all, it wasn’t likely that she would have a chance to visit the hospital without ending up in Children's Services or something- not having any official paperwork definitely made things harder in this world. Such as getting a job. Not many places would accept someone without a Social Insurance Number, and since Sunset was the definition of an Illegal Alien, the chances of her getting one of those was below zero. So instead she had to focus on odds and ends jobs in the papers that offered to pay in cash, vastly limiting her ability to procure any kind of funds. Most of everything she has was second-hand or donations from various homeless shelters in the city. Sunset scowled as she thought of the Bits she brought over from Equestria- a small fortunes worth of solid gold coin transformed into a bunch of useless chocolate! That mirror had to be some sort of sadistic entity! Sunset gingerly pushed the adhesive parts of the bandages onto her painfully sensitive skin, her breath catching and holding until she was done. The two shoulder blades had been the most annoying of the gouges to bandage, thanks to being in spots hard to reach by one’s self. At least the tailbone wound was easier- and smaller. Slowly she rose to her right foot, her left ankle swollen noticeably and quite painful to try and put any pressure on. As far as Sunset would guess, it was a sprain of some sort- no broken bones, thankfully, but it sure was making it hard to be mobile in any sort as she slowly put away her various medical supplies. She was probably going to have to buy more gauze, but her funds were stretched pretty tight. Maybe she’d be able to convince her boss to give her a slight advance? A rather loud snort filled Sunset’s apartment. No, her miser of a boss would probably sell the business before giving anyone an advance of any sort. She was just going to have to stretch her supplies out for another few weeks unfortunately. Though maybe she could pick up some extra hours now- considering she was no longer a student and all? Sunset hissed as she set her foot down on the stairway leading up to her sleeping area. It was going to be an annoying ride to work today, and there was the potential it was all gonna be for nothing. She prayed that she wouldn’t need to try and find a second source of employment… ***  Saturday, October 4th 10:27AM The Mare in the Moon “Sunset! Perfect timing!” the raspy and gravelly voice of her boss boomed as the Equestrian entered the door to the bar and pulled down her hood, his portly face redder than Sunset’s mane as he threw down the rag he had been using to clean the mug her slammed onto the counter. “So- Whatever the bitch’s name is, she up and quit this morning, and I need you to cover for her!” “Oh?” Sunset almost couldn’t believe her fortunes. “Well truth be told, I was actually coming to see if I could pick up some more hours.” “Fine! Seeing as you always seem to bring in more idio- customers, you can pick up all her morning shifts.” the man said as she pulled a cigar out of his back pocket and started waddling through the swinging doors and towards the kitchen. Sunset sighed as she shifted slowly towards the bar, pulling off her coat and hoodie and stashing them under the counter. The bar known as The Mare in the Moon- the name earning a chuckle from Sunset when she first saw it- was the worst place in all of Canterlot on Gaia. It played host to the scummiest of the scum that walked the roads of the Old Town District, and Sunset had been serving them for the last few years. She had managed to convince the owner to bring her on part time, and even though he paid her less than minimum wage, and half the dollar value of the tips she made went to him, it was just enough to keep her alive. She had learned over time how to be quite the bartender, mixing and matching different liquors, spirits, and alcohols together to serve each scumbags order. She had gotten a bit of a reputation in the Old Town, and was glad that even though there was no honour among thieves, they at least kept the secret of the bartender at The Mare in the Moon quiet. She took a quick stock of where everything was at, doing her best to stay as stationary as possible as between the short skirt and high heels, her ankle was doing its best to keep Sunset from even thinking about moving. The morning was surprisingly quiet as Sunset served the odd petty thief or hobo, leaving her plenty of time to clean the counter and figure out the meaning of life. Eventually her boss returned from the floor, tightening his belt as he started to waddle towards the small set of wooden pallets that he insisted was a stage for live music. Never mind the fact that there were holes in some of the pallets, it was still The Mare in the Moon- as long as Sunset had been working here, there had never been any sort of live music. “Where’s the nearest outlet to here?” the man shouted, waking and causing the sleeping, and frankly wretched smelling man drooling on the counter in front of Sunset to fall to the ground with a strangled cry. “Outlet? What for?” Sunset called over as she finished reorganizing the mugs for the seventh time today. “Some broad wants to put on some kind of music show tonight- signed up a few weeks ago.” came the puffing response of the man as he practically rolled side to side in search of an outlet. “I don’t want to risk her stealin’ my extension cable.” “Well, I think there was one behind the the right-most pallet?” Sunset said, feeling her eyes start to water as the man slowly got back up from the floor, gibbering something under his breath before slamming face first back onto the wooden counter. “But is someone really gonna do a show here?” “No, I made it all up- OF COURSE someone signed up, you dimwit!” came the angry shout of the man as her shifted the pallet Sunset had mentioned aside. “What’s he goin on about…?” Sunset wasn’t sure who smelled worse, the man at the counter, or the cook who just peeked her head out of the kitchen. “Apparently someone is doing a show here finally, Treehugger.” Sunset responded as she glanced at the green skinned girl from the corner of her eye. Treehugger had been here longer than Sunset, the stoner a surprisingly amazing cook, even though she was more baked than anything she ever served. “Woah… Far out…” the girl said, staring with glazed over eyes towards the noise of the bar owner cursing and grunting as he moved the pallet. “... Think he needs a hand?” Sunset glanced back over quickly, then back to the cook before shaking her head. “Nah, I think Mr. Hardbuck can handle it.” “GOD DAMN, FUCKING PIECE OF-” the two young women chuckled as their boss continued to curse fiercer than any navy ever had. ***  Saturday, October 4th 8:57PM The Mare in the Moon Sunset’s world was replaced by floodlight as she tried to turn away as she heard Mr. Hardbuck’s voice call out. “Oi, Sunset! Do the lights work?” “Yes!” Sunset shouted back as she tried to rub the tears out of her eyes from the intensity of light that had pervaded her vision. “Now can you point them away from the bar so I can serve the customers!?” A crowd had started to gather once word got out that Sunset was on staff today, enough of one that Sunset was struggling to keep up with orders thanks to her ankle. “Hey, Boss! Isn’t Fire Bug on tonight?” The light dimmed slightly as Mr. Hardbuck turned the lights towards the ground before looking up at Sunset. “She called in sick this morning! You’re it tonight.” Of course… Sunset groaned internally at the thought of working another three hours. She was certain that it was against the law to have someone work fourteen consecutive hours in a single day with no breaks, but sadly she didn’t want to risk her only job at the moment. She had tired stuffing ice cubes wrapped in paper towel down her sock to try and alleviate whatever pain they could, but all that had left her with a soaked sock and a soggy high heel. “Where is that girl? She’s supposed to be on in three minutes? If she’s late, she isn’t getting her deposit back.” Mr. Hardbuck, ever the example of understanding and generosity grumbled as she crossed his arms over his rolling gut while glaring daggers at the door. “I swear, if-” The door slid open with a cool confidence as a girl on the shorter side of the spectrum swaggered her way into the establishment, the air around her vibrating as she held protectively onto the large backpack covering the front of her body. “Well there you are! I thought you said you were a DJ or something!? Where’s your stand thing with the disks!?” Mr. Hardbuck grilled the pale skin girl standing in front of him as she pulled her hood down to reveal dual toned blue hair, done up in stylized spikes and unmistakable magenta shades covering her eyes. Vinyl Scratch shrugged nonchalantly as she patted her backpack, before turning to walk towards the counter, freezing as soon as she met Sunset’s stare. “Welcome to The Mare in the Moon, Miss!” Sunset said loudly, feigning ignorance as she greeted one of her former classmates. “You must be the performer tonight! If you need a hand with anything, feel free to ask!” Vinyl Scratch gave a slow nod as she walked up towards the counter, through the catcalling patrons. Even though her shades hid her eyes, Sunset could still see that Vinyl’s brow was furrowed, and her mouth was moving around, unsure of what expression to make. “Would you like a drink, miss?” Sunset asked as Vinyl slid off her backpack before putting it down on the counter, Mr. Hardbuck following in, at least how someone who didn’t know him would, a diligent manner. “Anything she wants is on the house- for the first five drinks at least.” he said with a greedy smile as she patted Vinyl on the back, the younger girl obviously trying not to squirm under his touch. “Just remember, Miss Starch, you’re on in…” the man paused as he checked his watch. “Two minutes!” Vinyl never was one to really talk to anyone, in all the years Sunset had been at Canterlot High, she had heard Vinyl’s voice maybe a half dozen times at most. Instead, she let her actions and expressions do most of the talking, especially with strangers. What are you doing here? Vinyl seemed to ask as Sunset pulled up a mug. “We have Muleson on tap, if you’d like?” Sunset smiled as she ‘ignored’ the girl’s question. “Or would you prefer a Cooler?” You know I’m not old enough to drink yet. the pale girl’s face read as she shifted around slightly, causing Sunset to put the mug down. “Something later? Okay then, don’t be afraid to let me know! In the meantime, I think I need to help that gentleman there with a refill.” Sunset smiled with frigid warmth before she slowly started to walk towards yet another passed out man on the far end of the bar- only to stumble and fall with a pained hiss, her hands shooting to her ankle as her eyes clenched. A few seconds passed as the pain slowly bled back into a sheer agony, enough that she was able to slowly get herself up off the floor, brushing her short skirt off before pulling herself up by the bar. She couldn’t help but lock eyes with Vinyl Scratch, the girl’s visage for once unreadable as she looked at Sunset- causing the Equestrian to quickly turn her head away to try and hide the tears of her pain. Sunset heard Vinyl get her backpack off the counter and slowly make her way to the pallets while the Equestrian steadied herself, returning towards the man at the end of the bar who was passed out. Of all the places to run into someone from CHS- why would any of them ever come to the Old Town District!? Even Gilda and her groupies shied away from the Old Town! Sunset spent a minute refilling drinks and taking cash while she guessed that Vinyl set up, silently hoping the girl wasn’t going to reveal to anybody from the School that she had found Sunset Shimmer. Instead, the senseless yammering of the crowd paused as a steady beat started to fill the air, the air reverberating from the heavy bass that was coming from the other side of the bar. Sunset turned with everyone else to look at Vinyl as she stood behind her laptop sitting on top of a stack of wooden crates that Mr. Hardbuck had obviously set up for her, a set of speakers set up around her. Music soon flooded the bar, the likes that no one there save Sunset had ever heard before- Sunset already knew Vinyl had been posting her mixes online under the name DJ PON-3, though for some reason they never seemed to pick up any attention. Sunset paused as she felt something scrape against her leg, causing her to look down and notice Sasha sticking out, the edge of her phone glinting from the light shining above Sunset. She stood there, contemplating shortly before bending down and digging it out before turning it on and activating its record function. She looked at the mugs hanging above her, pulling down one of the smaller ones and jamming her phone inside of it before hanging it back up, the camera pointing towards Vinyl. She hoped this would work… ***  Sunday, October 5th 12:29PM The Mare in the Moon Sunset gave a tired sigh as she finally sat down. The last of the stragglers and homeless had been kicked out as soon as the clock hit midnight, leaving the only occupants of the bar as Treehugger, Mr. Harbuck, Vinyl Scratch, and Sunset, and while Treehugger cleaned the kitchen, Sunset cleaned the bar, while Vinyl loitered in the front of the bar, messing around with her phone while she waited for Mr. Hardbuck to count the days cash before paying her. Eventually the man waddled out, Sunset certain that he had hoped Vinyl would leave without being paid due him taking so long. But given how many people ended up pilling into the bar for the show, combined with the ‘Three Drink Minimum’ Mr. Hardbuck enforced, the Equestrian was certain that he probably had his most profitable night in… well at least as long as Sunset had been working here. “Hey, Mr. Hardbuck?” Sunset said as she noticed her boss, motioning for him to come over as she held out a slip. “Here’s the tally of where we are left off; you’re probably gonna have to order in more Muleson ASAP.” “I see… I think we can last another weak if we add a bit more water to it…” the man grumbled as he ran down the stock list of the alcohol. “Hey, uh… Seeing as I helped cover for this morning and run the bar solo tonight, would I be able to get a bit of an advance on my pay?” Sunset gave an uneasy smirk as she watched the man freeze, his eyes narrowing as her looked up at her towering over him. “Ya see, I kinda messed up my ankle yesterday, and-” “Not happenin’.” Mr. Hardbuck responded bluntly before turning towards Vinyl Scratch, waving a stubby arm at the girl as he shifted around the cigar in his mouth. “Oi, Scratch. Come get your pay.” Sunset couldn’t help but let her shoulders slump as she squeezed past the man, grabbing her phone out of the mug and stashing it in her coat pocket and she slipped it on. “Kitchen’s clean and stock list is on the fridge, Boss.” Treehugger said before lighting the paper wrapped object in her mouth before turning to Sunset. “See ya… Whenever, Sunshine.” “See ya, Treehugger.” Sunset smirked as she waved at the girl. “Woah… I don’t think you’ve ever smiled at me before, Condiments.” Sunset was caught surprised by the girl’s comment. True, in the past Sunset had found her stench annoying, but tonight just seemed… fine? “Huh… Weird.” Sunset shrugged before turning towards Mr. Hardbuck as he finished counting cash out for Vinyl. “See ya-” “Listen- I’d love to get you here full time! You drew in quite the crowd tonight! I could offer you Seventy Five bucks a night!” Sunset almost felt uneasy with how much raw sleaziness was oozing off of the man as Vinyl double counted the cash before stuffing it in her backpack and shaking her head. “Really? Well fine- this was your last show here, Miss Starch! Now get out!” Sunset opened her mouth to speak out, only to see Vinyl shrug, seemingly without a care in the world as she walked towards the front door, however much money richer than when she walked in. Good thing she never got anything to drink, instead using a water bottle she had brought herself. Sunset glared at Mr. Hardbuck as he pulled out his phone and started mumbling to himself under his breath as he waddled towards his office, calling out as he noticed Sunset slowly limping towards the door. “Oi- Make sure to lock up this time, dimwit!” I don’t even have keys, asshole… Sunset bit her lip as she ignored the man and made her way out of the bar, the starry night greeting her. “Wah!” Along with Vinyl Scratch. “O-Oh, y-you scared me, miss.” Sunset gave a fake smile as she brought her hand up to her chest, trying to calm her heart as it raced like a hare in her chest. “Are you waiting to be picked up?” Vinyl remained silent as she studied Sunset, her brow peaking as she was obviously well past even faking to buy Sunset’s attempts to lie. “Haaaa… Fine.” Sunset relented, slumping as she brought a hand up to the back of her head. “Yes, you found me. Now what? Gonna tell the entire school that I’m a bartender at the single seediest place in the entire city?” Vinyl shook her head. “Oh.” Sunset said simply, unsure of what to do now. “Er… So are you heading home?” another shake of the head from Vinyl, the girl jerking her thumb over her shoulder. “Cool, well uh… I’m heading that way myself, so why don’t I walk with you? Given this is the Old Town, people would probably jump all over you in an instant.” Vinyl actually smiled at Sunset’s suggestion, turning around and actually slowing her pace to keep up with Sunset as they walked down the street towards the bus stop, even pausing when Sunset had to stop to take pressure off her ankle. “It’s not as bad as it looks.” Sunset tried to sound confident and smirk as she noticed Vinyl looking at her ankle with furrowed brows. “Besides, it’s the least I deserve after everything I did at CHS.” “You never went after me.” Make that now seven times Sunset heard the voice of Vinyl Scratch. It sounded almost aristocratic as she addressed the former head bitch of Canterlot High. “Or Octavia, Lyra, Bon Bon. A few others even.” “So I skipped over a handful of students in my reign of destruction.” Sunset sighed wearily as she let her shoulders slump. “Special Needs kids, those from poorer family- unless they tried to oppose you like some of the goons did, you left them be.” Vinyl continued, resting her hands on her hips. “Why.” It wasn’t so much a question from the shorter DJ, more like a demand that Sunset tell the truth. The Equestrian gave yet another sigh as she brought her hand up to her face. “Cause I have standards. I didn’t have the best life starting off back in Equestria, so I wasn’t about to go after others that had the same sort of issues.” “The only fights you ever got into was-” “When some knuckleheads decided to start something, yes.” Sunset shook her head. “I didn’t want to physically harm anyone- it’d be easy to trace back to me. Besides, secrets and rumours were a lot more useful- teenagers are surprisingly susceptible to blackmail and peer pressure.” “Well my friends aren’t poor- quite the opposite. None of them are special needs- okay, maybe Lyra is in her own special way, but ya know what I mean.” the pair shared a small laugh at the DJ’s comment. “So why not us?” “... It’s because I know your history, Vinyl…” it was the pale girl’s turn to slump her shoulders. “I didn’t go after you and your friends because I know what you’ve gone through in your life.” It was silent for a few moments as Vinyl looked utterly baffled, bringing her hands up to scrub her face and removing her glasses momentarily to wipe her eyes, before returning the shades to their rightful place and look once more at Sunset. “Well… Thanks. I, uh… Guess you had some good in you while you ruined everyone’s lives.” “Heh… Thanks for the vote of confidence. I think I'm good to go, how about you?" the corner of Sunset's mouth pulled up as Vinyl nodded her head, the pair continuing on down the street and around the corner. "That was a hell of a show you put on tonight Vinyl! I think I heard a few of your newer mixes in there- Melodious Quarter Bark I think it said online?" Sunset chuckled as she watched Vinyl freeze for a second mid step. "Yea, I know the name DJ PON3. Glad to have caught a show live like that." Vinyl silently shook her head as the duo continued on, failing to hide her proud smile from Sunset. A few minutes passed and they turned onto the next block. If Sunset remembered right, there was a bus stop about two thirds of the between where they were now and home. Thankfully she would be able to walk Vinyl to her bus stop and get her out of the dangerous part of town and back home to safety. "Heeeeeey..!" a voice called out from above them, the pair looking up to see someone high as a kite leaning awkwardly out of a smashed up window. "You girls want some-" "No, we're good!" Sunset shouted back before turning to Vinyl. "Just ignore them. Tons of druggies in this part of town. Don't you worry, though. I'll keep you safe." Sunset cocky smirk combined with the flexing of her arm earned a suppressed giggle from Vinyl Scratch as the two continued on. Sunset pulled out her phone as the duo eventually neared the bus stop, powering it up to check the time. "Okay, buses should still be running for another hour- Mayor Mare made a smart choice having buses run til One AM on weekends, even if they have to pay for two armed guards on every bus. I'll wait with you at the stop until the bus comes." "What do you mean?" Vinyl asked as they checked to make sure no vehicles were coming before crossing the road. "The bus that brought you here. It should be here in about twenty minutes." Sunset responded, raising a brow as she looked at Vinyl. “I walked here.” “...What?” “Yeah, I live like a block from here." Vinyl smirked as she watched Sunset's expression. "B-But there aren't any apartments anywhere near this part of Old Town I thought?" Sunset stammered as she paused for a moment, worry starting to build in the back of her mind. "Correct! However, there is the old Buffalo Hotel that the city owns. All the utilities still work, but no one comes to check up on the place." Sunset's worry turned into a cold sweat on the back of her neck as Vinyl posed proudly with her hands on her hips. Sunset was about to respond, but froze when she saw a trio of shadowy figures creep out of an alley between the duo and the bus stop. "Uh, Vinyl? Get behind me.' Sunset said, pulling the girl away from the approaching figures. "Awful late to be out for a walk." The lead man said. He was tall, but thinner than a twig as he approached Sunset and Vinyl. He wore a toque, gloves of some sort, and a long trench coat, the same as his two cronies, a man easily wider than he is tall, and a man small enough to look like his trench coat was swallowing him. Sunset shrugged before responding, glancing over the other two figures. "You know how it is; weekend and all that." The three men chuckled at Sunset's comment before the leader gave the two girls a dark smirk. "Why don't you hand over the backpack and we'll let you on your way. I'd hate to see something happen to those pretty faces of yours." "I'm afraid that isn't gonna be happening." Sunset said as her brow furrowed. Normally she wouldn't be worried too much about thugs trying to jump her, but between her ankle preventing her from moving and needing to protect Vinyl, she wasn't so sure of her odds.  The leader's face darkened while cruel looks appeared on the other men's faces as Sunset whispered over her shoulder to the smaller girl. "Vinyl, you said your place was nearby, right? I'll keep them tied up so you can make a break for it." Sunset didn't have a chance to hear Vinyl's response as the three men charged towards the pair, leaving the Equestrian to grit her teeth as she tried to take as stable of a fighting pose as her ankle would allow. The tiny man arrived first, swinging his arm wide in an attempt to connect with a haymaker. Knowing she couldn't move out of the way, she instead brought her left knee up as she grabbed his arm, using his momentum to connect with the middle of his chest and causing the man to fall to the ground in a heaving mess, earning a cheer from Vinyl, only to hear her instantly shout out a warning. Sunset gave a confused look as she heard the coat of the obese man jingle as he dived at her, qnd between his mass and Sunset's unsteady stance, the pair fell to the ground, stars bursting into Sunset's vision as her head bounced off the pavement. An evil chortle brought Sunset back to reality as she felt the fat man mount her, her sight clearing enough to see the man rolling up his sleeves. With mamba like speed, Sunset grabbed the attacker's coat, pulling him down as she brought herself up, viciously connecting her forehead with what used to be his rather bulbous nose, his blood coating Sunset's face as he fell to the side clutching his now shattered nose. "I will beat you with this backpack if you don't screw off." Sunset heard Vinyl try to sound threatening. The Equestrian slowly pushed herself up while glancing towards her charge as the lead man approached her menacingly. Pain caused her vision to swim as Sunset forced herself to her feet before charging the man, leaping on him from behind. "Leave her alone, asshole!" Sunset shouted as she dug her fingers into the man's eyes, earning a pained bellow as he shook her off before stumbling aimlessly away. "Vinyl, you need to run- now!" Sunset hissed quietly as she steadied herself. The three men were slowly starting to recover, and Sunset doubted she'd be able to protect Vinyl from all three of them as her vision slowly started to duplicate itself. "I can't just-" the musician started, a scared look on her face before getting interrupted by their assailants. "Fucking whore!" the leader bellowed as tears ran down his face. "You're dead for that! Get her, boys!" Sunset watched as the obese man slowly got up, pulling a long iron chain out of his coat, followed by the other two pulling out switchblades. "Vinyl, I'll distract them, but you need to get away. Here, take Sasha," Sunset said rapidly as she shed her precious leather jacket and handed it to Vinyl. "Keep her safe for me. Now go!" Sunset didn't notice if Vinyl fled or not, instead focusing on the obese man as he charged at her, winging his chain haphazardly. Obviously the man only used it to look menacing as he didn't appear to know how to use it properly. He swung his arm from the side and lashed the chain towards Sunset who raised her left arm, allowing the chain to wrap around it as she pulled powerfully towards her, causing both the man to stumble and fall to the ground, and to be disarmed. And just in time, as the leader swung his blade towards Sunset, who dodged to the side as best she could, stumbling slightly while unwrapping the chain around her arm in time to use it to deflect the man's next swing while bringing her left knee up to crush his solar plexus and drop him momentarily, his weapon clattering to the ground beside his knees.. Sunset noticed the big man start to get to his feet while back-stepping away awkwardly from the wild swings of the tiny man as he tried to connect with his switchblade. She noticed him change his footing just in time for him to lunge towards her to try and skewer her, letting her spin to the side and catch his arm before savagely snapping his forearm with a loud and sickening noise that drowned out his wail of pain as he fell to the ground and rolled around, cradling his broken limb. Now hoping to only have to face two opponents, Sunset slowly started to sidestep away from the downed man as cursed loudly. She didn't want to risk him getting a sneaky blow on her while she was preoccupied with the other two. Now standing on the street, the two men started to circle around her, snarling like beasts as they tried to get into her blind spots. The wind howled through the narrow gaps between buildings as the two man yelled before charging her. Thankfully the obese man was slower, letting Sunset instead focus on the leader as he lunged towards her. Using his own momentum against him, Sunset sidestepped at the last possible second, turning around and shoving his back and causing him to run blade first into the fat man, embedding the blade into his upper abdomen, a look of horror on his face as he looked at his friend before falling to the ground and writhing in agony. Left for the moment with only one opponent, Sunset started to wrap the chain around her wrist- Only to stumble and fall on her left knee, panting heavily as her vision darkened around the edges. The adrenaline was wearing off, and the abuse of the last few days was crashing down on her all at once. She managed to look up as she swayed unsteadily, the chain falling limply from her hand as the last thief's face split into a malicious smile before Sunset collapsed to her side and blacked out.