A Shimmering Sunset

Growls sounded from up ahead. This was the end. Sunset knew that. She had known that before the battle even started. But if she was going down, she was taking the dragon's leader with her. Her horn lit up as she tapped into her stores of magic, feeling it pass through her entire body as she teleported, leaving a small explosion of pale cyan light in her wake. She appeared a long distance away, panting from the large use of magic. The growling was louder, and she cringed at the gleaming red-orange eyes that watched her. She activated her magic again, her horn glowing with bright cyan light and allowing her to see. A deep scarlet shape stepped forward. His curved, sharp horns were pure black, and had curving, serrated barbs near the gleaming tips. His black fangs were black and serrated, except for the two longest ones, that curved to a wicked point. His ebony colored, pitch black, serrated claws were arched, ready to attack and dig into any unlucky victim that wasn't prepared. His tail lashed, revealing sharp, serrated black barbs near the tip leading to a black, serrated barb that curved along his tail tip, long and deadly. Sunset's eyes narrowed. "Oh...hi, Iram......did you get bigger since last time?" She murmured, then growled internally at the hint of fear in her voice. Sunset couldn't back down, she'd risk all of Equestria.....not only that, she'd risk Twilight and her friends, the only ones who didn't treat her like a natural disaster with legs. The closest things to friends she'd had since before she jumped into the mirror.

"I can sense your unease, Sunny." The dragon hissed, his voice malicious and savage. Sunset's anger grew, overcoming the faint sense of fear she had. Somehow the creature's voice had roused...something in her. A spark. Her eyes grew wide, determined.

"Don't call me that, beast. You took away one of the only things that I actually liked. You killed them all, in one fell swoop. And for that you must die. I will avenge them, even if it kills me!" Sunset said, her voice carrying the rage she had kept inside of her ever since the war that lead her to leave Equestria in the first place.

"Give me your all, Sunset Shimmer." The beast snarled, leaping at her. Sunset thought fast, using her magic to teleport out of the way of his claws. She leaped over his tail, dashing out into the open. She glanced behind her, seeing the Devil Dragon had taken flight to pursue her. She yelped as he sent a ball of scarlet fire, singing part of her tail. Sunset's horn flashed brightly as she teleported again, gaining some more distance between her and the dragon.

"Oh, that is so not fair!" Sunset snapped, running faster. Her legs burned, screaming for her to stop or slow down, but she forced herself to keep running. Her life, and the lives of many others depended on it. She panted slightly, the burning seeming to spread through her very soul. She could hear heavy wingbeats as the dragon shortened the distance between them. She let out a cry as she ran into a large, jagged black crystal that had sprouted from the ground, crashing on her side with pain running through her like fire. She winced, eyes suddenly narrowed as the large black and red dragon landed, drawing his head closer to her injured form.

"Oh, the pages have turned on you now. It's time for me to win this fight. Prepare to die." He snarled, his red-orange eyes lighting up with savage anticipation.

Sunset Shimmer found herself with one thing on her mind.

Where did it all go wrong?