Whoever Makes a Beast of Themselves

Sunset woke up to the smell of smoldering wood and stone. Her neck hurt, and she couldn't even feel the ground beneath her feet. That is, if her feet were on the ground. That's when she noticed her condition, she was naked, her hands tied behind her back, and two men walking her along, arms wrapped around her shoulders. Her feet dragged across the ground and she felt a pain in her side, as if something were ripping itself out of her body.

"Welcome Sunset Shimmer," laughed a voice," I hope you enjoyed your rest."

The voice was Swodahs, sitting upon a throne. His arms wrapped around two sexually dressed women. His eyes were trained on Sunset, when light passed him his face seemed to fade away revealing a fanged skull. His eyes burned from the inside, flames licked at his eye sockets. When the lights died his face returned. Sunset continued to look at what he was staring at. She wasn't the only female being dragged to his throne, dozens of women were held in place as Swodahs evaluated them. His eyes trained on every detail. Where ever he saw fault he sent those women down to the commonwealth, where they lived out their days in a crevice between volcanos. For the ones who passed evaluation they moved onto their secondary evaluation, where they were evaluated between sex slave and work slave.

By and by the line got shorter and Sunset got ever closer.

"Unfit," Swodahs frowned pointing to the last woman in front of Sunset.

The two men forced Sunset to her knees, ashes kicked up around her.

"Ah yes," Swodahs smiled," Sunset Shimmer. You nearly got away from me. But no one evades me."

Swodahs gave one look at Sunset and his smile became wider.

"You hold a demon inside you," Swodahs laughed," the woman who acts so innocent holds a darker being inside her. An evil she once held."

Swodahs removed himself from his throne and walked to Sunset. As he passed the lights his fanged skull became prominent again.

"Leave me alone," Sunset groaned, in pain, as Swodahs gripped her side.

"Look at it," Swodahs laughed," even you've neglected it so long it wants out. Look at the skin, do you see the variation in texture? No? Well I do, and your demon wants to be set free. So here's the deal, I can send you down to the crevice between the volcanoes, you can become a sex slave, or I can set your friend here free, allow it to consume your body, and join me as my queen."

As he spoke those words he let every single one sink in, slowly. Her mind went into conflict, as if she weren't alone in her head.

Just imagine the power you could have once more, the things you could do.

No, i'm better than that, that's my past and I don't want any part of it anymore.

You weak fool. This offer is what you need, to exist through me, otherwise you become his personal play thing, or you die in a river of lava.

It's better than letting my friends down, better than losing everything and gain so little in return.

In the end you still lose everything if you die.

"Well," Swodahs raised an eyebrow," i'm waiting."

Give in, join him, and some day you can bring your friends here, you'll have them all here to stand by your side. You can have them all, and still let your pain go.

"No," Sunset shouted," I won't do it."

Swodahs' smile turned into a grimace.

"You should have listened to your new king," Swadohs frowned," you would have made a very fine queen. Off with her head."

"Wait," Sunset's eyes widened," but you said."

The two men started dragging her away.

"Hail to the king baby," Swodahs smiled," hail to the fucking king."

Tears welled up inside Sunset's eyes, she was going to die, and she wouldn't even be allowed to say goodbye to her friends.

The men dragged Sunset into a small room, in its center lied a guillotine. The blade was rested between the head and shoulders of a skeleton. Blood was crusted onto the blade, and skeletons lay everywhere. The two men motioned for another to remove the skeleton, making room for Sunset. Her hands were strapped in along with her head. The blade dangled above her head, ready to be released. Her heartbeat drummed, faster, and faster, and then, there was no heartbeat, there was nothing.