The Girl Who Dreaded Sundown
It Watches, It Waits, It Hungers
The forest: humans like to believe they claim dominion over it, but at its heart, it's where nature reigns supreme. Deer, wolves, and many other creatures call it home, and know it far better than humankind ever will.
And one creature in particular rises above all the others.
Said creature peered out from behind a tree and glared at a small, blue, two story house that stood at the edge of its own home. On the porch was a girl with flaming red hair and a backpack hanging off one of her shoulders.
The creature narrowed its eyes. It clenched a fist and let out a low growl.
Sunset Shimmer happily walked down her front steps and made her way along a dirt path towards the bus stop.
It was a typical morning for the former she-demon. She woke up, fell back to sleep, screamed at her alarm clock when it went off again, and nearly fell asleep as she ate cereal.
All things considered, Sunset Shimmer’s morning was a great day in the making. The sky was was clear as clear could be, the birds were making noises worthy of a heavenly choir, and Sunset herself felt wonderful—despite what the bags under her eyes would have one believe.
Still, as she made her way down her usual path towards her destination, she couldn't shake an odd feeling.
The feeling that she was being watched.
Sunset turned around just in time to see a bush rustle. “Hello?” she called out.
Silence.
“Oh, who am I kidding? It’s probably just a deer. I need to stop being so paranoid about every little noise out here,” she said to herself as she continued on her merry way.
However, just as Sunset resumed her carefree stride, a low, animalistic growl came from behind her. Slowly, she turned around, her curiosity demanding to know what made that sound.
However, to Sunset's bewilderment…
There wasn't a thing that hadn't been there when she last looked behind her. The bush that had moved before was still.
Everything seemed to be still, in fact. Even the birds had ceased their singing.
It was as though something had hit a pause button on reality, but it didn't affect Sunset.
Sunset gulped and her heart began to beat faster. She slowly backed up, hopeful not to alert a soul to her presence.
Snap.
Sunset screamed and turned around, running towards the bus stop as she heard several more twigs snap—each accompanied by that same strange grunt from earlier.
After the longest thirty second sprint of her life, she exited the clearing and arrived at her bus stop. She fell to her knees and gasped for air, fully expecting something to leap out and attack her.
However, to her amazement, nothing emerged. Not a deer, a bear, nor a wolf.
Sunset looked around behind her and shook her head. “Maybe it was my imagination,” she thought aloud as the school bus pulled up to its stop. She got on and took a seat near the front.
As she glanced out the window though, she noticed something: a pair of yellow eyes.
“What the…” Sunset rubbed her eyes and shook her head.
The eyes were gone.
“What on… whatever this planet's name is,” she said to herself as the bus pulled away.
“You mean Earth?” asked a boy from across the aisle in a snarky tone.
“Uh, yes. Heh.” Sunset rubbed the back of her head and smiled sheepishly. “I didn't get much sleep last night.”
“Sure you didn't,” he replied as he sat back.
Sunset rolled her eyes and mimicked the boy’s action.
Today’s going to be a long day…
Lunch time: a time when kids talk to friends and devour food.
Normally for Sunset, this meant talking with her friends and share many laughs.
Today, however, it meant none of that. Instead, it meant devoting more time thinking about a pair of eyes.
“Sunset, are you okay?” asked Twilight Sparkle as she took a seat next to her friend. “You've been acting… off, all day.”
Sunset simply stared down at her salad and nodded.
Twilight narrowed her eyes. “Sunset, I know you aren't a good liar,” she said sternly. “Besides, you were dead silent throughout history, math, and homeroom. I'm amazed you even breathed, you were that quiet!” Twilight grabbed one of Sunset's shoulders and asked, “Now, tell me: what's wrong?”
Sunset sighed and turned to face her friend. “I… heard something weird in the woods near my home today,” she said. “And saw a pair of yellow eyes.”
Twilight withdrew her arm and raised an eyebrow. “You mean…like a bear?” she asked quizzically. “I mean, bears are common where you live.”
Sunset shook her head. “Ever since I saw it, I can't shake this feeling that… it wasn't some normal,” she said. “I got this feeling that everything about it was just… wrong. The look in that thing's eyes was malevolent.”
“Well, that's a strong word to use for something when all you've seen is its eyes, no?” Twilight asked. “A dog's eyes can glow if light is flashed at its eyes. Don't you think that-”
Sunset placed a hand over her friends mouth and stared her dead in the eyes. “Twilight, are you really comparing what might be a bear to a domesticated dog?”
“Mhm,” Twilight replied. She moved Sunset's hand away from her mouth.
Sunset simply stared blankly back.
“What? It's not a crazy comparison!” Twilight protested as her cheeks reddened slightly. “I was just saying-”
“Twilight, I didn't say anything. I was just thinking about the thing,” Sunset said. “Though, if you're so adamant it was a bear, why don't you sleep over with me? Maybe it'll show itself again!”
Twilight thought for a moment, somehow blocking out the ever present noise in the cafeteria. Finally, after a few moments, she replied, “Okay, sure. Though, aren't you getting a bit ahead of yourself to go monster hunting? I mean, you only saw eyes and heard some noise.”
Sunset blushed and attempted to hide it. “Well… it also really scared me,” she said sheepishly as a few students past her, chuckling at her feeble attempt to hide the redness on her cheeks (which only further reddened them). “I mean, wouldn't you be scared too if you heard weird noises near your home that early in the morning?”
“Depends on what kind of noises they were,” Twilight replied with a devilish grin. “I mean, what if we are talking about something that sounds like an automobile or-”
Sunset mentally tuned her friend out as she realized what she was in for that night.
Outside, there was something that gave her the single most malevolent vibe that she'd ever felt.
And inside, a friend who took every question literally.
“Or is it the sound of a dinosaur…”
That sleepover was going to make the night feel nightmarishly longer than the already long day.
School that day proved to be about as exciting as Sunset had expected.
An endless barrage of being asked “you okay?” and being told “you look terrible!” by anyone and everyone had really grated on Sunset's nerves.
But, that was in the past. For now, Sunset sat on the floor of her bedroom in a pair of pink pajamas. The setting sun’s golden rays entered the room from the window, which was slightly open and brought in a warm breeze.
Across from her sat Twilight Sparkle, who wore a pair of light purple pajamas and had a large smile on her face.
“You know, I never thought you'd be one for Scrabble,” she said happily. “It's remarkably hard to find someone who's willing to play it…”
Sunset giggled and placed the bag full of small tiles next to the game board. “Well, I figured that I'd thank you for being so willing to come over with a game like this,” she said. She reached into the bag and pulled out seven of the tiles and placed them on a small holder. “Not to mention the reason I wanted you to come here…”
It was now Twilight's turn to giggle. She placed a hand on her friend's shoulder and gave her a warm, almost motherly smile. “Sunset, we've seen portals that contained tentacle monsters,” she said softly. “I may not have relayed it at school, but… I've heard stories of creepy things in the woods.”
Sunset raised an eyebrow as she started her turn and made a simple word. “Oh? Like what?” She turned the board for Twilight and grabbed a few letters from the bag. “Anything scary? Or just old urban legends?”
“No, no,” Twilight said as she examined the letters she had at her disposal. “I've heard of sightings of large, human-like creatures. Some say they're ten feet tall and aggressive, while others say they get frightened upon being noticed.”
“Really now,” Sunset replied as she waited for her friend to take her turn. “What else have you heard?”
Twilight tapped her chin. “Umm… well, I've heard of viscous dog-like creatures… though I think those are east and not around here,” she said. She grabbed a few letters and made a lengthy word and smiled. “Haha, take that,” she said as she raised her hands; a proud look on her face.
Sunset rolled her eyes and turned the board so it faced her. “Very nice, bookworm,” she said. “Now, tell me: anything that matches what I experienced this morning?”
Twilight grabbed a few letters out of the bag. “Honestly, Sunset: what you experienced… it's too vague to even hazard a guess,” she replied. She placed the letters on her holder before saying, “It could've been a lot of things. Legendary or not.”
“Yeah, but-”
Twilight mimicked her friends action from earlier in the day and placed a hand over her mouth. “Sunset, I understand that you were freaked out,” she said. “And I know you consider me to be a know-it-all, but you can't expect me to know what a pair of yellow eyes belonged to without some sort of description of what they belonged to.”
Sunset removed her friend's hand and let out a sigh. “There was just something… not right about them,” she said as she stared blankly at the board. She made a mediocre word and turned the board back to Twilight. “You do agree with me when I say that it couldn't have been a bear right?” Sunset asked. “I mean, there's no way that it could've been. I would have seen it! And… bear’s definitely definitely don't make the kind of grunts that this thing made.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Wait, you heard what this thing sounded like?” she asked, slightly surprised. “Why didn't you say that earlier?”
“I… I guess I was still in shock from everything that had happened,” Sunset answered; a sheepish smile on her face.
“Well… what did it sound like?”
Sunset grabbed a few letters from the bag as she thought back to the morning. “It was… human now that I think about it,” she said. “It sounded like it kept grunting, like it was trying to grab something, but kept missing.”
“Interesting…” Twilight made a short and sweet word and quickly turned the game board back to her friend. “You know, I've heard a few legends of things that kind of remind me of what you just described.”
“Really!?” Sunset asked excitedly.
“Well… I mean, I'm not sure that any of them are what you've described,” Twilight answered. “Just that the human-like grunting and unnerving feeling you got from the eyes reminds me of a few old tales I read when I was young.”
“Oh…” Sunset looked back down at the board, once more disappointed by her friends answer. “Whatever, let's just finish this game.”
“And… I win again!” Twilight cheered.
At the end of it all, the pretty purple bookworm defeated the former she-demon by fifty points yet again.
Not the worst loss Sunset had ever suffered, but—after a day of paranoia about a pair of eyes, it wasn't how she wanted to end it.
Still, at least she'd lost to someone with a vocabulary that would make a thesaurus blush.
“Congrats, Twi,” Sunset said with a small smile. She looked at the clock.
Midnight.
“Wanna get to sleep?” she asked with a yawn. “I know tomorrow’s the weekend, but I have plans for the day.”
“Do any of them include monster hunting?” Twilight asked with a smile. “Or doing homework?”
“No, Twilight, they don't,” Sunset replied with a smile of her own.
Twilight nodded. “Alright,” she said as she stood up and flopped onto her friend's bed. “Dibs!”
“No…”
“Aww… c'mon, Sunset!” Twilight whined. “It's so comfy.”
“No,” Sunset deadpanned as she got onto her bed.
Twilight groaned. “Fine…” She sat up and unrolled her sleeping bag. “You're no fun.”
“Says the one who constantly one-upped me with every word she said,” Sunset retorted as she got under her sun decorated blanket. “So, tomorrow, what do you want to do first: go hiking in the woods or go to the mall?”
Twilight tapped her chin and thought for a bit. “Well, the weather's supposed to be nice tomorrow,” she replied. “Let's go hiking. Maybe we can find your stalker out there.”
“You know just how to make me look forward things, Twi,” Sunset said with a half-smile. So reached over to her nightstand and shut the light. “Now then, good night.”
“G'night, Sunny,” Twilight replied.
Tap… tap… tap…
Sunset groggily opened her eyes. “Twilight, stop that,” she mumbled as she rolled over. As she did however, she noticed her friend fast asleep.
Tap, tap, tap…
Slowly, Sunset sat up and looked ahead, her eyes having adjusted to the darkness.
From behind the curtains, she could see a faint pair of yellow eyes. Upon being noticed, the thing raised a hand and waved to Sunset before it got up and walked off the roof, landing with a loud thud.
Sunset let out a scream, which awoke Twilight with a start. She looked over to another window. “Oh no, oh no!” She got up and ran over to shut it. As she did, a shrill scream filled the air. It was as though the hiss of a cat was fused with the squawk of a cockatiel, then played through an amplifier.
“What in the world was that!?” Twilight asked as she ran up to her friends side. She held onto her like her life depended on it.
To Twilight though, she felt it did. Sunset was all she felt safe near. Not even her special blanket could help her against sounds like this.
“There was something outside the window over there,” Sunset said in a hushed tone. She could feel Twilight's body shake as the two waited anxiously.
Scraaaatch
From below them, the two could hear what sounded like nails on a chalkboard, only it came in short intervals, like the nails never went down the entire board and instead, the entity they were attached to raised them back to the top of the board.
“S-Sunset?” Twilight asked quietly, her eyes welling up with tears. “What’s outside?”
“I don't know, Twilight,” Sunset replied as she slowly backed away from her window. “I do know it knows I'm awake though…”
Twilight's eyes shot open once more. “Wait, it what!?” she shrieked. She grabbed her friend's shoulder and shook her violently. “You mean that whoever or whatever is outside-”
Sunset placed a hand over Twilight's mouth. “Quiet!” she snapped, her voice still in a hush tone.
However, it was too late. Sunset's worst fear immediately came true.
She heard the noise stop.
“Twilight,” Sunset said, fear filling her voice. “Get to a corner.”
As she finished her sentence, Sunset saw a large, clawed hand grab the side of the roof. The two girls fell backwards in fear and immediately began crawling to a corner as a large creature looked in through the window.
“Sunset… is that what you saw?” Twilight whispered as the two huddled closely a corner.
“I guess?” Sunset said as she tried to get a good look at the thing. Although its eyes were the same, something about it felt slightly different. This shadow looked… larger in a way.
The creature continued to look inside the room until it finally left, which was followed by a thud and yet more scratching.
“Do you think it saw us?” Twilight asked as the scratching continued.
BANG!
“I'll take that as a yes,” Sunset replied as something charged against the front door.
Immediately after the first bang, a second one filled the air. This one however, was accompanied by another sound.
The sound of something in agony.
The two girls covered their ears as an ear-splitting scream filled the air for what felt like hours. It, eventually, subsided, only to be quickly replaced by the sound of something aggressively clawing at the front door.
Sunset rocked back and forth as the clawing continued. She knew she could get something to at least defend herself and Twilight with, but something inside her told her, If you get up, it'll come back…
Needless to say, that didn't help Sunset's already sky-high anxiety.
The duo simply remained in the corner for the longest ten minutes of their lives until, finally, the noise suddenly ceased.
“Is… is it over?” Twilight asked.
“I… guess?” Sunset said. She stood up and motioned for Twilight to stay where she was. Slowly, she walked to the window she'd initially seen the eyes at and moved the curtains aside. “I don't see anything out there.”
“Well, I doubt you can see anything considering your roof is in the way,” Twilight said.
“Okay, shut it,” Sunset said. “I'm not going to see if that thing's still at my front door. If that thing sees me down there, we're screwed.”
“I'm trying to pretend I don't want to soil myself in fear,” Twilight said. She let out a yawn and stood up. “Now… is it safe to sleep?”
“I… doubt it, but I'll stay up if it makes you feel safe,” Sunset replied.
Twilight smiled and ran over, wrapping her arms around her friend. “Thank you,” she said before she flopped onto Sunset's bed. “Nighty night!”
Sunset chuckled as she watched her friend get under the blankets and quickly fall back to sleep.
Amazing, she thought to herself as she herself went onto her bed and under the covers. I haven't the slightest idea as to how she can sleep after that…
Sunset got her answer within a few minutes though as sleepiness took over. Her eyes slowly shut and, despite what she told her friend, she started to fall asleep.
Fight as she tried, sleepiness always prevails.
“Don't fight it, Sunset. It's nothing new.”
“I'm always watching.”
The next morning, Sunset awoke to the sounds of tweeting birds and an ever lingering fear. She looked over and saw Twilight, still fast asleep; a smile on her face.
“Well, at least someone got a peaceful sleep,” she mused to herself. Sunset slowly got out of bed and made her way downstairs. As she reached the bottom, she stared at the front door. Slowly, she reached to unlock it.
“OH SWEET CELESTIA!”
Sunset fell to the ground and crawled backwards as she her eyes remained glued to her front door. From upstairs, she heard Twilight hop out of her sleeping bag.
“Sunset! Are you okay?” Twilight asked as she frantically ran down the stairs and kneeled down next to her friend.
Sunset extended an arm and shakily said, “The door.”
Twilight turned her head. Immediately, her eyes widened to the size of soccer balls. “Oh…”
The part of the front door that faced the outside had been scratched at to the point a several inches of it was gone, along with a piece of a horn, which was at the top of the door—which stood eight feet tall.
“Still think it's a bear?” Sunset asked, a hint of snark in her voice.
Twilight didn't respond and stared blankly at the piece of horn that was embedded in the door. It took her a solid minute before she finally said, “What in the world…?” in a barely audible voice.
“Should we investigate the outside?” Sunset asked.
“Yeah, but grab something to defend yourself with,” Twilight replied.
Sunset nodded and, after working themselves with knives from the kitchen, followed her friend out the front door, where both were greeted to a garden that had been stomped on and torn apart, the dozens of small pieces having been scattered around like ashes.
The dirt, meanwhile, was covered in hoofprints; dozens upon dozens overlapped, each a few inches deep.
Twilight kneeled down and examined the prints. “Welp, at least we know that our culprit last night definitely doesn't like your roses,” she said. “Or your door.”
“Or my windows,” Sunset said as she looked at the cracked and scratched window in front of her. “Glad to know I have an eight foot tall admirer who hates everything I have…” She looked back down at Twilight and asked, “So, any stories you've read about a monster like this?”
Twilight tapped her chin. “Well, based on that noise from last night… a Skinwalker, Wendigo…” She shrugged and smiled sheepishly. “The Dogman?”
“Since when do dogs have horns?” Sunset asked with a confused expression. “Or hooves?”
“Oh, sorry,” Twilight replied. She stood up and rubbed her eyes. “I’m still half asleep. I meant Goatman!”
Sunset raised an eyebrow. “You think I'm being hunted by a… Goatman?”
“Hey, I didn't say anything about that,” Twilight said defensively. “I'm just saying it's possibility considering you have a horn in your door, hoofprints in your garden, and we heard a sound that reminded me of what the stories mentioned.”
Sunset tapped her chin. “Well, you make a convincing case,” she said. “Any idea as to how I can get rid of it?”
“Nope,” Twilight answered. “All of the stories I heard ended with the person being killed or moving.”
“What happened to the person after they moved?”
“They were killed because the Goatman followed them.”
Sunset felt her any and all joy she may have woken up with shatter into a million pieces, which were subsequently blown away in the wind. “Oh, isn't that just dandy,” she said as she attempted to not run off screaming. “I’m the target of an urban legend.”
“Well, I mean, it's always possible it's just prankster,” Twilight said sheepishly, a forced smile on her face as she looked at her visibly scared (and unhappy) friend. “I've heard stories of people going to extensive lengths to pull pranks.”
“Twilight, that thing was on the roof outside my room!” Sunset protested, her eyes the size of softballs. “You saw it! It was looking at! That was not costume! Those noises weren't frigging human!”
Twilight flinched as her friend's eyes looked like they were ready to explode. “Okay, Sunset… calm down,” she squeaked. “I was just saying, it's possible it wasn't… y’know, a monster.”
Sunset shut her eyes took a few deep breaths. Before long, she'd calmed down… slightly. The mere sight of the previous night's tracks and damage was enough to send a chill running down her spine.
“I won't bother arguing with you, Twilight,” she said as she examined the damage done to her window. That’s going to cost a fortune to repair…
“Um… well, what do you want to do today?” Twilight asked as she did her best to shift the conversation in a not-so awkward manner.
“Well… I'd rather not go hiking now that I know this thing's intent on causing harm,” Sunset said. She walked back into her home, Twilight in tow. “Maybe we can just relax for the day?”
“I thought you said you had plans for the day,” Twilight replied as her friend shut the door behind them. “I mean, unless they weren't important.”
“All I intended to do was go to the mall to window-shop,” Sunset said. “Nothing that I'd call ‘important’.”
Twilight folded her arms. “So, you want to stay home where you know this thing can, at any point, come crashing through your front door and do indescribable things to you, rather than go someplace where, if it's seen, dozens of people could at least do something to protect you?”
Sunset nodded.
Twilight facepalmed. “Why?”
“I mean, I have a means of protecting myself here,” Sunset answered. “Besides, you're here. We can watch a movie together!”
“I have to leave later though. What are you going to do then?”
“Hide in my room.”
Twilight nodded. She knew that she couldn't reason with Sunset—despite having read endlessly on diplomacy for some reason that even she wasn't sure about—and gave in.
So, the two watched a movie… or rather, movies.
Everything from a movie about clowns obsessed with things floating to a movie about a kid who's mad at his sister, so he decides the best way to get back at her is murder, and to one that was nearly three hours of poetic dialogue and war.
“Okay, that was… something,” Sunset said. “What's next?”
Twilight flipped through a selection of movies until she landed on one. “Uhh…this one Rainbow said Fluttershy loved. It's about a guy who gets revenge on some bad guys because they killed his dog.”
“Sounds fun!” Sunset said to a less-than amused Twilight. “You don't seem to think so though…”
Twilight sighed. “Sunset, while I love spending time with you… is this really how you plan on doing?” she asked with a sheepish look on her face. “I mean, I kinda wanted to go outside today. It's so nice outside, and it's supposed to be the last nice day until next Thursday.”
Sunset sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I know,” she said. “Look, one more movie and then we can go hike, okay?”
Twilight smiled and nodded. “Deal,” she said. “Now, ready?”
Sunset mimicked her friends actions. With that, the duo began to watch the movie.
One movie later and the both girls found themselves outside of Sunset's house. The sun had begun to set and the air was slowly getting cooler.
“So, Twi, what was it that you wanted to do?” Sunset asked as she relaxed on cushioned chair.
Twilight herself sat on a cushioned chair. She started at the floor for a bit before she turned to face her friend, who had a half-smile on her face. “Well, that idea of hiking last night sounded great,” she responded half-heartedly. “But, I… wanted to go with you and I know how you feel about that.”
“Twi, is there something bugging you?” Sunset asked, a concerned look on her face.
“I'm… worried for your safety is all,” Twilight answered. “Even if you become a hermit, that thing just… it seemed sapient, even if primitive.”
Sunset rested a hand on her friend's shoulder. “Twilight, I'll be fine. After all, I handled myself when you inadvertently summoned tentacle monsters, no?”
Twilight chuckled sheepishly. “Yeah, but you had your friends there.” She removed Sunset's hand from her shoulder and let out a sigh. “I… must be going now though. I have somewhere to be and I don't wish to miss it.”
Sunset nodded. “I understand,” she said. “Going out with your parents, right?”
Twilight merely nodded and left. Dinner with the family wasn't exactly high on her list of fun things to do.
Sunset sat back and looked up to the sky as she heard her friend enter a car and leave her humble (and secluded) abode. I wonder how my parents are doing…
A single tear rolled down Sunset's right cheek as memories of her childhood slowly flooded back to her. Eventually, she found herself completely lost in thought. Memories of her birthdays, time with Celestia, and time as a total bitch in CHS seemingly replayed in front of her.
After several minutes, Sunset felt a sharp pain in her right arm. She sat up and frantically looked around.
“Wha… huh?” She rubbed her eyes as they adjusted to the pitch black outdoors.
As it turned out: several minutes of old memories equated to a few hours in real life.
Sunset slowly sat up. As she did, she heard something fall to the ground. Curious, she looked down and noticed a small rock. “Who threw that…?” she wondered aloud.
“Me, genius,” a scratchy voice said from a few feet away.
“Flash?”
Dead silence filled the air for several strangely awkward seconds until the scratchy voice spoke up again. “Sure, kid, I'm ‘Flash’.”
Sunset felt a brief sense of joy. Her ex-boyfriend was exactly what she needed to make her night complete! She sat up and smiled, only for her to be sense of joy to immediately be shattered as she noticed the thing that had been talking to her was…
Slightly less handsome and charming looking than her ex.
Although some of it was still veiled in darkness, Sunset could see a cloven hoof that looked large enough to turn her head into a sloppy joe, a pair piss-yellow eyes, and an arm that was carrying a tree.
Literally.
The entire damn thing.
“Where in Celestia’s name did you get that!?”
The entity gestured to the woods behind it. “I dunno, where do you think?”
“Oh… heh, fair point,” Sunset replied to the thing. “So… um, are you what's-”
The creature let out a horrific screech, preemptively answering Sunset's question.
Without a second thought, Sunset ran into her house. Behind her, she could hear the tree branch crash into her chair. She locked the door behind her and rested up against it. Okay, so that obviously wasn't Flash, she thought as Captain Obvious took over command of her brain for a brief second.
BANG!
“Do you have some sort of fetish for banging this thing?!” Sunset inquired. She felt the door vibrate behind her as the creature furiously banged against it.
Another horrific scream filled the air. To Sunset, that was a yes.
Her deduction of that answer in no way had to do with the fact and she saw a large piece of the branch crash through the door immediately after the scream finished.
“Oh…” Sunset's eyes widened as she saw the branch get yanked out. She scrambled to her feet as she saw a clawed hand reach through the gap, which furiously looked around for the doorknob.
Or herself, the terrified teen couldn't tell.
No, all she could tell was she needed but one thing at this current moment in time.
One beautiful, beautiful thing.
Without a lick of hesitation, Sunset ran to her room and opened a dresser as she heard unbridled chaos and nonsense downstairs. Inside was her pride and joy.
Three hundred and fifty dollars of firepower and defense.
A rifle she got at a thrift shop.
It had saved her life many times. At least, it did when she pretended to be under attack by zombies.
But, stupid games Sunset enjoyed playing when nobody was looking was (sadly) not on her priorities list. Sunset grabbed her rifle and immediately made her way back downstairs.
The creature had created a second hole in the door, which gave it the appearance of two nostrils in a Picasso painting. In one of them, she saw the ever-frantic hand of her tormenter.
Sunset raised her firearm and aimed it at her target. “Aaaand…”
A loud bang rang out. The creature let out a hellish screech as it retreated back to wherever it came from.
At least, Sunset assumed it did. She couldn't tell as she was now on the floor clenching her right arm, her rifle at her side like a puppy trying to make its owner feel better.
“How do they make it look so easy in movies…?” Sunset moaned. After a few minutes of sitting on her ass with a puppy capable of ending a life faster than someone could say ‘oh balls’, Sunset stood up and flicked on the light switch and, to her dismay, the floor was blood free (though it did contain enough wood shavings to make a mattress).
“Well… fuckadoodle doo,” she murmured. “Guess I know how I'm spending my night…” With a sigh, Sunset grabbed her rifle once more and went outside to the one place that contained the answers to her Picasso painting conundrum.
Her shed, which lay so close to the woods, she would've thought it was an outhouse built by her tormenter.
Why oh why didn't I build that thing closer to my house? she wondered to herself while hesitantly walking towards it.
But, in record time, fear took over her mind. Thoughts of the thing that had just moments ago terrorized her flooded her mind and, with each step, Sunset could feel her legs shake more and more.
Calm down, Sunset. Just keep a positive mindset, she thought as she forced herself forward. Each step to her felt like she had cinder blocks chained to her legs. Just don't give into your fears…
Eventually, Sunset reached her shed. She opened and quickly grabbed what she'd come for: some plywood, nails, and a hammer.
Only to immediately realize a slight issue.
“There's no damn way I can carry all of this back.”
Sunset mentally cursed to the point that even a sailor would tell her to calm down. “Screw it, I'll come back for this later,” she said as she dropped her rifle.
As she did so though, a feeling filled her. One that caused a single thought to race through her mind over and over.
Run.
A surge of adrenaline ran through Sunset instantly. She turned around, only getting a faint glimpse of something that had been watching her from a few feet behind, and proceeded to sprint back to her home in a fraction of the time it had taken her to reach her shed. Sunset ran into her house slammed the door shut behind her. She fell to her knees, the supplies scattering around her. Her lungs burned, her legs ached, and her mind felt as though it had turned into a drag car.
BANG!
A sound that dwarfed the endless banging that had plagued Sunset rang out. Although, instead of being isolated outside her house, this sound felt the need to enter her it as her rifle—stock first—was slammed through her door like it was a glorified knife, after which she heard the clopping of hooves as whatever it was left in a huff.
Sunset simply stared at her gun, slack jawed. Well… at least I don't have to go back out to get it, she thought as she stood up. She quickly opened the door to pull the gun out, which bore a few claw marks, but was otherwise undamaged.
Her door, meanwhile, was an entirely different story.
It was a story that told if a poor sap who would spend most of her night doing but one thing and one thing only.
Manual labor!
“Fuck my life…”
Sunrise came to Sunset as more of a curse than a blessing. Perhaps it was the same for most teenagers as it represented getting up and going to school.
“Why oh why does it have to be math?”
For Sunset, all it meant was being ever closer to having to face the reality that a monster she thought only existed in the recesses of a child's imagination (or as one's interpretation of a mother-in-law) had caused her to not do her homework.
“I should've just done this with Twilight…”
Or that.
Sunset looked down at her a piece of paper that rested on her dining room table, the room illuminated ever so slightly by a ceiling light thanks to mother nature deciding the day warranted a dull overcast.
The piece of paper, meanwhile, contained an assortment of math problems, most of which made her head emit smoke like a broken down mustang.
Despite that though, Sunset spent more time contemplating what to do with the piece of paper, and the only alternative solution she could think of wasn't exactly much better… to her at least.
Maybe I can convince Flash to do this for me…
Sunset shook her head. “No, I can do this without having someone else do it for me!” She rested her back against a wooden chair and rubbed her eyes before looking back down at the piece of paper.
Tick, tick, tick
An exorbitant amount of time past—far more than Sunset would like to believe.
Regardless, it took less time for her to realize that an hour and a half of sleep wasn't enough to defeat the hideous beast known as algebra. Especially when all she could hear was the rhythmic tapping that had become the theme song of her nights, along with the ticking of a nearby clock.
“Ugh…” Sunset took the piece of paper and walked over to her backpack. Her brain felt like it had been liquidated and her eyes burned with the fury of a dozen Betelgeuse’s, “I'll get to you later,” she grumbled as she stuffed the paper into it.
With that, Sunset finally conceded to her one desire; the only thing that seemed logical.
Go outside and clear her mind.
Slowly, and with her head hung low, Sunset walked towards her front door. “It’s going to cost a fortune to get this damn thing repaired,” she mused to herself as she opened it. She stepped outside and took a seat on a nearby chair. As she slowly felt her body relax though, a thought overtook her mind.
It's no doubt sleeping. Go find it. Do it. End it all now.
Sunset shook her head and shut her eyes. “I'm not going hunting,” she mumbled under her breath. “It's not worth…” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. “It's not worth the effort…”
It'll return tonight and the night after that. It won't stop until we break or it kills us, just like everyone else.
A chill ran up and down Sunset's spine. She glanced around her front yard and, despite being tired enough that she'd find a stone slab to be as comfortable as a thousand dollar mattress, there wasn't a soul in sight.
In fact, only now did Sunset realize that the air was dead silent—a feeling that made her feel both at home in the worst way possible and, well, scared shitless.
Still, against her better judgement (see: common sense), Sunset stood up. She hastily made her way back into her house and grabbed her rifle once more and returned to the outside world. She looked down at the ground and saw a series of hoofprints that led to and from the woods. In fact, they led in almost every direction.
“Well, ain't that just dandy,” she grumbled to herself as she walked towards the woods. “This is stupid,” she repeated with nearly every step. Eventually though, she began a trek down an extremely thin trail.
Go on. We can do it. Just end this misery. Find the tormenter. Let's take back our life from this thing!
A sense of confidence filled Sunset. She kept her head high and followed the ever increasingly thin trail until it finally devolved into nothing more than dirt, fallen leaves, sticks and stones.
No path.
No guidance.
Nothing.
Sunset looked around. For as far as she could see, the woods repeated. Every tree felt like it was copy and pasted dozens upon dozens of times. Whatever path—and tracks—she'd been following had long since been swallowed up by an ocean of wilderness.
Her own tracks, meanwhile, littered the ground, going every which way.
“Okay, okay, just remain calm,” she told herself. She frantically looked around. “Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic…”
Don't give up now! It's just up ahead, no doubt fast asleep, snug under a blanket. We can catch it off guard. Then our path home will be clear as day!
“Yeah, and I'm fucking lost,” Sunset snarled as fear quickly began to fill her. Her breathing rapidly increased as she attempted to discern which way was which.
Keep it down. We don't want to awaken it.
“How do you—or we know where it even is!?”
We know exactly where it is, Sunset. We created this world after all. We can control it if we wanted to.
Sunset stopped turning. She shook her head. “W-what?”
It matters not. Let's just find it. It'll be awake soon.
“No! I don't care!” Sunset yelled at the top of her lungs, the sound of dozens of birds flying away filling the once silent air. “I want answers!”
You’ll care now. We've undoubtedly just awoken it.
Just then, a familiar hellish scream filled the air, causing birds once brave (or stupid) enough to stick around to fly away.
You've done the only thing dumber than poking the bear, you moron. You awoke the the Goatman.
Immediately, from behind a nearby bush, a large, humanoid figure leaped out and charged into Sunset. Her rifle was knocked out of her feeble grip as she was pinned up against a tree by the beast that held her in place. Is stared up at her with piercing red eyes and raised one of its hands.
This is your fault, echoed in Sunset's head as she shut her eyes and waited.
But a finishing blow never came for her. Instead, something better happened.
She woke up against a column on her front porch, her hands against her stomach and her chair toppled over, which had several muddy hoofprints that lead to and from it.
That was enough to cause Sunset to jump up and run into her house like she'd just been injected with a pound of caffeine. She locked the door behind her and ran into her living room, jumping onto her couch and hiding underneath a blanket.
After a few minutes, Sunset decided to poke her head out, only to realize that there was nothing out of the ordinary inside (outside) her house… naturally.
Despite that though, she slowly got out of her top tier hiding spot and inspected her room—eventually confirming it was, indeed, monster-free.
“Phew,” she said. She flopped back onto her couch and looked at her coffee table.
On it was what adorned most tables. One item, however, caught her eye in particular: a copy of a Sherlock Holmes book—a series she'd heard several of her friends mention, but she herself had never bothered to read for one reason or another.
But, she was finally convinced to read it after having a copy thrown at her by some random kid who she'd once turned into a zombie.
Whether or not it was an act of revenge, Sunset didn't care. A free book was a free book, so who was she to argue?
With a slight smile, she grabbed the book and opened it to the page she had bookmarked.
The Final Problem
“Well, this should be fun…”
For Sunset, ‘fun’ was an understatement, for she'd spent several hours reading the book that had once struck the back of her head and caused a great deal of pain.
Now, she found herself snug under a blanket, a cup of hot chocolate on the table next to her and a smile of unadulterated joy on her face as she happily turned yet another page.
Somehow, she managed to forget everything from earlier.
Tap, tap, tap.
That is, until General Buzzkillington decided to remind her; his arrival managing to Sunset's smile into a frown in record time.
Slowly, Sunset lowered her book. She looked at the window directly across from her. A sense of dismay filled her as she saw a large shadow with yellow eyes glare back at her. “Just ignore it,” she muttered to herself as she looked back down at the book. “Maybe it'll get bored and run off back to the woods…”
After a few minutes, the tapping ceased, much to Sunset's delight. She let out a sigh and sat back in her chair. “Finally, pe-”
A shriek assaulted her ears, much to her shock and anger. Immediately, it followed by aggressive scratching at her door, like a terrified cat attempting to alert its owner that it was about to be killed by a pissed off dog.
Had Sunset been the owner, she probably would've let the cat become dinner, for at this point…
“Piss off you bloody nuisance!”
Yeah.
The creature didn't take kindly to Sunset's anger though as it ramped up its already ridiculously fast scratching, somehow not having lost every inch of its nails.
Sunset let out a shaky sigh. Goosebumps lined her arms like leftover mines in a warzone. Slowly, she took a sip of her drink before she turned the page of her book, desperately attempting to ignore the endless noise that came from her door She was honestly expecting it to come toppling down, but at this point, she didn't give a damn.
If she was going to die, then death by nocturnal animal with piss-colored eyes wasn't the worst way she could imagine herself going.
At least it wasn't quicksand.
BANG!
Although, by now, Sunset was wishing she was slowly being dragged to a sandy death as the scratching was replaced by a barrage of slams, occasionally interspersed with what sounded like rocks being thrown at the door.
Sunset clenched her book tightly, resisting the urge to get up and open the door to scream bloody murder at the entity outside her humble abode.
“Just think about all the horrible says that thing could do to dismember, disembowel, and maim you, Sunset,” she told herself as the noise outside slowly went from sounding like fists being slammed on the door to something in jackboots kicking at it.
Perhaps unintentionally, Sunset grew more worried she was about to die. “Well, that sure didn't help,” she said as she shut her book. “I guess I need to work on my pep talk skills.”
As Sunset prepared to stand up though, the noise all at once ceased. Complete and total silence filled the air.
Although all Sunset had desired the past several minutes was tranquility, she couldn't help but continue to feel a great sense of uneasiness.
As she stood motionless, a strange urge filled her. One to look outside for herself. To see if whatever had just been assaulting her front door was out there, waiting.
Don’t open the front door, don't open the front door, don't open the front door, she mentally repeated to herself. Just don't do it. You know better. It's out there. Watching. Waiting.
“Sunseeet…”
A voice came from outside Sunset's house. It sounded human, but cracked repeatedly, as though the individual struggled to speak; like a child learning to do so.
Sunset hesitantly walked over to her front door and peered through peephole, her body trembling as she did so.
Darkness. However, every so slowly, that darkness grew smaller and she could see a humanoid face and what looked like a pair of horns. Before she could get a clear enough look though, a bright, yellow eye peered through the hole back at her, which was more than enough to make Sunset fall backwards.
As she sat there, looking up at her door, she could the thing on the other end run off. Hastily, she stood back up and opened the front door just in time to see the silhouette of the creature flee back into the woods; the shrubbery shaking as it disappeared into the darkness.
Sunset ran out to the edge of her front porch. “Leave me the hell alone!” she screamed at the top of her lungs.
As if the monster knew what Sunset had said, a blood curdling scream filled the air, this one so loud, it made her flinch in agony.
“S-same to you!” Sunset yelled back as confidently as she could. With the hairs on the back of her neck standing straight up, and her ears ringing violently, she walked back into her house, through a front door which looked like it'd been the clawed at by a tiger and kicked at by a kangaroo. She slammed it shut and slid down against it, burying her face between her legs.
“What the hell did I do?” she wondered as tears welled up in her eyes. A mixture of anger and sadness filled her as the tears ran down her cheeks. The urge to go outside and attempt to confront the creature, while swiftly dismissed, repeatedly crossed her mind.
“Is this delayed karma for what I did at CHS!?” she cried out. She stood up as her cheeks turned into small waterfalls of sadness and dismay. “Did the sirens cast some sort of spell on me!?”
From outside came another nightmarish scream, this one with a mocking tone. It was quickly followed up by a rapid tapping from each and every window as it, ever so slowly, closed in on Sunset.
“Leave me the hell alone you… freak!” Sunset yelled as she tried to discern where the tapping originated from.
In response, another scream filled the air; this one coming from just a room over.
Sunset turned around, only to hear another scream come from behind her. Once again, she spun around, only to hear another scream come from behind her once more.
Soon, that's all she could hear. An endless barrage of screams and incessant taps.
Before she knew it, the screaming seemed to be coming from right next to her; the tapping now coming at such a rapid pace, Sunset was sure that her windows would shatter at any second.
Sunset frantically looked around hoping to catch even the faintest glimpse of something—anything. Her heart raced and her head ached. She swore one would explode.
Neither did though. Instead, her vision slowly dimmed as the sounds continued. She felt her head become as light as a feather. And, as she fell back, she saw two yellow eyes look down at her.
Along with a large human hand with claws that looked like jagged shards of glass. As Sunset's vision faded, the figure slowly waved at her.
Tap, tap.
Sunset awoke with a start. She sat up and frantically looked around as her heart raced. “W-where… huh?”
Sunset was on her living room couch, a blue blanket over her with a small pillow behind her. A small candle was lit on her coffee table, which illuminated the otherwise pitch black room.
Slowly, she got off the couch and walked towards the window. Through the curtains, the moon shone brilliantly.
How long was I out…? Sunset wondered while slowly stepping back from the window. She turned her head and looked at the hallway.
Dirt covered the floor, along with a few claw marks.
A sudden realization hit Sunset like a steam engine. Her heart nearly leaped out her mouth.
So naturally, she said the only thing one could say at a time like this.
“That's not good…”
Tap… tap…
The hair on the back of Sunset's neck stood up. She felt her heart sink to the bottom of her stomach as the tapping repeated, this time louder and seemingly more agitated.
Sunset took a deep breath and slowly turned around. The breath inside her escaped her as she saw her old friend: a pair of yellow eyes. This time however, she saw what they were attached to… sort of.
Near the doorway to her kitchen, hidden in the shadows, was an enormous thing. The eyes were attached to something that nearly hit the ceiling of the room. What was visible, however, were a pair of arms, which looked human, and were lanky.
Having been noticed, the creature advanced towards the petrified girl, blowing out the candle on its way towards her.
Sunset, meanwhile, attempted to not so subtlety shift towards her front door. As the creature loomed in front of her however, Sunset's fight or flight instinct kicked in.
And considering the size difference between her and the shadow in front of her, ‘fight’ seemed a tad implausible.
Sunset ran. She didn't care where, she just ran, hopeful the audible clopping of hooves would stop or grow fainter.
They never did.
In fact, with every step Sunset took, the grunting and clopping only seemed to get closer to her, until it seemed like the shadow was a mere centimeter behind her; the foul breath of the thing brushing against her neck.
Sunset eventually ran to her kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife from its holder. Immediately, she spun around, feeling slightly confident in the weapon that would have maybe given a paper cut to the giant shadow, which stood in the doorway to the kitchen.
“Why the hell didn't I just leave the house…” she whimpered as she held the knife out. Her entire body shook as the shadowed entity slowly made its way up to her. It extended one of its arms and rested a large hand on one her shoulders, the jagged nails slowly pressing themselves into her skin. A deep growl filled the air, which was followed by a deep, raspy voice.
“Because you're driven by fear, little one.”
The color from Sunset's face drained and, once again, she fainted.
The creature looked down at her, a smirk worthy of a demon forming on its lips. It raised a hand when its old nemesis arrived.
The ultimate evil.
Sunrise.
The thing let out a frustrated grunt. It lowered its hand and patted Sunset on the head before it placed the knife back at into the holder. Slowly, it made its way to the front door and opened it. Angrily, it left the house and fled back into the woods.
Sunset meanwhile dreamt of butterflies and demonic goats.
Sunset awoke an hour later. She ignored the fact she'd spent a better part of that previous night fleeing from something that wanted to turn her into an all you can eat equine turned human buffet and ran upstairs to get dressed for school.
Sunset's priorities on how to react in high stress situations weren't the best, but nobody (and nopony) dared mention it to her.
After throwing on a pink shirt, her jacket, and a pair of jeans (not to mention undergarments), she ran out the door with her backpack.
Part way through her journey to the bus stop, a thought hit her. One that sent a chill down her spine.
How did that thing get in my house…?
Slowly, Sunset's run turned to a jog, which turned to a walk as a thought encroached on her mind.
There couldn't be two of them… right? No, it's... no, maybe I just imagined that thing running back into the woods.
The woods around Sunset once again seemed dead silent—a feeling she found all too familiar.
A feeling that felt like a second home at this point.
As a feeling of panic quickly filled her, Sunset shook her head. “I can't dwell on this now,” she said as she swiftly resumed her stride. “Just tell yourself how funny Twilight will look when she hears about last night.
“And that was how my night went.”
Sunset stared at a dumbfounded Twilight Sparkle. A breeze blew against them on the cloudy morning as they waited outside their school.
On any other day, this would be been a sight she'd laugh at.
Today however, Sunset wasn't laughing.
Rather, a sense of dread had filled her as she recounted her night. She was afraid; fearful.
And, as Twilight snapped out of her stupor, she noticed too. She wrapped her arms around Sunset and gave her hug.
“I'm… so sorry, Sunset,” Twilight said as tears welled up in her eyes. “I-if you'd like, you can stay with me!”
Sunset broke away from the hug and stared skeptically at her friend. “Wasn't it you who said that the thing follows people?” she asked.
“Oh…” Twilight blushed slightly. “Well, yeah, but I don't know if it’s a Goatman sure!”
“Twilight, I'm not going to risk it,” Sunset said.
Twilight sighed. “Fine… what exactly do you intend on doing? It's kind of evident that this thing… has less than kind intentions.”
“Wait outside with my rifle,” Sunset replied emotionlessly. “When I see it, I'm putting a bullet in its head.”
Twilight nearly dropped her books. Her mouth once again hung open; her face bearing an expression of absolute shock. “Since… since when do you own a gun?” she asked, still trying to fully comprehend what had just came out of her friend's mouth.
“Well, after I bought that place, I realized I needed something to defend myself just in case something attacked me while I was gardening,” Sunset said, slightly embarrassed. “And since I don't have my magic… yeah, I figured a gun was the best alternative.”
Twilight attempted to recollect herself. She adjusted the books she was carrying and nodded. “How did you afford it? Surely that house cost a fair amount.”
“Well, the previous owner sold it to me for nearly nothing,” Sunset replied. “I'm beginning to see why…
“The monster?”
“Well…” Sunset sighed and the pinched the bridge of her nose. “That… and the plumbing’s crap.”
Twilight chuckled. “Oh, did you remember to study for the math test today?”
Sunset's heart skipped a beat. “Son of a bitch!” she screamed as she remembered that a certain piece of paper rested inside her backpack; incomplete and sadly not having been eaten by her own personal monster.
“Lemme guess: you forgot?” Twilight deadpanned as she watched her friend continue to freak out.
“I didn't even do my damn homework!” Sunset said, her bloodshot eyes staring directly into Twilight's soul, much to the latter's discomfort. “I spent all of yesterday trying to relax and…” Sunset's eyes welled up with tears. She fell to her knees as she felt an two days worth of stress finally overwhelm her.
Twilight kneeled down next to her friend and raised her head so she was looking at her. “Sunset, it's only one piece of homework,” she said warmly as she rested her hand on Sunset's left cheek. “It's not like you're a bad student. You're not one to constantly miss homework.”
Sunset took a few deep breaths and, eventually, she calmed down enough to where she could speak without stuttering every other word.
“You sure?” she asked softly, her eyes red from crying (which went surprisingly well with the bloodshot part of them). “You don't think I'll get detention?”
“Well…” Twilight bit her lower lip. “I can't make any promises there… but I don't think so?”
Sunset sighed. “Well, guess I'll have to bite the bullet…”
Just then, the bell rang, signaling the ever dreaded day of school.
Not helping matters was the fact that it was Monday.
Sunset and Twilight walked up the concrete steps and entered school, the former of the two girls staggering with each step she took, which gave her fellow students the impression she was piss drunk.
Eventually though, the duo made it to their first class: science. They both walked inside and took their seats, Twilight eager for the class to begin.
Sunset; the yin to Twilight's yang.
“Now class,” began the teacher, a man with skin as blue as the sky and hair as dark as the night, “today, we’re learning astronomy!”
Well, that's not so bad, Sunset thought.
“Can anyone tell me the mass of our planet?”
And, just as quickly as hope had filled Sunset, her brain was immediately sucked into the great red spot of Jupiter.
Oh, Celestia kill me…
While Celestia may have opted to not enter an alternate dimension to off her once prized student, she did make some lovely tea.
Sunset on the other hand endured a class full of astronomy, something that she often enjoyed, but was in no mood to go through.
“Okay class, you can now go to whatever it is you go to next,” the teacher said. “I'll unfortunately see you tomorrow because I can't find a job where I don't have to deal with obnoxious people for more than five minutes.”
Sunset and Twilight both stood up as they prepared for their next class: math.
“Oh, don't worry, Sunset,” Twilight said as they exited the room and entered the hallway—which had become something of a sea of kids. “I'm sure you'll be fine.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
A short while later, the duo entered their math class. Although, instead of their normal teacher, there was a substitute: a young green woman with hair so red, both girls always wondered if it was coagulated blood.
Despite the urge to just sit down and hope the substitute was, somehow, too stupid to realize she hadn't handed in her paper, Sunset, ever so slowly, walked up to the teacher's desk. “Um… excuse me,” she said as she rubbed one of her arms. “I… well, I didn't do my homework…”
Sunset immediately regretted her move as she watched the teacher roll her eyes and scoff. “Whatever, just make it up before tomorrow or you get detention,” she said.
Sunset felt a mixture of emotions. On one hand, she was relieved she wasn't punished.
On the other hand, she really want to throw something at the bitch in front of her.
Prison time for assault wasn't high on Sunset's priority list though. So, instead, she took her Get Out of Detention card and walked over to her desk where she endured a class that made her want to enter a comatose state.
Luckily, Sunset survived the hour long class, and proceeded to spend the rest of her school day like any high schooler: dead inside and wanting to run screaming into the night.
She now stood outside CHS with Twilight, who was concerned about her friend for rather obvious reasons.
“Sunset, you can't possibly stay up the entire night,” Twilight said. “It’s supposed to storm badly tonight.”
Sunset facepalmed. “Twilight, how do you propose I sleep with that thing watching me?" she asked. “If I have to stay out there while it thunders, then so be it!”
Twilight groaned. “Fine, but if you get hurt, don't say I didn't warn you.”
“I won't, Twi,” Sunset said back. “Now, I shall report back here with a reward worthy of a legend tomorrow!” With that, the bacon-haired lass left her school, ready to put Cabela to shame.
Summer afternoons meant a lot of things for Sunset.
Hanging out with friends, procrastinating, going swimming…
“I know you're out there, you son of a bitch…”
Monster hunting wasn't something she ever thought she'd be doing, but here she was: sat on her porch, decked out in camouflage with a soda on a small table, a pair of binoculars in one hand and her rifle in the other. She actually looked serious. And a bit silly. Nothing for the camouflage to work with on the porch.
Potential animal rights be damned when a monster from the woods has been tormenting you for days on end and produces a scream that should only exist in something out of a Lovecraft story!
For Sunset Shimmer: this was war.
And in ninety-three degree weather, it was a war she couldn't help but feel was going to result in a heatstroke.
“Why the hell didn't I just ask Applejack to come here? She has more tolerance for the heat than I ever did…”
The afternoon sun beat mercilessly down on Sunset. She had been outside since the early morning: watching and waiting like a hawk.
It was tedious and agonizing.
Not to mention the heat had caused her to sweat, which caused her clothes to stick to her like duct tape and made her ass numb.
“Ugh…” Sunset sat back in her chair and took a sip of her soda… which had also become warm, much to the monster hunter’s dismay.
She also swore it had become the liquid grave of a fly. But, dehydration wasn't on her mind. Not at a time like this!
No, she had to be focused and ready!
Sunset lowered the glass back onto the table and raised the rifle. “C'mon out… monster… thing!” she yelled out in a hesitant tone.
Within a minute, she noticed a bush rustle. She pointed the rifle at it and placed a finger in the trigger. Beads of sweat fell from her face as she anxiously waited.
But, it was just a bear.
That, however, was still enough for Sunset's eyes to widen. Without hesitation, she aimed the rifle and fired a shot off at the bear, which struck a tree. The gun also struck something: Sunset's shoulder.
The bear turned its head towards the terrified girl, who held her shoulder in agony.
The bear let out a less-than happy roar before it turned around.
Sunset couldn't decide if the beast had mocked her or felt pity. Either way, she didn't care and placed the rifle back at her side and resumed her waiting game (which now contained a hundred percent more racing heart).
Eventually, her heart rate slowed. Her patience; lessened.
Her aim; still shit.
For Sunset: the day had been nothing but heat, false alarms, soreness, and swatting mosquitoes.
But, the day had one last ace up its sleeve: mother nature.
As day became night, clouds rolled in. The wind picked up and a rumble filled the air.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Damn it all…” With a sigh, she stood up, her skin peeling away from the chair as she did so.
A series of remorseless gusts of wind blew a few paper plates that had held sandwiches she'd made throughout the day that she and a few ants shared.
Fluttershy would be proud—for the most part.
But, for the first time since she'd been reformed, Sunset didn't give a damn. Right now, all she cared about was remaining dry.
“That damn monster can wait,” she said as she locked her front door. She placed the gun against the wall and ran upstairs.
BANG!
Clearly, the monster couldn't wait as the loudest, angriest knock came from Sunset's front door.
She was amazed it didn't create a hole in the door.
BANG! BANG!
Sunset quickly broke out of her stupor. She ran back down and grabbed the gun, which she raised in an amateurish manner; her aim making marksmans across the world cringe. “W-who’s there?”
Another series of bangs came from the other side of the door, which was subsequently followed by a kick that caused the entire door to shake and a deep, guttural growl.
“Well, I'm doubtful that's Morse code,” she said to herself. She placed a finger on the trigger and hesitantly pulled back.
Bang!
The rifle jerked back, slamming into Sunset's arm. The shot rang out and pierced her door, which was followed by a hellish scream and more angry banging, albeit with a lengthy gap between them now.
Sunset meanwhile held her arm in agony. Despite having experienced the full force of the recoil earlier, she still couldn't believe the recoil of the firearm was so painful—especially after having seen Applejack use one so often.
Ever so slowly, she raised the rifle back up and aimed it—still having an aim that would make an innumerable amount of people want to take the gun and teach her a thing or two.
She cocked the gun and raised it back up. “If you don't leave, I’ll-”
Another hellish scream rang out, to which Sunset nodded and responded, “Right.” She pulled the trigger of the rifle, which sent out a jacketed hollow point round that broke through her wooden door and struck a hairy arm that was ready to come slamming down on the door; piercing the flesh of the monster and exiting through the other end in a bloody display of hair, skin and, well, blood.
Sunset meanwhile felt the full fury of the rifle’s recoil once more as it slammed back into her shoulder, nearly dislocating it.
“Sweet merciful Celestia,” she hissed as she dropped the gun. She grabbed her shoulder as she heard something run off back into the woods outside. “I think I'll stick to magic… and water pistols.”
After several minutes of laying on the floor—and listening to the torrential rain outside—Sunset slowly got up. She turned around and looked at the holes in her door. “Nothing duct tape can't fix.”
Though, as she walked into the kitchen to retrieve the tape however, a single question lingered on her mind.
Did… did that thing watch me the entire day?
As Sunset reached the pantry closet, a shiver ran down her spine. No, that's ridiculous. I would've seen its eyes. I always do… She shut the closet and looked around the room.
After duct taping the bullet holes, Sunset grabbed the rifle and went upstairs—ready to spend the night like any sensible failed monster hunter.
In her room.
“Ahh… my bed,” she said with happiness that had evaded her the entire day. She placed the rifle against her nightstand and flopped onto her bed with a large grin; ignoring the ever noisy rainfall and booms of thunder.
I still need to shower… she thought as she lay sprawled out on her bed; a frown on her face as the thought lingered like an unwanted house guest.
After a few minutes of contemplating, Sunset slowly closed her eyes. I’ll worry about that in the morning, she thought as she slowly drifted off to sleep, listening to the sound of the rainfall outside.
“Oh, sweet merciful Celestia…”
Sunset woke up sore, achy and miserable. She stared blankly at the ceiling as the wind blew outside. Her head hurt something awful; as though as a rabid chimpanzee was using her head as bongos.
Perhaps the worst part for her though was the fact that her entire body felt as though it was covered in superglue.
It was unpleasant and made certain areas… uncomfortable.
“Ugh… what I'd give to have someone knock me out…”
Self pity wasn't one of Sunset's favorite things. Especially not in what was normally a school day for her.
Crap… I have to notify them that I'm sick… Sunset turned her head to her cell phone—which lay on her nightstand.
I'll worry about that later.
So, after several more minutes of laying motionless—and moaning nonstop—she sat up, her head throbbing and spinning as she did so.
It was as though that rabid chimpanzee had been given moonshine.
Slowly, Sunset made her way to her bathroom, barely able to keep her balance as she walked there. After a while, she entered it and collapsed to the floor. Her stomach suddenly ached like it had never done before. An unfathomable amount of pain coursed through her as the single worst feeling filled her.
She knew what was about to happen and was less than pleased about it. She crawled over to her toilet and stuck her head in it, the degrading feeling of being a thirsty dog or fifty year old drunk filling her.
It wasn't all bad though, for by the time her stomach had finished sending up its unwanted contents (courtesy of her grade A migraine), said headache had gone the way of the Dodo.
Sunset looked at her reflection in the toilet seat. “The day's just getting started,” she said go herself, a look of sadness slowing forming in her face. She slammed the flusher on the toilet and slowly stood up. “I… can get through today. I've gotten through worse.”
With a deep breath, Sunset walked over and turned on the water for her shower. She hummed to herself as she felt the superglued sweat wash off in the warm water.
After showering for several minutes, Sunset shut the water off and grabbed her towel, the feeling of being rejuvenated filling her.
Though, for Sunset, it would've been hard to feel worse than she already had.
So it came as little shock when she was told she'd have to make up two tests at school the next day.
Joyous of days, Sunset thought as she flopped onto her bed. She looked up at her phone and, after a bit, a thought hit her. What oh what could I find on that thing...
Despite being Celestia's star pupil once, Sunset had never thought to use the internet for such a thought.
A metaphorical donkey sound filled the air for a brief moment, after which Sunset pulled up at the internet browser on her phone. She donned a detective's cap and immediately got to researching.
Hours and hours passed.
Sunset now lay on her stomach. She looked just as she had the previous day, only instead of a rifle and camouflage gear, she had her phone and casual attire—along with her detective's cap, which lay on the floor.
Bags of chips, along with bottles of soda and water, littered the floor.
All in the name of detective work.
“Okay, it definitely isn't a Skinwalker,” Sunset said as she crossed off a name on a nearby notepad. “Nor is it a Wendigo, Hellhound, Bigfoot, psycho killer, or really tall homeless person in a Halloween costume.” She crossed out the other names and looked over the list she'd assembled. “So, that leaves one possible entity!”
Sunset circled the last remaining name: Goatman. She turned back to the webpage and read over it.
The Goatman: a mythical creature that kills anyone it meets and is nocturnal. It's often accompanied by a terrible smell and loves to screw with its victims.
Sunset grimaced as she thought of just what this thing might smell of. Maybe I can scare it off with the threat of a bath. She chuckled and looked over the rest of the page.
There was none.
“Oh, c'mon! The other pages had ways to kill or get rid of the other monsters!” Sunset slammed her phone onto her pillow and let out a sigh. “You can't possible tell me that there's no way to defeat one of these things…”
More hours passed. Somehow.
Webpage after webpage gave Sunset the same answer.
‘The Goatman’s just a myth! You're imagining things!’ And, occasionally, ‘It’s a bear. Shoot it or something.’
However, after many pages that told people they were batshit crazy, Sunset found it.
An answer on how to defeat the Goatman.
Make it so it loses enough blood that it bleeds out. It works on other things, it'll no doubt work here!
Oh… Sunset felt her cheeks warm up. Here I was expecting something… fancy. She looked outside and felt a mixture of emotions. “Well… I might as well go outside and wait.” After plugging her phone in,Sunset grabbed her rifle and went off to play monster hunter.
Literally.
The sun cast a heavenly glow across the sky as it set on a warm summer evening.
It was the perfect way for Sunset to finish off what had otherwise been an uneventful day for the young girl. She sat on her front porch and looked up to the sky. “So beautiful,” she said to herself as she took a sip of her nearby drink.
As Sunset continued to watch the sunset in a totally unironic manner, an uneasy sensation ever slowly encroached on her.
A feeling she was sadly all too familiar with at this point.
Sunset lowered her head and looked out across her backyard and at the edge of the woods. That's when her gaze landed on them. Clear as day, ever as bright as they always were, and ever as terrifying.
Those glowing, yellow eyes. They stared back at her; never blinking, but ever glaring.
A myriad of emotions overcame Sunset as she was locked into a staring contest. She narrowed her gaze and, to her amazement, the eyes mimicked her.
Although it didn't mimic her wink, at which point Sunset wondered if this thing even had eyelids.
As she continued to ponder that thought however, the eyes vanished from the bush, which rustled violently.
Sunset jumped slightly and, before she could even consider a reaction, a blood curdling and otherworldly scream filled the air.
Sunset dropped her glass, the soda it once held landing on her denim shorts, and frantically looked around until her eyes landed on an eight foot tall… thing. It slowly emerged from the bushes, a visible gunshot wound on it's right shoulder.
It had a slight hunch and looked like a human, as it had the torso—and face—of a one, though its eyes glowed a sickly, pus-like yellow when not hidden in darkness. What stuck out the most though was the fact it the legs—and hooves—of a goat, along with the horns of a ram, one of which was chipped.
Sunset felt paralyzed with fear. Although the alleged photos of the Goatman sent a chill down her spine, to see the entity that had been tormenting her for days on end was an entirely different story.
“Oh sweet Celestia,” was all Sunset could say as the Goatman let out another eardrum shattering scream and immediately charged towards her. She barely had time to register the feeling of a four hundred pound being of human and goat slamming head first into her and barreling through her front door, let alone a sound that one would only expect to hear out of a demon's night terror.
Sunset looked up from the floor at the eight foot tall monstrosity, which she could now see had greyish fur that was covered in dried blood and dirt.
At least, Sunset hoped it was dirt. It was hard to tell when her nose was assaulted by the strong stench of piss and rotten meat, which did wonders for her recent dinner.
The young battering ram target had little time to contemplate the contents of her assaulters fur though, as I extended an arm out towards her, an almost curious look on its face—which contradicted the unbridled fury in its soulless eyes.
“What in the world are you?” Sunset stammered as she slowly backed up, still attempting to figure out what the hell had just happened to her.
The Goatman slowly brought its arm back and raised it; closing its hand and making a fist.
Sunset's eyes widened. She rolled out the way as the monsters fist crashed onto the bottom stair, obliterating it.
Without hesitation, Sunset ran into her kitchen and grabbed a butcher knife, a sense of safety filling her as she heard the clopping of hooves. She turned around and came face to torso with a familiar four hundred pound hybrid. It exhaled from its nostrils—the putrid hot air hitting Sunset's face and causing her to gag.
The Goatman grabbed Sunset's shirt collar and lifted her up so they were face to face.
“Let me down!” Sunset screamed as she slammed the knife down into the creature's shoulder.
Immediately, the monster dropped Sunset and let out a pained scream. It tore out the knife recklessly and threw it aside before it swiped at Sunset, who felt one of the Goatman's long, jagged claws tear the skin away and create a deep gash on her left cheek with such ease, it was as if the claws on the monster were simply the edges of a bowie knife that it had shoved under its nails.
Sunset let out a pained scream as she staggered back. She prepared to retaliate, but heard the clopping of hooves move away from her. She turned her head just in time to see the monster flee out her front door as it let out a series of pained grunts.
Sunset grabbed a towel and pressed it against her gash. “Sweet Celestia,” she whimpered as a few tears ran down her cheeks. Slowly, she sank to the floor as her mind raced and a thousand questions filled it.
But one in particular rose above the rest.
How the fuck am I supposed to kill that!?
That question quickly left her mind as she heard a familiar scream filled the air. She quickly stood up and ran to her front door, which had nearly been torn off its hinges. She dropped the blood soaked towel nearly fell to her knees. “Shit, shit, shit!” Sunset turned to face a wall and slammed a fist into it repeatedly; an unfathomable amount of fear filling her. “Okay, maybe… maybe I can call Twilight to pick me up.”
Sunset turned around and scrambled up the stairs, ignoring the splinters that dug into her feet as she did so, and made her way towards her room at the end of the hallway.
“Alright, where the hell is it?” Sunset wondered as she frantically looked around her room. Her heart felt like it was going to erupt out of her chest, and the adrenaline from earlier was slowly wearing off; and the grueling pain of her shattered ribs was becoming all the more evident to her—as were the numerous splinters that had made their new home in her feet.
“Fuck me for wanting to spend the night monster hunting outside with my phone,” Sunset grumbled as she grabbed her phone from on her nightstand. She turned it in and immediately called Twilight.
“Pick up the dang phone,” Sunset said as she tapped her foot—ignoring the stinging feeling that came from each and every tap.
Finally, after several rings, Sunset heard a voice that didn't make her heart skip an innumerable amount of beats.
“H-hello? Sunset?” Twilight asked from the other end of the phone.
“Twilight! I need you to pick me up now!” Sunset screamed into the phone. “Like, right now! Before it kills me!”
“Wait, what?” Twilight asked, her voice filled with confusion. “What will kill you? What are you talking about? Did… did you go to the paint factory again?”
“Twilight! This is serious!” Sunset yelled as tears streamed down her face. “Please, just come to my place!”
“Okay, okay!” Twilight answered shakily. “I'll be there momentarily!” With that, Twilight hung up.
Sunset placed her phone into her pocket. “Damn it, where do I go?” she wondered aloud. She covered her face with her hands and slowly shook her hand. She let out a sigh and looked up to her ceiling. “Might as well grab something and make my way downstairs. Better than leaving Twilight waiting…”
Sunset looked at a nearby pair of scissors. An idea popped into her mind. “Well, they could work,” she mused to herself as she left her bedroom. Her entire body ached and she could see the faint bloody footprints that she'd left behind. “If this is how I die, I never imagined I'd be a biped.” Sunset chuckled at her joke. For a whole second, the air around her felt infinitely less heavy and stressful.
Beep beep!
That is, until she heard Twilight's car's horn outside her house, and only now did she realize she was a mere fifty feet from her bedroom.
She'd been straggling along her hallway wall; weak and broken. “Twilight…!” she faintly cried.
Beeeep!
Sunset groaned. She reached into her pocket and slowly took out her phone to text Twilight. After she fired off the atrociously written message, no thanks to in part to her shaking arms, Sunset slid down to her knees. Outside, and after what felt like the longest three seconds of her life, she could hear Twilight exit her car and hastily make her way upstairs.
“Sunset!” Twilight screamed. She ran over to her friends side and helped her up. “What happened!? Did someone break in?”
“I'll explain later, Twi,” Sunset weakly replied. “Just get me to a hospital… please. I'm pretty sure my ribs are broken.”
“O-okay,” Twilight said. She took her shirt off and handed it to Sunset. “Use this for that gash,” she said before she helped her friend up and wrapped Sunset's left arm around the back of her own neck. Ever so slowly, Twilight helped walk her down the stairs. “Take your time… I think,” she said; uncertainty filling her voice. She attempted to keep her composure, and not let on to Sunset all she wanted to do was run off screaming for someone else to help her friend out.
Eventually though, the duo made it down without Sunset falling limp.
“Alright, my car's just outside,” Twilight said in a forced, but encouraging tone. She adjusted Sunset's arm and looked over at her.
Sunset's face was pale and her eyes were bloodshot. If Twilight had to be honest with herself: Sunset looked like she was at Death's doorstep with a bouquet of roses and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
Twilight felt a rush of adrenaline shoot through her. Without a second thought, she resumed carrying her friend—but was now doing so without regard for how she carried her.
For Sunset, that meant her feet were dragged on polished wood and the bottoms of them pushed against the splinters that had been digging ever deeper.
“Twi… easy… please…” Sunset's words came out with as much enthusiasm as someone who was half asleep and her every word was dragged.
“I'm sorry,” Twilight said sheepishly. “I’ll-”
Before Twilight could finish her sentence, another scream filled the air.
And it came from right beside them.
Twilight turned her head. Immediately, the color from her face drained—and totally didn't enter her underwear. Her mouth hung open as she stared at the ugliest, scariest, and most mind boggling thing she'd ever seen.
“Sunset?” she whispered as the Goatman exited the woods. “Is that seriously a-”
“Twilight, get me into the car and drive me to the hospital or that thing's going to eat us,” Sunset said in a single breath, somehow having found the energy inside her to say something despite now looking like a fresh corpse. “And take these scissors.”
“O-okay, yeah,” Twilight stuttered as she grabbed the scissors as she hastily brought Sunset over to her car and opened the backseat door—all the while keeping her eye on the Goatman, who had a leaf over the wound Sunset had given it earlier.
Sunset, meanwhile, weakly crawled into the car, her legs shaking as she did so.
Though, it was hard for her to tell if it was because of the loss of blood, the fact she felt the cold touch of Death with each step she took, or the gaze of the Goatman, which bore into her as it slowly made its way over to the duo.
“Twilight, is that thing-”
“DON'T CARE!” Twilight screamed as she slammed the car door shut and hightailed it over to the driver’s side. Immediately, the Goatman shifted its attention towards her and cast the bloody leaf aside. It let out another ear annihilating scream and charged towards the purple sedan, a look of unrivaled malice in its eyes.
It wasn't hard for Twilight to discern why.
“Sunset, did you stab that thing?”
“Twilight, I know you like to know things, but now is not the time for questioning me on what I did and didn't do to that freak of nature-yes I fucking stabbed it!”
“Okay, okay, I'm sorry!” Twilight said. As she turned on the sedan, the Goatman leaped weakly onto the hood; it's stab wound still bleeding and its eyes—while filled with rage—were noticeably bloodshot, and it looked tired.
Twilight let out a high pitched shriek—one that even made the Goatman flinch. She slammed her foot on the gas, which caused the monster to roll over the car; cracking the windshield and making audible grunts as it dented the car nearly every inch of the way, until it landed behind the car…
And Twilight crashed into a tree
Sunset was thrown forward. “Son of a bitch!” she screamed as her face got intimate with the back of the driver's seat. “Twilight, how did you ever get your driver's license?”
“Sunset, I think it's best you never find out,” Twilight answered as she escaped from her airbag prison.
BANG!
The two girls nearly jumped out of their skin as several more bangs—which were accompanied by animalistic grunts and roars—came from behind the now totaled sedan.
“Sunset, w-what the hell do I do!?” Twilight asked as tears ran down her cheeks. “I-I don't own a gun!”
“I gave you those scissors earlier for a reason, Twilight,” Sunset said as she wondered why Twilight didn't grab her rifle outside. “Just stab its throat or something before it tears both of ours out.”
Twilight looked over at her cupholder. “You sure it won't just rip off my arm if I get near it?”
“Twilight, if you don't do anything, we're both going to die,” Sunset replied. “Better to die trying to be a hero, ri-”
An arm broke through the passenger window, which showered Sunset in glass shards. From outside, more animalistic noises and blood curdling screeches filled the air, as though they came straight from Hell itself.
“Twilight! Stab its wrist!” Sunset yelled, her body now in a small blanket of glass. Just above her, the Goatman's hand slammed against the passenger door.
Twilight grabbed the pair of scissors and turned around. She swallowed the lump on her throat before she raised the scissors and slammed them into the Goatman’s wrist; showering Sunset in goat's blood.
Somewhere, a cultist set GPS coordinates for Sunset's house.
The Goatman reeled back in agony. It yanked the scissors out as more blood squirted from its fountain/wrist. It turned its attention to Twilight and stumbled forward; the scissors slamming into the driver's side door.
“Is… is it dead?” Twilight asked as she looked down at the body of the monster that moments before had caused her to crash and nearly killed her. “I can't tell. Sunset, is it-”
“Twilight, call 911 before I die,” Sunset interrupted. “And yes, it's dead. You stabbed it where it's veins are. How the hell would it survive that much blood loss?”
“Oh… good point,” Twilight replied, a smile now on her face. “Thanks, Sunset!” she said as she pulled out her phone and dialed emergency services.
Sunset merely let out a series of pained moans as she listened to Twilight speak to the operator.
Why me? she wondered as the adrenaline once again wore, and the agony of her bloodied feet, broken ribs, and now her broken nose returned with a vengeance. Off in the distance, she heard the wail of an ambulance’s siren.
“Sunset?” Twilight asked quietly as she looked back; a look of concern on her face.
“Yes, Twi?” Sunset groaned.
“Promise me you'll be okay.”
“Only if you promise me to never let me have you drive me anywhere ever again.”
Twilight giggled and smiled warmly at her friend, who was facing the bottom of the passengers seat; battered, bloodied, and covered in a blanket of glass and Goatman blood.
“Deal,” Twilight said as she attempted to ignore the morbid sight that she lay before her.
She didn't have to do so for long though, as an ambulance and a few police cars pulled up the dirt path to Sunset's home. “I'll be right back.”
Sunset merely moaned as she heard Twilight exit the vehicle and begin to tell an officer about what she'd seen so quickly, Sunset was sure the officer was going to call for animal control to bring an elephant tranquilizer to calm her down.
As Twilight continued to pull off the greatest motor mouth seen in Canterlot, the passenger door opened. Sunset looked up at two EMTs; a male and a female. “Remain calm,” one of them—the male—said. They hoisted Sunset up onto a stretcher and brought her to the ambulance. They lifted her into it and shut the doors.
“Hey, Doc?”
“Yes?” replied the female EMT.
“Am I going to survive?”
“We've seen worse,” the male said as his assistant rubbed something on Sunset's arm before wiping it away. “Now, hold still. We have to get the glass and give you some stitches.” He held up a needle and looked at Sunset. “This is going to put you to sleep.”
Sunset gave a slight nod of approval as she felt the needle slide easily into her arm and, within seconds, she felt her eyes close.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Sunset felt at peace.
