Phoenix

1:02PM

Sunset stopped to look around. Whoever it was, they had decided to take the Siren’s up to the roof, and yet had left no one to watch the hallway leading to the door they used. The door was shut solidly, however, stopping the noise outside from making its way into the school. She tiptoed up to the door, pausing as she reached out for the handle. Was she sure about this? Who was she kidding, after everything they had done for her, she owed them this! But then why was she hesitating. They were monsters from Equestrian Mythos, and had caused the students at the school to start fighting with one another, even worse than what she had done!

She shook her head, she had to do this. She slowly turned the handle and pulled the door towards her. It was a large, hefty piece of metal, yet the hinges didn’t utter a peep as Sunset pried the passageway open, peeking through to see that no one was watching the door. She zipped through, shutting the door quietly and listening to the voices and laughter coming from the other side, towards the front of the school. The cruel sounding laughter was mixing in with the faint sound of a crowd down below. It must be the Games! The next round was starting!

She snuck around the corner, peeking around towards the voices. She counted six, no, seven figures. Three of them were unknown to her, but the other four…

“Man, talk about a catch!” Gilda boasted, her laughing causing the teens and young adults around to to join in as their leader looked down at the three tied and gagged figures on the ground. “We might not be able to touch “Fireside”, but you three…”

Sunset fought back her gasp of horror as she finally witnessed the state of the Sirens. All three were crudely gagged, what looked like ball gags in their mouths, along with duct tape wrapped around them at crude angles. But it was their injuries that were of the most concern.

Aria seemed unconscious, and judging by the blood slowly running from the wound along her forehead, Sunset would be more surprised that she were awake. Her face was badly bruised, her eye most of all.

Sonata was scared, tears streaming from her swollen eyes. Her blazer and undershirt had been torn open, vicious landmarks and bruising all across the girls ample breasts. She continued to struggle, only to give a muffled squeal of pain as she received a vicious kick to her ribs.

Adagio seemed like she was fading, her body sliding farther and farther towards the floor, blood dripping from the corner of her mouth, yet she still glared venomously at her attackers, defiant until the end it seemed.

“Just think, we show the rest of the students these three and we’ll be heroes!” Gilda laughed again, dark chuckles radiating from the crowd. “Plus no one would care if they went missing…”

Adagio seemed to grumble before falling hardly against the roof, her head cracking against the concrete material. Sunset straightened up, doing her best to remain hidden as she watched the students start to grab cigarettes and lighters from their pockets as they looked around.

“Well, whaddya all say to leaving them up here for awhile? They’re all tied up and can’t go anywhere.” one of the teens suggested, pulling the cigarette from his mouth. “I could go for drink right about now.”

“Yeah, yeah…” Gilda swatted her hand towards the group of teens that were agreeing with the first. “You losers go get lost for a bit. I’ll keep watch on these three.”

Sunset froze as the other six assailants turned towards where she was hiding. She spun around the wall, eyes frantically looking around her for somewhere to hide. Her gaze locked on the short wall that encased the power box and other measuring devices. She jumped towards it, rolling and stopping as she leaned up against it. The sound of six sets of footsteps shook the air around Sunset, her heart beating somehow faster as she heard the door open and the people pass through, before the sound of the door sliding almost shut.

She waited a few moments before daring to peek around the corner, noticing that the footsteps had started to vanish. She took a deep breath before sliding upwards and sneaking back towards the doorway. It was still partially open, just barely enough for a sliver of vision through the gap. She pushed against it, closing it.

The door gave a loud thud as it shut, coinciding with a startled gasp from the teen watching over the Sirens.

“Who’s there?” came Gilda’s voice, the teen sounding tense. Sunset swore softly, cursing her luck at the door now deciding to be noisy. “Come on, I know you guys don’t shut fuckin’ anything.”

Sunset slowly rolled her neck, a soft crack making itself known as the girl walked around the corner, staring at the shorter girl. Gilda’s eyes widened in shock, before narrowing in time with the smirk spreading across her face, a bout of dark laughter escaping her lips.

“Well, shit. Looks like Christmas came early this year.” the teen’s hands moved around to her back as she studied Sunset. “How’d you find your way up here, Fireside?”

“You and your goons were awful noisy.” The teen said, taking a step towards the girl who stood there, watching her with eagle like intensity.

“Ah, ah, ah!” the girl waggled a finger at Sunset, pausing the girl as Gilda retrieved the other hand from behind her back, a pistol glinting in the light of mid day. “I wouldn’t come any closer if I were you.”

Sunset’s eye’s shot to Sonata, the teen frantically struggling in her bonds even as tears most certainly blinded her, before shooting back to Gilda. The teen pulled the top of the pistol back, a cocking sound snapping through the air before the teen pointed it at Sunset, a crude smirk on her face.

“If you even think of being a hero, they’re dead.” the girl pointed the gun back towards the Sirens, but her eyes remained locked on Sunset. “You make a noise? Boom. You run away? Boom. You come any closer? First you, then them.”

“Well how about a trade?” Sunset said, grim expression emerging across her features. “You get a second chance at killing me, and they go free.”

“Ha! What kind of deal is that!?” Gilda shook her head as she laughed, pointing the gun back at Sunset. “They would just go rat me out, most likely. I’ve seen how they’ve acted around you, Fireside. They’re your sisters now, apparently. Ha! As if a whore like you could ever have a family!”

“What if they go back to Equestria. What if I force them to leave and never come back.” Sunset took a step forward, her arms raising upwards as Gilda leveled the gun straight at her. “They go through, then you can try again.”

“So, it seems Sunset was faking her amnesia, huh?” Gilda’s smirk spread. “As if they wouldn’t tell some-”

“They won’t.” Gilda paused at the pure power radiating from Sunset’s voice. “If they do, I will shoot them myself.”

Sonata froze at the teen’s declaration, her tears stopping as she started to shake her head. Sunset did her best to ignore the look, her heart wrenching at what she had to say.

“Well, ain’t that a kick in the ass, seems their affections were all for naught.” Gilda tilted her head to the side. “Sure, but you just wait there while I get my boys back up here to take care of these three.”

Sunset remained stationary as Gilda pulled her phone out of her pocket, her pistol remaining locked on Sunset even as the teen started to tap away on the phone, her eyes darting between screen and teen. It wasn’t long until the door opened again, the sound of six sets of feet pounding their way to behind Sunset.

“Hey, you,” Gilda motioned to one of the individuals behind Sunset. “You and your brothers bring Sunset here over here. Seems we get to kill Anon-A-Bitch twice.”

Sunset smelt the three figures before they reached her, struggling not to wretch as she felt her arms grabbed and held behind her back, one of the boys barking at her to move. She struggled to move forward, twisting her torso violently whenever one of the boys got a little to touchy with her.

“Good, let her go and come back over here.” Sunset watched the ground rush up to greet her, her arms catching her from cracking her skull on the concrete roof. She shifted around, moving towards the unconscious Adagio and starting to fiddle with the Sirens bindings, only to freeze when she heard Gilda speak up once more. “Change of plans, Sunset. Get to your feet.”

Sunset turned to her side, watching as Gilda motioned for her to stand with the gun she held still pointed at the amber teen. Sunset looked back at Adagio for a moment before letting out a sigh and stepping back and up to her feet.

“What now, Gilda?” the teen asked. Or at least tried to, as the instant she got up and turned to look at the teen, there was a loud bang, and she felt her torso jerk back. She looked down, watching as blood started to rapidly ooze out the the wound in her chest, before shifting back to Gilda, just in time for her body to be rocked a second time, and finally a third. Her body was screaming in numbed agony as she looked over at Sonata, the girl erupting into fresh tears as Sunset felt herself fall backwards, tripping off the roof and plummeting towards the pavement.

Everything seemed to slow down, and then stop. She gazed into the window in front of her, watching as aquamarine orbs surrounded by blackness stared back at her. A large, imposing figure with dark red skin and large, leathery, bat like wings seemed to melt out of the window, pausing in front of Sunset.

“So,” the Daemon said, sounding tired and annoyed. “Once again it’s up to me to save our lives, huh?”

Sunset looked around, realizing that she was no longer falling. She was standing in the middle of a large, empty body of inky black water, her eyes unable to pierce the depths of the liquid beneath her feet. To her side sat the rotten, decrepit remains of a pair of trees, the two interweaving and mingling in their state of death.

“Again?” Sunset asked, turning to glare at the manifestation of her corruption. “You have never! Saved my life.”

“What about that night in December, dear?” the Daemons smile grew wider as she started to grow larger before Sunset, towering ever more over the teen as her eyes glinted dangerously. “You would have died if it weren’t for me. And now once again, here we are. You, risking our lives over feelings of attachment. First Celestia, then the Princess and her Rain-Goons, and now those three.”

“And yet they risked their lives for me!” Fireside shouted, stomping her foot. “That’s a hell of a lot more than you’ve ever done!”

“Ha! Don’t make me laugh, Shimmer. Every. Single. Time, you have grown attached, you have been burned for it.” the Daemon laughed as she suddenly disappeared, only to reappear under Sunset’s feet in the water, her face stretching for farther than the teen could see. “Who was there when you were denied your rite to rule? Who was there to talk to you when you were alone? Who was there when you had to prove that you were strong?”

“Face it, dear.” the face vanished as the Daemon appeared behind Sunset, a clawed hand grabbing onto the girl’s arm, the blazer of Crystal Prep exploding into flames around her grip. “You’ve failed. You’ve failed and lost everything. You’ve failed for the last time.”

Sunset started to struggle wildly as the heatless flames consumed her clothes, she fought to free herself from the Daemon’s grasp as the figure grew taller and taller, Sunset dangling in mid air.

“Now, you’re mine, and you always will be.”

“I won’t let you!” Sunset screamed in defiance, kicking and biting at the diamond like hand that held her. “You are MY shadow! My mistake! And I will gladly die before I let you do anything!”

“Brave,” the Daemon chuckled as she held Sunset at eye level, her fake smile of pride turning to a predatory frown. “But too little too late. You’re almost dead, and there’s NOTHING you can do to stop me from taking over this pathetic little body.”

Sunset felt gravity take over, tumbling head over heels through the air towards the Daemon’s gaping maw. Darkness started to wrap around, an ancient magic wrapping itself around her. She felt the Daemon’s thought start to replace her own, her memories started to errode, to vanish as she plunged farther and farther and farther into the being’s very essence. She forgot her name, she forgot what she looked like, she screamed noiselessly as her body started to fade away.

But a single pale blue mote of light broke through, the vanishing figure reaching out with near vanished hands to grab hold of the light, even as it’s vision started to fade. It pulled the particle close, and gazed at it with blind eyes, the choking cold around threatening the flickering light. It seemed to flicker, threatening to go out, before being joined by a second of pure white. The figure could no longer feel itself, the only thing reminding it that it still existed was the minute energy emitted from the two sparks. Suddenly a third one appeared, of pale yellow, a fourth of dark purple following close behind.

The figure could feel its hands, the extremities wavering as the cold returned to assault them. But a fifth mote popped into being, this one of silken lavender before it split itself in two. Four more seemed to soar through the darkness towards the figure as its body started to coalesce. Its hands grabbed tight of the grey, white, green, and cream coloured orbs that were dancing around its body, the cold starting to give way to a radiating heat. The figure watched as pale amber started to wrap itself around its body, delicately shading in the empty space.

The void screamed as the amber figure looked around, reaching back and grabbing hold of its long mane of red and yellow, smiling as its pride and joy returned, before dark tendrils of the void started to speed towards it.

She grit her teeth as she held a hand out in front of her, gathering power from the swelling motes and expelling it from her hand, a small beam of aquamarine light lancing through the air towards the nearest tendril, slicing it in half. The emptiness gave a tortured cry of pain before more tendrils shot towards her, slowly overpowering her through raw numbers, writhing and surrounding her in their embrace.

Only to erupt in a flash of light as Sunset erupted from their hold, blasting everything around her away as more swollen motes appeared, indigo, cerise, pale gold, turquoise, blue all joining their fellow soccer ball sized brethren. Sunset soared through the inky darkness, blasting away at the assaulting tendrils as she continued to ascend, the Daemon’s essence fighting to consume her.

Sunset felt everything tear itself apart, reality quaking all around her as she felt herself be flung, landing and skipping across the empty void of black water. She reached out, using the blackened husks of the tree’s to help herself back to her feet, growling as she watched the Daemon materialize before her.

“ENOUGH!” fire and brimstone erupting from its body as it bellowed its molten fury at Sunset. “I SHALL NO LONGER BE SADDLED WITH YOU!”

“Funny, I was thinking the same thing.” Sunset chuckled as she leapt up at the Daemon, the monstrous figure emitting a terrible cry of havoc as it plunged down towards Sunset.

***

“OH MY GOD!” Someone cried out, as they pointed towards the roof of the school, everybody’s eyes watching as a figure dressed in Crystal Prep’s uniform stumbled back and started to plummet towards the ground, only to land a moment later with a sickening crunch.

“Make way!” Celestia shouted, rushing to where she watched the figure land, shoving students aside in her frenzied dash. “Luna! Call Nine-One-One!”

Celestia came to a screeching halt as she stopped in front of the figure on the ground, their limbs sticking out at impossible angles, blood pooling around them. She let out a shocked cry when she realized it was Fireside, or Sunset, or whatever she wanted to go by. But right now it didn’t seem to matter. There was no way she survived that fall!

“What the hell is happening here, Celestia!?” Cinch’s tone was a hybrid of terror and fury as she looked down at the shattered form of her prize student. “WHAT’S HAPPENED TO FIRESIDE!?”

“Look, all that matters right now is trying to save her life!” Cadance yelled, anger overwhelming her worry as she pushed the woman aside. “So why don’t you do something useful for once in your goddamn life and help us!?”

Cadance paused when she felt Fireside start to move under her, the girl giving a tortured sounding groan that pitched rapidly into an unearthly sounding cry as the girl started to heat up, Cadance falling back grasping her reddened hand, much like Celestia. The air started to his as the body of Fireside started to shimmer from the heat, the girl’s body shifting around, the broken bones cracking sickeningly as they snapped back into place, her right leg bending in inhumane ways as it started to push the girl up.

Yet the thing that stole everyone’s voice was the shifting of the back of the girl’s top around her right shoulder, before it exploded in a spray of fabric and felt, a large, black and red wing filled with holes stretching out behind the girl. Her right arm shot up, darkening as the sound of the girls bones cracking further filled the air, Fireside’s delicate fingernails sharpening into deadly claws and melding into her now blood red arm.

“By Celestia’s beard!” the girl shouted, sounding annoyed for some reason considering what just happened to her. “That really bucking hurt!”

Sunset slowly got up, rubbing her aching head with her read hand, freezing and giving a shocked look when she realized that it didn’t look like it should. She looked around herself, noticing the group of onlookers that stared at her in disbelief, she slowly stood straight and looked around, smiling sheepishly.

“Er… Hi…?” she her daemonic hand back and forth towards the crowd, watching the odd Shadowbolt pass out before she shifted over to the four women that stared at her, two in mounting dread, and two in shock and terror. “Um, hi again, Celestia. You as well, Luna. Um, it’s me, Sunset, don’t worry-”

“What the hell are you!?” Cinch screamed, pulling off her shoes one at a time and hurling them at Sunset, the teen giving annoyed bark as she batted them down.

“Long story, though this is also kind of your fault, actually.” Sunset said as she gently underhanded the woman’s shoes back to her, only for Cinch to throw them at her once again. “...Seriously?”

“How am I at fault for summoning a daemon!? You were never human, were you!?” the woman cried, dashing and hiding behind Cadance, the woman still standing still in shock. Sunset could hear the beeping of of the Gaian Twilight Sparkle’s device start to go mad in the background.

“Well, you’re partially right on the human thing, considering I’m from another world, but I am seriously not a Daemon! She-it-whatever! Is gone!”

“What happened to you, Sunset? Why’d you fall from the roof?” Celestia looked over the girl, reaching out towards the bullet holes in the girl’s top that still oozed blood. “Are these… gun wounds?”

“Oh! Right! The gun!” Sunset slammed her human hand down into her daemon one as she remembered Gilda up top holding the Sirens hostage. “Let me go save the Sirens quick, and then you can talk to Gilda.”

“Save the Sirens…?” Luna asked softly, watching as Sunset started to hover up towards the roof of the school, before spinning around to address the mass of fearful and shocked students. “Everyone, please remain quiet. We will be figuring out what is happening momentarily.”

“How can we remain quiet while that thing is-”

“That thing, is Sunset Shimmer!” came an angry shout from a pale white girl with spectacular purple shades as she stormed up to where the four women were standing. “Or Fireside Glow, or whatever you want to call her!”

Sunset smiled as she listened to Vinyl’s voice start to fade away, glad that the girl was jumping to defend her to the public. Not that she blamed the mass of students for being terrified of her, given that Crystal Prep had never dealt with magic before, and the CHS students probably thought the Daemon was back again. She chuckled as she shook her head, looking up as she reached the surface.

“Boo!” she called out, watching as six of the goons on the roof gave scared cries and started shaking in fear. “Did ya miss me, Gilda? Well, other than the bullets I mean.”

“W-What..!?” the teen took a step back, trying to hide behind her thugs, only to realize that they had all started to run away in fear, crying that they weren’t paid for this.

“Get back here you pussies!” the teen shouted, only to turn around and point her pistol once again at Sunset. “G-G-Get b-back, m-m-monster!”

“Awww, that’s cute!” Sunset chided as she landed on the roof, the concrete hissing as it started to boil beneath her boots. “You think I’m a monster? That’s really something coming from you!”

Gilda turned to run, only to find Sunset inexplicably in front of her, her arms crossed. The teen gave a startled, bird-like squak as she stumbled back, tripping down as she pointed the gun in her shaking hands at the Equestrian.

“W-W-What do you want!?” tears of terror were starting to build in the corner of her eyes as her body shook uncontrollably, her life flashing before her eyes.

“Nothing, really.” Sunset smiled as she hovered forward, kneeling down when she was in front of the girl. “At least considering what you have done so far today. I’m going to go free the Sirens, and if you try to run away… Well… Please don’t try to run away. For your sake.”

Sunset got up and hovered over Gilda and towards the three Sirens, Sonata being the only one who was still awake. Sunset frowned as watched Sonata slightly recoil in fear, before giving the Equestrian a sad smile.

“Heh, guess I’m not how you remember me, huh?” Sunset reached around to the back of her head, raking her fingers through the long mane of hair that had grown out during her transformation. “Don’t worry, Sonata. I’m just gonna get the three of you free and-”

The amber teen spun around, her hand shooting out towards the suddenly up and running Gilda, the teen looking back at her. Sunset smiled as she snapped her fingers, Gilda looking forwards just fast enough to see the front of the school appear in front of her as she crossed through the portal and face planted into the glass, crumpling to the ground in a groaning mess.

“There, now why don’t I actually get all three of you down there?” Sunset motioned with her hand, watching as all three Sirens started to float through the air and towards the portal, the amber, bat winged teen following close behind. “Gotta make sure Gilda and Cinch don’t try something crazy.”

Sunset carefully set the Sirens down on the ground in front of the four women, before dismissing the portal with an errant, backwards wave of her daemonic hand. She knelt down beside Sonata, giving a reassuring smile as she moved to remove the girl’s ball gag, only to pause and look at the figure looming over top of here with an almost annoyingly noisy device.

“Er, whatcha need, Twilight?” Sunset asked as she looked up at the girl, flashing a winning smile.

“Who are you?” she asked, device in her hand going crazy as it pointed at the kneeling girl with the large, bat-like wing. “What are you?”

“Call me Fireside Glow, or Sunset Shimmer, hell! I am Ferrus Manus if you want me to be!” Sunset chuckled as she watched her friend’s mouth drop in shock at her next comment. “And I’m a Pony. A Unicorn to be exact.”

“Hey, could you four get Adagio and Aria there free? Careful though, I don’t know just how severe the beatings they took were.” the four women nodded lamely and got to work while Sunset focused on the suddenly wildly struggling Sonata, the teen spraying spittle as she tried to yell at the amber teen. “Hey, relax, Sona, I’m not forgetting you!”

“Fireside! Look out!” the girl screamed in terror as Sunset tore the ball gag free, the amber teen lurching forward as a a gunshot rang through the air. The teen spun towards her attacker as screams of panicked terror rang out across the school grounds, Sunset staggering back as another round tore into her torso.

“Die you monster!” Gilda shouted in fear, unleashing ten more rounds into the torso of the steadily approaching form of Sunset, the girl growling as she placed one foot in front of another, stopping as she heard the empty clicks from Gilda’s frenzied pullings of the pistols triggers.

The teen gave a monstrous roar as she flew towards the girl, grasping Gilda’s head in her daemonic arm as she nearly slammed it against the concrete wall to the side of the front doors of the school. The teen struggled momentarily when she was first grabbed, but now hung limp, her eyes having rolled up into the back of her head as she fainted.

Sunset growled, a beastly, guttural sound as she hefted the loose form of her attacker up high above her head, hovering higher in the air before starting to plummet to the ground.

“Fireside, stop!!!”

The amber teen froze, Gilda’s body swinging and landing feet first on the ground, before she turned to address the panicked looking Adagio.

“Fireside, please…” the siren begged, leaning heavily on Sonata, her one eye swollen shut now and bruising visible no matter where her skin peaked through. “This isn’t you…!”

“Adagio’s right, as usual…” Aria stumbled forward, falling hard to the ground as she stared up at the girl who’d become her sister. “You aren’t a monster…”

“Don’t let them see you like this, Fireside!” Sonata pleaded, waving out over the sea of students that watched Sunset with fearful eyes. “Please… let her go! We can go home! An-And be a family!”

Sunset’s rapid breathing slowed, the girl’s body stopping it’s frenzied convulsions before the girl let out a tired sigh, blood dripping in rapid pellets to the ground beneath her, before dropping Gilda to the ground, the teen slumping against the wall, causing the Sirens to start to smile.

“Why did this happen…?” Celestia asked, the woman slowly standing up, still weary of approaching the teen. “How-”

“Ask Cinch, she’s the one who blackmailed me into coming…” Sunset flicked a hand towards the woman, Cinch reaction in shock as she took a step back.

“Lies! You can’t possibly believe the words of that… monster!?” the woman cried, looking around in shock and worry.

“You’re the monster here, Cinch.” Sunset started to approach the woman, swaying side to side in a menacing manner, a wild smile on her face. “I had to come here, and win these stupid Games for you, or you’d make sure none of my friends or family would-”

“Enough! I will not listen to a monster sully my reputation!” the woman cried hysterically, only to backpedal at the look she received from the teen.

“What happened to you three?” Sunset asked, turning to the Sirens. “What did Gilda and her goons do to you?”

“Heh, nothing that a week offa school won’t heal.” Aria chuckled, before watching Sunset’s knee start to shake. “But what about you? You just took-”

“Don’t worry…” Sunset gave a tired smile. “As long as you three, and the rest of my friends are safe…”

“And who are your friends?” came the timid voice of CHS’s star athlete, the rest of the Rainbooms pushing their way through the crowd with Rainbow Dash.

“You really want to ask that?” Sunset started to hover a short distance above the ground. “With how you five ignore and abused me!? You five were the reason I hired Gilda to kill me that night!”

All five teens took a step back, along with almost everyone else, shocked whispers starting to spread through the crowd at Sunset’s newest comment.

“T-T-That… That can’t be true, darling?” Rarity uttered quietly, her pale white feature somehow going even paler in shock as she looked up at the hovering girl.

“The truth!?” Sunset yelled, her arms shooting out and causing even more crimson fluid to spray and dribble to the ground beneath her. “You never gave me a single bucking CHANCE with Anon-A-Miss, and now you-”

“Fireside… what’s the real story behind all of this…?” came Adagio’s voice, the matriarchal and undisputed ruler of all around her pleaded with her sister.

“You want the TRUTH!? Then take it!” the air around crackled with raw arcane energy, gasps of shock ringing out from everyone present as their eyes flashed white, glowing with an unearthly white.

“Learn the truth, and remember it…” Sunset said softly as she landed, almost falling to one knee as she wrapped her daemonic arm around her bullet riddled body. “Because it’s the last you’ll all ever see of me…”

And after pausing only to look forlornly at the Sirens, Sunset Shimmer left Canterlot High School.

For the last time.