The Devil's Sunset

Chapters

Prologue- Tutorial/Blood Ties
Mission 1- Sunset Over Ponyville
Mission 2- An Apple Rodeo

Prologue- Tutorial/Blood Ties

The sound of clashing swords rings throughout the sky, it's bright orange glow casting small shadows down upon the scene of utter chaos below.

The ringing continues as rubble falls to the ground below, joining the many piles of it that built up over the course of the commotion.

Cracks litter the marble floor in several places, rendering the once beautiful carvings upon its surface unrecognizable to the untrained eye.

Broken columns stretch high into the sky, their jagged edges sharp and threatening.

The last remaining remnants of the now ruined structure are four stain glass depictions of four long lost goddesses, built into the floor. Despite being forgotten by time and bombarded by the elements, the pictures are somehow, miraculously well preserved, not a scratch to be seen upon their pristine surfaces.

And these four goddesses, along with the sun, moon, and stars, will bear witness to the most amazing battle in all of Equestria's history.

The sound of clashing stops and is replaced by skidding as one of the fighters is knocked onto their back. The first stands over them, sword pointed at their chest, smiling deviously.

"Is that all you've got? What a waste of my time."

The second figure coughs, and tries to sit up, but is stopped by a stomp in the stomach from the first. "I've had enough of this. It's time for you to die."

The first raises their sword, points it at the second figure's heart, and with a swift stabbing motion...nothing happens.

Instead the first figure is violently thrown to the ground, and the second figure struggles to stand, having gathered their second wind.

"I'm afraid that time is a long way away. I've still got a little party left in me!" The second figure stands and charges, only for the first to roll out of the way and dodge the oncoming attack, rolling into a stance and returning the favor with a slash of their own. The clash of swords begins again, with neither giving an inch.

They hit a stalemate, with one sword pushing against the other in a battle of strength.

The first figure wins out, and pushes the second back, only to be forced to block a bullet headed straight for them.

The two share a hate filled glare in either direction before the first figure continues their onslaught of bullets.

The sound of metal on metal rings out once more as the bullets are blocked one by one without the slightest hint of effort from the first figure.

But the second has a trick up their sleeve. While still firing, they rush forward, and slide under the first's legs, hopping back up into the air by their knees and swinging their sword in a wide arc, only to be blocked once again.

The second figure pulls out their gun once again, and fires, but they are swatted away by a swing of the first's sword before their bullets even make contact, and the bullets are dodged with a simple sidestep.

The clash starts again, but it is a short one, as the second figure takes the opportunity to attack with an upward slash, missing by a hair's breadth as the first doges once again, jumping into the air and coming down with a slash of their own, which the second rolls out of the way of only moments before it hits the ground, sending even more cracks cascading across the floor's surface.

The second figure takes the opportunity given by the first pulling out their sword, to fire a more powerful shot at them.

The first figure raises their hand to block the attack, struggling with it for only a moment before crushing it into dust. They retrieve their sword and twirl it around, a smirk crossing their features.

"This may be fun after all." The figure charges, and yet another clash begins, this one even shorter than the last, with each being forced to dodge the other's strike.

A leg sweep from the first is dodged and the second retaliates with another wide swing of their sword, only for it to be blocked again.

A mid swing from the second is dodged and the first retaliates by throwing their sword, which is caught and thrown back.

The first forgoes their sword, instead opting to catch the high swing from the second and throw them, along with the blade, into the air and across the floor, where they land on their back.

the second struggles to get up, their body weak and tired from the constant fighting they've had to endure. They manage to stand, against both their better judgement, and their body's protests.

The two share a look once more, as they prepare for a final showdown. And as their swords raise higher and higher into the air, the blades singing, crying out for the other's blood, they charge, and the only thing left of them is their shadows, which fade along with the lightning of the now rainy, cloudy nighttime sky.

The rain mixes with the falling blood and is stained crimson, marking the place forever as yet another arena in a tournament of two.

The second falls, beaten, bruised, bloody and defeated, but not dead. Although that may have been a better alternative.

The first stands, victorious and triumphant in battle, a smirk on their face as they look down on their broken foe.

The first figure takes up their sword and turns around, swinging the blade to remove the blood. They turn their head to look back at the now prone second figure, hatred in their eyes.

"Hmph. Pathetic, Sunset. Simply pathetic. Still so weak." They turn back around and walk away. "To think that mother's favorite would be so easily defeated? Come back when you have enough power. Maybe then you'll make me break a sweat. Or better yet, don't come back at all."

"Shut up! What would you know about family?!"

"I know enough to know that I picked the right parent's footsteps to follow. Unlike you." The first figure walks away, leaving Sunset to lay sprawled out on the ground. She picks herself back up enough to sit on her knees. Crying, she yells to the sky in rage.

"STARLIGHT GLIMMER!!!"

Author's Note

Hi Guys! So yeah, a comment driven story. I'll tell you guys what's up. Here's how we're gonna play this game.

Sunset is of course taking the place of Dante here, so she has his abilities, with her own little twist to them.

We'll start you off with 100 health and her three styles. Swordmaster, Gunslinger, and Trickster, all of which you have seen in this tutorial.

From this point forward, you will have a choice to make. However, since you haven't unlocked all of her abilities, the only choices you have right now are, where mission 1 starts, which style she should make use of in mission one, which style should be her signature style, and which boss she should fight in mission one, if any at all. I'll also give you the right to name her sword and guns. The best name will appear in the story, so try your hardest!

Depending on where the mission starts, her boss choices change. The weapons and skills she receives depends on the boss she fights, so choose wisely. (I won't include the children of Twilight's school.)

(Discord will act as the environmental part of the game. Basically any part that involves puzzles and or secret missions.)

Ponyville
The Main 6-
Twilight Sparkle
Midnight Sparkle
Rainbow Dash
Rainbow (Factory) Dash
Apple Jack
Rarity
Nightmare Rarity
Pinkie Pie
Pinkamena
Fluttershy
Spike
Spike (Greed)

The CMC-(You can choose just one, two, or all three.)
Scootaloo
Sweetie Belle
Apple Bloom

Side Characters
Big Mac
Vinyl Scratch
Snips and Snails
Derpy

Canterlot
Celestia
Luna
Daybreaker
Nightmare Moon

The Crystal Empire
Cadence
Shining Armor
Flurry Heart
Sombra

The Badlands
Thorax
Chrysalis

Griffonstone
Gilda

The Dragon Lands
Ember
Garble
Torch
(The voting closes at 12:00 P.M. tomorrow.)

Mission 1- Sunset Over Ponyville

It was a quiet day in Ponyville. Not a sound was heard other than that of nature, as the gentle Autumn breeze blew leaves to and fro.

The sun shone brightly down on the small town, bathing its citizens in its warm rays.

The blue sky was clear as crystal, not a cloud in sight to imply inclement weather. The pegasi must have done a masterful job today.

The melodious sounds of the birds as they sang their sweet songs rang throughout the forest, and the very air brimmed with a vitality that energized all who felt it.

Today was simply a picture perfect day for any and all who experienced it.

The only other sound to disturb this peaceful tranquility, was the sound of a portal opening somewhere near a hill just outside Ponyville proper.

A girl with red and yellow two tone hair stepped carefully out of the portal and onto the hilltop, where an overview of Ponyville awaited her.

And as the portal behind her closed, and she got a good look at her homeworld, what she saw below the hill, shocked her to no end.

"Wh-what's going on?" Sunset said as she looked on from her perch on the hilltop. As she surveyed her surroundings, she looked down at the town she had known so well so long ago.

Ponyville...was in ruins.

It was a quiet day because no one was there. Everyone was gone. No shopkeepers, no people walking back and forth to their jobs and homes respectively. They were all just...gone.

The breeze was not gentle. In fact, it was almost nonexistent. The only evidence that it was still there was the occasional ashes that flew past her field of vision.

The sun was not shining. In fact, as far as sunset was concerned, it wasn't even there. And if it was, it certainly wasn't warm.

The sky was covered in gray clouds, obscuring its presence with a blanket of ominous darkness that made Sunset shiver and spoke of the sheer magnitude of the scene she saw before her.

The pegasi had not done a good job at all.

The birds were not singing. Instead, their corpses littered the ground around the path that cut ponyville in half. And as Sunset walked it, the smell of death hit her nose, forcing her to let loose her lunch all over the ground off to the side of the middle of the path.

The air was thick with ash, aiding the clouds in blotting out the sun and blocking off all light, rendering the world awash with darkness. The ash caught in her throat and made it hard to breathe, sending her into a violent coughing fit. The scent of death and blood stuck in her nostrils, stirring her gag reflex once again and making her cover her nose with her hand to block the smell at least a little. This particular smell stood out to her, as her heightened sense of smell returned to her now that she was back on Equus.

After managing to regain her composure at least a little, she was finally able to take in Ponyville up close and personal.

She immediately wished she had stayed in the human world.

Almost nothing was standing. Nothing! Sugar Cube Corner was in ruins, and Carousel Boutique was much the same.

A look to her left showed Sweet Apple Acres, completely destroyed and bereft of its occupants, the only things left of it were a pile of rubble, and the trees in the orchard, which had long since died and shed all their leaves. Some forcibly so, if the charred looked they, along with the rest of Ponyville's trees, had were any indication.

The only places left standing were Twilight's castle, and Fluttershy's cottage, it's position on the outskirts of town having spared it from most of the damage.

It was still quite worn out from the looks of it however. Windows were broken, the walls were scorched black, and the door looked as if it had been ripped clean off it's hinges and left there with no intention of it being put back.

Sunset decided to check Twilight's castle first, going over to it and knocking, just in case her friend had survived all this madness.

'If anyone can stay alive in all this, she can.' Sunset thought to herself as she waited for a response from the other side of the door.

When none came, she grew worried. "Twilight?" she called, "Twilight?! Open up!"

Still nothing.

"Cmon' Twi! I know you're in there! You can stop pretending now. It's really bad out here, you know?" Throughout all of her yelling, she never stopped knocking. And yet still, even after all this, she received no answer.

Sunset lowered her hand and looked down at her feet. 'Don't tell me she's not here, either...'

But then, suddenly, Sunset heard a small creak, drawing her attention back to the door. It was open, with Twilight standing just inside the door frame. She beckoned with a hand for her to come inside.

"I knew it!" Sunset cheered. "I knew she was still here!"

With that, Sunset walked inside the castle, Her stride more confident as she saw that her friend was in the building.

"Jeez, Twilight. Don't scare me like that. I almost thought you were gone, too." Sunset said in a relieved tone.

Twilight however, did not answer, and simply kept walking, Sunset right next to her as they made their way through the castle corridors.

"You know, I figured you would be the one to survive all this. You're such a great leader and you always know just what to do. Of course, you are a princess."

Still no answer. The two simply kept walking down the long corridor, with Sunset the only one making any attempts at conversation.

"I mean, look at me. You saved me from myself after I tried to hypnotize the entire student body, and here I am. Back home and ready to make things right."

Still nothing.

"I owe you, Twilight. I really do. You- Uhhh....Twilight? You've been quiet for quite a while now. Is something wrong?"

Sunset stops walking and grabs Twilight's shoulder, turning her around. She finally gets an answer.

"Nothing's wrong. Nothing at all. I'm perfectly fine." Twilight smiles at her.

Sunset doesn't quite buy it. It was something about Twilight's eyes. So vacant. They looked...dead. Almost...lifeless "Are you sure? You don't look so good, you know? I think we should get you to a-"

"I'm fine, I promise. Let's just keep walking." Twilight turns and continues walking, leaving Sunset behind as she just stands there, soon joining her in her walk.

After a while of walking, Sunset starts to get suspicious. "You know, Twilight. We've been walking down this hallway for quite some time now..."

"This is the way we need to go to get there." Was all Twilight said, not even a look back in her direction.

'At least she's answering my questions now...' "But Twilight. This is the same hallway. Surely if we're trying to get somewhere it'll be a little harder to find than just walking down some long hallway. And where exactly is 'There'?"

Twilight says nothing.

'Back to the silent treatment, I see.' Sunset grumbles. This was getting tiresome.

"Twilight, I asked you a question. Where exactly is-" Sunset walked a little faster, catching up to Twilight. She lifted a hand and grabbed her shoulder, turning her around again. Only this time, what she saw, wasn't Twilight.

"It's the demon world!" The non-Twilight said.

Sunset almost threw up her lunch for the third time that day. Whatever this was, it wasn't Twilight. It looked like her, and sounded like her, but it couldn't be her.

It's eyes were cat-like, and while they were still purple, they glowed menacingly, surrounded by a blue flame that burned eternally.

"You-You're not Twilight, are you?" Sunset asked as she backed away.

"What gave it away?" The non-Twilight said, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she floated into the air. It's voice was like Twilight's but it had a sinister, seductive feel to it that sent chills up her spine.

"My name is Midnight Sparkle, and it's time I send you to hell!"

Midnight lunged at Sunset, arm extended to reach out and grab her. It looked as though Sunset was about to be devoured. That is until...

"Aaarrggh!" Midnight yelled out as blood spurted from her arm in all directions. "Argh! My arm! My arm!" She looked down at Sunset to see her holding up a sword.

It was a massive double-edged obsidian claymore with gold edges that seemed to shimmer with their own light. The guard was golden as well, and had the appearance of a blazing flame

"That sword... Don't tell me you're...his..."

"That's right. And I guess that would make you a demon. Seems dad's been leaving his door open again."

"Arrgh, whatever! Whether you're his child or not, you'll still die by my hand!" Twilight charges at Sunset, who blocks a swipe at her midsection with her sword.

The two remain like this for a few moments before Midnight flies upwards, blasting magic at Sunset, which she easily dodges by simply jumping backward a few feet.

She then proceeds to take out her guns and fire them off, negating Midnight's magic blasts with every shot. She runs along the walls of Twilight's castle and jumps off once she felt she was close enough.

With a cry of rage, she lifts her sword into the air and brings it down. Another clash ensues, with the two staring directly into each other's eyes.

Suddenly, Midnight smirks and uses one hand to open a portal, which she then proceeds to throw Sunset into, only to have her come back out in front of her, where she grabs Sunset and simply squeezes, crushing her slowly.

"Aaaarrrrgh!" Sunset howls in pain, unable to do anything as Midnight crushes her.

"Ahahahahahahahaha! I knew it! Even if you are his daughter, there's one thing you two don't share. You don't have his power, and thus you cannot defeat me!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that if I were you." Sunset said, causing Midnight to look confused. HOwever, she soon discarded it as the ravings of a dying girl and continued crushing her, only to find resistance when she did. Sunset was...pushing back?

"But how! How could you have this much power when you're only a fledgling?"

"I don't know..." Sunset said as she broke free of Midnight's grip and fell to the ground, where she caught herself and began running up to her.

She jumped into the air and once again, brought her sword down upon Midnight. "Why don't you ask my father...when you see him in hell!"

With that, she cleaved Midnight down the middle and landed, putting her sword away into its scabbard and her guns into their holsters.

She turned around and walked away, brushing the dirt from the battle off her jacket.

Before she could leave the castle however, she felt a presence from behind her.

She grabbed her sword, turned around and swung, catching her attacker head on and stopping them before they could hurt her.

But then something strange happened. The presence she felt wasn't an attack, but a ball of energy. One that absorbed into her sword, causing it to glow a sinister purple.

The glow faded and Sunset sighed in relief, putting her sword away.

But then she felt another strange sensation, this one in her arms.

She lifted them to check, and saw that they were covered by dark purple gauntlets that glowed with power.

Sunset shrugged and turned back around, continuing her walk.

As she made her way down the path between the Everfree Forest and Ponyville, she spotted a figure coming out of the Forest, carrying what looked to be quite a heavy load. As she got closer, she saw that it was someone unfamiliar to her.

To be honest, it didn't matter whether she knew them or not, having anyone at all to talk about this with was a blessing.

She made her way over to them. "Um...need any help?"

The figure looked up at the sound of Sunset's voice. "How kind of you to offer me your aid. I have quite a lot to carry I'm afraid."

Sunset smiled. "Don't worry about it. We all need a little help here and there. I'm Sunset Shimmer, by the way." She offered her hand to shake.

The figure accepted her hand. "And my name is Zecora. Nice to meet you Sunset. I'm a traveling shaman, although i lost my wares in a bet."

"What kind of bet?" Sunset asked. Surely it wasn't worth her entire livelihood?

"A bet with the devil himself I'm sad to say. It is one I still regret to this day. In exchange for my survival of all this chaos, I'm afraid all my possessions had to be lost. Now I roam in search of my scattered things, hoping and praying I find something."

"Who would do such a thing?" Sunset asked, appalled.

"A man with no room for remorse in his heart. He lives for fun, and tears order apart. In the shadows he does lurk. I can assure you, all of this is his work. Like a dragon he holds his own hoard, a man with greed beyond end, named Discord."

This name seemed to strike a chord with Sunset, and a scowl crossed her face, even as she easily carried the cauldron full of knick knacks and trinkets.

"Friend, why do you scowl so. It is as if I talk of someone you know." Zecora asks with a worried look

"Yeah, you could say we have... a bit of a history with each other." Sunset answered, still scowling, which was soon replaced with as she asked, "Where do you want this?"

"You can place it anywhere you wish, I simply needed time to gather my strength for something like this."

"I see..." Sunset said, placing it down in the center of the path.

Zecora spoke again. "I will be able to carry this on my own, now that I have the strength to make my way alone. You, however, look prepared for a quest. Will you travel the lands and rid us of this pest?"

Sunset turned away and smiled, looking over her shoulder as she walked away, waving. "That's the plan!"

With that said she turned back to face ahead of her, looking up to the sky, Where a misshapen cloud stared back at her.

'Discord... I'm coming for you, so be ready."

Author's Note

You're down to 89/100 health.

By defeating Midnight, you earned 1000 apples.

These can be used in the story's newest mechanic, Traveling Shaman!

Here you can upgrade your weapons, and their abilities! As well as buy healing items!

By defeating Midnight, you've earned new Abilities

Dark Magic: Enhance your attacks with magic to make them stronger!
Current: 50
Magic:75
You can also create portals to trap enemies, and return to previously visited locations. (This will take you back to Zecora's shop.)

Currently available locations: Ponyville

From this point forward, you will have a choice to make. However, since you haven't unlocked all of her abilities, the only choices you have right now are, where mission 2 starts, which style she should make use of in mission 2, and which boss she should fight in mission 2, if any at all.

(Discord will act as the environmental part of the game. Basically any part that involves puzzles and or secret missions.)

Ponyville
The Main 6-
Twilight Sparkle
~~Midnight Sparkle~~
Rainbow Dash
Rainbow (Factory) Dash
Apple Jack
Rarity
Nightmare Rarity
Pinkie Pie
Pinkamena
Fluttershy
Spike
Spike (Greed)

The CMC-(You can choose just one, two, or all three.)
Scootaloo
Sweetie Belle
Apple Bloom

Side Characters
Big Mac
Vinyl Scratch
Snips and Snails
Derpy

Canterlot
Celestia
Luna
Daybreaker
Nightmare Moon

The Crystal Empire
Cadence
Shining Armor
Flurry Heart
Sombra

The Badlands
Thorax
Chrysalis

Griffonstone
Gilda

The Dragon Lands
Ember
Garble
Torch
(The voting closes at 12:00 P.M. tomorrow.)

Mission 2- An Apple Rodeo

Author's Note

Yay, longer chapter!
You're down to 50/100 health
After defeating AJ, you gain 2000 apples, making 3000 in total.
After defeating AJ, you gain a new weapon:
Big Red- Gauntlets/Boots that give your attacks more strength. Allows more Apples to be gained during battle.
You guys know the drill and how this works. You know what to vote on and how to vote on it, so i'll let you get started.

Currently available locations: Ponyville

From this point forward, you will have a choice to make. However, since you haven't unlocked all of her abilities, the only choices you have right now are, where mission 3 starts, which style she should make use of in mission 3, and which boss she should fight in mission 3, if any at all.

(Discord will act as the environmental part of the game. Basically any part that involves puzzles and or secret missions.)

Ponyville
The Main 6-
Twilight Sparkle
~~Midnight Sparkle~~
Rainbow Dash
Rainbow (Factory) Dash
Apple Jack
Rarity
Nightmare Rarity
Pinkie Pie
Pinkamena
Fluttershy
Spike
Spike (Greed)

The CMC-(You can choose just one, two, or all three.)
Scootaloo
Sweetie Belle
Apple Bloom

Side Characters
Big Mac
Vinyl Scratch
Snips and Snails
Derpy

Canterlot
Celestia
Luna
Daybreaker
Nightmare Moon

The Crystal Empire
Cadence
Shining Armor
Flurry Heart
Sombra

The Badlands
Thorax
Chrysalis

Griffonstone
Gilda

The Dragon Lands
Ember
Garble
Torch
(The voting closes at 12:00 P.M. tomorrow.)

Mission 2- An Apple Rodeo

As she made her way through Ponyville, looking to leave and widen her search, Sunset found herself unable to get her mind off the state of Sweet Apple Acres.

Why was it destroyed, when all the rest of the homes seemed in tact, if a little worse for wear.

Fluttershy's house was old and burned, but other than a few broken windows and a boarded up door, it was fine. Rarity's roof had been ripped clean off, and its decorative support poles were gone, but it was otherwise unharmed, and overall, Twilight's castle was just a mess.

So why? Why out of all the houses in Ponyville, was the Apple Family Barn the only one so broken?

It made her curious, and she figured maybe checking it out was something she could make time for.

She made her way over to the entrance to the once thriving orchard and went inside, walking through what was now a dead zone, in a very literal sense.

As she had noticed before, all the trees were dead. But now that she was closer, she could see that not only were all the trees dead, but all the animals in them as well.

From vampire fruit bats to regular squirrels, they were all dead. She quickened her pace to not have to be around so much death for a second longer.

Soon, she found her way to the wreckage of what was once the pride and joy of the Apple Family. Sweet Apple Acres.

She briefly considered rummaging through the rubble to see if she could find anything that would serve as a clue to finding Discord.

She ultimately decided against it when she remembered that this was Discord. If he didn't want to be found, she wasn't going to find him.

She soon changed her mind however, when she realized that unlike Twilight, AppleJack may have survived. And if there was any chance of her having done so, she would have to make sure by checking anyway. So without any further distractions she set to work, easily stripping away slab after slab of broken wood and shattered glass.

After quite a while of sifting through rubble, she was finally ready to give up. All she could see was a blank patch of singed dirt, the burn marks arranged in a circle.

A circle in the middle of which stood AppleJack's hat, completely fine, if a bit crumpled and covered in a layer of dirt.

She lifted the hat up and brushed it off, freeing it from the grip of the dust surrounding it. She coughed a bit at all the debris and stood, smiling as she stared at the hat, remembering her old friend.

The reminiscing soon stopped however, as the hat lifted into the air and glowed a golden color.

The glow brightened to the point where it hurt Sunset's eyes and she had to shield them from the light.

A sound followed after the light. A small, but slowing rising sound that began in the distance, but slowly got closer as time went on.

When the sound had reached it's peak volume, and the light had brightened enough to rival the sun, it instantly extinguished itself as if it was never there to begin with.

And when Sunset finally opened her eyes, what she saw, made her stare in shock. "A...Apple Jack?"

"Howdy, there, Sunset! Yup. It's me." The blonde haired girl smiled. "Thanks fer findin' my hat. I've been lookin' for it for a long time."

Sunset continued to stare in shock. "W-well, you're welcome but...how are you alive? Didn't Discord-"

"That no-good lousy varmint! I oughtta beat him to a pulp myself. " Apple Jack cut her off.

"What did he do?" Sunset asked.

"He came to Ponyville and used his chaos magic to trap the residents in some kinda other dimension, or somethin'! I swear when I get my hands on him!"

"Wait, wait. So, you're all okay? You're not dead?"

"Why, heavens no, Sunset! We're just trapped. Can't figure a way to get out for the life of us either." Apple Jack answered with a wave of her hand as if to dismiss the question.

Sunset sighed. 'That's a load off my back...'

"Now, you listen here, Sunset. I have a favor to ask." Apple Jack suddenly said.

"You don't even have to ask. I'll free you girls from Discord in no time!" Sunset gave a thumbs up.

"Now that's what I like to hear! But, do ya really think ya have what it takes? He's pretty powerful, ya know?"

"Well, so am I!" Sunset smiled.

"I think I'm gonna need a bit more than words to convince me, Sunset. How about...a demonstration?" Apple Jack smirked.

"Fine. If that's what you want!" Sunset removed Redemption from its scabbard and lunged at AJ, the blonde countering with her own attack, bright red gauntlets and boots covering her hands and feet.

The two struggled against each other for a moment before Apple Jack broke loose and struck her in the stomach, sending her flying into the orchard, where she landed on her back.

"Don't tell me that's all the strength you have Sunset! If that's all then you'll never be able to beat Discord!"

"I'm not done yet!" Sunset yelled back as she rushed forward, clashing with Apple Jack's gauntlets again. The two traded blows for a while before it was Sunset's turn to fight back. She jumped high into the air and came down hard upon Apple Jack, causing her to have to block with her own weapons, only to still be sent skidding back a few feet. Sunset followed the attack up with another rush...

"That's more like it, Sunset!" AJ grinned as she watched Sunset charge her, only to fall over as AJ tripped her, followed by two quick jabs to the stomach and face, and a full fledged haymaker to the jaw that sent her flying back into the forest yet again. But AJ didn't stop there.

She rushed over to Sunset, reared back her fist, jumped high into the air, and returned Sunset's earlier strike with one of her own. The force of her attack caused the ground to crack around them to the point where it actually crumbled away and made a hole in the ground where they stood.

Luckily, Sunset blocked it with the flat of Redemption's blade, and so was able to stave off most of the damage, but she still got thrown back further into the woods, much to her dismay.

"Come on, Sunset! Is that really all ya got! You can't even beat me let alone a god!" AJ put her hands on her hips. She was actually getting worried for Sunset. If she was doing this badly against just her, how would she fare against the stronger enemies out there. Would she be able to win if it came down to life of death?

'I really hope she doesn't hate me for this...'

Then, to her surprise, Sunset moved. At first, it was just a twitch of her finger, then, slowly, she started to move more and more, up to where she could finally move her legs again. She picked her self up off the ground, panting and using her sword as a cane to keep herself propped up. Apple Jack could do nothing more than grin, crossing her arms in pride at how tenacious she was. "That a girl, Sunset..." She got into a stance. "Now come at me."

Sunset obliged her silent request by standing up straight and brandishing her blade. "Now, it's my turn, AJ! No more holding back!"

"I wouldn't have it any other way!" AJ yelled back, grin still one her face.

Sunset rushed forward, her sword at the ready.

'This again?' AJ was just confused at this point. Why use the same strategy as before when the last two times didn't work?

However, in her musings, she failed to notice Sunset pulling out her pistols, Nero and Bianca, and firing off shot after shot in her direction.

She barely had enough time to cover her face before they could reach her, and they bounced off her gauntlets, some of them bouncing off at odd angles. One of them hit her left leg and she cried out in pain, dropping to one knee.

Sunset kept firing, and soon AppleJack could only defend with one arm. When AJ looked over her arm to check if Sunset was still there, she was surprised to see taht she was gone.

She looked up to see Sunset running up a tree and jumping behind her, where she slashed her back from the right shoulder blade and down in a diagonal motion, reaching the small of her back.

It was AJ's turn to hit the ground as she cried out in pain again.

After this, Sunset stood above her a grin of her own. "Looks like I got you one the ground this time, huh?"

"Yeah, you got me." Aj admitted. "But it's not over yet!" Aj then started to rise up from her prone position on hthe ground, holding her shoulder and wincing in pain.

'Wow, she's tough!' Sunset thought as she took a few steps back in shock. But she soon steeled herself and readied her sword again as AJ charged her, launching punch after heavy punch at her.

She was forced to block with her sword, and even then she was still forced to step back a few feet. All of this and AJ was only using one hand.

Sunset narrowly dodged a strike aimed for her face, which went through the faimly shed, which was amazingly still standing after all that happened.

Sunset took a moment to admire, in terror, the sheer force it must've took to break the wood, even if it was old.

"Where're you looking?" She quickly dodged another punch aimed directly at her and jumped over AJ before anymore damage could be done.

Sunset landed on her feet and responded with a slash of her own, which AJ easily dodged with a backwards jump, and the two clashed again, struggling for dominance.

This time it was Sunset's turn to jump back, as AJ won the struggle and launched her fist forwards.

For a moment the two stayed like that , just staring each other down with menacing glares. Then, finally, when they felt there were ready, they charged each other.

Mighty battle cries rang out as the two rushed each other, each hoping to end the fight with this last attack.

And with that, the two fighters take the other's position, breathing heavily and simply waiting for the other to fall.

In the end it was apple Jack who lost, blood spewing from a new wound across her front, her arm outstretched all the way up until she began her descent to the ground.

Sunset meanwhile, propped herself up on her sword and looked back at Apple Jack, who lay in a bloody heap upon the ground.

"So, how did I do?" Sunset asked, a nervous smile on her face.

Apple Jack could do nothing more than smile and give a thumbs up before passing out, her spirit fading into particles along with the hat.

Sunset held up a fist in victory and went on to catch her breath. When she was finally in control of her heartbeat, she looked around for anything else that may have been around that she missed, only to see two things laying right where AJ just was:

A pair of Bright red and gold gauntlets, and a pair of Red and gold boots.

'These must've been AJ's. Guess i'll take them now, since she doesn't need them.'

Sunset grabbed up the items and walked away, putting her sword back in its scabbard and her pistols back in their holsters.

She was about to to walk away, only to see the two things glow brightly in her hands and disappear in a shower of red sparks into her blade.

She shook out her hands and made her way into the Everfree Forest, looking to exit Ponyville for a new place. It was time to leave.

'Time to get back on track. Discord, here I come.'