Sunset Shimmer, a redeemed villain, a friend of everyone's, and just an all around nice girl. She would help anyone in need, she knew how to crack a joke or two and she was amazing at guitar!
Problem is, she has quite an easy temper and nobody really knows why... but Sunset sure as hell knows why.
It was a lovely summer morning. Sunset was still sleeping in her bed with her magenta pajamas on. She looked very peaceful. Like nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing at all...
"RISE AND SHINE, HOT CAKES!" a voice shouted.
Sunset shot up, now sitting on her bed barely awake. "What? Who...?" She then saw the figure that awoke her just standing at the end of her bed. "Oh... right." She rubbed at her eyes, fixing her tired and blurry eyes. "Why have you got to do this every morning? Can't I just have a lazy morning for once?"
The person that awoke Sunset laughed maniacally. "You could, but that could mess with your sleep schedule. You don't wanna be late for things, do you?!"
This 'person' was none other than Sunset’s demon self, fittingly named 'Demon Shimmer'. Her appearance was rather different than when she first tried to take over. She was now the spitting image of Sunset. Now being her exact height and with her hair down, looking like a more frazzled version of Sunset's hairstyle.
Though, some things never changed: her skin was a crimson red, her eyes were deep black, she had fangs, pointy ears and she had a pair of wings. Instead of the fire patterned dress she wore at the Fall Formal, she now wore a plain black shirt and a leather jacket similar to Sunset's except it had more spikes, a pair of fingerless gloves to reveal the claws she still had, a pair of black jeans and a pair of black boots. Long story short, she was a goth Sunset Shimmer.
After Demon Shimmer was blasted in the face by a rainbow, she never really left Sunset. After the Fall Formal, she was reincarnated into her own separate entity. The thing was, only Sunset could see her. Which Demon Shimmer didn't complain about, but that's a whole different story for Sunset.
"What 'things' exactly?" Sunset asked, alright pretty damn annoyed. "There's not really anything happening today."
Demon Shimmer's smile didn't fade. "You never know, Shimmer, your phone could go off with a surprise hang out invite."
Sunset cocked an eyebrow at her demon counterpart. "That's ridiculous. There's no way my friends would just make a-"
Her phone vibrated.
Demon Shimmer's smile only widened. "You got a text," she said ominously.
Sunset looked at her phone. She slowly moved her hand towards it. She picked it up off of her nightstand and turned it on. She, in fact, did get a text... from Pinkie Pie. Sunset gulped and opened the text.
hi sunset! u wanna hang out today?
10:11
It was at this moment that Demon Shimmer went into a huge fit of laughter. Not only was she annoying, she could see into the freakin' future! Well, not really. That was just a coincidence, but still...
Sunset grunted and hurled a pillow at the demon. Unfortunately, yet unsurprisingly, it just went through her. She buried herself under her covers and slammed herself back down on her bed, praying Demon Shimmer would just go away.
Although, Sunset's act of getting away only made Demon grin. She walked over to Sunset's bed and began poking her. Despite the fact that Demon was invisible, she could still touch Sunset and Sunset could touch her, but nothing else could touch her, not other people, not even inanimate objects. For example, that pillow.
"Get up, get up, get up, get up," Demon kept saying, still poking Sunset. "Get up, get up, get up-"
"OKAY!" Sunset suddenly exploded. "I'm getting up! God!"
Demon gasped loudly. "Sunset Shimmer! Watch your language!"
Sunset gave Demon a dirty look. "Oh, shut up, you edgy ketchup bottle."
Demon shrugged and kept her smile. "Okay, one: racist. And two: call me what you want, it's the same as looking in the mirror and saying the same thing."
"Not listening! You don't exist!" Sunset said loudly, plugging her ears and climbing out of bed.
Sunset walked down the stairs and then into her kitchen. She looked out a bowl, milk and a box of chocolate balls cereal. She poured out a bowl and took it to her couch. Spoon in hand, she dipped it into the bowl, scooped out a few chocolate balls and began to eat. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Demon pouting at her.
She tried to ignore her, but that only made her counterpart somehow pout harder. Swallowing another mouthful of balls, she turned to Demon.
"What is it?" she asked blankly.
Demon replaced her pout with a disappointed expression. "You pour yourself a bowl of cereal and not even offer me one." She scoffed. "The very nerve of some people, honestly."
Sunset stared at her blankly. "I'm not even going to respond to that. We both knew exactly why I didn't offer a bowl."
"Because you hate me?"
"That, and you can't touch inanimate objects, so..." Sunset ate another scoop to annoy Demon for a change. It didn't work.
Sunset finished her breakfast and began getting ready. Problem was that whenever she was trying to get ready, Demon never had enough decency to give her privacy. Getting changed, Demon was there. Shower, Demon was there and wouldn't leave. She always makes Sunset's life a living hell. To her, Demon was like the really annoying sister that she never had.
Later...
Sunset was walking through the streets to her friends' usual meet up spot. Demon was following behind her, floating with the wings she still had.
"We going to Coinky-Dink again?" Demon asked, moaning. "Like we do everytime when you're meeting with your friends which feels like everyday?"
"Yes, we are going to the diner again, because it's a good diner and we like it," Sunset told her counterpart, not even glancing back at her.
"Doesn't it ever feel... ya know, repetitive at all? Going to the exact same place? Ordering the exact same food? Gossiping over the exact same-"
"Would you please be quiet!" Sunset interrupted. "I get it, you don't like the diner, but we do and you can't stop us!"
"I never said I hated the diner. I mean, how could I? I've never really tried any of their meals."
"Then why are you complaining so much if you don't hate it?" Sunset began to realise that her voice started to sound quite angry.
Somehow, Demon was seeming much more annoying than usual today. Demon was well aware Sunset has a bad temper, so perhaps Demon was planning on truly breaking Sunset today just for the hell of it. That's all she ever does things for anyway.
They both approached the diner door and before Sunset stepped inside, she turned to Demon and gave her a serious look.
"When we step inside, promise me you'll behave this time," Sunset told her. "I don't want to suddenly almost explode at my friends again because of you."
Demon put a hand on her non-existent heart and raised the other. "I promise, I'll be an angel despite the fact that I'm literally a demon."
A smile formed on Sunset's face. "Good. Now let's go."
They then both stepped inside the diner, and as soon as the door closed...
"The Earth's flat," Demon suddenly said.
Sunset stopped dead in her tracks as she felt her anger levels suddenly shoot right up. Her eyes had turned into pinpricks and almost felt like blowing up. She saw that her friends noticed her. So, she immediately turned around and went back outside, Demon followed behind her.
"What did I just say?!" Sunset fumed. "You promised you'd behave!"
"What? I didn't even do anything. I'm just expressing my beliefs," Demon said, grinning. "It's not my fault you can't handle the truth."
Sunset was about to respond with a really heated argument, but decided against it as she knew her friends were staring at her through the window. She didn't want to look like an idiot today. She tried a breathing technique Twilight taught her and went back inside.
Sunset forced a smile and waved at her friends.
"What just happened there?" Rainbow Dash asked.
Sunset took her seat next to Fluttershy and looked at them all weirdly. "What?" She tried to play dumb.
"You walked in, then walked back out and it looked like you were talking to someone," Rainbow explained. "That's 'What'."
"Busted," Demon said to Sunset.
Sunset then laughed nervously and rubbed the back of her neck. "Oh! That? Hehe. That was nothing."
"Ya sure?" Applejack jumped in. "Din't look like nuthin'. You looked like ya were 'bout to burst into flames back there." She pointed to the entrance.
"Trust me, it's fine." Sunset was struggling to hold her smile. She picked up a menu from the middle of the table. "Now, what's everyone ordering?"
No one else took a menu. They all just gave Sunset a confusing look.
"Now you've gone and done it," Demon whispered closely to Sunset.
Then Sunset forced her mouth closed. She was now on the brink of a huge anger fit. Eyes now twitching, she stood up and breathed deeply. "Would you all please excuse me? I'll be right back," Sunset said as calm as she could.
She left the table and made her way into the bathroom. She shut the door behind her and suddenly her breaths became very hard and clearly filled with anger.
Demon looked down at her and laughed. "You seem angry, Sunset," she pointed out as if it wasn't obvious. "You wanna talk about it?"
Instead of exploding like Demon was intending for her to do, Sunset began laughing. It was fine at first but it turned into a psychotic laugh only seconds in.
"Are you trying to make me go insane?!" Sunset shouted, eyes wide with fury. "Are you seriously trying to make me go wild in front of my friends?!"
Demon was taken back by Sunset's fury. "Geez, Sunset, calm down a little. I'm only trying to have some fun."
"You..." She laughed again. "You call this fun?! Putting me on the brink of insanity?! That's what you call fun?!"
Demon shrugged. "Yeah, pretty much," she said innocently.
"...You're unbelievable, you know that?" Sunset pointed out. "You are so God damn unbelievable!"
"And you look so funny when you're really mad at me." Demon's voice never changed from that innocent but still evil kind of tone.
Sunset literally growled at Demon. Her face was turning red with anger. But she tried the breathing technique once more and maintained a little bit of composure.
"Just... why? Why are you doing this to me? Why can't you just let me live a normal, non anger filled life?"
Demon's grin widened. "Like I said, I have fun. Yeah, it's a sick way of having fun, but that's what makes it the more entertaining for me. I'm a demon version of you. What good do you expect from me?"
"A little more than what you're currently giving me!" Sunset said through clenched teeth. "Now, would you please just stay quiet for, at least, until we go home?!"
Demon then frowned, crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "I'm not promising anything, but I'll do my best."
"And I'm not trusting you but okay." Sunset took an extra few deep breathes before opening the bathroom door. She still wasn't feeling too good but also she didn't feel too far on edge.
She took her seat again and, this time, ignored the looks her friends were giving her. Sunset hid her face behind a menu.
"Umm... Sunset?" Rarity called with a worried look. "Are feeling okay at all? You seem very... heated today."
"I already said I'm fine," Sunset replied, more harsh than she was intending.
Rarity was taken back by her response. Her face almost immediately turned serious as she pulled the menu away from Sunset. "Sunset, just tell us what's happened. There's clearly something troubling you."
Sunset slid down her seat and grumbled.
"Sunset, you're acting like a child. Just tell us what happened, we'll understand, right girls?" Rarity turned to face everyone else at the table. Everyone else nodded.
Sunset ignored them all.
Twilight then stood up and carefully made her way past the other girls and out of the table. She went over to Sunset and shook her shoulder. Sunset turned to face the spectacled girl.
Twilight smiled at her. "Come with me," she whispered. "There's something I want to show you."
Sunset, confused, stood up and, along with Demon, followed Twilight outside. Once the front door closed, there was a moment of silence.
"What is it you wanted to show me, Twilight?" Sunset asked, breaking the silence.
"I know why you're angry," Twilight responded.
Sunset was then surprised. Did she really know why she was mad? "How?" was all she could say now.
"Because the same thing's happening to me. You can't see her, but standing right beside me right now is Midnight Sparkle."
Sunset's eyes widened. "You really do know... How does she still exist?"
Twilight shrugged. "I've tried asking her but she never tells me. Though, I do have a theory. After the Elements of Harmony saved us from our monster selves, the elements reincarnated them into a ghost only we can see to remind us of our mistakes and encourage us to never make them again," she explained. "I know the same thing's happening to you because Midnight is the same to me as your evil form is to you. Annoying."
"But how come you're still so cool after it all?"
Twilight laughed. "Oh, believe me, I'm not! You have no idea how much anger has been kept inside me ever since Camp Everfree. I'm just different because it's no surprise to anyone that you have a temper."
Sunset blushed and laughed embarrassingly. "Well... you're not wrong there."
"Yikes, she really is a smart one. You're bi, right, Sunset? Why haven't you gone for her yet?" Demon asked teasingly, nudging Sunset's shoulder.
"Shut up, Demon!" Sunset almost shouted.
"Demon?" Twilight asked. "Is that her name?"
Sunset sighed. "Yeah, Demon Shimmer. It was a nickname for me that went around not long after the Fall Formal, so that's just what I've been calling her the whole time."
"Although, I can't nearly compare to what you almost pulled off at the Friendship Games," Demon said to no one.
"You know Twilight can't see or hear you, right?" Sunset told to Demon.
"I know! I wasn't talking to Twilight."
"Oh, stop it. You're gonna make me blush!" Midnight fanned herself.
Twilight stared confusingly at her demon counterpart then was hit by a realisation. Her eyes widened at the thought. "Sunset... I think our counterparts can see each other."
Now Sunset's eyes widened again. "Wait, what?" She looked back at Demon. "Were you able to see and talk to Midnight Sparkle the whole time?"
"Pfft. Yeah, and let me just say that she is so much more fun than you are," Demon said, poking a pointy finger into Sunset's chest. "She's the only that really accepts my sense of humour."
"But how come we've never noticed this?"
"There are moments when you just don't realise we're both gone, ain't that right, Sparkle?" Demon looked over to Midnight.
Midnight laughed evilly. "Yup! Sometimes, when you and your little round up gang are doing your own thing, Shimmer and I sometimes just sit off at the side and catch up a bit," she explained to Twilight. "And let me tell ya, she's a riot, that demoness!" Her maniacal laugh continued.
Sunset looked at Twilight worryingly. "I don't know if it's a good or bad thing we know of this now," she said.
Twilight smiled nervously. "I'm going to say... very bad!"
"Oh, trust us, it is!" both demons said in unison before both going into a huge fit of laughter.