Re:Zero - Restarting Life As A Demonby TwiShy69ChaptersChapter 0Chapter Re:0 - The Witch CultistsDreams of FriendshipChapter 0"...I was bluffing when I said I was going to destroy the portal." Sunset Shimmer said while in her demonic looking form. "I don't want to rule this pathetic little high school; I want Equestria! And with my own little teenage army behind me, I am going to get it!" Mind controlled students just slowly approached the portal that Sunset Shimmer was leading them to. But Twilight Sparkle stood tall, not backing down. "No, you're not!" She retorted. "Oh, please!" Sunset exclaimed. "What exactly do you think you're going to do to stop me? I have magic, and you have nothing!" "She has us!" Rainbow exclaimed, standing with Twilight as the others followed. Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but laugh at the sight before her. "Gee, the gang really is all back together again…" As she said that, she started to form a magical fire ball in her hands. "Now step aside! Twilight has tried to interfere with my plans one too many times already! She needs to be dealt with!" Sunset exclaimed before launching the fireball at Twilight. As soon as she did, Twilight's friends all came together and huddled tightly before the attack landed, causing an explosion. When it did, Sunset just laughed, believing she had succeeded… but when the smoke cleared, she could see that the six girls were completely unharmed and surrounded by a purple aura. "What!?" Sunset exclaimed in disbelief. At first, Twilight was just as surprised as Sunset was… but she soon realized what this meant. "The magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those that helped create it!" Just as she said this, the crown that was on Sunset Shimmer's head started reacting, and the forms of Twilight Sparkle and her friends started to change. "Honesty! Kindness! Laughter! Generosity! Loyalty! And Magic!" Twilight exclaimed as all six of them began levitating in the air; all of them having transformed with pony ears, longer ponytails, and some of them with wings. "Together with the crown, they create a power beyond anything you could imagine, but it is a power you don't have the ability to control! The crown may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer, but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all: the magic of friendship!" Just then, a rainbow-like beam shot at Sunset Shimmer, engulfing her in a spiral of rainbow. "No!" Sunset screamed. "What is happening?!" "Here and in Equestria, it is the only magic that can truly unite us all!" Twilight exclaimed… Unknown to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, however, something was going on inside of Sunset. Sunset suddenly felt an intense sharp pain in her chest… it was as if something was clutching onto her heart. Sunset soon found herself screaming; writhing in agony. W-what is this…!? It feels like I'm having a heart attack…!! Sunset thought to herself. One of Twilight's friends took notice of this as soon as she sensed it. "T-Twilight! Something's wrong!!" Pinkie exclaimed. "What??" Twilight exclaimed, stopping the beam all together… When the magic dispersed, the six girls quickly ran over to the crater that the element of harmony created. But what they saw completely disturbed them all to their core. Lying in the crater, motionless was Sunset Shimmer who was reverted back to her normal human form… but had her hand clutched onto her chest. Her eyes were frozen in fear and shock with tears that ran down her face. But the most disturbing of the sight had to be the blood that was coming from her mouth. "N-no… No NO NO!!" Twilight screamed jumping into the crater, near Sunset's body. "Sunset please…! PLEASE GET UP!!" She screamed trying anything she could to revive her. Rainbow quickly jumped in after. "Move over!" Rainbow exclaimed. She went up to Sunset's body, placing both her hands on her chest, pressing on it hard. Over and over. "Come on Sunset!!" Twilight just stared at Sunset's body in horror before falling to her knees. "N-no… the elements of harmony… they aren't supposed to do this…!" Twilight stammered with tears starting to form in her eyes. Rainbow kept doing her best at trying to revive her… after some time, she stopped and placed her ear on her chest to check for a heart beat… but there was nothing. "I don't think I can do anything else…" Rainbow said starting to tremble a bit. "She's… dead…" "N-no… NOOOOOOO!!" … … … . . . Where… Where am I…? The last thing I remember was Twilight and her friends using the elements of harmony… other than that-- Suddenly Sunset had a flashback to when she was writhing in pain. That's right… something inside me was causing me to feel a lot of pain… what in Equestria even was it? …Hang on, why can't I open my eyes or move? "She certainly is an odd one…" said a male voice I didn't recognize. ...Odd? I can't be that strange… Wait who even is that?? "And have you ever seen hair colored like that? So bizzare…" said another unfamiliar voice. Now they're making fun of my hair? Really? "It doesn't matter what she looks like…" another voice said, female this time. "I'm sure she'll grow into an extraordinary demon." … … … What did she just say…!? Sunset thought to herself before slowly forcing her eyes open. When she did, she could see a few people in front of her. She looked around and could see that she was in an old looking house. She saw that there were two men and one woman in front of her. What's going!? Where's Canterlot High!? She tried to open her mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was her own crying. ...Why can't I speak!? Is that me crying!? "Look, she opened her eyes!" a female voice said cheerfully… Sunset stopped crying and turned her head toward a woman who was holding Sunset in her arms… at the same time, Sunset focused her attention on the two glowing horns that were on the woman's head. "You have beautiful eyes, Rina…" R-Rina…? Who's Rina? Is she talking about me…? Sunset said to herself in her mind before she physically started crying again. "Don't worry, there is nothing to fear…" The woman holding Sunset said, trying to comfort her. Nothing to fear!? There's plenty to be freaked out about! Where is everyone I actually know!? As Sunset was trying to grasp her situation, the woman who was carrying her stood up and walked outside with her. Sunset Shimmer was soon met with a bunch of people that she had never seen before. Looking around even further, it looked like she was in a small village. Okay… calm down Sunset… think back! What exactly happened that brought you here?? Sunset thought to herself. Unfortunately, she was unable to keep her train of thought for long as other people started approaching her. "She is very beautiful, Kira." said one of the men in the village. "What will you name this child?" "I've already given her the name Rina." Kira nodded with a smile. But I already have a name!! My name is Sunset Shimmer!! Sunset thought to herself, unable to keep her cool. Suddenly out of nowhere, Sunset could feel a surge of some sort coming out of her… and before she knew it, the woman who calls herself Kira held Sunset tightly into her arms. The only thing that Sunset could see was Kira and a spiral of fire that surrounded them. "You're… a-already able to use your magic…?" Kira let out. My… magic…? Wait, is she saying that I'm the one who made this fire!? I need to stop! I need to calm down!! But instead of calming down, Sunset just panicked even more. When she did, the flames that were surrounding the two only grew. "Huma!" Shouted a male voice from outside the fire. Just then, a water like barrier surrounded the two before it was released on top of them, soaking them both. After that, the fire seemed to have stopped. Looking around to see where the voice came from, Sunset could see a man with dark purple hair as well as two glowing horns coming out of his head approaching them. "That was incredible…" said the man. "She's able to use her magic like that at such a young age?" "It's astonishing…" Kira said holding Sunset up. "It's still not be as impressive is your daughter, Ram though… She's able to use powerful wind magic with just a single horn." "Even so, your daughter's potential can't be ignored… I'm certain that one day she will grow strong and make our race proud." Hearing these words, Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but struggle and flail wildly trying to get out of Kira's hold. "H-hey!" Kira exclaimed. "What's gotten into you??" She said before finally putting Sunset down onto the ground. Looking scared, Sunset just kept darting her eyes around at everyone around her. This isn't right… No, this isn't right; I shouldn't be here!! Sunset screamed in her mind trying to crawl away. However, as she started crawling, she stopped when she saw something glowing nearby. She looked down at the puddle that was created only moments ago. She could see in her reflection that she had been reduced to the size and age of an infant.. her hair color was still the same, but her eyes were red. She also noticed that her skin was more pale than it was when she was in Canterlot High… but the things that stood out the most were the two glowing horns that were sticking out of her head. . . . WHAT IS GOING ON!?!? Sunset screamed in her head as she physically held a freaked out expression on her face. "That's odd…" The male said. "What do you mean?" Kira asked. "I mean just look at her… it's like she's terrified of her own reflection." he responded. That's because I am terrified!! "On top of that, I don't think I've ever seen someone's child trying to get away from their mother after birth…" he added. Mother…? Sunset thought to herself, looking back at Kira. Child…? Birth…? "T-Twilight! Something's wrong!!" "N-no… No NO NO!! Sunset please…! PLEASE WAKE UP!! … "She's… dead…" Suddenly Sunset fell over, passing out. "Rina!!" Kira exclaimed. ______________________________________ Dead… I… I died…? I'm a demon… Am I… in Hell…? . . . No… no this is something else… I know I'm not dead now. I feel as alive as I did before… Was I just reborn? . . . Sunset slowly opened her eyes again, only to find that she was back inside that small house she originally woke up in. "It looks like she's waking up again… thank goodness…" Kira sighed in relief as she held Sunset. "Maybe you should stay inside with her for the rest of the night…" the male from earlier said… only this time he was accompanied by two little girls who looked no more than two years old. Their faces looked identical but one had blue hair and blue eyes while the other had pink hair and red eyes. Both of them were looking right at me. "Maybe you're right… I have no idea what's gotten into her." Kira nodded. If I were able to speak, I'd tell you!! Sunset thought to herself. But who am I kidding… No one would believe me even if I could speak… Is this my punishment for how bad I was? Sunset continued to ponder this while Kira and the male were conversing. Or… was I given another chance? . . . Another chance… a new life… starting over as a baby… Maybe this really is my second chance at a better life… but… She stopped her thought process to look at everyone in the room again. ...Why as a demon? Is this supposed to be some sort of sick irony? She started thinking again. Well whatever the case may be… I have to do my best to adjust to this new life… this new world… I just wish I could go back and tell everyone that I was sorry… ______________________________________ 5 Years later… "...Huma!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed before calling forth a barrier of fire around her. "Look at her… she's getting better everyday." One of the male villagers commented to another. "It's like she came out of the womb and knew how to cast magic right away." "Well you saw what she did the day she was born, right?" "Yeah… Still kind of hard to believe. And I saw it first hand!" the other man said before laughing. While other demons were observing 'Rina's' ability, Sunset Shimmer mostly stayed focused while holding the Huma spell. It's been five years already… and so far I've learned how to walk, speak, read and write their strange language… which is odd considering the way we speak is the same. I've learned a few basic fire magic spells as well. Despite it being different from Equestrian magic, my past experiences with magic as a whole helped me learn this new magic fairly easily. Another thing I learned is that Mana is basically one's life force… If I completely drain myself, there's the chance that I'll end up dead… again. Frankly, I'd rather stay as far away as possible from situations that puts my new life at risk. Sunset thought to herself. Can't say that I don't miss the kind of magic I could do in my world… Teleportation… levitation… All the simple things. Sunset stopped her train of thought when she noticed Ram and Rem walking by. The two shared a glance at Sunset before continuing on their way. Sunset just sighed remembering the words of a pony she knew in her previous life. "The magic of friendship…" Sunset said to herself. "Maybe it's time I actually start trying to make friends here…" With that, Sunset stopped using Huma and started following the twins to see where they were going. "I know they're two years older than me." In this world. "...But I'm sure we can get along." Following the two, Sunset was lead to a sort of pond… at first she just stayed behind a bit to see what they were doing. The blue haired one walked up to the water and attempted to use water magic… however she is unable to keep the spell going for long. "Don't worry Rem. Just keep practicing." Ram said to her twin sister. "But sissy… what if I can never use magic like you can? Everyone in the village adores you… when they see our family, you're the first one they turn their attention to." Rem responded looking down. "Just because the demons in the village have high expectations for me, it doesn't mean you can't improve your ability as well." Ram said before turning to Sunset Shimmer's attention. "How come you're following us?" Surprised that she had been seen so quickly, she just quickly approached the two. "S-sorry! I was just… curious about what you two were doing." Sunset giggled nervously. "...Rina." Ram started. "Y-yes, Ram?" "Don't you have your own important tasks to be focusing on? Seems like a waste of time to let your curiosity take over." "Well… to be honest, I really came over because I wanted to be your friend. Both of you." "What?" Ram asked a little surprised. "Both of us…?" Rem added. "You can't possibly mean that…" "Why wouldn't I?" Sunset asked a little confused by Rem's response. "Honestly… you remind me of someone else I used to know, Rem." Sunset Shimmer said referring to Fluttershy and her… well… shy personality. This time Ram just looked at me even more confused. "Aren't you five years old?" Whoops… right, I shouldn't talk about my past life… come on, think of something 'Rina'... "It's someone in my family… she used to visit us a lot but for some reason I don't see her anymore." Sunset responded. "I… guess that makes sense…" Rem responded. Sunset just looked at Rem for a moment. "If you need help with your magic Rem, I could help you out?" "But... don't you use fire magic?" "I do… but I learned that there are similar spells that work with both fire and water." Sunset replied. Rem just looked down and sighed. "Someone younger than me… is offering to help me improve my magic…" Ram just stepped in front of Sunset with a near emotionless expression. "Thank you for wanting to help, but I think you should just let us worry about it." "Oh… alright…" Sunset responded looking down for a moment. "Well… maybe we can be friends just for the sake of being friends then?" Sunset asked trying to regain her composure and hopefully not lose the trust of the two twins. Ram just stared at Sunset for a moment. "Why do you want to be our friend exactly?" Ram asked. "Well…" Sunset thought for a moment. "It was your father who stopped me from losing control when I was a baby, right?... M-my mother told me." "That's right. We were told that as well… he told us that if you weren't stopped right away, you might have burned the village down." Ram responded. "Eheheh… well I'm more used to my magic now so I promise that won't happen." Sunset chuckled nervously. I feel like I'm seriously striking out here… What kind of girls are they?? "So the reason you want to be friends with us… is because something our father did five years ago?" Ram asked. "N-not only that but I think that both our families can be closer too!" Sunset let out. Ram just looked at me closely again. "I guess that's true." She responded which made Sunset sigh in relief. "Alright… we can be your friend." Ram said which made her sister look a bit surprised. "Awesome!" Sunset cheered slightly. Sunset, not wanting to interfere with Rem's practice just stood by Ram and watched for now… although, Sunset sort of felt bad for Rem as she was struggling. She didn't want to upset her sister but she felt like she had to do something… ______________________________________ Later at Night… Sunset, rather than going to sleep that night, snuck out of her home while her mother and father were asleep. She did so by going through the window in her room. When she got out, she started making her way to where Rem and Ram were… but to her surprise, before she even got to the house, she could see Rem making her way to the pond where they spoke earlier. Weird… but at least this simplifies things for me. Sunset thought to herself before following Rem at a distance. Eventually Rem got to the pond. Sunset however stayed behind to observe what Rem was going to do. Suddenly Rem's horn came out and a pillar of water slowly started to rise out of the pond… only for it to come collapsing down soon after. Rem just sighed in disappointment. "Hi Rem." Sunset finally said which frightened the blue haired demon as she turned to Sunset. "Don't worry! It's only me." "Rina…? What are you doing here?" Rem asked. "I could ask you the same." I responded which made Rem look down for a moment. "I saw you walking outside all alone so I got worried." "...Why is a five year old worrying for me?" Ugh… this is so annoying! To be fair, it is true that I have the body of a five year old… But in reality, I have the mind of a 23 year old. "That's what… friends do for each other, right? They make sure their friend is okay." Sunset answered smiling a bit. Rem just looked at Sunset for a moment before turning back to the water. "I'm alright Rina… thank you though." She said before trying to make the pillar of water again… but just like before, it collapsed. "You know… I could still help you with your magic." Sunset said watching Rem practice. Rem just kept her face turned away from Sunset. "I don't understand… how can someone so young seem this experienced with magic…" "Honesty!" Twilight's voice suddenly rang in Sunset's mind. "...Rem… There's something I have to tell you… do you think you can keep a secret?" Sunset asked. Rem turned back to Sunset a little confused. "What is it Rina…?" Sunset just took a deep breath. "The reason I'm learning magic so easily is because before I was born, I was a--" . . . Suddenly, it was as if time had completely stopped for Sunset Shimmer. Everything except her mind was frozen. W-wait… what's going on…? She asked herself before feeling a sudden sharp pain in her chest. G-Guh…! What the heck is this…!? . . . Sunset then fell onto the ground, clutching her chest. "R-Rina!" Rem exclaimed running over to Sunset. "Are you okay!?" Sunset panted hard while holding onto her chest. Wait… no I felt that pain before… it was the same pain I felt right before I died…! "Rina…??" Rem slowly helped Sunset back to her feet. "I… Don't know what happened…" Sunset let out. "Come on, I'll help you get back home…" Rem said, starting to walk Sunset home. Eventually after a long silent walk, the two got to the door. Rem was the one who knocked on it. "Are you feeling better…?" "Yeah… I can stand." Sunset said as Rem slowly let go of her. "Thanks…" Soon the door in front of the two opened as they were met with a groggy woman, rubbing her eyes. "Do you have any idea how late it--... Rina!?" Kira exclaimed before looking over at Rem. "And… Rem?? what are you doing out this late!?" Kira exclaimed grabbing onto Sunsets arm forcefully. "You know how dangerous it is at night!" "I'm sorry mother… I… I was just…" Sunset stammered. "She was worried about me…" Rem finished. "What do you mean?" Kira asked still holding her grip on Sunset. "She saw me leaving my house alone… so she followed me because she was worried." Kira just looked down at Sunset, still looking a bit mad. "Next time you see something, tell me or your father… is that understood?" "Yes mother…" Sunset nodded before Kira let go of her. Sunset looked over at Rem who was just giving her a serious expression… before slowly smiling, giggling slightly. Sweet Celestia, she actually smiled… Sunset thought to herself before smiling as well. "As for you." Kira said to Rem. "You better get back home before your family notices you're missing." "Alright… I'm sorry for making you worry, Rina." Rem said to Sunset before starting to walk home. "...Where did you go, exactly?" Kira asked Sunset, giving her an unchanged serious expression. "Well… I saw Rem going to the pond nearby and that's where I followed her…" Sunset answered. "Just the pond…?" "Yeah… why?" "You reek…" "Wait, huh?" Sunset asked tilting her head. "You reek of the witch's scent…" Kira added. "...Witch's scent?" Sunset asked. That's the first time I'm hearing about this… "Hmm…" Kira thought to herself for a moment. "I'll tell you more about it in the morning… for now, get some sleep." "Yes mother…" Sunset nodded before running to her room with Kira looking at her intently. Sunset made her way to her room and just got into her bed, going under the covers. I wonder what she's talking about… Sunset thought to herself before closing her eyes to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Sunset!! Please get up!!" Twilight... "She can't really be dead… can she…?" Rarity... "What in tarnation are we supposed to do!?" Applejack... "As horrible as she was… e-even she didn't deserve this…" Fluttershy… "We have to tell someone!! We can't just leave her like this!!" Pinkie Pie… "Are you crazy!? Who would we talk to about this!? Rainbow Dash… . . . All that could be seen was a silhouette in the darkness, holding a finger to her face. "Shhhhh…" ~~~~~~~~~~ "AAAAHHH!!" Sunset screamed waking up from her sleep, sweating a bit. She quickly sat up and looked around to get her surroundings. "I-I'm still in the demon village…" She said to herself before holding her head. "What was that??" Author's Note Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my first story on this site! I was so bummed when I saw that there were no Re:Zero stories (that I've seen) on here! So I got a cool idea for how it would start! Chapter Re:0 - The Witch Cultists4 Years Later… The witch of envy… the very definition of taboo. To even speak the name of the witch is frowned upon. That name… is Satella. Nearly 400 years ago, Satella had absorbed the genes of the Witch of Envy. However, she wasn't compatible with it… and as a horrible result, she went out of control, swallowing half the world, killing many in the process… At least that's what I was told… Why does this matter now? Because for some reason, her scent lingers over me. After that night at the pond 4 years ago, the other villagers had taken notice of the scent as well… there were a few that cast their suspicions onto Sunset, but they were soon after cleared away when Rem explained that she smelled the scent only moments after Rina was writhing in pain… Most of the villagers came to the conclusion that Rina was attacked that night and it was a sign to be more vigilant for anyone that seemed suspicious. However, after the four years had gone by, most of the village sort of went back to the way it used to he before the "attack" on Rina. During this time, Sunset spent most of her days learning more advanced spells… She also tried to look into the witch more and see if there was any specific reason why she was in pain like that. But ever since that night, she hadn't experienced anything like it again. Maybe if I try to remember what happened that night… Maybe I can make it happen again… not that I really want to. But I have to know the cause of it. Sunset thought to herself while looking out at the pond in front of her. "Rina!" "Hm?" Sunset said looking over at where the voice came from… it was Rem who had a smile on her face. "Oh, hey Rem… wait, what's that grin for?" Sunset said smiling wryly. Rem just giggled in response. "Nothing wrong I swear!" "Oh come on, it looks like you want to tell me something." Sunset replied. "Well… it's more I want to show you!" Rem said before turning to one of the trees nearby. Sunset just looked at Rem curiously. Just then, she pointed her hand to one of the trees and her horn came out of her head. "Al Huma!" Rem shouted before summoning a long spear of ice that penetrated the tree in front of her. Sunset just smiled wide at what she did. "That's amazing Rem! You've really improved so much!" "I wouldn't have been able to come this far if it wasn't for your help… I still don't get how you're able to use your magic so easily… but I'm glad I have someone like you to help me." "Even though I'm younger than you?" Sunset asked giggling a bit which made Rem blush in embarrassment. "You still remember that…?" "Of course I do!" Sunset nodded. "How can I forget when it was the day we became friends?" Rem just giggled in response. "Oh, that's right! There's something else I came to see you for." "What is it?" "Well… My mother and father wanted to invite your family over tonight. Will you be able to come?" "I don't see why not." Sunset giggled as well. "Not many things for a nine year old to do." "Right…" Rem said looking to the side for a moment. "Something wrong?" "No of course not… it's just… It's strange. Since the day you could speak, you've shown a lot more maturity than a lot of the demons here… You surprised almost everyone in our clan. A lot of them are even saying you're a genius… You learn magic faster than anyone ever has… and here you are teaching me how to do the same." Sunset just looked to the side for a moment, thinking to herself. "Shhhhhh…" That dream popped up in her mind again… making her shiver a bit. "Rina…?" Rem asked noticing this. "...I don't really have an explanation for how or why I'm able to do magic so easily… It just comes naturally to me." Sunset answered. Rem just sighed a bit. "You and sissy are lucky… both of you were born extraordinary in the eyes of our clan… both of you are expected to do great things…" She stopped for a moment. "Sometimes I wonder… I wonder if my sister would be stronger with two horns…" "Whoa, hang on… what are you saying? If Ram had two horns, then you wouldn't even be born…" "You know that twins are normally executed… right?" "Yeah, I know. I also know about what happened the day you two were born… My mother told me about it." "The only reason both of us are still alive is because of my sisters powerful potentiel… For me, I was just lucky to still be alive." "I don't think it was luck at all." Sunset said shaking her head. "I think you both had the potential to be strong… it just took one of you a little longer than the other. That's all." "There you go again, showing your maturity." Rem sighed smiling a bit. "I won't think of it anymore then." "Actually… mind if I show you a new spell I learned too?" Sunset asked before turning to the same tree, pointing her hand to the tree as her horns came out. "Goa!" Sunset exclaimed, letting loose a blaze of fire against the tree, causing it to combust and be completely engulfed in flames fairly quickly. "Tada!" "Amazing Rina!" Rem said cheerfully. "...Um… the fire is getting a little big." Sunset turned to the tree as the fire spread to another tree. "...Okay, I didn't think that through. Help!?" Sunset asked turning to Rem. "I got it!" Rem said before making a pillar of water come out of the water. When she did, she shot the water at the trees that were engulfed in flames, putting out the fire for both of them. "All taken care of." Sunset just sighed in relief. "Thanks Rem… Would've been really bad if that got out of hand." Rem just giggled in response. "It's no problem. It's one of those things that remind me that you are still a child like me." Sunset blushed a little in embarrassment. A child in this world maybe… Sunset thought to herself. "Oh right, where's Ram? Isn't she normally with you?" "Sissy had a few things to take care of… I'm sure we'll see her by the time we get to our home." Rem responded. "Well then…" Sunset started with a smirk. "How about we see which one of us is faster again?" Rem smirked back in response. "You may be more proficient at magic than I am, but I know I'm still faster than you." "Head start!" Sunset exclaimed before starting to run. "H-hey!" Rem sputtered, running after her. "Don't think you'll beat me that easily!" ______________________________________ At Quark and Temae's House… Ram was already back at home, setting up the table for dinner. "Ram?" asked Temae. "Where is your sister?" "She probably went to see Rina to invite her over." Ram started. "I already invited Rina's family myself… by the way, it was Rem who made the dinner for tonight." Ram said smiling a bit. "Really? Was anyone with her?" "From what she told me, she prepared everything on her own." Ram replied. "Really?" Temae asked in surprise. "She's also been improving with her magic… Honestly, she's done a lot since--" SLAM CRASH The door was suddenly forced open, surprising the two in the room as two little girls stormed in. "I win!" Exclaimed Sunset proudly. "Technically I'm still the winner." Rem responded. "What!? I totally was ahead of you!" "Yes but had we actually started at the same time, I would've been the victor." "Okay you got me there…" Chuckled Sunset. "But I bet I can eat faster than you!" "Dinner hasn't even been set out yet." Rem giggled. "Ahem!" "Huh?" Sunset and Rem both said looking at a rather upset Temae… who slowly pointed at the broken window. "Wait… did… we do that…?" Sunset asked blushing in embarrassment. "It… looks that way." Rem responded. "Neither of you are eating anything until you clean that mess!" Shouted Temae. "S-sorry mother!" Rem exclaimed quickly grabbing a broom. "Y-yeah, sorry!" Sunset added, going over to help Rem. Temae just sighed shaking her head. Ram just giggled a bit before going back to setting up the table. "Sorry about that Rem… I was the one who started it." Sunset said as she was helping clean up the mess. "Eheh… no I'm to blame too." Rem said as she was sweeping up the broken bits of the window. "I was the one who started the race in the first place, Rem. Please don't blame yourself." Sunset said before taking the broom. "In fact, just let me take care of it." "But Rina--" "No buts." Sunset said in response. "Friends don't make friends clean up their messes." Rem thought to herself and sighed. "Very well… I'll leave you to it then." She said smiling a bit before walking off to the kitchen. After Sunset finished cleaning the mess, Ram lightly grabbed her by Sunset by the arm. "Rina… do you have a minute?" "Well, I just finished cleaning the mess I caused…" Sunset said blushing a bit before laying the broom against the wall. "Something you need?" "Do you mind coming to my room? I just want to have a word with you is all." Ram said. "Oh jeez, did I do something wrong?" Sunset groaned a bit. Ram just giggled a bit. "Well you and Rem did just break a window, but no that's not what I wanted to talk about… please come with me." Ram said leading the way to her room. "Alright…" Sunset responded following her. Eventually, she was lead Ram's room. Ram just sat down in the bed and patted the seat beside her. "Please sit." Sunset sat next to Ram on the bed. "So, what's this about?" Ram smiled looking at Sunset. "Simply put… I just wanted to thank you." "Huh?" Sunset asked confused. "I wanted to thank you for being such an amazing friend…" "An… amazing friend…?" Sunset repeated. Those were the sort of words Sunset never expected to hear. "You were always there for the two of us… mostly for my sister… but you see, that's why I'm so thankful. Before you started talking to us, I don't think I have ever seen my sister so happy." "I was just… trying to he a good friend, that's all." Sunset responded. "You're more than just a good friend, Rina. You're like a younger sister to us." Ram said before taking Sunset's hand. "I hope you feel the same way about us." Sunset looked into Ram's eyes before looking down for a moment. Is this what it's like for Twilight and her friends…? Sunset thought to herself. Suddenly her eyes started watering a bit remembering her old life. Would they have forgiven me for everything thing I did to them if I didn't die there…? Or would I have just been alone…? Sunset thought to herself, starting to tremble a bit. "Friends with her? Are you crazy?" A random students voice said in her mind. "What are you; nuts!? After what she did to everyone!? She's insane!" another voice said, only female this time. "I can't believe I dated someone like that…" Flash Sentry's voice said this time. "It was my fault for thinking she could be a promising student…" Said Princess Celestia's voice in her mind. Not even realizing that she started sobbing, Ram grabbed Sunset by the shoulders, starting to shake her a bit. "H-hey! Rina! What's wrong??" "H-huh?" Sunset said snapping out of it, still with tears in her eyes. "What… what was that? Why did you suddenly start crying like that?" Ram asked with a look of concern. Sunset just stared at Ram for a moment before wiping her own eyes. "I'm sorry… I don't know where that came from…" She lied, sniffling a bit. "I guess I'm just… happy that you see me that way… and that I don't have to feel alone." Ram slowly wrapped her arms around Sunset, comfortingly. "You don't have to worry about feeling alone, Rina… almost everyone in the village loves you." "Thanks Ram… that really means a lot to me." Sunset said smiling as she wrapped her arms around Ram as well, hugging her tightly. "Now come on." Ram said letting go. "I'm sure your mother and father will be here soon." "Right." Sunset nodded smiling a bit before going back to the dining room. Mere moments passed before Sunset's new mother and father came in… it didn't take long to notice the broken window. "What… happened here?" "W-well…" Sunset started. "Your daughter and our daughter Rem were having a race… and that's the result." Kira just looked at Sunset disapprovingly. "Rina…" "I'm sorry mother…" Sunset sighed looking down. Kira just held her head sighing as well. "We'll talk more about this when we get back home…" She said before turning to Rem's mother. "I apologize for Rina's behavior, Temae… is there any way to make up for the damage?" Temae looked at Sunset for a moment. "Well… having Rina help around the house a bit could make up for it." "Consider it done then." Kira nodded. Temae smirked at Sunset. "You can start by cleaning up after dinner tonight." "Y-yes ma'am." Sunset nodded before sitting at the table. Everyone else sat at the table as the plates were being prepared. "This all looks amazing, Temae…" Kira commented. "Thank you, but it was Rem who did the cooking this time." Temae answered. "Wait, you can cook?" Sunset asked Rem from across the table. "I was going to tell you after you tried it… but yes." Rem nodded. "It's a stir-fry with barbaro rabbit meat...as well as nuts I found in the forest." "And the steamed tatoes?" Sunset asked. "Also me." Rem nodded smiling. "I hope you all enjoy it." Sunset just looked down at her own plate, thinking to herself for a moment. Normally I tried to convince Kira that I don't eat meat… but I can't just not eat what Rem made… Sunset sighed taking the first bite out of the stir-fry. This of course got Kira's attention. "Really? How come you never eat meat when I'm the one who cooks it?" Kira asks with an annoyed expression. "Well because normally I--" Sunset said while chewing… she stopped to keep chewing. This tastes… delicious. … I'm a pony who finds meat tasty… one of the things I hope Celestia never hears. "This meat is really good, Rem!" Sunset commented making Rem smile at her. "I'm glad you enjoy it." Rem responded. "That's it; you don't have anymore excuses not to eat my cooking anymore." Kira said ruffling Sunset's hair. Everyone at the table sort of just laughed before going back to their meal. The rest of dinner went by normally as the adults were conversing with each other. After about an hour or so, everyone was finished and Sunset took everyone's plates to go clean them like she was asked to. "Do you need any help?" Rem asked grabbing a plate to clean before Sunset could even say anything. "You know, your mother asked me to do the cleaning… you don't have to do this, Rem." Sunset said to Rem as they both cleaned. "You already took responsibility with the window, Rina. Just let me help you." "But Rem--" "Friends don't make friends clean up their messes… remember?" Rem asked smiling a bit. Sunset just chuckled a bit. "Alright, fair point…" "After this… would you like to spend the night?" Rem asked. "You want me to sleep over? I mean… I would have to ask my mother first, and she might still be upset about the window." "Don't worry, I have an idea." After cleaning up after dinner, Sunset walked over to her mother. "Mother?" Sunset started. "Would it be okay if I spent the night here?" "What?" Kira started. "No, you're sleeping at home." "If I may…" Rem started walking up to the two. "I was the one who suggested the idea… I figured it would be a good way to give Rina a head start at helping around the house in the morning." "Actually… that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Temae added. Kira just looked at Sunset and sighed a bit. "Very well… I'll see you in the morning, Rina." Sunset just looked at her parents walking out… Ever since that night when Kira could smell the witch's scent on me… she hasn't looked at me the same… I don't get it; is she afraid of me or something? Rem took Sunset's hand, cutting her train of thought. "Are you alright?" "Huh?... Yeah I'm fine. Just got a few things on my mind." Sunset answered. "Thanks for that by the way." "Don't worry about it." Rem smiled. "Come on, let's get ready for bed." Rem said bringing me to the room. ______________________________________ … … … ...Wait a second… What's that smell…? Sunset thought to herself before opening her eyes. She had been sleeping in the same bed as Rem who was still asleep. However, as Sunset sat up to look around, the smell was only getting stronger… it was the smell of smoke. On top of that, Ram wasn't in the room anymore. "Wait, huh?" ...I don't like this… something's wrong. "Rem! Rem, wake up!" Sunset said shaking Rem a bit. "H-huh?" Rem said groggily rubbing her eyes. "What's--... wait, what is that smell??" "You can smell the smoke too, right?? That's not all; your sister isn't here!" Sunset exclaimed. "Wait what!?" Rem exclaimed quickly getting out of bed. "Where is she!?" "I don't know. Come on!" Sunset exclaimed taking Rem's hand, leading her outside the room. "Mother!? Father!?" Rem called out. There was no response… Rem ran into their bedroom only to find no one there. As for Sunset, she went for the front door… only to find that the entire village was engulfed in flames. "Oh my god…" Sunset said to herself with a wide eyed expression, as she looked around at the flames… However... Sunset quickly noticed that it wasn't just buildings that were burning. Sunset's blood quickly ran cold as she lost her breath, looking at the corpses of demons that were on fire. The only appropriate response Sunset could produce was a blood curdling scream before vomiting on the ground. "R-Rina I can't find--!" Rem exclaimed before stopping to witness just what Sunset had seen. Her expression was just as dismayed as Sunset's was. "W-what…" She let out before seeing the burning pile of corpses. "N-NOO!! Mother!! Father!!" Rem cried about to run to the burning pile, only to be grabbed and pulled back by Sunset. "Rina, let me go!! I have to--!!" "There's nothing you can do, Rem! They're already dead!!" Sunset exclaimed trying to hold her down. Rem's eyes widened even more. "Sissy…!!" She exclaimed, pushing Sunset off. "Where's my sister!?" "R-Rem we have to stay calm and--!" "I have to find her!!" Rem screamed before running off. "Rem!!" Sunset exclaimed trying to catch up to her. However, as she was running toward where Rem went, she stopped for a moment. "Mother… Father…!" She exclaimed before running the other direction to her house. As she was running, all she could see was just pilea of burning corpses. Dear Celestia, please let them be okay!! She thought to herself picking up the pace. Suddenly, a blade quickly flew past her face, hitting one of the burning trees nearby. "W-what the--!?" She exclaimed looking at the blade. "Dang it Sunset, keep running!!" She exclaimed to herself before running again. However, when she got there, she could see that her house was already engulfed in flames. "No!! God, why is this happening!?!?" "R-Rina…" "Huh??" Sunset quickly looked around for where the voice came from, only to find Kira on the ground… with a blade sticking out from her chest. "M-mother!!!" She exclaimed running over to her, falling to her knees next to her. "Rina… you have to leave the village… run while you still can before they get to you…" Kira said weakly. "W-who!? Who did this!?" "Witch… Cultists… Please, Rina… there's no time to explain; you have to go!" "But mother, I can't leave you like this! I have to do something!!" Sunset cried. I don't care if she's not my first mother! I don't want her to die!! "Rina… there's nothing you can do…" She said before coughing blood. "Please… just go…!" Kira exclaimed before grabbing Sunset's hand with her own bloody one. When she did, she painfully pulled the blade out of her chest, handing it to Sunset. "Go and… live on…" "Please, I--!!" Sunset exclaimed… before feeling Kira's arm go limp. Tears ran down her face as she slowly got back to her feet, holding the blade. This really is hell… Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a purple hooded figure with red eyes, slowly approaching her. "Y-you… did you do this…!?" But rather than getting a straight answer, more hooded figures started approaching. Feeling rage and hatred welling up inside her, Sunset's horns came out of her head as she was gritting her teeth. "I'll make you pay!!!" She screamed pointing her hand at the cultists. "GOA!!" She screamed, letting loose a massive blaze, in an attempt to incinerate the cultists in front of her. "You bastards!!!" She kept casting Goa multiple times until she was sure they were dealt with. Panting hard, her horns retracted into her head before she started running again. "I have to find Rem!!" But as she was running, she suddenly felt a sharp pain before falling forward, dropping the blade that was in her hand. W-what… what… She thought to herself before abruptly coughing blood. What… how… that's impossible... She grunted struggling to get up… only to fall over on all fours again. She looked down to find a blade sticking through her stomach. Once again, all she could do was let out another blood curdling scream. She tried to reach around her back to grab the blade by the handle, but her body was too weak to reach that far from all the blood she was losing. N-No… am I… going to die again…? As Sunset was pondering this, she could hear footsteps slowly approaching her before stopping. Shakily moving her head up to see who it was, she could see another purple hooded figure with red eyes on the front. "P-please… no...I…" But before Sunset could even form a sentence, she was lifted up by the hooded figure, and tossed into the pile of burning corpses to be burned alive. No… I… don't want to die… I… … … … Sunset just opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the pond. W-what…? Wait, how did I get here!? Sunset thought to herself, looking around. "Rina!" "H-huh?" Sunset said quickly looking over at where the voice came from… it was Rem who had a smile on her face. "R-Rem!" Sunset exclaimed, running over to her. "What happened!? Where's your sister!?" "My… my sister?" Rem asked slightly taken back by the sudden outburst. "She… had a few things to take care of… are you okay?" "What are you talking about!? We have to--" Sunset stopped for a moment realizing something. Wait… why can't I smell smoke anymore? She thought to herself before looking up. And why is it day time!? Sunset slowly looked back at Rem for a moment. "Sorry Rem but… how come you came to see me…?" She asked curiously. "Well… a couple of reasons… My mother and father wanted to invite your family over tonight…" Rem said. ...What? Didn't this happen before? "Is there… anything else?" Rem just smiled a bit before turning to one of the trees nearby. "Al Huma!" Rem shouted before summoning a long spear of ice that penetrated the tree in front of her. "What do you think?" What's… going… on… Sunset thought to herself before collapsing on the ground, passing out. "R-Rina!" Rem slowly picked up Sunset, carrying her on her back. She quickly ran to the village and went straight to her home. When she got there, she could see her mother cleaning up a bit. "Mother!" "Rem?" Temae asked looking over at her daughter. "Wait, what happened to her??" Temae asked looking at Sunset passed out. "I don't know… all I did was show her how much my magic's improved and she just fell over!" "Hurry and get her into one of the beds. I'll get your father." Temae said before running outside. Rem did as her mother was told and brought Sunset into her bedroom, laying her down on the bed. "Rina… what happened to you…?" Author's Note I don't know how the writers of Re:Zero can do these... it took me a little while to get into the mood of insanity but I hope you all enjoyed it. Dreams of Friendship. . . . . . . . . Sunset just stood in darkness… unsure of what was going on. She contemplated hard on the recent events trying to convince herself that none of it happened… but the pain of it all felt too real to ignore. This really is just a punishment for all the cruel things I did in my past life, isn't it…? She thought to herself before falling to her knees starting to cry a bit. "You don't deserve to be alive…" "You were the worst person alive…" "You were a devil…" "You don't deserve kindness…" Suddenly in front of Sunset; Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity stood in front of her all with black eyes and blood running down their eyes and mouths. "You don't deserve friendship!!" All six of them shouted at the same time. Out of fear, Sunset got back to her feet and just ran away from them… running through the endless darkness all while hearing the voices over and over again. "No pony will miss you…" "Celestia should have chosen better…" "Canterlot High is better off without you…" "Equestria is better off without you…" "You should've just stayed dead…" "You have no one!!" Sunset just kept running with tears running down her face… until she fell over onto the ground. "I'm sorry…!" She shouted looking down at the ground. "Celestia… please… someone… I'm sorry…!!" Suddenly in the distance, light shone through the darkness and expanded… it did so to the point where not a single speck of darkness could be seen. "Wait… what…?" Sunset asked herself looking around. Rather than being trapped in darkness and hearing voices… now it was just quiet. "How peculiar…" A voice said from behind her. "H-Huh??" Sunset asked, turning to where the voice came from. When she did, she could see a dark blue alicorn standing in front of her. hang on… why does she seem so familiar? "Who… Who are you…? I feel like I should know you..." Sunset asked. "Frankly, I should be the one asking you…" the blue alicorn responded. "Normally when entering the dream realm I'm not met with such… ghastly nightmares." "Hold up… dream realm?" Sunset asked for a moment. "So this is just a dream…" Sunset huffed a bit in relief. "...On top of that, I don't think I've ever entered the dreams of someone outside of Equestria before… your dreams are new to me, young one." "Wait-- Did you say Equestria!?" Sunset shouted. "Indeed… call me Luna." The blue alicorn nodded. Sunset just rubbed her eyes in shock. "L-Luna!?" Sunset exclaimed remembering Vice Principal Luna. "Now… may I get your name?" Luna asked. "It would only be fair." "H-huh…? Oh… right… Um…" Sunset stammered a bit unsure if she was even able to say her pony name. She just gulped before opening her mouth. "S-sunset… Shimmer…" she said before letting out a sigh of relief. However, Luna just looked at Sunset with both shock and confusion. "Sunset… Shimmer…?" She asked. "But that can't be…" Luna said looking to the side for a moment. "Wait here." She said before quickly vanishing. "W-wait! Where are you going!?" Sunset exclaimed as her voice echoed through the silence. "And I'm alone again…" . . . "Was… that really Luna…?" After only moments of waiting for Sunset, Luna returned… only this time with a white alicorn standing beside her. Immediately, the white alicorn and Sunset looked at each other with both shock and sadness in their expressions. They simply stared in silence for a few moments. The white alicorn was the first to break the silence. "Sunset… Shimmer…?" "P-Princess Celestia…?" Sunset asked with tears starting to form in her face again as she slowly approached the white alicorn. "Are… you really Sunset…? Your eyes… your body; you look so young…" Celestia said looking at Sunset closely. "...When I was your student… I ran away to Canterlot High for my own selfish reasons… When I came back to Equestria, I stole one of the elements of harmony and brought it back with me to Canterlot High…" Sunset said as tears dripped down her face. "I don't know if it really is you or not but… I'm so sorry Princess…" Sunset said as she started sobbing a bit. "If I was able to, I'd take everything horrible I did back… I'd do everything I could to--" But before Sunset could finish her sentence, Celestia quickly lowered herself, placing one of her hooves, and wings onto Sunset as she craned her head downward as well… with tears dripping down her face. "It really is you… I missed you so much Sunset Shimmer…!" Sunset just widened her eyes when she heard those words. She… missed me…? Sunset thought to herself before instinctively wrapping her arms around Celestia, sobbing over her. ~~~~~~~ Laying in bed with Rina, Rem was sleeping by her side. She groaned a bit as she opened her eyes. "Hm…?" She asked looking around the room to see that her sister wasn't there. "Sissy…?" She asked before looking down at Rina, seeing that she was in tears. Rem just sighed, using her sleeve to wipe away the tears before getting up from the bed to see where her sister went. But when she got out of the room, she could see that the front door was cracked open. She then decided to go inspect it. ~~~~~~~ "I don't understand… how are you both here??" Sunset asked the two as she and Celestia finally broke the hug. "I'm here because my sister was able to take me into the dream realm with her…" Celestia answered. "However, being able to see you raises some questions for us…" Luna added. "After all, you had been deceased for nine years." Sunset just looked down for a moment in response. "Where are you, Sunset Shimmer? Are you near Equestria?" "That's just it… I'm nowhere near Equestria." Sunset responded. "I'm not a pony or even human anymore… for nine years, I've been living my life as a demon…" "D-demon!?" Luna exclaimed. "Not a bad demon!" Sunset exclaimed, waving her hands a bit. "Actually… in this world, demons are kind of normal." Sunset smiled a bit. "I've made a couple of demon friends myself." "You… have…?" Celestia asked a little surprised… but in a good way. "Yeah… Rem and Ram… they're twin sisters." Sunset said. "They've been my closest friends in that world since I was five years old…" This time Celestia couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad then…" Celestia said, seeming to sigh in relief. "How is everyone else doing? Twilight Sparkle? Everyone in Canterlot High?" Sunset asked. Celestia just stared for a moment and sighed. "Twilight Sparkle did return to Equestria safely… but she blames herself for what happened to you." "H-huh…?" "On top of that, she refuses to return to that other world… so to answer your question about Canterlot High: I really don't know." Sunset looked down again. "It's all my fault… none of this would've happened if I wasn't so selfish…" Celestia placed a hoof on Sunset's shoulder. "You made mistakes… Everypony does… But if you really are making new friends, then I think you already learned from those mistakes…" "Rina!! Rina wake up!!" "W-what in the world was that!?" Luna asked looking around. "That sounded like Rem…" Sunset responded. "But… she called you Rina…?" Celestia asked. Before Sunset could respond, Rem's voice called out again. "Rina, please!! Everything is on fire!!" "What!?!?" Sunset exclaimed. "I have to go!!" "Wait!! Sunset!!--" Celestia exclaimed. . . . . . . . . . Sunset shot her eyes open panting hard as she was immediately met with the smell of smoke again. "Rina! We have to leave!!" Rem exclaimed, dragging Sunset out of bed. Ram could be seen on the ground, bleeding from her head. "W-what happened to her!?" "T-those cultists… they cut off her horn when she was trying to protect me… if I wasn't so weak, I--" "Rem, there's no time to start feeling sorry for yourself now! Where's your parents!?" Rem choked a bit shaking her head, basically giving Sunset the idea. "D-damn it… Damn it!!" She screamed angrily as her horns appeared. She ran outside looking for the witch cultists… however none of them were visible. "Where are they!?!?" "T-the rest were killed..." Rem said carrying Ram on her shoulders. "W-what…? You… killed them…?" Rem just looked over for a moment. "Actually…" "Goooodness…" said a male voice said coming from the distance a bit. When Sunset looked at the man approaching, she kept her horns out. "If ooonly I had been able to come sooner…" The man was dressed strangely… and it was hard to tell from the light of the fire, but it looked like the man was wearing make-up. "Who are you!?" Sunset screamed angrily. "R-Rina please! He was the one that killed the rest of those cultists!" Rem said urging Sunset to calm down. "You… you did…?" Sunset asked looking up at the man. "You may call me Lord Roswaal…" The man said with a nod. "Again… I apologize that I wasn't able to come to your aid sooner…" Sunset's horns just retracted into her. "Is… there anyone else…? Anyone from our village…?" "No… It looks like we're the only ones left…" Rem answered. Sunset just screamed out angrily. "Damn it… If I was awake I could've done something… I…" "Rina… you couldn't have done this alone… no one could have…" Rem said, taking Sunset's hand. "I'm just glad you're alive…" "You don't deserve to be alive…" Sunset winced a bit as she looked away. "R-Rina…?" Sunset looked back at Rem for a moment. "What are we going to do now…? Where are we supposed to go…?" "I… I don't know…" Rem said sadly as she looked back at her sister. "Hm…" Roswaal said kneeling down, looking over Ram's head. He placed his hand on her head and seemed to be using a spell on her. "H-hey, what are you doing…??" Rem asked. "Worry not…" Roswaal answered. "Since her horn was cut, her magic would normally be unstable… however, I managed to stabilize it for now." "T...thank you…" Rem nodded slightly before Roswaal took Ram gently in his arms. "H-huh…?" "Let me finish… I did manage to stabilize her magic for now, but it's only temporary…" "W-what…? What can we do then…?" Sunset asked. "How about I offer you a deal?" Roswaal asked, smiling slightly. "In exchange for tending to this one's wound, the three of you could work for me." "W-work… for you…?" Rem asked. "Indeeeeed… I'll ensure your safety as well as offer you sanctuary in my home." Roswaal answered. "But… what kind of work would we do?" Sunset asked. "Simply put: you will be serving as maids in my home." Roswaal answered. Maids!?!? Sunset thought to herself. I get that he saved us but… ugh… Sunset just sighed. "Does it… have to be maid work…?" Sunset asked. "Well… what else would you like to do for me?" Ros asked. "I'm… proficient in magic." Sunset answered. "I'm still learning new spells, but I think that can be useful…" "It's true." Rem added. "Rina's learned how to use her magic faster than anyone in the village has… and she does exceptionally well with it…" "Then perhaaaaps I may have another job for you then, dear." Roswaal said with an honest smile. "For now, please… all of you, come with me." He said as he carried Ram with him. Rem and Rina both looked at each other before nodding, staying close behind Roswaal. "Thank you…" Sunset said. ——————— The trip took a few days… but we eventually made it to Roswaal's mansion… and by the time we got there, it was night time again. The whole trip however was silent… All of us were reflecting on what happened to us… what happened to our village… what happened to our families… At least… that's what I was doing. But at the same time, I can't help but think back to Princess Celestia, and how I was even able to see her in the first place. Would she tell the others of what happened? Would she tell Twilight? Would Twilight tell the girls at Canterlot High…? … Is Canterlot High even okay…? Multiple thoughts kept shooting into Sunset's mind at once. All of which came to a halt until they stopped in front of the door to the mansion. "Heeeere we are…" Roswaal announced. Sunset looked up at the Mansion closely. Jeez… this place is huge… Rem and Ram stood by Sunset but both were completely quiet. "I must go speak with Miss Emilia about you three… please, feel free to explore the mansion to start getting a better feel for your new living arrangements." Roswaal said as he opened the front door. The three walked through the doors and right away saw how huge it was on the inside. Roswaal just went upstairs. Sunset sighed looking down. "I guess we should start taking a look around…" Sunset said, about to head off. But her hand was quickly grabbed, holding her back. "Huh?" She said turning around, seeing Rem with dried tears in her eyes. "Don't go too far ahead of us…" Rem said. "What…?" Sunset asked. "It's… not like we're separating…" "...I don't understand you, Rina…" Rem said. "Our entire village… our families… everyone's gone now…" She said as tears dripped again. "How can you possibly already be alright…?" Sunset looked down for a moment. "I'm not…" Sunset answered. "Honestly, I don't think I'll ever truly be alright… but holding onto the pain, and letting it grow inside us isn't going to do us any good… It'll take some time, but we do have to move on with our lives… And I'm not saying I won't miss mother or father… in fact, I'll probably miss them everyday…" "...Once again, showing your maturity… but you're right…" Rem sighed. "However… it will take a long time for me to move on…" Ram didn't add to the conversation. In fact she was still silent. "...I understand…" Sunset nods, making sure to stay close to Rem and Ram. The three girls then started walking around the mansion, looking through random doors and seeing a variety of different rooms, which included bathrooms, bedrooms, a pretty big kitchen, and even this one huge room which was apparently a bathing area. We're really going to be living here…? Sunset thought to herself. "It's definitely impressive here." Sunset commented. "Mhm…" Rem nodded… Ram, still silent. Sunset sighed as she was about to open another door, however, she stopped as she smelled something. "Huh…? Someone's in here?" She asked before knocking on the door. “You may enter, I suppose." The three hear from inside. The three look at each other before Sunset opens the door… revealing a large library with multiple books that neither of the three had even seen before… along with what looked like a little girl with drill-like blonde hair and blue eyes… or as some people would call, a loli. It looked like she was reading a book. "Do you three have any business here, I suppose?" "Sorry… we were just curious." Sunset answered. "The three of us are going to be working here and Roswaal asked us to take a look around." "He asked for the help of demons now?" she sighed. "This shouldn't even surprise me anymore, I suppose." She said closing the book she was reading. "You knew we were demons?" Sunset asked. "It's hard to mistake your scent." The girl said walking up to us. "Oh… so you're not human then." Sunset pointed out. "Absolutely not, and don't you dare compare me to something as insignificant as that again." She deadpanned. "Right… noted." Sunset nodded. "Anyways… I'm Rina… and these two are my friends, Rem and Ram." "You may call me Beatrice… or Betty, I suppose." she answers. "Out of curiosity, what will Rossy be having you do anyways?" "As far as my sister and myself, we will be working as maids…" Rem answered. "As for me… I'm not completely sure yet." Sunset added. "Roswaal said he would find some other kind of work for me, but didn't say yet… he said he had to speak to Emilia…?” “I see…” Beatrice said looking at Sunset closely. “Compared to most demons, your magic is rather powerful I suppose. I’m sure they’ll have something for you.” She said before walking over to a book, picking it off the shelf. “If you have any other questions, my door is always open… just be sure to knock first and we won’t have any issues.” “Right… I’ll keep that in mind… and thank you.” Sunset nods. “If that’s all you need then I would like to get back to my reading.” Beatrice says sitting back down, opening the book she grabbed. “Besides I doubt it will take too long for that silly girl to make up her mind about you.” “Silly girl?” Sunset asked, tilting her head. “You’ll see what I mean eventually, I suppose.” Beatrice said before fully focusing on her book. “...Right then.” Sunset sighed as she walked out of the room with Rem and Ram following close by her. The three demons started making their way back to the main corridor where they had entered, expecting Roswaal to already be there waiting for them. At least that’s what Sunset expects after what Beatrice said about Emilia. As they walked, Rem for the most part was silent this time… as was Ram but she looked over at Rina curiously. “I’m sorry…” Ram finally said. “Sissy…?” Rem looked at Ram a little confused. “Ram, why are you apologizing…?” Sunset asked. “After everything that happened, I should have been able to do something… But instead, you were the one who kept a clear head for all of us…” Ram said. “I was… going to tell you this before the village……” She paused and sighed looking down. “You’ve been a wonderful friend to us, Rina… if anything; I would even consider you to be like a little sister to us.” Sunset looked over at Ram and stared at her for a moment… “You're more than just a good friend, Rina. You're like a younger sister to us.” Sunset choked a bit hearing those words play in her head again… but she slowly forced her face into a smile as she looked back at the two. “I feel the same way about you two…” Even if I was unable to do anything for the village… Sunset thought to herself. The three eventually enter the main corridor, this time seeing not only Roswaal, but a girl with silver hair as well. "Hm…?" Sunset looked at the girl. "Hello there." The girl said with a tender smile as she walked up to the three demons. "My name is Emilia." The three girls didn't say anything… they just looked at her as she spoke. "I was told what happened to your village and your people… there are no words to express how sorry I am for you three… But I just want to let you know that even though you are working here, you'll be treated the same as family. This will be your home as much as it is for us." "That's… very kind of you, Miss. Emilia." Ram comments. "Yeah… thank you so much." Sunset nods. "Miss. Emilia has aaaalways been one to help others in neeeed." Roswaal said with a smile. "R-Roswaal!" Emilia let out blushing. Sunset smiled, giggling a bit. "Always helping someone in need huh…? Reminds me of…" Sunset stopped and remembered Twilight for a moment. "Reminds you of what?" Emilia asked. "Nothing… it's nothing." Sunset shook her head. "...Well…" Ram started. "In my opinion, it reminds me of you." Ram said, taking Sunset's hand. "Huh?" Sunset asked. "It's true..." Rem nodded. "You always thought of others before thinking of yourself… ever since we first met." "If you're strong enough to get through this… then so am I." Ram says. "Me too." Rem says joining in. Emilia smiled watching the three. "Oh right." Emilia started. "Could I get your names?" "Oh, sorry… my name is Rina." Sunset started. "And… these are my older sisters." Both Rem and Ram looked a little shocked that Rina actually referred to them as sisters. But Ram was the first to regain her composure. "My name is Ram." "And… my name is Rem…" Rem added. "I hope we can repay you for the kindness you've done for us…" "Think nothing of it." Emilia smiled. "I wanted to do it." "Thank you." Rem and Ram both say. "Now then…" Emilia said as she turned to Sunset. "Roswaal tells me that Rem and Ram are willing to accept their position as maids… but he also says you didn't seem happy with the idea." "I am grateful for what he did… really." Sunset says. "But I'm not exactly the 'maid' type of person. "Well he also tells me that you mentioned something of having powerful magic… would you mind demonstrating for me?" Emilia asked. Sunset looked to the side for a moment. "Well… I'd have to demonstrate outside. My magical affinity is fire." "Really?" She asked, smiling a bit. "I'm sure Roswaal would be able to help you improve in your magic then." Sunset smiled back slightly… She looked back at Rem and Ram who both had serious expressions on their face. "Right… I'll show you what I can do." Sunset says walking outside. Everyone walked out into an open field in front of the mansion. Sunset stepped forward and held her hand out. When she did, her horns came out of her head… and without saying a word, she cast a powerful fire blast onto the ground in front of them. "...I still have a lot to learn, but I'm a quick learner." Sunset said as she looked to Roswaal and Emilia. "I'd certainly say so…" Emilia said looking a little surprised. "How… old are you?" "I'm nine years old." Sunset answered. Physically… Sunset says mentally. "And your magic is that powerful already??" She asked. "I know you're a demon but… at that age, that's simply amazing." She said smiling. "With a little training… I think you'd make a wonderful knight." "A… knight?" Sunset asked. "I know this is a strange question to ask a child but… Have you ever held a weapon before?" Emilia asked. Sunset just shook her head in response. "Well… along with your magic training, how would you like to train with a sword as well?" Sunset looked down thinking for a moment before looking to Rem and Ram. "Do you think I--" "I think you're more than capable." Ram said with a nod. "I think… it'll be good for you." Sunset looked to Rem who nodded in agreement. Sunset looked down thinking for a moment. If I do this… All this training… I could do more than just be Emilia's knight… I could also use those skills to protect the ones close to me… so they don't have to suffer again like that night… Sunset looked to Roswaal and Emilia with confidence in her eyes. "I'll do it." ~~~~~~~~~ Sunset was now laying in her bed, her eyes were shut but sleep wasn't coming any closer… there was only one thing on her mind. "What happened…" Sunset said to herself. "Everything that night before… there's no way it could've been a dream… I felt pain… I remember it too vividly… for that to happen and then the fire happening a second time…? There's no way that was a coincidence…" knock knock… "Are you still awake, Rina…?" Sunset heard Rem's voice from the other side of the door. "I am…" Sunset replied. Rem slowly opened the door… and it was both her and Ram standing by the door. "...You can't sleep either?" Sunset asked. Both just shook their heads. "Come on… I have room for the both of you." Sunset said moving toward the wallside of the bed. Both Rem and Ram walk over, going into the bed with Sunset. The bed was a little small so they had to sort of come in close. "I still can't believe this all happened…" Rem sighed. Sunset looked to Ram who hadn't said anything yet. "How are you feeling, Ram…?" "...I don't know… this feeling is hard to explain… losing our home… our families… and even my horn…" Ram said, tearing up a bit. Sunset simply turned to Ram and hugged her close. Ram slowly returned the hug. "I don't understand Rina… how can you be this strong…? Both physically and mentally…" "...I don't know…" Sunset simply answered. Truth is… as horrible as this sounds, I'm not… totally sad about this… maybe it's because that mother isn't my real one…? Yeah she brought me into this world, but I just don't feel the same connection as I do with my first birth mother. "Maybe it's because I at least have you two still…" Sunset says. "And I'm more thankful for that than you know… you two mean everything to me. No matter what happens, we'll get through it together." . . . . . . . . . Sunset looked around… nothing was there just an empty space. Sunset just sighed. "I didn't even realize I fell asleep…" "It really is you…" Sunset hears. She quickly darts her head, seeing a familiar purple alicorn. "...Twilight…??" Sunset asked slowly walking up to her. However, it seemed like she already had tears in her eyes. "Huh?" "Sunset, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry for what happened to you; I didn't mean to--!" Twilight exclaimed. "Relax Twilight." Sunset sighed. "It's fine… yeah, I'm dead in that world… but, I've been doing alright in this one. Besides, it was my fault to begin with…" Sunset said looking to the side. "If I hadn't been so horrible, then none of this would've even happened in the first place." "Princess Celestia told me what you told her… have you really been making friends in this world?" Twilight asked, smiling a bit. Sunset just let out a heavy sigh. "For a while, I had a good family and home… but right now, the only family I have that are still alive are Rem and Ram… And… I'm all they have…" Twilight frowned again hearing that. "Then all you can do is do your best, and be there for them…" "Trust me… I know that already. I can't imagine losing them too." Sunset says. Twilight smiled before the two hugged. "You really have changed…" "...Do you think I could ever see Equestria again?" Sunset asked. "That's a tough question to answer… This has never happened before." Twilight says. "But I will say this… if we can keep in contact like this, then there must be some sort of connection. Maybe someday we can use that connection to reach each other in the real world again. Of course for now that won't be for a while…" "That's fine." Sunset smiled. "Take your time… Can you do me a favor though?" "What is it?" Twilight asked. "When it's possible again, do you think you could go to where Canterlot High is and… tell them how sorry I am?" Twilight smiled. "Of course." "Thanks, Twilight…" ______________________________________ 6 Years later… So far, living in the Roswaal manor has been peaceful. The next morning the day after we met Emilia, we met her spirit named Puck. Honestly, seeing how adorable he was, it was hard to believe such a creature could hold such devastating magic… My magic and sword training went by smoothly so far… Roswaal was able to teach me several fire spells and tricks that I had no idea I could use, as well as how to use a sword properly. Needless to say, he was surprised at the rate I was learning. Of course I wasn't the only one who had been training… Rem had been training as well. Though to be honest, she kind of surprised me when she started learning to use a morning star flail. She tells me it's to make up for her magic, but to be honest, I've seen her magic improve over the years as well. As for Ram, she's been learning to control her magic without a horn. For a demon without a horn to cast magic, it's fairly difficult. But Roswaal's been helping her a lot with it. In fact he's helped her the most out of the three of us. I know it's been tough on all of us, but I really think that we're coming along alright. As for Twilight… We've actually been able to keep in touch through the dream world. I do still miss Equestria, but I am glad I can keep in contact with them. … What I'm not glad about, however, is the fact that Canterlot High had been taken over… by three sirens. I swear, if I somehow go back, even if it's for a day, I'll make things right again… "Rina?" "Huh?" Sunset looked over at Emilia who had her arms crossed. "You spaced out again… you sure you're feeling alright?" Emilia asked. "Yes Miss. Emilia. I'm fine." Sunset nodded with a smile. Emilia was in town where there were many other people and merchants around. Sunset was asked to go with her for extra protection. She wore a similar outfit that Emilia wore, but more modified to look more appropriate for a knight. She also had a rapier by her side. "Hmm… Hey, do you want something to eat?" "No, it's fine Rina I'm not--" Emilia said right before rumbling could be heard from her. "...Hungry." She said blushing a bit. Sunset giggled slightly. "I'll look for something for both of us." She said walking off to one of the nearby stands. "Hey there. What can I get for you?" A man with green hair asked Sunset. "Just a couple of appas please." Sunset said as she took out money from her pocket. "Heh… perfect…" In almost an instant something flew by the crowd of people. "What the…" Sunset looked back at Emilia who seemed to be feeling around in her pockets. "Are you alright?" "No I'm not! Someone just stole my insignia!" Emilia exclaimed. "Seriously…??" Sunset asked before running back. "Hey do you still want something?" The merchant asked. "Sorry it'll have to wait!" Sunset exclaimed before going to Emilia. "Did you see where they went at least?" "I'm pretty sure they went that way!" Emilia exclaimed pointing in the direction. "It was hard for me to see, but I'm fairly certain I felt something blow past me that way." "I'll go ahead then." Sunset nods before running in the direction Emilia pointed. "Right behind you!" Emilia exclaimed following Sunset. The two ran as fast as they could for a bit, but they couldn't make heads or tails of where the thief went. "Damn it, where could they have gone??" "Why don't we split up?" Emilia asked. "...You sure?" Sunset asked. "I'll be fine on my own for a little bit, Rina." "No offense, but you were already alone for a little bit and look what happened." Sunset said. "She's got a point Lia." Pucks voice could be heard. "I'm. Fine!" Emilia said, crossing her arms. "You keep going that way and I'll search a different route with Puck." "Please keep her safe Puck…" Sunset said. Puck chuckled a bit. "You don't have to tell me." Emilia huffed before running the other way. Sunset kept running, looking for any clues that lead to where the thief might have gone… unfortunately, they didn't leave any tracks. "If I were a thief, where would I go if I just stole something that valuable?" "AAAGGGHH!!" "Play games with us will ya!?" "What in the...?" Sunset let out before running toward the sound of the commotion. It eventually led her into an alley where a burly man, a skinny boy, and a rather short boy was beating up someone on the ground. "Hey!!" "Huh??" The three thugs asked, looking at Sunset. "Who in the hell are you!?" The skinny boy asked. "It doesn't matter; just what do you think you're doing to him??" Sunset asked. "None of your business, lady. Get lost!" The short one exclaimed. "Sorry but I don't ignore something like this." She said before creating a flame in her hand. "If you don't wanna be burned to a crisp, I suggest you back off!" Two of them freaked out while the skinny one just looked at Sunset in annoyance. "Forget this! He's not worth it." He said before he and the other two ran off. "We'll remember this, bitch!" Sunset huffed, putting her flame away. She looked over at the boy and walked up to him. "You really saved me… thank you." He said. "Well you're lucky I was around." Sunset says. "Just what were you doing in an alleyway all alone anyways? And why are your clothes we--..." Sunset stopped and took a closer look at him. Wait a sec… She thought to herself while looking at the boy. those clothes aren't normal… at least not for here… she trailed off looking at the wet track suit on a box, then at the bag on the ground. It had Ramen and a bag of potato chips inside. What the hell…? She stopped and took a closer look at the confused boy. Upon closer inspection, she could see what looked like a flip phone sticking out of his pocket. ...Wait, a phone!? Those don't even exist here! Who is this kid!? Author's Note Hey everyone. Sorry I took so long to update this story... it's been difficult to keep up with work and all this craziness going on. Anyways, with this chapter done, it marks the start lf the real beginning of Re:Zero. What will happen now that it was Sunset that found Subaru instead of Emilia? Also I am still working on the collab story with UnleashedTwilight so stay tuned for when that story comes!
Chapter 0"...I was bluffing when I said I was going to destroy the portal." Sunset Shimmer said while in her demonic looking form. "I don't want to rule this pathetic little high school; I want Equestria! And with my own little teenage army behind me, I am going to get it!" Mind controlled students just slowly approached the portal that Sunset Shimmer was leading them to. But Twilight Sparkle stood tall, not backing down. "No, you're not!" She retorted. "Oh, please!" Sunset exclaimed. "What exactly do you think you're going to do to stop me? I have magic, and you have nothing!" "She has us!" Rainbow exclaimed, standing with Twilight as the others followed. Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but laugh at the sight before her. "Gee, the gang really is all back together again…" As she said that, she started to form a magical fire ball in her hands. "Now step aside! Twilight has tried to interfere with my plans one too many times already! She needs to be dealt with!" Sunset exclaimed before launching the fireball at Twilight. As soon as she did, Twilight's friends all came together and huddled tightly before the attack landed, causing an explosion. When it did, Sunset just laughed, believing she had succeeded… but when the smoke cleared, she could see that the six girls were completely unharmed and surrounded by a purple aura. "What!?" Sunset exclaimed in disbelief. At first, Twilight was just as surprised as Sunset was… but she soon realized what this meant. "The magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those that helped create it!" Just as she said this, the crown that was on Sunset Shimmer's head started reacting, and the forms of Twilight Sparkle and her friends started to change. "Honesty! Kindness! Laughter! Generosity! Loyalty! And Magic!" Twilight exclaimed as all six of them began levitating in the air; all of them having transformed with pony ears, longer ponytails, and some of them with wings. "Together with the crown, they create a power beyond anything you could imagine, but it is a power you don't have the ability to control! The crown may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer, but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all: the magic of friendship!" Just then, a rainbow-like beam shot at Sunset Shimmer, engulfing her in a spiral of rainbow. "No!" Sunset screamed. "What is happening?!" "Here and in Equestria, it is the only magic that can truly unite us all!" Twilight exclaimed… Unknown to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, however, something was going on inside of Sunset. Sunset suddenly felt an intense sharp pain in her chest… it was as if something was clutching onto her heart. Sunset soon found herself screaming; writhing in agony. W-what is this…!? It feels like I'm having a heart attack…!! Sunset thought to herself. One of Twilight's friends took notice of this as soon as she sensed it. "T-Twilight! Something's wrong!!" Pinkie exclaimed. "What??" Twilight exclaimed, stopping the beam all together… When the magic dispersed, the six girls quickly ran over to the crater that the element of harmony created. But what they saw completely disturbed them all to their core. Lying in the crater, motionless was Sunset Shimmer who was reverted back to her normal human form… but had her hand clutched onto her chest. Her eyes were frozen in fear and shock with tears that ran down her face. But the most disturbing of the sight had to be the blood that was coming from her mouth. "N-no… No NO NO!!" Twilight screamed jumping into the crater, near Sunset's body. "Sunset please…! PLEASE GET UP!!" She screamed trying anything she could to revive her. Rainbow quickly jumped in after. "Move over!" Rainbow exclaimed. She went up to Sunset's body, placing both her hands on her chest, pressing on it hard. Over and over. "Come on Sunset!!" Twilight just stared at Sunset's body in horror before falling to her knees. "N-no… the elements of harmony… they aren't supposed to do this…!" Twilight stammered with tears starting to form in her eyes. Rainbow kept doing her best at trying to revive her… after some time, she stopped and placed her ear on her chest to check for a heart beat… but there was nothing. "I don't think I can do anything else…" Rainbow said starting to tremble a bit. "She's… dead…" "N-no… NOOOOOOO!!" … … … . . . Where… Where am I…? The last thing I remember was Twilight and her friends using the elements of harmony… other than that-- Suddenly Sunset had a flashback to when she was writhing in pain. That's right… something inside me was causing me to feel a lot of pain… what in Equestria even was it? …Hang on, why can't I open my eyes or move? "She certainly is an odd one…" said a male voice I didn't recognize. ...Odd? I can't be that strange… Wait who even is that?? "And have you ever seen hair colored like that? So bizzare…" said another unfamiliar voice. Now they're making fun of my hair? Really? "It doesn't matter what she looks like…" another voice said, female this time. "I'm sure she'll grow into an extraordinary demon." … … … What did she just say…!? Sunset thought to herself before slowly forcing her eyes open. When she did, she could see a few people in front of her. She looked around and could see that she was in an old looking house. She saw that there were two men and one woman in front of her. What's going!? Where's Canterlot High!? She tried to open her mouth to speak, but the only thing that came out was her own crying. ...Why can't I speak!? Is that me crying!? "Look, she opened her eyes!" a female voice said cheerfully… Sunset stopped crying and turned her head toward a woman who was holding Sunset in her arms… at the same time, Sunset focused her attention on the two glowing horns that were on the woman's head. "You have beautiful eyes, Rina…" R-Rina…? Who's Rina? Is she talking about me…? Sunset said to herself in her mind before she physically started crying again. "Don't worry, there is nothing to fear…" The woman holding Sunset said, trying to comfort her. Nothing to fear!? There's plenty to be freaked out about! Where is everyone I actually know!? As Sunset was trying to grasp her situation, the woman who was carrying her stood up and walked outside with her. Sunset Shimmer was soon met with a bunch of people that she had never seen before. Looking around even further, it looked like she was in a small village. Okay… calm down Sunset… think back! What exactly happened that brought you here?? Sunset thought to herself. Unfortunately, she was unable to keep her train of thought for long as other people started approaching her. "She is very beautiful, Kira." said one of the men in the village. "What will you name this child?" "I've already given her the name Rina." Kira nodded with a smile. But I already have a name!! My name is Sunset Shimmer!! Sunset thought to herself, unable to keep her cool. Suddenly out of nowhere, Sunset could feel a surge of some sort coming out of her… and before she knew it, the woman who calls herself Kira held Sunset tightly into her arms. The only thing that Sunset could see was Kira and a spiral of fire that surrounded them. "You're… a-already able to use your magic…?" Kira let out. My… magic…? Wait, is she saying that I'm the one who made this fire!? I need to stop! I need to calm down!! But instead of calming down, Sunset just panicked even more. When she did, the flames that were surrounding the two only grew. "Huma!" Shouted a male voice from outside the fire. Just then, a water like barrier surrounded the two before it was released on top of them, soaking them both. After that, the fire seemed to have stopped. Looking around to see where the voice came from, Sunset could see a man with dark purple hair as well as two glowing horns coming out of his head approaching them. "That was incredible…" said the man. "She's able to use her magic like that at such a young age?" "It's astonishing…" Kira said holding Sunset up. "It's still not be as impressive is your daughter, Ram though… She's able to use powerful wind magic with just a single horn." "Even so, your daughter's potential can't be ignored… I'm certain that one day she will grow strong and make our race proud." Hearing these words, Sunset Shimmer couldn't help but struggle and flail wildly trying to get out of Kira's hold. "H-hey!" Kira exclaimed. "What's gotten into you??" She said before finally putting Sunset down onto the ground. Looking scared, Sunset just kept darting her eyes around at everyone around her. This isn't right… No, this isn't right; I shouldn't be here!! Sunset screamed in her mind trying to crawl away. However, as she started crawling, she stopped when she saw something glowing nearby. She looked down at the puddle that was created only moments ago. She could see in her reflection that she had been reduced to the size and age of an infant.. her hair color was still the same, but her eyes were red. She also noticed that her skin was more pale than it was when she was in Canterlot High… but the things that stood out the most were the two glowing horns that were sticking out of her head. . . . WHAT IS GOING ON!?!? Sunset screamed in her head as she physically held a freaked out expression on her face. "That's odd…" The male said. "What do you mean?" Kira asked. "I mean just look at her… it's like she's terrified of her own reflection." he responded. That's because I am terrified!! "On top of that, I don't think I've ever seen someone's child trying to get away from their mother after birth…" he added. Mother…? Sunset thought to herself, looking back at Kira. Child…? Birth…? "T-Twilight! Something's wrong!!" "N-no… No NO NO!! Sunset please…! PLEASE WAKE UP!! … "She's… dead…" Suddenly Sunset fell over, passing out. "Rina!!" Kira exclaimed. ______________________________________ Dead… I… I died…? I'm a demon… Am I… in Hell…? . . . No… no this is something else… I know I'm not dead now. I feel as alive as I did before… Was I just reborn? . . . Sunset slowly opened her eyes again, only to find that she was back inside that small house she originally woke up in. "It looks like she's waking up again… thank goodness…" Kira sighed in relief as she held Sunset. "Maybe you should stay inside with her for the rest of the night…" the male from earlier said… only this time he was accompanied by two little girls who looked no more than two years old. Their faces looked identical but one had blue hair and blue eyes while the other had pink hair and red eyes. Both of them were looking right at me. "Maybe you're right… I have no idea what's gotten into her." Kira nodded. If I were able to speak, I'd tell you!! Sunset thought to herself. But who am I kidding… No one would believe me even if I could speak… Is this my punishment for how bad I was? Sunset continued to ponder this while Kira and the male were conversing. Or… was I given another chance? . . . Another chance… a new life… starting over as a baby… Maybe this really is my second chance at a better life… but… She stopped her thought process to look at everyone in the room again. ...Why as a demon? Is this supposed to be some sort of sick irony? She started thinking again. Well whatever the case may be… I have to do my best to adjust to this new life… this new world… I just wish I could go back and tell everyone that I was sorry… ______________________________________ 5 Years later… "...Huma!" Sunset Shimmer exclaimed before calling forth a barrier of fire around her. "Look at her… she's getting better everyday." One of the male villagers commented to another. "It's like she came out of the womb and knew how to cast magic right away." "Well you saw what she did the day she was born, right?" "Yeah… Still kind of hard to believe. And I saw it first hand!" the other man said before laughing. While other demons were observing 'Rina's' ability, Sunset Shimmer mostly stayed focused while holding the Huma spell. It's been five years already… and so far I've learned how to walk, speak, read and write their strange language… which is odd considering the way we speak is the same. I've learned a few basic fire magic spells as well. Despite it being different from Equestrian magic, my past experiences with magic as a whole helped me learn this new magic fairly easily. Another thing I learned is that Mana is basically one's life force… If I completely drain myself, there's the chance that I'll end up dead… again. Frankly, I'd rather stay as far away as possible from situations that puts my new life at risk. Sunset thought to herself. Can't say that I don't miss the kind of magic I could do in my world… Teleportation… levitation… All the simple things. Sunset stopped her train of thought when she noticed Ram and Rem walking by. The two shared a glance at Sunset before continuing on their way. Sunset just sighed remembering the words of a pony she knew in her previous life. "The magic of friendship…" Sunset said to herself. "Maybe it's time I actually start trying to make friends here…" With that, Sunset stopped using Huma and started following the twins to see where they were going. "I know they're two years older than me." In this world. "...But I'm sure we can get along." Following the two, Sunset was lead to a sort of pond… at first she just stayed behind a bit to see what they were doing. The blue haired one walked up to the water and attempted to use water magic… however she is unable to keep the spell going for long. "Don't worry Rem. Just keep practicing." Ram said to her twin sister. "But sissy… what if I can never use magic like you can? Everyone in the village adores you… when they see our family, you're the first one they turn their attention to." Rem responded looking down. "Just because the demons in the village have high expectations for me, it doesn't mean you can't improve your ability as well." Ram said before turning to Sunset Shimmer's attention. "How come you're following us?" Surprised that she had been seen so quickly, she just quickly approached the two. "S-sorry! I was just… curious about what you two were doing." Sunset giggled nervously. "...Rina." Ram started. "Y-yes, Ram?" "Don't you have your own important tasks to be focusing on? Seems like a waste of time to let your curiosity take over." "Well… to be honest, I really came over because I wanted to be your friend. Both of you." "What?" Ram asked a little surprised. "Both of us…?" Rem added. "You can't possibly mean that…" "Why wouldn't I?" Sunset asked a little confused by Rem's response. "Honestly… you remind me of someone else I used to know, Rem." Sunset Shimmer said referring to Fluttershy and her… well… shy personality. This time Ram just looked at me even more confused. "Aren't you five years old?" Whoops… right, I shouldn't talk about my past life… come on, think of something 'Rina'... "It's someone in my family… she used to visit us a lot but for some reason I don't see her anymore." Sunset responded. "I… guess that makes sense…" Rem responded. Sunset just looked at Rem for a moment. "If you need help with your magic Rem, I could help you out?" "But... don't you use fire magic?" "I do… but I learned that there are similar spells that work with both fire and water." Sunset replied. Rem just looked down and sighed. "Someone younger than me… is offering to help me improve my magic…" Ram just stepped in front of Sunset with a near emotionless expression. "Thank you for wanting to help, but I think you should just let us worry about it." "Oh… alright…" Sunset responded looking down for a moment. "Well… maybe we can be friends just for the sake of being friends then?" Sunset asked trying to regain her composure and hopefully not lose the trust of the two twins. Ram just stared at Sunset for a moment. "Why do you want to be our friend exactly?" Ram asked. "Well…" Sunset thought for a moment. "It was your father who stopped me from losing control when I was a baby, right?... M-my mother told me." "That's right. We were told that as well… he told us that if you weren't stopped right away, you might have burned the village down." Ram responded. "Eheheh… well I'm more used to my magic now so I promise that won't happen." Sunset chuckled nervously. I feel like I'm seriously striking out here… What kind of girls are they?? "So the reason you want to be friends with us… is because something our father did five years ago?" Ram asked. "N-not only that but I think that both our families can be closer too!" Sunset let out. Ram just looked at me closely again. "I guess that's true." She responded which made Sunset sigh in relief. "Alright… we can be your friend." Ram said which made her sister look a bit surprised. "Awesome!" Sunset cheered slightly. Sunset, not wanting to interfere with Rem's practice just stood by Ram and watched for now… although, Sunset sort of felt bad for Rem as she was struggling. She didn't want to upset her sister but she felt like she had to do something… ______________________________________ Later at Night… Sunset, rather than going to sleep that night, snuck out of her home while her mother and father were asleep. She did so by going through the window in her room. When she got out, she started making her way to where Rem and Ram were… but to her surprise, before she even got to the house, she could see Rem making her way to the pond where they spoke earlier. Weird… but at least this simplifies things for me. Sunset thought to herself before following Rem at a distance. Eventually Rem got to the pond. Sunset however stayed behind to observe what Rem was going to do. Suddenly Rem's horn came out and a pillar of water slowly started to rise out of the pond… only for it to come collapsing down soon after. Rem just sighed in disappointment. "Hi Rem." Sunset finally said which frightened the blue haired demon as she turned to Sunset. "Don't worry! It's only me." "Rina…? What are you doing here?" Rem asked. "I could ask you the same." I responded which made Rem look down for a moment. "I saw you walking outside all alone so I got worried." "...Why is a five year old worrying for me?" Ugh… this is so annoying! To be fair, it is true that I have the body of a five year old… But in reality, I have the mind of a 23 year old. "That's what… friends do for each other, right? They make sure their friend is okay." Sunset answered smiling a bit. Rem just looked at Sunset for a moment before turning back to the water. "I'm alright Rina… thank you though." She said before trying to make the pillar of water again… but just like before, it collapsed. "You know… I could still help you with your magic." Sunset said watching Rem practice. Rem just kept her face turned away from Sunset. "I don't understand… how can someone so young seem this experienced with magic…" "Honesty!" Twilight's voice suddenly rang in Sunset's mind. "...Rem… There's something I have to tell you… do you think you can keep a secret?" Sunset asked. Rem turned back to Sunset a little confused. "What is it Rina…?" Sunset just took a deep breath. "The reason I'm learning magic so easily is because before I was born, I was a--" . . . Suddenly, it was as if time had completely stopped for Sunset Shimmer. Everything except her mind was frozen. W-wait… what's going on…? She asked herself before feeling a sudden sharp pain in her chest. G-Guh…! What the heck is this…!? . . . Sunset then fell onto the ground, clutching her chest. "R-Rina!" Rem exclaimed running over to Sunset. "Are you okay!?" Sunset panted hard while holding onto her chest. Wait… no I felt that pain before… it was the same pain I felt right before I died…! "Rina…??" Rem slowly helped Sunset back to her feet. "I… Don't know what happened…" Sunset let out. "Come on, I'll help you get back home…" Rem said, starting to walk Sunset home. Eventually after a long silent walk, the two got to the door. Rem was the one who knocked on it. "Are you feeling better…?" "Yeah… I can stand." Sunset said as Rem slowly let go of her. "Thanks…" Soon the door in front of the two opened as they were met with a groggy woman, rubbing her eyes. "Do you have any idea how late it--... Rina!?" Kira exclaimed before looking over at Rem. "And… Rem?? what are you doing out this late!?" Kira exclaimed grabbing onto Sunsets arm forcefully. "You know how dangerous it is at night!" "I'm sorry mother… I… I was just…" Sunset stammered. "She was worried about me…" Rem finished. "What do you mean?" Kira asked still holding her grip on Sunset. "She saw me leaving my house alone… so she followed me because she was worried." Kira just looked down at Sunset, still looking a bit mad. "Next time you see something, tell me or your father… is that understood?" "Yes mother…" Sunset nodded before Kira let go of her. Sunset looked over at Rem who was just giving her a serious expression… before slowly smiling, giggling slightly. Sweet Celestia, she actually smiled… Sunset thought to herself before smiling as well. "As for you." Kira said to Rem. "You better get back home before your family notices you're missing." "Alright… I'm sorry for making you worry, Rina." Rem said to Sunset before starting to walk home. "...Where did you go, exactly?" Kira asked Sunset, giving her an unchanged serious expression. "Well… I saw Rem going to the pond nearby and that's where I followed her…" Sunset answered. "Just the pond…?" "Yeah… why?" "You reek…" "Wait, huh?" Sunset asked tilting her head. "You reek of the witch's scent…" Kira added. "...Witch's scent?" Sunset asked. That's the first time I'm hearing about this… "Hmm…" Kira thought to herself for a moment. "I'll tell you more about it in the morning… for now, get some sleep." "Yes mother…" Sunset nodded before running to her room with Kira looking at her intently. Sunset made her way to her room and just got into her bed, going under the covers. I wonder what she's talking about… Sunset thought to herself before closing her eyes to sleep. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Sunset!! Please get up!!" Twilight... "She can't really be dead… can she…?" Rarity... "What in tarnation are we supposed to do!?" Applejack... "As horrible as she was… e-even she didn't deserve this…" Fluttershy… "We have to tell someone!! We can't just leave her like this!!" Pinkie Pie… "Are you crazy!? Who would we talk to about this!? Rainbow Dash… . . . All that could be seen was a silhouette in the darkness, holding a finger to her face. "Shhhhh…" ~~~~~~~~~~ "AAAAHHH!!" Sunset screamed waking up from her sleep, sweating a bit. She quickly sat up and looked around to get her surroundings. "I-I'm still in the demon village…" She said to herself before holding her head. "What was that??" Author's Note Hi everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my first story on this site! I was so bummed when I saw that there were no Re:Zero stories (that I've seen) on here! So I got a cool idea for how it would start!
Chapter Re:0 - The Witch Cultists4 Years Later… The witch of envy… the very definition of taboo. To even speak the name of the witch is frowned upon. That name… is Satella. Nearly 400 years ago, Satella had absorbed the genes of the Witch of Envy. However, she wasn't compatible with it… and as a horrible result, she went out of control, swallowing half the world, killing many in the process… At least that's what I was told… Why does this matter now? Because for some reason, her scent lingers over me. After that night at the pond 4 years ago, the other villagers had taken notice of the scent as well… there were a few that cast their suspicions onto Sunset, but they were soon after cleared away when Rem explained that she smelled the scent only moments after Rina was writhing in pain… Most of the villagers came to the conclusion that Rina was attacked that night and it was a sign to be more vigilant for anyone that seemed suspicious. However, after the four years had gone by, most of the village sort of went back to the way it used to he before the "attack" on Rina. During this time, Sunset spent most of her days learning more advanced spells… She also tried to look into the witch more and see if there was any specific reason why she was in pain like that. But ever since that night, she hadn't experienced anything like it again. Maybe if I try to remember what happened that night… Maybe I can make it happen again… not that I really want to. But I have to know the cause of it. Sunset thought to herself while looking out at the pond in front of her. "Rina!" "Hm?" Sunset said looking over at where the voice came from… it was Rem who had a smile on her face. "Oh, hey Rem… wait, what's that grin for?" Sunset said smiling wryly. Rem just giggled in response. "Nothing wrong I swear!" "Oh come on, it looks like you want to tell me something." Sunset replied. "Well… it's more I want to show you!" Rem said before turning to one of the trees nearby. Sunset just looked at Rem curiously. Just then, she pointed her hand to one of the trees and her horn came out of her head. "Al Huma!" Rem shouted before summoning a long spear of ice that penetrated the tree in front of her. Sunset just smiled wide at what she did. "That's amazing Rem! You've really improved so much!" "I wouldn't have been able to come this far if it wasn't for your help… I still don't get how you're able to use your magic so easily… but I'm glad I have someone like you to help me." "Even though I'm younger than you?" Sunset asked giggling a bit which made Rem blush in embarrassment. "You still remember that…?" "Of course I do!" Sunset nodded. "How can I forget when it was the day we became friends?" Rem just giggled in response. "Oh, that's right! There's something else I came to see you for." "What is it?" "Well… My mother and father wanted to invite your family over tonight. Will you be able to come?" "I don't see why not." Sunset giggled as well. "Not many things for a nine year old to do." "Right…" Rem said looking to the side for a moment. "Something wrong?" "No of course not… it's just… It's strange. Since the day you could speak, you've shown a lot more maturity than a lot of the demons here… You surprised almost everyone in our clan. A lot of them are even saying you're a genius… You learn magic faster than anyone ever has… and here you are teaching me how to do the same." Sunset just looked to the side for a moment, thinking to herself. "Shhhhhh…" That dream popped up in her mind again… making her shiver a bit. "Rina…?" Rem asked noticing this. "...I don't really have an explanation for how or why I'm able to do magic so easily… It just comes naturally to me." Sunset answered. Rem just sighed a bit. "You and sissy are lucky… both of you were born extraordinary in the eyes of our clan… both of you are expected to do great things…" She stopped for a moment. "Sometimes I wonder… I wonder if my sister would be stronger with two horns…" "Whoa, hang on… what are you saying? If Ram had two horns, then you wouldn't even be born…" "You know that twins are normally executed… right?" "Yeah, I know. I also know about what happened the day you two were born… My mother told me about it." "The only reason both of us are still alive is because of my sisters powerful potentiel… For me, I was just lucky to still be alive." "I don't think it was luck at all." Sunset said shaking her head. "I think you both had the potential to be strong… it just took one of you a little longer than the other. That's all." "There you go again, showing your maturity." Rem sighed smiling a bit. "I won't think of it anymore then." "Actually… mind if I show you a new spell I learned too?" Sunset asked before turning to the same tree, pointing her hand to the tree as her horns came out. "Goa!" Sunset exclaimed, letting loose a blaze of fire against the tree, causing it to combust and be completely engulfed in flames fairly quickly. "Tada!" "Amazing Rina!" Rem said cheerfully. "...Um… the fire is getting a little big." Sunset turned to the tree as the fire spread to another tree. "...Okay, I didn't think that through. Help!?" Sunset asked turning to Rem. "I got it!" Rem said before making a pillar of water come out of the water. When she did, she shot the water at the trees that were engulfed in flames, putting out the fire for both of them. "All taken care of." Sunset just sighed in relief. "Thanks Rem… Would've been really bad if that got out of hand." Rem just giggled in response. "It's no problem. It's one of those things that remind me that you are still a child like me." Sunset blushed a little in embarrassment. A child in this world maybe… Sunset thought to herself. "Oh right, where's Ram? Isn't she normally with you?" "Sissy had a few things to take care of… I'm sure we'll see her by the time we get to our home." Rem responded. "Well then…" Sunset started with a smirk. "How about we see which one of us is faster again?" Rem smirked back in response. "You may be more proficient at magic than I am, but I know I'm still faster than you." "Head start!" Sunset exclaimed before starting to run. "H-hey!" Rem sputtered, running after her. "Don't think you'll beat me that easily!" ______________________________________ At Quark and Temae's House… Ram was already back at home, setting up the table for dinner. "Ram?" asked Temae. "Where is your sister?" "She probably went to see Rina to invite her over." Ram started. "I already invited Rina's family myself… by the way, it was Rem who made the dinner for tonight." Ram said smiling a bit. "Really? Was anyone with her?" "From what she told me, she prepared everything on her own." Ram replied. "Really?" Temae asked in surprise. "She's also been improving with her magic… Honestly, she's done a lot since--" SLAM CRASH The door was suddenly forced open, surprising the two in the room as two little girls stormed in. "I win!" Exclaimed Sunset proudly. "Technically I'm still the winner." Rem responded. "What!? I totally was ahead of you!" "Yes but had we actually started at the same time, I would've been the victor." "Okay you got me there…" Chuckled Sunset. "But I bet I can eat faster than you!" "Dinner hasn't even been set out yet." Rem giggled. "Ahem!" "Huh?" Sunset and Rem both said looking at a rather upset Temae… who slowly pointed at the broken window. "Wait… did… we do that…?" Sunset asked blushing in embarrassment. "It… looks that way." Rem responded. "Neither of you are eating anything until you clean that mess!" Shouted Temae. "S-sorry mother!" Rem exclaimed quickly grabbing a broom. "Y-yeah, sorry!" Sunset added, going over to help Rem. Temae just sighed shaking her head. Ram just giggled a bit before going back to setting up the table. "Sorry about that Rem… I was the one who started it." Sunset said as she was helping clean up the mess. "Eheh… no I'm to blame too." Rem said as she was sweeping up the broken bits of the window. "I was the one who started the race in the first place, Rem. Please don't blame yourself." Sunset said before taking the broom. "In fact, just let me take care of it." "But Rina--" "No buts." Sunset said in response. "Friends don't make friends clean up their messes." Rem thought to herself and sighed. "Very well… I'll leave you to it then." She said smiling a bit before walking off to the kitchen. After Sunset finished cleaning the mess, Ram lightly grabbed her by Sunset by the arm. "Rina… do you have a minute?" "Well, I just finished cleaning the mess I caused…" Sunset said blushing a bit before laying the broom against the wall. "Something you need?" "Do you mind coming to my room? I just want to have a word with you is all." Ram said. "Oh jeez, did I do something wrong?" Sunset groaned a bit. Ram just giggled a bit. "Well you and Rem did just break a window, but no that's not what I wanted to talk about… please come with me." Ram said leading the way to her room. "Alright…" Sunset responded following her. Eventually, she was lead Ram's room. Ram just sat down in the bed and patted the seat beside her. "Please sit." Sunset sat next to Ram on the bed. "So, what's this about?" Ram smiled looking at Sunset. "Simply put… I just wanted to thank you." "Huh?" Sunset asked confused. "I wanted to thank you for being such an amazing friend…" "An… amazing friend…?" Sunset repeated. Those were the sort of words Sunset never expected to hear. "You were always there for the two of us… mostly for my sister… but you see, that's why I'm so thankful. Before you started talking to us, I don't think I have ever seen my sister so happy." "I was just… trying to he a good friend, that's all." Sunset responded. "You're more than just a good friend, Rina. You're like a younger sister to us." Ram said before taking Sunset's hand. "I hope you feel the same way about us." Sunset looked into Ram's eyes before looking down for a moment. Is this what it's like for Twilight and her friends…? Sunset thought to herself. Suddenly her eyes started watering a bit remembering her old life. Would they have forgiven me for everything thing I did to them if I didn't die there…? Or would I have just been alone…? Sunset thought to herself, starting to tremble a bit. "Friends with her? Are you crazy?" A random students voice said in her mind. "What are you; nuts!? After what she did to everyone!? She's insane!" another voice said, only female this time. "I can't believe I dated someone like that…" Flash Sentry's voice said this time. "It was my fault for thinking she could be a promising student…" Said Princess Celestia's voice in her mind. Not even realizing that she started sobbing, Ram grabbed Sunset by the shoulders, starting to shake her a bit. "H-hey! Rina! What's wrong??" "H-huh?" Sunset said snapping out of it, still with tears in her eyes. "What… what was that? Why did you suddenly start crying like that?" Ram asked with a look of concern. Sunset just stared at Ram for a moment before wiping her own eyes. "I'm sorry… I don't know where that came from…" She lied, sniffling a bit. "I guess I'm just… happy that you see me that way… and that I don't have to feel alone." Ram slowly wrapped her arms around Sunset, comfortingly. "You don't have to worry about feeling alone, Rina… almost everyone in the village loves you." "Thanks Ram… that really means a lot to me." Sunset said smiling as she wrapped her arms around Ram as well, hugging her tightly. "Now come on." Ram said letting go. "I'm sure your mother and father will be here soon." "Right." Sunset nodded smiling a bit before going back to the dining room. Mere moments passed before Sunset's new mother and father came in… it didn't take long to notice the broken window. "What… happened here?" "W-well…" Sunset started. "Your daughter and our daughter Rem were having a race… and that's the result." Kira just looked at Sunset disapprovingly. "Rina…" "I'm sorry mother…" Sunset sighed looking down. Kira just held her head sighing as well. "We'll talk more about this when we get back home…" She said before turning to Rem's mother. "I apologize for Rina's behavior, Temae… is there any way to make up for the damage?" Temae looked at Sunset for a moment. "Well… having Rina help around the house a bit could make up for it." "Consider it done then." Kira nodded. Temae smirked at Sunset. "You can start by cleaning up after dinner tonight." "Y-yes ma'am." Sunset nodded before sitting at the table. Everyone else sat at the table as the plates were being prepared. "This all looks amazing, Temae…" Kira commented. "Thank you, but it was Rem who did the cooking this time." Temae answered. "Wait, you can cook?" Sunset asked Rem from across the table. "I was going to tell you after you tried it… but yes." Rem nodded. "It's a stir-fry with barbaro rabbit meat...as well as nuts I found in the forest." "And the steamed tatoes?" Sunset asked. "Also me." Rem nodded smiling. "I hope you all enjoy it." Sunset just looked down at her own plate, thinking to herself for a moment. Normally I tried to convince Kira that I don't eat meat… but I can't just not eat what Rem made… Sunset sighed taking the first bite out of the stir-fry. This of course got Kira's attention. "Really? How come you never eat meat when I'm the one who cooks it?" Kira asks with an annoyed expression. "Well because normally I--" Sunset said while chewing… she stopped to keep chewing. This tastes… delicious. … I'm a pony who finds meat tasty… one of the things I hope Celestia never hears. "This meat is really good, Rem!" Sunset commented making Rem smile at her. "I'm glad you enjoy it." Rem responded. "That's it; you don't have anymore excuses not to eat my cooking anymore." Kira said ruffling Sunset's hair. Everyone at the table sort of just laughed before going back to their meal. The rest of dinner went by normally as the adults were conversing with each other. After about an hour or so, everyone was finished and Sunset took everyone's plates to go clean them like she was asked to. "Do you need any help?" Rem asked grabbing a plate to clean before Sunset could even say anything. "You know, your mother asked me to do the cleaning… you don't have to do this, Rem." Sunset said to Rem as they both cleaned. "You already took responsibility with the window, Rina. Just let me help you." "But Rem--" "Friends don't make friends clean up their messes… remember?" Rem asked smiling a bit. Sunset just chuckled a bit. "Alright, fair point…" "After this… would you like to spend the night?" Rem asked. "You want me to sleep over? I mean… I would have to ask my mother first, and she might still be upset about the window." "Don't worry, I have an idea." After cleaning up after dinner, Sunset walked over to her mother. "Mother?" Sunset started. "Would it be okay if I spent the night here?" "What?" Kira started. "No, you're sleeping at home." "If I may…" Rem started walking up to the two. "I was the one who suggested the idea… I figured it would be a good way to give Rina a head start at helping around the house in the morning." "Actually… that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Temae added. Kira just looked at Sunset and sighed a bit. "Very well… I'll see you in the morning, Rina." Sunset just looked at her parents walking out… Ever since that night when Kira could smell the witch's scent on me… she hasn't looked at me the same… I don't get it; is she afraid of me or something? Rem took Sunset's hand, cutting her train of thought. "Are you alright?" "Huh?... Yeah I'm fine. Just got a few things on my mind." Sunset answered. "Thanks for that by the way." "Don't worry about it." Rem smiled. "Come on, let's get ready for bed." Rem said bringing me to the room. ______________________________________ … … … ...Wait a second… What's that smell…? Sunset thought to herself before opening her eyes. She had been sleeping in the same bed as Rem who was still asleep. However, as Sunset sat up to look around, the smell was only getting stronger… it was the smell of smoke. On top of that, Ram wasn't in the room anymore. "Wait, huh?" ...I don't like this… something's wrong. "Rem! Rem, wake up!" Sunset said shaking Rem a bit. "H-huh?" Rem said groggily rubbing her eyes. "What's--... wait, what is that smell??" "You can smell the smoke too, right?? That's not all; your sister isn't here!" Sunset exclaimed. "Wait what!?" Rem exclaimed quickly getting out of bed. "Where is she!?" "I don't know. Come on!" Sunset exclaimed taking Rem's hand, leading her outside the room. "Mother!? Father!?" Rem called out. There was no response… Rem ran into their bedroom only to find no one there. As for Sunset, she went for the front door… only to find that the entire village was engulfed in flames. "Oh my god…" Sunset said to herself with a wide eyed expression, as she looked around at the flames… However... Sunset quickly noticed that it wasn't just buildings that were burning. Sunset's blood quickly ran cold as she lost her breath, looking at the corpses of demons that were on fire. The only appropriate response Sunset could produce was a blood curdling scream before vomiting on the ground. "R-Rina I can't find--!" Rem exclaimed before stopping to witness just what Sunset had seen. Her expression was just as dismayed as Sunset's was. "W-what…" She let out before seeing the burning pile of corpses. "N-NOO!! Mother!! Father!!" Rem cried about to run to the burning pile, only to be grabbed and pulled back by Sunset. "Rina, let me go!! I have to--!!" "There's nothing you can do, Rem! They're already dead!!" Sunset exclaimed trying to hold her down. Rem's eyes widened even more. "Sissy…!!" She exclaimed, pushing Sunset off. "Where's my sister!?" "R-Rem we have to stay calm and--!" "I have to find her!!" Rem screamed before running off. "Rem!!" Sunset exclaimed trying to catch up to her. However, as she was running toward where Rem went, she stopped for a moment. "Mother… Father…!" She exclaimed before running the other direction to her house. As she was running, all she could see was just pilea of burning corpses. Dear Celestia, please let them be okay!! She thought to herself picking up the pace. Suddenly, a blade quickly flew past her face, hitting one of the burning trees nearby. "W-what the--!?" She exclaimed looking at the blade. "Dang it Sunset, keep running!!" She exclaimed to herself before running again. However, when she got there, she could see that her house was already engulfed in flames. "No!! God, why is this happening!?!?" "R-Rina…" "Huh??" Sunset quickly looked around for where the voice came from, only to find Kira on the ground… with a blade sticking out from her chest. "M-mother!!!" She exclaimed running over to her, falling to her knees next to her. "Rina… you have to leave the village… run while you still can before they get to you…" Kira said weakly. "W-who!? Who did this!?" "Witch… Cultists… Please, Rina… there's no time to explain; you have to go!" "But mother, I can't leave you like this! I have to do something!!" Sunset cried. I don't care if she's not my first mother! I don't want her to die!! "Rina… there's nothing you can do…" She said before coughing blood. "Please… just go…!" Kira exclaimed before grabbing Sunset's hand with her own bloody one. When she did, she painfully pulled the blade out of her chest, handing it to Sunset. "Go and… live on…" "Please, I--!!" Sunset exclaimed… before feeling Kira's arm go limp. Tears ran down her face as she slowly got back to her feet, holding the blade. This really is hell… Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a purple hooded figure with red eyes, slowly approaching her. "Y-you… did you do this…!?" But rather than getting a straight answer, more hooded figures started approaching. Feeling rage and hatred welling up inside her, Sunset's horns came out of her head as she was gritting her teeth. "I'll make you pay!!!" She screamed pointing her hand at the cultists. "GOA!!" She screamed, letting loose a massive blaze, in an attempt to incinerate the cultists in front of her. "You bastards!!!" She kept casting Goa multiple times until she was sure they were dealt with. Panting hard, her horns retracted into her head before she started running again. "I have to find Rem!!" But as she was running, she suddenly felt a sharp pain before falling forward, dropping the blade that was in her hand. W-what… what… She thought to herself before abruptly coughing blood. What… how… that's impossible... She grunted struggling to get up… only to fall over on all fours again. She looked down to find a blade sticking through her stomach. Once again, all she could do was let out another blood curdling scream. She tried to reach around her back to grab the blade by the handle, but her body was too weak to reach that far from all the blood she was losing. N-No… am I… going to die again…? As Sunset was pondering this, she could hear footsteps slowly approaching her before stopping. Shakily moving her head up to see who it was, she could see another purple hooded figure with red eyes on the front. "P-please… no...I…" But before Sunset could even form a sentence, she was lifted up by the hooded figure, and tossed into the pile of burning corpses to be burned alive. No… I… don't want to die… I… … … … Sunset just opened her eyes to find herself standing in front of the pond. W-what…? Wait, how did I get here!? Sunset thought to herself, looking around. "Rina!" "H-huh?" Sunset said quickly looking over at where the voice came from… it was Rem who had a smile on her face. "R-Rem!" Sunset exclaimed, running over to her. "What happened!? Where's your sister!?" "My… my sister?" Rem asked slightly taken back by the sudden outburst. "She… had a few things to take care of… are you okay?" "What are you talking about!? We have to--" Sunset stopped for a moment realizing something. Wait… why can't I smell smoke anymore? She thought to herself before looking up. And why is it day time!? Sunset slowly looked back at Rem for a moment. "Sorry Rem but… how come you came to see me…?" She asked curiously. "Well… a couple of reasons… My mother and father wanted to invite your family over tonight…" Rem said. ...What? Didn't this happen before? "Is there… anything else?" Rem just smiled a bit before turning to one of the trees nearby. "Al Huma!" Rem shouted before summoning a long spear of ice that penetrated the tree in front of her. "What do you think?" What's… going… on… Sunset thought to herself before collapsing on the ground, passing out. "R-Rina!" Rem slowly picked up Sunset, carrying her on her back. She quickly ran to the village and went straight to her home. When she got there, she could see her mother cleaning up a bit. "Mother!" "Rem?" Temae asked looking over at her daughter. "Wait, what happened to her??" Temae asked looking at Sunset passed out. "I don't know… all I did was show her how much my magic's improved and she just fell over!" "Hurry and get her into one of the beds. I'll get your father." Temae said before running outside. Rem did as her mother was told and brought Sunset into her bedroom, laying her down on the bed. "Rina… what happened to you…?" Author's Note I don't know how the writers of Re:Zero can do these... it took me a little while to get into the mood of insanity but I hope you all enjoyed it.
Dreams of Friendship. . . . . . . . . Sunset just stood in darkness… unsure of what was going on. She contemplated hard on the recent events trying to convince herself that none of it happened… but the pain of it all felt too real to ignore. This really is just a punishment for all the cruel things I did in my past life, isn't it…? She thought to herself before falling to her knees starting to cry a bit. "You don't deserve to be alive…" "You were the worst person alive…" "You were a devil…" "You don't deserve kindness…" Suddenly in front of Sunset; Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity stood in front of her all with black eyes and blood running down their eyes and mouths. "You don't deserve friendship!!" All six of them shouted at the same time. Out of fear, Sunset got back to her feet and just ran away from them… running through the endless darkness all while hearing the voices over and over again. "No pony will miss you…" "Celestia should have chosen better…" "Canterlot High is better off without you…" "Equestria is better off without you…" "You should've just stayed dead…" "You have no one!!" Sunset just kept running with tears running down her face… until she fell over onto the ground. "I'm sorry…!" She shouted looking down at the ground. "Celestia… please… someone… I'm sorry…!!" Suddenly in the distance, light shone through the darkness and expanded… it did so to the point where not a single speck of darkness could be seen. "Wait… what…?" Sunset asked herself looking around. Rather than being trapped in darkness and hearing voices… now it was just quiet. "How peculiar…" A voice said from behind her. "H-Huh??" Sunset asked, turning to where the voice came from. When she did, she could see a dark blue alicorn standing in front of her. hang on… why does she seem so familiar? "Who… Who are you…? I feel like I should know you..." Sunset asked. "Frankly, I should be the one asking you…" the blue alicorn responded. "Normally when entering the dream realm I'm not met with such… ghastly nightmares." "Hold up… dream realm?" Sunset asked for a moment. "So this is just a dream…" Sunset huffed a bit in relief. "...On top of that, I don't think I've ever entered the dreams of someone outside of Equestria before… your dreams are new to me, young one." "Wait-- Did you say Equestria!?" Sunset shouted. "Indeed… call me Luna." The blue alicorn nodded. Sunset just rubbed her eyes in shock. "L-Luna!?" Sunset exclaimed remembering Vice Principal Luna. "Now… may I get your name?" Luna asked. "It would only be fair." "H-huh…? Oh… right… Um…" Sunset stammered a bit unsure if she was even able to say her pony name. She just gulped before opening her mouth. "S-sunset… Shimmer…" she said before letting out a sigh of relief. However, Luna just looked at Sunset with both shock and confusion. "Sunset… Shimmer…?" She asked. "But that can't be…" Luna said looking to the side for a moment. "Wait here." She said before quickly vanishing. "W-wait! Where are you going!?" Sunset exclaimed as her voice echoed through the silence. "And I'm alone again…" . . . "Was… that really Luna…?" After only moments of waiting for Sunset, Luna returned… only this time with a white alicorn standing beside her. Immediately, the white alicorn and Sunset looked at each other with both shock and sadness in their expressions. They simply stared in silence for a few moments. The white alicorn was the first to break the silence. "Sunset… Shimmer…?" "P-Princess Celestia…?" Sunset asked with tears starting to form in her face again as she slowly approached the white alicorn. "Are… you really Sunset…? Your eyes… your body; you look so young…" Celestia said looking at Sunset closely. "...When I was your student… I ran away to Canterlot High for my own selfish reasons… When I came back to Equestria, I stole one of the elements of harmony and brought it back with me to Canterlot High…" Sunset said as tears dripped down her face. "I don't know if it really is you or not but… I'm so sorry Princess…" Sunset said as she started sobbing a bit. "If I was able to, I'd take everything horrible I did back… I'd do everything I could to--" But before Sunset could finish her sentence, Celestia quickly lowered herself, placing one of her hooves, and wings onto Sunset as she craned her head downward as well… with tears dripping down her face. "It really is you… I missed you so much Sunset Shimmer…!" Sunset just widened her eyes when she heard those words. She… missed me…? Sunset thought to herself before instinctively wrapping her arms around Celestia, sobbing over her. ~~~~~~~ Laying in bed with Rina, Rem was sleeping by her side. She groaned a bit as she opened her eyes. "Hm…?" She asked looking around the room to see that her sister wasn't there. "Sissy…?" She asked before looking down at Rina, seeing that she was in tears. Rem just sighed, using her sleeve to wipe away the tears before getting up from the bed to see where her sister went. But when she got out of the room, she could see that the front door was cracked open. She then decided to go inspect it. ~~~~~~~ "I don't understand… how are you both here??" Sunset asked the two as she and Celestia finally broke the hug. "I'm here because my sister was able to take me into the dream realm with her…" Celestia answered. "However, being able to see you raises some questions for us…" Luna added. "After all, you had been deceased for nine years." Sunset just looked down for a moment in response. "Where are you, Sunset Shimmer? Are you near Equestria?" "That's just it… I'm nowhere near Equestria." Sunset responded. "I'm not a pony or even human anymore… for nine years, I've been living my life as a demon…" "D-demon!?" Luna exclaimed. "Not a bad demon!" Sunset exclaimed, waving her hands a bit. "Actually… in this world, demons are kind of normal." Sunset smiled a bit. "I've made a couple of demon friends myself." "You… have…?" Celestia asked a little surprised… but in a good way. "Yeah… Rem and Ram… they're twin sisters." Sunset said. "They've been my closest friends in that world since I was five years old…" This time Celestia couldn't help but smile. "I'm glad then…" Celestia said, seeming to sigh in relief. "How is everyone else doing? Twilight Sparkle? Everyone in Canterlot High?" Sunset asked. Celestia just stared for a moment and sighed. "Twilight Sparkle did return to Equestria safely… but she blames herself for what happened to you." "H-huh…?" "On top of that, she refuses to return to that other world… so to answer your question about Canterlot High: I really don't know." Sunset looked down again. "It's all my fault… none of this would've happened if I wasn't so selfish…" Celestia placed a hoof on Sunset's shoulder. "You made mistakes… Everypony does… But if you really are making new friends, then I think you already learned from those mistakes…" "Rina!! Rina wake up!!" "W-what in the world was that!?" Luna asked looking around. "That sounded like Rem…" Sunset responded. "But… she called you Rina…?" Celestia asked. Before Sunset could respond, Rem's voice called out again. "Rina, please!! Everything is on fire!!" "What!?!?" Sunset exclaimed. "I have to go!!" "Wait!! Sunset!!--" Celestia exclaimed. . . . . . . . . . Sunset shot her eyes open panting hard as she was immediately met with the smell of smoke again. "Rina! We have to leave!!" Rem exclaimed, dragging Sunset out of bed. Ram could be seen on the ground, bleeding from her head. "W-what happened to her!?" "T-those cultists… they cut off her horn when she was trying to protect me… if I wasn't so weak, I--" "Rem, there's no time to start feeling sorry for yourself now! Where's your parents!?" Rem choked a bit shaking her head, basically giving Sunset the idea. "D-damn it… Damn it!!" She screamed angrily as her horns appeared. She ran outside looking for the witch cultists… however none of them were visible. "Where are they!?!?" "T-the rest were killed..." Rem said carrying Ram on her shoulders. "W-what…? You… killed them…?" Rem just looked over for a moment. "Actually…" "Goooodness…" said a male voice said coming from the distance a bit. When Sunset looked at the man approaching, she kept her horns out. "If ooonly I had been able to come sooner…" The man was dressed strangely… and it was hard to tell from the light of the fire, but it looked like the man was wearing make-up. "Who are you!?" Sunset screamed angrily. "R-Rina please! He was the one that killed the rest of those cultists!" Rem said urging Sunset to calm down. "You… you did…?" Sunset asked looking up at the man. "You may call me Lord Roswaal…" The man said with a nod. "Again… I apologize that I wasn't able to come to your aid sooner…" Sunset's horns just retracted into her. "Is… there anyone else…? Anyone from our village…?" "No… It looks like we're the only ones left…" Rem answered. Sunset just screamed out angrily. "Damn it… If I was awake I could've done something… I…" "Rina… you couldn't have done this alone… no one could have…" Rem said, taking Sunset's hand. "I'm just glad you're alive…" "You don't deserve to be alive…" Sunset winced a bit as she looked away. "R-Rina…?" Sunset looked back at Rem for a moment. "What are we going to do now…? Where are we supposed to go…?" "I… I don't know…" Rem said sadly as she looked back at her sister. "Hm…" Roswaal said kneeling down, looking over Ram's head. He placed his hand on her head and seemed to be using a spell on her. "H-hey, what are you doing…??" Rem asked. "Worry not…" Roswaal answered. "Since her horn was cut, her magic would normally be unstable… however, I managed to stabilize it for now." "T...thank you…" Rem nodded slightly before Roswaal took Ram gently in his arms. "H-huh…?" "Let me finish… I did manage to stabilize her magic for now, but it's only temporary…" "W-what…? What can we do then…?" Sunset asked. "How about I offer you a deal?" Roswaal asked, smiling slightly. "In exchange for tending to this one's wound, the three of you could work for me." "W-work… for you…?" Rem asked. "Indeeeeed… I'll ensure your safety as well as offer you sanctuary in my home." Roswaal answered. "But… what kind of work would we do?" Sunset asked. "Simply put: you will be serving as maids in my home." Roswaal answered. Maids!?!? Sunset thought to herself. I get that he saved us but… ugh… Sunset just sighed. "Does it… have to be maid work…?" Sunset asked. "Well… what else would you like to do for me?" Ros asked. "I'm… proficient in magic." Sunset answered. "I'm still learning new spells, but I think that can be useful…" "It's true." Rem added. "Rina's learned how to use her magic faster than anyone in the village has… and she does exceptionally well with it…" "Then perhaaaaps I may have another job for you then, dear." Roswaal said with an honest smile. "For now, please… all of you, come with me." He said as he carried Ram with him. Rem and Rina both looked at each other before nodding, staying close behind Roswaal. "Thank you…" Sunset said. ——————— The trip took a few days… but we eventually made it to Roswaal's mansion… and by the time we got there, it was night time again. The whole trip however was silent… All of us were reflecting on what happened to us… what happened to our village… what happened to our families… At least… that's what I was doing. But at the same time, I can't help but think back to Princess Celestia, and how I was even able to see her in the first place. Would she tell the others of what happened? Would she tell Twilight? Would Twilight tell the girls at Canterlot High…? … Is Canterlot High even okay…? Multiple thoughts kept shooting into Sunset's mind at once. All of which came to a halt until they stopped in front of the door to the mansion. "Heeeere we are…" Roswaal announced. Sunset looked up at the Mansion closely. Jeez… this place is huge… Rem and Ram stood by Sunset but both were completely quiet. "I must go speak with Miss Emilia about you three… please, feel free to explore the mansion to start getting a better feel for your new living arrangements." Roswaal said as he opened the front door. The three walked through the doors and right away saw how huge it was on the inside. Roswaal just went upstairs. Sunset sighed looking down. "I guess we should start taking a look around…" Sunset said, about to head off. But her hand was quickly grabbed, holding her back. "Huh?" She said turning around, seeing Rem with dried tears in her eyes. "Don't go too far ahead of us…" Rem said. "What…?" Sunset asked. "It's… not like we're separating…" "...I don't understand you, Rina…" Rem said. "Our entire village… our families… everyone's gone now…" She said as tears dripped again. "How can you possibly already be alright…?" Sunset looked down for a moment. "I'm not…" Sunset answered. "Honestly, I don't think I'll ever truly be alright… but holding onto the pain, and letting it grow inside us isn't going to do us any good… It'll take some time, but we do have to move on with our lives… And I'm not saying I won't miss mother or father… in fact, I'll probably miss them everyday…" "...Once again, showing your maturity… but you're right…" Rem sighed. "However… it will take a long time for me to move on…" Ram didn't add to the conversation. In fact she was still silent. "...I understand…" Sunset nods, making sure to stay close to Rem and Ram. The three girls then started walking around the mansion, looking through random doors and seeing a variety of different rooms, which included bathrooms, bedrooms, a pretty big kitchen, and even this one huge room which was apparently a bathing area. We're really going to be living here…? Sunset thought to herself. "It's definitely impressive here." Sunset commented. "Mhm…" Rem nodded… Ram, still silent. Sunset sighed as she was about to open another door, however, she stopped as she smelled something. "Huh…? Someone's in here?" She asked before knocking on the door. “You may enter, I suppose." The three hear from inside. The three look at each other before Sunset opens the door… revealing a large library with multiple books that neither of the three had even seen before… along with what looked like a little girl with drill-like blonde hair and blue eyes… or as some people would call, a loli. It looked like she was reading a book. "Do you three have any business here, I suppose?" "Sorry… we were just curious." Sunset answered. "The three of us are going to be working here and Roswaal asked us to take a look around." "He asked for the help of demons now?" she sighed. "This shouldn't even surprise me anymore, I suppose." She said closing the book she was reading. "You knew we were demons?" Sunset asked. "It's hard to mistake your scent." The girl said walking up to us. "Oh… so you're not human then." Sunset pointed out. "Absolutely not, and don't you dare compare me to something as insignificant as that again." She deadpanned. "Right… noted." Sunset nodded. "Anyways… I'm Rina… and these two are my friends, Rem and Ram." "You may call me Beatrice… or Betty, I suppose." she answers. "Out of curiosity, what will Rossy be having you do anyways?" "As far as my sister and myself, we will be working as maids…" Rem answered. "As for me… I'm not completely sure yet." Sunset added. "Roswaal said he would find some other kind of work for me, but didn't say yet… he said he had to speak to Emilia…?” “I see…” Beatrice said looking at Sunset closely. “Compared to most demons, your magic is rather powerful I suppose. I’m sure they’ll have something for you.” She said before walking over to a book, picking it off the shelf. “If you have any other questions, my door is always open… just be sure to knock first and we won’t have any issues.” “Right… I’ll keep that in mind… and thank you.” Sunset nods. “If that’s all you need then I would like to get back to my reading.” Beatrice says sitting back down, opening the book she grabbed. “Besides I doubt it will take too long for that silly girl to make up her mind about you.” “Silly girl?” Sunset asked, tilting her head. “You’ll see what I mean eventually, I suppose.” Beatrice said before fully focusing on her book. “...Right then.” Sunset sighed as she walked out of the room with Rem and Ram following close by her. The three demons started making their way back to the main corridor where they had entered, expecting Roswaal to already be there waiting for them. At least that’s what Sunset expects after what Beatrice said about Emilia. As they walked, Rem for the most part was silent this time… as was Ram but she looked over at Rina curiously. “I’m sorry…” Ram finally said. “Sissy…?” Rem looked at Ram a little confused. “Ram, why are you apologizing…?” Sunset asked. “After everything that happened, I should have been able to do something… But instead, you were the one who kept a clear head for all of us…” Ram said. “I was… going to tell you this before the village……” She paused and sighed looking down. “You’ve been a wonderful friend to us, Rina… if anything; I would even consider you to be like a little sister to us.” Sunset looked over at Ram and stared at her for a moment… “You're more than just a good friend, Rina. You're like a younger sister to us.” Sunset choked a bit hearing those words play in her head again… but she slowly forced her face into a smile as she looked back at the two. “I feel the same way about you two…” Even if I was unable to do anything for the village… Sunset thought to herself. The three eventually enter the main corridor, this time seeing not only Roswaal, but a girl with silver hair as well. "Hm…?" Sunset looked at the girl. "Hello there." The girl said with a tender smile as she walked up to the three demons. "My name is Emilia." The three girls didn't say anything… they just looked at her as she spoke. "I was told what happened to your village and your people… there are no words to express how sorry I am for you three… But I just want to let you know that even though you are working here, you'll be treated the same as family. This will be your home as much as it is for us." "That's… very kind of you, Miss. Emilia." Ram comments. "Yeah… thank you so much." Sunset nods. "Miss. Emilia has aaaalways been one to help others in neeeed." Roswaal said with a smile. "R-Roswaal!" Emilia let out blushing. Sunset smiled, giggling a bit. "Always helping someone in need huh…? Reminds me of…" Sunset stopped and remembered Twilight for a moment. "Reminds you of what?" Emilia asked. "Nothing… it's nothing." Sunset shook her head. "...Well…" Ram started. "In my opinion, it reminds me of you." Ram said, taking Sunset's hand. "Huh?" Sunset asked. "It's true..." Rem nodded. "You always thought of others before thinking of yourself… ever since we first met." "If you're strong enough to get through this… then so am I." Ram says. "Me too." Rem says joining in. Emilia smiled watching the three. "Oh right." Emilia started. "Could I get your names?" "Oh, sorry… my name is Rina." Sunset started. "And… these are my older sisters." Both Rem and Ram looked a little shocked that Rina actually referred to them as sisters. But Ram was the first to regain her composure. "My name is Ram." "And… my name is Rem…" Rem added. "I hope we can repay you for the kindness you've done for us…" "Think nothing of it." Emilia smiled. "I wanted to do it." "Thank you." Rem and Ram both say. "Now then…" Emilia said as she turned to Sunset. "Roswaal tells me that Rem and Ram are willing to accept their position as maids… but he also says you didn't seem happy with the idea." "I am grateful for what he did… really." Sunset says. "But I'm not exactly the 'maid' type of person. "Well he also tells me that you mentioned something of having powerful magic… would you mind demonstrating for me?" Emilia asked. Sunset looked to the side for a moment. "Well… I'd have to demonstrate outside. My magical affinity is fire." "Really?" She asked, smiling a bit. "I'm sure Roswaal would be able to help you improve in your magic then." Sunset smiled back slightly… She looked back at Rem and Ram who both had serious expressions on their face. "Right… I'll show you what I can do." Sunset says walking outside. Everyone walked out into an open field in front of the mansion. Sunset stepped forward and held her hand out. When she did, her horns came out of her head… and without saying a word, she cast a powerful fire blast onto the ground in front of them. "...I still have a lot to learn, but I'm a quick learner." Sunset said as she looked to Roswaal and Emilia. "I'd certainly say so…" Emilia said looking a little surprised. "How… old are you?" "I'm nine years old." Sunset answered. Physically… Sunset says mentally. "And your magic is that powerful already??" She asked. "I know you're a demon but… at that age, that's simply amazing." She said smiling. "With a little training… I think you'd make a wonderful knight." "A… knight?" Sunset asked. "I know this is a strange question to ask a child but… Have you ever held a weapon before?" Emilia asked. Sunset just shook her head in response. "Well… along with your magic training, how would you like to train with a sword as well?" Sunset looked down thinking for a moment before looking to Rem and Ram. "Do you think I--" "I think you're more than capable." Ram said with a nod. "I think… it'll be good for you." Sunset looked to Rem who nodded in agreement. Sunset looked down thinking for a moment. If I do this… All this training… I could do more than just be Emilia's knight… I could also use those skills to protect the ones close to me… so they don't have to suffer again like that night… Sunset looked to Roswaal and Emilia with confidence in her eyes. "I'll do it." ~~~~~~~~~ Sunset was now laying in her bed, her eyes were shut but sleep wasn't coming any closer… there was only one thing on her mind. "What happened…" Sunset said to herself. "Everything that night before… there's no way it could've been a dream… I felt pain… I remember it too vividly… for that to happen and then the fire happening a second time…? There's no way that was a coincidence…" knock knock… "Are you still awake, Rina…?" Sunset heard Rem's voice from the other side of the door. "I am…" Sunset replied. Rem slowly opened the door… and it was both her and Ram standing by the door. "...You can't sleep either?" Sunset asked. Both just shook their heads. "Come on… I have room for the both of you." Sunset said moving toward the wallside of the bed. Both Rem and Ram walk over, going into the bed with Sunset. The bed was a little small so they had to sort of come in close. "I still can't believe this all happened…" Rem sighed. Sunset looked to Ram who hadn't said anything yet. "How are you feeling, Ram…?" "...I don't know… this feeling is hard to explain… losing our home… our families… and even my horn…" Ram said, tearing up a bit. Sunset simply turned to Ram and hugged her close. Ram slowly returned the hug. "I don't understand Rina… how can you be this strong…? Both physically and mentally…" "...I don't know…" Sunset simply answered. Truth is… as horrible as this sounds, I'm not… totally sad about this… maybe it's because that mother isn't my real one…? Yeah she brought me into this world, but I just don't feel the same connection as I do with my first birth mother. "Maybe it's because I at least have you two still…" Sunset says. "And I'm more thankful for that than you know… you two mean everything to me. No matter what happens, we'll get through it together." . . . . . . . . . Sunset looked around… nothing was there just an empty space. Sunset just sighed. "I didn't even realize I fell asleep…" "It really is you…" Sunset hears. She quickly darts her head, seeing a familiar purple alicorn. "...Twilight…??" Sunset asked slowly walking up to her. However, it seemed like she already had tears in her eyes. "Huh?" "Sunset, I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry for what happened to you; I didn't mean to--!" Twilight exclaimed. "Relax Twilight." Sunset sighed. "It's fine… yeah, I'm dead in that world… but, I've been doing alright in this one. Besides, it was my fault to begin with…" Sunset said looking to the side. "If I hadn't been so horrible, then none of this would've even happened in the first place." "Princess Celestia told me what you told her… have you really been making friends in this world?" Twilight asked, smiling a bit. Sunset just let out a heavy sigh. "For a while, I had a good family and home… but right now, the only family I have that are still alive are Rem and Ram… And… I'm all they have…" Twilight frowned again hearing that. "Then all you can do is do your best, and be there for them…" "Trust me… I know that already. I can't imagine losing them too." Sunset says. Twilight smiled before the two hugged. "You really have changed…" "...Do you think I could ever see Equestria again?" Sunset asked. "That's a tough question to answer… This has never happened before." Twilight says. "But I will say this… if we can keep in contact like this, then there must be some sort of connection. Maybe someday we can use that connection to reach each other in the real world again. Of course for now that won't be for a while…" "That's fine." Sunset smiled. "Take your time… Can you do me a favor though?" "What is it?" Twilight asked. "When it's possible again, do you think you could go to where Canterlot High is and… tell them how sorry I am?" Twilight smiled. "Of course." "Thanks, Twilight…" ______________________________________ 6 Years later… So far, living in the Roswaal manor has been peaceful. The next morning the day after we met Emilia, we met her spirit named Puck. Honestly, seeing how adorable he was, it was hard to believe such a creature could hold such devastating magic… My magic and sword training went by smoothly so far… Roswaal was able to teach me several fire spells and tricks that I had no idea I could use, as well as how to use a sword properly. Needless to say, he was surprised at the rate I was learning. Of course I wasn't the only one who had been training… Rem had been training as well. Though to be honest, she kind of surprised me when she started learning to use a morning star flail. She tells me it's to make up for her magic, but to be honest, I've seen her magic improve over the years as well. As for Ram, she's been learning to control her magic without a horn. For a demon without a horn to cast magic, it's fairly difficult. But Roswaal's been helping her a lot with it. In fact he's helped her the most out of the three of us. I know it's been tough on all of us, but I really think that we're coming along alright. As for Twilight… We've actually been able to keep in touch through the dream world. I do still miss Equestria, but I am glad I can keep in contact with them. … What I'm not glad about, however, is the fact that Canterlot High had been taken over… by three sirens. I swear, if I somehow go back, even if it's for a day, I'll make things right again… "Rina?" "Huh?" Sunset looked over at Emilia who had her arms crossed. "You spaced out again… you sure you're feeling alright?" Emilia asked. "Yes Miss. Emilia. I'm fine." Sunset nodded with a smile. Emilia was in town where there were many other people and merchants around. Sunset was asked to go with her for extra protection. She wore a similar outfit that Emilia wore, but more modified to look more appropriate for a knight. She also had a rapier by her side. "Hmm… Hey, do you want something to eat?" "No, it's fine Rina I'm not--" Emilia said right before rumbling could be heard from her. "...Hungry." She said blushing a bit. Sunset giggled slightly. "I'll look for something for both of us." She said walking off to one of the nearby stands. "Hey there. What can I get for you?" A man with green hair asked Sunset. "Just a couple of appas please." Sunset said as she took out money from her pocket. "Heh… perfect…" In almost an instant something flew by the crowd of people. "What the…" Sunset looked back at Emilia who seemed to be feeling around in her pockets. "Are you alright?" "No I'm not! Someone just stole my insignia!" Emilia exclaimed. "Seriously…??" Sunset asked before running back. "Hey do you still want something?" The merchant asked. "Sorry it'll have to wait!" Sunset exclaimed before going to Emilia. "Did you see where they went at least?" "I'm pretty sure they went that way!" Emilia exclaimed pointing in the direction. "It was hard for me to see, but I'm fairly certain I felt something blow past me that way." "I'll go ahead then." Sunset nods before running in the direction Emilia pointed. "Right behind you!" Emilia exclaimed following Sunset. The two ran as fast as they could for a bit, but they couldn't make heads or tails of where the thief went. "Damn it, where could they have gone??" "Why don't we split up?" Emilia asked. "...You sure?" Sunset asked. "I'll be fine on my own for a little bit, Rina." "No offense, but you were already alone for a little bit and look what happened." Sunset said. "She's got a point Lia." Pucks voice could be heard. "I'm. Fine!" Emilia said, crossing her arms. "You keep going that way and I'll search a different route with Puck." "Please keep her safe Puck…" Sunset said. Puck chuckled a bit. "You don't have to tell me." Emilia huffed before running the other way. Sunset kept running, looking for any clues that lead to where the thief might have gone… unfortunately, they didn't leave any tracks. "If I were a thief, where would I go if I just stole something that valuable?" "AAAGGGHH!!" "Play games with us will ya!?" "What in the...?" Sunset let out before running toward the sound of the commotion. It eventually led her into an alley where a burly man, a skinny boy, and a rather short boy was beating up someone on the ground. "Hey!!" "Huh??" The three thugs asked, looking at Sunset. "Who in the hell are you!?" The skinny boy asked. "It doesn't matter; just what do you think you're doing to him??" Sunset asked. "None of your business, lady. Get lost!" The short one exclaimed. "Sorry but I don't ignore something like this." She said before creating a flame in her hand. "If you don't wanna be burned to a crisp, I suggest you back off!" Two of them freaked out while the skinny one just looked at Sunset in annoyance. "Forget this! He's not worth it." He said before he and the other two ran off. "We'll remember this, bitch!" Sunset huffed, putting her flame away. She looked over at the boy and walked up to him. "You really saved me… thank you." He said. "Well you're lucky I was around." Sunset says. "Just what were you doing in an alleyway all alone anyways? And why are your clothes we--..." Sunset stopped and took a closer look at him. Wait a sec… She thought to herself while looking at the boy. those clothes aren't normal… at least not for here… she trailed off looking at the wet track suit on a box, then at the bag on the ground. It had Ramen and a bag of potato chips inside. What the hell…? She stopped and took a closer look at the confused boy. Upon closer inspection, she could see what looked like a flip phone sticking out of his pocket. ...Wait, a phone!? Those don't even exist here! Who is this kid!? Author's Note Hey everyone. Sorry I took so long to update this story... it's been difficult to keep up with work and all this craziness going on. Anyways, with this chapter done, it marks the start lf the real beginning of Re:Zero. What will happen now that it was Sunset that found Subaru instead of Emilia? Also I am still working on the collab story with UnleashedTwilight so stay tuned for when that story comes!
