Corruption

Having set up a fire to keep herself warm several hours later, Sunset proceeded eating whatever was in her bag that had to offer. While she was amazed to see that her journal was still inside the bag, she could still feel the bitter sting of defeat after hearing about what happened back at the Hive.

"Are you still thinking about them?" a voice asked.

Sunset looked up and saw her demonic self sitting across the side. But instead of backing away in a panic, Sunset simply groans and lowers her head in annoyance.

"What do you want?" Sunset asked in a defeated tone.

"Oh, I'm just here to see how my pathetic alter ego is doing after nearly losing her intestines to those Changelings back at the Hive~." Sunset's demonic self taunted.

"Haven't you tortured me enough? Why can't you just leave me alone?" Sunset asked, starting to feel agitated.

"Or what~? Call your friends over and destroy me in one shot~? You can't destroy me, Sunset. I am a part of you. Like marrow in a bone, you can't get rid of me." Sunset's demonic self said as she walked towards her original self.

"What is it that you want from me?! Isn't it enough that I lost the Elements of Harmony?! Isn't it enough that my friends could die any moment from now?! Isn't it enough that I have nearly died countless times while searching for a bunch of jewels?!" Sunset asked as she grew more and more angry.

“And what would you say if my answer was no~?” Demon Sunset taunted.

Having heard enough, Sunset decided to ignore her demonic self and just focus on the fire until it was time to leave. But the latter would have none of it and she moved even further towards the former.

“How do you think your companions out there are doing~? Could they be suffering~? Or could they already be someone’s dinner by now~? You should know since you should already be dead by now~.” the demon taunted, trying to get under Sunset’s skin.

“What in Tartarus do you care if Tempest and Grubber are missing? They’re already captured and there’s nothing I can do to reverse their situation. They’re gone!” Sunset said, doing her best to keep her cool.

“Oh~? I thought you believed in everything that nosy little princess back in the Crystal Empire stood for~? I guess it takes a demon to know a demon, considering how little you think of others~.” the demon said in a vicious tone.

Hearing this set off Sunset in the worst way possible. She has already suffered under the turmoil of death and she has now lost her new friends and companions. And now she is, being insulted by her demonic self after hearing about what happened to the Elements of Harmony. Slowly, the unicorn begins to lose it.

“Would you mind repeating what you said to me? The flame crackles got to my ears.” Sunset asked in a cold tone.

"Don't be so delusional~. You know what I am referring to~. You - the pony who knows so much - is always trying to decide for yourself what is right or wrong. The same way that you believe you are above everyone else, human or pony." the demon viciously said.

"And what does that make you…? All you have done is hurt others while telling yourself that you deserve the entire world on a silver platter. Doing nothing but spreading vile hatred and venomous lies while lurking behind the scenes in order to further your agenda. And you have the gall to think you are free of charge after everything you did?" Sunset said, breaking down everything that happened in her past life.

"Oh, my poor naive girl~. While I merely gave you the push to commit all those horrible deeds back here before getting yourself banished, everything that happened was all you~. You clearly had no regrets when Princess Celestia kicked you out of Equestria and you were on a power trip when you took over that pathetic high school back in the human world~. So who's more guilty now~? The demon who gave this girl the push to achieve her goals~? Or the girl who voluntarily turned her back on her kind because she wasn't given her own crown…?" the demon asked in a much more menacing tone.

That speech was a clear slap to the face for Sunset. Perhaps after a long time of delivering counter-speeches of defeating everyone that she encountered back in the human world, she had no idea what to say. It was like a bucket of ice-filled water was splashed all over her and she felt too cold to speak. Sunset wanted to say something, but there was no way she could counter everything that the demon told her.

“You are a pawn to them. A true fraud. Once they are done, they will banish you back to the human world just like Celestia did when you were still her student. An outcast. Nothing more than a means to an end to them while you chase after the Elements of Harmony. Waiting to be thrown out like trash. But what will happen if they find out you lost them? I couldn’t bring myself to spare the details of the consequences. But this time, not even Twilight will come to your aid when your time will come. Because no matter how hard you prove to them how much you have changed, you are the same as you always were. A demon. Just like me.” the demon said in a truly cold voice before vanishing.

Sunset had a lot to take in after hearing that speech. What if she was right? Twilight surely wasn’t acting like herself when she was called over to Equestria. If anything, she acted like a totally different mare when she first arrived. It would only be a matter of time until the Mane Six accomplished what they intended to do. And what would become of herself? If what the demon said was true, then Sunset would clearly be in for it after making use of her services. She couldn’t even bring herself to think of the consequences after the war was over. What if they found out she carried a small sample of the Ooze inside her horn? Multiple scenarios played inside of Sunset’s mind and all of them were equally unpleasant if not more so than her previous banishment.

But before she could think about the horrendous future she could potentially have, she heard something deep within the cave. Deciding to leave the fireplace for the time being, Sunset goes deep within the cave to investigate the source of the noise.