Five Nights at Equestria Girls

“I-I don’t know,” said Twilight. “But maybe his friends would know how to find him?”

Sunset Shimmer nodded. That was the only suggestion anyone had managed to come up with in the last five minutes. It was a good plan, at least for how to find Gabriel. But Sunset Shimmer knew that even when they found him, there was the problem of securing him. Each of the kids had been very hard to keep restrained, with Susie being the hardest.

“Could Twilight use her magic to secure Gabriel?” thought Sunset, staring off into space. “Or would that just complicate matters?”

If Twilight Sparkle had to use her magic to hold him down, she wasn’t sure that was going to end well. Twilight’s recent power changes presented a challenge for the girls. One wrong move, and they could end up blasting Gabriel to shrapnel. Yet, that was their only option. Applejack was still waiting on her new lasso to replace the one Fritz had destroyed. And using anything from school was out of the question, especially since they nearly got into trouble for doing that.

“Uh, Sunset?” asked Jeremy, poking Sunset’s arm with the side of his hook.

Feeling something against her arm, Sunset Shimmer blinked and looked at Jeremy. “Huh, what?”

“You were kind of staring off into space,” replied Jeremy as he moved his hook away from Sunset.

“Oh, sorry. I was thinking,” said Sunset, her gaze shifting to Twilight. “But, to continue with what Twilight said, you guys know him pretty well, right?”

All three of the kids looked at each other, not expecting that question. None of them had mentioned Gabriel since the girls had rescued them. They were too afraid to after what happened a few after they were all murdered. Unlike Jeremy and Fritz, Susie didn’t know Gabriel as well. She was still new to their group when William Afton had decided to kill them. Sitting there, something came to Susie.

“Hey Fritz, you remember that small lake near the town? The one Gabriel always dragged us to visit?” Susie looked at Fritz, waiting for his answer.

Fritz nodded. “Yeah, I remember that lake. He often would spend hours there when we were five.”

Jeremy laughed, sounding like nails on a chalkboard. “Yep. He would always get us covered in mud and in trouble for that.”

“The one time I went there with you guys, he ruined my favorite skirt,” added Susie. “I learned never to wear skirts when hanging out there after that.”

Sunset Shimmer looked at her friends. A happy smile made its way onto her face as she recalled the various sleepovers they had at each other’s houses. The memories and moments they had were special, not just to her, but to the girls as well. The thought of ever losing or forgetting them made Sunset Shimmer shudder. Rubbing her arms a little, she glanced at Twilight Sparkle. Something made her decide to sit next to Twilight. A strong desire to hold her hand made Sunset reach and grab Twilight’s good one. She felt her grip back, making warmth envelop her body for a few seconds.

“You okay, Twilight? I saw the bruises…”

“They are from the students...kicking me at lunch,” replied Twilight Sparkle as she felt the sensations return, making her cringe and squeeze Sunset’s hand.

Sunset Shimmer looked away, regretting that she had brought up the bruises. “Oh, I didn’t realize how bad they were. I hope I didn’t hurt you when I hugged you.”

“You didn’t, Sunset,” said Twilight, reassuring the redhead. “If anything, I was grateful for that hug.”

Sunset Shimmer smiled and looked away, sheepishly, saying, “You’re welcome, Sparky.”

Twilight’s gaze lingered on Sunset before returning to the kids. She could see the similarities between the kids’ relationships and the one she had with the girls. They cared for each other, evident by the distant look in their eyes whenever they spoke of their memories. And it was clear that whatever happened, they would stick together. That reminded her of Sunset and how she defended her against Trixie. Twilight smiled to herself as she recalled the image of Sunset Shimmer stepping in front of her and keeping Trixie away. There weren’t many differences between the kids’ friendship and the one she had with the girls. The only difference between them was the fact the kids were dead. And had been for many years, decades even.

Looking at Jeremy, Twilight Sparkle said, “You seem really close. Did that ever change after...you know…”

“Died?” asked Susie, finishing Twilight’s question.

“Y-yeah, that,” said Twilight, her gaze falling to the straw-covered floor.

“No, it didn’t change.” Jeremy rested his elbows on his knees, staring down at his hook. “It actually helped us at first…”

“Yeah, we would talk about all the fun times we had before we were...you know...killed.” Susie’s voice grew quiet. “It helped us, but it didn’t help Gabriel.”

Twilight Sparkle looked up at Susie, her curiosity piquing. Her eyebrows were furrowed in a mix of confusion and worry. She was curious as to why Gabriel didn’t seem to cope as well as the rest of his friends. The part of her that wanted to find the answer had gotten subdued by the part of her conscience that knew she had to be careful if she asked. Twilight was worried that if she asked, it would be too insensitive, especially when she considered how traumatic the whole experience had been for them. Despite being in animatronic bodies, Twilight could see the grim expressions on their robotic faces.

“Why not?” Twilight Sparkle asked in a calm voice, trying to convey that she was expecting an answer while she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. “What happened with Gabriel?”

Susie’s gaze shifted downward, as did Jeremy’s. Fritz was the only one of the group who seemed not to react to the question. But after a few minutes of silence, his eyes also darted to the floor.

“It didn’t help him because he missed his life. And he was more enraged by his death than any of us were about our own.” Fritz stood up and walked over to the barn door. “But it became terrible when he…” Fritz trailed off, the next part too hard for him to say.

“When he what?” asked Rainbow Dash, unable to contain her curiosity. “Come on, don’t leave me hanging! Tell us!”

“Rainbow!” said Applejack. “Can’t you see that he is clearly bothered? This ain’t easy for him to talk about.”

Rainbow Dash glanced at Fritz. She saw what Applejack had pointed out. Fritz’s shoulders had become slumped, his ears drooping downward, and the eerie stillness in his body as he stood in the doorway. Seeing that, the polychromatic athlete immediately regretted her words. She hadn’t meant to be rude. She just wanted to know more. Though, Rainbow Dash was aware that she could’ve gone about asking it in a different way. Getting off the hay bale she was sitting on, Rainbow Dash walked over to him and rested a hand on his worn plastic.

“I am sorry for what I said. I didn’t realize that this was a painful subject.” Rainbow Dash’s voice was soft and sincere. “You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to, Fritz.”

Fritz looked at the athlete and gave her a grateful look. He wished that he could smile, but his robotic body lacked the facial structure to do it. And that was often the constant reminder that he was no longer alive. It made him miss being alive and be able to show his emotion through his expressions. Reaching out his hand, he saw Rainbow Dash move hers until it rested in the middle of his.

“It’s okay, Rainbow. It’s just painful to have to remember and talk about again,” He turned back and walked over to his original seat. “But, you girls deserved to know what happened. It’s the least we can do after you’ve helped us remember ourselves.”

Rainbow Dash sped back to her seat, leaning back against some hay bales. She looked over at Fritz, waiting for him to continue.

“For the first five years that we were conscious in these animatronics, we were doing okay. But then one night, Gabriel stormed off the stage.” Fritz looked at Jeremy briefly. “He’d had enough and finally broke. Unfortunately, the restaurant decided to hire a night guard to watch the place.”

“Wait, why was there a night guard?” asked Pinkie Pie as she grabbed a cupcake from her backpack. “Was he there to throw awesome nighttime parties?”

Jeremy and his friends chuckled at the question for a moment. They knew Pinkie Pie wasn’t aware of what the night guard’s job was supposed to be, but the sentiment was there. Jeremy wished that had been the night guard’s job rather than to watch them from a room with secure doors. Pinkie Pie’s lighthearted suggestion was enough to ease the tension. But it wasn’t long before the seriousness of the story took hold of them again. Once the laughter died down, Jeremy answered Pinkie Pie’s question.

“We had a night guard put there because Fritz and I would move around the restaurant and flip the chairs over or mess around with the tables,” said Jeremy, his voice lacking his happy tone.

“Yeah, and Susie, being the good girl as she always was, refused to do anything fun with us,” added Fritz, missing the glare Susie was giving him.

“Well, at least my actions didn’t result in us having the night guard or security cameras watching us!” shouted Susie.

“Okay, okay, we get it. It’s our fault that a night guard was there,” said Jeremy, looking down at his feet.

“So, now that we have that figured out, what exactly happened after Gabriel stormed off?” asked Rarity.

Fritz let out a mechanical sound, which sounded like it was supposed to be a sigh. “Well, he stormed off the stage, heading towards the office where the night guard was. You see, Gabriel realized that the cameras and night guard were watching us. And that was the last straw for him.”

“So, he paid the guard a visit?” asked Sunset Shimmer.

“Something like that…” mumbled Jeremy.

“Gabriel went to the guard’s office and waited outside until he fell asleep,” continued Fritz. “That’s when Susie, in all her glory, decided to go and check on him.”

Susie growled loudly, which made Fluttershy jump and squeal at the sound. She turned to see that the shy girl was hiding slightly behind Applejack. Seeing that fear, it reminded Susie of all the days she used to watch the kids run around the pizzeria. Susie remembered the kids approaching her with fear in their eyes. Susie was aware that the children weren’t afraid of her. They were fearful of the animatronic she had gotten trapped in. But that didn’t change how much it stung to see their fear, the same fear she now saw in Fluttershy’s eyes.

“S-sorry, Fluttershy,” Susie gave Fluttershy an apologetic look. Turning her attention back to Fritz, she said, “I went to check on him because that is what a friend would do.”

“Well, if you hadn’t checked on him, then maybe he wouldn’t have done it!” shouted Fritz as an argument started between the kids.

“How was I to know Gabriel was going to do that?! I am not a psychic. It’s not like I can read people’s minds and see what they are thinking,”

Sunset Shimmer chuckled for a second at the mention of reading people’s minds. It seemed funny when people said that now, especially since she had that ability. Looking down at her geode, she recalled what had happened during Miss Cheerilie’s class. Her geode had malfunctioned, causing her to overhear someone’s thoughts without touching them. Then it happened again when she was in Principal Celestia’s office when she looked in the mirror. Sunset shuddered as she remembered her eyes going black just before they returned to normal. Twilight’s geode also seemed to malfunction, which resulted in her appearance changing. Sunset wondered if that was going to happen to her if her geode continued to malfunction.

“Will I become Demon Shimmer again if my geode malfunctions one more time?” thought Sunset as she looked at Twilight. “Will she be frightened of me if I do…?”

As Sunset Shimmer gazed at Twilight, she noticed that she was nervous. That made Sunset squeeze Twilight’s hand and scoot closer to her.

“I guess if we ever got into an argument, I couldn’t use that excuse, could I Sparky?” whispered Sunset, trying to ease her friend’s nervousness.

“Hehe, yeah. That is if we ever got into an argument, which is highly improbable given how well we get along. And even if we do get into a disagreement, we’ll most likely settle in an orderly fashion,” Twilight Sparkle whispered back, her usual geekiness showing through.

“That is true,” said Sunset, agreeing with Twilight.

Applejack, deciding the argument between Fritz and Susie was becoming too heated, stood up from where she was sitting. Walking in the middle of them, she placed a hand on Susie and Fritz’s chest. For her sake, Applejack hoped they wouldn’t fight against her. Sure, she had super strength, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t able to be injured. To her relief, the two kids stopped talking and looked at her.

“What the heck are you doing?” asked Fritz.

“Stoppin’ this ridiculous argument before something happens. You’re going to sit down and finish the story, without continuing this argument,” said Applejack, giving each of them a stern glare.

“Okay, we’ll continue,” said Fritz, backing away and sitting down on his hay bale.

Susie, for a moment, stood still against Applejack’s hand. Her plastic shook as she fought against her anger. But with a blink, she turned and walked away. Susie didn’t sit in her usual seat next to Twilight Sparkle. Instead, she chose to sit in the darkest area of the barn. Right now, after what Fritz said, she didn’t feel like being near anyone, especially Twilight and Sunset.

“Now that’s settled, what exactly did Gabriel do?” asked Applejack, sitting back down.

“After Susie returned, we heard his usual footsteps as he approached the night guard. The next thing we hear is a scream so loud it almost shattered the glass in the windows. Then...it stopped a few seconds later…” said Fritz, looking at Jeremy. “Care to continue, Jer?”

Jeremy groaned. He didn’t want to continue the story. This wasn’t easy to hear, but to have to recollect it was even harder. But he figured that Fritz had told most of the story by himself. And it was clear that Fritz was not going to be able to continue, not without collapsing emotionally. Looking up from his hook, Jeremy glanced at the girls.

“Well, I was the first to be there, as I am the fastest of us,” continued Jeremy, sounding almost confident in his speed. “As I got there, I saw Gabriel standing over the guard’s body, blood pooling around him.”

“Wh-what happened to the g-guard?” asked Fluttershy, unsure if she wanted to know what happened.

“Gabriel...he had killed the night guard. I can’t say how because I-I just can’t…” said Jeremy, his robotic voice lowering as he struggled to speak.

“It’s okay, Jeremy. You don’t have to say any more than that.” Sunset Shimmer made her way over to him with Twilight following behind her and rested a hand on his shoulder. “We can see it’s bothering you and your friends,” said Sunset as she motioned to his friends.

Twilight Sparkle let go of Sunset’s hands and stepped back away from Jeremy. She was still a bit uncomfortable around him. His hook, although not deadly on its own, was horrifying because it was attached to him. Twilight gazed down at the floor, not wanting to look at Jeremy anymore. She only looked up when she heard the sound of footsteps leaving the barn.

Susie, clearly disturbed by hearing the story again, got up and walked out. Her wings sat across her chest, or what could be considered her chest. She stood outside the barn, leaning her back against the old barn walls. Her mind was replaying the events of that night and the images that accompanied them. It was hard for her to hear it after so long of avoiding it. Susie looked up at the sky, her eyes searching for some sign that Gabriel would be okay.

As Susie walked out of the barn, a gust of wind blew in and took Applejack’s hat with it. Applejack got up and tried to grab it. But she couldn’t seem to get a grip on it hard as she tried. Thankfully, it blew right to Rarity, who caught it for the cowgirl. As Applejack walked up to the fashionista, she stopped within a few inches of her.

“Erm, thanks for catching my hat, Rare,” said Applejack, her voice lower than usual.

“You’re very welcome, AJ,” replied Rarity as she placed the cowgirl’s hat back on her head.

As Applejack dipped her head down, allowing the shorter girl to put her hat on, she moved closer to Rarity. There were a few centimeters that remained between them. She could feel Rarity’s breath on her chest, making her cheeks heat up in response. There was a desire to kiss the fashionista in front of her slowly developing the longer she stared at her. Despite every effort she made, Applejack couldn’t keep herself from looking at Rarity’s strawberry chapstick covered lips. The thought of her lips touching Rarity’s sent excited chills up and down her body. She wanted to see what it was like to finally kiss the girl she had been crushing on since the sixth grade.

Rarity, who was also growing uneasy being so close to Applejack, looked away. She wanted to kiss Applejack right then and there. The cowgirl’s green eyes and freckles were too impossibly cute for her to resist them. Something, maybe desire, made her look at Applejack and start to lean in slowly. Rarity found that Applejack was doing the same as well. Yet, just as their lips were about to touch, someone cleared their throat and caused the two girls to stop.

“Ah, right. Better sit back down now,” said Applejack, clearing her throat.

“Uh, yes,” said Rarity. “I think that’s a good idea.”

Applejack walked back to her seat, silently. She glared at Rainbow Dash, who was snickering. It was bad enough that she struggled to admit her feelings to Rarity. But to have Rainbow Dash’s usual crudeness didn’t help matters. If anything, thanks to her snickering, Applejack was sure she had lost her one chance to finally admit that she had feelings for Rarity.

Ignoring the tension in the air from watching her friends almost kiss, Sunset continued to ask questions. She needed to know what happened that caused them to forget who they were, especially if she was to see Gabriel’s memories and bring him back. Though, Sunset knew she had to be careful when she asked. It was plain to see that the kids were having a hard time talking about their friend.

“So, Jeremy, why did you and your friends forget who you were?” asked Sunset. “Was it because of Gabriel?”

Jeremy sighed. “Yes, Sunset. Because of Gabriel killing the night guard, we realized the toll it was taking on him. And on us as well…”

“Seeing him murder someone innocent and did nothing to us, it made it impossible for us to deal with our situation. And when he started to kill, it wasn’t long before I was next in line to do the same thing,” added Fritz.

“So, that’s why you don’t remember who you are? Because you willingly chose to forget your memories and life?” asked Sunset, a worried expression on her face.

“Yes. Can we please stop talking about it now?” asked Jeremy, becoming fed up with the conversation.

“Y-yeah,” said Sunset, regretting her actions.

*** *** *** ***

“Why’d you do it, Gabriel? Why…” Susie mumbled under her breath.

Twilight Sparkle made her way outside the barn. She was worried about Susie, mainly because she seemed to be the most affected. Once she stepped past the door, she found Susie leaning against the barn walls. Twilight tucked her wings in, being careful not to move them too much. They were still sore from being stomped on, though the pain was beginning to ease up. With her wings safely behind her, Twilight approached Susie.

“Are you okay, Susie?” asked Twilight as she stood next to Susie.

Susie looked at Twilight. Her eyes seemed like they had become shadowed by sadness. It was clear to the bookworm that the memories were painful for her. That made Twilight think about what happened to her. Her geode causing her to look like Midnight Sparkle forced her to remember some painful memories. So, in a way, she understood what exactly Susie was feeling. From experience, Twilight knew it wasn’t easy to relieve those memories.

“No, I am not,” replied Susie as she moved her wings to her sides. “Gabriel is out there and probably killing someone as we speak. And I just can’t help but feel like I am responsible for him doing that.”

Twilight Sparkle stood in front of Susie, placing her hands on Susie’s shoulders. “Look at me, Susie,” said Twilight, her tone calm and soothing.

Susie hesitated. She didn’t want to, afraid to face Twilight, knowing that she was guilty. When she felt Twilight’s warm, soft hand caress her cheek, she glanced at her. The embrace reminded her of her older sister. Her older sister had a similar touch whenever she was feeling down, and she was trying to cheer her up. A pang of sadness washed over Susie as she remembered her sister. Reluctantly, Susie met the bookworm’s gaze.

"It’s not your fault. You didn’t know that was what Gabriel was going to do,” said Twilight, a firm tone in her voice.

“But I chose to check on him. I made him k-”

“No, you didn’t Susie. It was Gabriel’s anger and his choice to murder the night guard,” said Twilight, cutting Susie off.

“But-” Susie went to continue but was stopped by the raised eyebrow she was getting from Twilight.

“Susie, can I tell you why I look the way I do?” asked Twilight, her tail flicking from side to side.

“Yeah,” replied Susie.

“So, about a year ago, I went to a different school – Crystal Prep. And our principal, Principal Cinch, she was very strict about how she ran the school.” Twilight sighed, pushing the memories of her lonely days at CPA aside.

"Wait, you didn’t always go to the same school as your friends?” asked Susie.

“No, I didn’t. And at the time, those girls in there weren’t even my friends. I didn’t know who they were, not until the Friendship Games. But we became friends the day I decided to transfer to CHS,” replied Twilight.

“Ah, okay, then.” Susie saw Twilight Sparkle step back from her. “Please, continue.”

“Well, my old school and CHS were competing again for the Friendship Games. And I-”

“Wait a minute, what exactly are the Friendship Games?” asked Susie, now curious.

“The Friendship Games were an event that happened every four years. There was an academic decathlon that determined which six players were to move onto the next part of the competition. And the field was always kept secret until it was time to compete. CPA had a reputation of beating CHS every year...until now,” explained Twilight. “But because CPA had that streak of never losing, the games were anything but friendly, despite the name.”

“Wow…” said Susie. “CPA seems like a really mean school.”

“It was. In fact, because of Principal Cinch’s blackmail, I had to compete in the games.” Twilight’s voice faltered for a moment. “I had originally planned to study the mysterious anomalies at CHS with my spectrometer. Unfortunately, on top of not having as much time as I wanted to study the anomalies, my device started to go haywire. Instead of measuring the magic, it did something else.”

“What did it do?” asked Susie.

“It absorbed all the girls’ magic. Storing it inside each time it took their magic after they ponied up,” continued Twilight.

“If you don’t mind my asking, what does any of this have to do with you having wings, fangs, and a tail?” asked Susie.

Twilight Sparkle ran her tongue over her fangs, feeling the two sharp points that had replaced her canines. She winced as one of them cut her tongue a little, drawing a small amount of blood. Tasting the familiar flavor of iron on her tongue, she swallowed. Her fang slicing her tongue didn’t hurt that much. But it did remind her that she could hurt others now. Twilight smiled to herself as she thought about how similar her fangs were to that of the modern vampire. It was almost comical to her. After a few minutes, Twilight looked at Susie.

“That day…I had gotten forced to absorb all that magic and this…” Twilight Sparkle gestured to her wings and body, “is what I became as a result. Only, I was able to blast people and open portals to another world.”

“And did you hurt people?” Susie’s curiosity was blatant

“No, thankfully. If it weren’t for Sunset, who absorbed the magic in friendship, I would’ve destroyed this world. All because I wanted to learn about the magic that she and the girls had,” replied Twilight, her head hung down as she spoke.

“Oh…” said Susie. “So, although you became a...a she-demon ready to destroy the world, it wasn’t your fault. Just like Gabriel’s choices aren’t mine?”

“Yes, exactly,” said Twilight. “Does that help at all?”

“Yes, it does. And thanks to you, I feel better. I am sorry you had to trudge up some painful experiences while you told me that story. I can tell it was painful to do that,” said Susie, resting a wing on Twilight’s back.

“Hey, if it helps you, I am happy to share my experiences with you,” replied Twilight.

Sunset Shimmer looked around, finally noticing that Twilight and Susie were no longer in the barn. She got up from her seat and walked out of the barn. Just as Sunset walked past the doorway, Sunset looked to her left. There, she found Twilight and Susie leaning against the barn walls.

“Hey, are you two alright?” asked Sunset Shimmer as she tucked her hands into her jacket pockets.

“Yes, we are. Right, Susie?” Twilight Sparkle walked away from Susie, turning her back to the redhead.

“Yeah, I am doing good now, thanks to you,” replied Susie. “By the way, Sunset, I am curious about how my friends and I ended up here?”

Sunset Shimmer sighed, her shoulders slumping as she looked down. That was a discussion she was hoping to avoid. It was equestrian magic that she had brought to this world that had been the reason for the kids’ arrival. Something that Sunset wasn’t keen on sharing out loud with them. Though, she knew that it was going to come up eventually. Taking a deep breath, Sunset Shimmer looked at Susie.

“Come inside, and I will explain how you got here as much as I can,” said Sunset.

“Okay,” Susie said as she started to walk back into the barn.

Twilight Sparkle remained still as she watched the colors in the sky slowly darken. Her thoughts kept circling Sunset. About the newspapers that she had seen at her apartment. What did they say? And what about them made Sunset feel she should hide them? But there was one thing that was on her mind — who was Demon Shimmer? Twilight had noticed Sunset’s reluctance to answer her question. She had also seen the shift in the redhead’s demeanor when she asked that question.

“Why does Sunset feel the need to keep something from me? Haven’t I proved that I wouldn’t judge her?” thought Twilight as she watched the sun fall slowly.

Twilight felt hurt that Sunset would keep anything from her. When she thought about how honest Sunset had been in the last day or so, it made the ache in her heart worsen. What was it that made her keep something hidden? Twilight knew it wasn’t because she was Midnight Sparkle, so it had to be something else. But what? Her wings wrapped around her shoulders, keeping her warm as a cool breeze blew by.

“Hey Sparky, you coming?” asked Sunset, noticing that her friend hadn’t moved in a while.

Twilight Sparkle shook her head clear of her thoughts. Keeping her eyes locked on the setting sun, she asked, “Sunset, can I ask you something? Something that I have been wondering about lately?”

Sunset Shimmer nodded and walked up to Twilight. “Sure. What is Twilight?”

Twilight Sparkle looked directly into Sunset’s cyan eyes as she asked the one question that had been on her mind all day. “Sunset, di-did you ever…” Twilight trailed off, not sure she should ask the question.

“Did I ever what?” asked Sunset, sensing Twilight’s nervousness. “You can ask me anything.”

“Did...you ever transform into a...a she-demon?” The words barely tumbled Twilight’s mouth. She was afraid that if she asked, Sunset would run away from her.

The question took Sunset Shimmer by surprise. Inside, her heart began to pound rapidly as her breathing quickened alongside it. The evening air was cold, but the chill did little to ease the heat that was starting to radiate off her body. Sunset’s hands balled into fists within the confines of her pockets. She looked away, no longer wanting to meet Twilight’s gaze. She wasn’t expecting Twilight to ask that, though she figured it would come up sooner or later.

“Uh...I...um…” Sunset wanted to say something, but the words refused to come out.

“Hey, you two coming or what?” shouted Rainbow Dash as she peered out of the barn.

“Yeah, we’re coming, Dash,” said Sunset, annoyed by Rainbow Dash’s interruption.

Twilight saw Rainbow Dash walk back into the barn. That gave her a chance to reach into one of Sunset’s pockets, pulling her hand out from it. She could feel the tension in the redhead’s arm as she unfurled her fingers. It was clear that her question had made Sunset Shimmer grow uneasy, which was something Twilight had tried to avoid. Twilight rested her hand on the redhead’s shoulder.

“Sunset…” began Twilight.

“Maybe,” replied Sunset, not wanting to hesitate in answering Twilight’s question anymore.

“Maybe?” asked Twilight Sparkle as she let her hand fall from Sunset’s shoulder. “What do you mean, maybe?”

Still holding Twilight’s other hand, Sunset stood in front of her. She forced herself to meet Twilight’s gaze, knowing that she had to do it. Her pulse raced as she looked into Twilight’s mulberry eyes and saw the curiosity in them. Sunset had seen that same curiosity in her eyes back in the Friendship Games. Seeing that, it made the redhead more nervous than she already was. But she steeled her nerves and took a deep breath.

“Twilight, there is something about my past that I haven’t told you yet. Something...that if I tell you, I’m afraid it will make you see me differently.” Sunset’s voice shook, despite her best efforts to stop it. “Something you may hate me for hiding from you…”

“Does whatever you’re hiding have something to do with ‘Demon Shimmer’?” asked Twilight.

Sunset Shimmer could feel Twilight trying to pull her hand away, but she gripped it tightly as she said, “Y-yes, it does.”

Twilight pulled her hand free, saying, “Will you tell me what it is you’re hiding from me?”

Sunset bit her lip as she tucked her hand back into her jacket pocket. More than anything, Sunset wanted to tell Twilight that she had been through a similar experience. To let her know that she understood what she endured at the Friendship Game and that she wasn’t alone. Yet, Sunset couldn’t break past her walls to do it. The monster she had become was a part of herself that she wanted to keep away from her. Mainly because Sunset feared her actions would be too much for Twilight to see past. Losing her friendship, along with the other girls’ friendship, tormented her almost every night. Not even the princess could do much to quell her fears.

“You doubt Twilight’s friendship? Because of what? Because you’re scared that she’ll run? That is not a valid reason,” shouted Sunset’s inner voice.

With a tear running down her cheek, Sunset said, “I-I can’t do that yet, Sparky. I’m sorry…”

Twilight Sparkle saw the tear run down Sunset’s cheek. That made her move towards Sunset, unable to stand seeing her like this. Her warm hand wiped the tear away before she reached down and grabbed the redhead’s in a tight grip. Twilight felt her try to pull away, but she refused to let her hand go. In Sunset’s eyes, she could see the fear that resided inside her and kept her from being truly honest. She stepped closer to her, leaving only a few inches between their bodies.

“Sunset, do you remember what I said to you last night? About how I was never going to stop seeing you as my friend, even with what had happened in your past?” asked Twilight, her gaze softening as she looked at Sunset.

Sunset nodded, unable to form any words.

“I meant that, Sunset. If you did become a she-demon at one point, I wouldn’t judge you for it.” Twilight moved her splinted arm, resting it on the side of Sunset’s other arm. “I just want to help you heal. Just like you did for me when I struggled to adjust to what happened at the Friendship Games.”

Sunset Shimmer felt like turning into a puddle right where she stood. With Twilight’s touch against her skin, she felt safe and vulnerable all at once. She closed her eyes and moved closer to the bookworm. There was a burning desire to take off her shirt and reveal the scars that appeared because of Demon Shimmer. Yet, somehow, Sunset’s fear of forever losing Twilight overpowered that and pushed it down.

“I know, Twilight. But you saw what happened with Trixie in the locker room. I was a monster…” Sunset Shimmer met Twilight’s eyes, seeing her worry and sadness. “If it wasn’t for you, I might have done something I’d regret.”

Twilight Sparkle squeezed Sunset’s arm, saying, “I don’t think you’re a monster, Sunset. I wish you didn’t see yourself that way.”

“Y-you don’t?” asked Sunset, surprised by what Twilight had said.

“No, I don’t. If it helps, I will wait until you feel alright with letting me know whatever it is you’re hiding from me, okay?” Twilight said as she let go of Sunset’s hand and let her arm fall back to her side.

A weak, but grateful smile plastered itself on Sunset’s face as she said, “Okay.”

“But, Sunset?” Twilight turned her back to Sunset, ready to head back to the barn.

“Y-yeah, Sparky?”

“I will not wait forever for you.”

With that, Twilight Sparkle walked away, her wings draped over her shoulders. Sunset stood still, the sun dipping below the mountains behind her. She watched the shadows stretch across the barn as she let out a shaky sigh. Twilight’s questions still swam in her head, reminding her she opted out of being honest. It took all her willpower to give into her building sobs. Sunset took a deep breath and gathered her composure again. Right now, she needed to help Jeremy and his friends, not collapse into a sobbing mess. Wiping the last tear away, she walked into the barn.

“Hey, Sunset. Susie said you were going to tell us how we arrived here, in your world,” Jeremy said as Sunset leaned against the door frame.

Sunset Shimmer ignored the worried expressions of her friends. She knew precisely why they were concerned. The way Twilight seemed to avoid her gaze every time she looked her way was enough to reveal that something happened. But having her cheeks covered in dried tears didn’t help matters. Sunset rubbed the back of her hand across her cheek, wiping some of the dried tears off her skin.

“Yes, I am going to explain that to you,” said Sunset. “You guys were transported here because of magic.”

“Like a magician’s magic?” asked Susie.

“No, not like that. It’s equestrian magic that brought you here,” replied Sunset.

“Equestrian...magic?” asked Susie, confused by what that was.

“It’s magic that I brought here when I...” Sunset trailed off, not ready to say how the magic came to be in their world. “Anyway, it hit my game console and pulled you into our world.” finished Sunset, continuing as if she had never said anything.

“Game console? Are you saying that we come from...a game?” asked Fritz, standing up.

“Yeah. Essentially, your world is a game in ours,” replied Sunset.

“Uh-huh, right…” said Fritz as he decided to sit back down again. “So, we are just video game characters to you?”

“Yeah…” said Sunset. “I know this is strange, but that is what happened.”

“So, why did the magic select us to come here?” asked Jeremy, speaking up after a few minutes of remaining silent.

“That’s the thing. I don’t know. It just did,” said Sunset.

“Did anyone else come with us?” asked Susie. “Cause I vaguely remember someone. But I am not sure I can make it out, it’s too fuzzy.”

“Hmm, there are six animatronics that came here, but I have only seen five of them so far. And you three are a part of the five,” replied Sunset, not wanting to tell them about Springtrap just yet.

Just then, a scream disturbed the evening quiet. Sunset and the girls hurried outside to see where the noise came from. As the kids joined them, they saw a police officer run by with Gabriel chasing after them. The police officer ran behind the barn while Gabriel seemed to freeze right in front of them. His red eyes shone directly at them. For a moment, it seemed he recognized the kids. But as quickly as it came, it went. The police officer, which had run off earlier, came back and ran right behind Gabriel. That prompted Sunset to look behind her at the kids.

“Um, you guys aren’t going to attack him, right?” asked Sunset as she and her friends backed up a little.

“No, we’re not. Now that we remember who we are, we have regained back control of ourselves,” Jeremy reassured the girls.

“Good. Now, how about we go after your friend?” Sunset asked as Gabriel turned his attention to the police officer.

The kids nodded as Sunset Shimmer turned back around and ran after Gabriel. She was ahead of Rainbow Dash until her foot slammed into a rock and tripped her. With her hands out in front of her, Sunset managed to soften her fall. Though, her knees ached from her slamming them into a solid dirt road. Rainbow Dash continued running past the redhead, seemingly unaware that she had fallen. Twilight Sparkle offered her good arm for Sunset Shimmer to take when she passed her.

“Thanks, Twi,” said Sunset Shimmer as she felt herself being pulled back up to her feet. “Let’s follow Dash!”

As Gabriel started to run down a rugged dirt path, he was headed towards a darkened forest up ahead. Rainbow Dash was the first to see him disappear into the dark foliage. As the trees covered his dark brown body, she started to lose sight of him. She ran up to the edge of the forest before she saw nothing of him. That forced her to stop in front of the forest and wait for the girls to show up.

“Dash, why did you stop runnin’?” asked Applejack as she walked up to the polychromatic athlete. “Where’s Gabriel?”

“Gabriel ran into the forest, and I lost sight of him,” said Rainbow Dash, pointing to the dark forest behind her.

Applejack turned her attention to the forest. “It’s mighty dark in there. Maybe we should turn on our phone flashlights, so we don’t get lost.”

Right when Applejack went to grab her phone, the sounds of another animatronic came from behind them. They all turned to see it was Golden Freddy, the one that ran by Sugarcube Corner earlier that week. Its eyes were glowing the same color red as Gabriel’s were. Unfortunately for the girls, the animatronic ran in the opposite direction from Gabriel. The girls watched as Golden Freddy disappeared into the forest on the other side.

“Well, that was unexpected,” said Pinkie Pie.

“I’ll say,” said Rarity. “Now, we have two problems to worry about.”

Twilight Sparkle looked at Sunset Shimmer. “What do we do now?”

“Let’s split up. Dash, AJ, Pinkie, you go after Golden Freddy and make sure they don’t harm anyone.” Sunset pointed in the direction Golden Freddy ran. “Fluttershy, Rarity, Twilight, and I will go after Gabriel and trap him.”

“Okay!” shouted Rainbow Dash before she and her group ran after Golden Freddy.

With Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie going after Golden Freddy, Sunset and the rest of the girls ran after Gabriel. Sunset turned on her phone flashlight, shining t on the path ahead of them. The canopy above them thickened the deeper they ventured into the forest. Light from Sunset’s phone cast eerie shadows on the bushes and trees surrounding the path, which danced as the light moved. Though, her flashlight only lit up a small section of the trail, leaving the rest shrouded in solid blackness. With the thick canopy above them, the moonlight could barely illuminate the girls’ path below. A gust of wind blew past and rustled the treetops and caused Fluttershy to grip Twilight’s arm. The girls continued walking side by side until they reached a four-way center. Putting her phone in her pocket, Sunset Shimmer grabbed her keys and marked a tree coming from their current path.

“What are you doing, Sunset?” asked Twilight.

“Marking our path for later,” replied Sunset before she turned to Rarity. “Rarity, can you make a diamond to light the paths?”

“Here you go,” said Rarity as she made a medium-sized diamond appear and hovered it over the paths.

“Thanks, Rarity.” Turning to the rest of the girls, Sunset Shimmer motioned for them to come closer. “Okay, Fluttershy, do you think you could ask the animals to help us? They could know where Gabriel went.”

Just then, as if on cue, a robin landed on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“Hello, little robin. Could you tell me if you have seen a robotic bear by any chance?” asked Fluttershy.

All the girls could make out were chirps and warbles as the robin talked with Fluttershy. Her ability to speak with animals was something the animal lover enjoyed using. When she had first gotten her geode, it was a learning curve for her. But with the help of the girls, Fluttershy got used to it. The robin jumped down from her shoulder, landing on her forearm. It pointed its wing down the rightmost path and chirped at Fluttershy.

“Are you saying the bear went down that path?” asked Fluttershy.

“Yes, the bear ran down that path after it finished destroying my family’s home,” replied the robin.

Fluttershy gasped, horrified by the fact that someone would recklessly destroy an animal’s home. If there was one thing that got to Fluttershy, it was watching people harm animals and their homes. She forced herself to remain calm for the sake of her friends. A few minutes of chirping later, the robin flew off of the animal lover’s arm.

“Hope your family makes it,” said Fluttershy as she waved the robin goodbye.

“Well, what did the robin say?” asked Sunset.

“They said that Gabriel went down that path and got trapped in a trap,” replied Fluttershy, her finger pointing to the right path.

“Okay, let’s find Gabriel before he finds his way out of the trap,” said Sunset as she started to walk down the path.

Side by side with Sunset, Rarity held the diamond over the path. It illuminated the first five feet ahead of her. Beyond that, it was a seemingly impenetrable darkness. As the girls continued down the trail, the feeling that someone was watching them slowly grew. The trees surrounding the path twisted and folded in unusual ways. Sunset Shimmer noticed that the further down the road they traveled, the more the trees began to twist. She eyed one of the trees suspiciously, spotting a set of eyes behind it. Suddenly, the sound of a twig snapping broke the silence, causing the girls to jump. In the chaos, Twilight’s wings slammed into Sunset Shimmer, hitting her in the face...again.

“If Twilight keeps doing this, I am going to have to move,” thought Sunset Shimmer as she blew a few feathers out of her face and mouth.

Just when the girls had calmed down from the twig snapping, the sound of a bush rustling made them freeze. They all looked around and waited to see what was causing that noise. A few seconds later, a small squirrel came skittering out of the bush. The girls all relaxed and breathed a sigh of relief. But that didn’t last long when the squirrel snarled at them. Its eyes glowed red as saliva dripped from its growing fangs.

“Ahh!!” screamed all the girls, grabbing onto each other.

The squirrel hissed once more at them before scurrying across their path and darting away. In the bustle of being jump-scared by a crazy squirrel, Fluttershy had latched onto Sunset’s arm. Fluttershy’s fingernails dug into her amber-colored skin as she struggled to calm down. Her grip was so tight in fact that the redhead was considering prying her hand off her arm. But she decided better of it despite her arm going numb.

“Shy?” asked Sunset. “Can you please let go? I can’t feel my arm anymore.”

“Oh...sorry, Sunset,” said Fluttershy, finally releasing the redhead’s arm from her grasp.

Fluttershy moved closer to Twilight Sparkle, still wanting to be close to someone. When she did that, she felt a warm, comforting wing wrap around her shoulder. That prompted her to look at Twilight. Her wings were still missing a few feathers, and there were some bald spots where the kids had stomped repeatedly. Yet, it seemed the pain had subsided, allowing the bookworm to move her wings more. Fluttershy reached out a tentative hand and pulled Twilight’s wing closer to her body.

“Are you okay, Fluttershy?” asked Twilight, keeping her voice low.

“Yes. Thank you, Twilight,” said Fluttershy, caressing a few feathers between her fingers.

“You’re welcome,” replied Twilight. “I am pleased you’re no longer afraid of me. I was worried you wouldn’t be able to get past your fear.”

“You’re my friend, Twilight. I could never fear you,” replied Fluttershy.

“That’s good to hear,” said Twilight Sparkle as she pushed Fluttershy closer to her with her wing.

The girls continued walking, with Rarity standing behind Sunset Shimmer. The foliage around them gradually started slowly to disappear, becoming more sparse the further they went. Even the animals in the forest seemed to disperse, almost as if they had abandoned this part of the woods. That was very odd, especially to Fluttershy. Why would they leave their homes? She wasn’t sure, but she knew danger was likely ahead. Just as the girls turned the corner, a foul stench wafted towards them.

“Ugh, what is that awful smell?” asked Rarity, pinching her nose in an attempt to block the foul smell.

“It’s that rotting deer corpse over there,” said Sunset in between coughs.

“Oh my…” whispered Fluttershy as she covered her mouth, her gag reflex threatening to kick in.

“Yes, this is quite odd. I have noticed that the forest seems to become decrepit the deeper we go. I wonder why that is…” said Rarity, still pinching her nose.

“I don’t know, Rarity. But the sooner we find Gabriel, the faster we can get out of this creepy forest,” Twilight said as her other wing brushed up against the body of a dead squirrel, making her jerk her wing away from it.

“Yes, let’s get out of here, please,” whispered Fluttershy, sliding further under Twilight’s wing.

With that, the girls continued to make their way deeper into the creepy forest. Thankfully, it seemed the forest remained the same for the rest of their trek. After a few minutes of walking, they saw something glinting in the light of Rarity’s diamond. Stepping closer, the girls spotted something hanging in the air that made them freeze for a moment. As Rarity moved her diamond over it, they began to make out some familiar features. When they stepped closer to the object, they saw it was Gabriel. He had gotten stuck in a net that was hanging from a tree.

“Thank goodness we have finally found him,” said Rarity as she began to create more diamonds underneath him. “Let’s grab him and leave this horrible place.”

Sunset Shimmer walked over to where Twilight stood. However, when she approached, she saw Fluttershy hiding underneath one of Twilight’s wings. That made her regret what she was about to do even more. Sunset could see that Fluttershy was scared. The animal lover’s hands shaking made that clear.

“Fluttershy, can I talk to Twilight alone? Please?” asked Sunset.

“Yes, I will go see if Rarity needs any help,” replied Fluttershy, reluctantly leaving the safety of Twilight’s wing.

Sunset Shimmer grabbed Twilight’s hand, giving her a small smile. Holding her hand, she could feel Twilight shaking. That made Sunset realize that she was also terrified of the forest and of...Gabriel. When she glanced behind her, she saw that the book worm’s gaze had become locked onto him. In an attempt to calm her down, Sunset squeezed her hand. She was trying to make her friend feel better, but it didn’t seem to work. Twilight’s eyes remained cold and distant as her gaze shifted to her.

“Twilight, do you still have your geode powers?” asked Sunset.

“I don’t know, Sunset. I haven’t used them since I transformed back into Midnight Sparkle,” said Twilight.

“Well, do you think you can try, Sparky? We could really use your power now,” begged Sunset as she glanced at Gabriel, who was close to breaking free from the net.

“Uh...okay,” said Twilight, sounding unsure.

Removing her hands from Sunset’s, Twilight attempted to levitate a small rock nearby. As she lifted her hand towards it, she focused on elevating the stone. Yet, all she ended up doing was blasting the boulder and causing it to shatter. She lowered her hand, no longer trusting her control over her powers. The explosion caused all the girls to shout in surprise.

“Sorry…” whispered Twilight.

Rarity looked at Fluttershy, who was shaking even more than she was before. Her fear was present in her cyan eyes. Rarity had to admit that she felt the same way. The pieces of charred rock which sat a few feet away from her made her feel uneasy. Twilight’s power was strong, and it seemed it was unreliable now. And that was something she found to be disconcerting.

“Fluttershy, dear? Are you okay?” asked Rarity, her concern showing.

“Y-yeah...that was just unexpected,” whispered Fluttershy, her voice quieter than usual and barely audible. If it weren’t for the eerie silence in the forest, no one would’ve heard her.

“Yes, that was unexpected indeed,” said Rarity as she eyed the charred rock. “I just hope she doesn’t blast anything else.”

Twilight let her wings fall around her as she heard the girls’ thoughts about her powers. It had been bad enough that they feared her when she first transformed. Then to have the whole group, except them, think she was Midnight Sparkle was worse. Not to mention the beatings she had received because of that. But to hear that they thought she wouldn’t be able to control her powers was more painful than everything that happened that day. Twilight looked away, not wanting to see her friend anymore.

Sunset looked at the girls, giving them a ‘Really?! Why would you say that aloud?!’ glare. She turned her attention to Twilight, noticing that she had turned her back to them.

“Sparky, we’re sorry. We know you’re still adjusting to what happened.” Sunset rested her hand on Twilight’s shoulder. “Is that the only power you’ve gained since your transformation?”

“Yes, Sunset. I can’t make portals if that is what you are asking,” replied Twilight, her annoyance at Sunset’s prodding clear.

“S-sorry, Twilight. I just wanted to know, I didn’t mean to upset you,” said Sunset.

Sunset hadn’t meant to upset Twilight. Yet, it seemed like she couldn’t do anything more than that. And that was making it increasingly hard to be around Twilight. An aching feeling in her stomach made her feel like she was no different now than when she was the bully of CHS. The girls were right about one thing. Her choice to lie about her past was a big mistake. Sunset knew that she should’ve been honest and upfront in the beginning. But now, it was getting too close to being too late for her.

“This is my fault! Sweet Celestia, I should’ve just said, yes, I did become a she-demon cause I was evil and wanted power! Then, I wouldn’t be here, in the position…” thought Sunset, her hand involuntarily forming a fist. “But then, if she knew, would she stay? Or would she run away because I am a monster…?”

Sunset was jostled from her thoughts when she heard a cracking sound. Slowly, she turned around to see what had caused it. To her shock, Sunset saw that Gabriel had managed to break the tree branch that was holding him. The net lay in tatters around him, no longer keeping him from attacking them.

“Twilight, you need you to use your powers. Now!” shouted Sunset, a sense of urgency in her voice.

“I have already tried, Sunset! I don’t think I can,” shouted Twilight, panicking as she watched Gabriel stand up.

“Just focus on levitating Gabriel, Sparky,” Sunset said, trying to help Twilight.

“O-okay, I will try again…” Twilight said, reluctantly.

Twilight Sparkle walked over to where Gabriel was still sitting and closed her eyes. Grasping her geode, she focused on levitating him, not blasting him. Her hand slightly trembled as Twilight focused solely on Gabriel. As she felt her hand twitch, Twilight opened her eyes and saw she was lifting him. Ever so slowly and carefully, Twilight lowered Gabriel onto Rarity’s diamond shield. Once he was safely seated on it, Twilight let go of her geode. Her magic aura left Gabriel and her hand as she stepped back. She swayed and almost fell before Sunset Shimmer caught her.

“Th-thank you, Sunset,” said Twilight, hiding a smile and her blushing cheeks.

“You’re welcome, Sparky.” Sunset felt her body heat up as one of Twilight’s wings brushed against her back. “I will always catch you.”

“Uh...I do hate to ruin this...flirtatious moment, but we could use some help here,” said Rarity as she adjusted her diamond shield to entrap Gabriel, struggling to fight against him.

“Oh right,” said both Twilight and Sunset in unison.

They both ran to Rarity and Fluttershy’s aid, helping them to contain Gabriel. Once they were sure he was secure, Sunset kneeled in front of him. The redhead sighed as she prepared herself for what was next.

“Okay, Gabriel. Let’s see what you want to keep buried…” said Sunset resting her hand on his arm as her eyes flashed white.