Author's Note

This chapter contains some minor sexual harassment of a minor for anyone who's sensitive. It's quick and brief, but feel free to skip over it.

Devils Emerge from Memories Once Neglected

Sunset Shimmer’s hand remained over Golden Freddy’s shoulder. If it hadn’t been for Twilight’s presence, she wouldn’t have been able to get this far. The strain of using her power more than usual was beginning to show, especially since her geode had started to spark randomly. Although it was no secret how the memories were affecting her, it didn’t change how horrific they were. Yet, here she sat with Twilight’s injured wing draped around her, unable to place her hand on the animatronic.

“Come on, Shimmer. Your friends are counting on you to do this,” thought Sunset. “Just get it over with, and it’ll end soon.”

Every image, sound, sensation, had become harder to bear witness to with every kid. It seemed that with every kid the Purple Guy attacked, he grew more violent towards the next one. It didn’t help matters that she had made several mistakes with Twilight. And the guilt from those errors was beginning to weigh down on her, adding to the stress the kids were creating. Pushing her worries and fears aside, Sunset Shimmer gripped the animatronic’s arm. The quicker she got it over with, the sooner she could fix things with Twilight Sparkle.

Once Sunset shimmer’s hand touched the plastic of the animatronic, Twilight saw her eyes go white. That made her instinctively wrap her wing tighter around the redhead’s body as if that was somehow going to ease the pain she felt. Though it still ached from being stomped on, she didn’t care. The pain was distant as Twilight sat next to Sunset, silently hoping that she would be okay.

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

At first, the image was hazy, as if the memory wasn't fully there. After a few seconds, the image sharpened, and the surroundings and object came into view. It was a bright, sunny afternoon in a downtown suburban city. The heat of the sweltering sun distorted the horizon ahead of her. Combined with the humidity in the air, it made it hard to breathe. In the heat, was a 12-year-old girl who was making her home from school, holding several books in her arms. She had a backpack lazily slung over one of her shoulders. Her clothes were a typical private school outfit; a pleated skirt and an ironed shirt or blouse. Just as she had turned the corner, she bumped into a guy that was wearing a purple-colored security suit.

The girl’s books flew from her hands as she got knocked to the ground. Still looking at the guy, she saw him falling onto his back. Her back end was the first to impact the hot cement, sending a shockwave of pain through her body. As she started to get back on her feet, she noticed the stranger was also getting up along with her.

“Oh, sorry, sir,” said the girl, slowly beginning to gather her books again.

“It’s quite alright. What’s your name, miss?” asked the guy.

“Um, it’s uh Cassidy,” replied Cassidy as the guy handed her last book to her.

“That’s a nice name,” said the guy. “Mind if I get you some pizza before you go?”

“Uh, no thanks,” said Cassidy, feeling a bit weirded out by the question.

Cassidy had heard of strangers kidnapping young girls just by coming off as a friendly, genuine person. And she knew better than to accept anything from a random stranger. Stepping away from the stranger, Cassidy prepared to run back home. Unfortunately, just as she was about to dart away from him, a hand gripped her forearm tightly.

“Oh, no. You are not going anywhere,” whispered the guy.

Cassidy struggled to free her forearm from his grip, but with her books in her other arm, she was powerless. She watched in fear as his eyes darkened with lust. Whether he was lusting over her, Cassidy wasn’t sure that she wanted to know. Still, Cassidy could tell that he liked her, and it wasn’t in a friendly way.

“I need to kill someone. And you…” Using his other hand, the guy gingerly stroked her cheek, “are so perfect.”

“Get away from me, y-you creep!” shouted Cassidy, trying to free herself.

Finally, she gave up trying to pull her arm free and bit his hand. That made the guy release his grip on her arm, and she bolted away.

“Ow Fucking bitch!” shouted the guy as he shook his sore hand. When he looked up, he noticed that she was running. “What the hell?! Get back here, you ungrateful bitch!”

Cassidy ignored his shouts and ran down the street opposite of him. As her feet pounded against the sidewalk, she could hear his thudding footsteps following right behind her. Her backpack swung wildly behind her as she turned a corner. Cassidy looked around frantically, hoping to find a hiding spot. Making a choice, she turned down a nearby alleyway, not realizing that it was a dead end. As she saw the brick wall at the end, her mistake dawned on her too late. Cassidy spun around and came face to face with the guy.

“Please… leave me alone!” shouted Cassidy in vain.

The guy grabbed her by the throat and held her up in the air. Cassidy could feel her body weight getting pulled against his hand, causing it to grip her throat even tighter as she got lifted. She struggled against his grip. Her hands clawed and scraped at his in futile attempts to loosen his grip. Her feet kicked the air aimlessly beneath her. Cassidy began to struggle for breath as her vision started to grow dark. The more air she lost, the closer the dark edges got. Soon, spots began to swim around in her eyesight. Finally succumbing to the loss of oxygen, Cassidy went limp in his grip. While her vision faded, she looked up and saw his maniacal smile beaming down at her.

“Good girl. I didn’t want to have to damage that pretty little face of yours,’ said the guy, his voice becoming distorted as she fell into unconsciousness.

What felt like to be hours later, Cassidy woke up in a pitch-black room. Around her was the familiar smell of oil, like the one used to keep gears lubricated. She knew that scent anywhere as her father often used it on cars whose brakes needed it. Coughing, she struggled to push herself up into a sitting position. Underneath her hands, she could feel the wet floor. Her mind decided to think it was oil rather than ponder the other possibilities. Her lungs burned with every inhale she took. Cassidy touched her throat, remembering that the stranger had choked her out. As her fingers grazed her throat, she winced and pulled her hand away. She tried to touch the same spot again, resulting in the same pain coming back. Testing a theory that was beginning to form in her head, Cassidy placed her hand in the same area as the stranger’s hand was when he choked her. She found it was painful everywhere her hand rested.

“Ow, that hurts. But, right now, that is the least of my concerns,” thought Cassidy as she brought her hand away from her throat. “Now… where am I?”

She slowly stood up, holding out her hands as she groped around for a wall. Her hands moved about in the darkness, unable to find a solid surface. Her eyes were slowly adjusting to the pitch blackness, which surrounded her. Scanning the room, she saw a dim light shining on the wall, allowing her to make the black and white checkered pattern on it. Cassidy took a few slow steps forward, not wanting to slip on whatever substance covered the floor.

“Oh, good,” said Cassidy as her hands touched the wall, which had the same liquid coating it as well.

Bending down, Cassidy tried to feel for her backpack lying against the wall. At least, she hoped it was near the wall. If it wasn’t, Cassidy was going to be somewhat annoyed, to say the least. She slid her hands down, ignoring the growing disgust at the liquid that was beginning to collect on her hands. The wallpaper fell apart as Cassidy shifted across it, indicating that it was old. Bits and pieces of it stuck to her as she continued moving along. A few minutes of scaling the wall later, Cassidy finally came across the familiar fabric of her backpack.

“Thank goodness it’s here!” shouted Cassidy, happy to see her backpack.

Cassidy moved her hands down the side of her bag, her fingers searching for a side pocket. When her fingers brushed against a metal zipper, Cassidy yanked it down and opened the compartment. Cassidy wiped her hand on her skirt, not caring if she dirtied her clothes. Feeling around, she eventually came across a portable metal flashlight. Cassidy pulled it out of the pocket and turned it on. The small beam of light it cast onto the ground allowed her to see the floor a bit better. Turning the flashlight to her other hand, Cassidy saw that it had become covered in a copious amount of mold.

“Ewww!!!” Cassidy exclaimed in disgust, shaking her hand in hopes that mold would fall off. “That is beyond gross.”

After wiping the mold off her other hand, Cassidy continued to scan the room with her flashlight. The beam shone over the checkered floor, illuminating the dirt and filth that Cassidy had gotten trapped with. Shining the flashlight beam to her left, Cassidy saw a few steps leading up to a door. She made her way over to, using the light to avoid any mold or feces on the ground. Once Cassidy reached the door, Cassidy gripped the handle and tried to open the door. She jiggled it several times, but it seemed to be locked.

“Hmm, maybe I can slam into it, causing it to open?” thought Cassidy.

Cassidy pressed her shoulder against the wooden door before pulling back. With all her strength, she threw her body into it. As her shoulder impacted with the door, her flashlight got knocked from her hand. It rolled down the stairs, finally stopping when it landed on the ground.

“Ow!” screamed Cassidy, rubbing her now-sore shoulder. “That didn’t work as I hoped. Well, I better get my flashlight.”

Walking back down the steps, Cassidy her flashlight beam reflecting off of something… golden in color. She bent down to pick it up, and that’s when she saw that the object appeared to be in the shape of a bear. Once her flashlight was back in her hand, she stepped closer to the item, keeping the light on it. The reflection of the glare nearly hit Cassidy’s eyes, almost blinding her as a result.

“Is that… Golden Freddy?” asked Cassidy, lowering her flashlight a little to avoid being blinded. “I thought that they retired this one…”

“Oh, they did retire it,” said a voice from behind her. “Then they dumped it here to fall apart to disrepair.”

Cassidy spun around to see the same guy who had choked her earlier. Her heart began to race as she watched him slowly, almost casually, stroll down the steps towards her. She backed away from him as she eyed his every move.

“Why do you want to kill me?” Cassidy asked, eyeing the open door. “I mean, I am not worth killing…”

“Oh, you’re wrong about that. You’re worth killing…” The guy walked even closer to her, closing the space between their bodies. “But first, I want to inspect this gorgeous body of yours.”

Cassidy felt uneasy at his words. Yet, before she had a chance to speak, she felt a hand run up from her waist, slowly making its way towards her breasts. She shuddered as it stopped just below her bra. Her instincts told her to fight him, but something prevented her from doing so. Her breathing became heavy as a mix of fear, and what she thought to be arousal took hold of her.

“Ple-please… d-don’t…” stammered Cassidy, struggling to speak as she fought the sensations that her body was feeling.

She got a response in the form of his hand as it started to squeeze her right breast gently. Through her shirt and bra, Cassidy could feel the warmth of his hand as it cupped her breast. Her body betrayed her as she tried not to enjoy it. No one had ever touched her this way, so it was partially exciting to see how it felt. Soon though, her fear shoved her arousal down as Cassidy realized what was going to happen to her. A burst of adrenaline made her bring her knee up, kicking the guy in the groin.

“Ow, motherfucker!! That fucking hurts!” shouted the guy as his hands immediately covered his groin. He fell to his knees, feeling as though a blowtorch was getting held to his skin.

Cassidy, seeing her one chance, bolted out of the room. She didn’t bother to lock the door as she was too busy trying to get as far away as she could. Just as Cassidy had made a sharp turn onto a dark corridor, Cassidy heard his footsteps coming after her. Panicked, she hid in another room, not caring what it contained. Making her way further into the room, she ducked behind a shelf, which had animatronic replacement heads sitting on it.

“Please… don’t look in here,” thought Cassidy, her pulse racing faster with each second.

By sheer luck, the person didn’t walk into the room. Instead, he turned around and walked out of the corridor. That made Cassidy breathe a small sigh of relief. With her heart still thundering in her chest, she made way out from her hiding spot. Cassidy was careful not to make any noise. Alerting the guy to her presence wasn’t something she planned on doing. She turned her flashlight back on, thankful that he wasn’t anywhere near her at the moment.

“Okay, let’s see what I can find to get me out of this decrepit place…” thought Cassidy as she scanned the room.

As Cassidy walked to the other side of the room, something crinkled underneath her shoe. She bent down and picked up the object. Shining her light on it, she saw that it was a missing person flyer. The flyer was torn and tattered around the edges, as well as yellowed with age. It had also become covered in specks of dirt and mold. Several corners and edge pieces were missing, probably degraded away by the moisture in the room. And some of the words had become smudged or completely covered. On it, was a faded image of a young girl. She seemed to be the same age as Cassidy herself. Squinting her eyes, Cassidy attempted to make out what the girl’s name was.

“Charlotte… what?” Cassidy said as she struggled to make out the rest of the smudged name. “Who is she?”

As Cassidy continued to examine the old flyer, she saw the date of when the girl went missing.

“Missing since May 6th, 1973,” whispered Cassidy, reading the flyer aloud to herself.

“Why is this girl missing? And how come no one has found her yet?” thought Cassidy. “Something doesn’t seem right about this…”

Cassidy set the flyer back down and resumed her investigation of the room. Scanning it, she found nothing else other than several rows of creepy animatronic heads. Just as she was about to exit the room, a part of her told her to take the flyer. Listening to that, Cassidy grabbed it and tucked it into the back pocket of her jeans. She had decided to investigate it when she got home. Once the flyer was safe, she turned off her flashlight.

Quietly, Cassidy snuck out the entrance and darted for the nearest room. Unfortunately, she spotted the person ahead of her, heading towards the same place. She managed to sneak into a dark corner of the hallway, making sure to remain hidden as she did so. Cassidy watched as he walked down the same hall, passing right by her. She listened to his receding footsteps until they were no longer echoing against the walls.

Once she felt that she was in the clear, Cassidy bolted for the door at the end of the next corridor. Her hand gripped the handle and turned it, making it squeak in the process. She spun around, hoping the noise hadn’t alerted the guy to her location. To Cassidy’s relief, he was nowhere in sight. She opened the door a crack and slipped inside the room. Quietly closing the door behind her, she ventured further into the room.

“Okay, what is in here?” thought Cassidy as she turned her flashlight back on.

As soon as she turned on her flashlight, Cassidy saw that the room was clean and neat. That was a sheer contrast from the decrepit building it resided in. In the space, sat three huge tables which had an assortment of tools. The walls, floor, and even the ceiling had gotten covered in white plastic. That struck Cassidy as odd. Why would there be plastic covering every inch of the room? And what exactly was its intended use? Cassidy wasn’t sure, but she hoped to find out soon.

Making her way over to one of the tables, Cassidy examined the weapons splayed out on it. They ranged from blades to guns. There were simple, everyday kitchen knives at one end, and at the other end, there were several .45 caliber guns. The other two tables held different types of tools. The second of the three tables had a variety of saws sitting on it. And on the third one was a mix of axes and other miscellaneous blades. With that many weapons in one room, one would think the person was preparing for war.

“Who needs this much ammo and weapons? And what does he plan on doing with all of this?” thought Cassidy as she picked up one of the knives off the table.

After examining the knife, she set it back down and moved onto another area of the room. Cassidy scanned her flashlight beam over the white plastic until she spotted a notepad. Walking over to it, grabbed it off the desk it was sitting on. On the page were a few scribbles, which she assumed had to be words. The handwriting was so bad, Cassidy figured it belonged to her kidnapper. She squinted, trying to make sense of the almost illegible words.

“Jeremy… Fritz… Susie… Gabriel…” said Cassidy as she deciphered the names on the notepad.

The names felt familiar to Cassidy, almost as if she had heard them before. As she thought about it, she recalled hearing them once a while back. It was when she was on a class field trip to the local zoo. There was a group of four friends with those names. Cassidy remembered they were pretty close, which she had to admit made her jealous. She closed her eyes and cleared her head. Now was not the time to be thinking about her friendship problems.

“But why them? Why does he bother targeting them or even me?” asked Cassidy. “It makes no sense.”

Cassidy set the notepad back on the desk. Continuing her search of the room, she came across a manila folder. It was behind an old filing cabinet in the room. Pulling it out, Cassidy saw that a few papers had gotten stored inside it. She opened it, her curiosity growing with her desire to see what it contained inside of it. When she opened it, Cassidy found it was full of photos. Photos of her and the four other kids whose names were on the notepad. They had gotten taken from every angle imaginable. And there were many images of her and the four kids at places they commonly visited.

“What the-? He was spying on me?!” shouted Cassidy, temporarily forgetting that she was supposed to be quiet.

As soon as Cassidy yelled, she realized her mistake. She quickly placed the photos back into the folder and shoved it back behind the filing cabinet. Turning off her flashlight and tucking it into her side pocket, Cassidy hid underneath one of the tables farthest from the door. Just as Cassid had managed to seat herself comfortably under one, she heard footsteps approaching the room.

“Little girl… where are you? I am not finished with you just yet,” said the guy, his voice sickeningly sweet, like honey.

Cassidy’s heart rate increased as she squished her body against the wall, trying to make her form as unnoticeable as possible. She watched as his shoes walked over to where she was. Her heartbeat thundered in her ears as she froze up. Cassidy was hoping, praying, that he wouldn’t look beneath the table. But, unfortunately for her, her luck ran out, and she saw his face looking back at hers. His anger-filled eyes drilled into her as Cassidy struggled to look away.

“There you are, my little one. Come on now. Get the fuck out from the table,” said the guy, his tone switching from sweet to stern in seconds.

Scared and defenseless, Cassidy crawled back out from under the table. Her body violently shook as she wondered what her kidnapper was going to do to her. Silently, she watched as he walked up to her, keeping only a few inches between their bodies. Cassidy could feel the heat that was radiating off of his body. It was clear that all the running and searching for her was hard on his body. His breathing was heavy, and a layer of sweat covered his body. As her eyes fell to his pants, she could see that he had become aroused.

Seeing that Cassidy was staring at his groin, he said, “Shall we continue what you so rudely interrupted earlier?”

Cassidy shook her head. She didn’t want to continue. What happened earlier had been enough for her. Eyeing the knife sitting closest to her, she inched over to it. Just as the knife handle was two inches from her grasp, Cassidy felt a hand brush against her bra. Struggling to fight against her arousal, she grabbed the knife and swung it. Lifting the blade, she stabbed it right into the guy’s shoulder and shoved it in. Blood spurted out around it, hitting Cassidy in the face.

“You fucking bitch!” screamed the guy as he yanked the knife out of his shoulder, causing blood to spill free from the wound. “That… hurt. But don’t worry, you’ll soon get what you fucking deserve.”

His words made Cassidy’s knees go weak. She was able to hold herself up by leaning against the table behind her. Just as her fear was about to overwhelm her, she grabbed another one of the knives. Cassidy held it in front of her, preparing to strike her kidnapper again. Her hand trembled as she gripped the handle, but she managed to keep it somewhat steady. Eyeing the person, she saw that his injury had stained his shirt a dark purple as more blood continued to soak through it.

“Seriously?! You think that you can fucking injure me again?” The guy laughed, only to be cut short by his throbbing shoulder. “You’re not brave enough to repeat that!”

Cassidy’s hand shook as she struggled to retain her grip on the knife. As her kidnapper moved towards, she used her sudden burst of adrenaline to attack him. Cassidy aimed the blade of the knife at the guy’s thigh. She was successful, leaving a deep horizontal gash across his skin. But Cassidy didn’t stop there. She continued to slash both of his thighs, wanting to make sure he wasn’t capable of catching her once she escaped. Blood poured freely down his leg, coating the metal blade. With every cut of the knife, blood was getting flung onto the plastic. By now, the guy’s pants had the same coloration as the area where his shoulder had gotten injured. Unfortunately, he grabbed Cassidy’s arm and made her cut his forearm.

“Ow, that fucking hurts bitch! But, I have to admit that you have balls for doing that,” said the guy, complimenting her. “Isn’t it fun to hurt someone?”

Cassidy spat in his face and moved on to cutting his arms. Repeating what she did with his thighs, she left multiple lacerations up and down his arms. There was so much blood pooling onto the shirt, it stuck to her kidnapper’s body, allowing her to see the defined muscles underneath. Yet, she failed to realize that allowed her kidnapper to grab the knife and throw it away from her. So, when she had gotten momentarily distracted by his physique, that’s when she felt a hand on her wrist just before her weapon had gotten pulled away from her. When it hit the wall and got stuck as a result of that, Cassidy’s fear kicked back in. She looked up at him, shocked by what she had just done. She had become the same monster he was. Cassidy felt his grip on her forearm tighten. Still reeling from her actions, she felt him move his waist closer to hers.

“Mm, before I kill you… I want to have some fun with you and this beautiful body of yours,’ said the guy, his hand tracing the curves of her hips and leaving blood on her clothes. “I wouldn’t want to waste this…”

That was it. Cassidy couldn’t take anymore, so she ran out of the room. Darting past the doorway, she bolted out into the hallway. Behind her, she could hear his heavy footsteps trailing her. Ignoring the shaking in her legs, Cassidy continued to run, her desire to be free fueling her. Once she reached two corridors, she turned to her right. However, that hall had one door, leaving her with only one – to run into the area she’d initially been escaped from. Deciding that it was her best option, she flung open the door and bounded down the steps. Unfortunately, just as Cassidy reached the bottom, she saw the guy standing in the doorway.

Now… now you’re so fucking dead.” Cassidy watched as he made his way down the stairs. “And I no longer feel like having my way with you, you bastard. So, let’s just end this now, shall we?”

Cassidy backed away from him. Now with no way to defend herself, she knew that she was dead. Cassidy saw her kidnapper approach the Golden Freddy animatronic and open the back of it. When she looked inside of it, she realized exactly what was going to happen to her. Inside the animatronic was enough space for her to stand up in it, that is once he had moved all the gears, beams, and wires. Cassidy swallowed hard, both her throat and mouth went dry.

“Step in,” said the guy, his voice cold and emotionless.

Cassidy refused to move from where she was standing. Her survival instinct was beginning to kick in with every breath she took.

“Damn it, fucker. Don’t make me ask you again. Now, step the fuck in!” shouted the person, their temper getting the better of them.

Cassidy, again, refused to move from the spot where she was standing. But this time, it was because she had become paralyzed by fear.

“Fuck this!” said the guy, giving up and approaching Cassidy.

Cassidy attempted to fight against the guy as he picked her up. But her fear paralysis was too great. And her body, after all the running around, had become exhausted and was growing weaker with every movement she made. Cassidy felt herself getting forced inside of the animatronic. Her face had gotten into the facial cavity of Golden Freddy. Around her, she could feel all the beams and wires that had gotten pushed aside. It was a terrifying thought to know that they soon would all become jammed into her body.

“No, plea-” Cassidy’s plea got cut off as the spring locks holding the gears and wires had gotten released.

Quickly, the gears began to scratch and scrape her skin, pulling some pieces off in the process. As they forced their way back to their original positions, Cassidy felt them slicing through her muscles and tendons. It felt like a cheese grater was getting rubbed against her. The sharp edges of the gears made quick work of her soft tissue. Several of them had dug their way into her back, while others nestled themselves in her legs, arms, and abdomen. One had even settled right below her skull. Blood ran down her body, dripping down onto the bottom of the animatronic.

Following the gears, the beams shoved their way into her body next. Cassidy felt her skin getting pulled and stretched as some of the poles tried to push through it. She groaned weakly as one of them ripped through the flesh of her stomach. Cassidy could feel her blood lubricating it as it continued to move through her. Another broke her elbow as it pushed past it. That made Cassidy scream as she felt her bone break inside her arm. A third one went through her left buttocks and broke the pelvic bone as it returned to its original position. Her body went into shock as wave upon wave of pain hit her.

The wires came next. Several made their homes next to some of the beams, becoming coated in Cassidy's blood in the process. A few pressed against the gears in her back, pushing them farther into her body. Cassidy had become so numb that she didn’t feel the pressure that was getting applied to her ribcage. For that matter, she didn’t feel much of anything anymore. Cassidy couldn’t even feel any of the wires that dug into her skin, pushing more blood out from her body. Nor could she tell that her limbs were beginning to turn blue from lack of circulation. The pressure built up to the point that it caused two ribs on each side to crack and cave in. As a result, the ribs punctured Cassidy’s lungs. That, she felt in the form of her chest starting to hurt more with each inhale she took.

After what seemed like hours had passed, Cassidy felt her breathing becoming shallow with each exhale she let out. The two ribs had successfully managed to rip her lungs enough to kill her. As she struggled for breath, she heard the raspiness of her breathing.

“I don’t have much longer. I wish I could tell my family that I love them one last time, especially my little sister, Rosie…” thought Cassidy as she fought to stay alive for just a little longer.

As Cassidy took one last inhale, she used her last dying breath to say, “I… love… you…”

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

Sunset Shimmer’s hand fell away from Golden Freddy’s shoulder. She leaned against Twilight Sparkle, grateful that she was next to her. Her body was coated in a layer of sweat as she shivered in the cold night air. Seeing both Gabriel and Cassidy’s memories in one night had taken its toll on her. Sunset’s hand reached over and gripped the edge of the wing wrapped around her, wanting to feel something soft and comforting. Absentmindedly, she played with the feathers as she forced the images she’d just seen to the back of her mind. After a few moments, Sunset stopped and looked at Twilight as she gave her a weak smile.

“Thanks, Sparky. You can go now.” Sunset Shimmer looked down, not wanting to see the pain she caused reflected at her. “ I can see that you don’t want to be near me any longer. And I am not going to make you stay if you don’t want to.”

Twilight Sparkle looked away from the redhead as she pulled her wing off of her shoulder. She didn’t want to walk away from Sunset Shimmer. If anything, she wanted to support her and to be by her side as she helped the kids. Yet, knowing that she was still choosing to keep something from her, it hurt Twilight. It also pained her to feel the way she did. Sunset was her best friend. But, as Twilight was beginning to learn, even those that are closest to you can hurt you. It was insane how the person who gave her strength to be the person she is now was the exact same person who broke her down so easily. The cruel irony of it all was that she wanted to be consoled by Sunset, despite the fact she had hurt her.

“Sunset,” began Twilight Sparkle. “I am sorry you had to endure that again. And that…”

Sunset Shimmer waited for Twilight to finish, but she didn’t. Glancing up, she saw her walking away without finishing. She watched as Twilight stood with the other girls. When she saw Rarity rest her hand on the book worm’s shoulder, Sunset’s eyes fell to the ground. Her lips quivered for a split second as a wave of regret tore at her conscious. Closing her eyes, a single lone tear rolled down her cheek before landing on her lap.

Twilight Sparkle looked at the redhead, with only one thought crossing her mind. “Please, Sunset… let me in. Stop shutting me out and keeping your past hidden.”

Sunset Shimmer, pushing the last of the images of Cassidy’s mangled corpse aside, stoop up. Her legs shook as her body struggled to adjust to moving again after remaining still for so long. Eventually, she managed to stop the trembling and stabilize herself. She looked at the animatronic, hoping that she had successfully brought back Cassidy.

“Cassidy…?” asked Sunset Shimmer.

“W-who are you?” Cassidy asked, pulling her knees to her chest, seemingly unaware that she had become trapped inside of an animatronic. “A-are you go-going to hurt me?”

“No, no! I won’t hurt you, and neither will my friends. I promise,” said Sunset Shimmer, kneeling on one knee. “My name is Sunset Shimmer.”

Cassidy let go of her knees and stood up. Once she saw that Sunset Shimmer and her friends weren’t a threat, she calmed down a bit. She looked around and spotted the other kids standing behind them. Cassidy saw each of the other kids trapped in their respective bodies. She and Susie locked eyes, which made Cassidy realize the kids were aware of their situation.

“Gabriel…? Fritz…? Susie…? Jeremy…?” asked Cassidy as she struggled to remember their names. “Is that really you?”

“Yeah, it’s us. But, um, how do you know us?’ asked Jeremy.

“I went to the same school as you. You four were very close friends, that I remember,” replied Cassidy.

“Oh, right! You were the girl on the missing person flyer. The one we couldn’t figure out the identity of,” said Gabriel.

“Flyer? How long was I dead before you guys got killed by him?” Cassidy asked, surprised to see flyers had put up.

“About two months,” said Gabriel.

“Oh…” Cassidy turned to Sunset Shimmer. “Where am I? And how did I get here? Also, how could you see my memories? Is that how you knew my name?”

Sunset Shimmer was unsure of how to answer all of Cassidy’s questions. She looked down at her geode only to find it sparking… again. This was the eighth time she had seen it go haywire, though Sunset couldn’t understand why it was going crazy. The only possible reason was due to her seeing Gabriel’s and Cassidy’s memories within the same night. Yet, that didn’t explain why it went haywire earlier in the day.

“That’s odd. Why is it going haywire now? Is it because I have used it too much tonight?” thought Sunset, holding her geode in her hand.

Applejack, seeing that Sunset was a bit preoccupied, approached Cassidy and said, “Sugarcube, that’s a lot of questions. We can answer them all at my farm, okay?”

“Okay,” said Cassidy, looking at the redhead.

Applejack left Cassidy’s side and made her way over to where Pinkie Pie was standing. She looked over at Sunset Shimmer and noticed that she seemed a little preoccupied with her geode. That worried Applejack. She had seen the redhead’s geode sparking earlier, similar to what Twilight’s geode did just before she transformed back into Midnight Sparkle physically. Something made her think that it was going to happen again, this time with Sunset. Applejack knew that could be problematic, especially given what occurred at the Fall Formal. Though, for right now, she told herself to focus on the task at hand. There would be plenty of time to worry about her friend later.

“Pinkie, you and the kids come with me. We need to get them back to my barn to make sure they are safe,” said Applejack as she and Pinkie pie approached the kids.

Pinkie Pie walked over to where Susie was, joining her as they started to leave Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, and Fluttershy in the clearing. She was the only one who hadn’t lost her cheerful mood. Everyone else seemed either worried or tense, especially Sunset and Twilight. It was understandable for the two considering the events that had unfolded that day. But, Pinkie Pie decided to let them figure it out by themselves. Right now, she had some business with a metal cupcake to deal with at the moment.

“Why do you always carry that cupcake? Is it a real cupcake?” asked Pinkie Pie, pointing to the cupcake that was currently sitting on Susie’s shoulder.

“Oh, this thing? I don’t know. It was always with this animatronic,” replied Susie, meeting Pinkie Pie’s gaze. “Personally, I find it creepy.”

Pinkie Pie eyed the cupcake saying, “Hmm, I believe it has a secret society of cupcake people that it commands. And I am pretty sure it will one day coat the world in every flavor of frosting.”

“What?” asked Susie, suddenly confused as to what the party girl was talking about.

Applejack joined Susie and Pinkie Pie, chuckling as she said, “Don’t bother tryin’ to understand that. That is one in a series of theories she has about that cupcake on your shoulder.”

“Wait, she has multiple theories on the cupcake?” Susie looked at the cowgirl, not sure if she could believe what she was hearing.

“Yep,” replied Applejack.

“Wow, I don’t even know what to think of that…” said Susie.

Sunset Shimmer watched as Pinkie Pie and Applejack disappeared from her sight. Just as the last of the kids vanished behind several trees, she felt a tingling in her hands. As it intensified, she looked down to see what was causing it. What she saw shocked her and caused her blood to run cold. Sunset felt the tingling turn to a stinging sensation in her hands as she watched as her usual amber skin tone turned a bright crimson color. A pinching feeling in her fingers made her look at them. She watched as her fingernails elongated and wrapped around the tips of her fingers, forming into sharp claws. Seeing that, Sunset knew what was going to happen to her appearance soon.

Biting her lip, Sunset Shimmer quickly shoved her hands into her jacket pockets. She turned around and walked towards the girls, desperately hoping that they wouldn’t notice her changing features. To the redhead’s relief, it seemed they were unaware for the moment, at least. She was also grateful that Pinkie Pie and Applejack were gone. That meant there were fewer people to hide her changes from. Besides, Sunset wasn’t too sure that she could handle having all the girls worry about her trying to turn them into her own personal army again.

Twilight Sparkle noticed that Sunset’s demeanor had changed. Her usually confident friend now seemed panicked and worried. That struck her as unusual, especially for Sunset. Concern flooded Twilight as she caught her eye. There was fear in the redhead’s eyes, but it was different from the fear she’d seen in her when she had transformed into Midnight Sparkle. It was like she feared… herself. As Twilight saw that, a part of her wanted to make sure she was alright. She didn’t like seeing her look so troubled. Yet, there was a voice in her head, reminding her that Sunset was the one who refused to let her in. Making a choice and ignoring the voice in her head, she walked towards her. She hesitated for a moment before carefully placing her hand on Sunset’s shoulder.

“Sunset, what is wrong? Are you okay?” asked Twilight Sparkle. “You seem like something is bothering you…”

Sunset shimmer could hear the concern Twilight had for her wellbeing. However, that only made her regret what she was going to do even more. She knew all too well what was happening to her. Her geode had sparked numerous times, just as Twilight’s had, and now her appearance was reverting to the form she had taken at the Fall Formal. And that was not something she wanted the girls, Twilight especially, to see. Sunset figured the best thing was for her to keep it from her friends, despite knowing that they would somehow figure it out eventually. So, she stood there with Twilight’s hand on her shoulder and tried to hold back tears that threatened to fall. After a few tense breaths, she pulled her shoulder away from Twilight’s gentle grasp.

Keeping her hands in her pockets, Sunset Shimmer spoke in a shaky voice. “No, I am not okay, Spa-Sparky. Something is happening to me. Please, st-stay away from me, I don’t w-want you to see it.”

Twilight Sparkle pulled her hand back, both shocked and a bit hurt by the harsh gesture. She glanced back at the other girls. Her eyes were wide, with a mix of fear and confusion. She could see that the girls shared her feelings about Sunset. Twilight’s attention shifted back to the redhead when she heard her hands shuffling in her pockets. Squinting, she looked down at where her hands were in her pockets, wondering what she was hiding. That’s when she noticed something odd about Sunset. When her jacket sleeve moved up, Twilight saw that her skin appeared to be a crimson red now. But why? It was usually a light amber color, not red.

“What the-? What is going on with her? And what exactly is she hiding from the girls and me?” thought Twilight, moving closer to Sunset Shimmer.

Seeing that Twilight had moved closer towards her, Sunset shimmer looked down. When she gazed down at her arm, she realized that her jacket sleeve had gotten pulled up when she yanked her shoulder away from Twilight’s grip. Panicked, she stepped back into the shadowy part of the clearing. Sunset adjusted her sleeve carefully, making sure to keep her claws hidden in the process. However, when she went to pull it back down, she saw that the red color had started to progress up her forearm, albeit very slowly. She hissed, her pain increasing as the red color spread further up her arm. A sinking feeling in the pit of Sunset’s stomach told her it wouldn’t be long before she had fully transformed into the monster she’d been at the Fall Formal.

“I have to get away from them… and soon. I can’t let the girls know what’s happening to me, not yet. But where can I go?” Sunset Shimmer thought, looking around at the girls.

“Sunset? Talk to us darling, don’t push us away,” said Rarity, in an attempt to keep Sunset from leaving.

The fashionista’s voice broke Sunset shimmer from her thoughts. She looked over at her, seeing the worry which clouded and darkened her eyes. A few glances at Fluttershy and Twilight sparkle told her that all the girls felt the same way. That made Sunset silently curse herself for worrying them. Cautiously, she stepped away from the shadowy part of the clearing. Sunset knew that Rarity’s words had a truth to them; she couldn’t just push her friends away.

“Oh, Celestia! What am I going to do? I can’t tell them… or can I?” thought Sunset Shimmer, wondering if it was a possibility.

But then she remembered the Fall Formal. The damage she had caused. And how, in her anger at being lonely and seeing Twilight getting praised by the girls, she almost killed them. A chill ran throughout her whole body as the memory resurfaced in her mind. The images made her feel queasy as she saw the fear the girls had during the incident. Sunset still deeply regretted what happened after she had snatched the crown from Princess Twilight. And these memories, these nightmarish memories, they were her reminders of the consequences of her misguided actions. Eventually, after a few agonizing minutes, the images receded and left her alone.

Sunset Shimmer took a deep breath, preparing herself to face her friends. Secretly, she was hoping that her eyes were still normal looking. But, without a mirror on hand, there was no way she could be sure that they were. Though, she knew she had to take a chance, even if it would expose the very thing she was trying desperately to hide. So, pushing her worries and anxiety aside, Sunset Shimmer forced herself to meet their concerned gazes.

Looking at Rarity, Sunset said, “I-I can’t. I am so sorry. I wish that I could…”

Rarity furrowed her eyebrows, sharing a look of confusion with Twilight before returning her gaze to Sunset.

‘What do you mean you can’t tell us?” asked Twilight, looking from Rarity to Sunset Shimmer, a questioning tone to her voice.

Sunset Shimmer’s body tensed up as she heard Twilight speak. She swallowed, trying to fight the urge to push the girls away. Unfortunately, she gave in and backed herself against a tree, letting the shadows cover her. It was too much for her to hear Twilight pushing at her for an answer. Her attention had gotten pulled away from the girls as she felt a pinching sensation in her upper arm that was inching towards her shoulder. That made Sunset realize she didn’t have much longer before her changes would become visible to her friends.

“Sunset.” Twilight Sparkle walked closer to the redhead, her tail flicking back and forth behind her. Her voice was stern, yet it maintained a gentleness to it. “Tell us what is going on, please.”

The stern tone in Twilight Sparkle’s voice made Sunset’s stomach churn. Her eyes fell to the ground. She was no longer able to face the girls, not when she was slowly turning into the raging she-demon that nearly killed them… again. Gulping, she forced herself to walk over to Twilight, away from the protection of the shadows. Her cyan eyes locked onto Twilight’s mulberry ones as she stopped a few inches away. Sunset’s body shook from being so close to her, from the risk of her new appearance possibly getting revealed. With her pulse increasing, her heartbeat thundered in her ears. As this was happening, she could feel a tightness growing in her chest, making her struggle for breath. Sunset could feel a barely noticeable stinging pain as her crimson skin made its way closer to her shoulder.

“Sparky, I… can’t do that.” Sunset Shimmer looked down at the ground, struggling as both guilt and fear overwhelmed her. She sighed before meeting Twilight’s eyes once more. “I am sorry.”

Sunset Shimmer fought back an urge to hug Twilight, fully aware that if she were to remove her hands, her claws would be exposed. Plus, she didn’t want to risk injuring her with her claws, which slowly began to dig into her palms as her hands formed fists. Sunset turned her back to Twilight, too ashamed at the fact she couldn’t allow her to see what was happening to her. Yet, the book worm commanded her attention when she felt a hand lightly grip her forearm.

“Sunset…?” Twilight Sparkle began, her voice quivering as she struggled not to feel the pain of Sunset’s actions.

“Y-yes, Sparky?” asked Sunset Shimmer, glancing over her shoulder at Twilight. Her own voice shook as she heard the distress in Twilight’s unsteady one.

“Does whatever is going on with you have to do with Demon Shimmer?” asked Twilight, unsure if she wanted the answer to her question.

Sunset Shimmer tensed up at the question but forced herself to say, “I-it does, Twilight. That’s why I can’t tell you.”

“I am sorry too, Sunset, but I don’t believe you.” Twilight Sparkle slowly let go of the redhead’s forearm and stepped away. “It hurts that you refuse to trust me the way I trusted you… after everything… Just so you know.”

Sunset Shimmer looked away as Twilight Sparkle made her way over to Fluttershy. An all to familiar ache started to grow in her heart. It was the same feeling she got when she began to admit a part of her past to Twilight. Only now, it was there because she chose not to say anything to her. Swallowing hard, she began to walk away from the girls, her eyes burning with unshed tears.

Sunset took one last glance at her friends, whispering under her breath, “I do trust you, Sparky, it’s me that I don’t trust. I don’t want to lose you to the monster you haven’t seen…”

Twilight Sparkle watched as Sunset Shimmer disappeared behind the forest of trees, walking away from her. Her frustration and anger rose inside of her, making her hands involuntarily ball into fists. She wanted to go after Sunset. She wanted to say more, though she didn’t have any more to say. It was just a desire to say anything and everything she could. To make the redhead feel every ounce of pain and anger that she felt. However, Twilight felt a hand stop her mid-step. Looking, she saw that it was Fluttershy that was preventing her from accomplishing her task.

“Twilight, let’s give Sunset her space” Fluttershy hid behind her hair, afraid to make twilight mad. “It looks like she needs to have some time alone for now.”

Twilight Sparkle met Fluttershy’s eyes. The animal lover was right, even if that annoyed her greatly. Sunset did seem like she needed space. That much was evident by the fact she acted very panicky, even when she had touched her arm. Letting out a heavy sigh, she gave Fluttershy a small smile.

“You’re probably right, Fluttershy.” Twilight Sparkle joined Rarity at the edge of the clearing, ready to leave the forest behind. “Let’s go help the rest of the girls get Cassidy adjusted. Then, we can start looking for Rainbow Dash afterward.”

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

The sun began to sink below the horizon, casting a golden glow onto Sunset Shimmer as she walked with her hands still in her pockets. The streets around her were empty, which for her, was a relief. She shivered as she felt the chill of the night time breeze blow against her cheeks. Her body was beginning to ache all over as her transformation started to take hold of her, but she didn’t care at the moment. Twilight Sparkle’s words still echoed in her head, not letting her forget what she had chosen to do.

“It hurts that you refuse to trust me the way I trusted you… after everything… Just so you know.”

The pain of Twilight’s words felt like a punch to the abdomen. She felt nauseous and dizzy all at once. Yet, Sunset didn’t – no, she couldn't – blame Twilight for saying what she did. It was her choice not to tell her the truth about what was going on. To not reveal that she was becoming the she-demon she once was. Sunset was aware that the girls objected to it, and now she could see why. A considerable part of her now wished that she hadn’t talked them into agreeing with her.

“Why can’t you just see that she wants to help you, to let you know that your past is not you today?” shouted Sunset Shimmer’s inner voice. “You’ll end up pushing her away forever if you keep this secrecy up.”

“Gah! Just shut the fuck up!” Sunset Shimmer screamed, trying to quiet the voice in her head.

Sunset Shimmer heard silence as if the voice had listened to her. She pulled her hands free of her pockets and decided to run to the school, figuring that no one would be there to witness her transformation. Her feet pounded against the sidewalk, each step a deliberate move to get away from her fears. She enjoyed the sight of houses and nearby buildings getting bathed in a golden glow. It was like she could see the light at the end of her dark tunnel. Her hair whipped behind her as the breeze blew against her. Feeling it against her skin, she closed her eyes and reveled in the sensation of her body moving, making her feel like she was flying. Sunset’s lungs burned with every breath she took, but she didn’t mind. All she cared about was distancing herself from the past, about forgetting the memories. It seemed that her freedom from the chains that bound her was just in her grasp. If she could just run a little faster, a little farther, she would reach it.

Finally, after an hour of running and the agonizing pain that reminded her of what was going to happen, the school showed up in the distance. Sunset Shimmer slowed her running to a brisk walk, allowing herself to catch her breath. She approached the gym and opened the doors, which unsurprisingly were unlocked. After all, it wasn’t a real big city, so the threat of burglars and trespassers wasn’t a big worry. And if anyone were stupid enough to pull a stunt like that, they would likely be caught.

Quickly, Sunset Shimmer made her way through the dark gym, unaware that someone was there. That someone happened to be the Great and Powerful Trixie. She was underneath the bleachers, a green screen behind her, and a video camera in front of her. There was also a makeshift table in front of her, which a few of her tricks sat upon. The gym was where she often recorded her magic videos to post on her SnapGap account. Unfortunately, tonight was a bad night for her to decide to be there.

Looking at the camera, Trixie said, “And today’s new magic act is a new one the Great and Powerful Trixie has been working on for a while. But Trixie is finally ready to reveal it.”

Just as Trixie was getting ready to perform her magic act, she heard something echoing in the supposedly empty gym. The sound was something similar to basketball shoes squeaking on the hardwood floor. It echoed loudly in the wide gym, disrupting her recording. Her curiosity was piqued, making her grab her video camera off the tripod and take it with her. It didn’t matter that it was still recording, she would edit this out later. That is unless it was something worth keeping on video. She peered around the bleachers and aimed her camera at whatever was making the noise. As Trixie looked at the screen, she saw the person in the gym was none other than Sunset Shimmer.

“What the hell? What is Sunset doing here at the gym at night?” Trixie whispered as she zoomed in on the video.

Sunset Shimmer had made it halfway across the gym when a burning sensation in her shoulder blades stopped her. Moving her shoulders around, she tried to shake the feeling off, but it only worsened it. She knew what was going to come, and that made it all the more painful to her. Heat began to surge off her body as it struggled to adjust to the magical changes that were occurring to it. It felt like a thousand ovens were all pouring heat onto her skin. Sweat dripped down her forehead as her body continued to heat up. In a feeble attempt to keep her favorite leather jacket from being ruined, Sunset tried to take it off.

“No, no, no, no, no!!” shouted Sunset Shimmer as she struggled to pull her arms free of her jacket.

However, the redhead wasn’t quick enough. She felt the muscles that surrounded her shoulder blades sting as she felt the crimson red color spread past her shoulders. Sunset pulled back her jacket and saw that she was right about the color spreading, making its way further down her body. A dull ache began to grow in intensity as she felt the bones near her shoulders shifted and rearranged themselves in preparation for her wings to appear. A scream erupted from her throat as she fell to her knees, her body giving in to the immense pain.

As her knees slammed against the hardwood floor of the gym, Sunset Shimmer’s pain escalated but failed to outmatch the pain in her shoulders. Tears began to flow down her cheeks from the intense pain that racked her back and shoulder blades. Slowly, as if wanting her to feel every movement they made, her wings pushed themselves through the scars they originated from. Feeling her skin stretching and tearing as more of their mass made its way out of her body, Sunset could feel them pushing against the leather of her jacket. With one final, excruciatingly painful push, her two bat-like wings forced themselves through the leather and stretched out to their full length.

“Great. Just fucking great. My damned demon wings ruined my favorite jacket! What’s next, huh?!” thought Sunset Shimmer, letting out a growl escape from her throat.

Cautiously, as if Sunset was in a dream, she moved one of her hands tentatively towards a wing. There was a part of her that couldn’t believe she was seeing them, not after all this time. Her wings were mainly red with black skin on the top, lining the central bones, which connected them to her shoulder blades and back. Following the black skin, she saw it covered a claw-like appendage on the end of both of her wings. She continued examining her wings, keeping her hand away for a moment. Glancing down, she saw that they separated into three points with two small holes in each wing. The holes sat on the lower portion of them, leaving them mostly intact. The more she looked at them, the more she began to see they had a smaller stature from the last time.

“Woah, that’s odd. Is that because my geode caused the transformation this time?” asked Sunset, trying to figure out why her wings would be smaller.

“What the fuck?! Sunset has wings now? Is she… becoming Demon Shimmer again?” hissed Trixie under her breath as she neared the redhead. “This just became very interesting to Trixie.”

“Hmm, I could hide my wings under a large hoodie. But if I open or stretch them, they will likely rip through the fabric and padding,” thought Sunset Shimmer. “Though I guess that’s better than nothing…”

Sunset Shimmer’s hand brushed against the warm, thin, leather-like skin of her wing. She jumped as she felt the sensation of it for the first time. For a moment, she slowly placed her whole hand on the skin of it. She could feel her pulse faintly through the membrane that made up her wings. Shuddering at the feeling of the tips of her claws grazing against it, Sunset pulled her hand away. She was ashamed of what she was turning back into. So much so, she lowered her head and continued to cry right where she was sitting. Her body began to shake violently from her sobs. Almost instinctively, her wings wrapped themselves around her body as if they were somehow going to shield her from the guilt and regret she felt.

Trixie was just a few feet away from Sunset, but close enough to hear the sobs that escaped from her. That made the magician falter for a second. Should she be recording this, when Sunset was clearly in a vulnerable position? Somewhere, deep in her consciousness, a part of her told this was wrong. That invading Sunset’s privacy at a time like this was something that she shouldn’t be doing. Yet, Trixie found that she couldn’t stop recording. If this were going to have consequences, it wouldn’t stop her from videotaping the redhead. Something told her this would come in handy soon. So, with renewed vigor, Trixie watched to see what would happen next.

As Sunset sat there crying, the stinging sensation which hit her shoulder blades earlier migrated to her ears. She felt them beginning to shift and change just as her shoulders had done. The pain was noticeable, but it was considerably less intense than when her wings had come in, which was a relief. The base where her wings attached to her shoulder blades still felt like an open flame was getting held to her skin from the sudden appearance of them pushing through her flesh. Reaching a hand up towards her ear, Sunset could feel them lengthening and becoming pointier than her normal ears were. There were also some triangular cuts forming as well, which Sunset didn’t understand. There never seemed to be a reason for them, so why were they there? Yet, she didn’t bother to question it as she felt the pain increase. Again, the same burning sensation washed over her ears as they too turned the familiar crimson red, the same as her skin. When she lowered her hand, one of her claws made a small cut on her ear. As a result, a little trickle of blood ran down the side of her ear before she wiped it away.

“Shit!” hissed Sunset Shimmer, looking at her claws. “That hurt.”

The pain from the cut was soon overwhelmed by an agonizing pain that traveled from her shoulders down the length of her back. A weak groan slipped from her lips as she hunched over, holding her stomach. Every muscle twitched and stretched as they rearranged themselves and formed into stronger muscles, ones capable enough to allow Sunset to fly. Her shirt clung to her as it became drenched in sweat, but she didn’t care. All she could focus on was the weakness that was building in her body. Sunset Shimmer felt more tears stream from her eyes as her body continued to go through the painful transformation… again.

“Twilight’s transformation never took this long,” thought Sunset Shimmer. “So, why me?”

“You deserve this harsh punishment as a consequence of your actions,” Sunset’s inner voice told her.

Sunset was grateful that the wood floor was cold to the touch. Unfurling her wings, she laid down on her back. The coolness did alleviate some of the heat that had started to radiate off her body. Plus, it eased some of the searing pain she was feeling, but only by a little. Her joints ached, and her ability to move her limbs was disappearing by the second. As she relaxed, it eased a little more of her pain, something she was thankful for after what she’d just endured. The redhead enjoyed the few moments of peaceful relief she had before the pain began to fight against the cold. As much as Sunset wanted her transformation to be over, she knew that it wasn’t over just yet. If she recalled the first time she had transformed, her teeth would be next to change.

On cue, her lateral incisors started to throb and ache. Reluctantly pushing herself off the cold floor, Sunset Shimmer sat up. Her wings folded up behind her as she moved. The weight on her shoulder blades felt weird to her, but that got quickly forgotten as the throbbing turned to sharp shooting pain. She held a hand to her mouth as she felt her teeth forcibly getting pushed out of her gum line. Looking down, she caught her incisors in her palm. Despite the oddly disturbing action of catching her teeth, Sunset knew she had to pace herself for the next round of pain that was going to hit her inevitably.

“Ahhh!!” screamed Sunset Shimmer as a stinging pain, similar to corrosive acid, hit her gums.

Trixie jerked away as she heard Sunset Shimmer scream out in pain. Being a witness to this event was becoming too much for the magician to handle. However, she wanted to catch Sunset’s transformation into Demon Shimmer on tape. Regardless of how wrong this was, it felt so good to take advantage of the opportunity in front of her. This was her own ticket to get back at the redhead for attacking her earlier that day. So, steeling her resolve, Trixie inched a little closer to her. She couldn’t risk missing any of the action.

“Sunset, this is Trixie’s payback for what you did to her in the locker room,” thought Trixie, an evil smirk on her face. “This is kind of fitting considering what you did to the princess. Oh, Trixie is going to enjoy every moment of this…”

Her hand still covering her mouth, Sunset struggled to keep herself from screaming. She ran her tongue along her gums as she felt two very sharp, very long fangs appear in place of her normal lateral incisors. She could tell they could do some damage, assuming that she was to bite anyone or anything with them. They were similar to Twilight’s own, only in a different placement. Once her fangs had fully appeared, the burning in her gums subsided. However, before Sunset could breathe a sigh of relief, her skin began to sting once more. Now it felt like a thousand-degree hot metal iron was getting held to her flesh. It slowly and gut-wrenchingly made its way up her neck and onto her head, almost becoming unbearable. She closed her eyes, letting out another ear-piercing scream as the pain reached her face. Her light amber skin gave way to the crimson color of her new demonic appearance.

“Sweet Celestia! Please, Stop!!” begged Sunset Shimmer, unaware that Trixie was spying on her agony and enjoying it.

But the intense pain didn’t cease. Instead, it found its way to her tailbone, furthering in intensity as it did so. Placing a hand on the small of her back, Sunset Shimmer felt her tail emerge from the end of her spine. It had the same yellow and red color that matched her hair. She touched a few strands of it, not sure if it was real. When she felt the hair against her palm, she knew it was real, that it wasn’t just a fever dream. Yet, a small part of her wanted it to be a dream because that would mean everything else was too. Sadly, Sunset knew it was all too real and that she was indeed becoming Demon Shimmer again. And there was nothing she could do to stop or reverse it. When her tail flicked behind her, she couldn’t help but feel disgusted by the action.

Trixie zoomed out on Sunset Shimmer, wanting to keep the video in focus. She wasn’t risking her life and reputation to get a fuzzy video that would only humiliate her if she released it. So, the video had to be clear and indisputable. Trixie was shocked by the sight in front of her. She never thought she would see the day that the redhead would revert to the former demon she once was. But, in front of her stood physical proof that Sunset Shimmer had indeed done that. And Trixie was elated that she was the one who caught it on video. Taking a deep breath, the magician forced herself to focus and continue recording the event.

Sunset Shimmer felt her wings fold up against her back, which was a strange sensation to her. Yet, at the same time, it almost felt… normal. She attempted to stand, needing to find a bathroom. Once she got off her knees, the same burning pain that had made its way all over her upper body finally trickled down to her legs. Her legs shook as the searing pain turned to the stabbing kind and ran down her legs. Sunset was sure that her legs were turning the same shade of red as the rest of her now was. Barely able to stand through the pain as it coursed throughout her lower body, Sunset Shimmer inhaled deeply.

Trixie watched as Sunset staggered over to the girls’ locker room. She followed her, making sure to stay a few feet behind her and remained quiet. Keeping her eye on the redhead, she watched her push the heavy blue metal door open, releasing a loud squeak from its hinges. The magician took the opportunity to slip unnoticed by Sunset Shimmer. She stood in the shadows as she saw her make a beeline for the bathroom. Again, she followed her in, making sure to keep herself hidden from view. Trixie didn’t want to risk getting seen when she was this close to the redhead. And so close to capturing her full change back into the monster she always knew she was.

Just as Sunset Shimmer stepped in, she was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of bleach and whatever else had gotten used to clean the bathrooms. As she staggered over to one of the sinks, her vision grew blurry and started to blacken around the edges. She became disoriented as the room began to swirl and shift around her. It was like she had taken some psychedelic drugs. Bracing herself against the sink, Sunset blinked rapidly, trying to fix her vision. She looked into the mirror above the sink. Horror-stricken, she watched as the whites of her eyes disappeared into a sea of black.

The pain of her eyes shifting somehow managed to outmatch the pain she still felt in her shoulders. It felt as though hydrochloric acid was getting dumped into her eyes. She fought the urge to rub her eyes, but blinking was beginning to become useless against the aggravating itch. Finally, after a few agonizingly painful moments, she gave in to the urge and rubbed her eyes. The action did relieve some of the stinging in them. Sunset opened her eyes again once she had finished rubbing them. Her cyan pupils stood out amongst the ocean of blackness that now surrounded them like an empty void.

Sunset Shimmer’s vision came back mostly, but it was still somewhat blurry and fuzzy. However, she could see herself and what she now looked like better. Stepping back away from the sink, she examined her appearance. Her skin was almost the color of blood. She had sharp claws and fangs to match, something she knew was bound to terrify the girls. Her tail twitched absentmindedly behind her as she thought about them. Sunset was desperately clinging to the hope that they wouldn’t fear her. That somehow they would see past her… demonic-looking exterior and realize she was still their friend. However, at this point, she wasn’t so sure about that.

She was grateful that her clothes and hair had remained unchanged by the transformation, unlike last time. To see that some form of her regular appearance remained brought some comfort to her. Unfortunately, it didn’t bring much. And there was one thing that worried her the most; Twilight Sparkle’s reaction. She was sure that Twilight would be completely scared off from her if she saw what she looked like now. And that image of her friend, the one she loved with every ounce she had to give, looking back at her with fear in her eyes, it broke Sunset’s heart into a trillion pieces. It was pure torture to see it and to know it could possibly happen.

‘Oh, Celestia! Please, don’t let Twilight be frightened of me. I can’t take losing her to this disgusting monster that I am now…” said Sunset Shimmer as she gripped the porcelain sink tightly, unaware that Trixie was recording her words.

“And this is exactly why you should have been honest about what happened with Twilight, you idiot,” Sunset Shimmer’s inner voice came back and with a vengeance. “Now, you’ll have to face her as the demon you are. And hope she’ll still love you despite the monster she sees in front of her.”

“No! I can’t do that! If Twilight sees this, she’ll push me away forever. And if I lose her, I am not sure I can accept that…” Sunset looked down at her claws and red skin. “She’ll never look at me the same after she sees this side of me.”

Gathering whatever strength she could manage, Sunset Shimmer forced her self-loathing and concerns aside and looked at herself in the mirror again. The sight of her appearance startled her for a moment before she regained her composure. Her eyes roamed from her enormous wings to her claws, and up to her sharp vampire-like teeth. A shiver ran down her back as she struggled to accept all the changes that had happened. A monster had replaced her, leaving her feeling like she no longer deserved to be seen. Lifting her eyes a little more, Sunset saw her own gaze staring back at her. Her eyes, once full of life, were now surrounded by an evil blackness that seemed to erase all emotion from them. Only a few seconds into staring at her reflection, and she had to avert her eyes from the mirror or risk letting her fears take control of her.

“Nobody will ever look at me again… Twilight will never be able to see past this monster I have become. I am too frightening for her to be able to do that…” The words fell from her lips, but to Sunset Shimmer, they resonated deeper within her. They matched the ache that stirred in her heart and brought a single tear forth from her eyes.

Something was beginning to stir inside of Sunset Shimmer, building with every breath. It was like a primal power had awoken inside of her, and it was yearning for release, alongside her anger at herself. Her wings flapped in response to the surge of energy that coursed through her veins. She felt her body tense up as the seconds passed by. A red aura surrounded her hands, growing brighter with every beat of her heart. She focused on the mirror in front of her, slowly curling her fingers towards her palm. The same red aura around her hands began to surround the mirror as her hands slowly balled up. The sound of the glass cracking and twisting under the pressure of Sunset’s newly acquired power echoed loudly against the bathroom walls. Finally, she clenched her hands into fists in all too familiar motion.

After a few minutes, the glass caved and shattered. Sunset Shimmer closed her eyes just as a cascade of glass shards rained down on her. Thankfully, her leather jacket prevented any of the shards from cutting her skin. When the shower of glass stopped, she opened her eyes and looked around. The bathroom now had a layer of glass shards surrounding her. Seeing that, it made Sunset feel that her heart would soon be a part of the mosaic. Her fists remained clenched, causing the lights above her to start to flicker. Sunset was angry at herself, at the lies she willingly told Twilight and the fact she was now getting forced to come clean with her eventually. All of that, combined with her self-hatred of her demonic appearance, the lightbulbs broke under the increasing magic aura that surrounded them and fell onto the glass-covered ground.

“Ow!” exclaimed Trixie as quietly as she could as she pulled a piece of glass from her arm, so as not to alert Sunset Shimmer to her presence. “That seriously hurt.”

Staring down at her reflection in the broken mirror, Sunset Shimmer saw that her irises were the only visible thing in the pitch blackness that surrounded her now. “Nothing but a monster…”

Trixie gaped at the sight of the new version of Sunset Shimmer that stood in front of her. She now fully looked like Demon Shimmer, minus the hair from last time. Her wings draped over her shoulders as if cradling her in her time of need. Seeing her like that, it was a bit jarring to the magician. For a moment, Trixie debated turning off her camera and leaving her alone. After all, she knew that she had seen something that was supposed to be private. Sunset was vulnerable, and here she was taking complete advantage of it. That was wrong, Trixie knew it was. Yet, it felt really satisfying to know she had video evidence of her transformation. Making a decision, Trixie chose to continue recording.

As she looked at the mirror shards, Sunset Shimmer noticed a faint glow of light behind her in the corner of the bathroom. She spun around to find the one person that she never wanted to see her like this. “Trixie! What the fuck are you doing here?”

Trixie smiled. “Hello, Sunset Shimmer. Or should the Great and Powerful Trixie call you Demon Shimmer now?”