"Sunset Shimmer! Over heeere!"
Pinkie Pie's voice reached the Equestrian's ears as she opened a happy smile of her own, seeing all of her friends together, waiting and calling for her.
She was surprised to her very core. Sunset Shimmer was still not used to many of the things you'd consider doing alongside those you call friends, and going to the amusement park was one of those things. The sensation of joy she received when she was invited, and now when she arrived and saw her friends there, waiting for her, bubbled to the surface a sensation of joy and happiness that she still wasn't familiar with, but was working hard to get there!
Within the span of just a few moments, she was now alongside the five girls, joining them in their crusade for fun at the closest roller-coaster, maybe even go to a less wild ride to enjoy the thrills it gave! She had to stop herself from giggling a little just to adjust her composure, but with little success. Everyone could see she was overjoyed, and they themselves repayed her excitement with excitement of their own.
"Sorry I was late, girls" Sunset apologized as Pinkie Pie let go of her hug the last, as of custom. "I would've gotten here earlier, but-"
"Oh, don't mind getting here two minutes late, please," Rarity interrupted with a giggle, swinging her gorgeous hair backwards with a simple gesture. "Would you believe I arrived here myself just a little before you did? We must have missed each other!"
"Who cares, though? We're all here, so let's get to start having some fun!" Rainbow Dash spoke with great enthusiasm, enough to make Pinkie's smile get even wider. "I've been looking forward to this day for quite a while, now!"
"Ooh, me too! Me too!" the hyperactive, pink-haired one added, hopping around slightly with a smile that couldn't possibly increase in size. "This is going to be so fun! Should we go to the ferris wheel first? Or maybe the bumper cars? Or - Or the balloon race!"
"Hahah! Calm down, Pinkie! I think there will be plenty of time for all of that," Applejack said with a hearty laugh, placing a hand over her shoulder and helping her bouncing decrease in overall speed, enough for it not to punch small holes in the ground. "We just arrived! I reckon we should enjoy ourselves proper."
"Oh, the balloon race sounded nice," Fluttershy meekly agreed, making said smile from Pinkie to actually grow, despite Sunset's contrary beliefs. "I would like to see that..."
"Grrreat choice, Fluttershy! Check it out, it's actually a recent ride!" Pinkie exclaimed with joy, pulling a pamphlet from her hair and opening it with a single swing. "The new park's owner - a young man called Cheese? He added it not too long ago when he inherited it alongside a bunch of other rides! Isn't it great?"
"How do you know the park owner's name?" Sunset inquired, slightly raising an eyebrow as Pinkie simply tilted her head in return.
"Because~ It's written here, silly!" She then gave the pamphlet to her not-quite-human friend, who simply grazed her sight on the paper before locking onto the name Cheese Sandwich, park owner.
Well, I guess that makes sense? Oh, Pinkie...!
"I also try to remember the names of everyone I meet!" she happily giggled, hopping onwards towards the inside of the amusement park, with every single girl following her, as they blindly trusted where she was going. "It's all part of the Friend Plan, you know?"
"Everyone? Isn't that kind of taxing, darling...?"
"I'm not one to not trust Pinkie Pie when it comes to that," Rainbow Dash simply shrugged, pointing forward as the girls seemed to silently agree with that statement. "Just let her do her thing."
Sunset simply traded them all a look as they did so, opening a smile of her own as they kept on going inward. This was going to be quite a day, she was sure of that!
Rumors had flown around way back, how the amusement park was actually on its last legs for quite a while and on the verge of being abandoned. Looking at it now, it certainly didn't look or feel like that at all anymore! Everything was absolutely bustling with activity, a very recent renovation act taken place to genuinely spark new life into the beaten down, decades old park. Pinkie Pie was absolutely right, the new owner definitely embraced the love and joy this place absolutely pumped with, and not only made sure the park survived, but thrived. Sunset wasn't sure anymore on how much effort was put into renovating every ride, building new ones and just giving everything a new coat of paint, but considering how big and beautiful this place now was, it must have been a monumental task.
It certainly paid off. For all the time Sunset Shimmer had been there in the human world, she had seen this place definitely showing its age. But suddenly, almost out of the complete blue, it slowly became the way it is now. All of the rides, spread around this beautiful landmark in this city, it was enough to make her head spin - it had something for at least someone to enjoy, either through a physical attraction or through its visuals and aesthetic. The Equestrian had to hold down her laugh as she saw Rarity absolutely gawking over the statues, proudly displaying powerful-looking horses, the symbol of the city. Applejack instinctively appreciated the distance between kiosks and cafes, making a very difficult case to hide that she did. Rainbow Dash wouldn't stop looking at all the exciting rides, the roller-coaster absolutely pulling most of her attention away from anything else. Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were both attracted to the colors and the atmosphere - mostly Pinkie Pie, on the latter and Fluttershy appreciating the expert care for nature present and the calmness it instilled on her on such a place with such bustling energy; a place of rest and repose after a thrill-filled ride.
It wasn't just them! The Unicorn could definitely see people all around the theme park appreciating something different about it, as if they just walked into one for the first time in their lives. Some were laughing, others were in an adrenaline rush which was pumping through their body after going through an insane ride for the first time ever, replaying through the ride again and again. The energy and the joy in this place was intoxicating, and Sunset couldn't help but be caught in the tide of it all, her smile and her adrenaline rushing as she and her friends blazed through rides as if they were all little kids again.
But amongst the crowd, a single face caught Sunset's eyes. A face she was acquainted with, a single face that drew her sights, unexpectedly so, but the strange feeling of wonder and surprise both clashed together to make this single person be easily spotted in the crowd, for hers was a face one does not simply forget.
There was Quarry, also known by many as Quay - a girl about as tall as Flash Sentry was; built lean and proportional in ways that are very easy on the eyes, which clashed fiercely with her odd sense of dressing in clothes that felt like she simply didn't care at all. Her insanely long light blue hair reached down to her ankles, and if not for the fact she was standing absolutely still, Sunset might have never noticed her presence in the movement of the crowds.
The Equestrian was appalled by the sight before her eyes, so much it almost pulled her away from everything else. For many people, the sight of Quay meant imminent trouble, something that was there to end any issues that were possibly happening at that time. She was a means to an end - a period in a sentence as the main, meanest and most well-known and feared enforcer of the Convocation of the Lost - the only one that directly reported to Nimue, the leader, herself. Many respected her authority while few challenged it as she approached them, and that would usually end with relatively graphic results. Needless to say, the medic of the Convocation was being paid very well.
Sunset Shimmer was curious. Perhaps much more than she intended to be, as she wasn't sure for how long she stared at the girl - a Golem that looked remarkably like any other human. Her presence there was both harrowing and interesting, for all the right and wrong reasons. The Equestrian wouldn't claim that seeing someone like Quay at the amusement park was unnatural, mostly because it wasn't her place to say what people would like to do with their free time, but just the fact she carried the title she did...
...Could there actually be? Is something happening in this amusement park, right now?
The thought was overpowering in more ways than one. On one side, she was enjoying herself like she had never enjoyed herself before with her friends - an activity she was looking forward to all week. On the other hand, if there was something wrong with this place, and Quay of all people was sent to deal with it...
Sunset gulped hard. She felt like she needed to know, if only to put her mind at ease. Maybe she was thinking too hard? Maybe Quay was there for no reason, only to enjoy herself but didn't know where to start?
She apologized to her friends as she gave them a flimsy excuse to use the restroom, leaving them to run towards another ride and wait on the line for a quick moment. She immediately skipped within the crowds, dodging the eventual overexcited child as she did so, and she closed distance with the Golem, very quickly in fact. As she rose her hand to greet her, she felt herself fidget for a while - unsure on how to speak with the enforcer. However, time was running short and her curiosity knew no bounds at this point.
"Hey, Quay! ...I wasn't expecting to find you here!"
The Golem bulged her eyes as she turned around, shocked and surprised at the approach Sunset gave her. She was immediately recognized as Quay's eyebrows furrowed very lightly in wonder, her arms crossed like she was stuck in that spot on the ground for days.
"You! ...Sunset Shimmer? What are you doing here?"
"Me? I'm hanging out with my friends," the Equestrian claimed, making the enforcer slump her shoulders a little, still looking at Sunset like she just saw the last person she expected to see. "What are you doing here? I have to admit, I wasn't expecting to see you in a place like this. I never really took you for a carnival per... golem."
"...With your friends?" Quay asked, shifting in place a little as she looked a little less shocked at Sunset's presence. "I see."
Sunset blinked a little as the Golem kept looking at her as if she didn't fully understand the language the Equestrian spoke in. After just a quick moment, she rose her eyes back at her:
"So you're not here because Nimue asked you to?"
...I knew it...!
"Look, I'm sorry to ask, but is that why you're here?" Sunset asked with a much more serious look on her face, still unsure on what to say to the Golem. She never truly got the opportunity to speak with her outside of a span of just a couple seconds. "...I wanna know if my friends and I need to leave the park."
"No, it's fine," Quay reassured her, still keeping her arms crossed. "...In fact, I don't know. I can't speak of things I don't understand; I'd rather not give false information than no information at all."
"What? What do you mean?"
"It means exactly that. ...No one knows what's going on. A couple days ago, Nimue got some reports about some kind of potential in this park, the kind that's not good for people's health? Information about all of that stuff was confusing and annoying so I didn't pay attention to it, but I do know that no one knows anything about it."
That sounds ridiculous! What!?
"...So that's why I'm here. To keep an eye on things, see if I can spot something weird. I hate when I don't even know what I'm supposed to be looking for - I thought Nimue had sent you to..." She stopped. Quarry shifted, nudged herself in place and shook her head, dismissively, her expression absolutely frozen in a state of constant seriousness. "Never mind."
"So... nothing's happened in the time you've been here? For how long..."
"Three days. And no, I haven't seen a thing yet," Quay shrugged, making the Equestrian raise an eyebrow even higher, confused and appalled at what she just heard. "If this was any other job I would've bailed on it already, but..."
But Nimue asked you, so it must be pretty serious for you to just leave...
"Do you bail on your jobs often?"
"...Leave me alone, Sunset Shimmer. I already told you what I'm doing here."
Hmph. As friendly as ever, I see. Oh, well.
It doesn't seem like there's any immediate danger... I mean, everyone around the park's doing just fine, anyways. I think it'll be fine.
And with that, Sunset Shimmer bid the Enforcer goodbye. She had a ride to catch with her friends, and she'll be damned if she lets the opportunity to see Rarity's face when they board the Hurricane and she realizes that was a terrible idea slip her by.
"Oh, goodness... Darlings, I think I'm lightheaded! Oh, I'm definitely-- definitely, yes."
"That was AWESOME! I TOLD you guys that the Roller-Coaster was the best thing EVER!"
"Simmer down, RD! ...I don't think everyone's around here's as up to speed as you are."
Rainbow Dash threw a quick glance at the table, and she giggled a little as Rarity, Sunset and Fluttershy all displayed a slight hue of green around their ears. The lightheaded buzz that followed the rush of rides, topped off with a ride of the Dragon's Maw roller coaster was a little bit more than the girls could handle, and they were now just readjusting to the feeling of having a firm, solid ground beneath their feet.
"...Now I know why it's called the way it is," Sunset sighed deeply, trying to contain her lunch as best as she could. "I think I'm actually glad they took a while to let us in..."
"Really? I thought that was super annoying," Rainbow positioned herself, crossing her arms as she pouted, still failing to contain how excited and full of energy she still was. "Having us stay back because of a time technicality..."
"Gasp! You have to respect the time, Dashie! In both the Amusement Park and in Comedy, timing is EVERYTHING. You can't have time be out of whack when that's the core essence of your soul!"
"...Did you just say gasp as y---"
"TIMIIING!"
Sunset felt a little balloon reopening in her chest as she chuckled, Rarity and Fluttershy both also looking slightly better, no shade of green around their faces anymore. She let go a small sigh as the noises of the roller-coaster rumbled the ground beneath their feet, making Fluttershy meep slightly, intimidated.
"What's the matter, Fluttershy? Are you OK?" Rarity kindly asked, placing a hand on her shoulder as she nodded, positively.
"Um, y-yes. I think I'm just a bit worn out by those big rides..."
"Well, RD keeps pushing us all into going in 'em," Applejack quipped, making her rainbow-haired friend shift a little, annoyed. "Maybe we should have slowed down a little before goin' up there?"
"Well, uh," Dash stuttered, trading looks with Fluttershy for long enough for her to absolutely fold. "...Y-Yeah, maybe? B-But the roller-coaster! And the Hurricane! And... Um, maybe we should go in a slower-paced attraction next?"
Everyone kind of choked a little as they noticed how absolutely quickly Rainbow Dash stepped back, almost as if it was as unnatural of an occurrence as her waking up early. Maybe they would never know.
"I would appreciate that, Rainbow Dash!"
"THEN WE HAVE A PLAN!" Pinkie Pie's battlecry echoed to nowhere as the passer-byes simply threw quick glances in their direction before resuming walking towards their actual destinations. "Where should we go next?"
"Oh, I agree with Fluttershy, I would simply relish an opportunity to go a little slower right now," Rarity added, looking very quickly at a nearby mirror, analyzing the intricacies of her makeup's details. "Is there any place around here that doesn't require us to... actually ride something?"
"This is an amusement park, not a ridy park, silly!" Pinkie giggled, opening the flier she had previously by removing it from her hair, once again. How didn't she lose it yet was a mystery Sunset would love to solve. "Let's see, there's a HAAAAUNTED house! Or a MIIIIRRROR house! Or a WIIIILDLIFE house! ...I didn't even know those existed."
"...I'm surprised there's even something like that," Sunset added, scratching the back of her neck. "How many houses are there?"
"About ten! Labyrinth house! House house! House of Fun - that one's a personal favorite - Outhouse, Guard House--"
"We get the idea, Pinkie," Applejack interrupted, laughing a little as she looked at Fluttershy, who smiled a little at how much in her element Pinkie Pie was. "Any ideas?"
"Oh, um..." Fluttershy pondered, looking at the faces of her friends as if they were expecting the answer they were sure she would give. Except... "How about the Mirror house? Last time I went to a horror house..."
You weren't impressed. I saw the picture.
"Any objections, girls?" Rarity questioned, walking by Fluttershy's side, shifting her own hair backwards like it was a cape. As she heard no objections from anyone, she proceeded to move in the general direction of outside of the view of the roller-coaster, towards their newest objective. "To the House of Mirrors it is, then!"
"...That's weird. I was sure she would say the Wildlife house?" The rainbow-haired girl asked Sunset, who smiled at her friend's inquiry. To be fair, she also thought that would be the case, but...
"Maybe that's why she didn't pick that one? Because everyone expected it?"
Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. Fluttershy being subversive... that was definitely something new.
The House of Mirrors. Well, at least the giant lettering on top of it made sure it was impossible to miss.
It wasn't very far from most of the other attractions, but as far as they go, this one was relatively out of the way. Unsurprising, considering that according to the flier, it was one of the first buildings actually built in this park. Everything else was just built in more convenient locations.
"I have to admit, I was expecting something smaller than this," Applejack said as she scratched the back of her head, genuinely impressed at how big this was. Apparently, instead of making it a two storey building, the previous owner opted to just making it very large. "How much do you need for a house of mirrors, anyhow?"
"That's what we're here to find out, isn't it? Let's-a-go, girls!" Pinkie exclaimed as she positively skipped towards the massive wooden double doors that didn't bar anyone's way, considering they were swung open during work time. Interestingly enough, there wasn't any personnel around - maybe they deemed it unnecessary?
Regardless, the girls were soon all stepping inside the building made mostly of wood and stone, a very dim light being cast from the lamps above them to make up for the fact that the building itself had no windows. This made the lighting present within the area to be projected in such a way that provided a very interesting angle on the mirrors that they had within this attraction, something that took Sunset by surprise - most of the girls too.
This building was big, and for a reason. The amount of mirrors present within was positively insane, but not in any special, or labyrinthine way. This house was made mostly of corridors that spread out in many different directions, encompassing most of its walls with the namesake of the building. Many different types of them were noted by the girls that created the most intriguing and bizarre effects as they were seen from the dim, strangely off-putting lighting from the ceiling. Some made you much taller, or much shorter. Some of the mirrors caused the illusion of a hologram to be cast before you, or made you even move slower, or faster. Sometimes, a strange combination of both happened, and instead of it being charming, Sunset found it to be awkward and chilling.
She couldn't really put her finger on it, but something about the way this light was being cast on their reflections was shockingly alien. She couldn't even describe the feeling she had to herself, much to her chagrin; she was used to knowing how to understand effects of science to a degree, and being this strangely bothered by them was a feeling Sunset wasn't familiar with. She tried poking the mirrors, stopping the lights from reaching them somehow, or maybe even jumping in front of some of them to try and see if she could get any results from that, with no real success.
Her bizarre drive to understand the magic of the mirrors was so great that when she finally came to her senses, her friends were already on opposite sides of the corridor, laughing and enjoying themselves as they were completely enamored with the interesting, magic world of their own reflections. The Equestrian shook her head in annoyance: being this inquisitive about things that didn't matter was something that just came back like a very bad habit, and she dismissed her thought almost as quickly as Fluttershy and Applejack called out to her in their own side of the corridor.
"Sunset Shimmer, come here! You're gonna love this one!"
She let go a tiny chuckle as she walked up to them and saw that her reflection of the mirror they pointed out was... accurate? She rose her right hand, and the reflection did the same! How did they even manage to do this!?
"Isn't it interesting? I wonder how they do all of this!"
"It probably takes some fancy skills we don't even understand," Applejack interjected, being extremely amused at the fact her mirror was actually showing her reflection accurately, in slow-motion. "People must study super-hard to figure stuff like this out!"
Study super hard... I used to do that all the time. I still do, by the way, and I can't even fathom how they manage to do this!
Why was this bothering her so much? Sunset shook her head again, and her reflection did the same. She blinked her right eye, and so did the reflection. She showed her right palm to her double, and so it did as well. She then rose her left hand so it hovered centimeters against her double's right, and the reflection's left hand creeped closer to Sunset's right palm, which sent a chilling bolt down her spine, making her pull distance between them.
She took a very deep breath. Whatever was it that was creeping inside of her head needed to leave, right now. She had no use for unnecessary thoughts like that, especially when they were connected to her lack of ability to understand a concept caused through light illusions!
The Equestrian took this opportunity to take a very good look at the building they were in, and she was surprised to find that she couldn't, in fact, find too much inside of it. This was a house of mirrors, sure, but it just being a bunch of corridors and glass was so distracting that she soon found herself thinking of absolutely everything else instead of the fun she was supposed to be having. She noticed that the lighting was so dim and gloomy, it was borderline depressing. She noticed the very light wooden creaks in the distance, she noticed the complete and utter silence that followed the girls' voices as they laughed and had fun. She noticed she wasn't having any, and it was surprisingly scary.
It was scary. She was scared.
...But of what, exactly? She was scared of the lights? Of her reflection on the mirror? As Sunset's mind kept asking itself those questions, her body realized for the first time that the girls were alone inside this place. There was no staff outside, and no one else but them were in this building right now. The Equestrian bit her finger in stress as she couldn't help but feel like she didn't want to be in there anymore. The thought came to her like a bolt of lightning and before she realized it, she was walking at a quick pace through the building towards her friends, the idea of getting away from this house brought some manner of comfort back to her mind.
Sunset made a quick turn at the closest corridor she found and there was Fluttershy and Applejack, as they were enjoying themselves in a way that absolutely boggled her mind. Without really thinking too hard, the Equestrian gripped Fluttershy's hand, immediately capturing her attention as she did so, also managing to make Applejack look at her.
"Fluttershy, Applejack? ...I don't like this place." She spoke without really thinking too hard. Her thoughts were so confused and lost that she, quite frankly, didn't fully want to think too hard.
"What? ...Sunset, are you okay? You look a little pale," Fluttershy softly asked, holding Sunset's hand with worry. "What's wrong?"
"I... I don't know, there's just..." she spoke with a very desperate rust to her voice, which the girls noticed immediately. "There's something off about this place. I can't put my finger on it, but there's definitely something wrong here."
"How'd you reckon? ...You sure about this?" Applejack asked just to be safe, and Sunset confirmed it with a nod. "You don't think it's your mind playin' tricks on you?"
"I don't know. I just feel like there's something abhorrently wrong with this place," the Equestrian shivered, throwing looks in all directions as she noticed something she should have probably noticed sooner. "...Wait, hold on. W-Where's Rainbow, Pinkie and Rarity?"
"They were down the corridor, I think," the element of kindness said as she turned around to look down the corridor, but she didn't see anyone down it at all. "That's strange, they were there just a second ago."
"Sunset, d'you think this' something bad? I mean... last time you had a feeling like this...!"
"...W-We need to find the others! Come on, girls!"
Following Sunset's orders, Fluttershy and Applejack ran down the corridor with her, dashing past the mirrors with little desire to pay attention to them anymore.
None of the girls would genuinely brush Sunset Shimmer's worries aside. Everyone was prone to being very scared about simple things, true, but her hunch about something being very, very wrong already saved their hides really badly before. Seeing her panic and saying that this place was off-putting and wrong definitely counted as something worth at least looking into, and so their dash down this strange, large building started with little to no success. The girls thought that was really weird indeed - this building wasn't that large, and the three girls were nowhere in sight?
The Unicorn felt like her mind would crush her. Her thoughts were pumping so quickly and so erratically that she couldn't process them, her eyes simply locking onto things on the distance and taking center stage inside her mind. As she would run, she would see the mirrors again, casting her reflection on them as if she was being mocked. She would look at her own face and see she was horrified, scared beyond reason as they ran deeper into this maddening house, their footsteps being the only thing that genuinely made noise within these empty, cold halls.
"Pinkie Pie!" Applejack tried to call, but no one answered her. "...Rainbow Dash!"
"Rarity!" Fluttershy also called, her calm and sweet voice being forced out of her lungs with surprising power. "...Girls! Please, respond!"
No response. This place was cold and quiet, the feeling of dread that Sunset felt before now evolved into genuine, full-fledged terror. She couldn't even be bothered to think anymore, she wanted to find her friends and get them out of there immediately. She took a quick turn in a corridor, then another turn in another one. She looked in all directions, called out for the girls, but nothing happened. Where were they?
Maybe they left? That's the only thing I can think of! Maybe Rainbow got bored and left, so Pinkie and Rarity followed! Why else wouldn't they answer my calls? Why else wouldn't they simply let us know they are still around?
...That would be convenient, wouldn't it?
That's the last thing that came to Sunset's immediate mind as she took another very quick turn around a corner and stopped running as she almost ran into--
"P-Pinkie Pie!"
"Oh! Hi!"
The Equestrian felt her knees scream in complaint as she forced her momentum to stop completely or she would crash into her friend, swinging her arms wildly backwards in order to halt her advance. She stopped, breathed and smiled so much that she felt like she was in a dream of some kind. So they are inside the building, after all!
"Where were you, Pinkie? We were looking for you!"
"...We?"
The Equestrian's ability to interpret what her friend had said suddenly came back to her like a breath of fresh air, though she wasn't sure she was fond of that at all. Very slowly she turned around, and... Fluttershy and Applejack weren't with her anymore.
She had lost them in there!? Her heart skipped a thousand beats as it was pumping so quickly she thought it would tear from her chest and start walking on its own. Sunset took a step backwards as she called for her friends from the bottom of her lungs, with little actual success.
"I don't think they heard you."
"Oh, no. Oh, no! No, no no! This isn't...! L-Look, Pinkie! We need to find them! There's something wrong with this place! I hate it here! Can we please find the girls and leave?"
"What's wrong with this place? It's all just a bunch of reflections."
"I... I don't know! I really don't know!" Sunset desperately exclaimed, holding Pinkie's hand as she was trying her hardest to think properly, but wasn't being successful. "All I know is that I really don't like this place at all!"
"You hate looking at yourself, don't you?"
...
The Unicorn stopped moving.
"You hate when you look at your own face and you see yourself staring back, don't you? ...Because you can't see past your failures. You can't see past your own mistakes, and they haunt you. So you hate yourself, because you can't forgive yourself. Is that why you hate it here?--
Sunset's ears felt like they were playing tricks on her. Her ears buzzed with static, her mind stuck in a loop of confusion as she looked at her friend's face. Pinkie Pie's face was frozen, static in a permanent semi-smile, as if someone slashed it there, lazy, to simulate the act of smiling. The pink-haired girl stepped an inch closer to her friend, her eyes cold, piercing and dead.
Why do you hate yourself so much? What kind of mistake can't you see past? Tell me all about it.
NO!
Celestia's ex-protégé couldn't rationalize what she was seeing, but she let panic take over. On instinct, she pushed herself away from Pinkie, and ran the completely opposite direction. She wanted to run, run and disappear. She didn't want to stay there anymore, she wanted out! Immediately!
Her feet stomped the floor with such force, it was uncanny. The speed in which she managed to run was probably faster than she had even ran before in her life, and very quickly, Pinkie became just a silhouette in the distance, as she turned around a corner as quickly as she could, and was forced to stop.
Before her, right now, was none other than Applejack herself. Looking at Sunset as if she expected her to run through here... with the same blank, creepy expression on her face - it sent chills down the Equestrian's spine.
"It doesn't matter if you run. You can't escape yourself, it doesn't matter how fast you think you are. You're stuck with your decisions and your choices forever. Do you really think that you can simply try and pretend that you've never made the biggest mistake of your life?"
NO! I-I don't! ...T-This isn't about that!
Isn't it?
Sunset ignored her own mind as she couldn't think anymore. All she could do was turn around and run away again, turning another corner, watching as her friends disappeared from her sight, only to be interrupted again, by Rainbow Dash this time.
"Do you think that lying to yourself will fill the void inside you? It won't. A life built on lies is just as fickle as someone that can't accept their own failures. You're not living a happy life, you're living a lie you tell yourself to make you feel better about yourself."
I'M NOT! I'm in a much better place now! I don't hate my friends, or the life I have now!
You LIE.
LIAR. YOU HATE IT. YOURSELF. YOUR CHOICE. YOUR MISTAKE. YOUR LIE. YOURSELF. YOU HATE IT.
She cried. Her eyes couldn't contain themselves as she ran away again, a stream of tears and horrified shock burning through her like fire in her veins. Sunset's face distorted into a pained, hurt wreck as she put her all into running, her feet carrying her as hard as they could without tripping and falling. She couldn't see where she was going anymore; she was eventually stopped by crashing onto a body that was pushed back violently by the strength of the impact, forcing the Equestrian to look up to Fluttershy, who looked absolutely the same as the others.
"Do you think you made the most important person to you proud with the lies you keep telling?"
She was surrounded. her friends were all around her, casting shadows so dark and oppressive that she felt like she was being consumed by them. Her eyes mellowed and cried tears she hadn't cried in a long time - so long she had forgotten already. Her hands held her head as she curled on the floor, pathetic and whimpering unintelligibly as she rose her face enough to cast her eyes on the mirror, once again.
A Raging She-Demon looked back at her with eyes filled with condescending pressure. Sunset stared at her own face as if she was being sucked in by it, her heart being torn, slashed and broken by it.
That was the last thing she saw before the mirror exploded in front of her, Sunset Shimmer's mind being spirited back to a shocking surprise as Fluttershy was thrown so far down the corridor she made a bonking noise as she skid along the floor.
The Equestrian opened her eyes, appalled at the sight of seeing Fluttershy being tossed somewhere, but that wasn't the point. She looked around as if she just had just woken up from confusion, her mind just now coming to terms with understanding itself a little again. She rose her face, dirty with tears, and sat down on the floor, looking at the woman who now stood in front of her; a light-blue haired girl that carried a look that quite frankly, surprised Sunset more than she think she did.
"Q-Quay!?"
"What's even up with you? Were you born under an unlucky star?" The Golem's voice ringed so easy for the Equestrian, she felt like it healed her as she found the strength back in her body to stand up. "I honestly don't know how you do it! It's like you're a trouble magnet or something!"
The Golem stepped forward, defiant towards Sunset's friends, who stepped back a little, worried. ...Except they didn't really move, or show any signs of shock in their features. They were the same as before - creepy, frozen. Unchanged.
"Now, whatever it is you are? I'm giving you a chance to stop before I bash your face in."
"I had no idea souless dolls even managed to speak on their own. Where is your puppeteer, doll?"
The Enforcer of the Convocation blinked once, a little surprised at how little the one before her actually cared about her threat.
"Didn't you hear me? I said I'm not giving you another chance! Stop this annoying thing you're doing and if you resist, I'm crushing you like the worm that you are!"
"...I see. You really don't want to disappoint the puppet master. How much have you let her down, already?"
Quay didn't feel like giving them a third warning, so she pulled her fist back, ready to start attacking. Sunset jumped up on instinct, grabbing hold of her fist as she did so, making the golem stop.
"W-WAIT! Don't do it, STOP!"
"What are you doing, Sunset Shimmer? This is the thing I've been sent to neutralize! Why are you stopping me!?"
"Because those are my friends!" she exclaimed loudly, jumping in front of the enforcer, relatively irrationally. "T-They are my friends! Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, whom you just tossed away, and Pinkie Pie!"
"They're your friends...?"
Sunset Shimmer looked back at them and before she could think too much, Applejack had walked up to her, picked her up by the hip and shoulder and tossed her towards the closest mirror with so much strength it was unnatural. The Equestrian crashed against it with violence, punching a hole through the glass and onto the neighboring corridor, having her roll on the floor for a while as the bruise on her face made her yelp in shock and pain.
"This is what it is, isn't it? You're so aggressive and straightforward! So eager to prove yourself, but that's not what this is, isn't it? This isn't about you proving yourself, this is about you trying not to make the most important person to you disappointed anymore."
The Golem's eyes widened in shock as she was torn between running towards the wounded girl, or staring dumbfounded at the girls, who were speaking with such poison that it was piercing her ears like a bad headache.
"W-What? DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME? I TOLD YOU TO--"
"You're a failure and you know it, little girl. The only reason you're being kept around is because you're the puppet master's, not because of your skills at being good at what's required of you. You can do nothing else but to attack and threaten. You know this, you know your puppet master knows of this. You disappointed her. You don't want to anymore, so you're even more angry and fierce than you were before. Not because you want to evolve into something else, it's because this is all you're good for."
"SHUT THE HELL UP! YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING!"
"You have no real power outside of what you can do. How does it feel? I know how it feels, little girl. This hurts you quite badly. It hurts to be a failure. To not be able to achieve the expectations of those dear to you. Why do you think you only get assigned jobs that play to your strengths? It's because the puppet master knows you can do nothing else."
The Golem's face was impossible to describe. She was surprised, shocked, scared, stunned, bewildered. She didn't know where to look. Her chest was moving heavily following the speed of her breath, as she was stepping back herself. She caught on to her feet as she stopped, and clenched her fist again. Not out of anger, but out of fear. Something was worming its way inside of her head, and she was scared of it.
What was this? What was going on? Why were this cretins saying what they were, as if they knew the truth! They knew nothing!
Nothing? You know very well that what you hear is the truth. You can't deny it. It's who you are. You can't deny yourself, otherwise you'll have nothing.
Quay was stuck in place. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe properly. Her face was distorted with a scare that she deemed unnatural. She tried to punch the closest of the girls, but didn't even manage to gather the strength to do it. Her will seemed to slowly get drained from her body as all she could do was feel her deepest insecurities be exposed, being attacked mercilessly by the voices that echoed inside of her head.
...Sunset rose her face. Her eyes were watered, as her tears still streamed down her cheeks and spotted the floor. She found herself breathing a little bit more calmly, but that didn't mean much. She wanted to scream to the enforcer, have her snap out of it, have her run instead of staying put and let her fall for the trap, but she couldn't do it. She felt like her body was so much heavier than it really was... all she could do was look around, confused and scared. Not being able to understand the why and the how.
That is, until her sight fell upon a very specific mirror. It wasn't fancier, or more special visually in any way... but the reflection in it was what caught her attention, more than anything else ever had the whole day she spent in this cursed house.
Applejack was in the reflection. She was waving frantically, trying to say something to Sunset Shimmer, but no voice was heard from it. Sunset slowly stood up, her eyes bulged and glued to the image of AJ desperately motioning to catch her attention, and when it did, her friend smiled, glad. The Equestrian saw Applejack point forward, and she quickly looked at where she was indicating; the scene of the golem being surrounded by the girls, words being cast down upon her like the most painful of illnesses. Quickly, Sunset cast a glance back at the mirror, with the apple farmer motioning to herself, then to her double, then making as many hand signals indicating Sunset to attack her. The look on her face demonstrated how serious about this she was... this was indeed Applejack. The real one. Inside the mirror!!
For the first time in what felt like forever, Sunset felt some semblance of sanity and full-body control return like a bolt of lightning had struck her. Turning around as quickly as she could, the Equestrian dashed through the hole she was thrown through and before anyone could register what had happened, she had body tackled the closest one to Quay - Applejack, of course, making her tumble and crash onto the ground with a dry, hard thud. The one in the mirror flinched and held her head as if she had felt the attack herself, smiling and giving Sunset a thumbs-up when she turned around to look.
...Reflections.
Mirrors. Reflections coming to life. Insecurities coming to flourish and opening weaknesses through fear.
This is...! I understand now! I know what this is!
Sunset's fears evaporated when everything seemed to fall into place. Once you understand the monster, what reason there is to fear it? She looked at her "friends" - the doubles created when her actual friends were caught by the monster, and they all started to groan and move with clear intentions of violence, which definitely gave Sunset some pause. She couldn't hurt the doubles: if what happened to Applejack was any indication, if the doubles were hurt, the real ones would feel it too. She had to do something else - she had to run. She had to get out of their range, and defeat the monster that was causing all this!
The Equestrian turned around and tried to pull Quay up, but soon the realization that the enforcer was indeed an insanely heavy Golem came to her. However, the girl stood up herself, lightheaded and confused, Sunset's eyes being the only thing she could see at that moment, as if she was slowly being pulled back to reality.
"W-What? ...The hell just...?"
"RUN! Don't stay within their range, or you'll become one of them!"
"YOU CAN'T RUN FROM WHO YOU ARE!"
Sunset clenched her teeth and apologized as she simply gave Rarity's double a headbutt on the chin, making her step back enough to give Sunset room to run away. Quay was confused, still trying to get her bearing, but as soon as the Equestrian ran past her, she took to action and did the same, shaking her head and trying to come to grips with the feelings that bubbled to the surface so unexpectedly.
"W-What...? What happened? I'm confused, what happened? What the hell?"
"I'm sorry, I am so sorry!" Sunset apologized, unsure if she was asking forgiveness to Rarity or to the Golem. "I didn't know what was going on! I was so scared, I didn't know what to do...!"
"Uh...! I... W-What did that thing do to me?" the Golem whimpered a little, her steps as she ran ringing much, much louder than Sunset's own. "T-Those things were talking about me like they knew who I was...!"
"Those people are my friends, Quay! I told you already!" Sunset reaffirmed, being forced to stop running as a dive into a corner led them straight into Fluttershy's double, who looked absolutely cold and unflinching. Sunset's worries were right, these things could warp through the mirrors! "Or at least, those are their bodies!"
"...You have some pretty weird friends, Sunset Shimmer," Quay was sweating bullets as she stepped back, visibly scared of the visage of those things that could pierce through her mind and make her feel things she didn't want to feel. "I don't like this...! I hate this place! What do I do!?"
"Trust me! ...I know what we can do!" the Equestrian reassured the golem, turning around and launching a yell as loud as she could, trying her hardest to make everyone inside this building hear her: "GIRLS! I NEED YOU TO SHOW ME WHERE THE MONSTER IS!"
You are the monster, Sunset Shimmer.
SHUT UP! I'm not listening to you anymore!!
"Now, RUN! Come on, Quay, RUN!" Sunset urged the directionless enforcer as she simply dashed in an unrelated direction, being closely followed by her. The doubles all made mention to jumping into the mirrors, as predicted.
However, Sunset Shimmer knew exactly where to go. Her eyes weren't even directed towards the corridors, but at the mirrors. She saw Fluttershy, visibly hurt a little as she pointed west with both hands. On another mirror, there was Rainbow Dash, motioning towards the same general direction fiercely, her teeth clenched and visibly furious. Applejack, with a very slight bruise, motioning down a specific hallway, Rarity, stoic and unflinching, holding her chin with one hand and pointing towards their destination with another. Pinkie Pie was running through every mirror she could be shown in, almost as if she was racing Sunset towards their goal...!
Her wonderful, amazing friends...!
"What's going on? What kind of plan are you hatching, Sunset Shimmer? Explain to me so I can understand!"
Oh, so you never explain anything to me, but you demand answers from me? ...Well, that's just how you are, I suppose?
"...Paranoia!"
"...Excuse me?"
"This monster... It's called Paranoia! It resides in a very specific mirror, draining the sanity and soul of those that look into it, taking over their bodies and imprisoning its victims in mirrors! If we capture its main source of power, we'll be able to break the hold it has on my friends! We'll be able to fix this nightmare!"
A rumble. A groan. A very audible shriek of anger followed the frame of every single mirror in this house, and Sunset knew why. The monster was getting afraid. It was irritated that she knew!
"You'll never break my hold on them, Sunset Shimmer!!" a voice echoed from all the mirrors at once, mimicking the voices of her friends. She did her best to ignore it. "Try as hard as you want, it's not going to work!"
The Equestrian wasn't very impressed. This monster did a much better job at working its way inside her insecurities... It wasn't doing a very good job at hiding its own.
They kept on running, dodging the doubles as they came across them, and following the instructions of the girls in the mirrors. Following Sunset's instructions, Quay refrained from trampling over the doubles, with the very real danger of her squishing them. She accepted simply letting the Equestrian guide the way, silently nodding and following her directions.
It didn't take very long before they reached a very isolated corridor in the end of the house. The doubles were all there, menacing and shield-like in their positioning, the girls at the nearby mirrors pointing frantically at a single, special one. One with a different frame, a different mold, a different size. It was about as big as a house mirror one would hang on the wall, a little bit shorter than Sunset herself. It was adorned and designed with beautiful intricate details, and it definitely gave a vibe much more menacing and overpowering than any other she'd seen that day. That was the one, Paranoia's mirror.
However, they faced a conundrum. The girls were all surrounding it, keeping Sunset and Quay from reaching its frame. A warped, uncharacteristically bizarre reflection teared inside of it, blurred and bubbling in incomprehensible ways... Paranoia was getting frustrated and worried. Its mind games weren't working on the Unicorn anymore.
"...So you reached my mirror. Good job, I guess?" the Paranoia monster taunted, its mirror vibrating with the strength of a jackhammer as the creature spoke. "But for what purpose? These humans are my shield. Unless you're admitting to your true nature, Sunset Shimmer, and disregard their friendship as the shackles of a lie? Are you willing to break their bones and bodies so you can reach me?"
The monster was right. Sunset definitely had a plan to beat the monster, but to get to it, she would have to beat the doubles... and that meant hurting her friends. That was out of the question, she didn't even need to consult the reflections to know deep in her heart that she would never do it, regardless of their disposition.
...So that begs the question. How would she do it? She needed to get to that mirror! She needed to cast its reflection on the first double around that it captured and break it... That would be Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash or Rarity. For some reason, her guess was on Pinkie being the first double, but that was irrelevant if she couldn't get her hands on that thing.
"What about you, Ms. Quarry? ...All you have done is ask questions, lost and confused. You don't know what to do, do you? You're just a lost little lamb in the land of the grown-ups, not being able to stand to your own lack of capabilities. You stick to what you know, in the safety of your intolerance to adapting to things. You are stale. You are not worth anything to your puppet master. It does not need a dog that knows only one trick."
"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU TO SHUT THE HELL UP?" Quay yelled from the bottom of her lungs, making Sunset sweat, worried. The Golem was still under the monster's mind games...!
"Like I've said. That's all you can do." The monster in the mirror glowed with a very menacing color, its purple shade emanating from the glass like mist. "Come now, Quarry... Tell me how much it hurts. Your life, being as pathetic and lost as yours is."
"QUAY! Don't listen to this thing! I told you already, it's playing to your insecurities! It's striking where it hurts on purpose! Don't let it do it!"
"Shut the hell up...!" the golem whimpered, its teeth clenched so hard that it was causing her physical harm. "You don't know anything! I'm trying so hard...! I don't want to make Nimue worry anymore, but I'm just... I can't...!"
Sunset panicked, once again. Desperate to make the Golem snap out of it, she stood in front of her and tried to make her look in her eyes, but to no avail. The golem simply cringed, her head bursting in pain as she looked positively horrified. What was Paranoia doing to her?
...Regardless of what she thought it was doing, it was too late, as Sunset suddenly felt the golem pushing her away, projecting her backwards with so much power that she felt like she was pushed by... well, a golem. She screamed and folded, crumpling to the floor as Sunset flew past the shielded guard of the Paranoia, and crashed against the far wall, the dry echoes of splintered wood ringing through her bones like a disgusting musical instrument. She coughed violently as she tried her hardest to look up at the enforcer of the Convocation, but she was behind her sights - the feet of the doubles keeping her from actually seeing her.
"Yes. You're in so much pain, little creature. You're mine, now. I'll make sure your fears remain buried. Your reflection hurts, doesn't it...?" the monster quietly whispered like a lullaby to the girl, who very slowly rose her eyes to meet the closest mirror... But Paranoia stopped.
Instead, the monster shrieked in panic. Sunset Shimmer was running away, a very valuable thing carried around her arms as she tried her hardest not to trip as she ran.
"T-THE MIRROR! NO!"
"Girls! Where's the exit? Please, show me the exit!" the Equestrian was desperate, her eyes still letting tears drop from both her shocking experience earlier, and the shove Quay just gave her. The reflections were proving to be exceptionally helpful with her finding the way out of the building. "We need to get this thing outside, as quickly as possible!"
"I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT THIS IS MEANINGLESS!" the angry, echoing voice now emanated from every single mirror in the house, almost as if she was inside the body of a giant monster. "The only way to break my reflection is under moonlight! You're just wasting your time!"
...What did the monster just say?
Sunset Shimmer was appalled. As she ran, she checked her cellphone, analyzing what time it was, exactly. As she did so, her eyes quickly scanned the walls for any signs of a clock, and lo, there it was! As soon as she saw it, it made perfect sense for her. Everything was falling into place. Paranoia was making a huge, irreversible mistake!
The Equestrian did not waste any time. As quickly as she could, she dodged the doubles that were now rushing her down so quickly that she felt like she was taking part inside an actual nightmare. Seeing Fluttershy take swings at her, or Pinkie lunge in her direction like she wanted to eat her alive... Applejack and Rarity both swinging themselves so wildly that calling them puppets in a string wouldn't be inaccurate. Sunset found herself running so hard that she was surprised at her physical condition... but she had to give it her all. After everything she had gone through, she would be damned to Tartarus before she surrendered...!
And just like clockwork, there was the exit of the building. The massive double-doors, closed as they were, were slammed open by Sunset as she rammed them with her shoulder, forcing her to roll out of the house of mirrors, the one she was holding still kept safe in her arms as she fell to the ground, striking her back against the concrete.
Immediately following her, however... was none other than the doubles. Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Applejack. They all stepped out of the house with fire in their eyes, but as they looked at the reflection Sunset cast upon them, all they could see were themselves. The gentle glow of Luna's light illuminated the area alongside the street lamps... and when Sunset punched the mirror from the back, destroying its image completely, Paranoia let go a most painful shriek of disbelief, its original form being cast from the glass like it just crashed through a lake...!
"NO! WHY? W-WHYYY!? WHY?"
The doubles immediately vanished from their sight. Inside the house, six mirrors shattered and the same effect came to pass, with all captured girls freed from their imprisonment. The Paranoia monster wiggled on the ground, having difficulty breathing as it gasped and coughed for air, standing up from the glass-shard filled ground.
This creature looked so unlike anything Sunset would have guessed. It looked just like a crimson-clad jester with a beaked, white mask and hood covering its head. This beast, quite frankly at least twice as tall as the Equestrian, was lean and thin like sickness itself. Its eyes were bulging golden with fury as it looked up to the moon, honestly shocked and appalled at the fact that it was already night time.
"But HOW!? T-This wasn't supposed to be! It's still too early!"
"...That's exactly the same thing we heard today, when we were going to enjoy a roller-coaster ride," Sunset Shimmer explained, menacing in her tone. She let go of the mirror's frame, letting it crash against the ground with a final, loud noise that echoed coldly through the air. "Apparently, the staff of this amusement park completely forgot about Daylight Savings time because of the final renovations that took place. Looks like your prediction about what time it was was off by an hour."
The monster stumbled in place, stunned by what it just heard. This girl...! Who on earth?
"The name's Sunset Shimmer, Paranoia. Pleased to make your acquaintance."
...It was a beat of a moment. Paranoia felt its temples burn with ire at this little girl, who just made it look like a complete and utter fool. As it revved up it body to lunge at her, she didn't feel the need to move. A massively loud chain of noises ringed from the house, and before the monster could even properly process the information, Quay charged through the walls like a battering ram, absolute and complete fury drawn on her eyes, locked onto the jester like a predator does to its prey.
Sunset had never paid witness to something like this in her life. The Golem charged the jester with so much force that she could see it bend like a broken bow. Paranoia was flung from the impact with breakneck power towards a lamp post, absolutely demolishing it in the process. Quarry didn't waste a single beat; fuming with anger, she kicked the jester as it laid on the ground, sending it high up into the air and witnessed it crash against the ground. Feeling the indescribable need to punish the monster some more, the enforcer picked it up by the leg and used Paranoia as a broom, slapping its head against the concrete over and over again like it was absolutely weightless, a cry of frustration leaving her throat as she finally let it loose when Sunset asked her to.
Quarry gritted her teeth with anger. She released her grip on Paranoia, who could only make whimpering, confused gasps at them. Looking straight into its eyes, the Golem's animosity was made clear. This creature was going straight to Nimue and answer some questions - half broken or not.
"This dog may only know one trick, jester. But it's a trick it does well."
Sunset sighed relieved when she had heard that she would never have to worry about the damages that were inevitably caused due to what happened at the House of Mirrors.
Much to her very surprise, Nimue herself had appeared at the site alongside a small workforce of undercover Convocation agents. After doing a lot of quite possibly shady work, the lady directly approached the Equestrian and thanked her for her service, despite the unfortunate method in which it had to happen.
It brought a strange quietude to her mind when she heard that. Sure, she didn't mind helping the Convocation, but this... this was something else. This could have easily escalated into something much worse; the girls were the first victims of Paranoia - who knows for how long it's been in there?
It also made her incredibly happy to see all of her friends were not seriously hurt. The one who got the worst of the beating was Fluttershy, but she wasn't that badly hurt at all. Combining that with the healing provided by the Convocation, she was promised three days of visible bruises before she was as good as new again. Everyone was very surprised at the contacts Sunset had, but ultimately decided not to pry too hard. It's already been a hectic, extremely dangerous event, all they wanted was to relax in safety.
When the Paranoia monster was taken away by the Lost, Sunset knew what awaited it. It was to be locked in the Convocation's prison and interrogated by Nimue, of all people. She didn't ask about the details of the decision behind that - she felt like it fell outside of whatever jurisdiction she might even have. Maybe all of this had a much bigger thing going behind her back, but she dismissed the thought with a quick shake of her head.
What didn't fall outside of that, however, was Quarry. The Golem was pensive ever since Nimue arrived, talked and dealt with the aftershock of Paranoia's capture. When all was said and done, once the monster was appropriately secured, all she did was nod, speak a few words with their leader and then she just stood there, looking morose and melancholic. As everyone around Sunset made extra claims to reassure her that they were fine, she slowly approached the enforcer, who took notice of her presence immediately this time.
"Hey, there," the Equestrian engaged, her voice coming out weak and coy. "You're not looking so hot."
"Neither are you, but no one's judging," she replied with a very light glint of humor in her tone, enough to make Sunset open a tiny smile, at least. The enforcer's expression darkened soon, however. "...It's funny. It doesn't matter really how hard I try to deny it, I just can't bring myself to do it. Paranoia was right about me. All along."
Sunset didn't bring herself to say anything. What could she even say to her, after all?
"I'm nothing exceptional. All I can do is push things, break things, hit things, step on things. Be the immovable object, or the unstoppable, physical force. I'm not subtle, I'm not intelligent. I'm not clever and resourceful. ...I'm just a giant brick that can be used to drop on top of things."
"Tell me this. ...What good is that to people? What good can I be to Nimue when she needs much more than just a dumb brute with no real skills? No wonder people trash-talk the Convocation all the time. They don't have a frame of reference outside of me when dealing with how the Convocation deals with things. They aren't hating on Nimue and what she stands for. They are hating on me, and my incompetence."
"...That's a bit harsh, don't you think?"
"Is it, really? Why do you even think Nimue jumped on the opportunity to contact you, and recruit you?" Quarry gave her sentence a small pause, her face glued to the ground where the mirror was shattered. "...That's because you're everything I'm not. You figured the monster out. You realized, in the heat of the moment, the mistakes it had made. You think of a plan, you strategize. You're sensible when you need to be, and not when you can't be. ...I'm never going to fill that role. That's why you were sought after as soon as an opportunity appeared."
"Is that why you were worried that Nimue had sent me, earlier?"
Sunset's question caught the Golem by surprise, but she just chuckled and nodded, without any signs of aggressiveness from her.
"Yeah. I feel like... Like I've disappointed Nimue way too many times already. She doesn't send me to deal with sensitive tasks at all anymore. I'm always the last resort - someone that doesn't know how to deal and solve problems outside of just... beating it down. So I was determined to have this problem solved, no matter how long it took! I was in that place for days, trying my best to think of how I could do it! Where to start from, what I should look for!"
"...Turns out I was lying to myself. I'm never going to be able to be the strength Nimue needs. All this... weight, this strength of mine...? It's worthless if it's without direction. It's just a bunch of loud noise. It may hurt and annoy people, but it doesn't solve anything."
"You saved my life." The Equestrian interjected.
Quarry stopped talking. Sunset Shimmer's friends very slowly approached them, making the golem feel slightly uncomfortable at their presence, but she didn't say anything.
"You see. ...The Paranoia was kind of right about me, too. I really hate myself. I can't stand how come I can wake up every day, knowing that I did what I've done. I used to have such a happy, good life. My mentor was caring and loving, the environment in which I grew in was my life and my soul. As I learned from her, I believed I was destined for greatness, and I wanted so much more! I started to dabble in knowledge I should not know of, things I didn't understand. I thought my mentor was keeping them away from me because she thought I wasn't good enough! ...Turns out she was just trying to protect me, and make me happy."
"I... I threw it all away. I ignored her pleas, I shunned her friendship and I cast away everything she had taught me because I was stupid enough to believe I knew better. I was caught dabbling in more of the forbidden knowledge she had explicitly told me never to anymore, and I lost my cool. I threw it all on her face, told her how much of a failure of a teacher she was! ...how nopony would ever dare give me what I deserved, because they thought I couldn't handle it. I openly said I hated her, and I..."
"...I'm never going to forget the face she made when I did that. To this day, when I close my eyes, I can picture with precision the look on her eyes as she told the guards I wasn't welcome in her presence anymore. I still have nightmares about it. She looked so sad, so broken. It was like I had just ripped apart a piece of her soul and burned it because it was funny. I was furious at her - how dare she even think a couple of guards would keep me from achieving greatness? I was her pupil once, they were never going to keep me from getting what I wanted. So I knocked them out... got my most prized possessions with me and left."
Sunset's eyes were absolutely filled with tears as she kept talking. No one interrupted her as they heard her unleash the bottled up thoughts that were gathered inside her chest.
"That was so stupid of me! So very, very stupid of me! How can I even be bothered to look at a mirror and think everything is gonna be okay in the end? I hate the decisions I made with such fervor it borders self-hatred. When the Paranoia pointed all of that to me, I crumbled and lost all sense of direction. ...The hardest thing to do in your life is to look back at what you hate about yourself the most, and come to accept that as something that's a part of who you are."
"So, in a way, the Paranoia was right. ...But it was also wrong. You rose above your calling when you came to my aid. You saved my life! I was done back there until you showed up and rescued me from myself. Thanks to you, I managed to get my cool back and rescue my friends. ...The ones I would move worlds for. In that sense, the monster was wrong about me."
Sunset Shimmer looked back at the girls, who were all smiling happily at her, tears in their eyes just as well as in hers.
"I don't hate my life here. I am not lying about how I enjoy myself here. You girls are my world, the ones that give me the strength to keep going when I would have otherwise lost all the will to keep going. You've given me that chance."
"It's not really in our power to forget and bury our past," her friends pointed, putting their hands around Sunset's shoulder with warmth as everyone gathered together and took part in a fuzzy, cotton-candy smelling group hug. "But to use our past as a stepping stone, to help us reach towards a better future."
The Golem didn't have any words. She simply nodded and accepted their hug, the comfort that came with it and the powerful smell of sweets that invaded her nostrils like an angry army.
Sunset Shimmer found solace in knowing that taking her time to reflect upon herself was definitely a necessity... and she found comfort is knowing she wouldn't have to do it alone.
Pinkie Pie's invitation for a slumber party at her house came as a blessing to finally put Sunset's mind at ease. At least for now, she didn't want to sleep alone.
She didn't want to see her face that night. And if she did, she wanted her friends around to keep her sane. She definitely could count on them for that.