//------------------------------//
// Inside of Every Sunset There's a Demon (Hazbin Hotel — Pre-Pilot) 
// Story: Sunset's Isekai 
// by Wanderer D 
//------------------------------//


Sunset's Isekai
Inside of Every Sunset There's a Demon (Hazbin Hotel — Pre-Pilot)
By Wanderer D







"I'm going out for a walk."

"Hon, do you want me to—"

"No… no. I'll be okay. I just… need some space. Dad wasn't too kind on the phone… he thinks I'm crazy. Keep an eye on Razzle and Dazzle?"

"Oh… well, I think we could—"

"Please Vaggie?" 

"Sure. Okay. Just… call me if you need anything?"

"Promise."

Charlie tried not to think too hard about Vaggie's dissapointed look as she walked out of the newly minted 'Happy Hotel', but she had too much on her mind and needed a change of scenery. Especially with how much hope she had for the place. They had been at it for over a month now, and only gotten a single tenant willing to give things a try and well, if she was honest with herself, Angel Dust wasn't necessarily trying too hard. 'Still… everything starts with a first step, right? And he IS trying.' She sighed. With the Annual Extermination coming up in a couple of weeks, she couldn't help but feel… despondent. 'Is it really the fate of all demons to have no future? Nothing nice to look forward to? Do none of them even care? Why did mom let me do this if it was doomed to fail?'

She tried to ignore the violence and atrocities happening around her. She realized long ago this was how things were… 'but are they supposed to stay this way?' she thought bitterly. 'Isn't there some sort of way to change? To stop hurting each other?'

It was then that she heard a familiar voice and she groaned, glancing up and studying the street. Yep. There she was. Helsa—that bitch—was talking to her cronies as they walked in her direction, but it seemed she hadn't been spotted yet. 

Looking around quickly, she dove into a nearby alley, hiding behind a large container as the group walked past her. Letting out a deep, long, exasperated sigh, she sagged in place. One would think she and Helsa would be friends… could be friends, having known each other since childhood, but Helsa refused to see the world in the light that Charlie herself wanted to believe it was possible.

'But really, who am I kidding? Dad was right… I should just give up on the idea of redemption, take my place where I belong… but…' she glanced around at the sorry state of the place. 'I can't believe this is it. There must be—'

"—another way!" a new, unknown voice said, making her flinch and look curiously towards the source of the voice, deeper in the alley. Slowly, she inched her way towards the end of it, where it opened into an almost circular cul de sac naturally made between the backs of several buildings, where two female demons stood in front of a wooden door with a flaming sun decoration in it.

The taller of the two demons—a serpentine, familiar-looking feathered creature fully two heads taller than Charlie herself, sporting three horns, deep blue eyes, scales and feathers that glittered almost like silver, with the feathers having light blue diamond decorations, and a long, long stylish tail—shook her head and crossed her arms across her breasts. "Sunset dear, you can't really have that much of a problem. You've done this before a hundred times over."

"Yes, well, those other hundred times were not here and looking like this, Rarity." The slightly shorter demon growled, looking down at her arms and claws. "You should know how I feel about being a demon." Charlie took a moment to study her. She was pretty. Not in the sophisticated-beautiful that the other demon—Rarity—was, but in a more… real way that reminded her more of Vaggie or (she-hoped) herself. Sunset had crimson skin and long claws that ended in razor-sharp tips without them being too out of proportion. Her wings were batlike and slightly taller than herself, with little talons on the tips. Her fiery hair waved gently, as if trapped between being made of fire and normal, red and gold hair. She had long, elven ears poking from under it. Her face was human like, but the sclera of her eyes was black, with the irises a striking larimar-blue. The oddest thing was the horse-like tail of golden-red hair, but it just gave her a more exotic air.

'But what does she hate about being a demon?' Charlie thought, frowning as she studied the pair. She had a nagging feeling that she should recognize the serpentine Rarity. She had seen her before, she was sure. But where?

"You know well enough this will not affect who you really are, darling," the taller of the two demons responded, lifting Sunset's chin up with a delicate finger so they could look each other in the eye. "You should know that better than anyone."

Sunset wrapped her bat-like wings around herself, clearly uncomfortable with the direction of the discussion. "I-I know, Rarity. But remember when I became a Saiyan?"

Somehow the already white scales on Rarity became whiter. "If I recall correctly, you managed to rein that in."

"Yes. I just had to die three times and be resurrected because, apparently, being a Saiyan, the words 'I'd rather avoid violence' suddenly disappear from your intrinsic understanding of how the universe works."

Rarity looked slightly sick. "Yes. I do recall that."

"For a whole year, I insisted Kale call me 'big sister'."

"In any case, darling, that was one time—"

"When I became a cat, I ate mice."

Rarity glared at her, but Sunset simply shrugged. "It's true."

Charlie's eyes went wide. 'Is she some sort of transforming demon?' she thought.

Sunset sighed. "Look, I'm just not comfortable with the implications of being a demon again alright? It brings back too many bad memories of my youth."

"Nonsense!" Rarity responded. "Why, your demonic new body is much less… barbaric than it was before. It's almost like you've been working out in all the right areas! A clear reflection of improvement as any I've ever seen! Just look at yourself; you look refined and powerful, completely in control. And look! You're no longer wearing those awful boots. If that's not clear improvement, then I don't know what is."

That earned her a chuckle from the other demon. "Sorry, it's—" Sunset looked down and Rarity sighed, reaching out to pat her friend's shoulder.

"Don't worry, darling. I have much to do in the city… why don't you wait for me at the bar? If you change your mind, you can always call me, and I'll be happy to come pick you up."

Sunset sagged in place, looking both guilty and relieved. "Are you sure?"

"Of course I am, darling. You know how to find me if you need me!" Not wasting another second, Rarity coiled into herself and disappeared in a shower of blue sparkles, leaving Sunset alone next to the mysterious door.

The demon sighed and leaned her head on the door. "What am I doing here?" she whispered just loud enough for Charlie to hear her. "I should have just dropped her off and picked her up later." She sighed again and pushed herself away from the door, then turned to face the alley. "Anyway, are you going to come out now?"

Charlie's eyes went wide and she gulped, straightening up, trying to remain stoic and unimpressed, as her dad insisted she should present herself. Instead, her left hand immediately went to rub her right arm nervously as she stepped out from the shadows. "Um. Hi. I'm sorry… I didn't intend to listen in on your conversation."

Sunset shook her head. "Right. Look, I'm not in the mood to deal with stuff right now, so if you don't mind, I'm getting the hell out of here." She paused, blinked and smacked her face with her palm. "Of course I'd unintentionally say something like that."

Before Charlie could say anything, Sunset opened the door next to her and closed it behind her. Charlie was about to shrug it off and walk away, but hesitated. Something in Sunset's voice made her want to stay. It had a tinge of sadness to it… a hint of honesty that she had seldom encountered in Hell.

She glanced back to the alley, where she could just walk out of and head back to her hotel. But… wasn't the point of her hotel to help demons? There was no malice from Sunset, of that she was sure. She was hurting. Angry… but not at others, like everyone else here.

Charlie turned around again, just noticing the little blackboard next to the door. "This is a bar?" she whispered, glancing at the door. "And they sell frappuccinos?" 





Sunset dragged herself across the hallway, her wings almost brushing the sides. Under different circumstances, this look would be cool. But right now, she couldn't really bring herself to see it in a positive light. "Maybe I can just take a nap, and when I wake up, I'll be back to normal," she mumbled as she went around the bar, vaguely noticing that she was much taller as a demon.

Just as she was about to open the door to the backrooms, the door to the bar opened, and the silvery chime announcing a new guest echoed in the room like the knell of inevitability. Sunset started to panic, looking down at herself, still in her demon form. 'Did the bar move somewhere else? Why am I still a demon?!' 

Before she could do anything, her guest stepped into the room, and she blinked. It was the demon from earlier. A tall, rather inoffensive-looking female demon, wearing a pink tuxedo, with black trousers, and a black bow tie. She had long, peach-highlighted blonde hair that curled up at the ends, very similar to what Sunset's own hair looked like when she was human. Her lips were pitch black, and she had red cheeks similar to a harlequin. Her eyes were black, with the sclera seeming to glow with an inner light.

Sunset stood still for a moment while the demon girl looked around the bar in complete fascination, studying the posters, guitars, framed coins and even the pictures before she turned around to face Sunset with the widest, most excited eyes she had ever seen on a demon.

"Oh. My. Gosh. This place… is amazing!"

The words snapped her back to reality. "Oh. Uh, thanks?" she shook her head, glancing at the demon warily. "So, no offense, but what are you doing here?"

The demon girl smirked. "Well, I saw you sold frappuccinos!"

Sunset blinked. "You saw the sign?"

"Yes!" the demon shouted excitedly, sliding up to the bar and taking a seat. She rested her elbows on the bar's surface and curled her fingers under her chin, smiling at Sunset. "And I would love a frappuccino. I was having an awful day and I could really use one to chill, you know?"

Sunset dragged her palm down her face, careful to not cut herself with her claws. 'Well, if she's in here she can't be that bad…' 

"Ah. Well, okay then." Sunset cleared her throat. "Welcome to Sunset's Isekai, my little bar outside of time, space, and the multiverse. I'm Sunset Shimmer."

"And I'm Charlie!" the demon said, taking Sunset's claw in her hand, shaking it. "I saw the pictures! How do you know so many humans? Do you have a special permit? And what's with the ducks? And the horses! And the other demons? I've never seen anything like them!"

"Well, you see…"

"Oh, and you must have many other drinks!"

"Here." Sunset passed the menu to Charlie, who eagerly grabbed it and looked through the options. 

"Oooh! Ice cream! But no, I just… okay, maybe…"

Sunset couldn't help but chuckle. "I have to admit, you're not the kind of demon I thought I'd meet here."

That deflated the tall girl a little. "Oh. Yeah, I get that a lot." She sighed, rolling her eyes and waving her hand. "'You're not much of a demon, Charlie.' 'You should just do as demons do, Charlie.' 'Why do you care, Charlie.' 'You're a total failure, Charlie.'" She sank behind the menu. "No need to rub it in."

'Well, that's certainly unexpected.' Sunset thought, grimacing. "Hey, don't worry," she said reaching out to give Charlie's forearm a gentle squeeze. "I meant it in a good way."

Charlie looked up from the menu, studying Sunset's face as if expecting some sort of deception, which made sense, them being demons, after all. She snorted and looked away. "Figures a demon that hates demons would say that," she muttered, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Feeling slightly guilty, Sunset sighed. "Hey, chin up. Let me get you that frappuccino, alright?"

Leaving the despondent teen demon on the bar, Sunset headed over to her fridge to get out the cold-brew coffee and other ingredients she'd need. 'Ugh. I hate feeling guilty,' she thought while she mixed the ingredients. Granted, she still resented the fact that she was currently a demon, but she hadn't expected somedemon to hear her ranting about it and feel hurt by it. It was weird because it made sense and yet, it didn't make sense. Demons weren't supposed to care about things like that, but Charlie had clearly been hurt by her comments.

Once the drink was mixed together and topped with a healthy—or unhealthy—amount of whipped cream, Sunset went over to Charlie and set the chilled drink in front of her, slipping in a red and white straw.

She watched as her guest pushed herself up and took the drink, slurping it. Slowly, the smile returned to Charlie's face, even if it wasn't as exuberant as earlier. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," Sunset said, leaning on the counter. "I'm sorry that what I said earlier hurt you."

Charlie chuckled. "I should know better, right? I just… I want all demons to be happy. To be more than what we are." She propped her elbow on the bar and rested her cheek on her hand, using the other to stir her frappuccino. "I just find it kinda sad that the only other demon besides Vaggie to show some empathy happens to hate demons."

Sunset bit her lip. "I… don't hate demons."

Charlie sighed. "You know I heard you."

"I know, but it's… different," Sunset said. "I I don't hate demons, I hate me being one. I stopped being a demon a while ago after becoming one and set on the path to redemption," she explained, getting Charlie's attention.

"Wait, redemption?" the teen demon asked, looking up at Sunset with wide eyes. "You were redeemed?"

Nodding, Sunset continued, "It's not an easy road and… well, who can tell how far I've really come?" She chuckled. "My crimes were relatively inofensive, but mostly because I got lucky. I could have caused a lot of damage. I—" she took a deep breath "—I could have made people hate themselves to the point of doing something… regrettable." She smiled morosely. "Instead, after I got turned back into a human, I did what I could to earn their forgiveness and more importantly made an effort to try and fix what damage I had done, sometimes inadvertently by being too nice and not noticing people needed attention besides a kind word or two." She shrugged. "In the end I got everyone to sign my graduation yearbook, and it felt like I had at least compensated for what I had done. Redemption… well. We'll see."

Charlie gave her a considering look. "My dad says that demons can't be redeemed."

Sunset arched an eyebrow. "I don't think your dad has met me."

"Yeah, well… it still seems impossible." Charlie sank back down. "Especially if the point is helping them be happy. You hate being a demon, right?"

Sunset grimaced. "Look, it's a bit tricky… it's not that I don't think it's cool being a demon… it's just… for me… it brings things out that I don't want."

Charlie slurped some coffee and looked up at Sunset. "Such as?"

Sunset crossed her arms, feeling uncomfortable. "I–when I change…" She trailed off, shaking her head. With a wave of her hand she brought the graduation picture from the wall and showed it to Charlie. "This is what I normally look like."

"Ooh. That's definitely a lot less..." Charlie motioned with her hands at all of Sunset.

"Right?" Sunset said, chuckling. "But it's not my demon form that bothers me… it's that when I transform through the Isekai while visiting other worlds, I don't just look like a demon. I am a demon."

Charlie crossed her arms. "I don't see the problem."

"Okay, so… I was telling Rarity earlier." Sunset levitated another picture and showed it to Charlie. "See, in this picture we're cats. But I don't just look like one, I am one. I am 100% feline from that world. So sure, I can stand on my hind legs and wobble about. I can meow like a pro. And I also ate mice because they looked delicious and I could play with them!"

Charlie pursed her lips. "So what's so bad about that?"

"Well, I went to this other world where I got turned into one of the local alien species, and I… well, I became pretty violent. And I had a very powerful body to boot. When I got back to normal, those urges left along with the powerup."

"Oh…" Charlie's eyes widened. "I see. So your issue is not with looking like a demon, but with being one."

"Exactly."

"So, how is that supposed to make me feel better about being a demon myself?"

Sunset smacked her forehead. 'Crap. I forgot about that.' "Look, it's just… when I become a demon I feel my nature shifting back to what I was back then. Angry. Selfish. Powerful in a bad way… it brings out a lot of things that I tell myself are okay, but in this light just makes me feel hypocritical."

"Like what?"

Sunset shrugged. "Like… I don't know. My non-interference agreement. When the Isekai became mine, I signed a contract that bound me to this place. One of the provisions was that I can't involve myself directly with any universe I visit on a large scale. I can talk to people, help them sort their problems but… if a whole world needs to be evacuated, I can't. I can help G'kar to become a better person with some advice and friendship, but I can't just drop him off in Narn when he's needed. I can take Purity back in time to meet her sister, but I can't stop her from dying. I can even have AJ talk to her parent's counterparts in a different universe, but I can't make sure they will live to see their own AJ grow up."

Charlie hummed. "So… if being a demon makes you wonder if all of that is just an excuse. What was the hardest part for you to get redeemed first?"

Glancing at the graduation picture, Sunset sagged. "I think… even knowing that I was not the same person and that I truly regretted what I had done… it was learning to forgive myself for the things I had wilfully done to others."

"But you care, right?" Charlie said. "Like, most demons I know don't care at all. They don't want to be nicer, or better, or have a chance to become something else." She grinned. "And you're in a world where you became a demon, just like me… in all senses of the word, and yet you still regret the bad things you did, or when you can't help people as much as you would like. And you were already redeemed as far as anyone knows."

The pair stared at each other for a moment.

Charlie was the first to speak. "Oh my gosh."

"Oh, wow."

"Do you realize what this means?" Charlie whispered, barely containing her energy. "Demons can be redeemed!" 

Sunset shook her head. 'But isn't it against the very nature of a demon to care about others?' She looked at Charlie. "So… why exactly does this matter to you?"

"Don't you see?" the teen demon said, her smile growing as she took Sunset's hands in her own. "That means that caring doesn't make me a failure! That trying to help others is something a demon can actually do! Our nature is not infallible!"

She stood up, hands flat on the bar. "You said the bar turned you through and through into the kind of species of the world you visited right? Then that means that being selfish, and only caring about what benefits you alone is a choice! Then that means that my hotel can work!"

Sunset blinked. "Okay, now I'm confused, what hotel?"

"The Happy Hotel!" Charlie said. "When I told mom I wanted to help other demons be happy, she suggested I find a place where demons interested in becoming better could gather. So I got a hotel!"

"Huh, like some sort of rehab center."

"My dad hates the idea.. but Vaggie and Razzle and Dazzle have been a really big help and we even just got one guest already!" Charlie leaned in, almost invading Sunset's personal space. "And he's famous!"

Sunset smirked. "You know. Before talking to you I would have thought it wasn't a great idea… but I think you have a talent for it."

"Yes!" Charlie was practically jumping in place with excitement. "This. Is. Amazing!" She sighed and sat down again, her grin not wavering at all. "This is the confidence boost I needed. With mom's singing career keeping her busy, I was starting to feel like Vaggie and the others were just trying to humor me… but now…" She gasped. "Oh! Oh yeah! I'll go ahead and schedule that interview with Katie Killjoy."

"That's uh, an unfortunate name."

"Who cares?" Charlie laughed draining half her glass in one long pull. "You have no idea how difficult it is to keep believing when everyone around you says you're just wasting time on a pipe dream."

Sunset chuckled. "I… have an idea of what that's like." She nodded. "It is very hard. It's one of the reasons I got like I did about becoming a demon again. It reminded me how easily people forget the good you've done and chose to look at the bad. About how I felt when everyone gave up on me. How betrayed… and how deserving of their hatred it was."

This time it was Charlie who reached across to grasp Sunset's arm with a gentle squeeze. "Hey. Didn't we discover that redemption was real?"

Sunset laughed, shaking her head and swallowed the knot in her throat. "Yeah. We did. It's been a long time since that happened. At least for me, but when I see my friends they are just as young as I left them, you know? A few years might pass before I see them again, and to them it's only been a week."

Charlie winced. "That sounds rough."

"It is." Sunset sighed, scooping up Charlie's glass and refilling it. She didn't glance over her shoulder at the other demon. "I wouldn't trade anything for my bar, for what I have… but it's really hard sometimes—when time inevitably passes—to know that those weeks will be years eventually. And one day… I might not be able to see them again. I'll see people with their faces, their smiles and voices… but it will be others, not… not my own."

She gave Charlie the new frappuccino, but the other demon looked away. "I'm sorry. Me worrying about redeeming sinners must be something pretty unimportant."

"No."

"What?" Charlie looked up. "But you have other problems an—"

"It's all good," Sunset interrupted. "I'm not lonely, just… nostalgic I guess. Even though I have a family of my own now—with Lena, Rarity, Danni and even our pet symbiote spider—and even with every new friend I make in the multiverse... I miss my friends." She held Charlie's eyes with her own. "But I have friends because someone took the time to see past my sins and helped me become a better person." She smiled, taking Charlie's hands in her claws. "What you're doing is invaluable. It's important… much more than you imagine. I wouldn't be here if someone like you hadn't stepped into my life unexpectedly. Now, you can be that for many many others. You're a good demon, Charlie… and I'm sure there are a whole lot of other good ones out there. Like your friend Vaggie. Or your friends Razzle and Dazzle. Even that first guest of yours..."

"Angel Dust."

"Yes. Angel—wait, the porn star?"





"No. Nononono. A ver, cabron. I said, to move the minibar here, next to the plug, so we can plug it and make sure that whatever we put inside, actually stays cold."

Angel Dust shrugged and started walking away. "Eh. I did my good deed for the day."

"Pero—the only thing you did was move that from one side of the room to another!"

"Whatever you say, toots, but I ain't gonna move anything more today. I have to work on my legs."

Just as Vaggie was about to retort, the door to the hotel opened, and Charlie walked back in. Immediately forgetting about Angel Dust, she rushed over to hug her. "Hon, are you okay? Did the walk help?"

She vaguely noticed that Angel Dust had glanced back curiously. Even if he felt any concern for Charlie, she didn't expect him to go beyond listening in.

"Yes!" Charlie said, surprising her. When she had left earlier, she had been in a very foul mood indeed. 

"Entonces… were you able to talk to your mom?"

Charlie shook her head. "No… but it's okay. I met a new friend and she talked to me about this whole thing."

Vaggie grimaced. "And this friend…"

"Sunset!"

"Yes… where is she?"

"She's gone for now…" Charlie said, then flashed a silver card in front of Vaggie's face. "But we can stop at her bar one day!"

"Well, I'm glad you had a drink an—"

"It's better than that!" Charlie took Vaggie's hands in her own, making her feel warm and tingly. "Vaggie… we can definitely do it."

'Mind out of the gutter!' "W-Do what?"

"This!" Charlie said letting go of her hands and spinning in place, blonde hair flying around her almost like a halo. "The hotel! It can work!"

Whatever this Sunset had given Charlie to drink, it seemed to have done the trick. "So… we're not quitting."

"We are not!" Charlie said with a definitive nod. "And I have a plan. I'm going to call Channel 666 every day until they give me an interview! And then we'll have every demon in hell know we're here for them!"

She turned and hugged Vaggie. "And it's super important that you help me plan it. Can you?"

Vaggie smiled, sinking into the hug. "Of course, hon. Anytime."


End Chapter