//------------------------------//
// Unmasked 
// Story: My Little Pony Equestria Girls 4: Sunset Shimmer Returns 
// by Hopeful Soul 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 10


After fleeing from Sunset’s now deranged counterpart the girls quickly found a large and hollow cave to take shelter in. While the others started a fire for them to get warm around, Applejack moved a large boulder that happened to be inside over the entrance so that it would seal up the cave and they would be safe from the evil Sunset Shimmer.
“Ok. That should do it. We should all be safe for now.” The farm pony said, as she sat down by the fire along with the others.
“Yeah, until Sunset Shimmer’s evil twin finds us.” Rainbow Dash said, bitterly.
“How long do you think that will be?” Fluttershy whimpered.
“Knowing the old me… not long.” Sunset Shimmer said, depressed.
“So what do we do now?” Pinkie Pie asked, worried.
“I don’t know…” Applejack sighed. “I really don’t know ya’ll…”
“There’s gotta be some way of beating her! We can’t just let her have her way with Twilight!” Rainbow said. She turned to the other Sunset. “Sunset Shimmer, you were evil once, what could she be thinking about right now?”
“Oh… what the point?” Sunset sighed, depressed. They all looked at her surprised.
“Huh? What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, confused.
“We can’t beat her… she’s too powerful, too crazy.” Sunset despaired. “Even with our comic book super powers we got totally stomped and we still couldn’t find or save Twilight… Let’s face it… we can’t beat her… I should know… she’s pretty much a part of me after all…”
“Not anymore.” Applejack told her, firmly. 
“But she was… and she’s only like that because of what I did to her…” Sunset Shimmer stated. “No wonder she hates me…”
“Aw, but that happened a time ago, you’ve totally changed!” Pinkie Pie stated.
“I tried to show her that… but I failed…” Sunset sighed, sadly.
“Then try again!” Rainbow said.
“Yeah, if at first you don’t succeed…” Pinkie Pie began.
“Try, try again…” Sunset finished. “Yeah, I know but…”
“But nothing!” Pinkie stated. “You can do it! I know you can!”
“We all do.” Fluttershy added.
“Really?” Sunset asked, surprised.
“Of course!” Rainbow Dash said, smiling.
“Look, I know you hate all the bad stuff the old you did but… you know… if it wasn’t for the old you, you would never have met Twilight and become a better person.” Applejack told her. “So really, you owe the old you that one. The past may hurt sugarcube, but we gotta accept that those things happened and let them become part of who we are. Be honest with yourself; you may have made mistakes but your life still turned out pretty good, didn’t it?”
Sunset Shimmer gazed upon the smiling face of the new friends she had made and smiled back. “Yeah… it did turn out good,” she admitted. 
“So…?” Pinkie Pie said, expectedly.
“So… what?” Sunset asked, confused.
“So are you gonna be honest with yourself or what?” Pinkie inquired.
“Honest with myself?” Sunset echoed, confused.
“She’s right, you kept saying that the evil you wasn’t apart of you anymore, but you didn’t really believe that, did you?” Applejack questioned. Sunset gulped, it was a piercing question but she sighed and knew deep down she was right.
“Your right… I didn’t… and I do need to be honest with myself…” Sunset Shimmer realized, smiling
“Exactly.” The farm pony nodded, looking proud.
“I know the cruel things I’ve done in the past won’t ever leave me but I’ve gotta move on with my life…” Sunset sighed. “I promise to concentrate on the good things that happened in my past and not the evil.”
“Do you Pinkie promise?” Pinkie asked, while doing the motions everypony knew by heart.
Sunset smiled. “I Pinkie Promise.”
“Great! Then your all set!” Pinkie Pie declared, proudly.
“Yeah. And right now I need to set things right again.” Sunset stated.
“And how do you plan on doing that?” Rainbow questioned.
“By finding the other me.” The unicorn replied, firmly.
“Don’t you remember? She’ll probably find us instead!” Rainbow reminded her.
“Right. And when she does… one more attack, her or us, all or nothing.” Sunset Shimmer said, determined. She looked at them. “Are you in?”
They all paused for a second before they all gained determined looks as well, Pinkie nodded.
“Then let’s get to work.” Sunset Shimmer declared.
After she said this, the very large stone that was blocking the way plucked away by Dark Sunset Shimmer, who was on the other side and aimed a contemptuous little sneer their way
“I’ve found you!!” Black Sunset sang. Pinkie and Fluttershy screamed, fearfully.
“Now!” Good Sunset cried as they began charging toward her.
“I’ve endured your existence long enough.” Black Sunset Shimmer said.
All six heroes move toward the twisted human girl only to be stopped in their tracks by an eye blast. The ponies soon found themselves trapped within a sphere of its crackling energy, and they all yelled and groaned in pain. They are now floating right in front of Black Sunset, who lifted a palm underneath the captives as if preparing to deliver the king daddy of volleyball serves, which she then did. The impact created a small explosion and all six of them were soon lying on the ground, barely awake and groaning.
“Looks like your face to face with defeat me, so it’s only fitting that you should come face to face with me!” Black Sunset declared as she removed the rest of the mask that was still on her face. And as soon as she did they all gasped in shock and horror, Fluttershy hide behind the others shaking like a leaf while Pinkie tried hard to hold down her lunch.
Black Sunset cackled at their reactions to her face, while one side of it was normal the other was red, twisted, black sclera, had jagged teeth and a pointed ear.
“Your… your face…” Good Sunset gasped.
“Neat huh? While I was wandering through the space between dimensions I experienced this interesting transformation.” Bad Sunset smiled, evilly. “I can still feel it trying to take over my body… it’s a thrill.”
“Ugh… how hideous…” Rarity shivered.
“I knew this whole thing would turn ugly but I didn’t mean that ugly!” Rainbow remarked, disgusted.
“No kidding!” Pinkie Pie agreed. Fluttershy nodded, shaking.
“What is she…?” Applejack questioned.
The good version of Sunset Shimmer stared into the face of her warped counterpart and began to see images of the demonic, winged monster she turned into during the formal.
“She’s… she’s turned into the same monster form I took on before…” Sunset Shimmer remarked, stunned and somewhat horrified.
“Yeah, only bigger, uglier and scarier…” Rainbow added, she then turned to the Good Sunset. “Uh, no offence.”
“No, I’m with you.” Sunset Shimmer assured her.
“If you think that’s bad, check out this trick!” The Dark Sunset said, before she quickly took out a black crystal.
“Is that…” Sunset began.
“Yep, the Black Crystal, the same one that got me out of that nightmarish limbo.” Black Sunset smirked, evilly. “Time to see what else it can do!”
The crystal glowed in her hand then she flew up, curled up into a ball and then extended her limbs and once she did, black and white rings appeared respectively around the her waist and moved in opposite directions of each other while transitioning her into the exact same demon form Sunset Shimmer took on during the Fall Formal, with the red parts on her hair, flock and tail becoming black. Sunset couldn’t believe her eyes, it was like a blast from the past for her, only worse.
“No way!” Sunset gasped.
“Surprised?” Her other self smirked, evilly.
“How did you…” The good Sunset began.
“That’s for me to know and for you to find out… in afterlife.” Black Sunset Shimmer hissed.
“Just what are you, anyway?” Good Sunset Shimmer questioned, appalled.
Her revenge minded twin just smirked again. “I’m you. Only a little more bizarre.”
“Your nothing like me, not anymore anyway.” Sunset stated, firmly. “I’m not that monster anymore! I’ve paid for my mistakes, I know and so do all my friends! I’m a different person now and you can’t change that!”
“I can try!” Dark Sunset snarled as she fired a fireball at her but Sunset blocked it with a shield, which shocked her.
“And you will fail.” Sunset countered.
Sunset charged up a large amount of magic and then when she was at max power she fired a massive magical beam right at her horrid other self, which sent her flying all the way back to the tower. She hit it with a loud ‘crash’.
“Alright! You got her!” Pinkie cheered.
“Let’s find out.” Good Sunset said, seriously. She didn’t seem convinced that it was over and quickly used a spell to teleport them all to the Tower. They all looked up and saw Monster Sunset imbedded in the wall of the tower. She soon removed herself from it and floated above them.
“You’re wasting your time dweeb, once I destroy you and seize the Elements for myself I’ll finally have enough power to begin my true plan!” Black Sunset Shimmer boasted.
“What are you planning to do?” Good Sunset demanded.
“I’m gonna finish what the rest of the lowlifes in this world started! First, I’m gonna plunge this world into darkness and make it a chaotic nightmare! I’ll drain every ounce of love and magic from these ponies and replace it with hate!” Black Sunset Shimmer declared. “A perfect world that I alone will control! Then after I’ve gotten everyone to adore me and I’ve had my fun I’ll let the Everfree Forest overrun this world and use all these ponies to invade my world. I just need to power of the Elements to do so, or the power of a certain Princess. That’s what I was going to do before you showed up, but I’ll get back to her soon enough!”
“That’s not gonna happen!” Good Sunset Shimmer stated, firmly.
“Then try and stop me… me.” Black Sunset Shimmer challenged.
“Ugh, my head’s starting to hurt…” Applejack said, groaning.
“Yes… no wonder Twilight rarely brings us along when she goes to the other world, having two us’ can be most confusing…” Rarity expressed, exhausted.
“I’ll say…” Fluttershy agreed, nodding.
Black Sunset growled, held out her hands and began to launch a volley of dark magical blasts down towards them. Most of them scrambled to get out of the way as they headed in the direction of the Dark Tower while Sunset made several quick maneuvers as she headed straight for her other self. The other Sunset lifted boulders and rocks but Good Sunset jumped and used them as stepping stones before they could be thrown and then leapt over and grabbed her other self’s arm, that was holding the Black Crystal, with her forelegs. 
“Hey! What are your doing!?” Demon Sunset exclaimed.
“If that crystal your holding allowed you to stay human here, let’s see what it does for me!” Pony Sunset declared as the Black Crystal glowed again and zapped Sunset with a burst of energy that made her cry out and let go, causing her to fall.
“Sunset Shimmer!” Everypony cried.
“Ha!” Her evil counterpart said, pleased.
Then Sunset woke up, curled up into a ball and spun as she fell. Then her body glowed with a bright light and once it faded she was back in her anthro form, minus the jacket anyway. Their jaws all dropped.
“Sunset… your…” Applejack began before the aforementioned teenaged girl landed on the ground in a crouched position before standing up and sighing.
“Ah, it kinda feels good to back on two legs again.” Sunset remarked, pleased as held up and wiggled one foot.
“Not that it’ll do you any good!” Black Sunset scoffed. “Using my face? What a joke! Your weak and you know it!”
“That’s where you’re wrong!” Good Sunset Shimmer stated.
“What?” Her counterpart questioned.
“You know as well as I do that I am not weak, I’m just as strong as you and you know it!” Sunset told her, firmly.
“Oh please! Let’s face it, you only became strong because of me, because you lived my life! Do you hear me? MY. LIFE!” Black Sunset yelled.
Sunset just smiled a small smile. “For once you're right.”
“Huh?” The she demon floating above her responded.
“I became strong because the dark side of me existed. It’s because of that part of me that I got to where I am now.” Sunset stated. “It’s not perfect but again… nothing truly is.”
Black Sunset growled. “Do you think I care about all that garbage? All I care about is destroying you and getting my life back together!”
“Then you’re going to be disappointed.” Sunset said, calmly as she raised her hand, with glowed with a green aura. Before Black Sunset could even react, Sunset fired a magical bolt from her hand which sent her doppelganger flying back into the side of the tower.
She slowly removed herself from the wall. “Gah! How did you do that?”
“Guess that crystal did more than just make me human again.” Good Sunset Shimmer smirked. “Now where is Princess Twilight?”
“Like I’d tell you, and just so you know…” Black Sunset said as she held up the crystal. “This crystal didn’t really have the power to do this to both of us… until she came along anyway.”
It didn’t take Sunset long to figure out what she meant and it burned her up inside. “Why you lousy head case…” she began to say, very angrily. “You absorbed her magic, didn’t you!?”
“Just a bit, once I’m finished here I’ll drain the rest!” Dark Sunset promised. “Until then… she stays where she is until further notice.”
“Not for long!” Sunset said as she leapt up and punched her other self in the gut with both her fists, knocking the wind out of her and knocking her back before Dark Sunset lifted a fist and knocked her down to the ground by punching her in the back. She weakly raised her head and turned to the others.
“Applejack! You got a rope?” she asked.
“Never home without it!” Applejack said as she took out a rolled up piece of rope, which she had under her hat and tossed it to Sunset.
“Ha! What is this? A hoedown? How pathetic!” Black Sunset scoffed.
“We’ll see about that.” Good Sunset smirked, as she twirled the rope.
She then tossed it and managed to wrap it around Black Sunset’s ankle at which point she twirled her around and around in the air, making them a bit dizzy and Pinkie’s head spin… literally before launching her back at the tower. While part of it cracked upon impact Black Sunset dropped to the ground, at which point Sunset noticed a small opening through the crack. Her eyes widened with realization.
“That’s it!” Sunset realized before she rushed over and started to blast the side of the tower with magic, the others rush over to her.
“Sunset! What are you doing?” Applejack questioned, stressed.
“Yeah, hurry before she wakes up!” Pinkie added.
“I think there’s something behind this! Rarity! Help me with this!” Good Sunset said as she continued to blast the side of the tower with a constant magic blast. Rarity rushed over and used her horn’s magic to help out a bit. Eventually the rock began to crack and when it finally gave in, it crumbled away and revealed a slightly weakened looking Twilight blocked off from them by a couple of bars. She looked happy when she saw all of them and vice versa.
“Twilight!” They all cheered, as they quickly raced over to her.
“Girls! Sunset! Your all here!” Twilight said, relieved.
“You were expecting us to be somewhere else?” Rainbow smirked.
“Can you teleport out?” Rarity inquired.
“No… my magic’s still too weak after… you know…” Twilight said, shamefully.
“Well, stand back, I’ll free you from this cage just give me a second, my magic’s running a bit low…” Sunset Shimmer said as she charged up her horn. Then she fired a small bolt of magic that shattered the stone bars and allowed Twilight to walk out, weakly.
“You ok? Can you walk?” Applejack asked.
Twilight nodded. “Yes… I just… I need a minute to catch my breath…”
“Catch it on the way, we’re getting out of here.” Sunset said, firmly as they began to leave, but before they could Sunset’s other appeared.
“Not so fast!” Black Sunset declared as they all jumped, startled. “I’m tired of living in your shadow! After this there will be only one Sunset Shimmer.”
Good Sunset then stepped forward. “Oh yeah? Well, right now I got no problem with that,” she admitted, shrugging. She then readied herself again. “Let’s go!”
The girls all readied themselves also. “Yeah!” They all said before they and their demonic foe began to zoom towards each other and clash once again.