• Published 21st Jan 2014
  • 11,131 Views, 533 Comments

All That Shimmers - Justice3442



Sunset Shimmer is having a bad night. She turned into a demon, was forcefully turned back, and now has to deal with all the people she's wronged in the past. As luck would have it, it seems her demon self isn't done with her, either.

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Chapter 15: A Savior or a Killer?

All That Shimmers

Chapter 15: A Savior or a Killer?

-ooooooo-

“Aaahh!” I yelp as I stand up straight in my chair and lean back, putting some much needed distance between myself in the mouth full of needle-like teeth that was inches away from my face.

The owner of the teeth cringes slightly and his pointed ears twitch at my high pitched outburst. “Ugh… definitely a female. Watch the sharp tones, lady.” It lifts an arm causing its outfit made of interlocked chains to jingle slightly. Flicking the end of one of its ears, it gives me a sour look and says, “Some of us don’t like the caterwauling of other species in heat.”

Okay… just… what?

I look the thing up and down… mostly down. If I was sanding, the deep red… guy? would only stand a little taller than my waist. Even sitting, it only comes up to the sticky, silver demon control symbol that’s in between my exposed breasts.

…Wait, what?

I feel my face go hot as my relatively young human sense of modesty kicks in and I cover my chest with an arm.

The thing’s eyelids seem to tighten and it gently rolls its whole head. As someone who is completely fluent in all forms of snark, this was clearly the little guy’s equivalent of rolling his eyes. “Oh calm down. You humans are always so concerned about who sees you naked as if anyone else actually cares.” He looks back and gives me a sideways smirk. “Sorry lady, my type isn’t nearly as tall, hairy, or lumpy.

As nice as it is that I’ve met a guy…like thing who won’t stare at my chest, I start scanning my floor for something to cover up with. All the blinds and drapes are closed and I’m only getting some hints of sunlight through the windows. Still, I pick out the crumpled black mass of my leather jacket in the dim light. I walk over, put it, on and zip it up. The short little pointy looking thing gives me a sideways grin full of sharp teeth. He seems to be enjoying my reactions much more than actually seeing me topless.

I give him a longer look. He’s decked in chainmail that covers his chest, arms, and even goes down to his legs. His ren-fair get-up is reinforced by a slightly worn rawhide backpack that looks to be loaded with a few daggers, trinkets, and one miniature sized, but no less painful looking, mace. He’s humanoid in shape with a rather inhuman head and arms that go down past his knees.

It’d been a pretty weird few days, so I skip past ‘What are you?’ and move right onto “What the heck are you doing in my apartment?!”

“I already told you! I came here just to meet you! I know as dumb as you look,”—

Hey!

--“you’re smart enough to almost not botch up a control circle! Don’t tell me you can’t remember a few seconds ago!”

“Wait…” My mind reels as I try to remember last night… In my desperation to rid myself of the demon inside of me could I have…? “… Did I summon you? You’re not like an imp or my familiar or something that has to do whatever I say, are you?”

The little guy gives me a blank stare, quickly retrieves his mace, and then swings it into my frickin’ shin!

‘CRACK!’

“OUCH! MOTHER FU—”

‘THUD!’

I reach for my shin and hit the ground like a sack of potatoes that where just hit in the damn shin! If potatoes or sacks had legs and… you know what? This hurts like a beeotch! Cut me some slack.

Mr. Shin Obliterator leans down slightly and gives me an annoyed look. “Did that answer your question?”

“Pa… painfully!” I answer through clenched teeth. GHAH! Fixer Christ does that hurt! I rub my shin and the pain seems to ebb ever so slightly. I don’t think it’s broken, but I’m going to be walking with a limp for a little bit.

Mr. Manners and Bone Bludgeoner simply waits with an impatient look on his face as I slowly stand back up.

“Was that—” The pain becomes too much and my leg starts to give out. I quickly reach a hand out to grab my desk chair before I hit the floor again.OW… Was that really necessary?”

“How would you act if you just met someone and they asked if you where their new slave?”

I frown slightly. “Violently…”

The creature grins slightly and nods. “Exactly.”

Ugh… Fine…” Maybe I should start with some more basic questions. “Do you have a name?”

It gives me a serious look and pulls out a dagger. Oh please don’t tell that was a bizarre tiny monster faux pas and I’m about to be stabbed…

It begins to answer me. “Yeah, but to properly pronounce it I’d have to cut your tongue in six places,” the thing makes a few quick cutting motions with its knife.

I sigh. “Well, what should I call—”

“Hahaha!” The little guy cuts me off with a nasally laugh. “I’m just messin’ with you lady! The name’s Gaaabooo.”

Ugh… I can already tell this is going to be tons of fun, an obvious psychopath with a twisted sense of humor. Either we’re going to get along swimmingly or one of us is going to be dead before the day is out. Hmmm… Speaking of which, I need to think of plan to off this guy… You know…

…Just in case.

“Don’t even think about it.”

I jump! Ow! My shin! Oh please tell me Gaaabooo can’t read minds! Oh please… oh please…

“Grrr…” Gaaabooo lets out a short, irritated growl as if he’s losing even more patience with me.

Er… You can’t read minds… Can you?”

Gaaabooo chuckles and smirks, showing off some of his pointy teeth. “No, but you were making the ‘I wonder how I can kill this guy’ face.”

I frown. “I… There’s a face for that?”

“Sure! I make it every time I meet someone new!”

“… If you make it, how do you know…? ”

Gaaabooo does his whole-head eye roll again. “I meet a lot of people in ridiculously shining and reflective armor, alright? Do I get to ask any questions?”

“You just d—”

“I will give you a matching bruise on your other leg and maybe just keep swinging if you finish that sentence,” Gaaabooo says in a tone of someone stating a fact rather than someone making a threat.

I clamp my mouth shut. Even if I have a good two feet on this guy, he’s armed and I’m not. Plus he may be able to magic my face off... In this case, probably less a quick, literal face banishing and more the blasty ‘Why’d I try to make out with that belt sander?’ way.

Gaaabooo lets out a thoughtful “Hmmmmmm…” as he scrunches his brow and stares intently at me. IT looks like he’s simultaneously deep in thought and trying to explode my head with telekinesis.

Good God, is that what I look like when I come up with a plan to subtly off someone? No wonder I began to have trouble getting along with people after the first year here.

Gaaabooo’s expression eventually gives way to a demonic grin.

I sigh. “Okay, so how’d you kill me?”

“I’d burn you to death with the righteous fire of war.

“… That’s not very subtle or likely to detract much suspicion from you.”

“Lady, I can travel through dimensions. I don’t know what passes for the local authorities in this backwards place with next-to-no magic, but I doubt the local constabulary would be able to follow me, let along figure out where I went.”

Er… Guess he has a point.

Gaaabooo surveys my desk and the area around it, a few of the books I got are open complete with pictures of demon seals and illustrations of the big nasty’s themselves. “Plus you’re clearly messing with demon magic. They probably figure you just offed yourself in a botched summoning.”

Or figure a dumb highschooler went bonkers and… well… set herself on fire trying to actually do the things in these books… but close enough, I guess.

… This isn’t actually helping me right now.

“Look, Gaaboo, what—”

Gaaabooo gives me a rage filled glare. “It’s Gaaabooo! Get it right or pay the price!”

I hold my hands palm forward in front of me. “Okay… Gaaabooo… Just what do you want?!”

Gaaabooo shrugs. “Fire, destruction… you know… the usual.”

Lovely, I’m playing surprise hostess to a homicidal arsonist. “I meant with me! Why’d you come here just to meet me?!” I seriously hope the answer isn’t ‘Fire, destruction… you know… the usual.’

Gaaabooo gives me a slasher smile. “Because you’re making things interesting here.”

Well… that was cryptic. My forehead tightens. “Exactly how much do you know about me?”

“Well… You’re a lady and obviously a complete amateur at dealing with demons.”

Grrr… He’s not wrong… but ‘grrr’ just the same.

“And you seem to be the epicenter of this world’s latest manaclysms.”

“Manaclysms?”

Gaaabooo’s eyes wander to my nice leather couch and he wanders over, slinging his backpack off and sitting it next to him. “It’s when a world encounters a sudden increase in magical energy. Yours had not one but two big hits in the last several days,” he points at me, “and you were there for both.”

“I see…” As worrisome as it is that Gaaabooo knows all this, it dawns on me that my change with the crown and the ensuing battle is what lured those other demons here… Oh great, don’t tell me I’m now a walking target for these guys!

Gaaabooo smiles wickedly again… In fact, I’m not sure he knows any other way to smile. “I’m not exactly sure of the details, Lady, but you must be really eager to cause some mayhem the way you’re just up and changing to a full-blown demon like that.”

Like that’s what I want to happen!

I narrow my eyes. “I have a name, you know.”

“… Is it Bacon Hair?”

ALL MY HATE! The first and last person to call me ‘Bacon Hair’ had a MeTube video published about them that was so embarrassing, they didn’t show up to school for a week… Somehow I doubt that’ll work on Gaaabooo here. “My name is Sunset Shimmer,” I say through gritted teeth.

Gaaabooo narrows his eyes. “Your name is long and tedious. Hey, do you have any bacon?” Gaaabooo licks his lips. “It’s tasty.”

You know, every time I feel I’ve discovered the zenith of suffering, something just has to come along and prove me wrong. “You can just call me Sunset.”

Hrm… I think I prefer ‘Sunny’ or just ‘Lady’.”

“Ugh… fine…” Just so long as it isn’t ‘Bacon Hair’. “And look…” I unzip my jacket and pull the sides just enough to show the symbol I spent last night trying to get right. “I’m trying to do something about the crazy transformation that turns me into a violent, murder-hungry megalomaniac.”

Gaaabooo stairs intently at me. Uh-oh… I don’t want to set the little guy off again. My shin’s in enough pain as it is! “Uh… No offense…”

Gaaabooo pulls the left side of his lips open into a pick-axe smile. “None taken. Best compliment I’ve gotten in a while.” Gaaabooo gives me a serious look. “Still, you’re going about this all wrong.”

“… Oh?” Maybe the little maniac will be good for something anyways.

Gaaabooo nods and flicks an index finger out in my direction. “First off, you’re missing a curl to the top of the topmost symbol there.”

I look down at my chest and grab my tablet. Turning it on, I can see he’s right. What I have looks like an upside-down cross. What is supposed to be is more like a ‘J’ and cross hybrid that’s been flipped upside down.

I put down my tablet and reach for my glue stick and silver powder to correct my mistake

Gaaabooo continues to speak as I drag the glue stick over my chest, “Second of all, drawing that symbol on your chest is about the stupidest thing you could possibly do.”

I don’t have time to enquire why. Gaaabooo’s words reach me a moment after I sprinkle on more silver dust. The instant they complete the symbol, my world starts spinning as well as my insides. The swirling, nauseating feeling of traveling through the portal between here and Equestria has nothing on this. I immediately break out in a sweat, my head explodes into pain, and the contents of my stomach surge upwards to escape the prison of misery my body has become. Amazingly, I manage to stumble-sprint to my small bathroom moments before seemingly everything that was in my digestive system shoots out my mouth and into the toilet. When it’s all out, I just continue to dry heave as the feeling persists and agony clamps onto my head like the world’s largest vice.

This…

This is torture…

No… this is worse than torture.

I… I’m dying… and the stupid symbol I drew on my chest is…

The symbol!

Through the haze and anguish, I slap my right on hand on my chest and smear the glue and silver. It slides off easily with the extra help of the bucket of sweat that now coats me. The pressure in my head subsides into a dull throb and my insides stop doing somersaults as my internal organs decide they can safely reside in my body after all.

I take a few haggard breaths and grip the side of the toilet with me right arm, pushing myself up with both. I flush and struggle to raise myself up to my feet then stumble across the blue tiled bathroom to a sink with a mirror over it.

My hair is now soaked and clinging to me and there’s a silver smear across my chest. I’m breathing deeply and staring into my reflections’ red, veiny eyes as tears stream from them. In short, I look like hell… in a much less literal sense than what that tends to mean these days.

I turn on the sink then scoop some water into my mouth, gargle, spit, and repeat the process. Next, I scoop more water to actually drink since I feel incredibly dehydrated. I grab my mouthwash that’s on the sink counter then gurgle and spit that. Finally, I shovel even more water to clean out my mouth and drink.

Finished, I stumble back out into the main room, trudging over to my desk chair before collapsing into it.

That. Sucked.

Gaaabooo is still simply sitting on the couch. Surprisingly, rather than smile as if he was enjoying my suffering, he has a sort of intent interest on his face, like he just witnessed the results of a science experiment.

“Wa… Why?!” I exclaim. “Why did that happen?” My tone is getting increasingly desperate. I look down at my chest then back up to Gaaabooo. “That was a protection and control seal for demons!”

Gaaabooo nods. “It sure was!”

“Then why did it make me feel violently ill?! It was supposed to help me with this thing inside me!”

Gaaabooo’s eyes widen. “Thing inside of you? Lady, what the hell are you on about?!”

‘Hell’ is exactly what I’m on about. “The demon that keeps taking control of me!” I exclaim. “That… that’s possessing my body and giving me messed up dreams! I’m trying to get rid of it!”

Gaaabooo’s eyes widen briefly as a look of realization sets on his dark red face. He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “Sunny, you don’t get it.”

My voice hits a fever pitch of panic and frustration. “What?! What is it I don’t get?!”

“You’re not possessed by a demon.” Gaaabooo opens his eyes and it’s as if the bright red orbs are boring a hole straight to the core of me. “You are a demon.”