Repercussions

by shallow15

Mind Games IV

Sunset didn't even dignify her reflection's appearance with a response. Instead, she hurled herself forward, tackling her other self to the ground.

“You killed her!” Sunset screamed. She drew back a fist and smashed it into her doppelganger's cheek. “I never wanted that! Ever!”

Sunset drew her fist back and brought it down again and again. Her reflection didn't make a sound. Eventually, Sunset's rage exhausted itself and she leaned back, breathing heavily. She blinked and looked down at her handiwork.

There wasn't a mark on her reflection. Its eyes snapped open, once again with black corneas and aquamarine irises. It grinned at her.

“You can't lie to me,” it said. “I know you've wanted to kill her. To take what you felt was rightfully yours.”

Sunset's expression hardened. “No, I did not. Not even at my worst did I ever want Celestia dead.”

The reflection barked out a short, sharp laugh. “Sure you didn't. Suppose you had taken over Equestria. What were you going to do with her?”

Sunset didn't answer. Her lip began to curl in anger. Her fist clenched again. The reflection noticed.

“Go ahead,” it said. “Do it. Do it and be rid of me for good.”

Sunset glared down at it. It did nothing but smile at her, its grin wide and dangerous. Sunset's frown of anger turned instead to a look of suspicion. She lowered her fist and stood up.

“No,” she said.

The reflection also got to its feet. “'No?' Why?”

“Because it's what you want. You want me to give in, and do what you want just so you can prove yourself right. Or is that it?”

The reflection actually looked surprised. “What?”

Sunset looked at the reflection with a puzzled expression. “What do you want? What's the point of all this? You say you want me to revert to what I was, but that can't be it. It's too obvious, and it's been too long. Yes, I still feel terrible about what I did, but I've learned to live with it. And no matter how much you make me relive every rotten thing I've ever done, it won't make me break. My past is not today.”

The reflection made a puking noise. “Oh, spare me that bullshit. Everyone remembers what you did. No one really forgets the truly horrible things someone does. They're remembered, catalogued, saved to bring out when the person least expects it.”

“Some people are like that. Not me. Not anymore,” Sunset said. She turned from her reflection and began to walk away.

“Where do you think you're going?!” the reflection demanded.

“Away from you. I don't know what you want, and frankly, I don't care. I need to wake up and get out of here.”

Sunset continued walking, keeping her eyes locked ahead of her. She ignored the shouting coming from behind her, determined to keep moving.

A bolt of dark magic crashed into her back. Pain radiated up her spine and exploded in her brain. She let out a scream and fell forward, landing hard on her face. She groaned and began to get up, only to feel a booted foot slam down on her back. Sunset cried out again, as the reflection dug its foot between her shoulder blades.

“You're never getting out of here. You and me, doing this hour after hour, day after day, until the day this pathetic husk of a brain finally decays and you drop dead!”

Sunset let out more cries of agony as the reflection pounded her spine on each of the last two words. The reflection grinned sadistically as tears began forming in Sunset's eyes.

“That's right,” it crowed. “That's what I want. I want you to suffer. I want you to bleed. I want to make you feel miserable about every decision you ever made. That's what I want, Sunset Shimmer.”

Sunset turned her head so she could see the reflection out of the corner of her eye. “Why?”

“I'm amazed you even have to ask. I hate you. I hate what you've done. I hate who you are. I hate your insipid friends. I hate that everyone seems to love you now despite the fact that I know what you really are! I hate that you're still alive! I hate that you keep succeeding where in any just universe you would be rotting in the ground!”

Sunset's cries started up again as the reflection began stomping and kicking her over and over again. “I hate you! I HATE YOU! I! HATE! YOU!”

For the first time since waking up in her mindscape, Sunset's vision started to fade at the edges. The pain was more or less constant and the litany of hate dug into her ears. Sunset felt her strength begin to fade.

“Sunset?!” came two voices she never expected to hear. Sunset's eyes shot open and she stared at the images of Fluttershy and Applejack. They weren't solid, like the reflection, but translucent, cloaked in yellow and orange auras.

“What?!” the reflection snarled, stopping her assault.

“Get your filthy boots off her, you... you... cheap knock-off!” Fluttershy shouted.

“I dunno what you are, but you ain't hurtin' our friend anymore!” yelled Applejack.

“No, girls, don't!” Sunset cried. She forced her bruised body to its feet and staggered towards her friends.

“Yes, girls,” the reflection grinned, raising its hand. Dark magic crackled around its fingers. “Don't.”

The magic shot forward. Applejack and Fluttershy gasped and threw up their arms. Bolts of orange and yellow energy shot from the auras around them. The two magics collided mid-air and exploded. Sunset dashed toward her friends, arms outstretched.

“C'mon Sunset, we're all waitin' for you!” Applejack cheered. She and Fluttershy held out their hands, waiting to rescue their friend.

“NO YOU DON'T!” came an inhuman roar from behind her. Sunset glanced behind her to see the reflection had become her demon self. The demon took to the air and rushed towards her. Sunset forced her legs to run faster.

The demon tackled her at high speed. The two rolled across the ground, pushing and clawing at each other. They came to rest with the demon on top. It grinned down at Sunset.

“Time for your friends to go now!” It hurled another bolt of dark magic at Applejack and Fluttershy. The two sent out bolts of their own, but the dark bolt twisted and writhed around them and collided with Sunset's friends. Sunset stared in horror as Applejack and Fluttershy screamed and vanished in a flash of violet light. She screamed and pushed with all her might, forcing the demon off her and getting to her feet. She stood in silence, staring at the space where her friends had once been.

“Now,” the demon sneered. “Where were we?”

Sunset felt her nails digging into her palms. Her teeth clenched so tightly she was half expecting them to shatter. She whirled around, her eyes locking on the demon. She began stalking slowly towards her adversary.

“We were going to finish this,” she snarled.

Comments

[Speedy Silverstreak]

Demon bitch will die

[meerkat8472]

So Applejack and Fluttershy got through to her? Was that by using Sunset's mind link capability? I'm guessing so.

[BellChime]

So it seems like the reflection isn't really a manifestation of her "Evil" but of her guilt. That's why she was confused. Maybe there will be reconciliation.

[Deadmetal]

This creature doesn't seem to be sunset at all. Rather its the villain's magic using a doppelganger to torment her mentally.

[Csquared08]

Oh my