The New Dawn of the Setting Sun

by The Crazed Werewolf

Chapter 11: Terms

Celestia found herself in an empty house. She recognized it as her house. The house was dark and quiet. She silently went from room to room checking on the occupants of her home. She couldn't find anyone. She heard a voice laughing outside. As she passed the clock above the fireplace, she didn't notice it chime thirteen times. Stepping out the door and onto her lawn she saw Sunset standing inside a ring of fire with her back to her.

"Sunset," Celestia called out. The girl turned. The first thing Celestia noticed was her eyes. The eyes that looked over Celestia didn't belong to Sunset. They were black and devoid of a soul. Sunset grinned an unnatural grin, exposing rows of needle like teeth. Sunset began to walk toward Celestia...

"Begone foul demon of the abyss!" Celestia said in voice that wasn't her own.

Celestia sat up. Her bedroom was dark. The light of the full moon provided enough illumination that she could see her husband asleep beside her. Grabbing her robe, Celestia decided to check on Sunset and Scootaloo. Scootaloo had fallen asleep watching extreme sports on TV in her room. As she neared the door to Sunset's room she noticed that there was a light in the room. Opening the door she found that the lamp on Sunset's bedside table was on, and that Sunset had fallen asleep reading a book from the local library. Celestia looked at the books tittle as she turned off Sunset's lamp.

"Exorcisms for Dummies" was the book's tittle.

*****

Sunset sat at one of the picnic tables in front of CHS. She was waiting for her friends to arrive and school to start. While she was waiting she allowed her mind to analyze everything she new about magical contracts to find a way to get her out of it. The largest problem was that she didn't know the terms of her contract. A pair of arms wrapping around brought her back to reality.

"Good morning you," Rarity said as she planted a kiss on Sunsets cheek.

"Hey yourself," Sunset said as she smiled and returned the embrace and kiss.

"So romantic," Sweetie Belle cooed from nearby.

"Uhg," Scootaloo cringed, "maybe when I'm older I'll understand."

"I'm older and I'm sure don't want to understand," Rainbow Dash said from behind Rarity. Without looking, Rarity raised her arm in Rainbow's direction and made a very unladylike gesture involving the middle finger of one's hand. This caused Sunset and Rainbow to laugh.

"So," Applejack said, "y'all finally gone an' done it."

"This calls for a-!" Pinkie started to say.

"Pinkie don't." Sunset said, Pinkie looked at Sunset in confusion.

"I think its cute." Fluttershy said.

The first bell rang signifying that the girls had five minutes to get to class.

"See you at lunch," Sunset said to Rarity as she gave her girlfriend a kiss.

"Get a room you two," Rainbow said, laughing at her own wit.

"AJ would you do the honors" Rarity said. Not looking at Rainbow.

*WHACK*

"OW! Hey!" Rainbow cried rubbing the back of her head.

"Thank you," Rarity said.

"Anytime Sugarcube." Applejack replied with a chuckle.

"Oh, I wrote a song for the band," Fluttershy said as they all went inside for class, "maybe we can play it during the showcase."

"I can't wait to hear it Flutters," Rainbow said.

The morning seemed to drag along for Sunset. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't get what the demon had said about contracts or the strange appearance of Sunrise out of her head. Shortly after Sunset sat down with her friends at lunch, Principal Celestia approached her.

"Sunset," Celestia said, "I need to take Scootaloo to a doctor's appointment after school, so Discord will be picking you up."

"Ok," Sunset said.

"What's wrong with Scootaloo," Rainbow asked.

"Nothing, just a physical for the basketball team," Celestia answered.

"Did anyone else notice that Principal Celestia, seemed, a little, off," Fluttershy asked her friends one their principal had walked away.

"A little, maybe," Applejack answered, the others just silently nodded.

"Ooh, ooh," Pinkie exclaimed, "maybe Principal Celestia had a bad dream, I mean what if the demon that has been tormenting Sunset since the Fall Formal, now tormenting Principal Celestia! We could all be next."

"Uh huh," Rainbow said, "no more late night chocolate milkshakes for Pinkie."

None of the girls noticed that Sunset seemed to sink into her seat, as if she was trying to hide, well, almost no one.

After lunch, Sunset found herself in Study Hall with Rarity.

"Darling, is everything alright," Rarity asked.

"Yeah, maybe... I don't know," Sunset said and then proceeded to tell Rarity about her last nightmare and how she had woken up standing in the front lawn and about Sunrise.

"What if Pinkie is right," Sunset concluded, "I can't shake the feeling that a storm is coming and that I will be at the center of it all."

"Sunset, darling," Rarity said, "if there is then we will face it together."

Sunset smiled as she looked deeply onto Rarity's eyes, "I knew that there was a reason that I loved you."

*****

The demon fumed. Sunset was too protected now to go after directly, a new host would be needed. The first host had somehow been able to banish it from her mind in her sleep, something that Sunset had never been able to do. A new host would have to found. And find a new host the demon had! This new host was closer to Sunset then any other. She would do perfectly!

*****

Rarity was having trouble sleeping. She sat up in bed. One of the straps of her nightgown had fallen off her shoulder. She rubbed the sleep dust out of her eyes.

"Rarity," a voice whispered invitingly, "Rarity..."

Rarity looked around her room, nothing seemed out of place.

"Who is there," Rarity called out as she climbed out of bed, "Sweetie Belle, if this is another one of your little pranks it is not funny."

"Rarity, open the door," the voice whispered. Rarity found that try as she might she couldn't disobey. Slowly she opened the door.

She found Sunset standing there, looking down at the ground. Sunset looked up at Rarity with dead lifeless eyes.

"Rarity," the Sunset thing said, "help me!"

"YOU ARE NOT MY SUNSET!" Rarity screamed seconds before she woke up.

Author's Note:

So it appears the demon is haunting for a new host. And I doubt that the book that Sunset reading actually exists, but it wouldn't surprise me if it did (my fiancee looked it up, that actual book doesn't esist, but there are books about exorcisms for beginners. Isn't Amazon wonderful!). And the clock above the fireplace is almost a character in this story in its own right.

Also, several other writing projects of mine have taken a back seat to this one. It is still my intention to publish those other stories, in fact I have the first chapter of "Dream Catcher Book 3: Renegade" ready to go, and it has been for a month now, but it has always been my intention to release the first two chapters of that story together.

I appreciate any questions and comments.

Comments

[Witchrblizzad]

Well shit you just cant win.

[The Crazed Werewolf]

8934389
My fiancee read this chapter and looked at me with a straight face that I am evil. Now I'm sleeping on the couch.

[Witchrblizzad]

8934506
for some reason im not surprised dunno why...

[The Crazed Werewolf]

8935068
Lol

[CapNTilfy]

8943473
Indeed.

[CapNTilfy]

8943483
That's all I wanted to know. Yeesh, as if she didn't already have enough on her plate.