Sunset Shimmer: The Age of Fire

by StardustSprinkle

A Long Way Ahead

"Who are you?" The giant asks, struggling to see the tiny human next to his foot.

"My name is Sunset of Canterlot!" Sunset shouts: "I come here in peace!"

"Any time." The giant bends down, reaches his hand out to Sunset while three fingers bend together.

"Oh," Puzzled by this gesture, Sunset scratches her head: "So..."

"Friends," The giant says: "I help, anytime."

"Oh!" Sunset replies, but still puzzled by the giant's hand gesture: "Of course!"

"I help anytime," The giant repeats, hand still in that gesture.

"Oh! Oh, yes!" Finally seeing something buried between the giant's fingers, Sunset reached her hand out and pulled out a tree branch.

The giant then gets back on his feet and shift his attention away from Sunset to the world below the watchtower.

A symbol of friendship, huh? Sunset thinks to herself before carefully putting the branch away into her backpack. In this desolated world, friendship is something to be treasured with. Sunset walks down the stairs, arrives at an empty room before resting her foot on a button. The floor moves downward as strings and contractions, together serving as a prototype elevator, are activated by the button.

"Celestia..." Sunset prays to the name of her old mentor as the words of Cornyx echo in her brain: the flames of chaos are only wielded by witches and demons. Am I a demon? Sunset's mind drifts as her eyes focused on the ring Cornyx gifted her. I was once a demon, but I'm changed. Right? I love my friend, and I fought for them! That makes me a good pony, right? Or perhaps, demons are not evil. Correct? I'm a changed pony, right?

The elevator slows down. With so much on her mind, Sunset takes a step forward without thinking. Unfortunately, the elevator has yet to reach the ground.

"AHHHH! Oof!" Sunset screams on top of her lunges until a wooden plank stopped her fall.

"Hmmm..." As she struggles to get up, a familiar voice crosses her ears.

"Sigeward?" Sunset squeezes her eyes: "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, ho!" The knight with onion-like armor replies, sitting on the edge of a roof: "Sunset of Canterlot, right!"

"Yeah!' Sunset stands up and dusts herself off: "And what are you doing here again?"

"You see that beast there?" Sigeward points at a giant beast with stone-like skin and an ax in its' hands: "I'm no coward; I've got a steady hand! But that thing makes my skin crawl! What to do..."

"It that a demon?" Sunset looks through her binoculars.

"Indeed!" Sigeward agrees.

"I've got an idea," Sunset then jumps off of the roof and dashes off: "Wait for me!"

"No! You should have waited!"

Sigeward's voice muffles as Sunset gets closer and closer to the beast.

"Hi!" Sunset calls out to the demon, knows that the beast will not reply, and yet expects something other than a strike. I was once a demon, but not anymore! Right? If I am one, then...Maybe, just maybe, the demons in this world are friendly? If not, then why am I still a demon? Why...

The beast lets out a howl before lifting its' weapon and strikes down.

"NO!" Unable to see through the dust stirred up, Sigeward thought Sunset is dead: "You fiend!"

"I'm fine!" Sunset rolls out of the dust as sparkles of flame flies through the air.

"I, Sigeward of Catarina, fight by your side! AHHHH!" The knight charges at the beast before landing a heavy belle with his heavy sword.

Instead of joining her friend, Sunset's entire body freezes. She was once a demon and may still be one. However, if all hate demons in this world, then what does that means for Sunset? How many people in this world are willing to even see to her if they find out?

"Are you alright?" Sigeward shouts, withdrew from the battlefield as the beast spits out several balls of lava.

"Right!" There's a lot in Sunset's mind, but its' no time to get lost in her mind. The beast looms over as Sunset Drews her swords. Demon or not, Sunset is determined to fight by the side of her friend.

The duel fought valiantly, dogging powerful blows from the demon and strike when there's an opening. The fight lasted forever. Finally, as Sunset buries her sword into its' chest, the beast fall vanishes into dust after letting one last howling.

"Sigeward!" Sunset pants: "Are you ok?"

"That was quite the performance!" The knight sits down on the ground, taking two sealed wooden mugs and hands Sunset one: "To your valour, my sword, and our victory together. Long may the Sun shine!"

"Long may the Sun shine!" Stunned a little by such a sudden act of hospitality, Sunset hastily removes the lid and joins the knight in celebration.

"Ah!" Sigeward lets out a sigh of satisfaction after chugging the entire content of the mug down in a split second: "What a toast!"

"Yeah!" Sunset agrees but only takes a slip of the liquid inside.

"Well, I'm going to have myself a little nap," Sigeward says before dozing off: "The only thing to do, really, after a nice toast."

A smile emerges on Sunset's face as Sigeward snores. Celestia's once-priced student carefully stand up and tip-toed around her friend.

"I need to go..." Sunset says through gritted teeth as her heart pumps ever so slowly and yet heavily. The truth is, Sunset's heart was engulfed by a burning feeling the moment she plunged her sword into the heart of the beast. Her entire body shakes out of agony.

"Fiend!"

"Fiend!"

"Fiend!"

"Guys," Sunset lets out a few coughs as tiny drips of lava run down her jaws: "I don't want to fight."

However, the three beast-like masked dwarfs with war pick in their hands decide otherwise and strike first.

"Stop!" Sunset groans as ice-cold blades shred her skin: "I don't want to fight!"

The three dwarfs didn't listen.

"This is on you!" No longer able to hold back due to fatigue, injuries, and anger, Sunset's eyes start to glow while a pair of wings bursts out of her back. The rest is history as travelers will tell a tale of a winged demon comes and go like the wind.