Morning came, sun shining into Sunset’s eyes, and she groaned, squirming away from the shafts of light and shoving her head under her pillow with a noise that was more snorting grunt than anything. That bought her a few minutes respite as the fog slowly cleared from her brain…most of it, anyway. Sleep had been…elusive at best. Between her own nightmares and those of her guest, the both of them had been up and down all night, each waking the other from thrashing, screaming terrors. It’d gotten bad enough that sometime around what her phone had told her was five AM, she’d just made the human girl climb back up the stairs with her and take the other side of the bed so neither one of them had to run up and down the steps again.

The bed’s other occupant shifted, mumbling something in her sleep, and Sunset finally lifted the edge of her pillow to peer blearily out at the waking world. It was far too bright and cheerful a morning for her tastes, and far too early to even consider being alive, especially with how awful her body felt.

Even without rising, she could feel the stiffness in every muscle and joint—she felt like one giant bruise and idly wondered if her skin was more purple than Twilight’s right now. In particular, her shoulders, hips, and back ached so badly it made her bones feel hot, and she tried to remember if she still had painkillers left in her bathroom cabinet.

Fighting back a groan, she slithered out from under her covers on all fours, shuffled her way to the stairs, and was at the bottom wondering why the knob was so far away before she remembered that her current body was a biped with fingers. Standing upright was an experience of its own, and she swallowed four ibuprofen dry before hobbling to the plastic tub she kept food in, with all the grace and mobility of an 80-year-old mule.

A bowl of cereal and an apple later, and she was sprawled on the sofa, crunching mindlessly away at her breakfast, eyes not really seeing whatever random selection had been pulled from her list on Netflix. It was this scene that Twilight joined, hair sticking up in all directions and dark circles under her eyes. Sunset looked over. “Soda and milk in the fridge, cereal in the plastic tub. Bowls on the counter. Help yourself. There's not much else—I need to go grocery shopping this week.”

There was a zombie-like groan that might’ve been words, but it was hard to tell. A few minutes later, and the dark haired girl plopped next to Sunset, blindly chewing on her own cereal.

Once some of the caffeine and sugar had penetrated enough to reboot her system, Twilight spoke, “You didn’t strike me as the kind of person to watch documentaries.”

Sunset looked up from her cereal, taking a minute to process the question around the wool stuffing her brain. “…I do a lot of things people wouldn’t expect from someone like me,” she admitted. “Having intellectual interests is probably the top of the list, but its not the only thing on there.” She made a sound of amusement—she wasn’t about to tell her guest that she watched documentaries to either study humans or to advance her knowledge of various subjects in which humanity differed or was more advanced than pony-kind. “I was always surprised that no one tried to use any of those things against me, but I mostly assumed they were too stupid to pay attention.”

“Things like documentaries?”

“…No…that's just something I do at home. Stuff like…” Sunset thought for a moment, trying to shake her head clear. “Like the fact that I’m in all the advanced classes except for history and I think I’m in the top five for GPA in the school. I’d be number one, but I’m abysmal at history, so I took a hit. Or what I do and don’t eat, especially with how much they go after other kids who have similar habits.” At the puzzled look, Sunset clarified. “…As much as it doesn’t fit with the bully image, I don’t eat most meat.” Her face twisted into a nauseous expression. “The thought of eating beef makes me queasy, the only pork I can ever manage is the occasional bit of bacon if it’s part of a recipe, I’ll eat poultry if it's a situation where there’s no alternative…” She felt like she was probably looking a little green. “…and I’m not ashamed to admit that when I learned some people eat horse meat, I did throw up. Ugh.” She shook herself violently. “I do enjoy seafood—was always a guilty pleasure when I was little, since it was only ever served at big, special events, but other than that, I just…don’t. I can’t.”

“Though I have encountered a number of unpleasant individuals with non-mainstream dietary habits, I can see where that might seem…unusual for a bully persona,” Twilight ventured slowly. “But it doesn’t seem like an unreasonable trait for Sunset Shimmer to have.” She held up her empty bowl. “Where do you want me to put this?”

“Oh. Bathroom sink. I’ll wash them later.” Sunset looked at the time. “…I’ll get you something you can wear home so you’re not out and about in pajamas.” It took the redhead a few tries to get up off the sofa. “…Though I may have to walk you home. I’m not sure I’d be able to keep the bike upright with how my hips feel right now.” She limped to her wardrobe and rummaged through it.

“You’re in pain? What happened? Was it…it wasn’t from the fight was it?” Twilight twisted her hands together somewhat anxiously.

“No. Earlier in the night. Part of my public humiliation included a bit of a fall. Nothing broken but I’m feeling it today.” And the award for understatement of the year goes to one Sunset Shimmer, her mind whispered to her.

“Did the other girl push you?”

“…No. I did it to myself. I did something incredibly stupid that I thought would get me what I wanted…and it all went horribly wrong. It’s sheer luck that no one was hurt badly or worse, because of me. Including myself.” Her stomach gave a lurch, the previous night and her nightmares all jumping back into the forefront of her mind. She shook her head and sought a way to change the topic. She produced a hoodie and a pair of sweatpants that she’d been meaning to get rid of because they were too small on her. “Here. These should fit you okay. I…figured you might not want to put last night’s clothes back on, so you can have these. They don’t fit anymore, so I don’t care if I don’t get them back.” Passing those to Twilight, she found clean clothes for herself in a pair of jeans and another hoodie. “If it’s alright, I’m going to go take a shower before I take you home. Didn’t get one last night, and I need one.”

The other girl nodded, and Sunset made her way slowly to the bathroom to drown herself under the hot spray, in desperate hope to alleviate the pain.

She made the water as hot as she could stand, stripping out of pajamas that reeked of sweat and stale fear, dropping them in the clothes basket in the corner. Standing under the water felt good, the steady pounding of the water pressure doing a great deal to scour the dirt from her skin and strip the grime and accumulated oils from her hair.

Her thoughts chased each other in circles as she worked shampoo into her mane and scrubbed her body far more roughly than normal. She felt filthy in ways that had nothing to do with mud or earth and everything to do with the corruption that had overtaken her the night before and the sad, blackened state of her soul.

She scrubbed until she resembled her namesake, the nightmares hanging over her. If she closed her eyes, Sunset could hear the clattering of blackened bones, smell the reek of seared flesh, singed fur, and charred bone....see the blood and violation...

It was too much, and the former unicorn rested her palms against the wall to try and lose herself in the white noise of running water. She didn’t want to see it anymore, to see the hellish mockery of either world, or hear the voice of her demonic self taunting her...

“You’ll never be able to escape this hell because Hell is part of you now...”

Sunset let the water wash over her, the scalding hot spray rinsing her shampoo from her hair and down the drain. The nightmare had repeated so many times, horrible variants, sometimes with the human world, sometimes in Equestria, images of destruction and death, pain, suffering and agony inflicted on the inhabitants..but always her fault. Always at her hands. And that constant reminder, that she would never be free, it whispered and gnawed at her…

Perhaps not to the degree the dream implied, but Sunset wasn’t sure she’d ever be able to make up for what she had done, who she had been, the pain and misery she had inflicted on others. Her eyes burned and stung, tears joining the water from the shower.

---

A full forty five minutes under a blisteringly hot shower head later, and Sunset emerged from the bathroom in a cloud of steam, feeling much more together and less like a crippled old nag. She’d shoved her damp hair back into a quick ponytail at the base of her neck, rather than deal with it right now. She’d have to trim some singed edges that evening, but that could wait. She wanted to make sure Twilight got home safely—that itching compulsion she couldn’t quite explain had returned with a vengeance the moment she’d mentioned taking her home, along with a spike of rage at the thought of Twilight bumping in to any of the guys from last night while unguarded.

Blue-green eyes scanned the room. The blankets and pillows on the couch had been neatly folded, trash had been thrown away, and Twilight was finishing repacking the bag that Sunset had grabbed assuming it belonged to the glasses wearing girl. “…you didn’t have to pick up, you know. I would’ve gotten around to it later.”

“I wanted to. I would’ve done more, but…I didn’t know where things went.” The girl smiled at her. “I didn’t realize you grabbed my bag last night. Thank you for that too. My parents would be upset if they had to replace some of this.” She shouldered the heavy pack, slipping her shoes on. The hoodie was a bit large and baggy for her, but the sweats seemed just about the right size.

Sunset found her other pair of boots, shoving her feet into them and tightening up the laces. “Wasn’t sure if it was yours or not, but I figured if it wasn’t, oh well. Those creeps probably didn’t deserve to have it.” Standing and tapping the toe against the floor to make sure it was snug, she grabbed her keys. “So how far are we walking to your place? I’m guessing it's not in this neighborhood.”

Twilight stepped down the front steps, shaking her head. “Its about a mile from the park.” She looked around, trying to get her bearings. “Off Fifth Street, about four blocks from the library.” She found the street sign. “I can get us there.”
Once the front door was locked, Sunset joined her. “Lead on then. You can tell me on the way why you were a mile out of your way, after midnight, alone, in the park, and with a bag that looks like it weighs a ton.”

Twilight set off in the right direction as she answered, her voice starting fairly normal, but becoming more excited and manic as she explained. “Well, my parents are gone for the weekend at a function for my father’s job, and my older brother was staying to ‘keep an eye on things’, but he got called in to work yesterday evening. So it was just me and my dog—but there was supposed to be an interesting celestial conjunction this weekend, and with the moon almost new, there wouldn’t be a lot of light from it polluting any observations…but my house is much closer to the lights of the city, so I couldn’t see very much. I packed up my telescope and a few monitoring tools and went to the park. The light pollution is so much less, despite the fact that its only a mile or so further from the city than I am.”

“The mile walk was worth it too—I found a great spot for stargazing and took all kinds of notes on the conjunction with my telescope. And I witnessed some sort of strange aurora phenomenon too, I think. I’ll have to look and see if anyone else caught a better view, but some sort of energy discharge triggered a rather colorful dispersion across the atmosphere. My electronics went crazy from the discharge, and I’d love to see if it caused some sort of reading on a seismograph too—the trees shook when it happened, but it didn’t seem to be caused by any kind of falling object. My thought was that perhaps it was the result of…”

Sunset bit her lip, not interrupting the increasingly nerdy tirade. Twilight had witnessed the magic she’d unleashed…and let slip a very important and worrying piece of information: Magic energy could be picked up by human technological devices. That was something to keep in mind if humans with questions came sniffing around—stay away from scanning devices. She had heard what human policy was on things like her. Capture and intense scientific study, and even with all she had done, she had no desire to end up on a dissection table.

Twilight’s long winded science based theorizing slowed and she flushed slightly. “…I’m sorry. I’m probably boring you with my rambling.”

Sunset raised an eyebrow. “…No? I mean, I’m not clear on what some of the terms meant, but I could infer the general meaning from what you were talking about.” She frowned. “…Do people get angry at you for talking?”

Purple eyes found the sidewalk interesting as they turned a corner. “…Sometimes. Mostly at school…or they did. I don’t talk to most of them anymore. I do my own thing and try to stay out of their way.”

Heat pooled in Sunset’s ribcage. Was this what people looked and sounded like when they talked about her actions at school? Her innards squirmed uncomfortably, the agitation she felt warring against self loathing and guilt. Her voice was tight when she replied to Twilight. “…I’m not going to do that—tell you to stop talking, I mean. Not like that. I…I’ve liked talking with you.” The last part was a quiet admission, but it made the dark haired teen break into one of those beaming smiles, which in turn cooled the boiling in Sunset’s blood.

“We…could keep talking? That's what friends do. If you give me your phone number, I can text you, and then we can chat sometimes, or maybe meet up and do stuff.” There was hope in the tone. “…I know a really good place for milkshakes not too far from Crystal Prep—my school—and we could get some one afternoon.”

The former unicorn glanced at the shorter form walking at her side. “…You still sure about this? I’m really not trying to lie about just how bad I was…I’m fairly certain I’ve spent years making people like you cry and hide in their lockers. I was pretty much…a rampaging, raging, selfish demon…” Admitting it aloud hurt, and she suffered through the shame and twisting in her guts the same way she had watched the portal close the night before—a form of punishment and a reminder of her mistakes that was to be endured, not avoided. “I’m really not the kind of person you should be friends with.”

They stopped to let a light turn, and Twilight grabbed her arm. “Sunset, look at me.” When blue-green eyes met hers, she held the gaze steadily. “You’re exactly the kind of person I should be friends with. I’ve heard what you’ve said, and I acknowledge the veracity of your statements. I also appreciate the honesty. I’m not making this offer blind. I want us to be friends, and despite all you’ve said to try and scare me off…” Her eyes blinked away sudden moisture. “Despite it all…I trust you. I know you’ll be a good friend. Someone just needs to give you a chance.”

Her throat constricted, and Sunset had to wipe her eyes in a hurry. “…I…sun and stars, you’re a sap, Sparkle,” she groused to cover how choked up she was. “Alright. What’s your number?”

That netted her another hug as they crossed into Twilight’s neighborhood, and a new contact to add to the extremely sparse contact list in her phone. A quick text had the other teen’s phone chirping, and Sunset tossed her head, feeling the cool wind in her face as she regained her somewhat shaky composure. “So. Milkshakes? I’ve got detention for forever after the stuff that came out at the dance last night, but if you don’t mind it being like a five o’clock milkshake, we can do that sometime. I like milkshakes.”

Twilight led her up to one of the houses. “Text me then, when you figure out which day you’re free.” She gave Sunset another hug. “And thank you, so much. You saved my life last night.” Sunset found sliding her arms around Twilight’s back to be easier every time she did it. The dark haired girl’s voice was muffled into the shoulder of her hoodie, but she could make it out. “…no matter what anyone else thinks of you, you’re a good person to me.”

More warmth bloomed in Sunset’s stomach, and a sense of pleasant satisfaction filled her when Twilight let go to retreat inside the house, waving as she shut the door. She’d escorted the nerdy girl home safely, with no further encounters by scummy jerks. Her expression turned serious as she started the trek back, trying to puzzle out why it mattered so much to her, why she’d felt so compelled to make sure the human Twilight Sparkle had no more problems. Why was knowing she was home safe because of her actions making her feel so…happy? It was such a strange and alien feeling to her, nothing like the pleasure of learning something new or having a plan fall into place, but it mattered more than anything besides her revenge had mattered in a long time. She wanted to hold on to this.

It was why, despite the self-loathing, the guilt, the shame, and against her better judgment, she wanted to feel it again. It was why, on the way home, she sent a message to the new number in her phone, an overture laden with more shy hesitance and hope than most would ever have attributed to Sunset Shimmer, Queen Bitch of Canterlot High. It was why, when she thought about the other students at her school and what they would say, she was filled with fear. Fear that they’d take this away from her, make Twilight see she was as awful as she claimed, and that she’d lose this feeling before she ever even understood it. It was why, when that fear gnawed at her enough to make her want to bolt, she actively decided to keep her interactions with the human Twilight Sparkle as far away from any members of CHS as possible—especially from the five girls who’d help stop her. She wasn’t going to let anyone take this from her, not if she could help it—she’d do whatever else she could to change, to be less of a monster, but the fear bubbled into anger as she promised herself that she’d rather be a demon again before she’d let them take this without a fight.

The vow made her let out a low growl as she passed the glass display window of a butcher shop, and at least one passerby started in surprise at the hazy, flickering impression of wings and glowing eyes reflected in the glass.

Next Chapter: Interlude II: Damage Control Estimated time remaining: 58 Hours, 12 Minutes