Sunset was currently sat at Barbed Wire's dining table. Her head was currently caught up in a paper that was displayed in front of her, and with a pen in hand she was scribbling words down crazily fast, as though she had a lot of practice writing this letter down.

Barb then entered the living room with a yawn and a stretch of her arms. After the wrestling match a few nights ago, she began feeling tonnes better, aside from her muscles still aching like a bitch. Aside from that, she was good. However, when she caught sight of Sunset writing at the table, she did give an annoyed sigh.

"Are you seriously writing another letter to Rattingsbottom?" Barb asked. "Three, I think, should have been the limit, but what's this like the ninth now?"

It had been true. Just about every other morning after the mayor debates over two weeks ago, Sunset had been trying to get in touch with the supposed 'better' choice between the two candidates, Theodore Rattingsbottom.

"Excuse me, but I'm just making sure that my name stands out amongst possibly many others. If there is ever going to be a change, I have to get in contact with the one demon that might just listen," Sunset explained, clutching her newest letter and staring hopefully at it.

Barb's unenthused expression hadn't altered in the slightest. "Yeah, I'm not sure how everyone's gonna react if the mayor started doing things he didn't promise at the debate. Besides, the final vote count is in a few days. I think the time for talking has past."

"I know my odds seem... minuscule, but all I really want is to share some ideas. This city is infested with danger, and as the next possible mayor, I think he should take a little more authority rather than leave it be like he's always done."

Barb scoffed. "Still better than what that shithead snake has to offer," she said under her breath, remaining just loud enough for Sunset to hear.

Sunset had hoped that the other candidate would not have been brought up. She still has fear in her mind whenever she remembered about his plan for peace and his explosion of anger. Ever since that terrible night, Sunset never brought the situation up with Barb, not even telling her that Sunset had went to the tyrant's house itself. "This isn't about him right now. I've heard plenty to now know he's not worth the thought. Despite Rattingsbottom being better, things could still be even better...-rer!"

Then Barb finished off with a shrug. "Well, guess I can't stop you." She walked towards the kitchen. "Have fun pestering a man about how to do his job."

Sunset stuck her tongue out at Barb before getting back to writing her letter. She had practically all of her words memorised. She knew what to write and what she wanted to share with the mayor. With what little chance she did have, Sunset would keep writing letters until her hand fell off, then she would learn to write with her other hand and continue from there. Not only wanting to share how the city could be made better for everyone, but Sunset also wanted to warn Rattingsbottom about Goliath. After the conversation they shared, the possible tyrant seemed to share his potential intentions if he were ever to be in power.

One part of her told her not to worry so much due to the fact that Goliath has lost the election for hundreds of years, but yet another part thought it was better to be safe than sorry because, from what she could tell, the gap between the two candidates' vote count has gotten smaller and smaller. It was more possible than not that one day Rattingsbottom will lose.

Sunset looked through her letter again and again, checking for any small inconsistencies that might cost her to have to restart. All that she hoped was that she came across as even slightly professional.

Dear Theodore Rattingbottom,

You may recognise me for my display at the public debates a few weeks ago after being pulled up by your competitor. I am writing this to tell you that my views on a better city and Goliath's do not at all correlate. What I would like to do is have a discussion with yourself and to present my ideas on how Sinner City could be made a better and safer place for all demons alike. This may, in turn, also lower the probability of Goliath ever taking the lead at some point in the future. I hope that you will consider my offer and I hope to hear a reply soon.

From,

Sunset Shimmer

The letter looked fine to her. Nothing seemed out of place, and the structure mostly followed the same as her previous, with the possibility of it being word for word the same as her last few.

"There's an error," Barb suddenly pointed out, standing directly behind Sunset and scaring the life out of her. She didn't even hear Barb move over there. "You spelled his name wrong."

"I did what?" Sunset looked through the letter again and she saw it. She forgot the 's' in the mayor's name. Given that she wrote the letter in pen, the letter was now a bust, so she crumpled it up into a ball and started all over again.

---

The next morning, Sunset began making her way to her shift at Toppled Sloppy. She had sent yesterday's eventually perfected letter to the mailbox about as soon as she finished it, and now she believes she has finally made her voice loud enough. All she was to do now was to wait for a response.

Along the path, Sunset coincidentally came across the mail-demon. They were both not too far away from her apartment block, so Sunset was left very excited, but also very hopeful. It would probably be alright if she were just a few minutes late for work. It was only just to check her mail.

As the mail-demon was walking down the steps leading to a house, he had almost bumped into a Sunset blocking his path. He looked at her weirdly. "Uhh... can I help you?"

"Hi! Yes, I'm on my way to work and I just happened to see you. I was just wondering if you had any mail for Sunset Shimmer?" she asked.

The mail-demon sorted through the bag slung over his shoulder and pulled out a single envelope. "You got one." Sunset reached out to take the letter, but the mail-demon pulled his hand away from her.

"What the heck, dude? Can I have my mail please?"

"You can get your mail as it goes through your letter box, just so that we can all know that it arrived to the designated destination," the mail-demon explained.

Oh joy, he was one of those mailmen. Looks like it was logic time. "Well, as well as a designated destination, the letter also has a designated demon, which you might have missed written right there on the centre of the envelope. And fortunately for the letter, its designated demon has found it. So fundamentally, you have no reason not to give it to me now."

"'Fundamentally,'" the mail-demon repeated in a mocking tone, "I'm on a strict schedule to deliver to each individual house in the order I can find them in, and I shouldn't be expected to just break routine because someone was so impatient they began hunting me them self in hope to get it early. Firelin Street, is it? I'm not hitting that street for a while, so I'm not gonna assess a single envelope being delivered way before I've even gotten to that street. So, how about you wait for your letter like everyone else, yeah?" He stuffed the letter back in the bag and started walking past her.

"Jerk," Sunset commented.

"Bitch," the mail-demon retorted.

Not the best start to her day, but she was already late enough so it wasn't much worth an earful from her boss going home to read her letter now. She went about the rest of her day just so eager for her shift to be over, which just made time seem to pass by much slower. It was murderous but she put up with it, despite the little sanity she had by the end. Sunset gave her co-workers the daily farewell and made a dash back to the apartment, climbing up (and almost tripping) on the stairs and almost causing for the front door to break what with how fast she had slammed it.

Barbed Wire peaked into the hallway from the living room. "You got a letter-"

"I know I have a letter!" Sunset just about shouted unintentionally. She marched right into the living room and found the envelope with her name on the coffee table, tearing it open with a claw and slipping the folded piece of paper out. She unfolded it and read through it quickly.

Dear Sunset Shimmer

It is rather odd to be hearing from you, not that I find that to be a bad thing. I remember what you had said during the debate and I must admit, I do admire your confidence and tenacity. You are clearly a woman with a lot of ideas, so I am willing to take you up on your offer. If you are free the night before the final vote count, I would love to meet you in my office at the Mayor's Tower at 10PM.

Sincerely,

Theodore Rattingsbottom

PS: Please stop sending letters to me.

Sunset was completely still upon finishing reading. It seemed that the letter had broken her, causing for Barbed Wire to take action by throwing a cheese puff at her face from across the couch. It worked wonders, if not a little too well.

"OH MY GOSH! BARB, HE ACCEPTED ME!" Sunset shouted with excitement, jumping up and down on the spot. "HE DID IT! HE DID IT! HE DID IT!"

"Wait, really?" Barb questioned. Sunset quickly showed her the letter, Barb following up by raising her eyebrows with surprise. "Huh. Well, I'll be damned. It's really that easy to get in touch with the top demon in power. Sorry for ever doubting you, Sunny."

"You are forgiven," Sunset said smugly. "But man, now I've gotta prepare. Okay, so he's the mayor, so I've gotta be presentable. I want- No. Need him to like me. Oh, what am I gonna say? Where do I even begin with my ideas? Is my hair a nice enough shade of red?!" It looked like Sunset was a tad nervous as she got up close and personal to Barb's face, holding clumps her hair in each hand.

"It's... certainly red," Barb comforted. She lightly pushed Sunset away and removed her hands from her hair to ensure she didn't accidentally pull it all out. "I think you're overthinking this a bit. You're pretty good at improvising from what I've seen. If anything, the mayor shouldn't be nearly as difficult than a dumbass audience. You'll be fine."

"But what if he doesn't like what I say? If I want him to consider anything, I need to really sell this thing!" In her head, Sunset played through every bad possible circumstances she could be left in. Rattingsbottom might laugh at her. Maybe she'll get locked up for her terrible ideas. Maybe he'll just shoot her where she stands! It might not happen, but at the same time it could! "I should make reference notes! Barb, I need a pen, a whole lot of post-it notes and possibly a really big chalkboard-" A hand suddenly covered her mouth.

Barbed Wire only gave Sunset a deadpan stare. Her paranoia was starting to get a bit irritating to Barb. "I'm gonna let go of your mouth, and when I do, I want you to just breathe. Okay?"

Sunset nodded.

"Good. So, I'm letting go... right... now." Barb's hand was removed off of Sunset's face, and thank the stars! It seemed that she had managed to make her roommate be quiet. However, Sunset's breathing was shaky and inconsistent. So Barb led her into a slow and calm rhythm by breathing deeply herself. They breathed in unison for a good minute before they came to the conclusion that Sunset was fine again. "Okay. Are we all calm now?"

Sunset nodded once more.

"Good. Now remember, you don't need to worry about a flawless plan so much. Maybe think of it more like a conversation than a presentation."

"Yeah... Yeah, I think that's a good way to take it," Sunset responded, regaining her confidence. "In the end, I'm just talking to someone. No big deal at all."

Barb lightly punched Sunset's shoulder. "There's the goody-goody I know!"

Sunset laughed. "I don't know what I was thinking. What's the worst that could happen?"

---

A black hoof knocked on the pristinely painted white door.

"Enter, Montgomery," a voice from the other side of the door said.

Montgomery, the sheep demon, entered the dimly lit living room, with the green carpet and the garnet wallpaper. The destroyed mantle on the opposite wall to the door had been replaced, but pieces of the damage still remained from the large tears on the wallpaper above the mantlepiece. In front of the active fireplace sat a chair, and in that chair... was him.

The chair spun around, revealing, with a wine glass in hand, the sharply dressed snake candidate, Goliath. "How many times must I remind you, Monty? You are free to enter as you please. I enjoy the company," he said, taking a sip of his apple blood.

Montgomery nodded. "Pardon me, sir. I just didn't want to possibly disturb you."

Goliath hummed. "Well, what brings you here?"

"Well... as you know, it is the night before the final vote count, and from what I've seen, it's not looking hopeful for us," Montgomery explained. "I would just like to ask, well, what was this plan you had? I feel as though I've not been so involved this time around."

"Fret not, dear Montgomery," Goliath reassured. "I do have a plan. I just had to make sure that all of our stars were aligned for this very moment. We just had to be patient."

"Are you not worried about that Sunset girl at all?" Montgomery asked.

Hearing that name again sent a wave of anger to wash across Goliath. He still remembered the last thing that had happened between them. Her forcing a side of him to be let loose, and having the nerve of promising she would stop him. How ignorant.

"When she was here-"

Goliath begun laughing, interrupting his assistant. "Sunset Shimmer? What do I have to worry about her for? She had good intentions, but it's clear we strive for different things. If she ever dares to stand against me, I'll surely make short work of her." To set an example, Goliath extended the claw on his index finger.

"Well, as long as you're sure," Montgomery said, being at ease as it seemed that his boss was confident. "So, what is the status with your plan?"

Goliath finished his drink and stood up from the chair. His tall and slender body loomed over Montgomery. "It is time. Come, Monty." He began to leave the room.

The candidate's assistant followed after him. "Where are we going, sire?"

"Oh, we're just off to visit an old friend."

---

Later that night, Sunset was roaming the streets of Sinner City alone with much more confidence than usual. Given the fact that she now knew how to control some of her abilities, she could now easily defend herself if it had to go that way.

However, as she passed some of the familiar streets getting closer to the mayor's tower, it brought back such horrible memories of being utterly humiliated live on stage. It was so bad that for a while Sunset wore a wig to work so she wouldn't be recognised. Her terrible boss wasn't all for that idea though, as his mind set was that 'now she could be recognized, she would attract more customers,' despite the demons already coming in solely to try and flirt with her. Most of the heat had died down at this point, but that didn't make Sunset feel all that much better.

She certainly learned a lot that day, and most of it she could thank Barbed Wire for as she was always looking out for Sunset, regardless of her own pessimism and outlook on afterlife. Barb was her only friend in Hell, they both trusted eachother, and if Barb didn't make an attempt to stop Sunset from what she was doing now, then she must be doing something right.

Sunset closed in on the city's crown jewel, one of the tallest buildings sitting right in the centre of everything, the mayor's tower. You would think the mayor, when it was built, had to have been compensating for something. But that was besides the point, she was here now!

Looking up at the leviathan building, the lights on most floors appeared to be turned off, all except for the bottom floor and the very top floor. That had to be Rattingsbottom's office, and the one way to get there was to go through the reception, which she was heading towards now. Sitting behind the reception table was the demoness Sunset recognised to be the mayor's assistant, wearing thick, square rimmed glasses, her black hair done up in a ponytail and wearing a grey two-piece suit. Approaching the desk, the receptionist immediately noticed Sunset.

"Ah! You must be that demoness that Mayor Rattingsbottom invited tonight," the mayor's assistant recognised, giving what seemed to be a not so forced smile despite being a bit overjoyed.

"That's right." Sunset nodded.

The mayor's assistant pointed towards the back end of the reception room. "You'll find the elevator over there. Ride it to the one hundred and twentieth floor and you'll find his office."

Why does a mayor's tower need so many floors?! Do all the floors even get used? "Thank you," Sunset said before she started worrying about the tower's usefulness.

Arriving at the back of the reception and waiting a minute after calling the lift, the two metal doors parted, ready to send Sunset up to the skies. She found the highest number, one hundred and twenty, and rode her way up. It sounded exciting, but in reality she was just standing still for a few minutes while a smooth jazz played over the speakers. But as soon as she reached the top and that ding sounded as the doors opened once more, Sunset was in business!

She stood beyond the doors, staring straight into the golden plate planted onto the centre, 'MAYOR'S OFFICE'. This was the moment she was waiting for. Her hand shook slightly, but she wasn't going to let that get the better of her. Sunset raised a fist and knocked on the door. After a few more seconds of waiting, there finally a came response, "Enter, please."

Sunset opened the heavy door into a large dark room. There was a red carpet leading up to a desk at the back end sitting by the building windows taking up that entire side of the wall. Most of the space was empty aside from cabinets and drawers at the left wall.

"Ah! Miss Shimmer! I've been looking forward to your arrival." There he was. Theodore Rattingsbottom in the flesh. The small and fat mole rat demon. She was probably more excited than she should, but not even whenever she and her friends saved the day did they have a chance to meet their mayor. This was pretty new stuff for her.

Sunset walked along the carpet and found herself now at the man's desk, sitting in the chair over on her side. Trying to look as formal as she could, given the fact that she came in her casual fit, by straightening her back and having her hands closed together on her lap.

"I'm honoured to be in your presence, sir," Sunset greeted with a polite nod. "I'm very glad you considered my letters."

Rattingsbottom chuckled. "Well, given how many times I saw your name over the last few weeks, it was hard not to. You're very persistent, but I would refrain from trying this again."

Sunset blushed with an embarrassed laugh of her own. "Y-Yes sir."

"Now, you said in your letter that you had some 'ideas' to make this city a better and safer place for all demons. Is that correct?" Rattingsbottom asked.

"That's correct, but I was also thinking about some answers too, and I knew only you could give me them."

This peaked the mayor's interest as Sunset never wrote anything about this. "Oh? What kind of answers were you thinking?"

Sunset looked straight at the mayor with a confident stare as she began forming her questions. "At the debate, you said that you have been this city's mayor for centuries, and yet what you promise to give to the public is the exact same as it currently is. I can't help but just disagree with that decision because the city we have is crime-ridden with death around every corner. Why haven't you used your power to try and fix this?"

Rattingsbottom sighed with a saddened look on his face. He then spun his chair around and looked down at the gigantic city below. "I do see what you're saying. You probably believe that I've spent my time being an irresponsible mayor, but try to believe that at one point I wanted just what you wanted."

"What?" Sunset asked. She was caught by surprise with the new revelation.

The mayor looked back towards Sunset. "In the beginning, I too wanted to bring a better sense of peace and justice to this city. Trying all I can to put in place a system that would reduce the crime and murdering, but the truth is that it is just not meant to be.

"You have to remember, Miss Shimmer, that we live in Hell. It is the home meant for wrongdoers and sinners. So, when you try to place laws on the population of demons that never initially followed them, you can imagine that every one of them waves it off as nothing. Even if I had begun to make a dent and what I planned actually was making a difference, new demons arrive every single day with no knowledge of what we have in place, and so they would destroy the newfound peace.

"I would continue trying today, but unfortunately this world just doesn't allow it. It was even because of my laws that I almost lost an election a long time ago."

This shocked Sunset. Given his track record, she would never have imagined a point where Rattingsbottom almost lost.

"What stopped you from losing?" Sunset asked curiously.

Rattingsbottom gave Sunset a sinister glare. "Goliath. For as long as I can remember, he has been my consistent rival. Despite his constant losses, he has never given up in trying to overtake me, even managing to scare off any other possible competition with candidates never returning again. If it wasn't for his history being public knowledge, he will have beaten me at the very beginning. Have you heard about Goliath?"

Sunset nodded. "I have. After what he did to me at the debate, I learned about him when he was alive." She wasn't sure if she should share the fact that she talked with Goliath in his own home. "I thought that it was him that I had similar beliefs with, but I'm glad to find out I was wrong. My question now is how did you save yourself from losing after?""

The mayor continued talking, "Soon after nearly losing, I learned that what demons really wanted was for the city to remain the same. That was also the same time where I learned that what I wanted would not work, so I promised them exactly what they wanted. I allowed them the freedom that they wanted, and ever since I've been their mayor with my opponent barely posing a good competition. At that point, my duty as mayor mainly came to be so that Goliath could never have that power."

"But surely you've noticed that Goliath's vote count has been steadily rising. He's getting closer and closer to finally winning. What are you planning to do then?" Sunset asked again.

"That is a good question, Sunset Shimmer, but I'm afraid I'm not entirely sure what I can do. Goliath may be a threat to our way of living in Sinner City, but he is also an invincible man. Especially given the fact we have no justice systems, he cannot be brought down. All we can really do is hope that him winning never comes to be.

"I have a question for you now, Miss Shimmer. What ideas are you offering that I haven't already tried in the past?" the mayor asked with a sad look on his face.

Sunset couldn't answer the question. She almost didn't even want to. Never before had she considered the possibility that the mayor really did try at one point. What she had been told tonight seemed to make every idea she had meaningless. In the end, Sunset said nothing, but dropping her head with shame spoke enough for Rattingsbottom to understand.

"I... really had no idea," Sunset said silently.

Rattingsbottom sighed. "I'm sorry if you didn't find what you were looking for, dear. I admire your optimism and I say to never lose that, but if you're going to place it anywhere, don't place it on hope. You'll just disappoint yourself even more. Is there anything else you'd like to know?"

Sunset shook her head. "No, thank you. I think I have everything I need." She stood up and began to make her leave. "Thank you for everything, sir." And with that, Sunset left the mayor's office.

Every word of the mayor's just flew around her head, highlighting a different one every second. It messed with her mind majorly. She seemed to get nothing that she wanted, but at the same time it was like she got everything she needed. If she were to continue to hold onto hope like she had been trying to do all this time, it may just lead her down a dark road of misery. It may be now that she must come to accept it, Sinner City is as good as it will ever be.

With her head remaining low, she pressed the button to the elevator. It opened immediately before her and she travelled back down the one hundred and twenty floors, leaving the building through the reception and heading her way back home. Even if there was no hope for the city as the mayor says, at least Sunset can trust Barbed Wire to always be the best thing about it. Thinking that, it somewhat lifted her spirits.

---

Shortly after Sunset's departure, the tower's doors opened once again for the arrival of another pair of demons.

"I'm sorry, the tower is closed," the receptionist lady said, not looking up from her computer. "If you have an appointment, you'll have to come back tomorr- Oh! Sir Hendrickson! I wasn't expecting you tonight."

"Sorry to pop in unannounced, but I have urgent business with Mr Rattingsbottom." The tyrant extended one of his long claws. "How about we cut the greetings short, hmm?"

---

Theodore Rattingsbottom had started preparing to leave the office, packing up his work in a small brown briefcase. But he was cut short by a new knock on his office door. Strange. He hadn't invited two demons to visit tonight, had he?

"Come in," he said regardless.

The door opened and in came a very unexpected guest. "Theodore Rattingsbottom! My old friend!" Goliath joyously greeted.

Rattingsbottom smirked at his arrival. "Well, isn't this a surprise! Good evening, Goliath! What brings you here so late at night?"

"Is it a crime to visit my oldest rival?" Goliath asked. He held higher up a long, green bottle in his claws. "I thought that perhaps we could do a bit of catching up and share a drink, especially before the announcement tomorrow morning."

Rattingsbottom gave the offer a thought. "Well, it has been a while since I've been able to wind down a bit... Oh, go on then! Let me go grab some glasses."

Goliath held up a hand to stop Rattingsbottom. "Fret not, Theodore. I'll sort it out. You can just sit down."

After Rattingsbottom took his seat again, Goliath moved over to the cabinets sitting at the left wall, grabbing two wine glasses off of a shelf and pulling the cork out of the bottle.

"I must say, it has been a while since we've managed to talk outside of work. How have you been faring lately, Goliath?" Rattingsbottom asked from his chair.

"Oh, it's always the usual. Business, business, work, work. It's a never ending cycle, really. I just feel lucky to have finally found some free time." Goliath poured the red liquid into both glasses.

"How are you feeling about tomorrow? The gap in the vote count appears to be closer than ever, but I believe we both know who the victor is going to be."

Goliath's claws tensed around the glass he was pouring. "Remember, Theo, it's a bad idea to count your chickens before they hatch. Every failure is a lesson, and I've used my collected knowledge to find a way to finally beat you."

Behind him, Goliath could hear his rival give a small laugh. "Well, then. Who knows, maybe one day the victory shall be yours."

"Yes, maybe one day."

Out of Rattingsbottom's view, Goliath stuck one of his claws into one of the glasses. There was then a very subtle purple tint added to the red liquid, that of which couldn't be noticed in the room's darkness. He grabbed both glasses and made his way back to the desk, handing the mayor his drink.

"But enough about me or the elections. How have you been, Theo? I can imagine you having a fair share of stories to tell," Goliath said, taking his chair and crossing one leg over the other.

Rattingsbottom traced the rim of his drink with one of his hairy fingers. "Well, it is quite a coincidence, but not long before you arrived, I had a conversation with that girl from one of the debates. You remember Sunset Shimmer, right?"

That name again! It enraged Goliath beyond anything else. Everywhere he would go, that name was sure to follow. What a mistake he made making her feel like she could stick her nose where it didn't belong! But wait, perhaps this was a blessing in disguise...

"Oh, really? What was she saying?" Goliath asked, hiding his anger from the name drop.

"She believed that she could possibly help out in fixing the city's biggest issues. However, I told her that I've already tried everything to no avail," Rattingsbottom explained. He let out a long sigh. "Poor girl left the place feeling so disheartened. I hate to have been the one to break her dreams. She has a good heart, that Sunset."

Goliath shook his head, spinning the wine in his glass. "She's childish. Of course the future of the city has potential, but the last thing it will have is harmony. She just hasn't spent enough time here to figure out how to survive yet."

"Perhaps. I just hope she stays safe. It's a harsh world out there."

Goliath was getting tired of having to hear about that girl any longer. It was clear he had to move things along himself. "I propose a toast. May we hope for a better future where all demons can live alike. May the citizens be given a ruler that of which they deserve. May Sinner City one day thrive to glory. To the next mayor." He held his glass closer to Rattingsbottom's.

"To the next mayor," Rattingsbottom repeated, bringing his glass forward too.

The two rivalling candidates clinked their glasses and they both took a long sip of their drinks. Goliath watched Rattingsbottom drink his particularly closely.

A few seconds after finishing his sip, Rattingsbottom began feeling very strange. It was like his stomach was churning on a larger scale. The sensation seemed to move further up his small body and into his chest, causing a major burning feeling in his lungs. Then it proceeded to move again into his throat where it seemed to halt completely, and suddenly Rattingsbottom began to choke! He clutched at his chest, trying to stop the choking, but his efforts amounted to nothing! He reached out to Goliath in a last ditch effort, but Goliath just watched him. Staring at him with his sinister grin. The last thought that went through Rattingsbottom mind was one of shock and fear. Goliath did this to him! The former mayor's eyes began to close as he had now lost control of his body, falling off his chair and landing on the cold, hard floors. Theodore Rattingsbottom was dead!

With his work now finished, Goliath finished his drink and took both of their wine glasses and hid them in his jacket. He then took out his phone and dialled a number. On the receiving end answered Montgomery who had stayed in the reception.

"My part is now done, Monty. How has your job been?" Goliath asked.

"I've disabled the cameras and removed all footage of us in the building," Montgomery explained over the phone. "We should be in the clear now."

"While you are still at it, I'd like to add a little something. I've come to learn that Sunset Shimmer was just here before we arrived."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

"I want you to keep the footage of her entering, but remove all the footage of her leaving. I believe this tragedy won't have to be a mystery after all."

"Can do, sir. I'll get right to it now."

"Bless you, Montgomery! I'll be returning shortly," Goliath said before hanging up the phone. He looked down onto his former rival's corpse one last time. "Well, Theo, it looks like I win."

---

The next morning arrived, and needless to say not very many demons were all too excited. For centuries the winner has never changed, so any hope that it would be any different this time around would ultimately be meaningless.

In Barb's apartment, Sunset was sitting on her couch/bed and was currently tuned into the news, waiting for the announcement to be made. However, she wasn't particularly excited about anything given the talk she had the night before. All she could really be happy about is that Rattingsbottom was going to win like he always did.

Barb walked into the living room to see her slouching roommate. "You still want to watch this? You know there's literally no point, right?"

Sunset glanced up to look at Barbed Wire. "Oh, hey Barb. I just figured I'd watch it anyway. It's my first one after all. How'd your match go last night?"

The couch leaned far to one side as Barb jumped into her seat. "Meh, pretty easy, really. Dible won't allow me too much time to get better, but he's at least given me stuff I can handle. I'm sorry I couldn't be there with you, though."

"It was probably for the best," Sunset said with a sombre tone.

"Why? What happened?" Barb asked, leaning forward to get a better look at her friend's face.

Sunset turned her head further towards the window. "He... well, opened my eyes I guess I should say. He was willing to listen, but even if my ideas did go through, it wouldn't have made a change anyway." She visibly wiped her eye with the cuff of her jacket.

At this moment, Sunset would have expected Barbed Wire to become more aggressive like she usually would if Sunset was sad. Probably promising something like breaking Rattingsbottom's arms or whatever. However, she was caught off guard by Barb softly wrapping her arms around her.

"I'm sorry, Sunset," she said very faintly.

At least she always had her. Sunset managed to spin around within Barb's embrace and hugged her back. "It's okay," she replied.

They would have remained in eachother's arms for a while longer if it wasn't for the TV speaking loudly. "We interrupt this programme with some terrible news! Earlier this morning, candidate for mayor, Theodore Rattingsbottom, has been found dead in this office!"

"WHAT?!" Sunset and Barb exclaimed in unison.

"Reports say that his body was found on the floor of his office with froth and liquid in his mouth. It's theorised that late last night, Rattingsbottom may have been poisoned! We now go live to Goliath for his comment."

The TV switched perspectives from the reporter to Goliath, now standing atop a stage with multiple microphones in front of him. "It absolutely devastates me to hear that my old friend has passed on. Whomever could have done this, I will do everything in my power that they pay the ultimate price!"

The reporter took over once again. "With the death of the only other candidate, Goliath has now been automatically elected mayor of Sinner City. As for the criminal responsible for Theodore Rattingsbottom's death, we have also received camera footage from the Mayor's Tower last night has been discovered, showing the culprit before and after leaving the scene of the crime. Have a look now."

Sunset and Barb gasped as to what came on screen. It showed the camera footage of Sunset entering the building and even when she was in the mayor's office. Static was then showing for a few seconds, but when the picture reappeared. Rattingsbottom's corpse could be seen on the ground with the room left completely empty otherwise. And then it showed the reception again with the mayor's assistant laying in a pool of her own blood. Sunset's body began shaking furiously with her face being horrified. It just couldn't be...

"The demon responsible has been identified as Sunset Shimmer! A bounty has now been placed to deliver to Mayor Goliath for further punishment."

Sunset fell to her knees as a clear picture of her appeared on screen. "N-No...! It- It can't be!"

Next Chapter: Chapter 11: Beginning of Reckoning Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 25 Minutes