Her body was left alone, floating through nothing. She could see, she could breath, but she could not move nor speak. She was as still as if she were dead. But she couldn't be dead, could she?

Nothing made sense. This space, she could not tell how long she had been floating here. It may have been weeks, though, it only felt like hours. How did she get here?

Her memory was very faint. One moment, they were at that tower, and then suddenly darkness.

For however long she spent here, the only thing that seemed to exist was the only thing she could remember, that night. It was constantly replayed before her. Surrounding her, it was his office. Behind her was the body of her friend, and in front was the snake.

She had no power in this space. All she could do was let herself be thrown around like a ragdoll. She was flung towards the shattered window, hanging off the edge with broken glass sinking into her fingers as her body dangled hundreds upon hundreds of feet in the air.

It was all coming back now...

She was just ready to fall, but there she came from the darkness inside, her friend. She came just in time to save her. It was all going to be okay.

But then, she felt that familiar ear piercing metal shing pass right through her ears again.

Her friend just stood, looking horrified. Through her mouth barely escaped her last word, "Sun... set." And then, she was pulled back into the dark room.

She screamed and shouted only for nothing to come out.

And then, he appeared once more. The snake looked her in the eye one last time, all before he finally took it all away.

She felt herself plummeting through the wind beneath her, causing her hair to fly and blind her. But as she fell, she could hear her voice once more. Slowly, it was coming back, and the very moment that she realised she was screaming the name of her friend, she hit the ground.

And she woke up.

Sunset Shimmer opened her eyes, though, she was not sure if she actually did. In the few seconds it took for her vision to adjust, she believed that she was stuck in an even worse darkness now. But she soon put together that it was just a dark room.

She raised herself onto her elbows. It was there she could feel how much of a sweaty mess she was. The blanket that covered her could barely fall down with how hard it clung to her body. Sunset tried to look through the darkness, but from what little she could see, she didn't recognise this place. There were no windows. Just walls and wooden crates all over the place, a couple of which she was resting on top of.

Moving to sit on the edge of the large boxes, Sunset then noticed a plethora of bodies all across the floor. She was close to screaming in terror, luckily hearing some demons snoring. Everyone appeared to be asleep. Sunset gave a relieved sigh, figuring that she must have woken up rather late.

But not all appeared to be resting so easily, as a small light flickered on right behind Sunset. She spun around to see a very familiar face.

"So, you're finally back," Volcano the hyena demon greeted, holding up a lantern. "Took you long enough."

"Volcano?" Sunset whispered. "Where are we?"

"My bar's cellar. Just about the only safe place left in the whole city."

"What happened here?" the clueless girl asked.

Volcano raised his brow to the unexpected question. "Shit, you've been out for a while, huh? Wish I could live as clueless as you," he said with heavy snark, drawing a small grin on his face which barely lasted a few seconds before falling back down into a frown. "But I guess to make a long fuckin' story short, Goliath and his army took control of the whole city. Anyone caught going against him, they're as good as dead."

Sunset's heart sank upon hearing this news. She remembered, at the tower when she lost. Goliath must have immediately moved through the entire city. He really won, and now Sinner City was in more disarray than ever. How could she have failed this horribly?

"Hey, don't you normally have a jacket or something?" Volcano pointed out.

By being so caught up by the sudden confusion and chaos, Sunset hadn't taken time to notice that, yes, the leather jacket she normally wore was gone. Upon inspecting herself further, she also realised that the back of her dark-red tank top was badly damaged, with what felt like two large vertical holes going down almost the length. "Guess it got stolen while I was out," she figured.

"Hmm, can't imagine why." Volcano then reached off somewhere in the darkness and returned with a bag of chips, already half empty. "Here, you gotta be starving. It's not much, but it's all we got for now."

Sunset took the food and looked at the flavour. Sulted flavour Slay's. Not her favourite kind, but she wasn't going to be picky. "Thank you," she responded to his generous gesture. She lightly crunched on the black, crispy chips, doing her best as to not wake anyone up.

"So, what's your story? How'd Kiki end up finding you in a dumpster?" Volcano asked.

Sunset almost choked on a chip after that disgusting thought. "I was what?!" she almost accidentally yelled. With a silencing gesture from Volcano, Sunset controlled herself and brought her voice down again. "Well, after Rattingsbottom died, which I didn't do, by the way."

"Didn't think so," Volcano responded.

"After that, Barb and I went to the mayor's office to try get some answers, but Goliath tried to bring us down. He threw me off his building, and Barb... She's..." Her head slowly dropped, tears beginning to form in her eyes having to look back at that moment.

A light canine whimper came out of Volcano as he understood what happened. "Shit..."

Sunset rubbed her eyes. "And that's the last thing I remember. He was too strong; we didn't stand a chance. Now the city's in chaos because of me."

"Hey, it ain't your fault. He's an evil mother-fucker, but I'll give him that he's smart. He's always been a step ahead of everyone," the hyena tried to reassure. They then heard someone begin to groan in their sleep. "We'll talk more in the morning. Try get some sleep, okay?"

"Okay. Thank you, Volcano," Sunset said, resting her back against the side of her box in hope of more comfort.

"Ack, it's nothin'," Volcano said finally before putting out the light in his lantern.

But she wouldn't find much rest that night. With far too much on her mind, it wasn't possible. To think that she had been gone for what looked to be a long time, and during that the city was being destroyed. Just when she thought Hell could not possible get any worse, it never ceased to surprise her.

After a few hours, which felt like days for Sunset, some demons were beginning to wake up. It was still dark as night down there, so Sunset could only assume it was morning. Other lanterns were lit from all around. Now, Sunset was able get a better look at this cellar.

All around, there were demons of all forms and sizes, none of which Sunset recognised. No one appeared to be keeping too fine, with just about everyone having suffered some sort of injury, either bruised, bandaged, or most commonly both.

The demons that had woken up each took notice of Sunset's awakening, with the ones sitting closest to her trying to push themselves further into the wall. Their expressions spoke fear.

"Are you all okay?" she calmly asked, reaching a hand out towards them. But upon doing so, they only retreated further back, resulting in some pushing themselves up the wall into standing. "What's wrong?"

No one would answer. She looked around and most, if not all demons gave her the same look. Everyone appeared to be afraid of her, with the ones she was closest to quivering from head to toe. Sunset reeled her hand back, taking her place back beside her crate with all eyes on her.

Though, she quickly noticed that among the demons that had woken up, Volcano had also, rubbing an eye with a furry hand. Sunset got onto her feet and made her way to the only face she knew.

She sat beside him. "Hey, Volcano," she greeted with a half-hearted smile.

"Hey," Volcano wearily returned. "Sleep alright?"

"I didn't really get any sleep."

"Yeah, it takes some getting used to." He arched his back backwards until a crack could be heard. "Still fuckin' sucks, though."

Sunset shook her head. "That's not it. I was thinking about, well, a lot last night... about everything."

A silence suddenly fell between the two. Their attention was mainly paid to the other demons who had moved on to their own thing.

"Everyone here seems scared of me," Sunset told the hyena, not taking her eyes off the unfortunate crowd.

Volcano hissed. "Yeah... Just about everyone here thinks it's your fault. One time I had to stop a few of these dumbasses from tossing your body up top," he explained.

Sunset quickly turned her head towards him with shock. "You're kidding."

"'Fraid not. Don't worry, I gave them a mouthful. Though, I'd watch my back if I were you."

"God..." A frown forced its way onto Sunset's face again. "These poor demons. If only I'd been better, I could have stopped this."

"Hey, don't go putting all that weight on yourself. It was gonna happen anyway. That's just Hell, we gotta live with it." Volcano proceeded to drink what was left in a bottle of alcohol.

"Look at them, Volcano. Hell or not, this is no way to have to live." Anyone could see it as plain as day. Under shell trying to survive, everyone was scared. "They're going to die waiting," Sunset quietly said to herself. Enough was enough. Sunset stood up with an aggressive look and took for the stairs up.

"Where you going?" Volcano asked.

"To Goliath. I couldn't prevent this, but I'm sure as hell gonna end it," Sunset explained.

Volcano rushed up the steps and grabbed the demoness' wrist. "Are you nuts?! His army will decimate you the second you step out there! No demon has a chance squaring off against them!"

"Well, they've never met a demon like me. Now, let go!"

"Even with your weird devil shit, you got no chance going alone. What are you going to prove by killing yourself?"

Sunset gave in trying to pull away and, instead, exhaled angrily. "I owe it to everyone. Because of me, Goliath is destroying everything. Because of me, everyone is struggling to survive. Because of me, my friend is dead! I have to do something, or else it will have all been in vain!"

Volcano shook his head. "Going out there won't change anything, Sunset. If Barb were here, she'd want you to stay safe. I've seen how she treated you against everyone else. She really cared 'bout you, y'know."

Sunset was then left silent. Volcano's words caused her heart to soften, causing her eyes to water. In an instant, so many memories of the time they both spent flashed in her mind. From bitter beginnings to ever strengthening bonds. If she wasn't angry, she always had that snarky smile.

But she died fighting for Sunset, and all she wanted to do now was return the favour.

"But..." she began with a quiet and hoarse voice, "...if I don't do it, who will?"

Volcano looked down at the floor for an answer. However, his thought was suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs.

"V-Volcano?" Sunset asked hesitantly.

Volcano immediately placed a paw over her mouth, not taking his eyes off the upstairs. "Shh."

The attention of everyone was put towards the slow creaking beyond the cellar door. Any light was put out and they were as quiet as could be. The only sound was the suppressed whimpering of some demons. They all patiently waited. The footsteps had stopped, but no one heard them leaving. Everyone knew, whoever it was, they were still there.

Sunset didn't know how to react. She had come from learning and witnessing so much in such little time, causing her head to spin, and the hand from Volcano forced her to hold her breath for so long she was ready to black out. However, an idea managed to surface.

After a quick succession of blinking, she began to see the outside. It was too dark to distinguish much, but among the shadows, she could definitely see a figure standing behind the bar. A large demon, with horns protruding from their head.

She took her friend's paw away from her face. "Wait, is that-?"

And then, a series of specific knocks were heard hitting off the door. Upon hearing it, the lights all came back on, and just about everyone gave off sighs of relief. Volcano went up the stairs, unlocked the latch and pushed up the door, allowing the newcomer inside.

Sunset watched as the demon came down from the darkness and into the light. After a moment, she could finally see their face, and he could see hers.

"S... Sunset?" Big Softie said with disbelief.

Overwhelmed with emotions, Sunset suddenly broke down as she rushed to the blue bull demon. "Big Softie!" She jumped and embraced the big lug. "Thank goodness you're alive!"

"I can't believe it, you're finally awake!" Big Softie laughed with glee, tightly holding the girl in return, almost breaking her back from sheer excitement. "I thought we lost you! How are you feeling?"

After a few more seconds, Sunset brought herself back onto the floor. "I'm fine, but what about you? Were you outside?" she asked.

Softie waved her worries off. "Ack, not so bad when you know the streets like I do."

"Yeah, but why?"

"He's one of my supply runners. He insisted, so not much I could do," Volcano enlightened. "Speakin' of, find much, big guy?"

Big Softie nodded as he showed the large white sack slung over his shoulder. "Got enough to do us good for a couple more days. Anyone else come back yet?"

"Not yet. It shouldn't be too long, though," Volcano said as he looked through the bag of supplies. He picked up a bottle which rattled in his grip and then hurled it towards a demon across the room. "Painkillers. Should help with the fever." The demon in question gave him a weak thumbs-up followed by a loud sniff.

As the bartender continued to hand out supplies, Sunset and Softie took off to sit with each other.

"It's so great to see you again, Softie," Sunset began. A smile spread across her face.

"Same. It's fuckin' crazy out there, but finally seeing you awake after waiting so long, gotta be the best news yet," Softie said. "Y'know, I had a look where you were found, hoping maybe I'd find Barb. But I couldn't. You wouldn't happen to know, would ya?"

Grief suddenly filled Sunset's chest once more. Her mind was pulled away by the excitement of seeing one friend again that she briefly forgot her grievance for the other. "Oh, Softie. Barb is... gone." She placed a hand on his big arm and gave him a sad look. "I'm so sorry."

Big Softie's face fell. "Barb's dead?" he asked, proceeding to ask it many more times in his own head. His old partner and friend... He then shook his head. "No. I don't believe it. She can't be. She's too stubborn to die."

While Sunset believed that to be true, it did not stop her from seeing those three blades in her head. "I suppose she would be, but Goliath was just far too powerful, even greater than my devil strength. I don't even know how I survived."

Big Softie looked up in wonder. "Well, I don't know much, but I'd say this was more than a stroke of luck," he thought out loud.

Sunset turned to him with a muddled look. "What do you mean?"

The bull demon shrugged in response. "Maybe not fate, but I think with what ya got, ya gotta make meanin' out of it. You lasted the fall, but can ya get back up?"

"Are you suggesting I fight back? I already tried that, but Volcano shot that dream down before I could make it to the door."

"Who said you had to go it alone?"

Sunset had not thought of that possibility, mainly because she did not want to. After facing the consequences once with one demon, she didn't even want to imagine what would be lost if the blood of many more demons were on her hands. "I'm sorry, but it's too great a cost. I'm not having someone lose their afterlife for me again."

"Then what are you gonna do?" Big Softie asked

"I... I don't know. I want to save everyone, but Volcano was right, there's no way I can defeat him."

Softie tried to move into Sunset's line of sight. "Not on your own."

"Big Softie, stop! I told you, I'm not doing it. We lost, that's it!" Sunset then turned away from him. Her own words only caused her heart to break even more.

Big Softie had about enough of this. With an aggravated look on his face, he stood up and went to the centre of the room. He then took a deep breath and shouted, "HEY!" This loud act gained the attention of everydemon. They looked in silence, wondering what Softie could possibly want.

He then began to speak, "Listen up, you miserable bastards! We've been cooped up in this basement for weeks now and we haven't got a damn thing to show for it. If we stay here, we're gonna die here. Do any of you want that?" He was given no response. "Didn't think so. So why sit here and slowly waste away, when we can go to that bitch snake and take our home back? Goliath might be strong, but he sure as hell isn't invincible. If we band together, I know we got a chance to dethrone that monster!" Softie held a fist up high.

"And why should we listen to you?" a demon from the audience asked. "We know what you're all nice and shit around her." They pointed directly to Sunset. "Killing Rattingsbottom, standing with Goliath at the election. How do we know you're both not secretly working for him? You might just want to hand us over to him! I know you've certainly got nothing to lose, Softie!"

Big Softie just looked at the demon with a horrible, fiery glare. He hardly noticed he began dragging his foot on the ground. But he suppressed his anger and continued on.

"I've nothing to lose, huh? What about my friend, who has helped me through one of the hardest things I've ever done, and who I was sure wasn't even gonna wake up? I get your concern, and I can't really prove otherwise, but I trust her more than anything. For me, she is worth fighting for."

Sunset held her hands close to her chest after hearing her friend's words.

"And I know I'm not the only one with something to fight for. Who here has lost something because of this destruction?"

Every demon in the room began looking at one another. While it was silent, anyone could tell, each of them had something they had lost.

The first to make another sound was Volcano, giving a heavy sigh. All eyes were on him. "I lost my bar. I never imagined, for as long as I'd been doin' it, that I'd miss the slow, mundane afterlife."

"Fight for it, Volcano. Get back the chance to sell drinks again," Big Softie responded.

"I lost my home," another demon spoke up. "You know, after years of trying to make the place look good, it's pretty fucking aggravating to not see it anymore!"

"Fight for it!"

"I lost my damn mags! That's thousands of sickles down the hole thanks to that shithead!" An awkward silence followed.

"...Sure! It's still worth fighting for!"

"I lost my best friend. I haven't seen her since this started. I hope she's okay," a demoness told with a quiet voice. She sat against the wall with her arms wrapped around her closed legs.

Upon hearing this demoness' loss, Big Softie turned to Sunset. As he expected, her words struck a chord with his friend as she looked at the poor girl with a sad look. After Sunset then noticed Softie staring at her, he gestured for her to go see the demoness.

Sunset hopped off from the box she sat on and went towards the demoness, kneeling before her and passing her a soft, kind look. "I'm sure she is. I... also lost a friend, and I know, wherever she is, I would do anything for her."

The demoness slightly raised her head to meet Sunset's eyes. "I-I would too."

Sunset held her arms out, inviting the demoness into an embrace. The girl was hesitant, but in the end, she accepted the offer, and the two hugged it put.

"So," Big Softie began, now bearing a confident look, "who's with me?"

There was not a peep at first, but with the expression on everyone's faces, Softie could tell that they weren't sure. Perhaps they were waiting for someone else to speak up. Near the back of the crowd, a demon finally broke the silence. Standing up from where he watched, Volcano walked towards the leader and held a hand out.

"I am," the hyena said.

Big Softie proudly took the hand, welcoming the bartender to the resistance.

Then suddenly, one by one, each demon began nodding at each other before holding their own fists in the air. They each repeated Volcano's words.

"I'm in!"

"So am I!"

"Fuck it! Why not?"

By the second, more and more demons were on board. The resistance was made official, with Big Softie as the leader. Finally, after weeks of waiting for this greater hell to end, a glimmer of a chance seemed to shine. There was just one more demoness that needed convincing.

After parting with the demoness on the floor, Sunset went towards Softie. She wasn't feeling as down as she was anymore, but she couldn't look Softie in the eye.

Big Softie figured he would talk first, "You know, I don't think we can handle this alone. We could use some of that devil strength ya got."

Sunset covered her mouth with a hand, but Big Softie could see that smile shine through. "Okay," she said softly. Her eyes finally met his. "I'm in." She wasn't sure how he managed to pull it off, but Big Softy, single-handedly, somehow managed to bring the good out of tens of once miserable demons. For the first time in forever, there was hope.

However, none of them knew of the darkness that would soon befall on them, for in the peak of the Mayor's Tower stood an ever-growing impatient Goliath. The tyrant stared out his window, looking down upon his great city. Thousands of his army patrolled through the grid-iron pattern of the streets, thousands more continuing to hide in-between. He was growing tired of the same sight everyday. Goliath almost felt ready for so much more.

At that moment, the door to his office opened, and in came his second in command.

"Montgomery," the mayor greeted. "I trust you've come with an update on my little project."

The sheep demon nodded. "I do, sire. Preparations are finally one hundred percent complete! They are ready to go at your command."

"Exc-sss-ellent. And what about the search party?"

Montgomery gulped anxiously before giving more. "U-Unfortunately, the body of Sunset Shimmer is still... yet to be found."

Goliath sighed, rubbing his temples. "It is one girl," he stated with annoyance. "How is it so difficult for one of thousands of soldiers to find her?"

"A-Are you mad, sire?" Montgomery slowly began taking a few steps back.

"Well, dear Monty," the mayor started as he turned around to face his assistant, "she has been my number one threat since we met. We've been faced with the likeliness that she is alive. And now, just when I want her the most, she disappears with no trace. So, let's ask again, am I, Goliath Hendrickson, mad?!" By this point, Goliath was looming directly on top of the much smaller man.

He then sighed. "No. I've just about grown numb to it. However, I am severely disappointed. That girl is out there, somewhere. As far as we are aware, she could be plotting something, just as we are finally ready. She's the last factor. It cannot be risked."

"What about the prisoner?" Montgomery suddenly suggested.

Goliath stood frozen. He hadn't considered that. "The... prisoner, yes." A new plan was formulating in his mind at that moment. "I've got it!" he declared. "If we cannot find Sunset Shimmer, then we will bring her to us! Inform the soldiers to ready themselves, Montgomery! It is time we finally begin!"

Sunset looked across all the demons. She was certain she had never seen so many smiles in the months she's spent in Hell. Everyone looked confident, finally looking at the brighter side of things even during this bleak time.

Big Softie then came and sat next to her, to which she nudged his arm. "You really got everyone pumped up."

Softie chuckled. "Yeah. All some demons need is just a little remindin' of what they got."

Sunset rolled her eyes. "I know you're not just talking about them."

"Well, yeah. I hate seein' ya so glum, Sunset. I get you feel like ya gotta face this alone, but we got your back. And it won't all be on you either; everyone's got a bone to pick with that shithead. This is our time to make him pay."

To see such enthusiasm oozing from the bulky demon, it made Sunset very happy. Despite the conditions, one could mistake this moment being as joyous (at least, as joyous as it was) as the times before. But upon looking at everyone again, a thought did cross her mind. "You've really done an amazing job! Though, there's just a teeny little something that I'm kinda worried about."

"Let me guess, our entire rebellion can't even fill up a basement."

Sunset overdramatically acted surprised. "Oh man! How'd you guess?" The two shared a small laugh. "But yeah, I'm not sure if we have enough demons on board. If we're gonna win this, we need to get more."

"Well, just so happens I know some possible candidates. If you want, we could both go a little huntin'," Softie suggested.

Sunset's eyebrows shot upwards. "A-Are you sure? Isn't it really dangerous out there?"

"Trust me, ya couldn't be any safer than with me. It'll be smooth sailing to each of them."

"Well, if you're sure." The two hopped off their sitting crates. "But is Volcano okay with us leaving out of nowhere?"

"Don't worry about him. Besides, we need this, right? So, let's go."

Sunset slowly nodded as she regained her confidence. "You're right, let's do this!" Sunset and Big Softie then took for the surface.

In the centre of a desolate street, a sewer lid opened slightly. A pair of eyes scoured around, checking if anyone was passing by. After deeming it empty, the lid was pushed aside to make way for Big Softie and Sunset.

As soon as her head was out, Sunset began gasping for air as though she had been holding it the entire duration underground.

"You know, after doing it once before, I thought I'd be at least prepared for the smell again," said Sunset, happy to smell the regular fiery fumes of the surface again.

Softie snickered. "It'll take a few more times. Anyway, we're not far away now." The two walked alongside eachother down the street.

"So, who's the first one we're after?" Sunset asked.

"Probably the happiest demon in all the city right now, which ain't saying much because he's still a piece of shit," Softie described. "I don't know his name, but I did try invite him to the bar. He just said he was fine where he was, and after seeing a fuck-ton of bodies around his hideout, that about convinced me he was perfectly fine."

"Oh, wow. I don't think I wanna get on his bad side," Sunset responded, followed with a light chuckled, but there was an insincerity to it. Really, the main thing on her mind at the moment the sight of the streets.

Everywhere they went, it all looked so lonely. Everywhere appeared to be abandoned. Sunset tried to look away, but every direction she turned she'd see no more than shattered windows, splintered doors and blood-stained walls. She resorted to just looking at the ground as she went on.

After a few minutes more of walking, Softie suddenly stopped, and Sunset barely saved herself from bumping into him. "We're here," he said.

They both looked up to the building. There wasn't a single light that could be seen by the windows. It looked to be nothing but pure darkness inside, causing the duo feelings of uneasiness. The one thing they could see was the flickering red plus sign hanging at the top corner of the building. It was the hospital.

Staring in through the front door, it didn't make them feel any easier. Had there not been dim lights brightening the void, they both might have decided to not walk into their possible doom and turn back. However, it was barely a time to stop. Big Softie was the first to move, with Sunset following behind. They began exploring the gloomy hospital, with even their slightest footsteps echoing through the halls. They could scarcely mostly anything around them, it was so dark.

"Hey, Softie? Are you sure this guy's even here?" Sunset asked. "It's so quiet..."

"This is where I saw him last. He might'a ditched."

As they ventured further into the building, it only became darker. The two had no idea where they were anymore, or where they were going. In what seemed to be a new room, Sunset found herself bumping into something. "Sorry, Softie," she said, holding her hands out to find him.

"That... wasn't me," Big Softie said, sounding to be much further down the room than Sunset.

A chill suddenly went up Sunset's spine. "What...?" She then caught the thing she hit, feeling all around it. It certainly felt like a demon, but it swung around with every little touch.

In a pocket she found, she felt a long, round plastic object with one end being wider. She pressed a button on it and the end brightly shined, almost blinding her.

"You got a flashlight?" Big Softie asked in the distance.

"Yeah, I think I-" She stopped as her eyes readjusted to the new lighting. After shining the flashlight forward, she found what she had bumped into. Dangling upside-down from the ceiling was a soldier missing his face!

Sunset screamed and clumsily stepped backwards towards a rope. She tripped over it and fell on the floor, to which a trap was set off, causing Sunset's ankles to be tied together and then pulled upwards, leaving her hanging upside-down.

"Sunset! Are you okay?! Woah!" By what Sunset heard afterwards, Big Softie triggered another trap.

"Softie!" Sunset called out.

"I'm good!" the tied up bull replied.

Thinking quickly, Sunset immediately tried to reach for the knot holding her feet. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reach. She then looked around for her flashlight. It was found laying on the floor directly below her, also being just out of reach. What a day this turned out to be. She continued to struggle without any success.

But when hope of being saved was non-existent, an opening door echoed somewhere in the blackness, followed by slow, light footsteps. The team held their breath in hope that this newcomer didn't notice them.

"Ah, fresh meat!" a new voice said. They noticed them. A switched was then flicked and, one by one, the lights all turned on, revealing the room to everyone.

Surrounding Sunset was a plethora of soldier bodies, each one looking to be missing a random part of their body, where one would be missing an arm, and another missing a leg. She then found Big Softie. The trap he triggered didn't look to work as well with him as he laid flat on the floor with his feet hovering only slightly.

But at the end of the room was the source of the new voice. There stood a short, hooded demon. Neither of them could properly see their face, even as they came approaching.

The short demon was laughing menacingly. "Well, well. What an unfortunate twist of fate. Sent to kill, only to be killed. But don't you worry, I'll make sure your deaths are swift and painless, you snake ass-kissing- Wait." The demon then pulled down their hood, finally showing their face. Or, in this case, his beaked mask. "Number three?"

"Doctor? You're alive?" Sunset asked. She remembered this guy all too well, and she wished she didn't. Dr. Plague Doctor, the guy who diagnosed her with Devilitis through... unique tests. She could still recall that knife in her arm.

"What? Are you surprised?"

Sunset shrugged upside-down. "Kinda, yeah. You're a very outgoing demon, and not in a good way."

"Excuse you!" the doctor exclaimed. "Anyway, what do you want? And make it quick, I'm really busy here."

"We were gonna ask if you wanted to join our resistance to fight against Goliath and his army," Big Softie spoke, currently acting as ground for the small doctor to stand upon.

The doctor stared directly down at the much larger demon below him, almost poking his eye out with his beak. "Oh! Didn't notice you there, big guy. Fight Goliath, huh? What's in it for me?" He suddenly turned deadpan.

Right to the point with this guy, much like she remembered. "You get to take out more soldiers, I guess?"

The doctor rubbed the underside of his beak in wonder. "Hmm, intriguing offer indeed. Alright, I'm sold! You've come at a good time as well, I was just putting the finishing touches on my little project."

"Does it have to do with the missing demon limbs?" Softie wondered.

"I'm so glad you asked! Here, let me get you out of this." The doctor proceeded to pull out a stained knife from under his cloak and began cutting away at the binds. After releasing Big Softie with no issues at all, the doctor then climbed up the dangling girl's body, much to the dismay of said dangling girl who was forced to endure feet that have stepped in God knows what.

It wasn't until he was midway through Sunset's rope that she realised the world of hurt to follow as soon as her ankles were free. "Softie, catch me!"

In an instant, the final threads of rope snapped on their own and gravity was about to take its toll on Sunset's skull, for Softie to then narrowly save her by grabbing her body while she was still the wrong way around. Sunset opened her eyes to see the hard floor barely an inch away.

She gave a hard and relieved sigh. "Thanks," her voice cracked.

"Don't mention it," Softie replied.

But with no interest in the events that transpired whatsoever, the doctor walked by and back down the hall he came from. "Come, come." He gestured for them to follow. With not many choices, the two quietly complied.

The doctor brought Sunset and Softie into a new room. It looked like an emergency room remodeled to be some kind of laboratory. There were trays of all kinds of tools and sharp objects, all of which surrounded a desk covered by a white tarp. A large figure appeared to be underneath, with fat cables connected to a generator also disappearing beneath the cloth.

"What ya got there, Doc?" Big Softie asked.

"Oh, only my life's work over the past couple weeks. Behold!" The doctor then threw the large tarp off the table, making way for a disfigured abomination hidden underneath, clearly made up from the missing limbs and organs from the soldiers!

The two recoiled in horror, with Sunset having to immediately look away before she threw up.

"What the FUCK is that?!" Big Softie shouted, pointing directly at the monster.

The doctor clapped like a giddy child. "You like it? I call it the... uh... okay, I don't really have a name for it, but I usually call it Johnson while I try think of a better one."

Sunset began stomping towards the insane doctor with fire in her eyes, grabbing him by the side of his masked head. "What is wrong with you?!" she growled.

The doctor shook her off. "Wait until the best part, why don't ya! You haven't even seen this beauty in action!" He then moved towards a switch on the wall, pulling it down and causing a massive surge of electricity to shoot right into what they supposed was going to be called Johnson.

The lights in the room began to go crazy accompanied by a deafening buzzing and screeching. The light that emanated from the multitude of carcasses was almost blinding as the body spasmed where it laid. Sunset and Softie couldn't even watch what was happening. Meanwhile the doctor watched in pure awe with a pair of sunglasses over his goggled eyes.

After a moment, every light in the building finally blew out and silence had returned. Everyone was put back in an unnatural darkness as it all came to an end.

"And now, the reveal," the doctor said, flicking on a flashlight and shining it towards his creation.

It appeared still, however, they could all faintly hear a hoarse breathing. And then, with a series of cracking sounds, the monster rose from its rest. Its face was made up from four other faces. Its arms were vastly different lengths and sizes, while the legs were meticulously put together to be as close as they could. And the torso was hastily stitched together, with anyone able to see past the strings and take a look at its somehow functioning organs.

"It's alive!" the doctor cheered. He climbed atop the broad shoulders of 'Johnson' to appear more tall. "Together, we shall conquer any foe, Johnson!" Johnson could only give a groan as it looked off towards nothing.

Meanwhile, Big Softie and Sunset stared mouth agape at the horrifying creature. Sunset was the first to respond by clearing her throat. "Uh... we'll call you when we're ready," she said.

The duo found themselves at another part of town, far away from that crazy doctor and his big... thing. Off towards the second possibility they sought, bringing them both to a secluded warehouse. Apparently, this demon was a force to be reckoned with, so Sunset was very excited for who it could possibly be.

They approached the door quietly, but before Softie could grab the door handle, a great commotion could be heard inside. They could hear gunshots coming from all different directions, accompanied by a monstrous roar and thunderous footsteps.

Softie opened the door slightly, allowing him and Sunset a peak at what was going on. Inside the open space, they spotted some of Goliath's soldiers firing at something that was out of their vision. While they fired, they also appeared to be running away in terror.

Before the armed demons could get to safety, something giant came crashing down on top of them. They could finally see it. A giant green demon with four arms and a single eye. A big smile crossed Sunset's face. She recalled the fun she had with this guy! And he was certainly a great candidate for their force. The colossal, powerful and impenetrable monster: the Ogre!

They continued to watch in amazement. No matter how much the soldiers fired, the Ogre didn't show a sign of stopping. He was completely resistant to the army's attempts. In almost no time, the massive menace took out every demon and his rampage came to an end. Nervous about causing another scene, Big Softie decided to knock on the door first.

The Ogre's head twisted towards the partly open door. "Enter the Ogre's domain," he allowed. The two walked in and the Ogre's face immediately changed from rage induced to welcoming. "Ah, haha! The soft man! It been long time, friend!" He picked Softie up and gave him a noogie with a single knuckle. While fun for him, he was close to caving in poor Big Softie's skull.

His eyes were then drawn to Sunset, drawing a rivalrous smirk. "Well, well. If it not be the little 'She-Demon' as well."

Sunset raised her eyebrows. She was pleasantly surprised. "You recognise me?"

"The Ogre could never forget little girl's fiery hair."

"Ah. Yeah, I suppose that would be a dead giveaway."

The Ogre began laughing loud and proud as he finally set the not so big anymore Softie down. "So, what can the Ogre do for tiny demons?"

Big Softie rubbed his sore head. "We wanna know if you'll join us in fighting Goliath."

"The Ogre accepts." He nodded.

The duo were shocked by the immediate answer. "Really?" Sunset asked to be sure.

"Yes. The Ogre loves crushing tiny armies' skulls like the blueberry." The big guy pinched his fingers across all four hands to give an example.

"Well, great!" Sunset looked between Big Softie and the Ogre. "I guess we'll let you know when we move out."

"Much appreciated." The wrestler then caught a glimpse of a remaining soldier trying to crawl away. "If tiny demons will excuse the Ogre..." He then let out another angry roar as he chased the last demon down.

Sunset and Softie took that as their cue to leave.

"You cannot be serious!" Sunset shout-whispered.

"Look, I hate it as much as you, but he's packin' some good numbers. We could use something like that," Big Softie tried to convince her.

The two were currently hiding behind a building, out of sight of the armed demons residing in a pair of watchtowers in a seized army camp. The nestled demons came in great numbers.

"Softie, I love you, but this isn't going to work! He's probably the demon with the least amount of reasons to not kill us where we stand!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Sunset let her arms droop in defeat. She didn't even need to think about it, she already knew the answer was no.

"That's what I thought. Now, follow me, and do what I do." Big Softie went ahead and revealed himself with his arms raised in the air. Sunset followed.

In seconds, the red laser sights of the lookout demons made their way towards their bodies. The guards were ready to fire, but upon realising who they were aiming at, they lowered their weapons while still pointing them towards the duo.

"Big Softie? What the hell are you doing here?" one of the demons said.

"We wanna talk to the boss. Let us in," Big Softie said, keeping his arms up high.

"Sorry, not gonna happen. Some nerve you got showing your face around us again. You think he's gonna forget what you and your little girlfriend did? Hell, he might just have us kill you right now!"

"Told you," Sunset quietly said.

Softie blew out of his nose in annoyance. "Listen, we got a proposal for him, so tell him we're here so we can talk this through. You owe me, Maggie!"

Sunset didn't understand what was happening, but it seemed to work as the demoness Softie spoke to dropped her weapon and pulled out a radio.

"I'm just saying, Softie. He's not gonna like this," the demoness said before finally bringing the device to her ear. After a moment of talking, the demoness sighed and pulled a lever at her side. "The boss'll see you. Don't say I didn't warn you." Afterwards, the metal doors slowly opened, scraping against the concrete floor.

The two made their way inside, but as soon as their feet crossed the barrier, another pair of guards came from behind and put their hands in cuffs.

"Hey, what gives?!" Softie shouted.

"Nothing personal, big guy. Just so you don't try anything funny."

Neither of them could argue. They simply complied so that they could just get this over with. The guarding demons then walked them towards a hastily built structure in the centre of the camp. They both recognised the material used to build this place were bricks of the indestructible Satanium.

The two were brought inside. It was mostly empty, having only more bricks used to build small walls, likely to be used as shieldings, and right against the back wall was a throne, still made out of the metal. Sitting on that throne was the not so pleasing sight, the lizard boss demon. His scales were coloured a dirty orange.

The boss took the first word. "Gutsy, daring to show your faces to me once again! Count yourselves lucky that I'm a compassionate man."

Sunset scoffed in response.

"Watch yourself there, devil-freak! After you ruined my plans last time, we decided we were due for an upgrade. Observe." The boss snapped his fingers, and a guard came and placed a Satanium ingot in front of Sunset and Softie. A laser was pointed towards the block, almost immediately followed by a loud bang. Once they looked at the brick again, it was knocked down with a hole where the sights pointed to. "Satanium bullets," the boss announced. "Now, no devilitis demon could ever hope of standing against us. For your safety, I'd consider choosing your next words wisely. With that said, what do you want?"

Big Softie took a step forward. "We're formin' an alliance to go kick Goliath and his army's ass. Right now, our chances of winnin' are little, but if you and the crew lend us a hand, I know we got a shot at gettin' the city back."

The boss did not look so pleased at the offering. "How rich! First, you tarnish my business, wound me, and now you come crawling to my door, wanting to take my demons. You really think I'm stupid enough to send my very own to die just for you? You've a lot of nerve!" He signalled for his guards to aim their weapons towards the intruders.

"Come on, boss! How long do you think you'll last like this? The city's gonna crumble if we don't do somethin' about it now. Do one good thing in your afterlife. Not even for us, for the rest of the squad. When we're done, I promise, you'll never have to worry about us again."

Some of the guards surrounding the two were taking glances at each other. However, the only one that didn't seem so touched was the boss, who began cackling. "We have been holding just fine. That snake and his little circus can barely stand a chance against me! I think I already don't have to worry about you, so..." The boss held a hand up, ready to snap his fingers once more.

But then another demon came rushing in, barging past a few in their way. "Boss! Goliath... they found us!" they shouted in between heavy breathing.

"Then take care of it!" the boss retorted.

"But, boss, there's a fuckin' lot of them!"

"How many could there possibly be for one measly little camp?"

"A lot," Sunset suddenly said. Everyone looked to her. She was using her devil vision. "At the entrance, they're covering every path. Tens, maybe even a hundred demons." She deactivated her ability and looked straight to the boss. "We need to leave this place, now."

The surrounding demons were now whispering amongst themselves, with more from the outside now coming to see their boss. They flooded him with questions.

"What are we gonna do?"

"Can we really take on that many?"

"Are we going to retreat?"

The boss could hardly think anymore with so much happening at once. To this point, he had faced no trouble with Goliath, but now it was happening and he had no idea what to do. He looked across the demons that depended on him, but the only faces he could see were Sunset and Softie's, which only made him angrier.

"W-We can handle them just fine!" the boss exploded. He tried to sound asserive, but everyone could hear his nerves escaping through his words. "Eliminate these two intruders, and go fight that army!"

Despite his heated commands, no one moved. The boss's eye twitched.

"Have you all gone deaf?! Kill these two immediately, or I'll-!" The boss was interrupted by a swift whack to the head, knocking him clean out.

His limp body was then placed upon the shoulder of the culprit, the one Softie called Maggie. "Now you owe me," she said to Big Softie. "Let's go, we can get out through the back." She began leading everyone around the backside of the camp, including the duo who still had their hands cuffed behind their backs.

Behind them, they could hear Goliath's army breaking through the gate. Beams of light flooded the front half of the camp as the soldiers piled inside.

At the very back, the boss's demons gathered at the wall. No one was tall enough to jump and climb over, all except Big Softie, who assisted by letting everyone climb on him. They moved as quickly as they could, but at any second would the army come around and find them all. Once the last demon was over, Softie, with his big hands still close together, leapt up and grabbed onto the top.

It was then that he was found by the beams of the soldiers' flashlights. Softie tried to haul his body over, but he found himself too heavy to do it quick enough. Bracing for the worst, he then felt a pair of hands latch onto his horns, helping him over the wall. He rolled his eyes up and saw Maggie still sitting on the wall, doing all she could to bring him up. Big Softie was then finally over the wall, just in time as the soldiers opened fire.

They all ran for what felt like ever, running into more of Goliath's troops which the armed demons made short work of. Once they felt that the heat was finally gone, the crowd resided in an abandoned apartment complex. Everyone had to take a seat to catch their breath. Sunset and Softie sat with the demoness that saved them all, Maggie.

"Man, you really got us outta there in the nick of time, Maggie," Softie said. "Shame what you had to do to him." He pointed towards the still unconscious boss who was just thrown onto the floor when they arrived. His scales had turned a dim grey, but they made sure to check his pulse. He was alive.

"I'm not too worried. All he worries about is his precious status; we're not dying for that. He'll probably forget about it anyway," Maggie said. "So, tell me more about this 'fighting Goliath' plot you idiots got going on."

Sunset sat more upright. "Well, we were-"

"Nah, not from you, hun, I was talking to Softie."

Sunset gave an agitated sigh. "Okay then." She slumped back on her seat.

Big Softie then took over. "We're plannin' on stormin' him soon. We've already got a good number who wanna fight, but I think with you guys' help, it would make a hell of a good difference in our chances. We can't do it on our own. Whaddya say?"

"Hmm. Well, you got balls even thinking this is a good idea. But... it's not the worst thing I've ever heard. We've already had too many walk out on us when this started. Fuck it, I'm in." Maggie gave Softie a smile. "Though, I don't speak for everyone else-"

Sunset suddenly stood up on the couch. "Hey, everyone! Who wants to join us in kicking Goliath's ass?!" she shouted. She was met with a chorus of eager demons.

Maggie was taken aback by Sunset's sudden show. "Wow. I guess we're all in then." She held out her hand for Softie to shake. "Whenever you need us, give a holler." Suddenly, Maggie pulled Softie in closer for her to whisper. "And you owe me double after saving your ass."

"What do you want?" Softie softly asked.

"Maybe just a call from time to time. Been fucking forever since we last hung out."

Softie grinned. "Heh. What happened to outright killing me?"

"Oh, come on. You know me, Soft, I'd at least have killed you quickly."

The bull's snarky look turned kind. "Done."

Maggie's smile grew wide. "My man!" she said, playfully punching him in the arm.

She turned her head to see Sunset at her side, having finished riling up the other demons. "Now, would you mind getting these off us?" she asked, holding up the cuffs that were still around her wrists.

Maggie laughed. "They're not Satanium. Just break 'em."

Soon after, Sunset and Big Softie finally returned to the bar. For once, spirits were high. With a chance to end this madness for arguably only slightly less madness, happiness was had.

Ensuring that they were truly alone, Big Softie knocked on the cellar door in a particular pattern and it opened before them. They ventured back down underground to be met with the angry glare of a hyena.

"Where the hell have you two been?" Volcano asked.

"Ensuring our victory, that's what," Sunset answered. "We went and recruited a whole bunch of demons. Goliath isn't going to know what hit him!"

Volcano still didn't appear too pleased. "A little heads up would've been nice."

"Knowing you, Volcano, you'd have told us not to. Just loosen up a bit, yeah?" Big Softie said.

"I'll 'loosen up' when I get my fuckin' bar back." With that, Volcano took off. He didn't show it, but they both could tell, he was glad.

After a successful mission, the duo proudly took a seat on some heavy crates.

"So, when d'ya think we should set out?" Softie asked his partner.

"I'm not sure, but it's gotta be soon. This has gone on long enough already, and I'm not going to fail these demons again," Sunset answered.

"Hey, we got this." Softie placed a big hand on Sunset's shoulder. "World's not yours to fix yourself."

Sunset gave a sombre breath, followed by a slow nod. "We got this," she repeated.

Elsewhere, a demon was scrolling through a TV hung high up the wall. There wasn't much on, but even little things provided a bit of entertainment. Unlike now where it appeared absolutely nothing of interest was showing. That was, until the screen showed nothing but loud static, catching all watching demons off guard. It was soon replaced with coloured bars.

A voice accompanied, "We interrupt this programme for a special announcement from your very own, Mayor Goliath Hendrickson."

Suddenly, everyone's attention was gathered towards the small screen.

On the screen, a close up shot of the snake demon's face filled the screen. "Ssssunset Shimmer," he said with a threatening voice. "I don't know how you did it, but I know you are alive and are still lurking in my city. I am sending this message with no intention of harm. I am a man of dealing, and I've but one request. Bring yourself to me immediately, and we may discuss. I'll be waiting for you at the Mayor's Tower. Oh, and just to ensure you come out..." The camera abruptly moved elsewhere and pointed towards another figure kneeled on the floor. Everyone immediately recognised who it was.

"Barb!" Sunset cried. She barged past everyone to get right in front of the television. There she was. Sunset almost couldn't believe it... Barbed Wire was alive!

But as soon as her friend was shown, the screen was quickly pulled back to Goliath. "Come to me now and I'll return your little friend. If you cooperate, you both might just live to see another day. You have until dusk. Don't keep me waiting!" The feed then cut out.

Sunset stood frozen in front of the blank screen. Her mind was swarming with too much at once. What was Goliath planning now? He was waiting for her. Barb was alive! Sunset had to save her! She had a time limit.

...She had a time limit.

Big Softie appeared behind her. "Sunset...?" he asked.

"This is it..." Sunset said almost breathlessly. She finally looked up at Big Softie. "We need to go, now!"

The time has come to bring this arc to an end...

Next time on Sunset's Hellish Adventure...