//------------------------------// // Interlude 04: The Sun and her Jester // Story: The Many Destinies of Sunset Shimmer // by ratedoni //------------------------------// It felt weird. She didn’t know why but it felt weird. Maybe because she didn’t feel pain and everything was silent for the first time in years. Usually mornings were hectic and it was weird to even get a good shuteye considering her job as a super villain’s sidekick -when your main enemy is Batman you tend to sleep with one eye open- but right now she felt at peace and completely refreshed. Harleen Frances Quinzel stretched her arms and legs enjoying the feeling of relaxation that had embraced her body and got on her side to continue resting, it was weird the day she could sleep in. Then, as if they had been connected to a spring, she opened her eyes and got up on her bed remembering exactly what had happened. She knew she should feel a myriad of emotions including fear, but the only thing going through her head were that she only felt confusion and that Arkham Asylum had been reworking their cells. If she was once again a prisoner then she better get acquainted with her new lodgings so she got up -noticing the nice silk pajamas she was wearing, very classy- and just as she was about to look around the ample room the door was opened. There, at the threshold was a man of dark skin wearing some kind of long robe and holding a really big hammer on his hand. “I didn’t know Arkham had exchanged shock therapy for impact therapy.” Harleen said trying to make a joke about the situation. For some reason she felt like making that kind of joke but it made the man react and throw aside the hammer. For a second Harley thought that hammer said ‘Your Face Here’ in one of the head’s side. “Sorry, I was just collecting some of your stuff, well, another you stuff, from another dimension, anyway, OBSERVER! THE GIRL IS AWAKE!” The man shouted and Harleen winced at the volume, that man really had some chords on him. “No need to scream my friend, now, you can go back and put everything that we found on the vault.” Another man said finally getting into the spacious room making Harleen blink. Both contrasted with the new man -the so called Observer- having messy wavy hair, black thick rimmed glasses and exquisitely tailored suit; he was possibly the most British gentleman she had ever seen in her life “It is so good to see you up my dear, I suppose you have several inquiries about what happened a night prior, if you want I can explain it to you over breakfast.” For a moment Harleen thought that she had entered the Twilight Zone because not only was she free to move and act, she was now being treated like anyone else, heck, even better than most people; where exactly was she? “Ah, sure? Why don’t you show me the way to food?” She said not quite sure of how to act but both men simply accompanied her into an open area like a lounge café, and it was there that Harleen’s mind finally exploded when she saw the place. It was not the comfortable sofas in a semi-circle around a gigantic flat screen or the very beautiful bar that caught her attention; no, it was the huge windows in front of the tables and chairs that caught her attention “tell me those are paintings.” “Oh no my dear, as beautiful that it looks they are not painted, we are currently in outer space, well, it is a little bit more complicated than that.” He said as the three continued walking to one of the tables where a redhead was already seated accompanied by a pink haired maid serving refreshments. Harleen was definitely lost this time, and that was coming from a woman that usually hangs around villains and madmen. “Thank the Sun and Moon that you are alright, I didn’t know if you would wake up, this was the first time I used my magic to fight Noche's infection.” The redhead said clearly showing relief and happiness that Harleen was with them, it was one of the few times someone had acted like that with her, it made something inside Harleen flutter for some reason. “I’m sorry, I’m completely lost; I don’t know what I am doing in here. One moment I was with The Joker and we… wait, I called him Joker.” “Well, that’s how he likes to call himself, well that or red hood or black mask or… now that I think about it he has quite the love for masks.” The other man said taking a seat and grabbing a cupcake from a tray in the table. “That’s not it, I usually call him Mister J or Puddin’ or… well, you catch my drift.” Harleen told them feeling embarrassed and ashamed for some reason for saying those names. They didn’t even make her feel all giddy in the inside like usual. “Do you remember what happened to the Joker then my dear?” “There was… a man, he… tortured The Joker; well, I cannot say anything about it considering Joker did that to too many people, but who was him? Where am I? What happened with me? I remember that man, the crazy one touching me and then… nothing.” Harleen said trying to check on her memories, but they all felt fuzzy, as if it had happened so long ago. “I suppose we will start with something basic, do you have any knowledge of the multiverse theory?” The man that had been called Observer said while Harleen nodded with her head finally taking a sip of her cup of tea; chamomile it was and she felt warm spreading around inside her body. “Yes, I remember I read about it while in college, but then I saw it happen because there used to be a multiverse, now each and every one of them fused and we got only one dimension.” She said while the other men were very happy with her answer for some reason. Weird, this was the first time she remembered things from when she was a normal person, that hadn’t happened in such a long time. “Ah yes, the Crisis of Infinite Earths, it was quite catastrophic, but also enlightening in what not to do to maintain order in the multiverse.” “Wait, I remember that thing, Rainbow loaned me the comic anthology, and you mean that happened?” The redhead said surprised at what they were talking. “Many times over, you see Harleen-“ “You can call me Harley.” “Alright Harley, you see, although you have a bigger understanding of what the multiverse is, what you don’t know is that it was only centered around universes of one type, but the multiverse is so expansive that it would take you hundreds of years just to see a small quantity of them. My name is Observer, of course, that was not my original name but considering the centuries I have spent on my job this is easier to remember. The man at my side is Keeper and you find yourself in our base, for lack of better word. What you think is outer space is in fact is the void holding the multiverse together. The stars and planets are universes. It is quite the view right?” And if Harleen felt out of place before now it was even worst “but returning to your questions, you met one of the worst things happening to the entire multiverse. The best way to explain it is that Noche is a virus, the dimension he reaches he starts to infect, even his touch is virulent and can kill organic beings in seconds.” Harleen remembered the screams and the presence of that man; it was an eye opener for sure. “But what was he doing there? Usually people like him have a reason for what they do even in the most random of cases.” Harleen didn’t realize it but she had left behind the squeaky type of voice she used as Harley and she returned to her professional voice. “And he is not too different although right now we are not quite sure what he is looking for, but we do have a theory. Noche was not always human, in fact he didn’t even have a body; he was just a mass of energy and magical energy. Apparently he is trying to find out more about what he can do with his new form and for that reason he is traveling the multiverse, but we are stumped in trying to find out where he will go next or even how he is capable of traversing the multiverse with such ease.” Observer said finishing his tea cup before it was refilled by the pink haired maid “thank you Pinkie.” “Well, that is good and all but it sounds a little too big for me, but I still have one more question, how am I alive? I remember feeling as if I was being killed with so much pain in my head.” “I guess I can explain some of that, I’m Sunset Shimmer.” The redheaded girl said extending a hand to Harley who quickly shook it. “Harleen Quinzel.” “Do you remember what happened before Noche marked you on the forehead?” “Is that what he did? Because I remember him saying something about not wanting to hurt me and talking about people that will take care of me. If you ask me that man is a clear example of antisocial personality disorder, psychopathic and maybe grandiose delusions.” Harleen said before taking a sip of her own tea. Then she stopped suddenly, her eyes almost bugging out at what she had said. “Wait, what am I doing?” “What do you mean Miss Harley?” “I mean, I am Harley Quinn, member of Batman’s Rogue Gallery and with many orders of arrest in my name and here I am sitting down in a tea party while discussing the mental problems of a dimensional traveler, what the hell is going on?” She said not quite sure of how to take the situation, well, except for one thing “I am sane?” “Is that so wrong?” The observer asked quite entertained with Harleen’s reaction to her current mental sanity. “You have to forgive me for reacting like this but for the past few years I was a psychopathic bitch in an abusive relationship with the most dangerous man in existence… well, previous dangerous man considering this Noche guy… what did you do?” Harleen asked noticing Sunset’s eyes shifting everywhere except on her, she just had to put two and two together. “I was only trying to save you.” “Why?” “Because you were infected by Noche and nobody deserves that kind of pain.” “No, I mean, why did you save me? I am a danger, or maybe was? I don’t know, you see? Even now I’m still dangerous to people, anyone else would have simply shrugged and left me there.” “You wanna know why? Because once I was in our shoes, maybe not the exact situation but I was in a really bad place. Someone helped me, saw something in me and gave me a second chance and that was after I tried to kill her. Harley, if I deserved a second chance then you also deserves one. And that’s what I did; I don’t know how but I guess I began to channel the power of the Elements of Harmony once again, those are a source of magical power from my own universe if you can believe that.” “Why not? There is Zatanna, Doctor Fate and many other crazy guys with magic on my world, why not one more. So what did this energy did?” “Every time it is used it shows different results, sometimes in a defensive way, others in healing. Apparently it reacted to Noche’s infection and began attacking your body. Thankfully it was still early in the infection and the magic was capable of battling it, maybe it also detected your own darkness and destroyed it.” “Well, why not? Why did I even study psychiatry when you can apparently heal others with magic? Although considering that I failed to cure my last patient and ended up joining him maybe this isn’t so bad. This will take some time getting used to, I mean, me? Sane? Who would even believe that? So what now? I mean, I am cured apparently.” “That depends on you, do you want to stay here or go back to Gotham?” “Well, I could try and go back to work but with my kind of rep that would be impossible. No, I think I will stay here for a while but, do you think I can go and see a friend? Red was always telling me to leave the Joker, although it was just so I would join her as her partner in crime. I just want to talk with her about this, maybe she has an idea or hell, I can even convince her about leaving crime altogether.” “Never doubt yourself like that, let’s go talk with your friend.” “Wait, you mean together?” “Why not? What do you think?” Sunset said standing up from her chair and signaling one of the multiple doors along one of the walls. Her look full of confidence and desire to help made Harleen follow the other girl’s advice. She also blush a small bit once she saw what the leather jacket and the very tight jeans did for Sunset’s figure. Her mom was right; she always had a thing for redheads.