Sunset Shimmer opens her eyes and sees she was in what looks like a bedroom, she brings her hand to her face and rubs her eyes while tries to remember how she ended here and where here is.
"I see you are awake. That is a grateful surprise."
She then jumps off the bed and quickly looks to where that voice was coming and sees a white alicorn, with a fire-like mane at the door.
"Princess Celestia?"
"Oh no, I'm not her. I'm not Daybreaker neither."
'This voice...' Sunset knows that voice for sure, but she can't remember where she had listened, and the fact that her head was spinning because she jumped off the bed wasn't helping.
"And who are you, then?"
"Who we are, Sunset?
"What you mean by 'who we are?', I'm Sunset Shimmer."
"So as I"
The alicorn point to her left flank with a wing and Sunset sees her cutie mark.
"You are me?"
"Yes, but not quite. Yes, I am a Sunset Shimmer just like you, but we are from different timelines, realities, universes, or whatever you like to call it."
Sunset Shimmer (the human one) makes circles on her temples with her index fingers.
"Okay, everything at their time. Where I am and how I arrived here?"
"First, you are on the citadel, a safe place where no one wants to harm you. Second, we found you on an escape pod of a spaceship that crashed not far from here."
"A spaceship?"
A torrent of images and memories flow on Sunset's head: Her friends not remembering of Equestria, the shipbuilding, her mission..."
"I was... searching for Equestria" she then suddenly turns and puts her hands on the alicorn shoulders, with concern on her eyes.
"Wheres Dawn? please say that she's safe."
The alicorn lowers her eyes and Sunset knows that's something wrong.
"Come with me." she said walking in direction of the door.
Sunset follows the alicorn and less than two minutes later they arrive in another room.
Alicorn Sunset opens the door and inside the room, there are four ponies around the bed, three of them Sunset recognized immediately, a filly Sunset Shimmer, Starlight Glimmer, and a unicorn Twilight Sparkle. What Sunset saw in the bed made her mouth agape: a young human girl, both their legs and left arm are missing, her thorax and abdomen skin was almost entirely burned along with the left side of her face.
"Hours ago, we heard a loud crashing sound, like something big was falling on the ground from the sky. When we arrived there, she was at your escape pod side."
Sunset touches the girl's face and kisses her forehead.
"She was unconscious, we brought her to the citadel and cleaned her injuries, unfortunately, we aren't prepared to treat a human, so will take a long time to grow her limbs again."
Sunset walks in the door room direction without saying anything, once in the corridor, she tries focusing to teleport but is worthless as she doesn't know where she is and where her ship is.
"Hum, excuse-me."
She looks to her right side and sees a little unicorn.
"Hi, little one," she then knells and starts to play with the unicorn's mane, "you are Sunset Shimmer too, I suppose."
"Yes, but you can call me Sunrise. Daydream send me to see if you want anything."
"Daydream, hum? Well, considering that exists more than one Sunset here, makes sense you guys pick different names."
Sunset so realizes the strangeness in this situation, she is kind of petting herself or almost that.
"Sorry," she said lifting "You are so cute that I couldn't help and started to pet you like a puppy. Sorry."
"Don't worry, It's nice to be petted sometimes. See, no harm is done."
"So, Sunrise, say to Daydream that I'm fine, I just go to where my spaceship crashed and will be back in no time."
"I don't recommend that."
Sunset turns her head and sees an earth pony leaving Dawn's room.
"I know everypony in that room, except for you."
"My name is Crystal Quartz, is always a pleasure to meet you Sunset."
"Crystal was the one who builds this place."
"Nice to meet you Crystal, but I'm out of time and I have to save my daughter, so if you would be kind to lead me to where my ship is, I'll be grateful."
"Sunset, you aren't in the condition to go outside, not yet. Dawn is stable and in a few days, maybe even tomorrow, you will be recovered enough to goes to your ship crashing site, so just for now I pledge, go back to your room."
"My daughter is unconscious in that room, with her legs and an arm missing, I don't give a fuck about how bad is my condition, I'll go to that damn ship, get medical supplies and heal her, and if any of you dare to stop me, will see how hard I can punch your faces."
Crystal shakes her head slowly and Sunset sees a smile on her face.
"Damn Sunset, not even the multiverse can change your attitude, you are as stubborn as the other Sunsets. I think I like it, some Constance in our chaotic multiverse. Sunrise?"
"Yes, Crystal?"
"Please escort Sunset to her ship, take Nova and Starlight with you."
"As you wish, Crystal."
The filly goes to Dawn's room, leaving Sunset and Crystal in the hall.
"So, what exactly is this place? I recall setting the ship coordinates to Equus Prime."
"Well, technically we are on what you called 'Equus Prime', but we aren't either."
"What are you saying?"
"We are ready, Crystal."
Sunset and Crystal turn their heads and Sunrise, Nova and Starlight are behind them."
"I think our conversation will have to wait. See you later, Sunset."
Crystal goes back to Dawn's room and the others start to moving and Sunset followed them.
"Your name is Nova, right?"
"Yes, but you probably know me, or at least some version of me, by Twilight. Nice to meet you Sunset."
"Sort of. One of the Twilights I know is an alicorn and the other is a unicorn, like you."
"So there's an alicorn Twilight out there, interesting."
"I don't want to be rude, but what are you, exactly?"
Sunset look back and saw a confused expression on Starlight's face.
"I guess you never crossed the mirror, right?"
"What mirror?"
"Nevermind, I explain later. Answering your question, Starlight, I'm a human. I was born a unicorn but spent most of my life in this form."
"Okay, I guess."
They step outside the building and Sunset gets a view of where she was. the sky is blue, with occasional clouds, the building wave two floors, and is set in the middle of a grass field with a lake and a lot of trees that form little orchards. Looking around, she notices two things: one, there's no one out there, and two, there's a fence approximately one mile ahead.
They walk for some minutes, enjoying the warmness of the sun. This weather makes Sunset think about the spring days on Applejack's farm, when she and her friends helped the Apples with the harvest or just sat there, talking about the future.
"This place is... so peaceful."
"It is. unfortunately, out of the gates, the world is different."
Sunset felt sadness in Nova's voice.
"What you mean?"
"You will discover soon."