Sunset's Isekai

by Wanderer D

Just Gods Talking (Oversaturation)

Sunset Shimmer trudged through her refurbished warehouse and collapsed onto her unpronounceable Scandineighvian couch and sighed. This last month had been one of the longest years of her life. Almost literally given some of the time dilation she’d had to employ.

That got a tired smirk out of her. She finally had casual access to magic again, and all it took was nearly destroying the universe. She was even kind-of sort-of an alicorn as well, inasmuch as anyone could be without the kind of drastic changes to body plans that she’d specifically avoided. Instead, Sunset sported a small, oval gem in the center of her forehead, the same color as her eyes and the same function as her horn back home.

The smirk slipped off her face. Home. Part of her still thought of Equestria as such. It was hard not to; two months ago she’d still been the school pariah, with only her friends willing to give her the time of day. And now, between the Battle of the Bands and the desperate rush to keep the world from buckling under the weight of magical overload afterwards, she had more popularity than she knew what to do with.

Sunset pressed her head back into the couch’s cushions and groaned. No matter how she looked at it, she’d gotten everything she wanted back before taking a rainbow to the face. And she…

Well, she couldn’t honestly (or Honestly) say she hated it. She was glad to have her friends, her new home, and the power to fix the mess she’d caused (which was still very much an ongoing project.) Becoming the local equivalent of the Tree of Harmony came with a lot of perks to go with the responsibilities. But…

O Divine Bacon Horse, whose neigh heralds the end of strife and whose hoofsparks kindle the fire of friendship, hear my plea…

Sunset groaned again. Throw pillows streaked to her hands wrapped in golden magic so she could press them against her ears and fall on her side. The prayers had started only a few days after she announced to the world that there would have to be some changes to account for the new fundamental force, and they hadn’t stopped since. If anything, they were getting more elaborate and ridiculous with time, as like-minded people came together and started deciding on dogma without her input.

In hindsight, “Thou shalt not worship me” was a self-defeating commandment.

“I need a drink.” In theory, she could create anything she could imagine. In practice, it would take a good deal of focus to keep herself from instantly metabolizing the alcohol, focus which was hard to maintain while drunk.

Most other beings wouldn’t have felt the shift. To Sunset, the outer-dimensional vibrations were like a foot on a squeaky floorboard. She straightened up. “Either Ditzy Doo tripped outside of the universe again, or…”

She trailed off as she took in the door. Her own cutie mark looked back at her.

Sunset couldn’t hold back the grin, certainly not when Laughter bubbled up in her soul. “So,” she said as she got off the couch, “a spirit of Harmony walks into a bar…”

There were many times when Sunset just had to stop. And most of them took place when she was entertaining a guest for the first time, or more often, when her daughters or girlfriend, or certain friends needed a bit more normalcy than a full bar of only gods and goddesses existing and being served at the same time as a full bar of super heroes, and a full bar of pilots, or wizards.

In some cases, a few of the patrons would consequentially notice each other (mostly the wizards and the gods, but pilots were very perceptive and who knew what Sisko was actually able to notice when captains and commanders were about) and arguments might start.

So, if this was life for her, it was really no surprise when the bar's door swung open and another version of her entered looking like she had been doing Celestia's (neglected) paperwork for the last ten years. Things like these happened with a lot of frequency to herself and Ranma Saotome.

There was something familiar—besides the obvious—about this Sunset Shimmer. Like an aura of Harmony emanating with too much consistency from her. And she was sure that she had met her before, but for whatever reason her guest had the refreshing look of slight confusion and anticipation so many of her first-time-guests had when they stepped into the bar.

And she definitely looked like she had at least fifteen things going on at the same time… oh. Oh. It was the non-linearity that was familiar. What an odd thing to find comfort in. She put forth her best, welcoming smile and leaned over the counter so she could be easily spotted. "Welcome to Sunset's Isekai, my little bar in the omniverse. I'm also Sunset Shimmer, but you can call me Isekai."

The newcomer blinked, then turned to look at the rest of the bar. She snapped her head back, blinked a few more times, and focused back on Isekai. “Okay. Not going to repeat that until I decide which layer to focus on.” She slid onto a stool and gave a shaky smile. “Nice to meet me. Have I been doing this long? Also, feel free to tell me if I’m messing up the pronouns; I have about forty other things to do before I track down my human analogue.”

Isekai grinned and waved a hand. "Oh we shouldn't worry about what we do here, time outside of time, multi-layered existence and all, I'm here for us. We know how it is, don't you?" She produced a menu, and handed it over. "Seriously though, don't fret about it. This is a place to relax. On all levels."

“I appreciate it, more than I can say. Not to make it a contest or anything, but I have way more than a bar to manage and I…” Sunset looked at the menu, frowned, turned it over, and looked back up at Isekai. “This just says ‘Start pouring.’”

"Good enough for me," Isekai said, walking over to a barrel and pouring two mugs of cider, before sliding one in front of Sunset. "And don't worry, the first couple are on me." Her smile grew. "And the rest are on us. Literally."

“I’d ask about employee discounts, but I feel like we’ve made enough grammarians angry as it is.” The two clinked their mugs before throwing back the cider almost symmetrically.

Sunset’s eyes popped open as she drank. Once the mug was back on the counter, she stared at it like the remaining foam formed the meaning of life. “That’s Equestrian. I didn’t think I’d taste that for decades.”

Isekai responded by bringing the barrel over and setting it next to them. "Well," she said, sipping hers, "this is straight from one version of Sweet Apple Acres… not entirely sure which one. I think it's either the one before Applejack was born, or the one where Applebloom married Sweetiebot."

After a few false starts, Sunset said, “I have several questions, and right now the answer is ‘cider.’” She went back to drinking.

"Cheers!" Isekai said, also drinking from her own mug. "So, goddess, huh?"

Sunset winced. “Look, I’ll accept a lot of titles: spirit, catalyst, legitimate princess of one Fall Formal. Goddess is not one of them. I have enough on my plate just keeping my reality stable while it adjusts to the presence of magic. I…” She trailed off and looked back at the door. “You did say time outside of time, right? Because I’m not sure how much of me is here, but it’s probably too much.”

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Isekai assured her. "No time at all will have passed outside the door, and if you need to relax, you could let loose in here and I think you might shake the dust and cobwebs. (Not that there's any! I clean this place!) The bar is very resistant to all sorts." She took the opportunity to refill Sunset's mug as she spoke. "And I guess you don't want that title… sorry about that, I have plenty of gods visit so I didn't think twice."

“It’s fine. At least you take no for an answer. Like I said, I have enough to worry about without getting into things like right and wrong. Less than a year ago, I was kidnapping puppies and brainwashing students. Just because I have power doesn’t give me the right to tell people how to live, especially when there are plenty of other religions happy to do so. But…” Sunset slumped, one elbow on the bar. “I don’t know, maybe people are just attracted to the shiny new option.” She briefly glowed golden for emphasis. “Literally. And I can’t get them to stop. I don’t know how Princess Celestia does it.” After a moment and a thoughtful pull of cider, she added, “And I should probably ask her.”

"Don't tell me you manifested in front of everyone in the world?" Isekai blinked. The thought was… kinda hilarious in a way. "Is that why you have worshipers now?"

Sunset straightened up. The blush might have just been the cider, doctored to work on just about anyone. Isekai doubted it. “Look, if I didn’t tell them what was happening, then people would just suddenly have feathers coming out of their necks or fingernails like tiny hooves or, you know, these.” She jabbed a finger at her own headgem. “Or any of the other aspect mutations. And they’d have zero context for what was going on. Someone had to explain it to them, and I was the only one who could. What was I supposed to do, leave a voice mail on every phone in the world?”

"Hey, I'm not saying you did the wrong thing, but I sure think that left an impression on them," Isekai said, patting her counterpart's shoulder gently. "Think on how humanity has depended on gods, primordial forces, or simply the idea of them through their existence, and suddenly one not only changes the world, but also appears to all of them and provides a relatable, and dare I say beautiful (and humble) option? It's no surprise they'd latch onto you when you essentially validate everything." She shrugged. "I'm sure you'll get the requests for winning the lottery soon enough, just… don't grant them to everyone."

That got a nod. “The girls made sure I saw Spruce Almighty a few days after everything changed. I’m pretty sure they meant it as a joke, but it did a lot to convince me I don’t want anything to do with godhood if I can help it.” Sunset sighed. “If. It’s… I get it. Humans wanted to explain natural forces as much as anyone, and they couldn’t just say ‘Of course there was thunder; my herdmate kicked a cloud.’ And when it came to the big questions, it helped to know there was something out there. Something that cared, that wanted them to be the best version of themselves.” She wrinkled her brow. “Or something like that. I still have a hard time getting the girls to explain Harmonism to me.

“But I did enough research into possible human magic during my bad old days to understand just how unavoidable this kind of thinking is for people. Even ponies if you go back to before Celestia. I just…” Sunset snorted as a shaky smile came to her lips. “I almost wish I had someone to pray to. A bartender’s probably the best thing I can hope for. Especially one who’s been where I have. I assume.” She squinted. “Pretty sure there’s a unicorn deep down in there.”

"And a demon, and a cat… and a super saiyan, and a wolf. And a smurf. Musn't forget the smurf." Isekai had closed her eyes, crossed her arms and nodded with every entry. "But yes, my very first self was unicorn Sunset Shimmer, apprentice/unofficial daughter of Celestia." She opened one eye. "Although it took us both centuries to admit. And… yeah, I'm afraid that if you decide to worship me, my girlfriend will get jealous and I'll have to raise the prices on the drinks." She smirked. "Otherwise there's no point in the tax exemptions."

She studied her guest for a bit. "It's really giving you a hard time, getting used to all of this, huh? Even though clearly you have seen what, when and where at the same time."

“First of all? We can never let Rainbow Dash know that Dragonpearl X is real somewhere. She’d be insufferable.” The two shared a smile before Sunset’s slipped. “But… looking at things from a cosmic perspective isn’t that hard. I can handle the unbelievable power and responsibility. The hard part is trying to stay connected to everyone on top of that. I won’t just sit in some cave and let things play out the way they’re ‘supposed’ to like certain trees I could mention. I still want to be Sunset Shimmer. I want to be with my friends. I want to live my life. I’d hoped I could still do that with a little more magic, but people keep making a big deal out of everything I did and…” She groaned and grabbed at her hair with her free hand. “Despite everything I’ve done, I’m afraid of change and I’m being a whiny foal about it.”

"Hmm." Isekai leaned back and turned her eyes at the rows and rows of pictures on the wall. No doubt this Sunset could see them all at the same time, just like her, even if most guests could only glimpse at a few of them. It was relatable. All of it, if under different circumstances.

"I understand," she finally said, bringing her eyes back to her counterpart. She raised her mug to her lips, frowning a bit when she realized she had actually finished the cider already. She stared at the empty glass for a second before shrugging and refilling it. "When I started this bar… over a thousand years ago—in here at least—I had no idea what was in store for me, but I wanted to be with my friends… and still be Sunset Shimmer, no matter where I was. I meet with individuals from wildly different universes all the time, but… nothing feels more centering than drinking a milkshake with the girls back home."

She sighed, licked her lips and downed the mug. "I've spaced my visits, more and more, because my time is infinite and theirs is not. I'll always be there for them, but they won't be for me… it's scary. Even if they exist elsewhere, they won't be the ones I first knew who changed my life. And, if I don't have someone to keep me… real, so to speak, I fear I might become too detached to be able to empathize with others. I guess… it's an unfortunate part of being us. Or maybe it's the best part of being us." She refilled her glass and raised it at Sunset. "Only we can decide that, right?"

Sunset raised her own, less full glass in turn. “We are what they made of us, for good and for ill. We certainly wouldn’t be where we are today without them. And… well, they kind of are my Elements of Harmony, I think? It’s weird. Twilight and I are still looking into that; Mr. Discord doesn’t want to touch it with a ten-foot pole. The point is I should use the support structure I have while I have it.” She shuddered. “I’ll definitely need to talk to the princess about how to deal with friends’ mortality. Good luck there. And thanks.”

Isekai chuckled. "It's not going to be easy, but well, I can tell you at least what has worked for me, besides time travel." As if on cue, the silver bell rang and two voices were heard, although only the stomping of a single pair of feet.

"Hi, mom!" "Hi, mom!" the voices echoed as a floating human girl and an anthropomorphic duck paused to stare at Sunset. "Oh," the duck said, "sorry, I didn't realize you had a guest! We'll go to the back for now."

"Make sure you finish your homework," Isekai said as the floating girl went through the wall with a "yeah, yeah" and the duck waved at Sunset as she went into the 'staff only' room. Isekai chuckled and grinned at Sunset. "They have the best timing. Or so my chronicler keeps thinking."

Sunset had tracked the two as they’d walked through the Isekai, eyes unblinking and head swiveling beyond the limits of the human neck. After a few moments, she remembered herself, turned back, and managed, “I’m going to assume at least one of them is adopted.”

Isekai tilted her head. "What makes you say that?"

That actually got Sunset to settle down a bit and smile. “Because I’m getting a feel for your sense of humor.”

"Ah, I need to work more on my 'innocently oblivious' look, it seems." Isekai sighed. "Alas, we can only fool ourselves only so much." She grinned. "But yes, both of them are adopted. Lena comes from a universe of sentient ducks, and Danni from a world where ghosts are an active part of the community, so to speak. Still. I think you got my point about how to deal with change… more change, but the type that fulfills you and brings people into your life… and let me tell you, when my version of the Rainbooms found out I had daughters, it was hilarious. Especially Rainbow Dash. She asked the same question you did, but couldn't answer me without stammering when I asked her what she meant."

Sunset nodded. “Makes sense to me. Definitely not ready for kids yet—honestly, I’d never even imagined myself as a mother until I heard those two call you Mom—but I get what you mean. And if I’m going to be a more outgoing spirit of Harmony, I might as well cast a wide social net. The Friendship Games are coming up soon. Maybe I can turn all this hype into a way to make both schools actually enjoy the event. Especially with Twilight helping to bridge the gap.” Her smile wavered. “... Did you hear thunder just now?”

Isekai's smile was frozen on her face. "Oh." She chuckled. "The Friendship Games, yes. It'll be a blast, I'm sure." She cleared her throat. "Have you thought about inviting Princess Celestia over for a day? If you can't go back, maybe she can visit?"

Sunset’s narrowing eyes gave way to a wince. “It’ll be another few months before I can even let Princess Twilight through the portal, much less the others. That much power in one place is dangerous right now. I was just going to use the journal.” She gave a shrug that tried and failed to look casual. "But hey, at least the two of us will have time down the road.”

Isekai shrugged. "Or, if you want, you two can meet here. You're welcome to come back more than once. I find myself pleasant company most of the time."

“Oh. That’s… huh.” Sunset took another look around the bar, contemplative this time. “Yeah, that could work. Looks like plenty of me can already attest to that.”

"If you mean me and all the other Sunsets in the pictures, that would be a yes," Isekai nodded encouragingly. "But there's no rush. Whenever you're ready, I'll be here for you."

“I appreciate it. I guess that’s the great thing about being Sunset Shimmer. Once you hit rock bottom, there’s nowhere to go but up.” Sunset emptied her mug. “But not yet. I have enough to sort out right now without adding my history with the princess on top of it.”

Isekai nodded. "This is true. And as you said, you have all the time in the world, just… don't be like me and postpone it too long." She chuckled. "It took me centuries to not run away from her and address my issues." She gave Sunset a thumbs up. "Granted, different than yours, but still. You get my point."

“Oh yeah. Time’s a precious thing, even for us. And acting like I have forever is a good way to never get anything done even when I’m not dealing with my baggage. On that note...” Sunset eased her way off the stool, shaking her head as she took a few steps. “Ugh. That stuff sneaks up on you. Shouldn’t be surprised you had something that would stick with me.”

"I do have a whole lot of things that might, but before you go, I do have a request." She lifted her cell phone. "We need our own picture for the wall!"

Sunset grinned. “Sure! Most polite selfie request I’ve gotten all week. Not saying much, but still.”

Sunset walked back into her living room with a wide smile and just a bit of a stagger. She felt the Isekai pull away from the local reality gently enough that it didn’t leave anything to repair, then once more collapsed onto her diacritic-rich sofa. The card in her hand seemed to… well, shimmer in a friendly way.

“Okay,” she said to herself, scrap paper and a pencil floating into position around her. “First things first, write Princess Twilight and start some messages on their way to Princess Celestia. Then—”

O Holy Maiden of Two Suns Entwined, I implore thee to smite my enemies that I—

Sunset jabbed a finger in the general direction of that latest, loudest supplicant. “No. No smiting. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

But—

“I said no. That goes for everyone. I don’t smite or purge or cleanse the unclean. My kitchen sink can attest to that last one. Now let me focus, I need to write home.”

Agnostically blessed silence answered her, and Sunset happily composed a letter to the princesses.

The next morning, she’d have to deal with the first theological speculation about where she’d come from, but that was a problem for future Sunset.

"So, darling," Rarity asked, leaning back on her chair as she took a sip of wine. "What would you have done if you'd been thrown into the role of a goddess without warning?"

Sunset shook her head, hanging up the picture she'd taken with this other Sunset. If one could see more than one layer of reality, then one would see that it was not just the two smiling Sunsets, but also the layer where they were at the same time trying to figure out if it was the best pose, and the layer where they were making faces at each other, and so on and so forth.

Non-linearity was fun, but she definitely understood her counterpart's wish to remain linear enough to be relatable. It was after all what she was all about.

"I don't know," she answered eventually, walking over to sit across her business partner. She poured herself some mead and took a sip of the sweet beverage. "I don't think I could have done a better job than she did, especially at that period of time in my past. If I was who I am now, and knowing what I do, I suppose I could have just fixed the rift."

"Just like that? Oh my, somepony is getting a big head," Rarity teased.

Sunset mock-glared at her. "Sure. What would you have done?"

"Moi? Well, I would have just let the magic transform every human in the world into anthropomorphic animals. Hybrid ponies, griffons, dragons… yaks. The whole deal. Not only are they more cute, but it would be fun to watch them try to use other people being different as an excuse for war." Her smile became vicious. "Plus, imagine the possibilities for designing clothes!"

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "I have nothing but fondness for anthropomorphic people as you well know, but you do realize that kind of forced change upon an unsuspecting world would not achieve world peace just because it happened. Such a sudden and unavoidable change would destroy society as they know it. Sunset did the right-ish thing in allowing them a period of time to slowly get used to the world before it fully sank in, I think. You'd be hard pressed to manage the chaos otherwise."

"Why would I want to manage that?" Rarity asked. "I think it would be amusing to watch; I never said anything at all about taking responsibility." She huffed. "If Harmony made me a goddess, then she can deal with the consequences of leaving me unsupervised."

"You can be kind of scary, sometimes," Sunset said, sighing. "I think Sunset is doing a good job so far, and we know she'll grow into it."

Rarity narrowed her eyes. "Why didn't you tell her you've met before?"

"Have I? Or is it just that I'll meet her in the future?" Sunset shrugged. "She might be working on her own time, but she still needs some to settle in and learn to be herself in these new circumstances. Throwing more stuff about the omniverse on top of that is probably not ideal."

Rarity chuckled. "I do forget you are a goody two shoes most of the time."

"And you're not?" Sunset asked, raising her glass.

"Depends on who you ask." Rarity clinked her glass against Sunset's. "But, I agree she did better than most would."

"Yeah," Sunset said, smiling as she partook of her mead. "She'll do just fine."