“So neither of you know anything?” I asked as Applejack and Rarity looked at each other.
I had tracked the two down to Rarity’s boutique. I was admittedly curious about this Sunset Shimmer and well, I’m hopinf they know a bit more about her. Okay, maybe I’m trying to avoid directly asking her but minor detail. Sunset seemed a lot more different and had a unique perspective that I haven’t seen yet in Ponyville.
“Unfortunately not sugarcube,” Applejack shook her head. “Ah know Sunset is a mite scared of us ah’d say.”
“I’d go as far and say she hates us,” Rarity chimed in with a frown. “Pity really, Twilight and Spike very fondly of her. Sunset is a powerful unicorn, I can feel her power radiating off her. Every pony in town can, she practically commands respect wherever she goes. She was a bit rude to me at more than one point.”
“Same here,” Applejack commented as she took a bit of her apple. “She and Dash hate each other it seems. But the ponies Sunset seems to hate the most is Octavia, Bon Bon, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle. Twilight said she went through something but didn’t say much more than that unfortunately.”
“I see. Thanks girls,” I said and stood up.
“Starlight?” Rarity called out and I glanced back at the two giving me worried looks. “Do help Sunset out darling. She could use a pony to talk to other than Twilight and Spike.”
“I’ll try I guess. She was nice to me. A bit seductive I suppose but nice,” I admitted with a blush. I was admittedly an attractive mare, but I wasn’t used to somepony trying to get between my legs like she was.
I opened the door and trotted outside. Lyra seemed to know Sunset a little, Berry Punch potentially might know her since Sunset frequents her bar a lot. Might as well try there.
“Speak of the devil,” I mused as Lyra trotted past with a filly. “H-hey Lyra! Wait up!”
The green mare paused as did the filly, both turning to look at me curiously as I galloped to catch up.
“Oh hey. You’re the mare from the other day, walked Sunset home with me,” Lyra said as she flashed me a smile. “Beautiful day out, isn’t it? This is my daughter, Liza.”
“Hello there,” I smiled at the filly hiding behind Lyra’s foreleg.
“She’s a bit shy around strangers. What can I do for you?” Lyra asked as she gestured to a nearby bench. “What’s your name, I never got it.”
“Oh Starlight Glimmer. I live in the castle with Twilight,” I answered as we sat down.
“Ah Twilight. Went to school with her as a filly, you know? So did Amethyst, Minuette and a Sea Swirl. The rest live in Canterlot,” Lyra commented as she sat up in a weird position that had to hurt her spine.
I didn’t know any of Twilight’s former classmates even lived here. Mental note, ask her about that later.
“Oh cool. Anyway, I was wondering if you were interested in visiting Sunset with me later? She was pretty hammered the other night and well, it seems like the nice thing to do, right?” I asked as Lyra shrugged.
“Maybe. She doesn’t seem to like me that much unfortunately. Sucks in all honesty. I went to school with her too at Celestia’s school but she was a few grades ahead of me. She was Celestia’s student before Twilight, then Sunset just disappeared off the face of Equestria and now she’s back.”
“Weird,” Liza said finally. “Can I go home? I wanna go bake with Mom.”
“Yeah sure kid,” Lyra smirked at the filly sitting in front of us. “Let’s get her home, get some coffee from Latte Express, and drop by Sunset’s.”
“Fine by me.”
I took a final sip of my coffee before crushing the cup with my magic and tossed it into the nearby trash can as Lyra and I trotted up to the door.
“Coming!” Sunset called as I knocked gently on the door with her cutie mark engraved on it. The door swung upon, revealing the unicorn covered in paint. “Starlight and Lyra. What are you two doing here?”
“Just dropping by,” I said as Sunset gave Lyra a wary look. I was only near Sunset for a few moments and like Rarity said, I could practically feel the magical power radiating off her. Based on Lyra’s expression, so could she.
Only really powerful unicorns gave off power like that. It was one thing that told us which ponies were decent mates and which ones to not pick fights with. Twilight and I both were in the similar boats of radiating magic I was told by Sweetie Belle once.
It’s not a thing that only unicorns can sense, all tribes of ponies can. Probably why some ponies tend to steer clear from me. My past as a dictator certainly doesn’t help either I’d bet.
“You can come in but she can’t,” Sunset pointed a hoof at Lyra, her face falling and her ears flattening against her head.
“Please?” Lyra said as Sunset narrowed her eyes.
“Either both of us come in or neither of us do,” I said firmly and Sunset made eye contact with me before sighing.
“Okay fine. Come on in, but be careful. There’s paintings I’m letting dry,” Sunset turned around with a huff.
Lyra and I looked at each other before shrugging, trotting inside. Lyra kicked the door shut with a hind leg and followed Sunset.
“Why are you being nice to me?” I asked Lyra as she gave me a confused look. “I mean, I brainwashed ponies, took their cutie marks and tried to rewrite Equestrian history yet you don’t even seemed fazed.”
“Didn’t take my cutie mark,” Lyra answered with a grin. “I believe in multiple timelines even if you erased me and the rest of Equestria from history, I’d still technically be alive in a different time line. And besides, we don’t know that I would have been killed in your alternate timeline so.”
“Wish the rest of the town felt that way,” I sighed and shook my head. “Two of those ponies with flower cutie marks like me.”
“Which ones? There’s five or six ponies flower cutie marks. You have Junebug, Daisy, Roseluck, Lily, Cheerilee, Blossomforth and that’s all I can remember,” Lyra commented as she rubbed her chin with a hoof.
“Two pink ones. Blonde mane and a green mane. Earth ponies.”
“That’s Daisy and Lily. They’re a bit scared of everything really,” Lyra answered as Sunset pointed at a couch. “I’ll talk to them, get them to come around.”
“Sit,” she said simply. We both complied with a nod. “What can I do for you, Starlight?”
“Nothing much. Just wanted to hang out,” I said and internally grimaced. I was starting to sound way too much like Rainbow Dash. “How’s your hangover?”
“That was two days ago,” Sunset pointed out as she gave me a confused look and I cursed internally. I had forgot that was two days ago. “But it’s fine, just painting.”
“What are you painting?” Lyra asked and Sunset glanced at her.
“A sun,” Sunset said simply and stepped back to show a large canvas in the room depicting a setting sun over the ocean, painting the sky various oranges and purples.
“Woah,” I muttered with wide eyes similar to Lyra’s expression. “That’s beautiful.”
“Thanks. I’ve been working for a few weeks on it,” Sunset admitted as she wiped some paint off her forehead with a washcloth. “Normally I paint out in the shed where all my other paintings are kept where no one else but me goes.”
“Fair enough,” I said and traced a hoof awkwardly on the couch.
“I’ll be at Berry’s tonight. I need a shower,” Sunset grumbled as she yawned. “I’m covered head to toe in paint.”
“Uh don’t you mean hooves?” I pointed out in confusion as Lyra’s face brightened.
“Toes are what humans have. It helps them keep balance and potentially grab things,” Lyra announced and Sunset snorted a laugh. “What, it’s true!”
“I plead the fifth on that.”
“I’ve been searching about humans my whole life. You speak like them too,” Lyra said and gasped, pointing a hoof at her. “You’re an imposter!”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ve taken the real Sunset Shimmer to some secret dark, dank, musty cave and have taken her place. You’re a changeling!” Lyra accused as she shuddered. “I hate changelings.”
“I’m definitely not a changeling,” Sunset said flatly as she raised an eyebrow. “I thought they were all banished or some shit anyway?”
“That’s exactly what a changeling would say!” Lyra shouted. “Guilty!”
“Lyra.”
“Yes, Sunset?” Lyra asked with a smile as Sunset inhaled, pointing a hoof at the door.
“Please get out of my house. I’m trying to concentrate on painting and no offense, but you two aren’t helping. I’ll be at the bar as usual getting fucked up.”
“Okay fine, fine. How did you even afford this place?” Lyra asked curiously as Sunset raised an eyebrow. “Bons and I barely could afford our current house.”
“I have my ways, mainly picking up all my bits from my old room in Canterlot so I could have a nice house built and a pool so I can drink in the sun. The rest of the bits I donated to a charity in Canterlot that raises money for victims of the changeling attack in Canterlot a few years ago,” Sunset answered as she opened the door. “Now please leave, I need a shower and to clean up the plastic I put down on the carpet. I appreciate the surprise visit Starlight. It’s nice to see you again.”
“See you tonight I guess.”
I stood up with Lyra and we both moved to the door, Sunset watching us like hawks.
I wonder how Trixie and Sunset would get along.