The Issue of Multiple Sunsets

by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof

A devious plan

The sentai villain and siren versions cried out as they were thrown through the air. The pair hit the bare cinder block wall, letting out grunts of pain as they fell to the concrete floor. Sunset Satan loomed over the two, floating in the air. She glared down at the two of them, hands engulfed in flames.

"So, let me be sure I'm clear on all this," Satan growled out. "You failed to get the child, you lost your staff, you lost your voice--"

"Not forever," Siren Shimmer rasped out.

"-- you somehow managed to get Celestia to pony up, and you threatened to kill the unicorn?"

"You never said anything about the unicorn being off limits," Sentai Villain Sunset stated.

With a snarl, Satan threw one of her fireballs at the wall, scorching it. The flames sprayed out, causing the other two to flinch away. Although neither Sunset was harmed, the heat of the attack did singe away some of their hair.

"That's because I didn't think I would have to!" Sunset Satan roared out. She threw another fireball. "You were there when I told Darth Phoenix." She threw another. "I didn't think I would have to repeat myself to you two!" She then threw one last one.

Each blast had been stronger than the previous, burning more and more of the wall, and forcing the pair to move or risk getting hurt themselves. Neither had been seriously hurt, but they could feel the tenderness from the heat on their skin, and bits of their hair had been burned away.

Sunset Satan stared at the pair a moment longer before pulling away. She straightened up and took a deep breath, extinguishing the fire still around her hands.

"You two are done for now," she stated. "Get out of my sight."

The two hurried off, leaving the room as quick as they could and getting as far from the flaming Sunset as possible.

"Not even my first day, and things are already falling apart," said vampire Sunset. "Your little villain alliance is not looking like it will last very long."

"They failed their mission," Satan replied, "they created someone who could be a new threat to us, tipping the odds against us even further, and they have left themselves weaker for it." She turned to glare at the vampire. "One has to recover her voice, and the other has far less magical control than before." She let out a growling sigh. "The only advantage is that it might distract the other group into try and finding out why we wanted the child, hopefully keeping them busy, and leading them down the wrong path."

That got vampire Sunset's attention. Straightening up from her spot at the wall, she walked closer to the demonic girl.

"Are you saying you don't actually need the kid?"

Satan smirked.

"She would have been more of a hostage and bargaining chip than anything. Something that the others would worry about more than anything." Sunset Satan gave a shrug. "Maybe we could have swayed her to our side, have her give in to the temptations that we did, but I doubt she would have been much of a spy for us if we were to return her to the others unharmed."

Her eyes narrowed and she turned to where the other two Sunset's had run off.

"Besides, one of them loses on a weekly basis to a team of spandex clad heroes, and the other only cares about food and fame. Do you really think I would trust them with anything that was actually of importance?"

Vampire Sunset considered this a moment before nodding.

"A fair point," she conceded. "So, what is your plan?"

Satan smirked, then held up a finger.

---

The Crystal Prep Sunset Shimmer let out a gasp as she suddenly woke up, jerking upright. Her head looked back and forth, eyes flicking as she tried to figure where she was. It was not her bedroom, nor had she fallen asleep while working at her lab again. It came back to her that she had last been sleeping in a chair in an apartment filled with other versions of herself, but she was not there either.

There were, however, two versions of Sunset Shimmer nearby, one of which was the demonic Sunset Satan that had attacked her outside of Crystal Prep.

Preppy Sunset cried out, moving off the bed. Her eyes shot around the room, looking for something to use to defend herself. She had never been very religious, always relying more on science and facts. Now, not even a full day, and she had learned that magic was real, had met several versions of herself including one that could best be described as an "angel," and was facing a demonic version of herself for the second time. What did one use to get rid of a demon? Garlic? Wolfsbane? Burning oregano? Maybe she could find something large and heavy. Everything should be susceptible to severe blunt force trauma to the head, right?

The other Sunset Shimmer suddenly appeared in front of her and reached out, placing a hand against Preppy Sunset's cheek. Their eyes met, and she found that she could not look away. Something about this other Sunset seemed wrong to her, but she could not place exactly what.

"Relax," this strange new Sunset said. "You're not in any dangers."

Preppy Sunset felt herself relax, and found herself believing what she was being told. Still, a part of her could not help but think about earlier. She turned toward Sunset Satan. Although not enough to break full eye contact with the other Sunset.

"She attacked my school."

"Yes," Sunset Satan admitted. "I did." She then took a step forward. "It's not all bad though." Her eyes narrowed as her grin widened. "We actually have something that you would be interested in." She then leaned forward. "Something that would help you study and understand magic."

That got Preppy Sunset's interest.

"What do you mean?"

Satan stepped away, and Preppy Sunset found her attention returned to the other Sunset Shimmer. She found herself drawn to the other woman's gaze, the rest of the world seeming to fade away. Her gaze was so mesmerizing. Her eyes seemed to be glowing, dancing between blue and red. It was like... like...

A set of blueprints was set down in front of Preppy Sunset, getting her attention. It was a device that would have fit in her hand, with a variety of electronic components integrated into it. A variety of notes and mathematical formulas were written around it, giving additional information.

It was a bit of a struggle, but she found herself slowly figuring out what it was telling her.

"What is this?" she asked. "It looks like a device that can--"

"Detect, absorb, and analyze energies," Satan finished. "Yes. With it, you could study and understand magic like no one else. Just imagine what that could lead to. Regular physics. Quantum physics." She leaned in close, putting a hand on Preppy Sunset's shoulder. "It could even lead to advancements in Zero Point Energy, or scientifically reproducible teleportation." She brought her mouth close to her ear, her voice just a whisper. "All thanks to you, and this device."

Preppy Sunset stared at the blueprints with wide eyes, taking it all in, and trying to wrap her head around the implications. What all could be possible if she was able to study and understand magic, and apply it to science? Could it improve food growth? Restore deforested regions? What about reversing global warning? Space travel?

A part of her felt doubt. There had to be a reason this villain was offering her this. There must have been a danger. A downside.

She looked up, catching the eyes of the other Sunset Shimmer.

The doubts faded. They hardly mattered anyways. Even if there was some downside (and that seemed unlikely now that she considered it), it was too good an opportunity for her to pass up. So much could be accomplished. It would be foolish to pass it up for a few minor issues.

Besides, that was if she actually applied or shared what she found out. What was the worst that could happen if she just built one little device for analysis.

"I'm going to need some sort of lab," Preppy Sunset stated, "and some tools and electrical materials."

"Oh, don't worry," Satand replied, grinning. "I'm sure we have everything you need for this."

Comments

[Comickook]

Excellent work on this latest chapter. I absolutely loved seeing Sunset Satan berating her Siren and Sentai villain counterparts and then have a comparatively calm chat with her vampire counterpart AND THEN trick her Crystal Prep counterpart into helping out by playing to her scientific curiosity with that blueprint of the magic drainer.

All in all, very good job on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up and I'll very certainly be looking forward to next week.

[FanOfMostEverything]

Satan smirked, then held up a finger.

"Not before the scene change."
"I thought you were a Sunset, not a Pinkie."

In any case, the thing is, madgirl Sci-Set is a decidedly double-edged sword. Especially since clinical trials have been done with that device already. It'll take one hell of a mind whammy to get her to disregard previous experiments with the same conditions, and that's before you take into account how the villains are just as vulnerable to magic drain as the heroes, and she's going to want to test the thing first. Satan may have unleashed something even she can't control.

[Sylica telca]

*face palms* god damn it did you learn nothing!? Scisun!?

[Herald of Opera]

9777861
She's from an AU where that never happened because she wasn't there to cause it.

[Pr1deM0rn1ngstar]

This is not going to end well for anyone involved with magic