• Published 23rd Jun 2019
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Sunset's Isekai - Wanderer D



Somewhere, out there, there's a bar with a familiar yin-yang sun on the door.

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Twilight's World (Rock the Carousel - Ongoing)

Sunset's Isekai
By Wanderer D & ChibiRenamon
Twilight's World (Rock the Carousel - Ongoing)

Twilight closed the door to the atelier behind her and let out a quiet sigh. It had been a long day. “The kind of long day where my attempt to bribe a police officer won’t even make the Top 5 of crazy moments,” she muttered. “The kind of long day where me voting myself out of the band isn’t even my dumbest moment. The kind of long day where...” She frowned. “The kind of long day where I don’t even realize I’m talking to myself.”

Climbing up the stairs, she had to admit that the Carousel Boutique was a perfect reflection of its owner: stylish, beautiful, but in a way that seemed perfectly natural. The kind of natural that was the result of hours of preparation and hard work. The kind of natural anypony would take for granted until they tried to duplicate the effect. The kind of natural where even an archway made of stone blended in perfectly with the colors of the walls around-Wait, wait, wait!

Twilight shook her head and took another look at the large and massive door she had just walked past. “...the hay?” she asked nopony in particular. There were two doors on this first floor that seemed like they belonged. Each of them fit neatly into the pastel color theme of the rest of the interior, and there was a handcrafted wooden sign on each one. “Sweetie’s room, bathroom,” Twilight said, pointing at each door in turn. Then she faced the giant oak door that had somehow taken up the space where she would have expected the door to Rarity’s room. Okay, I know nothing about fashion or interior design, but this doesn’t look right.

Even ignoring the material of the door and the STONE ARCHWAY, the sign at the entrance depicted a cutie mark while the door next to it spelled out the owner’s name. Not even to mention that I doubt that Rarity has a cutie mark that looks like this, she thought, raising an eyebrow at the red-and-yellow sun. Finally, she noticed the small blackboard that hung next to the door and frowned at the list of increasingly exotic drink names. “...is this a bar?” She blinked, then laughed at the silliness of that idea. “Ha! Right! Of course Rarity’s room is a bar! Ha ha—” She opened the door, froze, then immediately closed it again. “—haaaaaaa...”

Grin still frozen on her features, she went back downstairs and stopped in front of the door leading to the atelier. Hey, Rarity, just a quick question, is your room some sort of super retro bar that’s larger than the entire top floor has any right to be? She didn’t even care that she was going to sound like the biggest lunatic on the planet. My friends will understand. Or at least Applejack will. After all, her friend runs a cafe that told the principles of Euclidean geometry to come back with a warrant, so this shouldn’t even faze her. She nodded to herself.

Applejack would understand.

Applejack was experienced.

“Ah heard that!” she heard a voice coming from the other side of the door. “Winona ain’t just an animal!”

Applejack was about to go on a five-hour rant about her dog.

“Never mind,” she muttered and went back upstairs. It would take something momentous to interrupt her friend when she was going on about Winona, and a little bit of wibbly-wobbly space probably wouldn’t make the cut.

I’m probably overthinking things again, she told herself when she arrived back at the door. Freaking out over nothing. This is simply what happens when you fall in love with a slightly eccentric pony who knows how to work... mirrors... and lighting... and stuff... to make a room look bigger. Fashion, just for rooms. It makes sense that she’d be good at one if she’s good at the other... right? Besides, I’d turn my room into a bar if I could get away with it! She took a deep breath and placed a hand on the handle. Definitely overthinking it. “This is okay. This is Rarity’s room. So let’s just go in before she catches you standing out here like an idiot.”

"Okay, I take it all back; this is either some kick-ass 3D-effect wallpaper, or this room is bigger than it should be..."

Well, that was a voice that Sunset knew well. She smiled in anticipation as footfalls preceded the appearance of who could only be Twilight Sparkle. But what to serve her? In a lot of universes Twilight was what could only be called a "lightweight" which meant that the ideal menu would be the so-called virgin cocktails. However, Twilight tended to be offended by that and usually would end up trying to prove something—unnecessarily so—by drinking an alcoholic beverage that she could not possibly handle. Or, she'd be completely against drinking alcohol if she was on mom-mode, like when she had followed Nyx into the bar.

'Or, she could be Commander Sparkle.'

The sobering thought wiped the smile out of her face. Yeah. Better wait until this Twilight made her way in before pulling out the non-alcoholic menu. In any case, she'd never had her friend step in on her own, so this would be an interesting thing to see.

When Twilight finally stepped into the bar itself, Sunset smiled. "Welcome to Suns—the hay?!"

Standing in front of her was the biggest Twilight Sparkle she had ever seen. Bipedal and anthropomorphic, similar to Cowboy Rarity, but with a lot more muscle and dressed in a much more modern attire. A tribal tattoo of some sort decorated what she could see of her shoulder and left arm… and if that wasn't shocking enough, she had piercings on her ears and on an eyebrow… and she was glancing around the place in complete bafflement, up until the point when she spotted Sunset.

The pair looked at each other for a moment.

"Uh… hi?"

Same voice. It was totally Twilight Sparkle. "Uh, hello!" Sunset said, shaking her head to try and clear her thoughts. "This is Sunset's Isekai, my little multiverse bar…" she trailed off, this was usually not how things went, but this Twilight was so incoherent with the rest of the universe that it had thrown her out of the loop. "But... I must admit I never thought I'd meet a bodybuilder Twilight Sparkle."

"This is not Rarity's room."

"Nope, my bar appears everywhere where a creature needs a drink," Sunset provided. "And you look kind of stressed. Why don't I get you something?"

"No, no," Twilight insisted, resting her hands on the bar. "This is not Rarity's room, and you're not a pony. This is not okay."

"Hey, chill, Twily," Sunset said, "we're outside of time and space. If you're really that desperate to hang out with Rarity you can just march right out the door and sweep her off her feet with your admittedly impressive arms."

Twilight's eyes went wide, and Sunset knew she had hit the nail on the head.

"Relax," she repeated, motioning with her hands soothingly. "Seriously, no time will pass for them if we don't want it to. You're technically in a completely different dimension."

She could almost see the cogs turning in Twilight's head. Whatever she looked like, she was still the same intelligent mare she knew. "But that's impossible."

Sunset blinked. "Huh. Maybe magic in your universe is not as developed as in others…" she frowned, considering her bar. "Maybe I should invest or device a spell to detect that kind of thing. Would be less of a shock. Maybe a perception filter of some kind?"

Twilight warily studied her, eyes narrowed and slightly distrustful. She paced down the bar again, glancing around, noticing her acoustic and electric guitars on the wall. "Are those yours, or just for decoration?"

"Mine, believe it or not," Sunset said, snapping back to reality. "My casual wear is not usually a blouse, waistcoat and bow-tie."

Twilight gave her a considering look before walking further in to glance at the Jukebox, grunting at what she saw, then walking back, pausing to study the pictures on the wall. "Wait… is that Rarity?" she asked, glancing at the cowboy picture. "She looks a bit older, but damn." She whistled.

"I know, right?" Sunset chuckled. "But I'm afraid that one's taken, and unless you want a bullet in your head, you really don't want to go there."

"Huh." Twilight straightened up. Then threw her hands up in the air with an accompanying shrug. "You know what, what the hell, I need a drink. Or two. Or three. So why not? If I'm crazy enough to dream all of this, there's no point in not enjoying myself. If I'm having a mental breakdown, worst case Applejack will have to bail me out."

She paused when a ghostly figure of a similar species as the bartender floated out of the floor, yawning. "Hey Twilight."

The girl floated closer to Sunset and fist-bumped her. "Thanks for letting me crash at your place. Do you mind dropping me off at the Fenton place?"

Sunset smiled. "Hey yourself, Danni. Go ahead, should already be there."

She watched Twilight watch the short ghost float her way to the door, open it into a street and float out.

Her current guest walked back down bar, picking up Sunset's acoustic guitar and sat on one of the benches strumming it. "Was that a ghost?"

"Yup."

"I could use that drink now." Her eye started twitching, and Sunset started to get the feeling that she was having too much fun pushing this Twilight. She took a deep breath and centered herself.

"Alright, try to relax Twilight. I know this might be a bit much to take in, but you're safe, you're with a friend, and I guarantee you're going to be fine, okay?"

Twilight simply strummed the guitar in response, so Sunset considered her options. Shrugging, she procured a rocks glass, and started pulling out ingredients. She wasn't too sure about the local diet, so she decided to forego the egg whites. A dash of lemon juice, whiskey, ice, and simple syrup went into the shaker. After some vigorous shaking, she strained it out into the rocks glass—already with it's single, large circular ice in it. To finish, she used the back of a spoon to slowly pour a fruity red wine so it floated on top of the initial mix, and decorated it with a lemon wedge on the side.

When she was done, the bright red wine contrasted deliciously sharply with the golden-yellow of the whiskey mix.

"Here, try this one," she said, sliding it gently in front of the shaken Twilight. "Sorry if this was a bit much, I'm used to visitors taking things—a bit more in stride." She wondered if this was just a quirk of this Twilight, or whether the bar had simply not deigned to use the calming field it was supposed to use every time.

Twilight gently put down the guitar next to her, and studied the drink, before mixing it a little and taking a sip.

Sunset watched as a small smile appeared on her guests face. "You like?"

"I do." Twilight rolled back her shoulders, and stretched her neck, tilting it to one side, then to another before deflating a little and leaning into the bar. "So walk me through this again."

"Right," Sunset said, "I imagine that your world has less magic than others I've visited, or at least it's not been developed in this way, but in the simplest terms I can use, this place is basically a sort-of pocket dimension that can connect to other dimensions at any point in time, whenever it is desired."

Twilight nodded slowly, frowning as she took in what she had been told. "Yeah, that's definitely not something we have around. Would save on gas money though."

Sunset chuckled. "So, tell me a bit about you. No offense, but other than a certain other Twilight, you have to be the least nerdy out of the lot I've met in my travels."

A small smirk spread through Twilight's face. "You, filly, are looking at Princess Twilight Sparkle, the lead vocalist of 'Villian Court'!" She stood up and pumped her fist. "THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!"

Sunset was taken aback. She felt her eyes go wide, and a grin spread across her face. She could feel herself getting hyped up. "You're a rock-star?!"

"YES!" Twilight declared, then hesitated. "Well, getting there."

"So, you're like what, Nightmare Moon worshipers?" Sunset asked. "That was a very Nightmare Moon thing to say."

"We're not—" Twilight shook her head and gave Sunset a slightly confused look. "'I mean, it is based on the Nightmare Moon myth, but I’m pretty sure there are no worshipers of what is essentially a glorified fairytale. No, it’s our battle cry! Well, kind of. It’s from the first song of our first album, and we usually open with that number during our concerts. It’s the line right as the tempo picks up, so our fans usually scream it along with us. It’s also going to be the last thing that Fluttershy will hear before we dethrone her in the upcoming band battle!"

"Fluttershy." Sunset repeated. "Pink hair, meek, Fluttershy."

"Pink hair, award-winning violinist superstar, Fluttershy," Twilight clarified, sitting down again. "I mean, we'll get our asses handed back to us, but we're committed to at least try. We've already sold out.

"That's so weird," Sunset muttered. "So, Rarity is part of your group?"

Twilight's confident grin faded almost immediately and a wide-eyed panicked look took over. "What? No. Rarity is… she's—" She stopped and took a deep breath. "No, my band-mates are Trixie, Big Mac, and Octavia."

Sunset decided to roll with the deflection. "Trixie I can see, but I can't imagine Big Mac outside of a quartet, or Octavia not playing the cello."

"As she would say," Twilight pointed out after sipping her drink, "cello's are not just about classical music."

"I guess I can see that."

"And Big Mac… guy's a gifted drummer, and strong enough that not even Applejack can arm-wrestle him."

"So Applejack…"

"Takes care of our finances and my training." Twilight flexed and Sunset reminded herself that she didn't really care too much about physical strength or muscles. Not at all.

Still. She had to check. For science!

"Wow." She kept poking Twilight's biceps. "And you say Applejack trained you?"

"She's still training me," Twilight said, "she's the one that helped me set up my band after… years of other endeavors."

"That's fair enough," Sunset said. "I'm glad that you guys are friends, and your band seems like an interesting mix."

Twilight chuckled and shook her head. "I can't believe you actually know all of them."

"Different versions," Sunset admitted. "So… Fluttershy?"

"Yeeeah," Twilight grumbled. "Not my best idea, but we're already agreed on it, you know? Even if she kicks our assess it's going to be a boost in fame." She took a longer drink, making the ice clink on the glass. "Either that or we're going to be embarrassed so bad that we're going to become the laughing stock of everypony out there."

"How do you battle a violinist with a rock band on equal terms?" Sunset asked.

"With passion."

Sunset leaned into the bar. "You don't… seem too sure about wanting to do this."

Twilight rubbed the back of her neck, grimacing and looking away. "I mean. The challenge was accepted, how would it look if we just didn't do it?"

"Isn't there a way that you all come out winning?" Sunset asked. "Unless the Fluttershy in your world is very different from mine, I don't see her not wanting a peaceful resolution to the whole thing."

"It's as much about saving face as it is not antagonizing a famous star, alright?" Twilight said. "If she backs out, she loses. If I back out, we lose." She put her half-empty glass down and dragged her hands through her face. "I should be concentrating on that, but right now I have other things on my mind and it's driving me crazy!"

"Would this other thing in your mind have a perfectly-done mane, creamy white coat, lovely blue eyes and a passion for design?"

Twilight's hands were still covering her face, but the fingers parted to allow her to glare at Sunset.

"Hey, you're the one that was drooling on the picture of the Bulletproof Heart."

"Who?" came the muffled question.

"Cowboy Rarity."

"Well. Okay, but in my defense she looks—"

"I know."

"And honestly? I had no idea I would even see Rarity again after I kissed her, alright?"

Sunset raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you kissed her? Out of no-where?"

"No! I mean, it was in concert!" Twilight said quickly. "And then, you know—look, I thought she'd played along on stage and then it was done, okay? I… really never expected her to make the time for somepony like me."

"Huh." Sunset tapped her chin. "I… really don't see why not. I mean—"

"Why not?!" Twilight reached across the bar, eyes wide and grabbed Sunset by the shoulders. "Why not?! Rarity's perfect! She's got her life together! She's self-employed! She owns her own business!"

"Technically… so do you."

Twilight shook her, and in the process reminded Sunset that—even if Sunset herself was stronger than she looked—this version of her friend was much, much stronger than herself.

"Yes! But I'm just an indie-rock singer! The only things I bring to the table are: rock, tight muscles, and an unsteady financial future!"

"Twilight…" Sunset grinned. "It's not that bad! I mean, in most other universes you've done pretty well for yourself, and having your own band is a big deal."

"Yeah, well, I'm not in another universe—most of the time!" She pulled the glass to her lips and took a slow drink. When she put it down, she grimaced. "What am I like in these other places?"

"Well, it depends…" Sunset said, blinking. "Usually you're an academic, or a Princess."

"When you say 'princess' I get the feeling it's not just a title."

"Nope, I mean as in royalty," Sunset said. "You've gained your wings, and rule alongside Celestia and Luna."

Sunset noticed Twilight's fists tighten. "Figures even in other universes she'd be getting in my way," the rockstar hissed.

"Wait, what?" Sunset asked. "I'm getting familiar vibes here, but that's usually with my own counterparts."

Twilight gritted her teeth and shook in place, speaking very carefully. "I'm already going to be talking about this with Rarity, but let's just say that Celestia very much wanted to control…” She gritted her teeth, displaying a somewhat intimidating pair of canines. “She… wanted… she wanted to control... me. My… my…” She took a deep breath. “She would love to control my band if I let her… and I am not okay with that."

Sunset nodded. "I know the feeling all too well," she said, "although in my case it wasn't as… straightforward an argument as that seems to be." She paused and licked her lips. Twilight looked like she was ready to flinch, fly into a rage and smash something or crawl under the bar. "We don't have to talk about it, if it causes you this much stress the last thing I'd want to do is get you to do it more than once. Just so you know, I do understand how she can be—"

"Difficult." Twilight grumbled.

"Overwhelming?"

"Controlling."

"Intense."

"A total bi—"

"Alright, alright," Sunset interrupted. "I get it. But remember that she's somepony I know many versions of and it feels like I'm dissing on all of them."

Twilight snorted, but she had relaxed a little, which was good. Even though Sunset did love Celestia—almost as a mother figure—even she had to admit sometimes she was a bit too much, for that exact reason. If Twilight was more comfortable with the subject, she might've tried to breach through and maybe help a little on that front. But the rock singer clearly wasn't ready for that yet.

Twilight sighed, "It's just a long and complicated story." She smirked. "Plus, if you heard it, Trixie would somehow find her way in here and make you sign a non-disclosure agreement."

"That bad huh?"

Twilight shrugged.

"So, tell me about your band," Sunset said, "I used to play in one with a version of several mutual acquaintances, but they were more about pop and well, my leather-jacket and spikes style was a bit of a hint that they never took."

Twilight snorted, smiling for real this time. "Yeah, pop definitely isn't for me. My band is—how do I put this? It's a statement. I'm proving to everypony out there that I can be me, find my own image, my own voice and kick ass!!" She drank the rest of her New York Sour. "No one can trap me in a convenient little category! I'll break the mold every time! I'll own it all and—"

"Take Rarity out on a date!"

"—and take Rarity out on a date!" Twilight blinked. "Wait—"

"Hold her in your arms and dance barefoot on the grass..."

"Okay, now you're starting to project—"

"Whisper love songs in her ear…"

Twilight's face went slack and she simply gave Sunset an unamused look. "You're really pushing it."

"Hey," Sunset said, shrugging, "it's all in good fun! Plus, you seem too stressed not to make fun of. You really need to relax as much as you can under the circumstances."

"Well, that's easier said than done when you have too much stuff going on in your life to even think about asking a goddess out."

"Having actually met goddesses, I assure you you'll never have enough free time for that."

Twilight closed her mouth, then attempted to say something, then closed it again. She grumbled under her breath. "Thanks. I needed to hear that."

Sunset laughed, "Doesn't mean it never worked. Remind me sometime to tell you about Belldandy."

Twilight chuckled. "Fine, fine." She picked the empty glass—save for what remained of the ice cube—and watched as it slid around when she moved it a little. "We really are friends in another life huh?"

"Why do you say that?" Sunset asked, leaning on the counter.

"Well… you've really pushed past the walls, you know?" Twilight said, still looking into the glass. "I'm not going to tell you my life story, but we seem to get along just fine fairly quickly."

"There's no reason we can't be friends in this life of yours too," Sunset said, pulling out a card and giving it to Twilight. "This will help you find the bar when you need it."

Twilight put down the glass and took the silver card, studying it carefully. "How does it work?"

"Just pull it out and think about what you'd like to drink." Sunset raised her hands to encompass the bar. "And voila! Also, if you ever want to bring friends it's fine too. I'd like to meet this Rarity of yours when you're steady. Or semi steady."

Twilight sighed, pocketing the card. "Speaking of which… I should probably head over to talk to her, huh?"

"Nothing's stopping you," Sunset said, patting her friend on the shoulder. "Just remember to keep your cool. If I know anything about Rarity is that she'll hear you out, at least."

Twilight gave her a look that reminded her of of a puppy finding out that they needed to go to the vet.

"You can do it," she insisted. "Also, none of those looks. We need to take a picture for the bar and I can't have you look like the Doctor finding out I ran out of Jelly Babies."

"Who?"

"Exactly."

"You're not making sense," Twilight said, standing up. She picked up the guitar and carefully placed it on the hooks on the wall. "It's a nice guitar."

"Thanks, that was my first one… I started using the V when I joined the Rainbooms."

"Ha. Even the name sounds like a pop band."

"Yeah, yeah, rub it in."

Twilight closed the door to the bar behind her and let out a quiet sigh. It had been a long day. “The kind of long day where I stumble into a bar in another dimension,” she whispered. “The kind of long day where I find myself wondering if I can, in fact, defuse the band battle without losing face. The kind of long day where—”

“The kind of long day where you don’t even realize you’re talking to yourself?” Twilight blinked and looked to her side. Rarity was just coming up the stairs and gave her a smile that was both mischievous and inviting.

“Yes, that kind of long day exactly,” Twilight said and smiled back. She wasn’t sure if it had been the drink, the talk, or maybe a mix of both, but she felt more at ease now. “But I suppose you could say the same.”

“Eh, messed up a job interview, had a coffee that glowed light purple, almost got hit by a car, invited my muse and goddess into my home.” Rarity feigned a yawn. “Pretty average day, really.” They both chuckled at that. “So... need a drink?”

Twilight slightly tilted her head. “I feel that I need to tell my story... and maybe reflect a bit on my life in general.” A pause. “But yeah, I’ll also have a drink while I’m at it.“

“Well, after you,” Rarity said and gestured at the door behind Twilight.

“In there?” Well, sure, okay, Sunset did say that I could bring friends, but isn’t Rarity a bit too accepting of the extra-dimensional—... She turned around. “...oh, you meant your room!”

“Well... yes,” Rarity said, pointing at the pleasantly pastel-colored door that had absolutely not been there a minute ago. “I’d point out there there’s even a sign with my name on it, but you’ve already proven your dislike for those, so...”

“You’re never going to let me live that one down, do you?” She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically before opening the door to Rarity’s room and office. There was no large hall, there was no jukebox, and there was no fully-stocked bar. This is Rarity’s room, she thought, a smile appearing on her face. This is okay.

Sunset hummed as she hung up the picture. She had hunted down her leather jacket for this, just so she could stand back-to-back with Twilight, each with a guitar (Twilight had refused to hold the V, since that was Sunset's "band" guitar) and grinning at the camera.

"I wonder how the concert will go," she mused. "Too bad they ran out of tickets—" she blinked and smiled "—but… good thing I can time-travel." She walked to the cashier and grabbed her pad. "Might need to look like a local… and some proper currency. After all, if I'm going to a concert, I might as well get some goodies."

End Chapter

Author's Note:

Written with the one and only ChibiRenamon!

This is a crossover with the amazing story "Rock the Carousel" which I've enjoyed reading more than once, and always hope for updates ;) Hopefully your interest was piqued by the chapter if you haven't read it. I do recommend!

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