Sunset's Isekai
Forgive - Part Three
By Wanderer D
G'kar watched curiously as Lena made more tea. "It always amazes me how traditional this bar is," he said. "Sunset has visited hundreds of worlds, possibly thousands since she opened up, and yet, she has chosen to keep her bar as simple as this in its functionality."
Lena glanced at him, arching an eyebrow. "You think she should have changed it to a more advanced design?"
He shook his head. "I think this is as charming as it gets… and as personal as it can be and grow." He looked around the place, at the pictures, the posters, the guitars, the bar itself with its old-Earth style, something out of one of Mr. Garibaldi's collection of early 20th Century Earth. "I find that as marvelous as they can get, the more advanced worlds I've seen are so much more… sterile."
"Huh," Lena mused as she prepared the water for her tea. "I know she's talked to other bartenders about making everything automated, or obtaining something that can materialize the ingredients but… this—" she motioned with her hand at the inside of the bar "—is something most creatures across the universe will recognize."
G'kar nodded. "Curious isn't it? But oddly reassuring."
"You can say that again," Lena said, pouring the hot water into her mug. "If it had been some sort of crazy ultra-futuristic environment, I don't think I would have felt so comfortable here… at least not so quickly." Tea, cookies and wine at the ready, Lena and G'kar sat together at the bar. "So, you had said earlier that your revelation changed how you looked at other races?"
He nodded.
"When I say that we are one, I do not mean one entity in the physical sense, obviously," G'kar explained. "What I mean is that what harm we do to others, we ultimately do to ourselves. As if it were a real body. You could see the Narns as an arm, for example, and the Centauri as the other. If one of the arms is cut off… the rest of the body, the other arm included, will suffer potentially catastrophic damage."
"And you discovered this while high and forcing your mind into Londo's?"
"Yes!" G'kar said. "Do not misinterpret… it was an awful, wrong thing to do. But it drove home the point. While I tortured Londo with my mind, I damaged myself. When I brought the demons of his past into the light, I brought back mine. When I attacked his regret and innaction, I attacked my own violence and fear. When I questioned his morality… I discovered that mine was also lacking."
Lena was quiet, looking down at her tea. "Yeah. Justifying to yourself your actions or lack of them is a hard thing to face."
"Exactly." G'kar patted her on the shoulder. "A very insightful observation."
"Just the result of a life doing just that, until I couldn't anymore," Lena said, shaking her head. "Anyway, you and Sunset?"
G'kar drank a little wine and sighed. "The third time I met Sunset Shimmer, was when I was at the Imperial Palace for the second time in my life." His mouth twisted into a half-smirk. "The first time was much less pleasant, let me assure you, but this time… this time, I was there for a good, noble reason—and I admit—my own amusement. Such things are hard to maintain in an environment as, how do humans put it? Toxic? Yes… that's most appropriate. An environment so toxic most Centauri that stood in proximity would be affected."
"Most?"
"Vir was always the exception."
"Ah." Lena gave him an amused look. "So, what was this great and noble cause you were there for?"
It was Sheridan's idea, you see… in order to show to all the worlds in the Alliance that we were of one mind on matters of protecting our borders from remnants of the Shadows, he suggested I become Mollari's bodyguard. It wasn't easy, but I deeply enjoyed making the stuffy Centauri nobles nervous with my presence. Not only was I a Narn and a known criminal in the Centauri Court. I was protecting their most important member, future emperor. I was constantly amused by their efforts to ignore me, while they almost always physically struggled with the fact that as Mollari's bodyguard, they couldn't simply get rid of me. He was too powerful… too important. It was glorious! A slap in their face every morning, afternoon and night. They would run into rooms when they saw me walking in their direction, whether I intended to engage them or not. I wish I had recorded it, somehow.
The only thing that made the whole thing better was that I was able to save my former assistant, Na'toth, from her prison and deliver her safely to my homeworld. I had thought her lost to us at the beginning of the war… it was a great relief to find her alive, and Mollari's immediate efforts in helping me get her off-world safely slowly opened my eyes to the type of man he really was.
All through those adventures with Mollari I came to know him as I never expected to. Perhaps it was because of what had happened during his heart-attack, or perhaps it was that after all we went through, I appreciated that what he did was not for himself, but through an honest love for his people, however undeserving they were of the attention.
When he risked his life to save me… I realized that at some point I had started considering him a friend. He stepped out of the room to talk to the court while I recuperated, and that's when I saw Sunset Shimmer for the third time.
"Understand, that I can never forgive your people for what they did to my world. My people can never forgive your people. But I… can forgive you."
G'kar held Mollari's arm in a warrior's grip, almost overwhelmed by what he had said, and yet… in this moment... in this intersection of destiny, what could have he done but speak the truth? That he would find it in him to forgive Mollari… a year ago… a month ago, it would have seemed a poor joke. And yet here he was, in Centauri Prime, doing something he had thought beyond him… just as he had never thought he would hear Londo say he was sorry.
Londo was clearly overwhelmed as well. The impact… the weight of what he had just said was not lost on him. He understood, just as G'kar did, what those words meant for them as individuals, rivals, enemies, and friends. And for a moment a look of deep, deep regret darkened his eyes.
Before G'kar could ask anything about that, Londo gulped, nodded solemnly and stepped out of the room, leaving him alone with his thoughts. He winced as he sat down again in the remains of the sofa behind him and blinked when he noticed the familiar door.
It had taken him a moment to realize that no, he wasn't imagining things.The universe outside might be going crazy, and he might have lost blood in the earlier confrontation, but the wooden door was real, and it was right there where it hadn't been a second ago.
Despite his initial incredulity, he had immediately recognized it, and knew what was coming the moment the door opened and Sunset Shimmer herself stepped into the room, looking around with growing concern at the state of it before her eyes settled on him.
When he saw the worry growing in her face, he graced her with a thin smile, trying not to move too much, lest his wound open again. "Ah, Miss Shimmer, you must forgive me if I don't stand up, I'm not in the best of states."
"G'kar, what happened? Do you need medical assistance?"
G'kar chuckled, surprised by the worry in her eyes. They had talked only two times before, and yet she not only gave him another chance, but also genuinely felt concern for his health. Not too long ago, he would have appreciated it, but dismissed it as a quirk of personality. Now he knew just how rare that honest concern was.
"If you have something to dull the pain, that would be quite acceptable," he said gently. "Otherwise I will be okay."
The door closed and faded behind her as she got to his side and kneeled down. She placed her hand on top of his injury, making him wince, but surprisingly the pain faded soon after and he looked down to see her hand glowing with a wavy white aura.
"Healing spell," she said softly, "I might not be able to heal it completely… it's not something I have practiced much, but it will dull the pain and hold the wound closed unless you get hit again."
"Thank you," he said, holding back the awe in his voice. If Sunset was indeed some sort of technowizard, she was still ages ahead of anyone he knew. Finally she stopped and stepped back, studying the room around them again while gingerly touched his wound. It hurt. But a lot less than before. Still, he would remain put for now, there was no point in risking his health by rushing it.
"Wow, this place is trashed. I hope you don't make a habit of only seeing me whenever you're in pain or injured." Sunset went over to investigate one of the destroyed desks, while G'kar couldn't help but chuckle.
"Welcome to the Imperial Palace in Centauri Prime."
Sunset stopped and that and gave him an incredulous look. "You trashed the palace?"
He shook his head. "No, there was an attempt on Londo's life, so I interceded… and then he did for me."
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "So you're not trying to get him killed anymore?"
G'kar chuckled, each laugh making him wince. "Oh no. Much has come to pass since we last met, Miss Shimmer. We tried enough times to do so to realize we might as well postpone it until a more mutually convenient time of our choosing."
Sunset shook her head, rolling her eyes with a hint of a smile. "You two… so how come you're here, risking your life for him?"
"Ah," G'kar sighed. "As I said, you have missed much, Miss Shimmer." He motioned with his hand at a destroyed table, with the chairs strewn about. "Please, take a seat."
She gave him a dubious look, but nevertheless straightened up one of the chairs, making sure it would hold her weight without collapsing—it was a little wobbly—and giving him her undivided attention.
"The war between the Narn and the Centauri is over," he started to say, measuring his words. While it was true, it was equally true that what had happened would not be forgotten. That the lives lost or destroyed would never be sufficiently healed by a resolution of conflict and even the next thousand years. "I will try to summarize the events for you, although you must understand that I will be understating the severity of it in exchange for simplicity. There is only so much that can be done in order to learn to coexist… there will be no love between the Centauri and Narn races… but we have each returned home, surviving a conflict that would have destroyed most of the younger races thanks to our combined efforts."
He wanted to say more, but even after time had passed, the memories were still strong. She wasn't a Narn, she wouldn't benefit from listening to him talk about his suffering… not right now at least. "Mollari and I formed an alliance to free our races from the tyrant on the throne. It wasn't friendship, but it was born of desperation and need… both strong incentives. I had to endure… a lot." He cleared his throat. "I had to let go of my pride… and surrender control. I had to trust my most hated enemy to not only honor his word, but to follow through with the necessary steps to ensure it wasn't just a pyrrhic victory.
"It was then that I realized that Londo, despite hating me too, felt something for me that I did not for him: he respected me. He hated seeing me captured and tortured. Not defeated—but destined to die at the hands of a cretinous fool for entertainment value… a monster that was about to guarantee the death of everyone in his home planet in a foolish illusion that he would become a god in the process." G'kar smirked and snorted. "It didn't work out for him in the end."
"So your alliance worked?" Sunset asked. "I guess it must have, since you're here."
G'kar nodded. "With the Vorlons and the Shadows on a full out war and Sheridan's alliance in full battle-mode, entire planets were being destroyed, millions killed, regardless of race or blame… if there was Shadow presence in any planet, the Vorlons made short work of it, and the Shadows… well, they needed no reason other than not being allied to them."
Sunset sighed. "That's awful. Sometimes I wish that I could do what the League does and intercede… but—" she shook her head "—I can't."
"In a way I understand… thanks to Sheridan that is," G'kar said gently. "Sometimes you need to let others go where they will, deal with their problems to let them grow. The First Ones did that for the most part, with the exception of the Vorlons and Shadows, letting us deal with our own problems, be the architects of our own fates." He chuckled. "I started learning that after our last talk, and now… now I think I understand, just a bit more."
She smiled, reaching out to grasp and squeeze his hand, and it seemed that a weight was lifted off of his shoulders. For someone he barely knew, her opinion was for some reason very important. Maybe it was because she had seen in him something he had not recognized at the time, and only now was beginning to glimpse. Maybe it was that she had not given up on him, and had come to him with an open mind every time.
Maybe, she was just likeable. Whatever it was, he was able to give her an honest smile in return.
"I have let go of my own anger, and I can only hope to learn what the universe is trying to teach me," G'kar said. "And… I have learned humility the hard way. As much as I can learn of that in any case."
"You know," Sunset said, "I think we have a lot to talk about from now on, but I have one offer for you, one time only because I… know a bit of what happened here today, and what might yet still happen in the future. I made a promise to not directly influence any universe… but no promise was made to not help a friend. Tell me, G'kar… if you could have a drink with anyone in the universe, right now, who would it be?"
Londo Mollari walked with clear intent towards the throne room. In his mind, he slowly stripped away regret and hope. He was to be nothing else but a tool… a tool that hid its fangs from its masters, but a tool nevertheless. If he had time… if he had… He shook his head. He had power. More so than he ever thought, ever hoped to obtain.
It would do him no good.
No, everything—everyone that could help him was being left behind, with each heavy step he took. He dared not share information of his fate with G'kar, Sheridan or the others, lest they end up in the same situation… as playthings of the Drakh.
He was halfway down the hall when a door opened on the side, and G'kar stepped out. For the second time that day, Londo was left without words as his friend nodded to him, clutching his wound lightly. "Mollari."
"G'kar?" Londo walked a bit closer, looking back and pointing down the corridor. "But… I just left you behind and—"
"You did, but I thought we had some unfinished business," the Narn interrupted. "I have on good authority that if you step in there with me, you will step outside of time and space here. I know your future awaits down that corridor, but once you become Emperor… well, we won't have the chance to settle this particular score as we should."
"And what score is that?"
"I owe you a drink." G'kar stepped to the side, and Londo peeked past the threshold into what looked like an old, human bar like the ones he had visited on Earth over ten years before. "Fate is a funny thing," G'kar continued. "And we are usually held to it… sometimes it's indistinguishable from our destiny, and sometimes we meet someone who can say as the humans put it: 'Screw it all. Let's create an alternate timeline.'"
Londo stared at G'kar. At the door. At the bar. At hope.
He looked down the corridor, where the Drakh awaited, and the end of a dream, the beginning of a nightmare.
He licked his suddenly dry lips. "You do owe me a drink."
"I found out over a glass of Brivari that Londo had traded his freedom in order to stop the hostilities against Centauri Prime… hostilities initiated and perpetuated by the Drakh, something that had Sunset not… allowed me to discuss with some calm and time, would have come to pass. It didn't take long for me to also invite Sheridan and Delenn to our little group event to discuss matters without the universe collapsing around us."
G'kar took a long breath and let it out slowly. "I cannot express how important a chance to recuperate, think and talk is, young Lena. I had to be imprisoned in Babylon 5, alone with my thoughts to understand myself. It was that chance, to forget about inevitability and troubles and hypocrisy that allowed me to really look at myself and realize where I was lacking. Londo… hadn't had one of those in a long, long time. When he finally did, he wasn't alone… he was surrounded by friends." He finished his drink. "And that.. is what allowed us to change fate."
Lena nodded. "So why is it your picture is not there?"
G'kar smiled and walked over to the pictures, picking up a frame and bringing it over. Lena leaned in, blinking in surprise when she realized that it was a picture of G'kar, Londo, Delenn, Sheridan and many others she hadn't heard about, along with Sunset Shimmer. "Wait, where did this come from?"
He chuckled. "Sometimes—as I had to learn—we simply don't see things clearly until it's time for us to realize they've always been there."
End Babylon 5 chapters
Dropped a quotation mark before 'Please.'
This little three parter was okay, but I'm not familiar with Babylon 5. As an outsider looking in, I feel like the impact and intentions were lost for a lot of this story.
The question I have to ask is if that picture truly existed before G'kar pulled it out. Was the picture really there, or did he will it into being for dramatic effect?
10035578 Fixed, thank you. As for the question... who knows? G'kar is not a wizard, but he does know things.
No one tell him about the DVDs in the back.
Well, yeah, you don't have the backing of an entire multiversal society. Just an enigmatic and startlingly well-connected Rarity.
I missed out on Babylon 5, so some of the deeper significance is lost on me, but it's still a good lesson at its core. Thank you for the trilogy.
10035578 It's worth looking up. G'Kar's and Mollari's story arcs in particular are fascinating. If you couldn't tell already, both characters are defined by futility: G'Kar, in order to achieve his goals, has to sacrifice his agency and learn to trust the judgement of others over his own. He gradually learns from the mistakes of his rage and becomes a better man. Mollari, on the other hand is the case study of of a person who honestly, truly means the best for his people (even if this means harming other peoples like the Narn)... but he is a character cursed so that every decision he makes, virtually without exception, even with the best intentions and planning, will turn out to be the wrong one. When he learns wisdom, it is invariably too late to do any good... and yet he keeps trying.
The two characters begin as blood enemies and end as friends bound together by ties of tragedy.
10035611
I highly recommend it.
Anyway, an excellent end to this little trilogy.
Me, rn:
media1.tenor.com/images/a6df36ee35081bd24b947645afc4e02b/tenor.gif?itemid=6181145
10035841 you loved it
Nice saga.
Welp, there are some misconceptions with respect of the League; the League of Sweetie Belles is a self-society whose purpose is to protect, repair, maintain, police, and in everyway help Celestia City, which is the capital of Merody Universalis, a Class 3 multiversal society, The League have just a couple of teams for exploring, mostly because they wanted to or for when is needed, and because of that, they fall under the jurisdiction of the Exploration Divition and the Military Divition of the Merody; an exploration team has the mission of exploring the multiverse, act as diplomats and decide if a universe requires help or just wanted to join, a full report after it will se if the Aid Divition and/or the Relations Divition accept the petition, the exploration team can offer aid, but not officially give it, so it is a misunderstanding that the League help the universes they visit, they just help the Exploration Divition(perhaps because a Rarity Renee, is the overhead of Exploration, and also the Big sister of Allure, the founder of the League), and pass along the petition with a report for the higher ups to decide, which the League have no part of.
10035846
I will confirm nothing.
10035944 Uh... I don't see how what Sunset said is a misconception about that.
10035611
So this League was the League of Sweetie Belles? I thought it referred to the Justice League or any other Marvel's League I don't know about. Because Sweetie Belles might have conquered the station with their cuteness.
10035963
That is the league is the ones intervening in other universes affairs, it is actually the Merody that intervenes, the League does not explore and do not interfere with other affairs, their priority is Celestia City, but they have some teams that help the Exploration division, some meaning 3 to 4 teams only, while the Exploration division has hundreds, to resume, the League do not explore nor help universes in need, they just so happens to have some teams that can be used by other divisions, like exploration, military, aid, research, and so on.
An excellent way to cap this off. And a part of me has to wonder how much Sunset's intervention changed things in the B5 verse.
Was the Drakh attack on Earth prevented, or at least mitigated? Was the construction of the Victory-class slowed down as much as it was in the main story? Was Garibaldi forced to face the consequences of his alcoholism sooner? Who else made it into the little soiree, and how many loose ends were dealt with and lives potentially saved? Did the Telepath War go any differently?
Also, thank you for leaving it vague about who all was in attendance. I kinda like the idea of Sinclair showing up and taking part, if only so that he can say goodbye to old friends and be assured that everything worked out okay with his destiny.
So, should I go get Babylon 5 on ITunes, or just settle for my ignorance of it?
10036276 Get it.
10036293
...Can I at least finish LEGO Ninjago on Netflix, first? I just got to the third season.
10036344
NO. You MUST watch the entirety of it.
However, be aware that the first season is a little rickety. After that... well, after that the issues just get deeper and the characters just get more and more amazing.
Nice. :)
Oh the memories. Thank you for this journey, someday I'll watch it all again just for the sake of the old times.
10036493
B- But.... LEGO.... My childhood....
10036809
Bab 5 will make you forget LEGO and your childhood.
Just wanting to double check since this could close a small nitpick I've been having with this arc. I know the bar doesn't really hold to simple time rules, but does it go back and forth as well?
The parts that were bugging me:
How would Sunset derive Babylon 5 just from seeing Mimbari? If she knew Dukhat, then she obviously knows the universe but he would have predated the station by a good bit. So unless the multiverse uses something like the hub worlds from the Time Loop stories it wouldn't make sense for her to make the connection. But if the bar can go back and forth in addition to slow, stop, and fast then that would plug the hole in my mind.
And loving the stories so far anyways Ann's always look forward to more. The last few were nice since I already knew the source material and didn't need to add anything new to my need to read list.
10037353 The bar is indeed not limited to present and past. It can definitely move through time. In fact, it does that a bit less obviously during Bulletproof Heart, letting Rarity out back a few hours later. In Three Sisters it picks up Rarity from the present, then her sister from the past.
10035985
You seem to have a passing familiarity with Songs of the Spheres and The League of Sweetie Belles, so I'm hoping you could help out. I know the two are connected but am unsure on how much and which one takes precedence? Both of them are in my Read It Later list, but I'm stuck on which one to start with. Both are massive, and will also derive additional massive readings to stay current, so knowing where to start would be a boon.
I know Spheres came out first, but that doesn't really mean anything when dealing with MASSIVE multiverse shenanigans.
10037357
Bulletproof Heart, yeah I remember that.
Three Sisters, *slams face into desk* I can't believe I forgot that. Thanks for the reminder and clarification.
10037374
To start reading is better Song of Spheres, the League of sweetie belles start after Merody is formed, the League is more of a side story of Song of Spheres. Once you reach the point the League is formed, you could start with The League of Sweety Belles.
10037374
By the way, a reason for sunset to know the future, can be simply because she wachted Babylon 5, if she is in the same multiverse as the League, then that is expected; unless she doesn't know about the Dark Tower, if that is the case, then time travel may be the reason.
I don't know if this is a good place to leave recommendations but the characters from Stranger Things sure do need a break. Especially with that third season.
You gave yourself more time to tell a story, and you told it. These three parts... they were engrossing, telling, and dragged me into this story unlike anything Sunset's Isekai has ever done.
And I haven't even seen Babylon 5. I know a lot about it from heresay, but I've never had the time to sit down and watch it all. Even so, I didn't feel lost, I felt as though I understood all I needed to. That I could be one with this story and understand the characters. Thank you for writing this. Consider telling more, longer stories with Isekai. I generally find the longer parts are better in similar stories.
This was a powerful and... magnificent story of how a man changes through his own eyes. Thank you for this.
And now... allow me to deal with the rabble that seems to have come down on your story in a misguided attempt at factual accuracy on my behalf. Cracks knuckles.
10035944
While a lot of what you say is technically correct, the League does a fair amount of interference all its own, and it's the area of MU Sunset is most familiar with. The League is a friendly face to her and she knows them better than the other agents, so she'd naturally think of them more. Furthermore, since the League is variable in its function, if she calls them for whatever reason, they can probably fulfill it.
There are thousands of Sweeties. Even if 90% are working in Celestia City, that leaves 10% to do other nonsense. Suzie's crew is not the only one out there.
10035985
The League most definitely interferes, regularly. They sure act with the authority of the other divisions, yes, but they themselves do a lot. You have read the chapters right? Siren Song, Sunshine and Fire, and Equestria at War are all about it.
10037374
Author of both those things here. How you read the massive multiverse is largely up to you.
If you want to see how it connects to Isekai, read the League of Sweetie Belles first. We like to reference each other.
If you want to read a story about how a group of ponies become one of the most influential societies in the multiverse over several decades in a grand-scoping story, read Songs of the Spheres.
However, if you're looking for something smaller to see if you really want to dig into those meaty stories, I recommend Amber Ashes. it's a story literally designed to be an entry point to the wider multiverse, discussing many of the themes, concepts, and ideas present in the larger works. It's also complete.
SotS is scheduled to complete in March, and LSB will go on forever. Do keep in mind that SotS itself is currently about... 100 years ahead of the LSB? I made a large cushion so the LSB and other fanfcs would have plenty of time to do whatever they wanted. LSB itself takes place somewhere around chapter 93 of SotS or so, progressing slowly through the timeline.
And if timing between LSB and Isekai doesn't make sense, that's because time isn't constant in the multiverse. So don't worry about it.
-GM, master of explains.
10037785
Mmmm, I still don't see how the League interferes with affairs, and I mean Big affairs, like stopping or help an international war between nations or worlds, help a dying planet, etc.
Until now, only exploration teams, which it seems to me is a voluntary job, as in some sweeties wanted to do that, are the ones that go to other universes to get a report an decided what to do, they can report that a country or planet needs this or that kind of help, so when the divisions accept the petition, they send the necessary resources to do the job, but they are MU resources, for the League to interfere, it has to be their rosources that needs to be sent, along with the desicion making of dealings, the teams can and do interfere in a smaller scale, like sunset here interferes by interacting with people from the universes she visits, sometimes it changes a lot, sometimes it change little to nothing.
Sometimes the texploration teams are enough to change the course of a war, but those teams think like sunset, don't interfere until you have better grasp of the situation to make some desicions, but if one or more of them get capture, the team is forced to intervene in their best interest, and may end up taking a side until they are safe to go, so if, let's say, rarity somehow gets kinnaped in a war, sunset will get in to save her, so sunset is forced to interfere by neccesity, the League is the same as far as I understand it.
I remember that series and how it ended.
It was so sad to me.
Can you do a cross over with Death Stranding and the Witcher?
May I suggest Common Grounds &/ Top Ten as destinations? I'd like to see some discussions with capes.
Or, the bar is a troll at hear my dear duck.
G'Kar and Mollari, two of the most interesting people on Babylon 5. Living proof that even bitter enemies can become friends under the right circumstances.
10046139
A comment made INFINITELY better by the fact that it's being said by Mister Morden...
of all the story arks in the story this B5 line is amazing.
to this day i still watch and love B5 ,, and you have G'kar perfect his struggle with his own monsters in the show you got is right on the nose.
10046139 <Gives a little wave>
10036493
First season is hit or miss, despite a few great moments. The Centauri festival is a big one.