Sunset's Isekai
The Valkyrie's Tab (Across the Shimmerverse)
By Wanderer D & DapperLilArts

"Thank you, Isekai, I really needed this," Sunset Shimmer said to her alicorn counterpart. "You have no idea how annoying it is to deal with idiots that try to force their theories into the lives of others."

Isekai chuckled, her magic gently passing her counterpart the book she had brought with her. "You have to admit, a mortal unicorn deciding that they know Celestia's entire life better than she herself does is a new level of denial."

"Tell me about it," Sunset said, shaking her head as she stuffed the book in her saddlebags, alongside the card Isekai had given her. "Hopefully between AJ and I we managed to get through him."

"Here's hoping," Isekai said, chuckling as she opened the bar door for her guest. "Feel free to return any—" Her eyes widened, and, with nary a second to spare, she pulled Sunset out of the way just in time for somecreature to flash into existence at the edge of the door, barreling through the entrance in an uncontrolled roll that turned into a skidding-battle stance in the middle of the hallway leading to the bar proper.

Sunset stared at the heavy-breathing, wild-eyed alicorn version of herself that was taking in her surroundings and then zero-ing in on them. She turned to look at Isekai, comparing both alicorns before grudgingly admitting, "Okay… This is new."

Isekai nodded, studying her new guest. "Um, usually entrances are less violent." She cleared her throat. "Um, hi? Welcome to Sunset's Isekai. Why don't you step in while I get this other Sunset on her way?"

“What exactly am I stepping into?” This alicorn, this particular alicorn Sunset, carried herself with every movement unflinching. Her fur was messy, with specs of dried blood, with plenty of fresh scars in it. Her body, muscular and defined, towering over most. Her eyes had a piercing gaze that scanned her environment like it was a battlefield that could never hurt her. “Two mes?” She stood there, in a half hearted battle stance, mostly just wary. “I’ve never seen another alicorn Sunset in the multiverse, so… Is one of you a changeling? ” She almost sniffed the air in suspicion.

“I was gonna ask you that! Ugh, this is getting confusing–” The unicorn Sunset in the room grimaced at the sight, tilting her head. “Um. Uh– Did I do this?” She shot a brief, confused glance at Isekai.

And the newcomer alicorn did the same– She inspected the seemingly innocuous alicorn bartender carefully. “And what are you?” She tilted her head. “There’s something different about you– You’re not just any Sunset are you? You’re the real deal.” Her wings instinctively flared as her hide shivered with caution.

“Oookay. Breathe. Everything’s okay,” The barkeeper spoke gently, yet assertively. “It’s good to know you’re not new to the multiverse at least, Sunset, but getting angry doesn't help here.”

“T-the multiverse– You know about it?! What do you know?! Can you get me home?!” Any and all wariness the alicorn had was replaced with frustrated desperation. “You’re the first goddamn being I’ve met that just casually mentioned it– Not even the Discords I met knew shit!”

"Alright," Isekai repeated, raising a hoof. "Let's all calm down. As I said, deep breaths… um, Princess Shimmer, if you don't mind holding for one second…" She turned to face the unicorn. "Don't worry, this is unexpected, but unrelated to what's going on in your world. You can go back, do you have your card?"

The unicorn Sunset glanced nervously at the obviously-warrior-like Sunset, then nodded briefly.

Isekai smiled. "Good, you can come back whenever you want, alright? See you soon!"

Sunset almost bolted out of the hallway, closing the door behind her with a gentle "ding!" from the silver bell.

Isekai turned around to study her new arrival once more, taking in the confused look, and the wariness she displayed.

And the alicorn kept glancing carefully at every single motion her strange barkeeping counterpart made.

"Alright, I apologize for that, but unlike you, that Sunset is not used to multiverse shenanigans," she said with a shrug. "Why don't we start again? There's no rush."

Carefully, warily, the newcomer Sunset moved her gaze away from her strange counterpart and studied the bar. The mundanity of it all was the strangest of all. “Two alicorn Sunset Shimmers walk into a bar…” she muttered, with the thinnest of smiles. “...what the fuck happens next?”

“You tell me, friend," Isekai said, walking past her new guest, then motioning with her head. "Please, come in. You may call me Isekai, to make it easier.”

“And you can call me the Valkyrie if it’s easier, too.” She shrugged, still watching her counterpart carefully. ”I earned the title. Might as well use it." She paused, then conceded, "Though just Sunset is fine too.”

Cautiously, she stepped inside. Every single little nook held a strange mundanity to it. But the pictures on the walls drew her attention most of all. The strangest of beings, the oddest of creatures, even humans–Even monsters she had never once seen, all casually gathering to do simple bargoing activities.

She didn’t dare take a seat. Not yet.

“There’s more than one Twilight. In those pictures,” she muttered strangely, narrowing her eyes. “This bar, it’s… There’s something strange about it.” Her gaze landed on her counterpart as she studied her carefully. “There’s something strange about you.”

“Not the bad kind of strange, I hope.” She took residence behind the bar, smiling warmly. “I promise you you’re not in danger. Please, take a seat! You look like you could use it.”

With hesitation, the Valkyrie stepped forward, but instead of resting, simply leaned on the bar, closer to her counterpart. “Okay. No danger. Fine by me, I don’t care.” She shrugged, but wasn’t any less tense. “But the multiverse. What do you know about it, and can you get me home?!” The desperation in her voice was palpable, hidden underneath a layer of savage frustration.

"Hm," the bartender grimaced. "I take it you're not traveling by choice?"

“Far from it.” The understatement of the century was snarled with a weary exhale. “I’m cursed. Every hour, I’m shot into the next random universe– Again, you’re the first being I’ve met that knows anything at all, please tell me you can help me!”

The bartender shook her head, the grimace still there. "I'm afraid I can't… I'm unable to interfere when fate is still at work. And it seems from what I can see it's not done with you yet."

“Y-you’re kidding, me right? Fate?” Her frustration turned to manicness. “If you think my fate is to die far from home, alone, isolated– Fighting some sort of impossible battle, then yeah, you’ve got me there, fantastic, color me surprised, a Sunset Shimmer dies unfulfilled and alone far from home! What a completely new and unforeseen event in the multiverse, wow! But don’t give me that bullshit, can you help me or not?!”

She sighed. "It's not the fate you're thinking, not your personal fate, more like an effect of sorts that moves your story, and therefore that of your own universe forward. Interfering with that, even to try and help has had catastrophic results. At best you'd immediately be kicked out again, at worst… well, your original world could suffer if we force the issue."

With a groan of frustration, she held back an answer, letting out a few sounds of displeasement, closing her eyes, covering her face, inhaling deeply.

“S-so… You can’t get me home.”

Isekai shook her head.

“You can’t even tell me how to get home. Point me in the direction of–”

“Believe me, if I could, there's a couple of people I would've done so for already as well,” she shook her head. "The only thing—"

“You can’t get me home, you can’t help– What CAN you do?!” Sunset interrupted.

Isekai coughed. “The only thing I can do is the same I do for all my guests… offer you a safe place to relax, recuperate a little, and maybe drink something to help calm your nerves. That's what I've done for everyone you see on the walls." She smiled. "And of course, the first drink is on the house.”

The Valkyrie took only two seconds to measure her response, all her tension vanishing with an exhausted sigh, as she simply took a seat by the bar. “...fuck it. Give me something strong.”

“Sure thing. Cocktail, or straight? Depending on where you're going you might want something that burns fast out of your system. Or we could get you something refreshing. Ever had a Caipirinha?”

“I smoked with dragons and with Starswirl the bearded.” She spoke unenthusiastically, exhaling. “I’ve even had Zebra moonshine. But I’ve never had multiverse booze. So surprise me.”

"One Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, coming right up…" Isekai glanced at her, looking her up and down. "I hope you have one of those metabolisms that can survive metaphorical cannon fire, because if you don't, you'll be feeling this one and might want to reconsider."

“Yeah. That’s what I thought at first, too.” She smiled ironically, shrugging. “I kept thinking I should keep a clear head, focus on staying alive. But no amount of booze was going to lower or increase my chances against a goddamn Kraken. So why bother?”

Isekai raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me you actually tried fighting a Kraken within an hour. I get that you're strong… I'd say stronger than a lot of alicorns I've met, but that sounds foolhardy at best.”

“I fought a Kraken as much as an ant fights a boot.” Her gaze darkened, as she grimaced over recent wounds. “I didn’t have a choice. The Sunset in that universe was a pirate, we were in the open sea… If I didn’t do anything the goddamn monster would have eaten the whole ship, the whole crew… It was there because of me. Drawn to me. Because of these.”

She spread her wings slightly, looking back shortly. “And you have them too.” She narrowed her eyes, not in suspicion, but curiosity. “How did you get them? Again– I’ve never seen an alicorn Sunset Shimmer in the multiverse other than me. I presumed there might be more, but…”

Isekai glanced over her shoulders at the wings. "I honestly don't know. It happened at some point. Might've been when I fought Midnight Sparkle back in school, or some other time during my travels. I'm not always an alicorn, as you can see from the pictures, so it's anyone's guess… Maybe Rarity would know, but she's out at the moment."

“Rarity’s involved in this mess too, huh.” She looked away, almost disinterested. “Funny. I got my wings after fighting Midnight Sparkle, too. Maybe that’s a constant, out there…” She exhaled, shaking her head. “I guess it doesn’t matter.”

"I've found there's no such thing as a constant," Isekai said, smiling as she passed the drink she had promised to Sunset. "One of our counterparts did that and a lot more, and the only time she became an alicorn was literally when she was transformed into a different avatar, then sent to Equestria like that. She looked badass, though."

A slight, curt smile manifested into the customer's lips, as she shrugged. “I’ve met a Sunset that literally became the Tree of Harmony. I guess the multiverse is just like that.”

When Isekai saw Sunset envelop the glass with her magic, she raised a hoof. "Wait, before you do that I should tell warn you to—"

Sunset took a long drag of her drink, then placed it back on the counter.

"—drink it carefully," Isekai finished under her breath.

Her eyes bulged, and she burped out a multi-colored flame while facing away– Bursting out laughing. “H-hAH! What did you just give me, the blood of a dragon?!” Before getting a response, she immediately brought her lips back to the drink.

Isekai pulled out a notebook and scribbled something within, before putting it away. "Alright, that makes two alicorns that can do that in the multiverse."

“Hey, you said it yourself, this is my ‘fate’, right?” She grinned teasingly, shrugging. “Might as well go out swinging. If I have to go fight some kind of space leviathan, or even have to kill Discord again, I might as well do it hammered.”

"I suppose there's something to that, I think Thor would approve, at least," Isekai said. "But… Discord? Why would you kill Discord?"

“Oh, you know. A Discord. From a sea of infinite Discords.” Her voice became colder, as she glared at nothing. “I preferred fighting the Kraken. It wasn’t fun. But… Pinkie asked me to, so you know...”

Isekai grimaced. "Pinkie is always a tricky one. Sorry it came to that. Discord is usually not that bad of a guy."

“This one was.” Her expression hardened. “I’m not partial to anypony using my neighbours as footstools. Or, you know, a throne of skulls. But I digress. It’s just another universe checked off the list, another near-death experience for me. I’m running out of luck.”

"Hey," Isekai reached over and put her hoof gently on Sunset's. "If there's anything I know, it's that we Sunsets are resilient."

“Heh…” She closed her eyes, nodding lightly. “I could write a book about resilience– And Sunset Shimmer’s role with it... How’s that for a constant, eh?”

Isekai turned and started mixing up something slightly different. "So, how long have you been stuck like this?" she asked as gently as she could.

“Like this, you mean the wings, or the multiversal curse?” She asked almost absentmindedly, without energy, taking another sip.

"The multiverse thing," Isekai clarified. "It's not the first time I've seen something like it but… it's not something anycreature could just breeze through without well, sacrifice. Mental health, loss of memories, powers… even sometimes body parts."

“I don’t know– Three weeks? A month?!” She spread her wings in exasperation, breathing frantically. “That’s the worst part– in such a short time, I already can’t keep up with it– with time! It’s meaningless, I can barely sleep, I can just–”

She swallowed, closing her eyes bitterly, grimacing. “If three weeks is all it took for me to fight a Kraken– If three weeks is all it took for me to be forced to fight the Lord of Chaos– Then I’m not lasting two months.”

Bitter quiet passed, accentuated only by the quiet chatter in the corners of the bar and the music that silently echoed through the room.

“This drink is fantastic, by the way.” She spoke without smiling, even if it was genuinely earnest, her voice barely above a raspy growl. “Really helping me feel better.” She didn’t even have the energy to enunciate sarcasm.

Uneasy, listless silence passed, as the alicorn stared at her drink mournfully, until she finally began speaking without thought. “You mentioned fate, before. And I’ve been thinking… It’s bullshit. So many Sunsets I’ve seen live awful, unfulfilled, lonely lives. And a lot of times, it’s due to their own making, too. If that’s our fate– If our fate is to die alone, if what defines being Sunset Shimmer is loss, then… well, then you’ve got a point.”

Isekai shook her head. "That's not what I mean at all. I believe we have control of our own fates. 'Fate' is just the word closest to what I've come to see as the essence of a greater journey, linked to one individual." She shrugged, a bit helplessly, "it's just a driving force behind a lot of us, and until that driving force is done with each of us… interference is never good."

“So we’re on our own, then,” she murmured, looking away. “I’m on my own. …That check’s out.”

"Not exactly," Isekai said, "I know it must be a small comfort, but the multiverse is also full of friends and allies you might meet and might get help from. I mean, look at me." She levitated a picture from the wall, where Isekai stood as a human, next to Celestia, Rarity, a strangely glowing human with white hair, a duck-like creature, and a mouse-like creature. "At first it was just Rarity and I doing business, but now I have reconnected with mom, have two adopted daughters and a romantic partner." She shrugged. "None of this would be possible without the bar and holding hope for things to come."

“And I thought fingers were weird.” The Valkyrie almost chuckled, observing the picture mournfully. “You’ve got friends. A family… Why the hell are you messing with the multiverse– Isn’t your world enough?”

Isekai shrugged. "As I said… My family came from the multiverse. Hell, from somewhere even bigger. For me it's not a curse, although our circumstances coming into it are different. I imagine if I was forced into an uncontrolled journey through it, I wouldn't be too happy with it. But for me… it's an opportunity to help others, as much as I can, depending on the circumstance."

“I… I can’t imagine that.” She lowered her head, beholding her drink coldly. “I never wanted or needed anything more than my world– The grass is absolutely not greener on the other side– This? All this?” She waved a hoof towards the dozens upon dozens of pictures of so many different universes that hung on the walls. “It all just feels like noise… And it’s going to kill me.”

"Well, that is what I'm here for," Isekai said, then waved a hoof. "Not killing you, mind. I'm here for you to rest a little. To relax and talk. Get everything out of your chest, so that for once you can go forward feeling maybe with a lighter heart. It might be just one place, one encounter… but I'm hoping that you'll get a little something good out of it." She smiled. "You're right, the grass isn't always greener, and that is okay too."

“I wish it was okay. I wish it was,” she muttered painfully, taking a sip. “But the grass feels greener now that I can’t go back to my own. Does that even make fucking sense? Ugh, I don’t know.” She took a breath, frowning, grimacing. “I meet a lot of friendly creatures out there… I see a lot of different worlds, and none of them miss Sunset Shimmer– And then, I see the occasional happy Sunset, you know. And it doesn’t help me feel any better. Because even with a small life, even without wings, they manage it. And even a small life feels better than this.”

Isekai slid Sunset another drink before walking around the bar to sit next to her, rather than across her. She let the Valkyrie's breath calm down a little. The moodiness was still there, but a moment of calm without rebuttals could do wonders sometime.

After breathing unsteadily, eyes closed, the Valkyrie let out a painful sigh. “What’s the point of being able to raise the sun if I can’t even go back home…?”

"I'm sorry that you're going through this, Sunset. You have a lot of things going on right now, and I don't want to throw examples and advice at you when… personally… I don't think that is what you might need at all. Rather than me telling you about how anyone else in the multiverse did so and such, you tell me about the good things in your life? There must've been some good things to discover, or fun things that you didn't expect? When you get back home, what will you tell the others?"

She took a moment to think about her answer, while she tasted her new drink, and did not comment. It was sweet, lighter, refreshing, and she didn’t mind that at all at the moment.

What would she tell her family, if she ever did get back home?

“That I missed them…” she muttered as her expression softened. “That I missed her. And that I fell in love with her in every universe I saw her.”

She took a breath, shaking her head, significantly calmer than before. “It’s not me I’m worried about, y’know. I’m not trying to get back home for me…” She spoke almost with a whisper, bitterly gritting her teeth. “M-my wife, she… She doesn’t even know where I am right now. I… I promised her that we’d spend a thousand years together, and we didn’t even have a decade– And now, now… Now I’m gone.” She closed her eyes, shuddering.

"Hey," Isekai whispered, extending a wing across Sunset's shoulders. She gave her a gentle squeeze. "What you're going through is horrible, but I'm sure you've caused good things to happen too. And that comes back to you, one way or the other. You're good, Sunset. I'm sure you've done good for others. Do you want to see?"

“See…?” Her ears twitched as she wiped the few tears she had let go. “See what? As far as I know, I can’t go back to universes I’ve been to…?”

Isekai nodded. "I understand that's how that works… but, you wouldn't be going back. We can take a look from within the bar. I think one of the private rooms has windows we can use."

Her expression hardened, but not out of expectation or even anxiousness, just curiosity. “Show me.”

Isekai nodded, and motioned for her to follow into an area with doors that definitely wasn't there earlier. She guided her through one into a small room with a long table and two large windows with the curtains drawn.

"We've used this for parties a couple of times," Isekai said as she used her magic to open the curtains and revealing… space. Infinite stars. "Nope's party was one of them. She used it to show us some of her crazier adventures, but it works for any visitor. Close your eyes for a moment, and think of the place you left behind. The magic will work through your trace to show us that place."

Closing her eyes, the Valkyrie decided on a destination quickly, and opened her eyes carefully, hoping to see something good.

The image shifted, shimmered, and showed her one of the latest universes she had visited.

Pinkie Pie, now with wings and a horn, with saturated polkadots and vibrant streaks, walked forward, channeling the bizarre magic that filled her being.

When she released, a seemingly innocuous plushie became a pony once more, crying, hugging her, thanking her, feeling the joy in every movement.

“She figured it out!” The Valkyrie couldn’t help but smile warmly, beholding the scene– The pink pony made her way to more objects, more caricatures of ponies, and brought them back to physical form, restored them to what they once were. “Heh. She’s doing it. I knew she could.”

"By Tzeentch! Pinkie became an alicorn?" Isekai shook her head. "That's going to be a wild ride for everycreature living there."

“Part of me killing Discord was giving his powers to Pinkie,” Sunset affirmed with a confident nod. “The world was a lot more damaged than if a Tyrek or a Sombra had their way, and well, it’s up to her now. She’s less of an alicorn, more of the Princess of Chaos and Joy. It’s a lot on her shoulders, but it’s up to her to undo the damage that he did in her world now.” Her smile widened even more when she saw the image change.

This Pinkie had a Sunset Shimmer– One dressed for a party, grinning, cheering her on– There was even a Twilight Sparkle taking down helpful notes beside them, and seemingly other Princesses watching proudly from the sidelines. “And she shot her shot, I see.” The Valkyrie grinned even wider. “So, if I want to see another universe, I just think of it?”

"Pretty much," Isekai said, her eyes studying the current world with plenty of amusement. "Just concentrate on it. You should feel it working, just like normal scrying magic."

“Awesome.” She closed her eyes, gave the next universe a single thought, and opened her eyes.

The image changed again– This time, into that of the exterior of a ship. In it, several pirates drank and partied casually, as the ship took them through an archipelago, shallow, comfortable waters, seemingly overjoyed.

And she Saw Sunset the pirate, next to her captain, Tempest Shadow, seemingly singing shanties together, celebrating, and what she saw next surprised even her.

Princess Celestia was right there next to them, singing along clumsily, matching their glee– Not as a pirate, but simply as a visitor, watching over Sunset with warmth. “H-huh! W-wow. I guess… I guess she made it after all!” The Valkyrie noted in surprise. “They’re alive. The Bihorn made it. Good.”

"I've never seen Celestia chant shanties…" Isekai muttered. "That is a first in the omniverse for me. Is this the one where you fought the Kraken?"

“Y-yeah. I wasn’t sure if they had made it… I’m glad they did.” She let out an exhausted, relieved exhale. “I lost consciousness fighting the monster, and well… Celestia was my final gambit. I raised the sun to call her, and… They made it.” She let out an enormous sigh of relief.

She closed her eyes, and waited for the next universe to manifest.

The image was simple. Some kind of hospital in the Crystal empire, some kind of private, secluded room.

Twilight Sparkle slept in bed, seemingly malnourished, but recovering, wounded, but alive, thankfully. And sleeping on a couch next to her bed, was a Sunset Shimmer.

“I killed the Sombra in that universe– And made this Sunset promise that she would stay by Twilight’s side as she recovered from what he did to her.” Her expression hardened. “And she’s holding up her end. Good.”

Isekai grimaced. "I've never liked Sombra. There are supposed to be some good ones out there, lost in the vast, infinite realities, but… just about every time he's existed in my experience, he's been a despicable wannabe tyrant."

“He’s a fucking insect!” she snarled, narrowing her eyes in hatred. “But at least he’s easy to squash.”

She shook her head and concentrated on the two unicorns they could see. "It seems you've been doing a lot of good out there, Sunset."

“I—” She hesitated, looking down for a moment. “—I did what I could. If I’m there, I might as well help– It’s better than sitting around and doing nothing, waiting for the hour to pass. I can’t just… ignore them.” She exhaled, unsure if this was a weight off her shoulders, if this was a relief. She couldn’t help but smile. “It’s nice to see… See that I actually helped.”

"Of course you did," Isekai said firmly, putting a hoof on Sunset's sturdy shoulder. "And I bet this has happened in most if not all the places you've been to so far where you've tried to."

“I hope so. I don’t know. I try to, but I can’t always… I can't always make a positive change. It’s hard to make it feel real. With only one hour…” She shuddered, and inhaled. “Okay. Two more. I don’t want to… I don’t want to overdo this."

The image changed again. This time, there was a Sunset Shimmer, dressed on a fancy regalia, hair decorated in an intricate Crystal-Empire like manner.

And next to her, was a Twilight Sparkle– One that seemed incredibly happy to be there, dressed just as fancy. It was unsure if they were dancing at a party, or by themselves in a royal palace of sorts– But they seemed overjoyed.

“Heh… Cadance got to her after all.” Sunset grinned, nodding. “This Sunset was Cadance’s apprentice– She might have gotten the idea of setting up that Sunset with Twilight from me, actually. They seem happy…”

"They do," Isekai said, grinning at the image. "I'm sure they're going to be doing this again. But seriously, I can't imagine what being Cadance's pupil might do to a pony."

“She seemed to be going through some things.” The Valkyrie suppressed a chuckle. “Not to mention that this Cadance was somehow in a relationship with Chrysalis, of all creatures. I nearly puked.”

"Aww, it's not that bad," Isekai said, glancing sideways at Sunset. "Chrysalis can be adorable too."

“Eugh I don’t know…!” She grimaced and snickered. “Give me a couple fifty universes before I can accept it. Well, it was better than the universe where she was with Celestia.”

"Well, there's all sorts of places out there," Isekai said. "In some, Celestia is in fact a changeling, so hooking up with another one is not a big deal, although Chrysalis would've been her sister in that instance" She stopped to ponder her next comment. "You might also want to be careful when hooking up local Sunsets with Twilight… in some worlds they're sisters too." She grinned. "Although their reactions will probably be worth it."

“Oh, it’s not that deep.” She shrugged. “I just don’t want to see Chrysalis sticking her gross tongue into my second mother’s mouth.”

Isekai elbowed Sunset, wagging her eyebrows at her. "But the things she can do with that tongue, Sunset!"

“And now that visual is ingrained in my retinas.” She grimaced jokingly. “Thanks a bunch.”

They shared a companionable chuckle.

“Okay. Last one. I just need to be sure of something.” She concentrated, and the image changed.

It was a tree. A tree she knew quite well. A tree she and her wife had spent plenty of time near, in their world. A tree with red leaves no matter the season, a tree in a cozy, safe meadow in the Everfree forest.

Her eyes narrowed as she pouted. “Those two found the same damn tree in their world? Friggin constants, man…”

At the bottom of the tree, there was a Demon Sunset Shimmer, one with crooked wings and jaws, smiling warmly, with a Twilight Sparkle in her embrace, who cozied up with her warmth.

“That Twilight was Midnight Sparkle when I met them. They basically ruined their world together… And, well, ruled it, too.” Sunset huffed, and raised a leg. “That demon there gave me these scars.” A very distinctive bite mark was visible around her lower leg.

"Oof, that doesn't seem like it was a fun fight… but you still helped them? It's unusual for our evil sides to find fulfillment like this."

“Yeah. I know, right? They were actually goddamn happy, at the expense of the whole world.” She frowned. “I’m the one that rained on their parade. Dethroned them. And they’re still happy.”

"I guess whatever you did wasn't enough to destroy their link together?"

“I told them that despite… Despite what they did to their world, at least they were together. And they should cherish that.” She looked down in defeat. “At least they can be together, despite everything. Not many of us have the same luxury.”

After a moment's contemplation, Isekai glanced at Sunset. "You could try, you know?" When Sunset gave her a confused look, she motioned at the window with her head. "You could try and check on Twilight."

“O-on…” She hesitated, shifting her eyes away from the window. “On my Twilight.”

She remained quiet. Still. Not breathing. “If I look through that window, and I see her mourning me like I’m dead… I… I won’t be able to fight anymore. A-and if I look through that window and I see that she’s moved on, that she… That she can carry on without me, well…”

She turned around, forcefully not looking at the window anymore. “I don’t know which is worse. But I don’t want to find out.”

Isekai nodded. "No pressure. I understand. Is there anywhere else you'd like to look, or do you want to go back to the bar? I can fix you up with something different."

“Yeah. I'm done here. Curiosity killed the cat, and all that.” She let out a weary exhale, and made her way out of the room. “Though I’m not sure there’ll be time for you to mix me anything good. My hour’s almost up.”

Isekai blinked in confusion. "But you've been here an hour and half already."

A split second passed, where she looked back and forth. “That can’t be right. How can you tell??”

"Well, it is my bar, but also I have a clock on the wall."

She hurried over to it and spared it a nervous glance. “What time did I even arrive in? I didn’t look– Shit.”

"I… did mention that we are outside of time and space here, right?"

She stood there, processing the information for a moment, or simply trying to understand it.

“I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Goodnight.” She immediately laid on the floor and covered her face with a wing, as if ready and willing to fall asleep.

"Um. No." Isekai said. "You're not doing that here, on the floor. I have rooms, and I suggest you take a bath."

The Valkyrie’s eyes gleamed with the hope and excitement of a child at a candy store. “Y-you have baths here?! And beds?!”

Isekai grinned. "Of course. Let's set you up. You can sleep as long as you want to and take a shower again before leaving. Come on."

“I CAN’T TELL YOU HOW LONG IT’S BEEN– Y’KNOW WHAT I DON’T EVEN CARE TO LET’S GO”

“Thanks for having me.” The Valkyrie yawned and stretched, with a base level of relaxation she had long since overlooked and underappreciated before being acquainted with the multiverse. “I’m… I’m not sure I’ll make it. But having a place to sleep does absolute wonders, you have no idea.”

"I can only imagine," Isekai said, nodding. "I know it might sound too optimistic, but don't give up. The Isekai might be only a small respite, but at least it goes to show that good things can happen to you too, right?"

“A bandage on a wound that is too large to heal, I guess...” she exhaled, looking away. “You’ve got a weird home, but hey, you also have everything you could want here. And honestly just a bed and a shower sells this place to me.”

"It was my pleasure, Sunset," Isekai said. "We only have two things to do before you head out…" She hovered a business card over to the Valkyrie. "This card should let you come back here whenever you need to… and, other than that, we just need a picture." She glanced over behind her at the bar's wall. "Memories are important."

“I could write a book about that.” She exhaled, but then smiled, readying herself for the picture. “Leaving a piece of me behind here feels fitting. Hang on…”

With a flash and a battle stance, she adorned her Valkyrie armor, Celestial gold and bronze meshed perfectly for a sleek, protective design, her helmet adorned with its own wings and spikes, Her wings covered with sharp metallic scales, the entire set worn and damaged from her last weeks of fighting. “Back home, they called me the Princess of Valor.”

And with that, she smiled warmly for the camera, ready for her next challenge.

“To the death, then.” Tempest Shadow, the Captain of the royal guard, narrowed her eyes and entered a battle stance. “Ready, Shimmer?”

“Ready.” Her second in command, her Lieutenant, readied herself, side by side. The gates of Canterlot would not fall on their watch.

Letting out short, raspy, amused laughter, Grogar tilted his head. “...So this is the last line of defense? Two unicorns, one lacking her horn?” He rarely allowed himself a moment to gloat, a moment to scorn, but he did so now. “My, I knew Celestia was an unfit ruler, but… How pathetic. And you two are simply here to buy time so that the dear Princess of Friendship tragically attempts to discover a way to stop me?”

Neither of them replied, simply glared at him. Tempest’s horn crackled to life.

Grogar grinned, and his own horns became glowing as well, its energy incinerating the air around him, as he gathered his energy for one mighty strike. “Begone.”

And, coincidentally, awkwardly, with a flash, the Princess of Valor manifested into this universe with a thud– And completely ignored her surroundings, despite the distant shouting of armies clashing, the nearby sound of flames of ruin crackling.

With a smirk, she inspected the business card that she had received. “Sunset’s Isekai. How about that? Yeah, I'll be using this.”

“U-um–” Tempest Shadow’s expression softened to an utterly confused grimace. “What?”

“W-what the fuck are you?!” Her Lieutenant observed the Valkyrie up and down in utter confusion.

“Shush, both of you.” With a dismissive wave of a hoof, she inspected the back of the card as well– The solution to her problems. “Give me a second, will you–”

Grogar’s magic exploded towards them, Lighting overlapped with flames that pierced the air and the ground itself, shaking the earth.

The Valkyrie cursed and yelled in pain as she and the other two were launched past and through the gates of Canterlot, and she quickly spun in mid air, landing skillfully, angrily, her armor taking the brunt of the damage. “Give me a goddamn SECOND, ASSHOLE!” She snarled, but her anger broke.

Where was the business card?

She looked around frantically, she was surrounded by fire and debris, by rubble and ruin, and she couldn’t see it– Her vision went red as she ignored all around her; Ignoring the two armored guards trying to get up from the rubble, ignoring the fearful glances of the rest of the army towards the broken gate, ignoring the sounds of war raging in the distance.

“So Celestia is training Valkyries again? How amusing.” Grogar scratched his chin, inspecting her up and down. “It seems you are just another indication of how inadequate she is as a teacher, however–”

“You.” Sunset flared her wings.

“Little.” She entered a battle stance.

“FUCK.” She blew flames from out of her nostrils. “YOU JUST COST ME MY SLEEP TICKET, YOU ASSHOLE!”

“Excuse me?” He tilted his head in confusion, and it was the last thing he did.

The Princess of Valor was upon him like a meteor.

Author's Note