Who Is That?

I stood still as Rarity paced around us as my fellow unicorn gave us unreadable expressions.

“So,” Rarity started and stared at me directly. “You like Cloudchaser and for some odd reason, you went to Rainbow Dash for advice.”

“That uh sounds right to me,” I admitted as I shot Rainbow a look. “She had a unique outlook on it.”

“As much as I trust Rainbow, she’s the last pony I’d have to gone to for romance advice. You should have came to me darling,” Rarity answered with a frown.

“So will you help me?” I asked and scuffed a hoof on the floor of her boutique as she switched from frowning to beaming a wide smile at me.

“Of course I’ll help you darling! But as long as I get the details of your date I have planned afterwards,” Rarity shot me a mischievous grin. “Now come along darling, what do you know about Cloudchaser?”

“She’s a pegasus,” I answered and Rainbow snorted.

“Tell us something we didn’t know,” Rainbow snarked and Rarity whapped her upside the head with a washcloth. “Ow!”

“She likes flying, alcohol and uh cupcakes? That’s about it really,” I answered and rubbed my head.

“She likes cloud watching,” Rainbow chimed in. “I caught her doing it all the time when I was the weather manager. She’s lucky she got her job down and watched clouds otherwise I’d have canned her.”

Rarity hummed in response as she turned to trot to her desk as I shrugged and followed, peering over her shoulder curiously.

“What are you doing?” I asked finally and Rarity levitated her glasses on her desk.

“Reading a book. Pinkie isn’t the only girl in town to collect information on the ponies in town. Now what exactly do you want with Cloudchaser?” Rarity asked as she turned to face me with an unreadable expression.

“Uh, what do you mean?” I asked in confusion and scrunched up my muzzle.

“What do you want with her?” Rarity repeated and jammed her hoof against my chest with each word. “Is this a one time hook up, friends with benefits, dating, what? What do you like about her?”

“I don’t really do friends with benefits and my last hook up was years ago,” I admitted. “So dating obviously but I kinda threw up on her last night?”

Rarity made a grossed out face as I forced down a laugh. I had expected her reaction to be that way. Hell, I was grossed out myself and I barely remember it. I only know what Dash told me happened.

“And you’re still trying to date her? I will admit, you’re a brave one,” Rarity commented with a smirk. “Pretty determined. That’s good. Mares like that.”

“I know considering I am one too,” I shot back dryly and raised an eyebrow. Rarity coughed as her cheeks tinged a slight pink and she nodded.

“Well, obviously darling. Do something lowkey but wear a simple dress. It’ll take me a few days to get something together. Now go stand up there so I can get your measurements please. Unless you don’t want one of course. I don’t know if she will be clothed,” Rarity shot me a questioning look and I shrugged.

“I uh don’t know? I mean, maybe as a back up it’d be nice to have and I can always use it if this first one is successful,” I mused aloud and trotted back and forth across the stage looking thing. “I can always ask her out to go do something and then come back here.”

“Good choice darling. Now stop moving please so I can get to work.”

“That was tedious,” I muttered and Rainbow chuckled once we finally left Rarity’s hours later. I’d spent damn near fours hour sitting there listening to her talk while I have a hangover that’s slowly getting better. “Should have expected that. The human version did something similar to me once.”

“Hmph. Also, Lyra is coming. I’m out of here to go visit Cloudchaser and try to get her to come out. Good luck!” Rainbow called out and took off, leaving a rainbow trail behind as Lyra galloped up with a grin.

“Sunset,” Lyra panted as she rested a hoof on my back and I raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you! My house. Now.”

“Hell no,” I shot back as she started dragging me and I dug my hooves into the dirt. “This is kidnapping.”

“No it’s not. You’re my only hope to prove I’m not crazy to Bon Bon, Minnie, Twinkleshine and Lemon Hearts! You have to come with me because you know about humans and have been there to their world multiple times!” Lyra shouted as I glowed a faint gold color of Lyra’s magic as her horn glowed a similar color. “Twilight is there too. Pleaseee?”

Lyra gave me puppy dog eyes as I stared into her giant gold orbs and sighed.

“Fine,” I grumbled and rubbed my head with a hoof. “Lead the way.”

Lyra cheered and wrapped her hooves around my neck, nuzzling me with wide grin as her horn glowed brighter and we disappeared with a pop.

I stumbled to my hooves and looked around quickly at the startled looking unicorns staring at me as I examined the green living room I was in before focusing on the smoke rising off my body along with Lyra’s.

“What did I say about teleporting inside?” Bon Bon shouted as my jaw dropped. I only met her briefly, not enough to look at her properly. She was a couple inches shorter than me but was fairly strong looking with three wrapped candies on her flanks. Her human counterpart was a fairly decent candy maker, enough to rival Pinkie but I wouldn’t ever say that out loud.

“Bon Bon?” I asked and she nodded before my eyes widened. Bon Bon hastily shoved a bucket she had next to her and I vomited into it.

“Ew!” Lemon Hearts gagged as I weakly lifted my head and wiped my mouth with a hoof.

“Euagh,” I groaned and plopped next to Twilight and a white unicorn with a pink mane on the couch. “Already hungover and now it’s even worse. Thanks.”

“I may have got carried away,” Lyra admitted sheepishly. “That’s Twinkleshine you’re sitting next to and Minuette next to Lemon Hearts. You all remember Sunset’s human talking at the restaurant yesterday?”

“How could I forgot?” Twinkleshine answered as she, Lemon Hearts and Minuette gave me wary looks as Twinkleshine shifted away from me slightly. “She threw up shortly after all over that poor mare.”

“I threw up on her. I am well aware. Please stop mentioning it,” I groaned and held my head in my hooves. “It’s really not making asking her out any easier.”

“I’ll give you Pinkie’s hang over fix at the castle Sunny. Berry Punch buys a lot of it,” Twilight commented and rested a wing around me.

“I heard. I was drinking at Sugarcube Corner with her earlier today. She’s a nice mare really,” I said and glanced at Lyra. “Why exactly am I here again? You have Twilight, she’s been to the human world twice. You don’t really need me here when you have her.”

“Two witnesses,” Lyra explained and I nodded.

“What about Spike?” I tilted my head. “He was there both times too.”

“He was holding out on me!” Lyra shouted and flung her forelegs up as we all jumped excluding Bon Bon, who simply turned a page of her book and glanced up briefly. “He was having dinner with me and Bonnie last night!”

“Lyra, dear please no shouting in the house,” Bon Bon chided with a small frown.

“Sorry. Anyway, tell me about humans and don’t leave anything out,” Lyra levitated a thick book and quill in front of her as she eyed me eagerly.

“Well, they’re real,” I answered after Twilight and I looked at each other, her giving me a nod. “I’ve been there for a good few years now.”

“What’s it like?” Lyra asked as I caught Bon Bon watching curiously. “Being a human I mean. Surely it’s different.”

“It took a lot to get used to. Walking on two legs, having to wear clothes all the time or face jail time, getting a job and apartment but I’m Sunset Shimmer. I’m a strong girl who can handle herself,” I boasted and grinned slightly. “Can I have a wash cloth by the way? My foreleg is starting to feel gross.”

A washcloth was tossed onto my horn as I rolled my eyes and started wiping my leg and mouth off.

“What’s your job?” Lyra asked curiously and continued writing.

“I work at a Dairy Queen in the summer but it’s closed right now. Getting a second job for the winter and fall at a sushi restaurant later,” I answered and levitated the cloth back to the kitchen.

“Are you really living in another world?” Twinkleshine asked as she glanced at me. “Without magic? Is it safe there?”

“She is,” Twilight confirmed. “It’s mostly safe I suppose but humans are a bit more violent than us ponies. They have wars all the time. A billion people or so and multiple continents. I think Sunset said one war killed what, ninety million people?”

“Close,” I corrected and the others gave us stunned looks. “Seventy to eighty five million people. Any thing else?”

“How do you get there?” Lyra asked eagerly as she got closer and I glanced at Twilight quickly who shrugged. “Sunset....”

“Twilight has a mirror in the castle. Originally Celestia had it, then Cadence in the Crystal Empire, now Twilight has it. Starswirl the bearded created it. He banished the sirens to the human world,” I explained as Minuette tapped a hoof thoughtfully on the arm rest.

“He was always making weird stuff,” Minuette commented thoughtfully.

“Yeah that fucker was,” Lyra agreed with a rapid head nod. “How did you know the sirens were there?”

“Last trip I went was because Sunset sent me an urgent message. The sirens had taken over the school she attends and she needed me to help break the spell. Sunset was integral in defeating them. The missing link, if you will,” Twilight explained as we both smiled warmly at each other. “They ran off to who knows where. Sunset has been looking for them but no luck yet.”

I received a few surprised looks from Minuette and Twinkleshine as Bon Bon continued reading quietly from her chair.

“And there’s versions of all of you at that school,” I added as Bon Bon looked up. “There’s Bon Bon, Lyra, Cheerilee, the Crusaders, the elements except Twilight, Derpy, Amethyst, Dinky. No Minuette, Lemon Hearts or Twinkleshine that I’ve seen. Celestia and Luna run the school.”

“No more questions,” Lyra announced and set her book aside before grinning widely again. “Say, the mirror is in the castle, right?”

“Uh huh. Some room with books,” I answered absent mindedly as I looked outside at a bird. “This has been nice but I really need to go find Cloudchaser and work up the nerve to ask her on a date.”

“Check the northern fields,” Bon Bon called out and tossed me a small container of chocolates. “She loves coconut candy. Pinkie dropped by and said I’d need them. Now I know why. Cloudchaser is always around the northern fields.”

“Thanks Bon Bon. It was uh nice to meet you all again,” I glanced at Lemon Hearts, Twinkleshine and Minuette nervously. “Sorry for a being a bitch back in school.”

“You’re forgiven,” Minuette said after she and the other two had a silent discussion based on looks. “Now go get your mare!”

“Can I teleport?” I asked and looked at Bon Bon who waved her hoof in response.

“Yeah sure go for it.”

I gave them a grateful nod as they all looked away and I disappeared in a flash of red and gold with a pop.

“How come she gets to teleport inside the house?” Lyra demanded.

“Because she doesn’t destroy stuff when she does so,” Bon Bon explained with a teasing smile.

Lyra folded her forelegs with a huff with a smile as the others laughed.