Across the Shimmerverse

by DapperLilArts

The Manehattan Museum Heist

The Manehattan Museum Heist

---

“Princess Twilight! What an honor to have you here in the Manehattan Museum once more! Oh, and you– Aren’t you the new Princess? Princess hmm…” The receptionist spent a bit of time thinking, bringing a hoof to her lips. and it was enough for Sunset to shrug it off and move it along.

“Sunset! Yeah, I’m the new one– And it’s my first time here, too!” Her smile was delighted– She really didn’t mind that she wasn’t well known yet.

With only a bit of a nervous chuckle due to the embarrassment of not knowing her name, the receptionist laughed giddily. “Oh, how wonderful! Please, as a favor for a Princess and a favor for a first timer– You may go for free!”

“Thank you veeeery much!” Twilight was about to speak up, maybe to refuse the present, and Sunset agreed immediately with that same delighted smile.

“A-and it’s her first time in Manehattan, too!” Her girlfriend added, nodding with a smile.

“Oh, how lovely! How has our city treated you?”

“Despite the noisiness, it’s been alright. Also this museum looks pretty cool, but the jury’s still out on that!” She winked with a grin, which delighted the receptionist. “Either way, thanks for the free ride, we’ll be on our way!

The two girlfriends giggled to each other as they stepped inside a majestic hall, with several historical plaques and maps, and in the middle, a massive spiral staircase leading to upper floors, with a waterfall in the middle. Sunset was unsure if that was an exhibit or not, but it was certainly lovely to see.

As she drinked the environment in, Twilight sighed. “I still can’t believe you guessed that I was planning this date before we even got here.”

Snickering, Sunset shook her head. “C’mon Twi, it was kinda obvious, seeing you and Rarity gossiping and all of our friends finding excuses not to come here with us– But it’s cute. I really like it!”

“Hihihi. You could be a detective, with observational skills like that!” Twilight shared on the snickering.

“Thaaaaat or you’re just easy to read for me.” Sunset winked, coming closer.

After nuzzling her affectionately, Sunset was reminded of a not-so-distant memory. “Y’know, back there, what you mentioned about it being my first time in Manehattan, it reminded me of something!” She walked closer, bumping Twilight with her side.

“Oh?” Twilight let out a giggle as she levitated a pamphlet with a map of the museum ahead of her. “What is it?”

“Back when you first invited me to go to Manehattan, months ago– When I was a Unicorn, too– It was a choice between here, and the Crystal Empire…” She reminisced, fidgeting with her recently-gained wings.

“Oh yes! And you choose to meet Cadance!” Twilight nodded, peppy.

“Yeah! I forgot to tell you, but back then, remember how me and her were acting super strange? It’s ‘cause Cadance figured out I was in love with you like– Immediately. And I was desperately trying to cover it up.” Snickering, she shook her head, thinking of how embarrassing it was to hide her feelings for Twilight.

“Oh. My. GOSH.” Twilight’s shocked expression resembled a frown, and yet, she flustered. “So THAT’S why you were both acting so weird!! Ugh it was so obvious, and I couldn’t friggin figure it out!!”

“In your defense, you had never been in love before soooooo…” Nuzzling her affectionately once more, Sunset couldn’t help but giggle.

“S-she wasn’t like– Super overbearing, right? Gosh, she gets sooo–”

“Oh, she was.” Sunset smiled, looking forward as they moved together. “But it was kind of the push that helped me. She told me that my fears about things ending badly with you, or even confessing, wouldn’t ever discredit the good times we had. Something like… ‘Even if it’s fleeting, it’s worth it’!” She tried imitating Cadance’s voice.

“Well that’s a bit depressing!!! I don’t want it to be fleeting…!” Twilight leaned her head on Sunset’s side, pouting.

She leaned right back, and couldn’t help but think that her girlfriend was being immensely cute at the moment. “Hey, I’m right here! And I’m not planning on going anywhere, Sparkles. So, what did Cadance say to you?”

Blowing raspberries and frowning, Twilight shook her head. “I can’t even remember. Went through one ear and out the other, I’ll be honest. I really wasn’t interested in any love stuff back then… I do remember her telling me a couple dozen times I needed to get laid though, much to my annoyance.”

“Well, mission accomplished, am I right?” Sunset grinned flirtatiously, tilting her head and winking.

Twilight’s response was to nod slightly while stammering, blushing.

“It’s adorable how easily you fluster, Sparkles.” Sunset bumped her side once more for good measure, of which Twilight responded with a squeaky noise. “So! Manehattan Museum, here we are, lead the way, your majesty! Where to first?” She spread a wing respectfully, as if offering her to go through first.

Twilight held the map close, with a mischievous smile. “I mayyyyy or may not have already planned a very specific route to take us through the exhibits you might enjoy seeing the most.”

“Of course.” Sunset nodded, suppressing a chuckle. “Where to?”

“Oh we’re almost there!” She led the way, and they both walked at a leisurely pace.

It was certainly beautiful, various kinds of paintings and sculptures littered the walls and displays of several kinds of artists, and she let out a whistle when she saw they were entering an archeology section. “Rainbow would freak if she missed out on Daring Do stuff.”

Proudly teleporting forward, Twilight rose a wing, and an eyebrow. “Taa ta daaaaa!! I present to you, the only ever recovered and restored Valkyrie armor!”

“Woah!! No way!!” Sunset’s smile was as big as they come, like a kid in a candy store.

The display was modest, but the armor was still incredibly imposing, placed upon a manekin of an alicorn on a pose that resembled flight. It was silver and bronze, with gorgeous engravings. She narrowed her eyes at the description. “Valkyrie… Scarab?”

“Oh yes! It’s on the description–” Twilight beheld her pamphlet. “It says here that Valkyries gained their title and reached Valkyriehood based on the first mythical monster they slayed!”

“Like a baptism through fire, I know! Heh…” Giggling, she ran around the exhibit, getting every angle possible. “This is so cool. Y’know, I researched Valkyries back in the day, when I studied under Celestia? Got bored of it when I couldn’t find any more records of them, but I was aaaaabsolutely into the idea of an Alicorn battalion of badass ladies.”

“Indeed, I remembered you mentioning them once!” Twilight winked with a prepared smirk. “And I figured a big strong battle lovin’ girl like yourself wouldn’t mind gettin’ a closer look.”

“Did you rehearse that line?” Sunset turned to her, raising an eyebrow with a grin.

“Y-yes. I did.” Twilight lowered her head shamefully, blushing. “It was Rarity’s idea…!”

“I love it.” Sunset kissed her cheek, then turned to the display once more. “Man, just look at those wing-armor-thingies– it’s like they’re perfectly integrated with the feathers! It looks AWESOME!!”

“Indeed they are!!” Twilight turned to the pamphlet, reading out some of the notes. “Apparently, each piece of the armor was made of enchanted steel of all sorts, allowing for a lot of protection, with room for agility! And the horn cover was especially built so that they’d conduct magic better, instead of limiting it!”

“Badass…” This time, she sat quietly, in front of the large manekin, drinking it all in.

Together, they quietly watched that exhibit, simply appreciating it.

Slowly, Sunset came to an idea– And a realization that seemed obvious in retrospect. The one that she was an Alicorn.

“You know… We probably should wear armor sometimes– Considering the crazy stuff that happens to us on a monthly basis. I sure know I would have loved some armor when I fought Midnight Sparkle…” She pointed her horn at the mannequin, while nodding at her girlfriend.

“Oh?” Twilight shared in the mischievous look, egging her on.

“Heck, remember last month when Chrysalis attacked town? I still got the bruises.” Sunset joyfully showcased what she would describe as a ‘sexy scar’.

“You did send her running scared, thouuuugh!” Twilight smiled widely, proud of her girlfriend.

Sunset stood beside the Valkyrie and tried mimicking her pose, which involved standing on only two legs, one in the front, one in the back, while spreading her wings. she stuck out her tongue and winked again. “What do you think?”

“Badass.” Twilight nodded, imitating her girlfriend's way of speech with an agreeing smile. “You’d look really good on it…!” She couldn’t help but blush a little, imagining it.

“Heh, too big for me, though.” It was certainly a pipe dream, at the moment, that kind of armor would never fit Sunset, who hadn’t yet started growing as alicorns did. But she did take that moment to appreciate that a future like that wasn’t unattainable anymore.

It was as simple as reaching for it.

And one day, unbeknownst to her, she would.

They both snickered together, shaking the thought off. “C’mon, what’s next?”

“Oh, you’re gonna love this next one.” Twilight pointed at another exhibit on the pamflet.

“...Is that a… Toilet?”

---

This heist is simple, but the consequences of messing it up will be dire for both of us, so listen up.

Just because it’s simple doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay some fucking attention.

First off, we’ll both be at the museum, it will be really late, so make sure you sleep through the day. I’ll be on the roof, ready to enter the building in any room necessary through the skylights.

You’ll be disguised as a party guest. And I know that you can’t afford to be recognized, so you’ll have to sneak in. Teleporting won’t do it, you’ll have to climb in through vents. Piece of cake, don’t make any noise, you’ll come out in this broom closet here, and be fully dressed before the party reaches its peak.

Security is tight enough to be an issue, but they’re not expecting what we’ll do.

Dressing right, you’ll fit right in. Then comes the important part.

I’ll turn the lights off briefly, to steal the dragon skull right off of the exhibit; The one they’ll be unveiling in front of the whole party. But as you know, that’ll be just a smoke screen.

The necklace the Princess will be wearing and its jewels have only previously been worn by Celestia herself at galas– They’re the real deal.

Using the commotion of the power outage and missing skull, you’ll steal the jewels right out from the Princess’s neck.

You won’t drop it off, you won’t run off with it. You’ll walk casually to the balcony on the northern side where I’ll pick it up and escape, and you can walk out of the party like nothing happened.

Again. It’s simple. But if we pull this off, we’re set for life.

Another fantastic heist on my belt, and you can take your share and flee as far from Equestria as you desire, and we never have to see each other again.

Under no circumstances are you to mention anything about me, my face, or my business if you get caught, and the same applies to if we pull this off.

Once we’re done, we’re done. Are we clear?

- Rough Diamond

---

“Blackburn. Are you in position?” The voice on her earpiece called out, demanding.

“Yes. Be fucking patient. Getting into this stupid dress is hard, and I’m out of practice.” Sunset groaned in that small, dark broom closet. She hadn’t tried wearing a dress in years, and the demanding voice of her current partner in crime wasn’t helping.

“Remember what’s riding on this. Focus. She won’t recognize you, right?” The voice questioned, with that same demanding tone.

“For the last time, no. She won’t fucking recognize me or remember me. You can count on that. Besides, I won’t let her see my face.” Sunset rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“Ugh. This is why I work alone…” The voice groaned too, clearly being busy with something.

“Hey, that makes both of us, big shot. If it makes you feel better, I also can’t wait to shake your hoof and say bye.” She groaned, while adjusting her hair.

“You better be getting in position. I’ve got eyes on the target, and there's a pretty big crowd around her. The event’s already started.” The same voice called out, just as demanding.

“I’m on it, I’m on it.” Efficiently and quickly, she tied her short hair on a bun with magic, and finished tying her dress for good measure. “Heading into the party now.”

Leaving the broom closed changed the atmosphere completely. The museum was dimly lit, the lights were strategically positioned in the center of a large room where the crowd gathered.

It was certainly a fancy gathering. Lucky for Sunset, none of the ponies were focussed on her to notice that she was out of place, with a cheap dress.

Dozens upon dozens of ponies gathered around the yet-to-be unveiled exhibit, all dressed like Manehattan elite, as if they were ready for a gala. Lots of silver lined pockets, but only one mattered.

Sweat dripped down her brow and she frowned, scanning the gathering crowd, heartbeat rising.

This was it.

“Rough Diamond, I’m in the hall.” She whispered at her earpiece, while shooting a quick glance at the skylight above; Which naturally, she saw nothing but the night sky through.

“Good. Get eyes on the target, Blackburn. And fast. I’m not waiting all night.”

Unsurprisingly, it wasn’t hard to spot her. The Princess of Friendship was standing in the crowd, politely watching the curator announce and describe the event.

Sunset measured her every step as she walked through that crowd, slowly approaching her. “Got eyes on her. She’s all gussied up.” She groaned quietly, trying not to make it personal, but the universe sure had ways to punish Sunset Shimmer.

“I see you. get closer. We won’t have another shot.”

The curator joyfully waved his hoof at a large cloth that covered a certain exhibit that was tall enough to reach the ceiling… or in this case, the skylight. “This one is very special, everypony, a brand new exhibit found by one of our most prolific archaeologists, who was aided by none other than Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, who is doing the honor of gracing us with her presence tonight!”

Sunset’s eye twitched.

“Now, now, Princess, before we unveil this incredible find, would you like to share a few words?”

“Get closer already.”

“On it.” Sunsted moved through the crowd quietly, tense, her heartbeat rose as her jaw tensed.

“U-um, certainly!” Twilight spread her wings, addressing the crowd. “This one was quite the find, you see, dragons weren’t known for ever coming this close to central Equestria, but we discovered her remains deep within an ancient tomb-library that seemed to belong to Starswirl himself! Me and my girlfriend speculated that they might have been friends– and let me tell ya, that tomb was quite the doozy–”

As Twilight turned her head and watched the crowd, Sunset hid her face behind the standing ponies, closer than ever. Her heart beat furiously. This was it.

“--Now, now, I suppose we shouldn’t spoil it for them, should we, Princess?” The curator laughed joyously. “Now, if you are all prepared!”

“Get closer.”

“I can’t. Not while she’s looking right over here. Your turn, Rough Diamond.” Sunset whispered, just audibly enough for it to be heard by her partner in crime.

“Well then, without further ado! I present to you–”

“Okay. Moving in, on 3…”

Sunset’s nerves peaked as she anticipated the following moments.

“This enormous beast roamed the land, likely a millenia ago!!!”

“2…”

Sunset’s eyes widened as she moved out of cover, the Princess in her sight, none the wiser, merely a meter away. The necklace and its jewels gleamed beautifully in the spotlight.

“I present to you, the ancient dragon of wisdom!” The curator waved his horn, and pulled the sheets.

“1…”

The new unveiled piece in the museum was the full standing bone structure of a dragon, put together with impeccable finesse. Its skull had multiple horns, and more than a few of the teeth on the skull were gold fillings. It was an incredibly imposing sight.

But Sunset’s eyes were elsewhere.

“...Go time.”

The lights went off in the museum, and darkness bathed the room, with several shocked gasps from the crowd

Sunset was incredibly ready, as she lunged her horn forward with the commotion, intent on snatching the amulet…

But she couldn’t. Because with a flash and a thud, several ponies tumbled around the crowd. Knocking her over, and none could see in the dark.

All of which only added to the commotion, several yelps in confusion and surprise, as ponies were knocked into each other, and several voices expressed their distaste and confusion.

It was difficult to stand, and even more to get her bearings in the dark, now that most ponies had moved, many bumping into each other in the dark.

She heard a voice coming from the pile of knocked over ponies. A voice that was unmistakable. “Ugh, excuse me, sorry!”

It was her voice.

Her eyes widened in confusion and shock.

The lights came back on, and several ponies groaned, blinded.

Sunset tried her best to stand, while cautiously being away from the Princess.

A pony gasped, looking above. “T-the skull!! It’s g-gone!!”

This was her moment. She had to steal the amulet now.

But she couldn’t. Because between her and the princess, in the middle of the crowd, there was a tall Alicorn, full of dried blood and fresh wounds on her hide… Who looked like none other than herself.

“Hey, this is the Manehattan museum…!! Awesome!” The Alicorn muttered, looking around, with surprised joy.

Sunset had no words. This was the strangest, most twisted thing, the most incomprehensible. She was flabbergasted, and what’s more, many ponies in the crowd were looking this way– The Princess was looking this way.

“Sorry, everypony!” Her other self looked around awkwardly, waving a wing apologetically. “Didn’t mean to intrude on anything, I’ll be going now!” She had an almost chipper smile about her. Like she was happy to be here, which only served to confuse her other self more.

“Please tell me you got the amulet. What’s the commotion about down there– what?!”

The tall Alicorn version of herself began moving away from the crowd unimpeded, easily pushing the party guests aside. One of her back legs was bleeding, and with it she was limping, but she didn’t show signs of feeling any pain.

She winked at her other self, as she passed by. “Nice dress, other me! Enjoy… Whatever this is.” Like they were friends– Or knew each other, or like she knew she was there.

Sunset was sweating. Was this a dream? A nightmare? She was close to hyperventilating, as she watched the Alicorn pass by her.

“What the fuck is going on down there? Is that YOU?”

The crowd muttered and spoke loudly in confusion and displeasement. The curator, loudly, with a yell of despair, proclaimed to the whole crowd. “T-the dragon skull!! It has been STOLEN!!”

Half of the crowd was focussed on that, and half of the crowd was focussed on the Alicorn that had just gotten blood on them, leaving a small trail of it, even, who was walking away from the room as if nothing was wrong.

This was supposed to be her break.

Her escape.

Everything should have been okay after this.

She couldn’t deny that she deserved some form of divine punishment.

But why this?

The Princess of Friendship noticed the bleeding Alicorn, with a gasp. “W-who’s that?!”

And the crowd followed, in the same confusion.

“Did you get the necklace? Tell me things are going well down there— Fuck, this skull is heavy.”

Sunset wanted to leap forward and snatch the amulet. Take it by magic, run away with it.

But her hooves were stuck in place.

Between the Princess, and her other self, she was utterly immobilized.

And there she remained, for the time being. Unsure of what to do.

---

…Naturally, for the Princess of Hope, this was time for leisure. The Manehattan Museum was wonderful, and she figured that seeing what it provided in another dimension could be quite interesting– A welcome break from seeing barren worlds, trying to take naps, and fighting a demonic version of herself.

The museum was mostly dark, so she illuminated it with the light of her horn, giving the rooms an almost mysterious energy– Matched only by the beautiful lights of the Manehattan skyline that could be seen in the distance, reflecting from the windows.

She walked with a limp, keeping one of her back legs lifted aloft by instinct, due to its wounds, but it otherwise did not slow her down whatsoever. She was more than capable of enduring any pain, ignoring it entirely. Usually she would have attempted to heal herself, but in such an interesting setting, she’d prefer to look around and enjoy herself, even with the exhaustion.

“Hey… there you are.” She smiled, seeing one of her favorite exhibits. After all, she had a very specific itinerary she wanted to follow.

As it turns out, they found the Valkyrie armor in this universe as well. It looked different however, with different engravings and colors; And the plaque read: ‘Valkyrie Man-o-War.’

“Heh. Must have been one hell of a jellyfish, lady.” She grinned, drinking it in, trying to imagine it. “I gotta tell you girls about the Phoenix I beat sometime…” She talked as if she wasn’t alone.

For only a brief moment, she allowed herself to mimic the pose the mannequin made once more.

How many years had it been…? Five?

She tried not reminiscing on better times, in the same way she tried not thinking of how much she missed her home, she ignored her own physical pain.

For only a brief moment, it was like she was back. Making a pose just to entertain her love.

But mutterings from the museum behind her snapped her out of it, as her expression dropped to an exhaled frown.

She wanted to be alone. So she moved.

With a groan and a wince, she just moved to another exhibit, another very special exhibit she hoped would be there, a floor above.

Climbing a ladder did not require any more effort– There was a moment she tripped, and blood splattered on a step, but she merely grunted, stood, and kept moving.

There were more voices shouting around, and she saw lights of ponies scouting the museum on adjacent floors, but she ignored them. Not her universe, not her problem.

Besides, more important matters.

She walked into another exhibit section, one of ‘old modern art’ as she would describe it, and her wife would certainly describe it with more nuance.

The room certainly had a more ethereal aura at night– Large windows that went from floor to ceiling functioned as the wall on one side, and given the night skyline of Manhattan, it looked beautiful, bathing the room in a certain light.

Sunset began chuckling, and then came laughter.

She sat down, and her eyes got a bit teary as she laughed to herself, alone in that room, with a smile as wide as they come.

Before her, on a podium, presented in full form as art, stood a toilet. One that had been fully signed as an art piece and submitted, and stood proudly.

She continued laughing joyfully, like she was seeing it for the first time.

Ponies entered the room, two museum guards, their horns alight. “You there, ma’am, stop right there!!” They announced, weirding out the sight.

And Sunset kept laughing. “Evening officers!! Have you seen this one?” She pointed at the toilet, absolutely delighted, continuing to be incredibly amused.

“We’re bringing you in for suspicion of theft, and frankly, for bleeding all over our museum!” One of the guards announced, getting a little closer, with hesitation. After all, before him was an Alicorn, a tall one, who was indeed bleeding all over.

“Please don’t resist, ma’am!” The other guard announced, as they stepped closer.

Sunset kept laughing, shaking her head with joy as she looked at the piece of art before her, and as soon as the two guards approached her, she put them both on fierce headlocks, each on one side, and still, she kept laughing.

“You see, oh my gosh, it’s so funny–” She addressed the two guards choking on her hold. “My wife brought me here once, and wow, it’s so fucking funny. This pony guy, decades ago, submitted this toilet as art– Signed his name in it and everything– And SO many art snuffs were mad at him!!”

The officers could only choke and sputter, unable to escape her hold. “And oh my gosh, it’s so fucking funny– Their critique of it not being art, PROVED that it was art, after all, it was making them feel things! It was instigating emotions and thought!! It shook the art movement, AND IT'S JUST A TOILET!! HAHAHA!!”

She brought them even closer, nearly toppling over with laughter, nearly in tears. “Oh my gosh, I’m so glad this is a thing in other universes too, I really needed this–”

“Excuse me, did you say… Other universes…?” An incredibly familiar voice asked from behind her.

She stopped. She shivered. Her ears twitched, as she gasped.

She turned her head, dropping the guards, who gasped for air.

Before her stood Princess Twilight Sparkle, whose hair was impeccably done in a beautiful bob, who wore a gorgeous dress, and adorned beautiful jewelry that no doubt belonged to none other than Celestia at some point.

She had seen her wife in other universes plenty of times before, but she hadn’t expected her here, much less dressed so stunningly.

Her laughter ceased completely, and she just flustered, watching her not-wife in silence.

“Um, excuse me but…” Twilight blinked once or twice, seeing the tall alicorn before her better. “W-wait— Aren’t you… S-Sunset Shimmer?! What happened to you…? You’re an Alicorn?! Where have you been?! Hasn’t it been… Six years?!”

Stammering, Sunset paused– taking a deep breath, then giving out an awkward smile. “I… I need some air. Bye!” She proclaimed, and walked off, limping.

“W-wait!!” Twilight yelped, and the guards absolutely did not want to follow.

---

The Manehattan skyline was beautiful at night, and the top balcony of the museum provided a perfect view, and also plenty of fresh air.

For once, Sunset wished she wasn’t sharing this view with Twilight Sparkle. Because this one wasn’t her wife.

It wasn’t the same. It was like a joke at her expense.

And she wasn’t laughing anymore.

“Gosh, the multiverse is real, I still can’t believe it… The ramifications of this– hey, stand still!” Twilight pouted, as she attempted healing magic in another of Sunset’s wounds, a process that had already lasted well over half an hour.

Her hide flinched on her touch, and she couldn’t help it. After all, all of this was wrong. “Hey, I told you already a dozen times– You don’t have to do this, I was gonna do it in the next universe, probably, if I didn’t nap.”

“Y-you take naps with open wounds??!!” Twilight’s eyes widened in extreme concern.

“Why wouldn’t I? I’m tired, and they’re not going anywhere.” She scoffed, keeping her eyes forward on the skyline before them.

The Princess of Friendship had no retort to this, she just shook her head, confused, worried, all of the above and more.

With her horn glowing, she approached Sunset’s back leg, with a concerned look. “What in the world did this?!”

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” Sunset shrugged. “A demon version of me from another universe bit it. But my armor blocked most of it.”

“D-demon?! Oh gosh…! And ...Armor? You’re not… Wearing any?” Twilight raised a confused eyebrow.

“How astute, your majesty.” Sunset grinned, and realized she was doing her flirtatious voice by instinct, making her shake her head. “I am not going to wear the armor if there's no fight. Least of all, on top of my wounds. Simple as that.”

She nodded, still a bit confused, and began sealing the wounds with magic, as well as attempting to heal them fully.

“Gosh, this is a lot of scars… What in the world have you gone through?”

“Let’s just say the demon bite is just the tip of the iceberg.” She exhaled, looking away, into the night sky. She had a lot of new scars, since this multiverse nonsense had started.

That exhale held a lot of exhaustion. The feeling of Twilight’s magic healing her body was familiar. It almost made her want to fall asleep then and there.

But she forced herself awake.

Now was not the time for resting.

And this wasn’t her Twilight.

“It's been strange... I’ve seen a lot of weird universes.” She tilted her head, closing her eyes and thinking, trying to avert her eyes from Twilight.

“I bet you have! It's odd. My world feels so… Normal. What was the weirdest universe you’ve seen so far…?” She egged her on, curiously.

“It depends on your definition of ‘weird’.” She couldn’t help but chuckle, amused. “There was this one where Cadance, Shining Armor and Chrysalis were a couple as a trio. I was grossed out.”

“Wh– my brother, Cadance and CHRYSALIS?! Ew! Eeeewww!!!” She stuck her tongue out, shaking her head.

“That’s what I’m saying! I saw Cadance and Chrysalis kiss, and it wasn’t pretty.” Even reminiscing made her feel grossed out.

“Ew, ew ew, blargh!!” Twilight shook her head vigorously.

Even that small display was cute, and Sunset forced herself not to look, turning her head away. “Yep. It was awful… But I have seen some stranger universes.”

“Stranger than that?! How?!” She was giggling, in disbelief.

“Well…” Her expression dropped, blankening, becoming more weary. “I’ve seen more than one universe where all life in Equestria ended.

With her eyes widening, Twilight went quiet.

“It's… Disturbing. It's all barren. The world has no atmosphere, it’s… beyond ruins.” She looked down into the streets, but didn’t look at anything specifically. “I keep wondering what caused it. I considered that it might be an alien automaton hive mind me and my wife fought, but…”

“Alien automaton what?!” Twilight’s eyebrows raised in shock.

“Yeah. I know. Fucked up. But also… The Argent harvested everything– They wouldn't have left the world cracked. At least I don’t think so. I don’t know, there’s no point in getting paranoid about it… But it’s hard not to think of it.” She shook her head.

“I can see why.” Twilight cringed. “I would feel horrified if I saw my home… barren.”

“Indeed. I don’t know. Not my universe, not my problem, right? Just– I try not to dwell on any of it, but it’s hard. I’ve had to fight to save so many worlds-- I've seen some truly fucked up worlds.” She winced again, reacting to Twilight coming closer with healing magic.

“Do I even want to ask…?” She tried giving her a consoling smile, unsure if anything would help.

Blowing raspberries, Sunset shook her head. “Let’s just say… That me being a drunken grifter in an alternate universe is a gentle ending for Sunset Shimmer.”

“O-oh…”

The mood dampened more.

They remained quiet for a bit, followed only by the sounds of the party that continued silently in the museum and around them, and the noises of the night life of Manehattan.

A few ponies from the party shared the balcony with them, some of the party guests that decided that fresh air was certainly a better choice, and gazed strangely at the sight– of the Princess tending to the wounds of a strange, bloodied up Alicorn.

Quietly, but sternly, Sunset approached a subject that she had been thinking about often. “Do you have a castle in Ponyville in this universe?”

“Why yes, I do!” Twilight lit up, as if she had plenty of things to say about it; Which of course, she had. "Why do you ask?"

Letting out a sigh, Sunset nodded. “Yeah. That’s one thing. In my universe, my wife and I don’t.” Sunset kept her eyes beyond the skyline, listless. “One of the things that brought us together involved her castle blowing up. So we built a Community Center in Ponyville for us to live in– And we’ve never been happier. There's a library, an arboretum, we regularly have meals with other ponies in town, and we have the whole third floor to ourselves…”

She perked up, imagining how it’d be to live in a more humble place than a castle once more. “Wow, Gosh, that sounds… Really nice!”

“It was. It really was. So every time I see a universe in which there’s a castle in Ponyville, I know. I know that it's a universe where me and her aren’t together. It’s like a symbol.” And she hated it.

“So… You’re married to me, in your universe…?” Twilight blushed a little, suppressing a giggle. “That’s a bit amusing… I haven’t seen Sunset in six years, and I have a girlfriend, too. She–”

“Don’t.” Sunset commanded, unable to look at her.

“W-what?” Twilight was taken back, understandably so.

“Put yourself in my horseshoes, and just… Stop. I’m sorry, but… It’s best if I don’t hear anything about that.” She winced, turning away. This had not been the first time this had happened, and she liked less and less.

She nodded slowly, pouting. “O-oh, right. Sorry. I-I get it, if you’re married to me, hearing about me being with other ponies must hurt… Well, aside from the wounds, I mean.”

“You have no idea.” She shuddered, shaking her head. “It’s like my own personal hell.”

With an affirming quiet nod, Twilight nudged her to say more.

“Look… I’m not Cadance. I’m not a matchmaker. That’s not what I’ve been doing while I’ve been cursed. The only reason I keep nudging my other selves to go meet with the other Twilights…” She exhaled, shaking her head. “It’s because meeting Twilight Sparkle was the best thing that ever happened to me. And I know it would be to them, too.”

She raised her wings, and moved them around, and pointed at herself. “You see these? You see how tall and strong I am? I never would have gotten any of it if it wasn’t for her. She motivated me to do better- She motivated me to be better. I’m the strongest Sunset I’ve ever met in the multiverse– And it’s because of her.”

She sighed, gritting her teeth, ignoring the pain. Then she turned back to Twilight. “You know what fucking gets to me, too? My wife is the tallest Twilight Sparkle I’ve seen in the multiverse. It's not just me-- She’s like– Yay high.” She hovered a hoof just below her eye level, which was substantially taller than this Twilight. "For all I know, maybe my wife also is the strongest Twilight in the multiverse!!"

And naturally, this Princess of Friendship was a bit confused. “W-what? Gosh, that’s strange, that's much taller than me! How did that happen?”

“I know, right!? Starswirl speculated that it was because our Alicorn training is so advanced– Which makes sense! Me and my wife incentivized each other to be better every single day, because we knew we’d someday rule together– I can literally raise the sun, and I’ve only been an Alicorn for five years!!”

“S-Starswirl?!” Twilight gasped, in shock. “THE BEARDED?!”

“Yeah, I met him a few days and universes ago. And you see, every other Princesses of Friendship I met in the multiverse, they’re all so… Small. They’re just… I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s like they don’t even know how little incentive they have to reach their peak. I'm not sure if 'complacent' is the right word... The only other married Twilight I met was also married to another version of me– The demon.”

“W-what? I was married to a demon?” She was in disbelief, tilting her head.

“And somehow, they were happy, too!! I was almost HAPPY for them!! They were so fulfilled!! ” She tapped her front hooves on the railing nervously. “Meanwhile, my wife draws power from the moon and night– And she has mastery over dream magic already!! We were so fucking excited to rule– We were going to inherit the night and day together, sharing the throne, and I’m just– Is my universe just… Special? Am I lucky? Or am I unlucky, because I’m fucking HERE, INSTEAD OF THERE?!”

Her voice was raised, she didn’t even realize how mad she was until she started actually speaking her mind– multiple days worth of frustrations all amounted to this. She breathed haggardly, for a moment, paused.

Twilight remained quiet, paying attention to every word.

“I think I’m the happiest Sunset Shimmer in the multiverse.” She stated, almost with sadness, looking into the distance. “I think… I think I might be the only Sunset Shimmer that got to be an Alicorn. What the fuck does that say about me? About the other me’s?”

She was defeated.

She was exhausted.

“...And I’m going to die.” She stated, coldly. “I’m going to die out here.”

“B-but– Isn’t she coming for you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if she is, I… Just look at me. If this is how the multiverse is going to treat me, I don’t think I can last more than two weeks.” No matter how confident she was in her fighting prowess, it didn’t matter. She wasn’t invincible, that much she knew– Any pretense of her being unbeatable disappeared when she was separated from her wife.

Bringing a hoof to her lips, the Princess of Friendship pondered with sorrow. “M-maybe I could help, somehow?”

“Twilight, in just a bit more time, I’ll be shot into the next universe. You’ll never see me again. It’s pointless.” She shook her head, definitively.

A moment of silence passed.

Sunset’s eyes became more sensitive, she was close to tearing up, but held it in, shaking her head.

“I guess… I guess if I die, she’ll at least… I know she’ll rule Equestria well, with or without me. I know she can…!” It pained her to speak these words. “She doesn’t need me. My world never did. If there's one thing I've learned, through the multiverse is... Sunset Shimmer isn't needed. I hope my absence will be… I hope that they can move on.” she didn’t necessarily believe the words she spoke, but she needed to.

For the sake of believing that her loved ones would be okay.

She needed to.

“I'm sorry…” Leaning on the railing, Twilight felt that sadness like a wave. “You… You seem so incredible, it doesn’t feel right for this to be how your story ends…!”

“We…” Sunset exhaled. “We should talk about something else. I'm not going to give up, so let's leave it at that. ” Her tone was cold, dismissive. She was done pitying herself.

“O-oh.”

More silence passed. Not necessarily uncomfortable, but certainly heavy.

“So… The other you. From this world. She was at the party downstairs?” Twilight wondered, “I didn’t even see her…!”

“Probably for a reason.” She narrowed her eyes, looking to the side slightly. “She’s been spying on us from the rooftop on our left for well over thirty minutes now.”

“W-what?” Twilight was going to turn her head, but Sunset forced it forward.

“Don’t look now. But she’s been doing it for a while. And I have some theories as to why…”

---

“What the fuck happened down there. That alicorn next to the Princess looks like you. How?! Why?!” The voice in her earpiece was just as confused and shocked as Sunset was.

“I’ve got no fucking idea– She litteraly popped up out of thin air!” She gritted her teeth and narrowed her eyes. “They’ve just been talking. The Princess of Friendship is… healing her wounds or something…? What the fuck.”

“Are they talking about us? Does she know my face? For your sake, she better not.” The voice crackled.

Rolling her eyes, Sunset kept her attention on the two alicorns down in the balcony. “Relax, Rough Diamond. I don’t think she’s me exactly. Have you moved the Dragon Skull yet?”

“Just dropped it down. It’s a pretty good distraction, all of the guards in the museum are trying to get it down from a cop vehicle. But you need to get the necklace.”

“I don’t think I can. Too many witnesses, and two Alicorns? I don’t see an opening.”

“God fucking damnit. Unbelievable. My heist record is impeccable, I’ve NEVER failed any, and not a single pony in this city knows my real face other than you right now– this is your fault!!–”

“Look could you just shut up and–” She stopped. Because her other self had teleported.

Right behind her.

“Excuse me, other me.” She was grabbed on a headlock, and teleported forward.

Soon after a hoof pressed her face down on the floor, and she was face to face with the Princess of Friendship. “FUCK! NO!!!”

Flailing, she yelled out helplessly.

She had been caught.

Her other self exhaled, as she held her down forcefully. “Yep, like I feared. She was here to rob you. That necklace you’re wearing, to be precise.” Going through the memories of her other self was easy, and underwhelming as ever.

Twilight flinched, quickly glancing at the jewels, then back at Sunset, who, on the floor, looked like she was having a panic attack.

“GODDAMNIT– Please just let me go!! UGH!” She struggled to no avail.

“She’s… she’s another runaway.” Sunset exhaled, still holding her, looking through her memories.

“W-what do you mean?!” Twilight looked at her with pity, which only made her feel worse.

“After you saved her from being a demon, she ran away, intent on going as far away from Equestria as possible–”

“--To get away from YOU!!” Sunset bellowed, her face forced against the ground. “TO GET AWAY FROM THIS STUPID COUNTRY– I'M DONE WITH IT!! JUST LET ME GO!!”

“She became a thief here in Manehattan. She was going to use the money from all the stealing she did– including your jewels, to buy a boat, many supplies, and sail as far away from Equestria as possible… To escape you and Celestia.” The Princess of Hope shuddered. Another runaway... And another failed runaway, at that.

“J-just let me go. I hate this fucking country. I don’t want to be here– Please, just let me go.”

Twilight shook her head, with more pity. “S-Sunset, why…? We gave you a chance to–”

“I don’t WANT a chance!! I just want to leave!!” She snarled, squirming.

The Valkyrie didn’t need to read her memories more to understand what motivated her. After all, she had done this song and dance before. “She hates herself for what she did. She wanted to abandon her life.”

“Ugh– DAMN YOU!” She tried loosening herself, shaking herself off, but couldn’t. “J-just let me go!!”

Twilight was shocked, the differences between the two Sunsets were night and day. “B-but Celestia would forgive you! I forgive you– Why can’t we just–”

“--Okay, let’s make a deal.” Sunset interrupted her thoroughly, speaking through gritted teeth. “I’ve been working with the notorious thief ‘Rough Diamond.’ I'll tell you and the authorities everything I know about her if you promise to let me go! PLEASE!” She was desperate, emphatic.

Both of the Princesses sighed, for different reasons. They were about to say something, but they were interrupted.

Flying through the air, a dart hit the Sunset of this world square in the neck, and she flinched.

The Valkyrie’s eyes widened, and she quickly shot a glance to the rooftops, and spotted a shadowy figure taking off, disappearing out of sight.

“S-shit! It’s her!!” The unicorn quickly removed the dart from her neck. “T-this is poisoned!! S-she’s covering her tracks– she has the antidote, quick, you have to catch her!!”

“O-oh no!!” Twilight whimpered, looking around, not seeing her target.

“I’ve got it.” The Valkyrie snarled, taking flight.

She leapt into the air, seeing the thief get away, intent on tackling her.

But she was interrupted.

A light enveloped her, and her limbs began to fade. “Fuck, fuck, FUCK, not now!!!” She begged, desperately trying to flail away.

“Wh-what’s happening to you?!” Twilight went to her with extreme concern.

“I’m being taken to the next universe– you have to catch her, Twilight! I saw her running across the museum rooftop, over there– You have to–” But with a flash, she vanished.

The ponies on the balcony were incredibly confused at the sight.

Twilight yelped, looking back at the unicorn, who desperately tried standing. Sunset was already looking worse. The poison was spreading.

“I-I’ll catch her!! D-don’t worry, Sunset!!” She took flight, teleporting forward in a panic.

Sunset was alone.

Surrounded by strangers, in a museum she never cared for.

A handful of the party ponies in the balcony looked at her from afar, in confusion, but none approached.

She was alone in a city she never cared for.

Her breathing got haggard, her vision blurry. One of her legs gave out. Her strength was leaving her.

She was alone in a country she desperately wanted to escape.

Giving in, she laid down, facing the skyline of the night.

It seemed like the sun would rise soon.

She felt all of her muscles stiffening, her vision blurring.

Her breathing was rough.

Then she heard a familiar voice.

One of the fancy ponies from the party emerged from the crowd, and approached.

Slowly, she leaned in, and spoke quietly to her. “If it makes you feel better, Blackburn… It was always going to end like this.”

Sunset grimaced, trying to get a better look at her. But she already knew who it was. Rough Diamond was perfectly disguised as any other party pony, right in front of her.

“I never planned on giving you your cut. You were a loose end, after all. No pony can know my face.” She spoke coldly, relaxed. This was business.

Sunset desperately tried moving her limbs, she tried speaking, flailing at her, but all of her moves were sluggish and weak. She could do nothing.

“But I suppose it's personal now. After all, you did ruin the heist. My first ever failed heist, because of you.” She shook her head, looking down in disappointment and disgust.

Exhaling, she blew raspberries, and shrugged. “Well, with your death, we’re even. Goodbye, Blackburn.”

She turned around, and walked away calmly, blending into the party seamlessly.

Groaning, wincing, desperately crawling, Sunset tried doing anything.

But her strength was gone.

She laid there, watching the sun rise, alone.

---

“Good Morning, Manehattan! I’m your host, Celeray, with the latest news! This one is quite shocking, the notorious master thief known as ‘Rough Diamond’ has struck again!”

“Ugh, not her again, Celeray! I’ve had it with her stealing our beloved and priceless works of arts! What a night, ladies and gentlecolts.”

“Indeed, indeed, Anchorhoof! It seems that during a new unveiling party, the notorious thief stole the skull of a dragon fossil in front of the whole crowd! Shameful!”

“Absolutely shameful, Celeray. Please tell me there’s good news, and that our beloved Mares and Stallions of the MPD finally caught this dastardly thief!”

“There was indeed good news, but nothing of the sort. The skull was found smashed on top of a police vehicle, likely having fallen from the roof of the museum, but otherwise, it can be repaired!”

“It seems our Rough Diamond bit more than she could chew this time, eh?”

“Indeed! And on the same news, a body was found in the museum. The police have identified this strange unicorn as one of the lackeys of Rough Diamond, but the cause of death is still unknown, we are waiting on the autopsy and proper investigation of her identity.”

“Good riddance, if you ask me. The less lackeys Rough Diamond has, the better for us– As if one thief in our city wasn’t enough!”

“Agreed completely, Anchorhoof. Our beloved Princess of Friendship was reportedly on the scene, and interviewers managed to discover some interesting updates on this strange failed heist. According to her, what Rough Diamond was truly after was the necklace she wore, that belonged to none other than our darling Princess Celestia!”

“Shameful!”

“Absolutely shameful.”

“Good news, I suppose! In the end, the thief remains at large, but at least her heist was foiled!”

“Indeed. We will keep you updated, dear audience, but one thing is for sure– All is well in Manehattan tonight. Thank you for watching, and stay tuned!”

Author's Note:

All is well in Manehattan tonight.

Sunset dies, and the world does not notice.

Failed heist. She was so close to escape, too...

Well this chapter was an interesting one, I wanted to make a more relaxing chapter, and I also wanted to like. well... The title implies that it's a heist chapter, it is not. It is about the pain of failure 👍

Not everything works out.

Also Rough Diamond is a character from the comics, same role as in here, I didn't need to explore anything else. But if a heist required more than one pony, I don't imagine she'd ever allow for a loose end. The comic run with her is almost cute, but I figured I could do something a biiiiit more of my touch.

I like using stuff from the comics! There's a lot of good material for a multiverse fic like this!

Good news, though. Next chapter? Its my favorite that I ever wanted to write in this whole fic. I'm very much looking forward to that. I've been waiting to write it for aaaaages, and I'm so happy we're finaly here. I will not spoil anything 💖

Comments

[RedHoodie21]

how tragic. not even a footnote in her own story. also toilet lmao

[DragonIdiot]

EUVHWHU my poor child

that toilet is half of art today imo