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Seeking My Purpose In The World

by The Sleepless Beholder

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: My Dream

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“I don’t agree with your decision,” Luna stated sternly, sitting on the other side of Celestia’s office desk.

“I know,” the monarch answered meekly.

“I should hit you.”

Celestia pointed at her bleeding nose. “You did.”

“I should hit you again!” Luna screamed furiously.

“Would that solve anything?”

Luna gritted her teeth. “I can’t believe you Tia.”

Celestia looked down at the table. “Me neither. That’s why I asked you to look for them.”

Luna sighed, very frustrated. “I searched all around your mindscape and didn’t found any locks in your memory that involved Sunset. So, whoever she was before you took her in is a complete mystery.”

“And the reports?” Celestia asked with little hope.

Luna shook her head. “Just dead ends.
There are no reports of missing foals that fit Sunset’s description thirty-one years ago.
And I don’t know how you managed to hide the entire event from the press, but it was enough to erase the trail completely.
So, we don’t know in what town it happened. Only that either it wasn’t completely destroyed, or that Equestria’s construction workforce lives up to its reputation.”

Celestia put both hooves on her face, careful not to put pressure on her nose. “I wanted to tell her. I really did. But the good parts first. Make her remember how happy she was. Now I only have the worst parts of her foalhood.”

Luna could hear her sister sobbing, so she tried to calm herself a little before speaking.

“You’re right. There is no way of reducing the damage that the truth will do to Sunset.” She gritted her teeth again, angry at herself because of her own decision. “So, it’s imperative that she never knows.”

Celestia lifted her head to look at her sister in the eye. “What?”

“As much as I don’t agree with your decision to keep things in the past, I see no other choice but to keep it secret. If what you told me is true, a truly out of control Sunset would be devastating for anypony other than an alicorn, Twilight and maybe Shining Armor.”

Luna looked away from Celestia. “I will do what I can to keep her away from those thoughts through the dream realm.”

Celestia leaned towards her sister. “Luna I can’t ask you to do that for me. I know how much that plane means to you.”

“I’m not doing this for you, I’m doing it for Sunset. I owe it to her.”

Luna grunted in frustration. This really wasn’t the way she wanted to repay that debt.

“Why did you have to do this Tia?”

“What would you have done in my place?” Celestia asked as a poor form of defense.

Luna took a moment to think, but the answer was simple for her.

“I would’ve just ended it right then and there,” she said, doing a crushing motion with her hooves.


“So, how is she doing?” Twilight asked Filthy while they sat in the waiting room.

Filthy managed to smile for the first time since his wife was hospitalized. “They will discharge her tomorrow. Your sister did a really good job.”

“She has… experience with these kinds of things.” The unicorn looked away, thinking back on the night she told Sunset about her curse.

Twilight was still unsure about Sunset’s decision of leaving her curse behind along with whatever memories she had lost.
She knew that it was wrong. Very wrong. But she couldn’t force Sunset to do what she thought was best for her.

“But Celestia could. If I convince her, she could back me up and make Sunset realize she can face her past in the correct way.”

“Miss Sparkle?” Filthy asked, getting Twilight’s attention back.

“Sorry, got an idea for a spell. What were you saying?”

Filthy could tell she was lying, and worried about what she could be hiding. “I was asking if you knew were Sunset lived. I didn’t get the chance to talk to her after she helped my wife.”

“Oh, she’s staying with me in the library. You can come over tomorrow if you want,” Twilight offered with a smile.

Filthy nodded. “Will do. Thank you again for your help.”

Twilight just smiled and teleported out of the hospital, getting as close as she could to the library, her mind still ruminating Sunset’s case.

“Besides Celestia, I can try with Luna and Cadence, maybe Shining too. I’m sure at least one of them can convince Sunset.”

Twilight sighed heavily, feeling a small migraine creep into her brain. “Am I being too overbearing? Should I just let her go ahead with her decision?”

She continued pondering about what to do and who to ask for help or advice until she arrived at the library, and when she was about to open the door, she found a blank note stuck to the door.

Twilight infused the note with her magic, making words appear on the paper.

“I went to see Rarity.

I will buy groceries on the way back.

-SS”

Twilight smiled. She was happy that her sister and Rarity had bonded so much over the past months.

“I’m sure Rarity will be Sunset’s first friend once she…”

Twilight’s smile fell, and her worries came back.

But this time, they sparked some determination in her eyes.

“If facing her past will help her find friendship, then I can’t let Sunset cast it aside.
I have to convince her.”

Twilight tore the note form the door, and then noticed that there was another sentence she didn’t read before.

“PS: This message will self-destruct in 10 seconds.”

“Wait wha-”

The letter literally exploded in front of her, creating a large cloud of smoke and covering her in soot and ash.

Twilight slowly opened her eyes and frowned. “Very funny Sunny.”


“Why are you giggling darling?” Rarity asked.

“Sorry, just noticed a spell I cast went off just now,” Sunset responded with a smile. “So, what did you need my help for?”

Rarity nervously glanced towards a curtain that hid one corner of the boutique. “Well… I’m sure you’ve heard about Hoity Toity.”

Sunset quickly recognized the name. “Oh yeah, I talked with him at a few galas. He’s a nice enough stallion, although he can be kind of rude as a critic.”

Rarity forced herself to laugh to hide her nervousness. “As expected of a pony with such high standards.”

“Oh, I’m sure he will love your dresses. Any of them would immediately catch the attention of anypony who attends the galas.” Sunset reassured her, making the fashionista smile with a bit of pride. “He’s coming to see them, isn’t he?”

“Yes. This is my big chance to take a step forward in the world of fashion!” she exclaimed, clapping her hooves in excitement.

Sunset joined in. “That’s great news! What are you going to show?”

Rarity’s excitement crashed and burned as she remembered the root of her problem.

“Well…” She gave one more look at the curtain and decided to just rip the band-aid off. “…they are… these.”

Rarity removed the curtain with her magic without any fanfare, showing off the five dresses she had made for her friends, ‘exactly as they liked’.

Sunset took one good look at each of them, and without saying a word, she lit her horn, summoning a big fireball.

“Waiiiit!” Rarity screamed, jumping between Sunset and the dresses before she could incinerate them.

“Why?!” Sunset asked, completely flummoxed. “How did this come out of your hooves and horn? What happened with the whole ‘make some designs with what you learned about my friends’ thing?”

Rarity put her hooves up, eyeing the fireball that was still hanging in the air. “I did make them, but the girls didn’t exactly… like them.”

“What?” Sunset asked, more disappointed than angry.

“They said they weren’t what they had in mind. So, I made these exactly how they liked them.” Rarity looked at the dresses and cringed. “I don’t blame you if you’re angry.”

Sunset gritted her teeth, but then she just sighed, dispelling the fireball. “No, I’m just… disappointed. I thought I made at least one right.”

Sunset sat down on the floor, looking at the rack where the dresses she had made where hanging. “I guess Pinkie was right when she said that I can’t be good at everything.”

Rarity walked up to her. “It’s not that you don’t have talent darling. It’s just… difficult to please everypony. Some ponies just don’t have taste for art.”

“Twilight and the girls clearly don’t.” She glanced at the dresses one more time. “Please tell me you have something else to show to Hoity.”

Rarity sat down next to Sunset, looking down at the floor. “No, I spent all my time with their dresses, so I couldn’t work on anything else. And the Gala is the theme of the show, so I can’t just not display them.”

They both stayed in silence for a while, trying to find a solution, until Sunset finally spoke. “What did you wanted me to help you with?”

Rarity sighed and tried to put on a more positive attitude. “I wanted to prepare a proper stage to show all of Ponyville my work. And I thought you could have some spells to help, or maybe know somepony who could build it.”

Sunset smiled to give the unicorn some hope. “I can do both, but I will need to go to Canterlot and get somepony to help with the stage.”

“Okay, I will see if I can prepare at least one more dress in the meantime. Thank you for your help. I really need it.” Rarity stood up, giving one more exhale before going into work mode.

Sunset teleported out of the building and summoned her wings, taking flight towards Canterlot at full speed.

She had a plan.


The sun was about to be brought down by Celestia when a large crowd of ponies started to gather around Carousel Boutique, and among them was a particularly ‘fancy’ stallion, wearing purple shades and high-class clothing.

Rarity gasped, hiding behind the big curtains of her new stage. “There he is!”

“Calm down Rarity, everything is going to be fine,” Sunset reassured her while a black coated stallion finished the last-minute touches to a control panel for the stage’s different features.

Rarity couldn’t calm down, just trying to accept the inevitable. “I can’t, I couldn’t finish even one more dress for the show. And I made you prepare such a great stage and it’s going to be wasted with this. Oh, I’m a horrible p-”

Sunset stopped her from fully collapsing by putting a hoof on her mouth. “Stop that. You did your best with what you had. Try and make the best of it, and I will deal with the fallout okay?”

Rarity’s worries where sidetracked momentarily. “What do you mean by that?”

“Everything ready Yank?” Sunset called out to the back stallion, who moved his messy grey mane away from his eyes and gave her an okay signal before turning on the lights.

Rarity quickly went back to panicking. “We’re starting right now?!”

Sunset smiled as the nervous fashionista hid behind the curtains while Spike started with the introduction.

“Since the beginning of time, the elite of Equestria have longed for pony fashions that truly expressed the essence of their very souls. Patiently waiting decades—no, centuries—for the perfect pony gown. Today, at long last, Equestria, your wait is over! Let's hear it for the breathtaking designs of Ponyville's own Rarity!”

The five mares walked out to the stage with pride in their step, making all the ponies start murmuring between each other.

As they modeled for the crowd, Applejack finally noticed something.

“Why’s everypony looking at us like that?”

Twilight looked at herself and realized the problem with all their dresses. “Oh dear.”

“You think we overdid it?” Rainbow asked, joining in the revelation.

“Nah,” Applejack responded, but she didn’t sound convinced. “Okay, maybe a little.”

“I hope you learned your lesson!” Sunset shouted as she stepped out of the curtains.

The five mares looked at her. But before they could say anything, Sunset gave Yank the signal, and he pressed a red button on the panel.

Suddenly, the circular platform the mares were standing on was released, and powerful springs under it sent all of them flying over the crowd while they screamed.

With some luck, they would land on the big mattress Sunset had laid out for their fall.

Sunset walked up to the crowd, a small mic appearing beside her mouth. “Sorry for this false start, but now, we can truly begin with the show!”

The ponies were confused but also very intrigued as to where all of this was leading to, so they stayed put, and even Hoity Toity decided to give a second chance to the whole affair.

“What are you doing?! I don’t have anything to show!!” Rarity screamed as Sunset entered the backstage, but the orange unicorn just smiled and pointed behind her.

“What about them?”

Rarity turned around, and her jaw dropped.


Spike cleared his throat and addressed the crowd once more. “Okay Ponyville, this time for real. Let's hear it for the breathtaking designs of Ponyville's own Rarity!”

The curtains opened, and the crowd was surprised at the sigh of a familiar pony and griffon.

“I can’t believe she convinced me to do this,” Gilda muttered as she walked through the stage, not even trying to model for the public, either because of embarrassment or pride.

She was wearing a simple light brown jacket and pants with turn-ups, showing the lining that had a jazzy pattern. A smart-looking, poppy-yellow scarf was casually wrapped around her neck, making her look as cool and casual as her personality.

“I also don’t like the main stage, but it’s a gift from a good friend,” Savoir said, wearing a full white pinstripe suit with deep red finishings, and a fedora in similar colors.

It was a look that made him seem like some high-class gangster of old, which he really liked but would never admit it to anypony.

When the two less voluntary of the participants finished their show, out went the third;

Moon Dancer.

The unicorn was giving thanks to Celestia that the black mask with pink lace embellishments and a large swirl of black feathers on one side concealed her glasses, and also hid most of her face. She was secretly dying from embarrassment.

She was also glad that the black dress, which sat tight on her waist, had a voluminous skirt that disguised most of her figure, so nopony would recognize her out of her outfit. With the exception of her mane, which had been brushed forcefully by Sunset to look more presentable. The hem of the dress was decorated with sparkly pink moons and small, star-shaped gems to represent her cutie mark, and the neckline had criss-crossing pink ribbons.

However, as she was stared at in awe by the huge crowd, Moon Dancer felt something spark inside her chest.

Having so much attention on her, admiring her looks, even if most of it was because of the dress, made her feel like she was… accepted.

Being a recluse most of her life, she always hid from the crowds like a vampire would from sunlight. Never bothering to think about her looks since she wouldn’t want the attention. Or simply, she felt like it was useless to try and look better than she truly was.

But now. She felt like she could be the center of attention.

And maybe she could even like it.

Following close behind her where the three Crusaders, whose outfits were inspired by the three reigning princesses.

Scootaloo was wearing a midnight blue dress, made from a material that shimmered in shades of lighter blue in the lights. It had a simple cut, and a silver sash around the waist. She was the one most into the whole showing off affair, copying Rainbow’s calls for attention.

Sweetie Belle had a dress in the colors of the Princess of Love. Rosy pink, light yellow and a soft purple gradiated from one to the other from the bust to the waist, and all the way down the long hem. It also had short, poofy sleeves that looked very cute with her curls, now highlighted with a few pale yellow streaks.

Finally, Applebloom’s dress was made from a pure white material, prettily pleated on her waist. Instead of wearing a bow on her head, like usual, she had a wide golden sash tied in a big bow on her back. Her red mane was tied in a bun, with a sparkly headband.

When the four finished their round, it was time for the big reveal.

“This is just bordering too far for a prank,” Shinning muttered as he walked out along with Cadence.

The pink alicorn chuckled. “I think it’s more of a form of encouragement.”

Their outfits could simply be described as wedding apparel.

Shining had a regal, semi-military red jacket with golden details and a blue sash running from the left shoulder to the right side of his hip.

Cadence had on a white satin dress with a long train, with intricate beading in white, gold and yellow adorning the lenght of the dress. She had styled her mane in a sculpted up-do, crowned with a wreath of colorful flowers. All that was missing was the veil to make it an official wedding dress.

While the two recent models had everypony surprised, the next two made their jaws drop to the floor.

“I can’t go out like this.”

“This is the best way to present yourself to the public Lulu.”

“What if I make everypony paranoid and ruin the event?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, just try to enjoy it.”

The two royal sisters finally came out, surprising absolutely everypony with their unannounced visit to the town.

Celestia showed off a flowy, layered dress in different shades of pink, with an asymmetrical neckline and embroidering in gold thread on the bust. A beautiful jewel in the shape of a sun pinned on her shoulder completed the look.

Luna on her part had a draped, deep blue dress, opulently decorated with white diamonds. When she moved, it looked like a beautiful night sky filled with stars. Her emblem, the moon, was represented in the large piece of jewellery on her left ear.

While her older sister simply enjoyed the attention of the crowd, Luna felt something a bit more personal.

She always wanted for the ponies to appreciate her night, and Sunset had somehow managed to make her look like she was wearing it.

And as the ponies gazed in awe at the beauty of it, she felt that old violin string in her heart that she had forcibly put back as to not fall into the same pit that condemned her to a thousand years be strung by the awe-struck gazes of the crowd admiring the night she was wearing.

And this time, instead of a somber note, the string sang like if it was part of a perfect harp.

Needless to say, Luna was fighting back tears of joy.


Meanwhile, behind the stage, Rarity and Sunset where having a small argument.

“Sunset, as much as I appreciate all this, and that you’re doing it for me, I can’t accept it. This aren’t my designs, they are yours. I can’t just take credit for your creations.”

Sunset brushed it off with a smile. “Let me remind you that you helped me make them. You taught me how to do it. And you know that I don’t mean just the tailoring part. This is me repaying that gift you gave me.”

Rarity smiled, warmed by her words.
She never expected to leave such a mark on Sunset. Especially after all their bad interactions in the past.

“But that’s all they are; past things that are not worth thinking about anymore,” she thought before the business part of her mind remind her of a problem that still needed to be resolved.

“Sunset, even if I accept this gift from you, I simply can’t promote myself with your creations. This show is supposed to display what I can do alone for everypony.”

Sunset’s smile turned into a grin. “Well, there are two dresses that are one-hundred percent yours.”

Rarity was confused at first, but as the realization sunk in, she smiled with determination. “Let’s get changed.”


After the princesses left the stage, everypony started applauding, thinking that this was the final exhibit of the show.

But Spike quickly corrected them.

“And now, we present you, Rarity’s magnus opus; the Royal Queen and the Daydream Sunset!”

Yank cut off the lights completely, hiding both mares from the public until Rarity’s horn lit up, showering everything around her in a bright blue light.

Another light, this time cyan, joined in, filling the stage with blue colors, simulating a night sky around them.

And with this light illuminating them, the public could see the two mares modeling one next to the other.

Rarity’s crimson and pink dress with yellow details, accentuated with a golden crown and jewelry on her head and ears, honored its name.

Anypony who didn’t know who she was would immediately assume that she was a queen of a beautiful fantasy kingdom, known for her incomparable beauty.

And Sunset, finally being able to don her Daydream dress once more, looked like she was taken straight out of a beautiful fairytale.

The entire crowd were agape. Words lost in their mouths. They could only stare in awe at the perfection in front of them.

After a full minute, the two posing mares made a small bow that finally broke the spell, and the crowd went wild.

They applauded, cheered, and took as many pictures as they could.

Even Hoity Toity was beyond impressed by the performance, and wanted nothing more than exhibit those dresses in his fashion boutique.

Rarity and Sunset shared a look and a smile, but Rarity’s turned a bit wider after a second.

“You know, with all the stress of the show, I forgot about a little modification I made to your dress.”

Before Sunset could ask what it was, Rarity lit her horn, and activated the runes hidden under the Daydream dress.

Sunset felt a tingle on her back, and suddenly, she was floating above the ground.

And the next surprise was bigger, as two big, ethereal golden wings appeared on her back, showering the crowd with its glow.

Everypony besides Rarity and Celestia froze at the sight, not believing that an already perfect dress could transcend its beauty in just a matter of seconds.

Rarity took a few steps back to let Sunset hog the attention, believing that she deserved it after all the help she gave her, but was surprised when Princess Celestia walked up to Sunset.

The orange unicorn noticed her mentor at her side, and her eyes widened as she heard the words the princess whispered in her ear.

“I believe that with all this show, todays sunset has been delayed for too long. Would you do the honors?”

Sunset’s mind went into overdrive, having great difficulty with processing all the feelings she was trying to convey.

“A- are you sure? Do you really think I’m ready?”

Celestia simply smiled, and with a bit of regal authority, took her crown off and put it on Sunset’s head.

“You already have the crown and wings. You won’t need anything else.”

With that, Celestia stepped back, leaving Sunset alone to confront the crowd, and the flaming astral behemoth in the sky.

Sunset’s panicked expression slowly changed to one of pure determination as she floated higher in the air, her horn lighting up with all the magic she could gather.

Her eyes were dead center on the sun, her immunity to fire helping her to avoid going blind.

She extended her forelegs to her sides, closed her eyes, and concentrated.

She channeled her magic and focused on making a connection with the sun, linking it like unicorns did with their horns.

However, even if it was similar, this kind of connection was severely more difficult to maintain, since the sun didn’t have the same type of magic like ponies normally use.

But Sunset would be the exception. The only unicorn to be able to move the sun all by herself.

She knew she could do it.


Sunset poured out all her magic. All her soul. Into her connection with the sun. Making it stronger.

Strong enough to be able to control it.

Feeling like she could do no better than this, Sunset went into the next part: Moving it.

She put all her ambitions, all her hopes and dreams, all her struggles and achievements into the action. Hoping, begging, for the sun to allow her wish to come true.

“Please… Let me have this… Is all I ever wanted…”

Sunset could almost feel like the flaming astral behemoth was judging her. Deciding if she was worthy of the right to request its movement.



There were a few seconds of silent anxiety, as everypony held their breath while they waited.

And then…

The sun moved.

It was slow at first, but quickly gained speed, or as much speed as a pony could see from the incredible distance away that it was from them.

Soon, the sun started to lower behind the horizon, coloring the town with vibrant colors of red, orange and yellow.

However, the attention of the crowd, now including the five mares that were launched into the sky not long ago, was not on the sunset…

It was on Sunset.

The colors emitted by the sun’s movement seemed to merge with the ethereal wings, making them shine with the same splendor, giving Sunset the look of not only an angel, not only a princess, but the sunset itself.

Sunset finally opened her eyes, and was struck by the beautiful sight of the sunset she had created.

And when she looked down, she felt her heart skip a beat.

Everypony, even Luna and Celestia herself, were bowing down to her. As a sign of respect for their new princess.

Sunset couldn’t hold back the tears that started running down her face.

This was it.

She finally did it.

All that she ever wanted was here.

After so many hardships and pitfalls, she was exactly where she wanted to be.

She finally accomplished the dreams she had since she was a little filly.


The entity at the other side of the golden barrier known as Sunshine was floating near her prison wall, seeing Sunset achieve her dreams and finally be happy.

Sunshine wanted to be happy too.

She wanted to be happy for Sunset.

She wanted to let her grow without hatred.

She wanted that the only other being that was even close to comprehending what she went through was happy with who she was.


But what she wanted the most, was to be able to cry.


To be able to express the feelings that tore at her soul.


But she couldn’t do it.


She would never be able to do it.


So, she went back to her only friend in the world.


An overwhelming feeling of wrath.



Sunshine let out an earth-shaking roar of pure rage, summoning both of her weapons to her hands, and charged at the barrier.

She slammed her weapons against it with all her strength. All her fury. All her pain and suffering.

She felt the bones in her arms shatter into pieces, and when the barrier pushed back against her, they were torn clean off her torso.

But it didn’t matter.

Her body was completely made of magical fire, so she simply regrew them in a few seconds.

She looked at the barrier, starring at the two small cracks she had managed to make.

Two more cracks added to the hundreds she had managed to make over the years, hoping that she would be able to break free before Sunset died of old age.

“What. The fuck. Is wrong with you?” Nightmare growled, having been unceremoniously thrown into the sky when Sunshine hit the barrier.

“Those were my dreams.”

“Those were my ambitions.”

I was supposed to be the one who became a princess!”

I was supposed to be the one who moves the sun!”

Nightmare frowned, having the now familiar feeling that she didn’t really know what her sister was talking about.

“What do you mean by that?”


There was no response. Just a very long silence. Until Nightmare finally snapped.

“Answer me Sunshine!”


Suddenly, the temperature in the mindscape plummeted. Almost becoming ice-cold.

Nightmare heard her sister’s words full of sadness and emptiness.

“I’m not Sunshine.”

“What?”

“My name is Dawn. Dawn Shimmer.”

“Then who in Tartarus is Sunshine?!”


There was another, shorter pause. And Dawn’s answer regained some of its fury.


“It doesn’t really matter anymore…”





“…she died thirty years ago.”

Author's Notes:


Character bio discovered!

Name: Dawn Shimmer

Stats:

Strength – 100 maxed
Dexterity – 100 maxed
Constitution – 100 maxed
Intelligence – 100 maxed
Wisdom – 41
Charisma – 33

Magic Power – 100 maxed
Magic Capacity – 100 maxed
Magic Control – 100 maxed
Magic Resistance – 100 maxed
Magic Ability – 100 maxed
Magic Generation - 100 maxed

Evocation – 100 maxed
Abjuration – 100 maxed
Divination – 100 maxed
Conjuration – 100 maxed
Transmutation – 100 maxed
Illusion - 100 maxed

Morale: 20/100.


This is it theorists. The last chance to try and crack the mystery.

I may give some hints if you get close, but by the next chapter, you will have to fend for yourselves.


In other news, we finally reached the chapter I've been wanting to write since chapter three!!!

I hope you've enjoyed the ride, and keep enjoying it as the story goes on in the next chapter:

Chapter 32: Sunshine


Deleted Scene's:

As the five ponies fell from the sky, five dices where thrown.


Applejack rolls…

18

She bounces off the mattress and lands on the ground, standing on her hooves.


Pinkie rolls…

9

She misses the mattress and bounces off the grass, but without any injury.


Fluttershy rolls…

5

She forgets that she can fly and faceplants on the ground.


Rainbow rolls…

15

She does a spin and lands on the matress before bouncing off and land next to Applejack.


Twilight rolls…

1

She not only missies the mattress, but also hits the brick wall next to it head on.

Next Chapter: Chapter 32: Sunshine Estimated time remaining: 4 Hours, 11 Minutes
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