Sunset Shimmer never defeated a powerful alicorn to conquer the world and become a princess. She's just a student at Canterlot High School.
But sometimes, she has unpleasant dreams she can't explain.
This story might be an entry in Imposing Sovereigns IV, using the prompt Sunset Shimmer / Persistence. ('Harmony' and 'Strength' would also be possibilities.)
Prereaders: Punished Bean, sirenc0re. As usual, responsibility for the story's faults remains my own, as do my limitations and shortcomings in trying to apply the prereaders' feedback and advice.
When a mare has power she doesn't want thrust upon her, sometimes her mind finds ways to vent its frustrations over such an event...![:fluttershysad:](https://static.fimfiction.net/images/emoticons/fluttershysad.png)
This makes me wonder which one is the dream.
This is certainly an Inception-like ambiguity. Well done.
Ah, school dreams. Goodness knows I still have them sometimes. You spend a good chunk of your formative years in the same building and it’s going to leave a lasting impact.
Fascinating bit of slow-boil horror. I wasn’t sure where this was going, but the reveal and its implications… Yeah, very good stuff. Thank you for it, and best of luck in the judging.