Hundreds of masks, not one disguise.
This story is a sequel to Can You See What I See?
It's only living the dream when it's your dream.
This shares continuity with Chromatic Aberration, Can You See What I See?, and Crowds & Constellations, but those are NOT required reading to understand what's going on in this story.
Dedicated to my lovely wife whom this was written for and about 
Preread by both my wife and Nudistsquid.
Cover used with permission by TCN_tancha
Page generated in 0.074 seconds
Total duration
1,022 users online
1,649,720 hits today, 2,244,100 yesterday
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Gasp!
Suddenly, more Avery fics! 
I never realized how tough touring was until I learned what it was like for My Chemical Romance back in the day, especially when you're dealing with personal problems- and I see that narcotics tag.
Sunset's so happy to be with Twilight again, but I fear the pain is only beginning
oooh an actual sequel!
Cheeky,
Such short chapters, Avery!
This was appropriately nice and fluffy, with that characteristically strong Sunset narration. Definitely curious to see where it goes, and what details we’ll get on what the post-collegiate Rainbooms (including Twi) are up to, though it’s good to see they’re still mostly together.
Sometimes I forget how much stress bands and singers go through whenever their on tour. Sure is something I'd never get used to. Maybe, but very unlikely.
Lol.
Surprised me too tbt.
You had it coming Sunset.
Sure is impressive!
I can totally understand the pain Sunset is feeling. Being away from someone you love for a short or long time can surely hurt.
I feel the same. Since graduating high school 3 years ago I've done what I can to not cry as much as I used to as I've entered adulthood. But as my friends and family have told me many times, i shouldn't let my feelings locked up or else it'll make things worse. And one of those ways I feel better instantly is with the aid of someone I love. And is something I'll be needing for what's coming next month.
Not sure what the rest of the story holds, but I'm willing to see where this goes for Sunset and Twilight, no matter the case.
Short, but sweet and fluff packed, with some nice character introspection to boot. I know I'm gonna like this. (Maybe it'll finally me check the prequels
)
Awesome job!
Awww. Twas quite adorable. Yes indeed. Also, ICBP (Incoming cuddly bombastic Pinkie).
Sunny's little breakdown at the end really shows just how much she missed Twilight. Good buildup to that moment with the earlier parts of the chapter.
Nah, doesn't show.
There was only one sentence i am not sure about and i chalk that up to not being a native english speaker (german) and it being a quarter past 1 in the night.
Well, I think we can confirm that Dash is an idiot.
Sunny, you've got some issues to work out. And, frankly, you could just ask the girls to not talk about the tour. I'm sure they'd understand.
Anyhow, Rares is a good friend. Hopefully Sunset takes some of what she's said to heart.
Classic Dash for you.
Agreed.
Damn!
https://m.Oh Sunset.
Now she's done it.
home." An empty*
That, I can totally agree with. Especially with how Sunset feels in general.
I couldn't put it into better words myself, but that's pretty much what I've been noticing too with Sunset.
She's right. It's either happiness or continuing on tour to feel sad and often mopey.
We've all got*
Indeed. Sometimes it's best to move on from these things and do something that'll make us happy.
11666078
Good catch on that first correction, thanks for that! The second one is a dialect/vernacular choice, so while it may not be formatted correctly, that is indeed the way it's intended to be read.
11666094
thx and np.
Finally caught up on these two chapters after EFNW, and oof. Even long after getting her confidence in herself and then getting the girl, Sunset still needs a good Rarity Reality Check(TM).
Oh, this is fantastic thus far. What Sunset does, what she can do after high school is an awakward question with a thousand answers. Eagerly looking forward to seeing how she handles it here, especially with such strong, conflicting drives.
Why is this getting more and more heartbreaking?
Give these two hugs! ALL OF THE HUGS!
Ooof, the inevitable ID issue. I tend to lean toward the handwave of “Sunset canonically got her license, so clearly she’s sorted out there”, but even that might only go so far. And there’s no denying the idea of this being Sunset’s world in every way but legally is a potent one for heartbreak.
And poor Twi. Midnight might be long gone, but scars are forever.
Ah, the price of being a literal alien.
I do not envy Sunset and her situation. She has reasons to keep doing what she's doing. The problem is there are equally compelling reasons not to as well. What's a unicorn girl to do.
Besides, who knows what'll happen if they learn of her counterpart.
What even are the nightmares about?
Sounds to me she's thinking on quitting on touring.
At least she had Rainbow. Surprised she didn't take a break at home too. On to the next.
Touring with Adagio must be... interesting.
Even modern fire extinguishers can hurt of kill accidentally. Many use carbon dixoide or retardent powder in place of water.
11672797
This is true! I actually ended up learning way more about fire extinguishers than I ever thought I'd know while writing this chapter just to make sure this is something that could happen without a guaranteed serious injury or worse. It took a bit but the conclusion I reached was "probably, but why would anyone take my word for it," so I rolled with it lol
Ah, to live the dream only to find out that even the dream job can require a great deal of hard work and personal sacrifice. Reflection. Best done when you are young with no one to rely on you other than yourself.
Also, was that supposed to be dawdle or best NOT dawdle.
I suffer from spoonerism daily. One of my favorites is flowsnakes…
Added to read list.
Glad I finally got to this. Wonderful bit of devastating self-reflection. Sunset's life is so very, very fragile. The question is which misstep might do more damage, and which is actually the right path... assuming there even is one. Looking forward to more.
She's probably doing it as she's sad Sunset is leaving in a matter of hours.
Separation is hard and I know the feeling all too well.
Never be ashamed of your emotions Sunset, it's how we all are in life.
It's just til next time.
Despite how sad and gloomy this story was, I enjoyed it. Normally I dislike it when stories as like that as it makes me emotional, but this one serves as one of the few stories I've read where the saddest is worth reading.
Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
And it's Avery with the gutpunch! The readers are down! Repeat, the readers are down! Gods above, she's broken their hearts right in half, and it looks like she's still coming in for another blow!
Well, at least you had the courtesy to bring some glue after shattering my heart.
Oof. Once again, damn you for your excellent work.
*squee*
Dun dun dun.
Poor Twiggles.
When I first read this story my mind immediately went to “oh, she’s not living up to her cutie mark” and “this life isn’t magical enough”
11782008
It's never explicitly stated, but all of this takes place after the root of The Magic Problems™ have been addressed and solved. As teenagers, being magical girls was fine since they were anchored to the school anyway. As adults, they became ready to build lives of their own. That meant they couldn't all be tethered to the same place, having to drop everything they're doing on a dime to go fight some random magical terror. They're all still close and remain in contact, but, like in real life, everyone eventually takes their own road, and those paths don't always align with the ones you love.
11782072
It’s more that I feel like this isn’t Sunset’s “destiny”
She can try to adapt to being human all she wants, but she’s still a pony at heart (the scene in Legend of Everfree where she immediately tries to use telekinesis after seeing Twilight do it, likely because that’s one of the few things she could do as a pony that she can’t as a human)
I get the “going separate paths” thing, but I personally prefer that happening by Sunset leaving the rest and going back to Equestria, and the rest leave the magical life behind except for a journal they mail to each other to keep in touch with the most magical friend they’ve ever known and the occasional reunion in front of CHS
That being said, you have been (slightly) tipping the scales in favor of Sciset for me (that parakeet plush is too damn cute)
That was beautiful and depressing. Thank you for shredding my heart. Again.
You mentioned somewhere that you like seeing what parts stick out for readers, so I'll dump my thoughts here.
I loved how you made Sunset and Twilight feel so in-tune with one another while having them maintain such distinct roles in their relationship. I loved the adoraheart-wrenching dynamic between the two in the couch scene. I loved everything about the final car scene. I love that Sunset's usual is strawberry pancakes. The park scene was very bittersweet-cute. I wish we got to see more Rarity.
Everything was beautiful, and yet the final epilogue letter was by far my favorite part. You manage to pack so much meaning into the way someone smells. The bit on counting down was so poetic. It ties the story together with the title so incredibly well. I saw the author's note at the bottom, but I still prefer to read it as "clo sir" rather than "clozer".
My heart aches, and I loved every second of it.
11782585
Thank you so much for this comment, I very much appreciate it! As for the pronunciation, it could honestly go either way. Half the reason I chose the name is because either pronunciation feels like it pertains to the story. But you can think of it like the difference between gif and jif, only I'm nowhere near as wrong as the creator of the graphics interchange format.
11782779
Happy Hearth's Warming! I would have posted this on your user page, but I can't figure out how a post a comment there.
camo.fimfiction.net/m83tb958VjdQs_Ab3cnEzN1yE3pB2YWoHe9BuJ4w2xs?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ibb.co%2FbW8pcGL%2Fupscaled-score-9-sunset-shimmer-pony-g4-chris.webp
*claps* the best gifts have no price tag.