Later that evening, as we sat on the beach watching Celestia’s sun set and Luna’s moon rise, Dewy posed a question.

“Do you know what it’s like to lose your purpose – your destiny?”

“I don’t even know what my purpose is, Dewy,” I answered. “How can I know what it’s like to lose what I don’t have?”

She sighed and shuffled her hooves around a bit.

“I’m just… I’m afraid for my future.”

That puzzled me.

“Afraid? Of losing your purpose? I don’t think that’ll happen. What, are you afraid your cutie mark will vanish off your flank?” I smirked.

She shot me a dirty look. “No. Of course not. But I’m afraid my purpose is gone…”

“Okay, Dew, explain. We’re a little confused here,” said Foamy.

“Okay, it’s like this. I’m a Pegasus, right? Well pegasi are supposed to control the weather, organize it, design it, create it, etc. But think about it. What happens when your cutie mark is outdated? You lose your purpose in life.”

“How can your cutie mark be outdated, Dew? You’re a Pegasus, you control the raindrops. You make little rainbows!”

“Exactly! Ok, you know I’m related to Rainbow Dash, right? We’re both a part of the Rainbow faction of Pegasi. Her father is my uncle on my mother’s side. He used to make rainbows. He was a very young colt when he discovered his talent. But it happened right at the turn of the Technological Pony Era, right before the Rainbow Factory was built. Do you understand what I’m getting at here?”

“Um… Your uncle worked at the rainbow factory after it was built because it was his talent?” Foamy answered, scratching at his ear.

“No, he didn’t. He NEVER worked there. It STOLE his purpose in life and he resented it. Pegasi used to make everything by hoof: clouds, rainbows, all of it. But when the Rainbow Factory was built, there was no need for any rainbow-making pegasi. ANY Pegasus could make rainbows there. They didn’t need to have a special talent for it.”

“So, what did he do then, if he was no longer useful?” I asked, genuinely curious.

“He joined the Ponyville weather team, Storm Division. He met a nice Pegasus mare. He settled down, got married, had a few fillies and a colt. That was his life. Generic, uniform, expected. All the joy of finding his talent was sapped from his life when they built that factory. And I’m afraid the same has happened to me.”

Foamy looked concerned. “What do you mean?”

“My talent is similar. Rainbow Faction, remember? I make miniature rainbows from bending individual raindrops. Neat trick, cute talent, but nothing useful.”

“It’s special all the same, though. How many pegasi have that same talent?” I posed.

“Well, none that I know of, but that doesn’t make it any more useful. And look at the Crystal Ponies up north! If there was ever a case of losing one’s purpose it’s that entire kingdom.”

“How so?” asked Foamy.

“Look at their cutie marks! Practically half are from speaking Ancient Equestrian while the other half is from bread-making.”

“And...?” I prodded.

“And those are pretty outdated, don’t you think? I mean, who besides the princesses speaks Ancient Equestrian? Buffalo? Griffons? Changelings? Zebras? NONE of those races speaks anything but their own tongue and modern equestrian. And if they do speak Ancient Equestrian, it’s because they are a historian. The Crystal Ponies aren’t historians, they LIVED history!”

“And when is the last time you baked bread in the old fashion, in a brick oven outside? The point is their cutie marks are outdated. Disappear for that long, then reappear in the future, and you’re bound to have technological advances that surpass your abilities. Any foal born in the Crystal Empire during THIS age will more than likely have a more advanced cutie mark. Or something useful or entertaining. Remember what Princess Celestia said about the history of cutie marks?”

“Cutie marks of the past were about function and necessity.” I recited dully. “They were about the means of living to a pony, what they needed to survive. After the Technological Age of Advancement about 500 years ago, cutie marks adapted and the need for function grew less and less. Cutie marks became more about a pony’s personal purpose, rather than their societal purpose. When did this become a history lesson, Dewy?”

“Ugh, don’t you get it?! If ponies can exist with outdated cutie marks in this day and age, what if you’re one of them? What if you have a talent that’s from the past? We should go to the Crystal Empire and research it!”

The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. I hadn’t tried anything from the past. All my methods and experiments were geared toward what I could do right then. She had a point. I needed to explore all my options if I was ever going to find my purpose. And hey, even if I was an outdated pony, I could always live in the Crystal Empire or something.

Author's Note

Sorry it's been so long since an update, been busy working and hadn't had a burst of inspiration to write in my off time. Hopefully this chapter will open more ideas for me to bring the story into the direction I want without just cutting to the end I have in mind.