Of Laurels & Lace

by WritingSpirit

Laurels

Beyond the pillars of trees...

Past the ever-clear waters of the northern lakes...

Just over the craggy mountains of the Aston Peaks... was the benevolent town of Pendant Lakes, known for its grandiose splendor of tradition and steam-magic hybrid technology and, like most northern towns, its baroque architecture. Most knew of the family that played its part in its founding, the proof of it all still standing on the monument of stone known by the townsfolk as Mount Hoovingaar.
Their home was incarnated close to its peak, always facing the town in a watchful glance. The livelihood of those within were more often delved into luxury and deceit, yet in modern times there was only but a blanket of secrets in their twisted past. The world gave them nothing, to the extent that they do the same; they do not sought for the help from others and would only seek service from the ponies within their walls.

Up until today.

"Ready, Applejack?"

The aforementioned trees now loomed past Kane's wings, his gruff yet tender voice prompting a nod from the orange mare. Fluttershy and her brother were behind, silently praying for the townsfolk and, more affectionately, for each other. The rest of the group: Vinyl Scratch, Lyra Heartstrings, Bon Bon, Doctor Whooves and the Wonderbolts, among others, were readying themselves for the impending mission, all glancing into the fog ahead.
Her thoughts wandered with a sigh at Ponyville; Apple Bloom might be waiting for her and, along with her, Sweetie Belle, both hopeful for the return of their sisters, huddled outside with the rest of the town patiently foreseeing their arrival home.

Jovern suddenly swerved right; being the dragon more familiar of the region the rest had to follow, passing through the green fields of forests and hills that decorated the majority of the land below. It was only until they've reached the flatter, stabler tops of the mountains that they've landed for another rest, watching the palace from afar.
"Good golly..." Applejack could only gasp at the sanctum of lights below them, streaking brightly like a golden dandelion in the bowels of night. The dome that surrounded it would've been invisible if not for the magic currents drifting around the surface, the ethereal obstruction only making her wonder out loud.
"How the hay are we gonna go in there?"

"Signal flame," was the black dragon's answer, kicking his claws back onto the stone floor. It was, coincidentally, the same one he had perched on when he was helping Spike to the Palgiot's kingdom during its subtle period of civil unrest, though there was no other suitable position for him to land on.
"I'll try to get them to notice us, assuming they were watching for our arrival. The field can be easily deactivated by the wielder of the Element of Magic, which means only two possible ponies in there that can aid us."

"Princess Celestia and Twilight..." Fluttershy answered in deep thought.
"So does that mean that one of them is watching right now?"

"Not necessarily."
Jovern's brows furrowed at the state of the palace; the tallest tower had already snapped off, with what was the unmistakable location of glowing ballroom now but a foundation of broken debris. His uncertainty of the supposedly 'controlled' system grew at that, his heart tingling with worry.
"We might take awhile," was his conclusion.
"I don't think things went the way it did."

"Can ya at least spill the beans and let us know what's goin' on?" Applejack burst in, making him blink.
"Ah'm not believin' that everythin's fine down there."

With a sigh and, much to her annoyance, a grumble, the black dragon beckoned his head to the ruins.
"The mare they were fighting against, ironically named Harmony," he said.
"She had some sort of demon within her, and the Princess was planning to free her from it, though it didn't look like it worked out."

"So this whole time it was a demon?"
The orange mare just growled at that, crossing her hooves in her display of displeasure. Fluttershy frowned along with her, though it was more of deep thought and determination than disbelief.

"W-What are we going to do now?" she asked.

"There's no time to wait here."
Kane's answer made them turn, the red dragon beckoning his head to the queerly red-tinted clouds enveloping the night sky. There was the echoing sound of rain from it, filling up their pool of worry.
"Once the storm hits, we'll have a nasty path to navigate through the rain. All of you might have the chance to fall over, and that's only for an ordinary storm."

"This storm is magically conjured," he continued, answering their slight puzzlement at his mention of 'ordinary'.
"I could feel the magic coursing past my wings. Some sort of transmutation spell, no doubt a powerful one. I think it might've been a systematical trap, designed just to keep us out."

"And now ya saying somepony planned this to happen?"
The dragon's nod made Applejack growl with contempt, glancing ahead at the town. The rage against Mirror Mare grew with a tingle around her few scars around her hooves; the result of the 'accident' back in Manehatten.
"Whatever reason she had for hurting all of us, and my friends, must be a good one, cause if it ain't..."

She never finished her sentence, instead marching off to the back, only making Kane look on with worry.
Fluttershy herself soon left the duo of dragons, heading towards Big Mac with a smile before huddling next to the red stallion, who had slept out of fatigue.
"We're all tired from the journey," Jovern remarked, letting out a small yawn.

"Even giants need their sleep."

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Pendant Lakes.

Despite the detestation of help from the outside world, the family still kept good ties with the rest of Equestria, mainly by the train station. Instead of tourism, the family (not to mention the whole of the town) relied on the import and export of goods, trading them with their famed, prestigious bottles of wine.
It came not without resistance though; each of the goods are supervised carefully and strictly. There was always the argument of quality and quantity, before the Palgiots can only come to fair terms.

The family also looked at purity, meaning the legality of the goods being sent to them. Having seen the fate of many of the other families through each generation, they wanted to ensure that they weren't trading with ponies from the black market.
Those who did so were supposedly hunted down by the members of Sicarius Nox, which was once the most feared organisation of the town. Illegal trading was, at the present, still one of the most intolerable crimes that one could possibly commit, with claims saying that they've tainted the purity and excellence of the town. Rumors circulated of where these ponies would be murdered, having known that there had been a few recorded ponies as such of this crime. Some even pinpointed it to the numerous crevasses around Mount Hoovingaar and its surroundings peaks, saying that the skeletons of these ponies still rotted in the narrow alleys of rock carved into the mountains by the rain...

The same ones that Twilight was trotting upon.

The lavender unicorn hurried through the wastelands of fallen rock, with the rest of them following behind closely. The strangling paths of rocks flowered into various directions like thin branches on the trees, adding even more confusion to their sense of direction.
Rainbow was scouring from the above, her perseverance steeled at the canyons around, reminding her of the chasms of Ghastly Gorge, albeit much narrower.
"Must be somewhere here!" she shouted to the rest of them below.

Kicking the dust behind, the ponies galloped deeper into the network of caverns, trying their best to squeeze past the crevices towards the weapon, whatever it would look like.
Her head turned towards the skies, her worry churning in her mind like the storm clouds that have taken over the night skies in a deep sea of maroon; the only reminder of the time they have left.
"How far is it?"

"Just a little further," Octavia answered, looking at the map.
"A few more turns and we'll be there."

Twilight held her breath as she finally took another right turn, feeling a surge of wind suddenly blowing beneath her hooves and, with it, the wisps of fine mist. Their movements slowed immediately, their gaze struck onto a vertigo of rocks filling the path, forming a mound towards the top.
At the very top, an archway of stone rose from the makeshift stairs, carved from the very rock it was built upon. The sight was relieving for the journey, yet unnerving for their expectations.

"Remember," Princess Luna motioned, stepping forward.
"None of us knows what's inside besides the weapon. It'll be wise if we stick together."

The rest gave a nod, with Rainbow settling back to the ground.
"Hope this works out," she muttered, tucking her wings back in.

Holding her breath, Twilight stepped in first, her horn sparking up a ball of light to illuminate the great darkness of the unknown beyond her. She let out a soft sigh, before glancing back at the rest of them.
"It'll be over soon," she said, trying to smile.

Princess Luna strode right beside her, giving an affirmative nod, before both mares turn to face the rest of the group.
Octavia was gazing back at the palace, her hooves clutched together with worry. There was a light sniffle from the gray mare, prompting Rainbow to place a hoof around her shoulder.
"I'm worrying for Soarin' too, ya know," the cyan pegasus said with a smile.
"But they're still fighting over there, and I'm not just going to sit around and do nothing."

There was a slight shudder, before she smiled back.
"If Crimson can be safe..." she softly muttered, before shaking her head.
"Let's go."

With a sigh, Twilight marched forward, letting her instincts slowly guide her through the languidly confusing passages. The alicorn beside her soon followed suit, though not before asking:
"What's wrong?"

"Have you ever had a special somepony, my Princess?"

That question literally struck Princess Luna senseless, the only response was a sheepish laugh.
"Why the sudden... intrusion of.. um..."

The lavender unicorn's skeptical stare made her sigh in defeat.
"Well, if I had one I wouldn't be so sure of talking about it," she answered.
"Especially at dire times such as this."

Twilight started to pout at that, the disappointment forcing the alicorn to blurt out:
"If it's alright with you, then I'll share it with you some other time!"

"Really?" she gasped in disbelief, her face lightening up immediately.

Rainbow and Octavia tried to muffle their laughs behind the cerulean mare, watching her trying to babble out words of denial, though she stopped with a sheepish grin, giving the mare a satisfactory nod.

"Really."

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And even until today, Pendant Lakes was one of the top spots for many ponies, who'd come to admire its peculiar architecture and bizarre history melded in its walls. It was acclaimed as a treasure trove of history that had defined the town for the generations and those to come.
The heraldry of the town, the Palgiots, had been the sole reason why the town was in its glory; from the founding to the establishment of its various businesses, especially its wine industry, there was no doubt that the Palgiots were the driving force of Pendant Lakes, respected by both the community and the ministry.

Neither ever expected this day to happen.

"What do you mean we have to leave?!"

"You have no right to move us out of our town!!"

"It is an outrage!! An OUTRAGE!!"

"SILENCE!!" Princess Celestia's voice boomed through the plaza, shunning the delirium of the crowd immediately. With a cough of her throat, she lowered her voice; without the tender care it always seemed to lose control.
"Pendant Lakes may be in danger, my little ponies," she said.
"My duty as the Princess is to protect all of you, and I do mean all of you, and it seems the only way out is to quickly move out of the town as fast as possible."

"But the Patriarch-"

"The Patriarch had agreed to this, if necessary."
It was, no doubt, a shocking thing to the ponies of Pendant Lakes, albeit it is but the shocking truth. None of them would ever foresee the day that the Palgiots agree to the terms of the Princesses: it was usually the other way around.

"I would want all of you to understand that even if we distrust each other, there will always be a time where we have to work together, some way or another."

She turned to Mayor Stencil, who had became the symbol of rallying of the town after the incident at the Equinox Ballroom. Many of them were still visibly shaken at the tower's sudden collapse, with some wanting to thank the disputed 'Bandit's Of Aston Reach'.
"Mayor, if you may?"

As the pony gave his speech, the alicorn herself trotted down the stage, towards the group of ponies that had been supporting her throughout the journey.
There was Crimson Cavalle, Soarin', Chief Griffonhooves and Doctor Arrowfaith; the four who unknowingly established a reputation among the townsfolk, along with Caduceus Brineheart and Spring Palgiot. The filly herself recently collapsed from her disease and had to be pushed on a wheelchair again, only making all of them worry.

Princess Celestia watched as she smiled weakly towards her, the alicorn trying her best to smile back, though her attention soon fixated towards the gates of the palace.
Rarity was standing there, her hoof clutching tightly against her lover's claw, with Spike doing the same. Their eyes shimmered with a faint glow of hope, their gaze detached from the town into the clouds beyond. The glass pendant they have retrieved dangled around her neck, its secrets waiting to be opened.

"Happy Hearth's Warming Eve..." the white mare muttered softly into the dragon's ear.

That's right, the alicorn blinked. That was what they were missing.
Her breath started to produce fog as the storm clouds neared the barrier, the ponies all bracing for the impending blizzard. She kicked back her hooves herself, waiting for the signal.
Spike's scales started to hum, the dragon perking up in response.

"I think they're here!"

As if on cue, a reddish-greenish flame erupted from the outskirts, bursting like a firework in the sky. The bright light marveled many of the ponies of Pendant Lakes, though to the remaining ponies they knew full well what it was.
Princess Celestia's horn flared a bright yellow, before a narrow ray shot from its tip, streaking across the sky to the top of the spherical dome. The beam formed fissures in the colossal shield, before it shattered, raining onto the town in millions of shards.
Rarity felt the air of winter struck her immediately, throwing many of the fragments towards her, the sight making her humph with displeasure.

Glass. It was always glass.

"Here we go..." Spike muttered, both mare and dragon, as well as the rest of the ponies, getting ready.
In an instant, the wind blasted into their faces, blowing a barrage of snow along. It pounded and plummeted against their already cold bodies, forcing the pair to hurry into the palace.

"Get inside, Rarity!" the dragon shouted, running back into the storm.
"I'll try to help the rest!"

The townsfolk immediately scattered to their homes, with the rest trying their best to fight through the snow, their hooves raised with flares burning into the sky, trying to lead their reinforcements here.
"They must be here somewhere!!" Soarin' yelled from beneath the howl of the blizzard.

"If they made it in time!!" Caduceus added.
"I don't think we can hold out the storm much longer!!"

"EVERYPONY BACK TO THE PALACE FIRST!!" Princess Celestia's voice boomed.
"THEY'LL REACH THE TOWN EVENTUALLY!!"

Everypony couldn't hesitate but agree, the ponies all galloping back up the path to the palace, their manes ruffling violently in the harsh snowstorm. The only other sound instead of the howling wind was the frantic rattling of Spring's wheelchair, with Doctor Brineheart trying his best to keep it steady.
From amidst the hail of snow, the alicorn could make out the shapes of a few dragons heading towards them, albeit struggling in the fusillade of ice. Their large wings were recognizable, especially that of the leader of the pack, knowing full well who it was.

"Godspeed, Jovern."

A slight screeching of wheels jerked her attention back, her horror fueled by a loud, piercing scream.
"HOLD ON, SPRING!!" Caduceus's shout broke through the wailing blizzard, his hoof clutching tight at the filly's, trying to pull her from the side of the rocky cliffs.
Spring just clenched her eyes shut, opening them to see her wheelchair slamming onto the face of the rock, instantly breaking apart before falling deeper into the abyss below.

Princess Celestia quickly fluttered towards the dangling filly, her wings keeping her aloft in the freezing gale. She could see the fear warped within Spring's pupil; what was once nourished with the fulffilling sensation of merriment and joy was now sunken under an ocean of fear and dread.
"H-Help..." she could only mutter weakly, the princess shaking her head out of her daze at that.

Without a moment to spare, the alicorn gently tucked her within her wings, shielding her from the powerful storm. The two immediately shot through the dark skies of the night, before speeding to the main gates of the plaza.
The rest arrived the moment her hooves touched the dirt floor, the princess herself settling the quivering Spring onto the floor, before laying down next to the filly herself.

"Princess!!" Soarin' exclaimed, darting immediately towards the alicorn, with Caduceus doing the same to the filly as the storm closed in around them, the garden's trees ruffling about and the water spewing from the palace fountain now churning about.
The alicorn tried to move her wings, though she could feel the frost stiffening it, making her sigh.

"Both of you could've died out there!"
Caduceus's loud snarl wasn't what she expected, though she could understand his concern, yet her subtle flashback was too real... too coincidental.
Images of celebrations, fireworks and banners filled her head, though the most vivid were the eyes... the very same that held the expression she saw in Spring's just a moment ago.

"What's your name, my subject?"

"Pinkamena..." a reply echoed in her head.

"Pinkamena Diane Pie."

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The respect for the Palgiot family soon outgrew most, if not all, of the families of the north. Many ponies sought for the family's best-kept secrets, with nearly-outrageous claims of black magic and murders made on them, with dire consequences. After all, Sicarius was made for a reason.
Disappearances around Pendant Lakes soon occurred, fueling the thought of a conspiracy from beneath the palace walls, though the ideas soon die out from fear; the fear that somepony might be sent to kill you. This proved the powerful authority that the family had over the town, which continued to lavish in their palace as their enemies were slaughtered carefully and quietly beneath the dark skies of the night.

The family was, undoubtedly, one of the major speculations of the combat between science and faith, yet they themselves applied both in their lives and the society that lived under their watchful eyes. Their power became so immense that the Ministry of Canterlot even adopted them as full-fledged members.
The title of Patriarch would then be one most sought after by the family members. From the first, Ravine Palgiot, to its most recent, Winter himself, the authoritative figure of Head of the Family became the symbol of ultimate power, right below the Monarchy. Some had even considered that both Patriarch and Princess must share the throne together, seeing how their powers are equally encumbering.

In the case of Pinkie Pie, however, the power of both sides never mattered to her.

The pink mare hurriedly galloped down the corridor, the sinking feeling of dread in her heart growing within each pulsing step down the red carpet. The silence and emptiness of every corridor was foreboding, the still doors around her reminding her of the painful truth.
The giant of a snowstorm had consumed the hallways in white, as if to show the prowess of the Patriarch; the same one she had been searching for.

Every step... every turn... the desperation to see him lingered like a surge of electricity, resonating in the chambers of her own hooves. Her pink mane fluttered in the power of the snowstorm the moment she stepped out into the terrace, her teeth starting to chatter from the cold, yet she pressed on.
The only winter that she would surrender to was the Patriarch himself.

"Winter?" she called out once she stepped back into the carpeted hallway, her voice mixing with the prevailing howl of the gale outside. Her heart thumped with aching anticipation, her instincts flared up; he's somewhere here, and she could feel it.
The castle was never in a more dilapidated state than now; the carpets were torn and ragged, the banners hanging above their heads tearing apart. Every window was either broken or completely shattered into pieces, and every door had at least a small crack on the wooden surface.

The bloodstained floor and walls were eye-retching, with the bodies around thrown like litter in the cold marble and pieces of glass. The unnatural weather of rain and snow outside was getting noticeably stronger, yet Pinkie could hear only her slow breaths, the time around her seemingly slowing into a languidly wave of motion.
Her chest felt like it was burning, her hooves quivering along as she approached another turn. She held her breath, before stepping out from the corner, her eyes immediately widening with a small gasp.

"WINTER!!"

Pinkie rushed to the stallion, who was sprawled onto the floor, his suit slightly shredded with a few scars of blood marked onto his skin. She carefully turned his bruised face towards her, before he suddenly convulsed, letting out a small cough.
The mare hugged him tightly the moment he opened his eyes, sniffling silently in his bloodstained suit. Winter let out a small cough again the moment her hooves let him go, managing to weakly gasp out:
"D-Didn't I tell you how tight your hugs are?"

"You're going to be alright, Winter," the pink mare assured, ignoring his joke.
"I'll get the Princess. Maybe she can help!"

"P-Pinkie..." he stuttered, clutching her hoof before she could leave.
"I'm not g-going to make it... I'm not going to..."

"No!"
Pinkie slammed her hooves to the floor, her jaws scrunching up in denial at the stallion's words. Winter just quivered silently, more from his emotions than the cold outside.

"You... you have to accept it, Pinkie..." the stallion tried, his eyes watering along with the pink mare's.
"I... I don't r-really have much time left..."

The mare just remained silent, her sullenness overtaking the atmosphere, before she finally muttered:
"Don't have much time...?"

"W-What are you planning, Pinkie?"

Pinkie just furrowed her brows, wiping the few tears off her cheek, before she raised her hooves.
"If there's not enough time for you..." she began, closing her eyes.
"Then I'll just make time!"

Before the stallion could stop her, she slammed her hooves down, the glow of the pink clock immediately flourishing from beneath her, its hands starting to rotate slowly. The mare bit her lip as she felt her energy sapped out onto the floor, watching Winter hover with his blood seeping back into his wounds, his suit sewing itself back up.
It wasn't long before fatigue overcame her, the pink mare falling to the floor immediately, letting out light pants. The stallion slowly hovered down, though his weakness was still evident, the blood from his scars still leaking.

"Again!"

Pinkie's determination flared, and in an instant she struck her hooves back down, the surreal clock forming back again. Her desperation grew the moment she finished, spurring her to try again and again, despite her fatigue.
It was after the seventh time that she finally collapsed, her eyes gazing at the stallion, who was still deeply injured, with blood still running down from his wounds. She tried to lift her hooves, albeit to no avail, her breaths reduced to heavy panting.
"N-Not now..."

"Enough, Pinkie..." Winter finally spoke, coughing lightly.
"You... you've done e-everything you can..."

"No! No I haven't!!"
She struggled to stand up, her hooves wiggling from her weight, before collapsing once more, the mare letting out a small whimper.
"J-Just... just a little.... little bit more...!"

"Diane, just..."
Winter's voice faltered, closing his eyes as he gritted his teeth at her pointless perseverance. A small tear crept down his chin, making the mare look in surprise.
"Just listen to me..."

"But, Winter-"

"How much times must I tell you this?" he asked sternly, though he suddenly coughed, prompting him to clutch his chest with pain.
"It hurts me more to see you suffer... it really does..."

"But wh-what about me?" she shot back, her eyes starting to water in disbelief.
"I'm trying to help you, Winter!! I'm trying to save you, and you just want me to stop? You just want me to see you... see you...."

Pinkie couldn't hold it in anymore; she immediately broke down in front of the stallion, her heart forcefully crunching itself up in distress and despair. Her hooves reached for the stallion's own, trying to cling it tightly.
"You c-can't l-l-leave me..." she gasped out from within her sobs.
"You w-won't... you just can't..."

"Shhh....." the Patriarch hushed her, forcing out a weak smile as he continued:
"There's something I w-wanted to do... something I h-had been planning to do before I... leave this world. And I need your help, Pinkie... I need your help..."

The mare didn't want to answer; it was too painful for her to, yet Winter carried on, no matter what her response was.
"It's something... s-something that I've been thinking through for quite some time now..." he stammered.
"I've p-put all my faith and trust that I would finish it, no m-matter what, and I thought I couldn't... until.... until you came..."

With that, he reached into his suit pocket, the pink mare only being able to watch hesitantly as he did so, before he pulled out a small, square case, beckoning her towards the lid.
"Please......" he pleaded, his mouth leaking a few drops of blood.
"O-open it..."

Reluctantly, Pinkie flipped the latch up, slowly opening the black cover before she let out a loud gasp.
Nestling inside in its red, velvet interior, was a golden, gleaming hoop, topped with a blue sapphire embedded into its surface. It glistened a fine blue in the moonlight, nearly matching her watering eyes.
"W-W-Winter...?" she managed to whimper, looking at him in disbelief as he smiled.

"I know it's.... it's a bad time to br-bring this up... but I had to..."
Without warning, Winter suddenly gripped her hooves firmly, mustering up all his energy to do so.
"I've been l-longing to tell you this... and I planned to tell you b-before all this ch-chaos..." he muttered, letting the tears fall freely down his cheeks.
"And I-I hope you would comply to it, b-but I'll understand i-if you don't w-want to..."

The stallion took in a huge gulp of breath, before muttering out:
"P-Pinkamena Diane Pie..."

"Will you marry me...?"

The question was the bombshell for the pink mare, who could only stop and stare at him in absolute silence, unsure of how to respond to his question.
"W-Winter..." she muttered, letting out a faltering laugh.
"W-We... we can talk about this later! Right now, you need somepony to help you with your... your wounds!"

"I know t-that..." he answered, still wearing a grin.
"And the pony I want help from... is you."

"H-Huh?"

"Just answer the q-question..."
He clutched her hooves tightly once more, begging for a reply from the mare, watching her as she fumbled around indecisively, uncertain of what to do.
"It's the most important duty for me to carry out, D-Diane. Not as the Patriarch of P-Pendant Lakes, but as the stallion that... that... l-loved you... since the day we met... so please..."

The silence that came from her was a little unnerving, though it was broken immediately by a sniffle. Winter's face light up a little as the pink mare's lips started to curl, forming a genuine smile.
"Yes..." she muttered cheerfully, hugging him tight as she cried loudly into his suit.
"I would love to..."

"Th-thank you..." Winter murmured, stroking her mane as she stole a kiss from her cheek.
"I love you, Pinkie..."

"I...." she began, wiping her tears away with a loud sniffle.
"I love you too, Winter..."

With that, Pinkie gently pressed her lips against the stallion's mouth, her tears running down her face as the pair kissed once more, trying to calm their ravishing emotions of despair, of parting.
Winter inhaled the lustrous, enchanting smell of cotton candy rooted from her mane; an aroma he had remembered ever since he had first savored it all those years ago.
Funny, he thought to himself, how time passed...

Their tongues soon met, like many times before, in the same, sweet mix of vanilla and whipped strawberry cream. The lust-inducing, joyful tastes danced in its fashionably languid motion, with the two ponies appreciating each other's overwhelming presence in the sparkling sensation.
Her hooves leaned against his chest, feeling his heartbeat starting to slow down. In her bout of instinct, she scrunch her lips tighter, trying her best to keep him alive.

Winter couldn't help but comply, letting the overwhelming heat from her lips nourish his sensation. It was, to him, a little long for it being a normal 'kiss from the bride', though it didn't matter.
Pinkie was here, and that's all that he ever wanted.

The stallion suddenly coughed, the blood splattering onto her chest as he started to heave and wheeze.
"No..." the pink mare muttered, before giving him another deep kiss, jerking his heart back to life.

The sensation enveloped like euphoria, though his lifeline started to tangle in between the borders of life and death; he could already feel his breath shortening by the minute.
"P-Pinkie..." he managed to gasp from beneath his lips, trying his best to hold onto the mare's hooves.

His tears started to fall down his cheek, their kiss turning more painful as well as more powerful. His desire blossomed like a flower growing out from beneath the barren soil, still wanting to smell the intoxicating scent of her mane... to hear her bubbly, cheerful voice once again.
To see her diamond-like eyes shimmering with hope again, watching it shine along with the sapphire embedded into her hoop.

It had only been eight years since they both met.... eight years since he had fallen in love with the mare...
He tried not to sniffle, instead forcing out a smile as Pinkie tried to kiss his heart back aflutter, their gripped hooves the symbol of their unity against the clutches of death.
"Diane..." he whimpered; it was saddening to see her struggle.
Struggle for him.

"Not yet, Winter!" she exclaimed, feeling his pulse starting to ebb away.
"Not yet!!"

Her grip tightened, the stallion now heaving painfully, with his horn flickering a few spurts of magic. The blood that leaked from the wounds of his chest had already stained Pinkie's hooves in a fresh batch of red, no doubt from her attempts of hugging him.
Once again, she wrapped her hooves around the dying stallion, hearing his breath quiver from the cold and the fear. Her tears dripped in the small puddle of blood beneath the Patriarch, her hooves shivering at the prospect of letting him go.

"I-I'm sorry, P-Pinkie..." he managed to sputter, succumbing to his injuries.
"If... If only..."

"No..." she assured, cupping his hooves with a breaking smile.
"Just... just rest. You'll need it..."

Winter let out a small, hearty chuckle, his eyes watering up with drops of tears already trickling down, watching hopefully and fearfully into the mare's blue eyes.
Those eyes... he will remember them for all of eternity.

"W-Will... will I see you tomorrow?"

Pinkie perked up at his sudden question, frantically wiping her tears away.
"H-Huh?"

"Will I see you again tomorrow?" he repeated, giving her a wide grin.
"D-Diane..."

The mare could only smile back, giving him a kiss on a cheek as she whispered into his ear:
"Always..."

"That'll be great..." he replied, his breath dwindling as his eyes closed, a jovial grin filling his pure white face, his tears trickling towards the edge of his snout. His hoof started to grow limp, his muscles tensing up a little as he let out one last, short breath:
"Diane..."

Winter's hoof fell to the side, gripped only by Pinkie's shivering own. The mare's mane flattened immediately, her tears rapidly flowing out in depression and grief, trying her best to wake him up.
"W-Winter...!" she muttered softly, leaning against his chest. The thumps that resonated from within had stilled, only making her heart retch with sullen despair.

Pinkie hugged him tightly, crying for what seem like ages in the puddle of blood, sweat, tears and melting snow. Her sobs echoed down the corridor, her head filling up with the memories that they had shared in the past.
"Seeing you..." his voice echoed in her head, reminding her of the Night of the Silent Glass.
"You're the most special pony I've ever met..."

She turned to her side, reaching for the gleaming hoop; his last present for her, lying on the floor.
Wiping her tears and sniffles away, Pinkie slotted her hoof in, mesmerized at the brilliant gleam of gold and the sparkling jewel of sapphire, her other hoof still clutching tight onto Winter's.

"Miss Pie?"

The voice made her turn to her back, her despaired face matching that on the pony that was standing before her, trying his best not to tear up as well.
"Come on," Stellar Lionheart beckoned, letting out a shivering gasp.
"We have to go."

There was a nod, before the pink mare reluctantly rose from beside the stallion, following the butler down the corridor as she tried to lift her pain away.
She glanced back at Winter, her heart lightening up a little at his calm smile; he seemed to be happy resting in peace, the sight of it making her grin.
Oh well, she said to herself, quickly wiping her tears away.

"I-If he's happy... then I'm happy..."