//------------------------------//
// Sanguine Societies 
// Story: Of Laurels & Lace 
// by WritingSpirit 
//------------------------------//

	Winter was never eager to visit this section of Pendant Lakes.

Growlett Corner was one of the town's darker regions, or 'business centers' as his brother would've called it.
Winter thought back to yesterday's explosion. Even in death, Summer could not find peace.

A few shady ponies gazed at him from their hats, blades ever ready as the Patriarch passed by.

The path down Growlett was at an end, as Winter stepped into Sorrel Lane.

Sorrel was fairly dark. A handful of ponies still lurked around, but not as much as Growlett. The sun looked brighter as he breathed a sigh of relief.

Winter quickly trotted forward, trying to blend in the crowd.
Vendors offered him their collections, which he politely refused. There wasn't anything worth from them.

At his right, a few wooden poles jutted from the walls. Winter smiled.

This was one of Fedora's additions. The test of balance: to have one hoof to the ground with the other three in the air.

His thoughts flashed by him, reminding him of his time as a colt.

"Summer! Come on!"

"Winter, can't you see I'm trying to read here?"

"But you hate reading! Just try this out! Mama said we needed to do this when we grow up."

"Winter, be careful!"

He stopped smiling. There it was. The place he wanted to visit. The building was fairly jagged, the slate already falling off the top. The windows are all broken. In fact, the place was in complete shambles.

The iron sign squeaked loudly from the chilling autumn wind.
Winter took a few steps towards the building, trying to ignore the building's name.


Parsan Asylum

A small 'ding' signaled his entry as Winter stepped into the asylum. He placed his trench coat on a nearby rack.

Behind the counter, a tall, formally dressed pony sat, busy in his paperwork. 

"I'm sorry, sir, but visiting hours are from one in the afternoon till eight at night. It is too early so it's best you run along now."

Winter cleared his throat as the pony looked up.

"Mr Palgiot!" the pony exclaimed. "I've never thought you would like to visit!"

"Certainly, Doctor Arrowfaith."

Doctor Arrowfaith has, and still is, the owner of the asylum, as well as the oldest doctor and eligible bachelor in Pendant Lakes. There were many rumors that Doctor Arrowfaith was a cold blooded killer, starting an asylum to use it as a place for kidnapping innocent ponies, although most were proved to be untrue. In fact, Doctor Arrowfaith was helpful in many cases and was best friends with Chief Griffonhooves.

"So what brings my lord down to the office, I must ask?"

"I'm here to visit someone." Winter told the deep-voiced pony.

"Visit! 'Course you can visit. It has been too many times your family had the heart to raise the asylum, even at its broken state."

"Of course," he mused. He can't really bother about that right now.

"So, who do you want to visit? Somepony recent, perhaps? Like the Pony of Old Calico? Or the Cell Master? Or the more, recent Whitetail Stallion?"

Winter raised an eyebrow. "I'm interested in visiting a mare. A specific mare, to be honest Doctor Arrowfaith."

"But the women aren't interesting! They-" Doctor Arrowfaith stopped as Winter glared at him.

"Just tell me the name!" he said, chuckling nervously. "Just tell me!"

"Mr Arrowfaith. I believe you know who is the mare in question that I want to visit". Winter said impatiently. "In fact, I believe she wants to see you too."

"W..." Doctor Arrowfaith stammered, trying to think of what to say.

"B-But of course, Sir Palgiot. I'm sure she would!"

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A Triangulation of Constellations, Apex Journeys, The Escapade...

Rarity scanned through the glamorously filled bookshelf, trying hard to search for a perfect title.
She had asked Autumn about The Venetian Affair, a book written by the esteemed Maria Hoovington. Autumn was the one that told her that the library was filled with books like this.

And here she was. Finding who knows what.

"Harvesting Corn: A Basic To Do Guide, what is that for?

Torn Between Chains. Nope...

A Complete Guide to Equestria. Have one of those already.

Dragonheart...

That title stopped her search. Dragonheart.

Rarity felt her heart ache once more.
The Dreamscape scenario kept replaying in her head.

"Spike's not going to make it..."

"You said it was just a coma. You said he will wake up!!"

Dont! You! Dare! Say That!"

You lied to me, Twilight!!"

Dragonheart. The book pictured a dragon at the bottom, covered in a black silhouette, reaching out to a pony on top of the cover. It seemed more like the dragon was reaching out to her. Like it was screaming for help.

"Rarity!" Spike's voice echoed in her head.

Rarity couldn't help but let a single tear fall from her eye. She quickly wiped it off with her hoof.

She flipped the book, trying not to think of her beloved dragon as she read the first page.

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The hallways seemed abandoned as Doctor Arrowfaith lead Winter down the corridor. Metal doors stood in a row, all locked tightly as screams and hellish cries echoed from behind.

Grease seemed to leak from the walls, drenching it in a dark brown to black. Winter looked in disgust as a small centipede crawled from the cracking tiles.

"I apologize for the conditions." Doctor Arrowfaith said, noticing the other pony's discomfort as they continued down the corridor. "Finance is a problem for the asylum. Nopony seems to be wanting to at least give a generous donation."

Another banshee-like scream erupted, startling Winter a little.

"Imagine, Sir Palgiot. Thirty-three years of this." the doctor said with a chuckle.

"And here we are!"

Winter looked upon the door. This door, however, was squeaky clean, from the knob all the way to the hinges.

Doctor Arrowfaith knocked.
"You have a visitor, miss."

The door swung open. An aging, bed-ridden mare lay coughing a little, inviting both ponies in as she helped herself up.

"Winter! Oh, Celestia, thank goodness you're here."

"Hello, mom." Winter said with a smile. Since the day she was taken here, she had been sickly. Her health had been declining rapidly.

"How's the family dear?" the old mare asked. "I've heard many wondrous news."

"You've heard right, mom." Winter said nervously. He sat down beside her bed.

Doctor Arrowfaith stood beside the colt as he tended to his mother.

"I just had the most terrible dream..."

Winter looked up suddenly. "What is it, mother?"

"It seems," she said, paling a little. "Summer was killed by somepony. Somepony vicious."

Winter caught himself from stumbling. Her mother's face became grief-stricken.

"Mom..." Winter began worriedly, but the old mare just looked, her eyes fixed in a frozen stare.

"She's having one of her 'quiet' breakdowns." Doctor Arrowfaith explained. "She isn't ranting and raving like our other patients. She's one of the more.... finer ponies of the house."

The old mare suddenly hiccuped a little, before turning back to her son.
"Now then, where were we?"

Winter bit his lip. "About our family. You said you-"

"Oh yes!!! The family! Silly me, Winter. My head can be so forgetful sometimes."
The old mare took a silent gulp of tea. "How's the family, Winter?"

Winter sat there, slightly confused.
"But... But you said-"

"Come on, son! Spit it out! There's no need to hide our family matters for this!"

"Well," Winter fidgeted nervously. "um.. e-everypony's doing great. Everypony's doing fine."

"I'm glad to hear that, son."

Winter sighed in relief as Doctor Arrowfaith brought him to a corner.

"You know your mother wouldn't remember a tad, teensy-weensy bit about this conversation, do you?"

The Patriarch felt like smacking him. "I know, I know." he quietly whispered with annoyance, out of earshot from the old mare.

"Mom?"

"Hmmm?"

"I gotta go now, alright? Somepony called for me. Get some rest."

"Alright, son." the old mare said, smiling. "Now run along! You don't want to miss that meeting of yours."

Winter walked out swiftly, trying to ignore what just happened. 
"Get some rest, Lady Sovereign." Doctor Arrowfaith said with a bow.

The Patriarch walked down the corridor, ignoring the agonizing screams entering both of his ears.

He had just told his mother a lie.

"Okay, Winter. Calm down." he said to himself.

After all, Pendant Lakes and his family were built on a treasury, a hoard of lies.
One more lie wouldn't hurt...

There's nothing to worry about.

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The dragon had always amazed her, but she had never dared to go close to him.

For the fear that the dragon had a luxurious craving for pegasi like her.
She wept quietly in fear, closing her eyes as the dragon crept closer and closer...

Rarity was halfway through her book. She had been intrigued by the story so far: about how the pegasi, named Cottonbud, fell in love with a dragon, Jovern.

Her skin tingled with excitement as she read the next line.

Cottonbud felt a claw tapping on her shoulder. She turned around.
There, staring into her face with green glossy eyes, was Jovern!

She leaped from her hiding spot, shrieking and crying for help.

"No, no, no, no!" the dragon tried to calm her down. "Relax."
Cottonbud just closed her eyes, whimpering slightly.
"Please don't eat me..."

Jovern looked at her for a second, then laughed heartily.
"Oh, pony. Why would I?"

Cotton looked up at the creature. Her eyes sparkled as she saw him standing magnificently under the afternoon sun.
"You..." she stammered. "Y-You don't eat ponies?" 

A knock came on the library door. Rarity groaned as she quickly placed a bookmark on that page.

Stellar came in, surprised to see Rarity flipping through the book.

"I'm impressed, miss." he said as he quickly dusted a few shelves.
"Not many of our guests come here to read."

Rarity wasn't surprised. Even the royalty wouldn't bother to read.
Well, except for the Palgiots of course.

"Well," she stood up, clutching the book in her hoof.
"I think I'll borrow this for a while."

"Dragonheart, eh?" Stellar quipped as he arranged the books. "Nice book. A really good choice, Miss Rarity."

"Why, thank you!" Rarity replied, almost proud of herself.

"I read the story to Winter when he was still a small, little foal." The butler chuckled slightly.
"Both of us were not disappointed by the story. Not one bit!"

"Well, I like it so far." Rarity gazed to the cover. The image of the dragon reaching out to the pony on top still made her tremble.

Stellar smiled at Rarity.
"Believe me, you wouldn't like it. You'll love it."

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Colt Creaky's

Home of Pendant Lakes's finest mugs of ale. Or so they said.

Autumn entered the bar. It was quite empty for today, which was a pretty rare sight.

She sat on the stools, leaning back on the bar slightly.
"Yes, madam?" the bartender asked for her order.

"A pineapple shake." Autumn said. "And one firefly special."

The bartender nodded slightly. "Do you need sugar with the firefly special, miss?"

"Half a teaspoon, otherwise not at all."

She stood up as the bartender ushered her to the back of the room.
"The rest are waiting, Miss Autumn."

The bartender opened the wooden door, as a flight of stairs lead down into darkness below.

"Please be careful."

Autumn sighed. "Never was a clumsy one back in the day."

How many passwords must they interpret for her? It was only a meeting.
Autumn held her breath as she descended down the steps.

The strong smell of ale, and some of Winter's selected wines, filled her nose, making her wrinkle it in disgust.
She reached out into the dark, trying to squint her eyes.

A voice suddenly filled the room.
"What does a pony like you would have the nerve to visit here?"

Autumn rolled her eyes. Another of these passwords.
"An ordinary one, considering alicorns are normal as well."

The lights flickered on as Autumn shield her eyes slightly. A colt sat across her, a gun pointing towards her.

"At least you remembered."

Autumn scoffed. "That was four passwords. Isn't it a bit overdone?"

"Nothing is overdone here." the pony said, frolicking his red robe. "considering you're a Palgiot and such."
"Remember, Miss Autumn. We do not tolerate any kind of uncultured manners. You, as vice of the Society, should know of respect and order."

Autumn nodded unnervingly, trying to avoid the stares of everypony at the table.
"Yes, Mr. Bane."

Thistle Bane was the red-robed pony, the one this organization had come to fear and respect.
With the disband of Sicarius Nox, many underground organizations, dubbed 'Sanguine Societies' by her uncle Harrow had come around.

But this one was the most feared. The origination of the term 'Sanguine Societies' itself.

The Sanguine Surrogates.

Autumn sometimes regretted joining this group. The Surrogates planned on keeping balance and harmony by keeping everyone, even her family, under a watchful eye.

Any slight evidence of chaos, one of their members will be sent to kill.

There had even been some speculation that Thistle was the one that behind the Mirror Mare assassinations, using the legendary pony as an excuse to cover up his actions.

Thistle Bane was always amused as such, letting the rumors portray him as the one pulling the strings.

"Mr. Bane, the Clover family threat was falsified." a pony stood up from his seat.

"Well, then I suppose you understand who the target is." Thistle replied.
Autumn felt chills down her spine. Thistle's deep voice influenced fear in every pony.

No wonder his Cutie Mark was a chattering skull. She had never seen a Cutie Mark like it.

"Now then, Miss Autumn," Thistle called out to her.

Autumn hesitated, before reaching her hoof into her purse. It wasn't every day Thistle needed this.
She never understood why he needs it though.

She handed a bottle of Winter's recent wine, the Parsan 1389. It was hard to smuggle it out of Palgiot Palace, much less even find a bottle of it.

Thistle popped the cap open with ease. He coughed slightly as the whiff of muscat grape seeped from the bottle.

"The Patriarch has outdone himself once again," the dark grey pony said with a smile. He took a small sip from the bottle.

"Very fresh, for now."

Autumn felt like ripping the pony apart, as Thistle chugged down the contents of the bottle. She clenched her hooves with guilt.

"Dismiss!" Thistle roared into the room.

The ponies began leaving, paying their respects to Thistle as they bowed.

Autumn slipped into a corner. She was promised adventure. A real adventure.
Not in one of her books, but escape! Escape into the free world.

She hate liars. Nearly everpony in Pendant Lakes knew about that.
He was lucky he wasn't from Pendant Lakes.

The pony in question gave her an unsettling gaze as she called out his name:
"Caper."

"You said!" Autumn pointed her hoof accusingly. "You said we will run away together! You promised me we will see the world!"

"I know, I know." the black stallion said. "But you know Thistle. He has eyes all over the place."

Autumn sighed dejectedly. His coltfriend smiled, putting his hoof over her shoulder as she asked him:
"Look, after this is all over, we'll... get away from here... right?"

Caper nodded. "No more secret societies, I promise."

Suddenly, Autumn felt her lips stamped as Caper smashed his lips. She quickly pushed him away.

"Not here, Caper!" she said, trying to rid the taste on her lips. "Thistle may still be around."

Autumn groaned with annoyance as Caper laughed a little.
"Does your brother know about this? About us?"

She crossed her hooves. "He knows nothing."

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"And 'ya sure it's the same pony?"

"I'm sure of it, Applejack."

The walkie-talkie crackled a little as Rarity toyed around with the antenna.
"So let me get this straight," Twilight's voice came through the speaker. "the pony that is hurting every other pony over there, is the pony that harmed Spike and Pinkie Pie?"

"Precisely, Twilight."

Applejack's voice boomed through her bedroom.
"Why that no good guzzlebucket! If I ever see him, I'm gonna make him pay for what he's done to-"

"Anyways," Twilight's voice drowned out Applejack's rants.
"AJ, Vinyl and I are heading to Manehatten tomorrow morning."

"Really?" Rarity asked in awe. "That is absolutely wonderful!"

"Apparently, something came up with Applejack's cousin, and she invited her to come. Vinyl asked me to tag along."

Applejack chuckled. "Surely Cousin Orange had asked me for help a dozen times, but it's the first Twilight and Vinyl will visit Manehatten."

"Why, that is simply delightful, Twilight!" the white unicorn exclaimed. "You must being something back, a souvenir or something, I insist!"

"And how many pairs of heels did you want us to bring home again?" Twilight asked. "Three? Four?"

"Just two, dear." Rarity assured her. "You should have fun in Manehatten, not spending your money over me!"

"Well, we sure ain't coming back without at least a bucketful of hay." Applejack chimed.

Rarity laughed a little. "By the way, how's Pinkie Pie?"

"She's doing good so far." Twilight replied. "Her arm and hooves just need some therapy, that's all."
"When she fell out the window," Applejack cut in. "you should've seen what she went through. Pinkie was hurt bad, and don't mention her Pinkie Pie mind of hers."

Rarity tried not to think about it. "And, about Spike?" she asked with worry.

There was a slight pause. "Rarity?"

"Yes, Twilight?" she asked in anticipation.

"I know about you being over him and all, but don't you think you're a bit too... how should I put it... negative, about Spike's condition?"

Rarity felt a little hurt, but Twilight was telling the truth.

"Alright, here's the deal." Twilight's voice trembled a little. "I'll talk about Spike only when he wakes up, okay?"

She thought about it for a moment.

"Deal."

"Count me in as well, Twi!" Applejack's voice said with sheer determination.

"Of course, Applejack!"

Rarity laughed a little as she closed her walkie-talkie. She was finishing the book, Dragonheart.

She still couldn't believe that she read it in one day. Rarity felt pride in that.

"Jovern, you sure you'll stay here forever?"

Cottonbud lay on his head as the blue dragon gave her an answer.

"Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends, Cotton. Something sudden might just step in and change your day, or maybe even your life forever..."

Cottonbud hugged the dragon's head. "You really are a pony in a dragon's body."

"A kind pony," Jovern corrected her. "That last pony wasn't very nice."

Cotton giggled slightly, blushing a little as Jovern smiled with content.

"Is... Is it possible for ponies and dragons to marry, Jovern?" Cotton said as she looked ahead in the sunset. The earth was basked in a yellow-golden cradle of the sky, as Jovern turned to the love of his life.

"Well now... why don't we find out?" the dragon said with a smile. Cottonbud smiled back, in eagerness and anticipation.

"After all," Jovern continued. "Time had brought us together. Time had changed each of our lives. Time had given us opportunities to learn, from our mistakes, and from each other..."

"...but now. Time has given us a chance. A chance to shine..."


THE END


Rarity closed the book, her heart applauding at the story. She shed a small tear of joy.

"That was absolutely... beautiful!" she exclaimed. She let herself fall on the bed, the book held tightly in her hooves.

She turned the book over to the other side, now completely understanding the cover. It depicts of Jovern and Cottonbud, both being outcasts from their own society, found love in each other. They're both reaching out, trying to grab the other by the arms.

The author's name shined slightly, catching Rarity's eye.


Persimmon Mills


"Mills....." Rarity pondered. The name was vaguely familiar...
A light bulb sparkled in her head. Of course!

One of the victims was Caesar Mills! The one Rarity had seen being... dragged by a train. Rarity's stomach gurgled again.

"I wonder... is it his relative? Or...."

She turned to the author's biography. A small sentence caught her eye.

Rarity jumped to her feet. She rushed to the walkie-talkie, trying to call her friends.

Come on! Pick up, pick up, pick up!

A small yawn flowed from the speakers. It was Twilight.
"What is it, Rarity? It's quite late for a call, don't you think?"

"Twilight," Rarity began. "I've got a big favor to ask...."