Of Laurels & Lace

by WritingSpirit

Voyagers Arc: Furtive Fantasies

"Are we there yet~?"

Charter sighed at Pinkie's question, losing count of how many times she asked it over and over throughout their journey. He turned back to the pink mare, watching her bright, eager smile widening gleefully.

Primrose was the one that saved them, though unintentionally.

"If the map is correct, Pendant Lakes should be over that hill."

With a squeak of delight, the pink mare raced down the path, making all of them chuckle.

Gypsum giggled at that, before shouting, chasing after her friend.

"Wait for me, Pinkie!"

The others soon followed suit, kicking the dust off the path. A rush of air blew through each of them, the ponies laughing in their gallop towards the hill before them. Pinkie turned around, squealing gleefully at her friends.

It wasn't long before they reached the top, perching like a hawk with their eyes widened in amazement.

There was the grand town of Pendant Lakes, sprouting out from the undergrowth with its fine, maroon-colored roofs, its diverging cobblestone streets and the few stacks of smoke spewing out from the chimneys, with a few trees standing amidst all the white baroque structures, providing the small blotches of shade in town.

The Voyagers clambered down the hill, eventually reaching the grilled gate at the end of the path, the ponies slowly pushing them open.

They marched in to the sound of laughter, stopping abruptly to allow a group of fillies run across their paths. All around were the residents of the town, busily trotting around without bothering even a subtle glance to the bunch of strangers stepping through the gates. The doors of the shops around flapped open almost every second, though delicately, allowing more of the residents to enter and exit.

A fountain sprinkled with life, surrounded by fluttering swarms of pigeons and ponies appreciating the soothing trickle of water down the sides, with the rare few tossing silver coins into its bowels.

"You're right, Harmony," Pinkie remarked out of earshot from the rest of their friends.

"This place is wonderful!"

"Told you so!" she replied, the two mares giggling softly.

The rest were listening attentively to Gypsum Palgiot; being a resident of the quaint town she explained about the customs of the society and the trademark locations that the town possessed.

"... and that's Fountain Square! Trust me when I say that's one of the top romantic spots that you would ever see in the whole of Pendant Lakes, Equestria even!"

Harmony turned towards the fountain, a smile forming on her lips.

The tender memories of that afternoon lingered in her mind, refreshed even more so by the clear trickle of water tossed up from the tip, flowing down in a dazzling dome of droplets.

Pinkie looked around in the sky, before her attention was caught a glinting structure standing regally in the distance, perched like a watchful eagle: the sole guardian over the cluster of buildings of the town. A flock of geese flew behind it, only adding to the calm scene of Pendant Lakes itself.

The remaining Voyagers stopped, noticing their friend's sudden interest before following her gaze.

"That's Palgiot Palace!" Gypsum retorted with pride.

"The castle that my family lives in! We're going to stay there the whole time we're here!"

"You're not joking, right?" Primrose asked skeptically, not believing the mare's words.

"We're going to live in a palace?"

"Yup!" she answered, making all of them mutter in excitement.

"Come along! I'll introduce you guys to Winter! He's the leader of this family and the town itself, so it's a must that you guys must meet him!"

Harmony held her breath at the mention of the Patriarch's name, looking back up at the palace.

She could remember the time she left. It was on a day like this, except it was in the evening.

"You don't need to leave, Harmony."

"Then leave with me! See the world! You don't have to stay here all day, don't you?

"I don't know... I mean, I've just became Patriarch a year ago...

"Then let me leave. I'll come back before you even know it!"

She sighed audibly, before holding her head high, trotting after her friends on their slow journey towards the looming mountain beyond the town, the path spiraling up to the grand, flat-topped summit.

The path to see his face once again.

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

"There isn't any time to spare."

Winter Palgiot paced around his room hastily, his brows furrowed with his head hanging low in a quivering, anxious expression, his mind rushing about its mental errands.

Stellar was watching every step the Patriarch was making in amusement, before asking:

"Are you nervous, sir?"

"Of course I am!" he retorted, almost as if mocked, before lowering his voice.

"She's finally back after a year. Who wouldn't be?"

"I'm obliged to mention she arrived with your cousin, Sir Palgiot."

The stallion just rolled his eyes, settling himself on the chair.

"You know how GP is. Making friends and all."

"No doubt she has no knowledge of your relationship with Harmony?"

"I don't think she even bothers," Winter replied, glancing out of the window.

Down below, in the glistening, embellished courtyards, the glazing gates slowly swung open, the guards halting with their hooves raised in salute. Six ponies walked inside, all giving a distinguishable nod to the sentries as they marched towards the doors.

Winter spotted Gypsum strutting in beatifically, as well as Harmony. The mare seemed to stand out from the rest, almost as if glowing as she walked, unaware of her coltfriend that observed from above.

His attention, however, turned to that of the other pink mare of the group, who was talking to the caramel one, having seen both of them back in Fenderville.

The Patriarch fuddled with his mind, unable to repress that aura that emanates from the bouncing pony. The one that even overwhelms the sparkles of Harmony herself.

"Are you alright, Sir?"

Stellar's words broke into his speculation, with Winter turning around abruptly with an answer:

"I'm fine, if that's what you're asking."

The butler just sighed, heading out of the room.

"Do you wish me to invite them into their rooms, sir?"

"Certainly."

As soon as Stellar scurried out of the room, Winter sat back into his armchair, his mind settling into a prospering calmness, yet quivering with excitement at the return of his marefriend.

There's so many things to ask her. Where she had went all these years, to how she and Gypsum met...

To - he bit his lip - asking about that pink mare.

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

"The other rooms we do not kindly want guests to enter are the Tower Room..."

Stellar sometimes hated guests, simply because of the introductions he had to make. It was already carved into his head like a twisted, mental brand; a script he had to always repeat on duty.

"...the Cellars, the Staff Rooms and of course, the Graveyard," he finished.

"Graveyard, huh?" Dresden quipped, his interest flickering.

"I've heard stories about the Palgiot graveyards. They say at night, if you're lucky, you can see little lights dancing around the tombstones."

"Lucky?" Primrose guffawed at his statement, making the stallion pout.

"That's creepy, Dres! Won't we all be unlucky when see those?"

"Maybe he might be right."

Charter's suggestion made them all turn, the only one not frowning in disbelief being the witch doctor himself.

"I've heard legends about these lights that guide lost travelers back to civilization. They're simply souls who afford help to those who need it badly."

"Souls?"

"Spirits who couldn't fully pass on," the aging pegasus explained.

"There were many rumors of them helping out the living, though there are some vengeful ones."

"Wow..." was all Primrose could reply.

"Talk about creepy."

Pinkie just giggled, nudging her friend.

"Oh, Prim!"

"Your rooms," the butler piped up, handing each of them a key.

"The Patriarch requests your presence at lunch shortly."

The six of them nodded, prompting Stellar to excuse himself, leaving them alone.

"So..." Gypsum began; being the most knowledgeable of Pendant Lakes out of the Voyagers the others didn't oppose to her words.

"After meeting my cousin, I guess we all should look around the town for a minute. What do you guys think?"

"What of their secrets?" Charter asked, reminding them of the reason they were all here.

"What do you think your cousin would hide from anypony else?"

Before the mare could reply, Harmony spoke up.

"I think it's best we save those thoughts for later."

There was a moment of silence, their attention all skeptically focused on their friend's sudden statement with surprise, before nodding agreeably with each other.

"But we'll have to find out soon," Charter quipped once more.

Pinkie turned to Harmony, who was breathing a huge sigh of relief.

"Well that went well," she said to her, the rest of their friends advancing down the corridor.

"So when are you going to tell them?"

Harmony turned to her friend, blinking her eyes in surprise.

"What was that?"

"Tell them? You know!"

Pinkie skipped around her friend, snorting with laughter.

"Tell them about your fluffy wuffy, vanilla frosting, sugar muffin, sickly puppy, sweet~ little secret with the rest of them! They must find out some way or another."

Her friend pondered about that, the pink pony squeaking with glee.

"Well... I don't know..."

"Gypsum will understand, of all ponies, right?"

Out of boredom, Pinkie blew a raspberry, making her friend giggle.

"She's always like 'I'm gonna play some music' or 'I'm gonna dance like a flappity-wappity seal'. You know how things go with her!"

"What will I do without you, Pinkie?"

Harmony sighed audibly, with the mare beside her bouncing happily as the two quickly followed after their friends, who had since steered away from their view.

She paused for a moment, before deciding to reserve the thoughts to herself. That hyperactive, sugar-loaded pink mare would've blurted it out for the world if she told her.

"I'll take it into consideration..."

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

"Dahlia! Quickly gather your things now!"

"Coming!"

There was a loud scurry of thumps from upstairs as Persimmon Mills clicked her hooves impatiently, glancing at the wooden flight of stairs before her.

Her eldest daughter soon came into view, a sheepish smile on her face, her heart nearly flying out of her chest with sweat running down her cheeks. Despite being the eldest, the older mare sighed with discontent, she was always the latest among the three.

"Sorry! Dropped my books in the hallway!"

"You mean you overslept."

"But Mom-!"

"No 'but Mom' or any excuses again," Persimmon scolded, making her daughter hang her head low in regret.

"You know better than to run out of home at midnight," she continued, grabbing her daughter's coat as Dahlia started to wrap a scarf around her neck.

"You're lucky Dad found you. If not, I wouldn't want to know how many insane colts would find you alone in the streets and just violate you on the spot."

"Mom~!" she cried, letting out a disgusted groan.

"It happened before, Dahlia!" Persimmon retorted.

"Tulip and Ivy are waiting outside, as usual~!"

Dahlia just rolled her eyes, sticking her tongue out at her mother, who turned back and shout: "I saw that!", before watching her quickly darting off, wanting to avoid the coming reprimand.

Persimmon just shook her head, settling back down on her writing desk.

"Fillies these days..."

The sheets of parchment before her were yellowed with age, though its recent use is evident with the intricate scrawls of ink aligned down to the bottom, stopping with a few drips at the corner. The inkwell stood steadily on the top, along with a white quill, the tip submerged into the black whirlpool like an arrow striking in the core of a target.

With a clinch of her quill, she began scribbling away, the tip scratching into paper, as if trying desperately in vain to tear it apart.

Her previous book, Relic Of The Cinders, had sold millions around Equestria,. despite her seeing it as more of a casual piece to write. She had to travel all the way west to interview a few ponies for the story, knowing that those few had discovered the content she needed.

Sure enough, she thought to herself, that was one experience she would never forget, along with one of her previous works; the one she had enjoyed writing with Caesar.

A soft knock on the door caught her attention, as a suited pony stepped into the house, brushing his dusty hooves on the mat politely with a soft grin on his face.

Persimmon smiled back, her heart tingled with warmth as she asked:

"What brings you all the way out here, Stellar?"

"You know," the butler replied with a chuckle.

"Visiting an old friend."

"Sit down," she offered, quickly heading to the kitchen as Stellar settled himself onto the couch.

He had heard of Persimmon's recent success with the publishing of the new book. He always knew that the mare had her talents settled in writing, judging how detailed the catalogue of their adventures as the Crux Four were when they were still young.

He chuckled. Such good times...

"How's the rest?" Persimmon asked, returning with a tray of teacups and a white, ceramic kettle.

"They're alright so far," Stellar answered, pouring himself a cup of tea.

"Caduceus is still doing his job in the hospital. I'm still serving the young Patriarch."

"And... Sidus?"

"Scouting birds and trekking along the mountain, I guess?" the butler said with a shrug.

He settled the teacup down, letting out a deep sigh.

"He isn't really himself since Sicarius disbanded."

"It's been so long already."

Persimmon trotted to her writing desk, neatly stacking the papers together as she asked:

"Why can't he just get over it?"

"Basically he was hired by our current Patriarch to perform Necessensio," Stellar answered, prompting the mare to stop and ponder.

"To kill Tantrum Palgiot wasn't easy, seeing how that stallion performed some sort of nightmare spell. Then again, he always has his wife for companionship..."

"Winter Palgiot wouldn't hurt a fly, huh?" the mare joked, though almost resentfully.

"Hiring somepony else to do his dirty job."

"It was a must, though."

The butler glanced about the house, situated on the far side of town. It was small, yet welcoming and comfortable, considering how close it was to the lush woodlands around.

"Where's your husband, if I may ask?"

"Somewhere down in Fincher Avenue," she answered in a mumble.

"Probably drinking his heart out again."

Stellar sighed. He knew of his friend's recent financial problem, despite already earning a lot from the books she had wrote so far. The Mills family was almost on top of the list of overdue accounts, the figures reducing drastically when she sold her book, only to gradually rise back up again.

It was lucky the previous Patriarch, Harrow Palgiot, abolished the Sicarius law; he couldn't bear to see his old friend and her family get butchered by assassins.

"Seriously," Persimmon's rants continued.

"I don't know what that crazy colt's been doing. I get all the expenses to pay off his debts and what did he do? Make another mountain of those again."

She scowled, her hooves clenched a little tightly.

"Idiot..."

"Just let him see what he's doing," Stellar suggested.

"Maybe he can wake up from this."

The butler's words did not soothe the mare. Persimmon just scoffed at that, sitting back onto the chair.

"Our daughters still needed to go college. I've already made plans."

Then, she pounded one hoof onto the table, the tray of utensils clinking in response. Her face steeled with determination, her brows furrowed, as she made her choice, nearly making Stellar blink in surprise:

"If he continues what he's doing, I'm going to leave him."

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

"Rise."

Pinkie quickly did as she was told, as well as the rest of the Voyagers, slowly rousing up from the soft, fabric seats.

The doors opened as three ponies marched in elegantly, their heads held high in superiority and prestige with a warm, welcoming smile on each of their faces.

Well, almost all of them smiled. The yellow one had a justifiable frown.

"Have a seat," the white unicorn commended finely, with all of them settling back at their respective chairs in unison, the servants quickly excusing themselves.

The pink pony peered from her seat, glancing at each of them.

From what she could tell, the yellow grumpy one loathed their presence, seeing how his shoulders were stiffened and tensed, his hooves wracking with impatience and his eyes flaring in a foreboding glare.

The mare across him, however, was smiling serenely, her hooves tucked in with astounding patience, the limbs themselves slender and sleek, only flaunting even more of her graceful self.

The stallion that sat at the end, though, looked the eldest among the three, yet still fresh in maturity. His eyes glimmered, as if content at the sight of them, the golden hoop glinting in a fine, golden luster around his hoof. signifying his grand position as Patriarch of Pendant Lakes.

She turned to Harmony, who was smiling jovially yet dreamily at him, the stallion somewhat returning the same. There wasn't any doubt who that was.

"Gypsum," he called to their friend, the light green mare responding with a giggle.

"I assume you brought more visitors for us this time."

"Yep!"

Glancing around the room at her friends, before feeling a slight nudge from Charter beside her.

"This are my... uh... friends that I've met back in the east! They have many interesting stories to tell you guys!"

"I can't wait then!" the mare at the end of the table exclaimed, the two cousins laughing like school-fillies.

"At least begin with the introductions first!" the Patriarch said with a chuckle.

"My name is Winter Palgiot. This is my sister, Autumn Palgiot-"

"Welcome!"

"And that's Summer Palgiot," he finished, glancing at the yellow stallion, who only humphed in indignation.

The Patriarch sighed at his younger brother, before asking his cousin:

"So what brings all of you here?"

"Our friend, Gypsum," Charter began, "said it would be great if we can visit her hometown, in which we all agreed to, seeing how it might be a great experience."

Winter let out a smile, glancing at his guests.

There was his marefriend, grinning back at him enthusiastically. His heart skipped at that, his bottom hooves flushing with eagerness to just run up from his seat to talk to her.

The pink mare was there as well, already giggling with that caramel one. He had never seen a mare other than Gypsum being that happy before.

He turned back to the pegasus, still holding his smile.

"Well," he began.

"I'll shall see to it that all of you have a worthwhile experience then."

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

Present Day

"What does he mean by 'worthwhile experience?'

Rarity's question only made Saphir the Oracle - as the creature had effortlessly called itself - sneer with a laugh, the golden pocketwatch in his black, ethereal arms swinging with every move he makes.

"Why not ask your friend, Pinkie?" he hissed, beckoning all of them to turn.

The pink mare just cringed, blankly gazing down into the black void beyond the thick, transparent platform.

"She's been hurt enough," Twilight scowled back.

"And its all thanks to your creation!" Spike added.

"I doubt that Time Demon was that unstable the last I saw him," the creature only replied, showing off his fangs.

"It was one of my descendants that dared stepped beyond the boundaries."

"Tantrum Palgiot, we know."

Glancing up at the repulsive, colossal creature, Rarity asked:

"Why did he do it?"

"Matter of greed? Passionate revenge?"

Saphir just chuckled deviously, the tentacles wriggling in a fit of laughter.

"What it was doesn't matter, my friends. What matters is what you can do to stop it."

"But how do we even stop it," Rainbow began.

"When we don't even know the cause of it?"

"How Mirror Mare came into existence isn't a necessity."

The Oracle's pocketwatch started to tick, making him raise it up.

"You'll have to see for yourselves: the truth that your friend over there had been hiding."

Twilight turned to Pinkie, the lavender unicorn still perplexed.

"What does he mean? Didn't you tell us about everything already?"

The pink mare just bit her lip, brushing her mane to the side as the world started warping into the past once more.

She held her breath nervously, watching buildings grow from the empty expanse, reforming a holographic Pendant Lakes as she answered:

"Not everything."

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

Tomorrow's the big night, he told himself.

Winter Palgiot sighed, glancing out the window. He had always admired the beauty of the sunset that the Princess could conjure, and at times envious as well.

He slowly strode across the room, returning back to his working desk, which was filled with tattered papers and one or two books, already covered in a fine layer of dust.

There was a small knock, prompting him to turn with a smile.

"My Lord Patriarch."

Stellar bowed with courtesy, trotting towards the stallion in his usual suit.

"I have prepared the Equinox Ballroom for the coming occasion."

The unicorn just nodded, slumping against his chair.

"That's great," he mumbled.

"If I may ask, Winter, you are unusually perturbed today."

Winter let out a faltering laugh, rising from the velvet laden seat. His hooves ran through the smooth wooden edges of the table, before touching the round, polished knob of the drawer.

"Being the last Patriarch is hard to take in..."

Stellar's ears perked, his eyes blinking in surprise.

"B-But Sir Winter! Who said you were the last?"

"You don't need to hide it anymore. You knew I was going to be last," the stallion clarified, making the butler look down and sigh in defeat.

Pulling open the drawer, Winter eased his hoof in, reaching inside before feeling the unmistakable texture of crumpled, rotting wrapping paper.

"Yet there's so many things to do..."

"That is the wisdom of youth," the butler said.

"I've had many adventures when I was about your age."

The Patriarch sighed, pulling out a tarnished box, the surface faded with age.

"You're lucky, Stellar," he only said in response, giving him a sad smile.

"What is that, if I may ask?"

"A present," Winter replied, only making the butler raise an eyebrow.

"Alright," he admitted with a laugh. "It was a hoop I got for Harmony."

"I was planning to propose to her the night we had that argument," he continued his explanation, unwrapping the box gently, tossing the wrapping aside.

"Imagine that. Breaking up as you were about to propose to her."

Stellar just sighed, watching as the young stallion flipped the box open, revealing the contents within.

Inside, sparkling from the light of the afternoon sun, was the golden hoop, as well as a diamond brooch, making both of their eyes glimmer at the sight.

"Are you missing her?" the butler couldn't help but ask.

"If you had asked me all those years ago, I would've said yes," he replied with a chuckle.

"But now..."

"You love the other mare, don't you?"

"She's... different," Winter said dreamily with a sigh.

"She makes others ponies happy, which makes her happy..."

"Whatever happened that day made me see the real Harmony," he finally justified with a scowl.

"She wanted me to follow my father's path, just like my mother. They're both insane in their own right!"

Stellar stepped back a little, watching his Patriarch toss his hooves up in a fit of rage.

"Do you want to check the decorations?" he asked, wanting to change the subject.

The stallion just sighed in response, before forcing out a smile.

"I'll be there in a minute, Stellar."

With a bow, Stellar excused himself, stepping out of the room and shutting the door behind him.

Winter just fell back into his chair, the afternoon sun shining across his face.

He raised the golden hoop in the air, which glinted at him, the diamond fitted in the side shimmering brightly.

A soft, quirky giggle flew from his memories, only making him smile, tucking the hoop into his pocket.

"Diane..."

<> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <> <>

A disappointment.

Kanov'hin remembered his father's words as clear as the afternoon, winter sky that shone outside, despite the thick, gray clouds filling up the sky.

The arrival of snow only made his ears twitch, furling his wings to stay warm.

A soft knock on the door just made him growl, a soft, timid voice calling out to him.

"Um... uh... K-Kane?"

Instead of the orange mare, there was a yellow pegasus; the one he had seen timidly hiding from his comrades a few times from the window.

"What do you want?" he growled.

There was a small 'eep!', the dragon turning just in time to see her darting out of the room, only to carefully trot back in, trembling and shaking violently with fear.

Behind her was a red stallion, his build thicker than most of the ponies he had seen so far. His expression was calm, yet serious, judging from the flare in his eyes.

"Um... Kane? If we can just... you know... talk? If you don't mind..."

The dragon just growled, turning to the pegasus.

"What is it?"

"Well... it's about Applejack."

Fluttershy stumbled back a little as Kanov'hin rose, with Big Mac trotting closer to her.

"I... um... heard that you had feelings for her..."

"Don't bother about it," he only scowled.

"This is a matter of me and the mare only. I don't need a pegasus to tell me what to do."

"J-Just listen, Kanov'hin... um... please?"

He could only sigh. Her small, gentle chirp of her voice somehow honeyed his heart, though not as much as the determined drawl of the orange mare herself.

"Fine," he answered in defeat.

"W-Well... Applejack... she's really wants to have a little talk with you."

The pegasus held his breath, before continuing: "She wants you to um... understand that everything that's happening is quite complicated and she's... well... she isn't really sure about... well... y-you know... the... um..."

"Our relationship?"

"Yes! That's right! Your... relationship..."

The yellow pegasus bit her lip, asking:

"Am I too loud?"

"No, no!" Kanov'hin retorted with a hearty laugh.

"Just continue."

"Um... alright then."

Fluttershy swallowed a nervous lump, prompting Big Mac to place a hoof around her, before she continued:

"Applejack, well.... she somewhat needs you know that you're still... well... hard to trust..."

"Well," the dragon's voice turned a little gentler. "why ever would she say that?"

"The Princesses.... then there's the agreement..."

Kanov'hin blinked his eyes in realization as Fluttershy continued:

"She wasn't sure if... you know... that Princess Celestia would... um... accept it. But she wants you to know that she... well.. s-she.... um... uh..."

The dragon just groaned, his tongue slithering.

"Can you just call her to come in?"

There was a slight gasp from outside, before the orange mare stumbled in, falling face first onto the floor.

She let out a sheepish laugh, arranging her signature hat as she slowly helped herself up.

"Not the best at hidin', huh?"

"I can still smell you," Kanov'hin just replied with a smile.

"Hehe.... right."

Applejack slowly trotted towards the dragon, settling right next to him.

"List'n, Kane. Ah was thinkin' about..."

She stopped, realizing that Fluttershy and Big Mac were still here.

"Um... Ah was thinkin' about how I really need some privacy right now!!"

"Oh! Um... sorry!"

The two ponies quickly huddled out of the room, politely shutting the door as Kanov'hin and Applejack both laughed.

"Well... now that that's done..."

The orange mare smiled, turning to the dragon.

"Ah was thinkin' about when you said you loved me..."

"And?"

She sighed, before asking the question: the one that had been stirring about in her head for some time.

"Do ya really mean it?"

Kanov'hin stopped to ponder, his mind trying to find the right words to say.

"To be honest, I wasn't sure at first. When I first saw you, I thought that you're just there to watch me and such, but then you showed a little concern when all the other ponies wouldn't."

"Ya call placin' a blanket over you concern?"

"In the most foreign land, yes," the dragon replied, both laughing softly.

"I began to see somethin' in you. Some spark that I don't see in many dragonesses around the Badlands. I didn't believe in it at first, but then that night came..."

Applejack bit her lip, remembering the argument the both of them had.

"Well... Ah can't really say much..."

"So did you have feelings for me? At all?"

Kanov'hin ruffled his wings, his voice smoother with a slight croak of age.

"It's okay if you don't. I understand."

The orange mare just sighed, curling up as she leaned closer to the dragon.

"Ah don't know, Kane..."

The dragon just smiled, his large claw holding her hoof.

She seemed so small compared to his marvelous size, which only made him nuzzle her affectionately and tenderly, as if don't want to let go.

"Trust me," he whispered softly in his ear, Applejack slightly smiling as he cupped her hooves into his gargantuan, scaly paws, his eyes glistening with hope.

"We'll figure this out. Together."

Comments

[WritingSpirit]

Chapter 55

Clears a few things, but otherwise a few questions still remain.
As always

[MasterSpike]

Soon after, Kanov'hin took in a breath, and freed himself with a mighty shout.

" FUS RO DAH!!"

And thus, he and Applejack flew off and lived the rest of their lives in peace... or so goes my version.

[Fury of the Tempest]

'She wanted me to follow my father's path, just like my mother. They're both insane in their own right!'

I still call denial... and is that the end of the Voyagers Arc? As I don't think it is but the way it switched back to them makes it seems it is...

And Pinkie still has one secret...

Seriously, through. This is confusing. At first Winter obviously missed Harmony, while Harmony as the Mirror Mare loved him still. Yet, now they claim to hate each other... I don't see what's happened.

[WritingSpirit]

1399640

Well, the whole bunch of questions would be explained at the very end of the Arc itself.

[Fury of the Tempest]

1399803
So, I just have to wait for the answer again and resist the urge to kill you for making us wait so long?

[WritingSpirit]

1399805
Eeeyup!

[Fury of the Tempest]

1399810

Anyhow, sent you as PM