A Dream Within A Dream
Take this kiss upon the brow!
And, in parting from you now,
Thus much let me avow-
You are not wrong, who deem
That my days have been a dream;
Yet if hope has flown away
In a night, or in a day,
In a vision, or in none,
Is it therefore the less gone?
All that we see or seem
Is but a dream within a dream.
I stand amid the roar
Of a surf-tormented shore,
And I hold within my hand
Grains of the golden sand-
How few! yet how they creep
Through my fingers to the deep,
While I weep- while I weep!
O God! can I not grasp
Them with a tighter clasp?
O God! can I not save
One from the pitiless wave?
Is all that we see or seem
But a dream within a dream?
~ Edgar Allen Poe
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"Rarity! Rarity! Come quick!"
"Just a minute, Sweetie!"
The filly's patience wasn't prevailing, much to the dismay of her elder sister. Before Rarity could finish up the frills for another customer, she felt a redundant tug at her hooves, forcing her to look down.
There was her sister's cute, scrunchy, pouting dog-puppy face again. She sighed to herself, before placing her the pins to the side, along with her work glasses. At the sight of that, Sweetie Belle merrily skipped out of the room, leaving the white unicorn to shake her head at the filly.
The chirps of bluejays outside her window were enough to prove that Ponyville was in the season of spring, the ponies having finished their Winter Wrap Up just three days ago. It went on as usual, with Rainbow Dash responsible for the weather, Applejack responsible for the harvest and Twilight with the role of All-Team Organizer. Fluttershy had to stay at her cottage with Big Macintosh, however, the mare having recently entered her second trimester, though the unicorn herself would visit once in a while to accompany her friend.
Octavia and Crimson settled for a moment in Vinyl's house, before the colt left for Manehatten after a few reprimands from his manager. A thousand apologies later, the gray mare allowed him to go, though not before he stole a kiss from her cheek. It pretty much was the same for Soarin': Spitfire had to come down personally to Ponyville to invite him back into the team and, out of the stallion's whining demands and his marefriend's merry delight, Rainbow Dash as well.
Jovern and, much to Applejack's slight disappointment, Kane, lead their pack of dragons home. It became the norm for the orange mare to glance at the sky after every long day of hard work. There were a few letters the dragon had sent back though, telling him of his brother's newly appointed position as Steward to the Royal House, one he had politely declined, whilst Kane himself was pardoned by the king, and given his father's position: Chancellor of the Vohakiin Sector of the Badlands.
The ponies of Pendant Lakes? They were given homes throughout Equestria. Caduceus Brineheart and Cleptius Arrowfaith reclaimed their jobs at Canterlot's Royal Hospital by the princess, Chief Griffonhooves settled in retirement in the wildness of Appleloosa (there were some restless times where he joined the lawmen there in their adventurous roundups, however) and Mayor Stencil was relocated to a new apartment in the far ends of Fillydelphia.
Stellar himself bought the Telrouix's estate in Fenderville and refurbished it anew, though Tourist did mention he was never at the mansion at any single point of his life. He was usually seen trying to rebuild Canopy Oaks in Rattleraw Forest and even at Primrose's now vacant cottage at Red North Bend, but otherwise he was never around the town at all.
Spring Palgiot (whom her last name must be changed, by orders of the Princess), along with Gracia and the other kids at the orphanage settled in Ponyville. There were times where the filly would help out the Cutie Mark Crusaders in all their crazy ventures. Caduceus would come by and check on her, but otherwise she remained happy for the rest of the springtime.
And Spike?
Rarity opened the door of Carousel Boutique, her safe and comfy home, before her pursed lips grew into a wide, beaming smile at the figure standing before her, with a variety of suitcases around his feet.
"What took you so long?" she asked wryly, tapping her hooves in a sarcastic portrayal of impatience.
"Twilight still insisted that I shouldn't move in."
Both dragon and mare chuckled at that, before watching the said mare march in with a huff, shooting a glare at Spike. Her mane was slightly ruffled, probably from her protests with her stubborn 'little' brother's decision or just some unorganized list. Rarity silently hoped it was the latter.
"Did you bring your blanket?" Twilight asked the dragon with a weary sigh.
"Yep."
"Your toothbrush?"
"Right here."
"Your books and comics?"
"In the suitcase."
The list seemed to go on and on, becoming lethargic even for Rarity, before her friend finally finished.
"Alright," she spoke heftily, rubbing off a bead of sweat.
"Now for a double-check. Did you bring your blanket?"
"I've got everything already, Twilight!" Spike retorted, with the white mare giggling behind.
"You don't have to keep on reminding me, you know."
The lavender unicorn could only let out a defeated murmur, before turning towards Rarity.
"Please be careful of what he does, and be especially careful of what he eats," she advised with a cock of her head towards the dragon.
"Once he gets too much to guzzle, it will take a million years to get him off his greed."
In response, her friend gave a hearty salute, followed by a delighted giggle and a nudge at Spike's arms.
"I'm sure this dragon has qualities he has to assert to," she began, giving the befuddled dragon a wink.
"But I'll see to it that he will be a shining star to your eyes."
Sweetie Belle immediately tugged at the dragon's claws, beckoning him inside with a voluminous grin, with Rarity doing the same to her intellectual friend. Both unicorns settled in the living room while Spike lifted his luggage up the boutique's stairs, his weight added by Opalescence lying onto one of his suitcases; in response Peewee cawed at the cat, prompting an ear-pricking hiss from the feline.
"What brings you to the boutique today, darling?" Rarity asked, pouring a cup of tea.
"Surely Spike can bring himself here, can he not?"
"Well, there are other things that were bothering me at the moment, and I thought it might be the only reason why I allowed Spike to move in with you in the first place."
With a thankful nod, her horn lit up, hovering the porcelain teacup in a cloud of purple sparkles towards her mouth. Twilight gave it a sip, nourishing her dry throat from her verbal list of Spike's belongings. She soon handed Rarity a small letter, one which the fashion designer placed her work glasses back on as she read the elegant handwriting.
"The Princess wants me to move to Canterlot for a while," her friend spoke out the contents of the letter.
"She has some urgent errands she wanted me to do and, seeing how nopony is controlling Spike's behavior while I'm gone, I'm leaving him all to you: the only mare that he would listen to in the whole world."
"Well, we had been discussing of a permanent stay, provided that you should abide with our choice..."
Rarity handed the letter back to her friend, the bookish mare stuffing it into a satchel.
"Plus, I'm still a little busy with some orders, and I'm sure Spike would be a dear if I asked him for some help."
"You guys really know how to get together and such," Twilight commented with a beatific grin.
"To be honest, I'm really happy for you and him. The two of you being together... somehow it seems so perfect. He even said you're sharing your room with him! I would've done that when he was a baby, but now? Seeing you guys, it makes me wonder how the both of you could be just adorable together."
"I'm flattered, Twilight darling," the white mare replied, her cheeks blossoming a dainty pink.
"However, we just love each other, to be honest. Always finding ways to spend some time together. I must admit, I was a little reluctant for the first time I saw him, but slowly he became more concerned of other ponies and more... developed, physically and mentally. More... mature..."
The two mares glanced out at the garden, watching silently and jovially as Spike chased Sweetie Belle around the backyard, with Peewee circling happily overhead. All three of them were laughing with joy, the sight of which made Rarity sigh with a petite smile.
"Spike is just a part of me that I refuse to let go," she muttered, her smile growing wider.
"And he feels the same way about me. I remembered wishing on a star for somepony worthy to love me back when I was a filly, though I'd never imagined it will be a dragon, of all things."
The two laughed quietly, simultaneously sipping on their tea. Rarity could see an expression of longing behind her friend's grin, the mare instinctively placing a hoof onto her friend's shoulder.
"Don't worry, Twilight dear," she began.
"One day, you'll find your super special somepony."
Twilight could only smile back, tucking her hooves in with a hefty sigh.
"One day..."
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"Fifty-six muffins, and we're all set!"
"Thanks, Applejack dearie," Mrs. Cake's voice rang from the counter.
"We couldn't have finished them without you."
"Aw shucks," the orange mare replied, tipping her hat.
"It ain't no problem, Missus Cake. Just helpin' ya guys out."
With a cheery grin, Applejack lifted the tray of delicacies through the flapping double doors, placing it within the dessert shelf at the corner. She wiped off a few beads of sweat at the corner of her forehead, before feeling a tug from above.
Her face beamed the moment she spotted the laughing foal hovering over head, in his hooves her signature hat. His mother could only roll her eyes at the playful colt, calling out his name sternly:
"Pound Cake. Give it back to your Aunt Applejack right now."
"Aw......" the pegasus colt whined, dropping the hat back onto her blonde mane.
"But Auntie AJ never said-"
"It's Aunt Applejack," his mother corrected subtly, at least in her opinion. Pound Cake could only huff in displeasure, his once-lively wings whizzing to a halt as he hovered back down to the floor.
"Now, what do you say?"
"Sorry..."
"Nah, it's okay, sugarcube," the mare said with an edging smile.
"Why don'tcha go upstairs? Ah'm sure ya can practice ya flyin' up in ya bedroom."
The colt merely crossed his hooves, his wings dragging him sluggishly up the stairs with only a tenuous peer over a shoulder at Applejack and his mother, before disappearing from their view.
At that point, Mrs. Cake let out a disgruntled sigh the moment she finished polishing the glass, the counter almost incandescent at the restoration of its former cleanness. The aging mare settled back onto the stool, her sullen, pursed lips prompting Applejack to ask:
"What's wrong, Missus Cake?"
There was the blunt moment of silence, before the older mare spoke:
"Things are different these days. It just doesn't feel right, not without Pinkie around."
Applejack could only glance down to the floor, her hooves acting all tingly again.
She had to admit that Mrs. Cake was right: the cheery, jubilant atmosphere of Sugarcube Corner had diminished once the news of Pinkie's demise reached the Cake family. Pinkie's room was left empty, the door opened a few times only to feed Gummy, who had grown to the size of a baby foal, and they disallowed anypony renting it out. Even Pound Cake and Pumpkin Cake had missed what they have called the 'funnest, craziest foalsitter ever', though it wasn't only them who were still recovering from their loss.
Twilight had barred any visits to the library for a few days after their return, even kicking Spike out whilst saying she needed a moment to run things through. She later reappeared unscathed after the Princess had a private talk with her, though the remorse was still lingering around the corners of her face.
Rainbow was usually seen doing laps for two days prior, even in harsh weathers. After that, she told everypony else she was alright, and nopony dared to talk of the loud sobs in the rain after that.
Rarity seemed fine, though Spike did talk about her tossing and turning at night, once even shrieking in her sleep. It never seemed to have subsided yet, however, as Applejack had recently seen her trot around the plains in the latest hours, sometimes even joining her with a small mug of coffee. She herself cried to sleep sometimes and, like Rarity to Sweetie Belle, she sometimes had to sleep with Apple Bloom. Sometimes her younger sister would talk about Pinkie's cheery grin or her exuberant personality, though they would quickly switch topics after that.
Fluttershy was hit the hardest. Like the last time, she snapped one night after hours of complete sobbing, her screaming and shouting attracting the attention - and the fear - of all of Ponyville towards her cottage. She became increasingly hostile to everypony else except for Big Mac, even threatening to rip all the animals that have housed in her room. It wasn't until she and her soon-to-be husband (they have planned to marry in February) talked things through that she calmed down, immediately apologizing to everypony about everything she had said. Ever since the said incident, the butter-colored pegasus now always got her way.
The other problem they had was of enacting her tombstone: Princess Celestia personally requested for none to be carved for her, even when Twilight and the rest of Ponyville had protested against it. Princess Luna, who had miraculously recovered from her injuries due to the systematic procedures of Caduceus Brineheart, had demanded the same, saying that she will forbid any such 'blasphemy', as the alicorn had inaptly put it, on the 'toils of the earth'.
It was then that Twilight received the invitation of the Princess for the job in Canterlot, to trace the origins of Janus and how he was connected with the troubles of Pendant Lakes. That would be true justice, the Princess has told Twilight, and Twilight to them.
But in the end, they all have to agree: there was nothing left that could fill the empty hole of their longing hearts with her cherry cupcakes or her quirky smile.
"Applejack!!" a distraught voice called out, the mare recognizing it to be Apple Bloom's.
The farmpony peered out of the front door of Sugarcube Corner, squinting her eyes as her younger sister hastily galloped towards her, panting out in short breaths.
"What is it, Bloom?" Applejack asked. Judging from the sweat draining down her body and her tousled bow and mane, she was sure it something frantic.
Her theories were proven true when Apple Bloom said it aloud, her sister immediately paling at the thought of it before galloping off into the direction of Carousel Boutique, racing against the accursed wheels of time as the two words that she had said chased her down the path:
"It's Spring!!"
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"Hurry now, y'all!"
The crescendo of galloping hooves pattered up the hills in the flowery pastures of the sunset as Rarity followed her friend across the brisk grass of the plains. Spike, Twilight and Sweetie Belle were alongside her, their concern for the sick filly elevated to new heights once they were notified of what happened.
Spring had collapsed while playing with Scootaloo and Apple Bloom, with Gracia watching from afar. The filly's guardian had instructed Scootaloo to stay with her, and the other filly to call the rest over, whilst she herself went to write a letter to Doctor Brineheart in Canterlot.
Sure enough, Scootaloo was seen trying to comfort the crying and trembling filly on the floor, her shallow breathing rapid with her Cutie Mark strangely burning an incandescent white, which only seemed to worsen once they arrived.
"Spring," Rarity knelt down first, clutching her shivering hoof whilst Scootaloo stepped aside. It was cold and frigid, her condition made even more palpable by her quavering expression of fear.
"Doctor Brineheart's coming to help. Just hold on."
"I see..." Spring began to mutter, "I see lights..."
From afar came Apple Bloom, the yellow filly shepherding Octavia, Rainbow Dash, Soarin', Fluttershy and Big Mac over. She immediately fell beside her sister the moment they arrived, gasping heedlessly for air.
"Is... she... al... right?" she panted.
"Lights..." the filly croaked, her bountiful energy ebbing away. "They're calling me home...... they're dancing... like...... pretty fireflies.... they want me to join their parade."
A fleeting shadow made all of them look up as the royal chariot flew over their heads, pulled by two virile, ever-humorless guards, always loyal to the mare that had honorably entrusted them their duty and position.
The said alicorn stepped down from the chariot, her luminescent mane sparkling in the sunset she had halted whilst guiding her sister slowly towards the huddled group, still prone to her injuries. Doctor Brineheart ran ahead of them, his sweaty face and breathless tone only proving his anxiety as he demanded:
"Away! Give her some air, for land sakes!!"
Rarity rose immediately, letting the doctor take over as he placed a hoof tenderly over Spring's forehead, his other available hoof reaching for his medical bag, pulling out a stethoscope. The rest could only step back and watch solemnly as the last kind of the royal family struggled between the borders life and death, her tears flowing out shakily.
"Enough..." she weakly whispered.
"Caduceus Brineheart," Princess Celestia's feathered tone stepped in.
"The filly has made her decision."
The doctor wanted to question the act, though somehow the alicorn read her thoughts, as she spoke once more:
"She has suffered enough. Isn't it but a doctor's job to relieve and soothe his patients of their pain?"
"R-Rarity..."
Spring's feverish request for the unicorn's presence prompted Caduceus to step to the side, allowing Rarity to kneel back down to her. The filly forced out a quivering smile once she had seen her face, her drooped ears straining to rise back up again.
"R-remember?" she spoke with a aching grunt.
"When I told you...... that I will spread l-love to all the four corners of Equestria...?"
The white mare gave a firm nod, struggling to hold her pained smile.
"C-ca.... can-" Spring coughed suddenly, the rest suppressing their gasps once she stopped.
"Can I just wi-wish it to happen?"
Rarity turned to the Princess, who gave a slow, permissive nod.
"Of course you can, Spring," the fashion designer answered. "Wishes do come true sometimes. You'll never know when yours would."
"Then I'm happy..."
Spring's eyes slowly closed, before she suddenly fluttered them open again, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest slowing down. Her grip on the white unicorn's hoof tightened firmly, her troubled tears leaking to a halt.
"That this is a dream within a dream..."
Another barrage of coughs assaulted her throat, before her weak smile started to fade, her eyelids closing to a halt. The last of the lingering warmth in her hooves burned down the candlewick of her lifeline, before she extinguished it with a sickly, languishing expel of air, her chest steadily falling to a standstill.
Her hoof went limp, triggering the strained whimper that Rarity had been holding back. She started to sob in Spike's chest, the dragon only able to wrap his arms around her.
The teardrops fell around him as Caduceus marched towards the filly, quietly saying a prayer with a hoof on her cold forehead.
"Rest, my child," he murmured silently.
"Let the lights that invited you parade you through the streets of the next world, and your spirit reunite with those of your kin. Let the silence of mourning be your world of laughter, and find an eternal peace for your relishing."
"Just a question, Princess," Twilight said, turning to her teacher.
"What does she mean when she spoke of the 'dream within a dream'? Was it the poem she was mentioning?"
"The very same, by Edgar Stallion Poe," the alicorn replied with a nod, her eyes still fixed as Caduceus lifted the filly's body up, whispering to it like a newborn child while they march towards Ponyville.
"Of leaving the ones you love behind as your love for each other reaches mortality. That any hope that had spurred all the memorable moments and lives together will be lost in the transitions of time. When he speaks of shores, he meant the waves of time and how merciless it engulfs our lives, while he tried to hold on a few precious moments of time: the grains of golden sand."
"The time passes, and he regrets his decisions. He regrets letting go the many wondrous memories that made him whole. And in the ephemeral nature that time possesses, it all becomes a matter of twisted perception of reality: that what happens around him feels more like twice a disconnection from reality or, in other words, a dream within a dream."
The alicorn closed her eyes for a brief moment, before opening them with a quiet sigh as she continued:
"That's what Spring had seen. That Harmony had been twisted by the very lies that Janus had given to her. And she became merciless as time, sweeping past all her memories with Winter in the past. As such, every single one of them succumbed into becoming the devil she had solely desired, and the fates of both Winter and her were sealed. By the time Harmony had realized her mistakes, it was too late, as 'time', meaning herself, had already finished her job."
"The story of laurels and lace was one that Spring had prophesied when she was young, of the ending of the Palgiot line of the family," Princess Celestia finished.
"And yet, such a frail being could not stop it from happening. In the end, she became the last pony to live and, through the cruel hooves of time, she herself wanted to believe it was a dream within a dream."
"You mean......" Twilight began, having pondering at her teacher's explanation.
"Spring wanted this to be a dream?"
With that, the alabaster alicorn gave a conclusive nod.
"And, in the end, she was the last Palgiot in the family to pass on, and the legacy that they have held for this whole time diminished just like that."
"Then what about Pinkie?" the lavender unicorn asked.
"How is she related into this?"
"She was dragged into this by accident by the fact that she and Harmony were friends, and that she had, coincidentally, relations with Janus as well."
Princess Celestia furrowed her brows in deep thought, surmising at her answer.
"Whoever Janus is, his plans expand to such an extent that even Pinkie, Fluttershy and the dragons were involved. Something bigger is happening not only in Equestria, but throughout the world. For now, all we can do is hope."
"Hope?" Twilight asked again, dropping her head to the side.
"Hope for what?"
The reply to her question was short and simple, yet perplexing in every way.
"For the future."
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Lowering his smoking rifle to the right, he squinted his eyes as he gazed into the lush woodlands that surrounded him, the plentiful of life already scattered away due to his distant pursuit at a stray deer, which - he cursed at himself for it - he had completely missed.
He trudged past a few fallen, tufted logs, heading towards the only target that his bewitched bullet had caught: the splintered wood of a tree bark. Instead of what could've been a leather hide to brace for the night (which was chilly in the high-altitude forests that he was in, even in the season of spring) he might've murdered a family of termites that were seeking for something for a New Year feast, seeing how old these trees are.
His woolly hat, skinned from a raccoon, was starting to smell in the moisture, and he would've discarded it if not for the frosty air that lingers around. Without further ado, he unfurled the map that poked out from the sides of his travelling bag, glancing down at the faint markings and the scenery before him.
Raising his watch, which had a built-in mini compass at the bottom of the clock face, his eyes crossed as the needle pointed towards the ornate W, prompting him to trace his exact location.
"Seventy six meters south of the caravan..." he mumbled. By caravan, he meant the rest of the team. They were a jubilant bunch, he had to admit, always enjoying the prospect of adventure, legends, myths and food and cider over the cozy warmth of the campfire. All their gathered stocks were loaded in a large caravan (thus the given name) in which they traveled everywhere with. There was usually no problem about moving it around, even onto mountains and such. After all, his teammates were what other ponies would've called adaptive.
"Fifty meters northeast of Violetshine Ridge... hunting range is fifteen meters from it..."
His slender tail flicked impatiently, the sight making him wonder for the hundredth time if it had a life of its own. Unlike his mane, which was, safe to say, normal, his tail had the ability to catch on fire. In the most dire of times, it would come to use, as its length and considerable elasticity made it functional as a fire whip. There was one time that he had saved a family from being eaten by three manticores with it, though that was another story.
Most of the time, when there was no action, he could only see it as a nuisance. He had wanted to murder whichever lunatic of his ancestors that had a fling with some crazy, flaming beast, although surprisingly, he was the first in his family to be named after their inherited specialty of their tails.
Phoenix Mellow was his name, and his tail was his 'treasured' possession and probably, he dare say, feted even by the greatest of adventurers like Daring Do herself.
Despite his everyday hightail from modern civilization, he had read books such as those when he had the chance, though the stories he had heard during the plentiful journeys that he had crossed through were more of his genre. His team had just ventured across the Perennial Straits into the borders of Aston, and had sought to stop by the nearby town of Burnt Hay Creek after learning of what ponies would've called 'cultural differences' in the isolated town.
The hunting range that he was searching for immediately came to his view and, by Celestia's bolstering flank, a white antelope. Phoenix had heard stories of their hides being softer than the tufts of the Malmoreau Eagles, and those were already fluffy enough to stuff a filly's teddy bear!
With that, he pitched his gun to his shoulder, his eyes affixed towards the unwary target. Slowly and steadily, he trudged through the undergrowth as he neared his prize, the animal still obliviously grazing at the various ferns on the forest floor. He licked his lips greedily, edging one more step closer...
*SNAP*
Phoenix immediately gazed down, his eyes widening at the sight of a broken twig beneath his hooves.
"Motherbu-"
In an instant, the antelope suddenly galloped away, forcing him to chase after it. The pony galloped after it, hopping clumsily over the numerous logs and rocks dotted over the landscape. He tried to picture the exact direction that he was heading towards in his mental map, though it wasn't necessary.
His eyes shrank to the size of pinpricks, before his hooves recoiled, rapidly kicking back at the dirt as he skidded across the dense undergrowth. The friction burned like what his tail would've felt if it was just another tail, before grinding to halt, his hooves dangling just off the edge of the immensely long drop off Violetshine Ridge.
Phoenix cursed at himself again. Of all the stupidest, most idiotic things that he could do...
Glancing around, the grand prize had already darted away. Brushing the specks of dirt and mud off his body, he sniffed the air, trying to detect the antelope or any other unlucky beast that had dared cross his temperamental mood.
"Dried black-ridged mushrooms... yellow thrush nest... fox den..." he reported to himself.
The many wonderful (he wasn't sure if 'wonderful' was the perfect word for it) aromas of nature tingled in his nose, the colt singlehoofedly able to distinguish one from the other. He inhaled again, harder this time, as he trudged away from the treacherous cliff.
"Red-striped snakeskin," which reminded him to notify of the possibility of such hazards to his friends while they camp for the night, "morning glory honey... cotton candy... alpine badger fur..."
Wait. Cotton candy?
Shaking his head to push his sweet-toothed thoughts out, Phoenix sniffed again, the foreign scent confirming his puzzlement, yet only adding to his delirium. What kind of animal would adorn such a sugary smell?
His pacing quickened the moment he got closer to the scent, which grew stronger with every step forward. His eyes scanned through the dense undergrowth, before stumbling upon something in the far distance.
It was pink. Whatever it was.
He galloped closer, his shock running to the tip of his tail at the sight of a pony. It was a pink mare, with her mane drooping down her sides like a curtain, her tail doing the same. Her body was badly bruised black and blue, her visible side of the head, from his direction, painted with a running streak of blood. On her hoof laid a mud-covered sapphire-golden hoop, embedded with a diamond in the center, the sight of it making his eyes sparkle.
Placing his rifle aside, Phoenix knelt down to the mare, slightly relieved at the sight of her breathing, albeit a shallow, panicked one. He quickly shook her, his ears drooping as the response that came was none.
"Wake up," he hissed.
The mare's eyes squirmed, her mouth muttering a little. Brushing her mane aside, Phoenix examined her head wound, biting his lip at the possibility of its depth and its possible severity, not to mention how exposed it was to all the wildlife.
"Wake up, miss," he tried again, shaking her. Finally, there was a small mumble, her eyes slowly opening hazily before glancing around the forest.
"Wh-where am I..."
"You're in the Violetshine Woods," he replied hastily, the mare only blinking at him.
"Violetshine?" he continued, "In the region of Aston? The states of Northern Equestria?"
"E-Equestria...?" she muttered, clutching her aching head.
"What... what kind of place is that...?"
Phoenix's jaw dropped the moment she said that, his gaze switching from her broken expression to her bleeding head. It wasn't long before they've heard another pony's voice, the stallion recognizing it as one of his friends.
"Phoenix!" it cried out from the dense undergrowth.
"What's taking you so long? The rest of them's a-waiting!"
"Ollivander!!" he shouted back, brushing his disheveled mane aside, his tail swishing about frantically.
"Get some help! Now! I'll explain later!!"
The soft rustling and the affirmative, screeching squawk that accompanied it was enough to tell him his friend had done as he asked. Phoenix turned back to the mare, watching her with concern as she cringed towards a tree, the stallion speaking in a tender voice:
"I'm a friend, alright? And I'm here to tell you that you're confused and lost. Could I at least know what's your name?"
"I..." she began, the colt able to see her straining her head at that.
"I don't know......"
"You must have a name!" he retorted.
"Just think harder, miss. Think harder. You can do it..."
The mare did as he had encouraged, clenching her eyes tightly with her veins already visible on her forehead whilst she squeezed her brain juice. She scratched at the dirt on the ground, searching through the nethers of her head before grasping upon a very small figment of words; one that made her face lit up immediately.
"What is it?" Phoenix asked again, to which she reluctantly responded:
"It's... it's D-Diane..."
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There we go! Final chapter of the story!
Yes, she's alive (as well as somepony else). Yes, there's a sequel (I sense pesterin' a-comin')
Yes, you'll have to wait until my Christmas fic is over so I could get started on it.
Anyways, thanks to all you guys who had stuck around until the very end. You know who you guys are
I'm glad you guys, and girls, and frogs held onto it despite the crammy length of it.
Half a year, and the story's finished, though expect the sequel to arrive soon! I'm still thinking of what to name it, so it might take a while
Any other questions about Laurels that were left unanswered, you can leave it in the comments or PM me about it. I'll be more than happy to answer it for you!
Lastly, f
ck the end of the world!
PEACE!
nice story, i specially love the Sparity on it, to be honest xD
and i'm happy she's alive after all. I don't like people dieying
1819856
Well, they are a cute couple *squee*
Glad that you like it! I might expand their relationship a little further in the sequel
1819871
more sparity? then i'm in!
Amnesia... Janus is still alive I'm betting if Pinkie is as well. And this hunter we find right at the end, is he a descendant of Jovern?
1820092
Phoenix is just a completely new character with no relations to anyone in the whole story whatsoever.
He's going to be one of the main OCs in the sequel, so his background would be elaborated once I get to a certain chapter.
1820114
Huh... The fire-tail thing made me think he's part dragon.
A truly epic story and so looking forward to the sequel. Hope the sequel has moe Sparity in it as well. 345K words and still nowhere near the longest I've read. Longest I've read is 1.2 million words and its sequel just passed 2 million words and it isn't even complete lol.
1847273
I never would dare to type a story that long.
Typing this story nearly killed my brain, so I couldn't imagine myself doing that.
1918572
There is an explanation for that, actually. It'll be mentioned along the lines of this story but fully explained in the sequel (and yes, there is a sequel)
1821281>>1819909>>1820490>>1353064
Just in case you guys didn't know...
The sequel is up if you want to take a look.
It just started so don't expect much questions being raised yet. And yes, the first chapter is kinda short.
1941472
I know. Thanks through
1941472
woohoo i'nm readin!!! : D thankya!
This was great!!!! I just have a slight question. Did you imply a TwiLuna paring or am I completely nuts?
Are you planning a happy ending for the sequel or are all of them going to be tragic. I totally called the Harmony being more then the villain thing. I actually felt for her. I liked Pinkie Pie and Rarity after reading though so you get a like and a favorite for that. To make me like Rarity is no small task. 
2636744
Completely nuts
The sequel and how it ends... you'll have to wait and see
It'll be a little bit more ambitious on the twists and turns, that I can tell you.
Oh yeah, and thanks for the like and fave!
you sir have seem to have written a story I can't read in one night.... Just for this I give you a like and flave.... Thank you for writing epic stories that in thrall the readers and make couples understand and enjoy each others company more. Thanks !
3834792
You're welcome, I guess?
Thanks for the fave! And check out the sequel if you have the time!
It'll be as epic as this one, that I can promise!
6812872
allisonmaruska.files.wordpress.com/2015/10/we-need-to-go-deeper.jpg
6826770
It was a harmless mistake, but I just couldn't resist. Haha!
Story rocks! Can't put it down!
My god was this one Hell of a story!!! I give you a bonus for only having strait ships at least what I saw. If the next story has flashlight in it then you will have earned a follow.
6829805
(Thirty-three weeks later...)
Hey, I wrote a Flashlight story! I totally wasn't shamelessly self-promoting or fishing in for follows or anything!
In all seriousness, I wrote this with a certain kind of intent and I wanna hear your opinions about it, if you'd like.
7527627
Awesome I'll go look at it now. I'm mostly disabled right now so I cant do much so I'm glad there is a story I can read! I'll tell you what I think of it!
Well, the story is over but the books go on.
It was a good story.