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I can still remember it. The moment when all feeling left my body. The world went dark. My ears fell deaf. My body became still. I was not even certain if I still drew breath. It was the moment I both dreaded, yet invited. The moment where I was to pass from the world of the living into the sweet cold embrace of death.

And yet... Mere moments later... At least I assume it was that long... I felt warmth returning to me. And the touch of a hard object gently rubbing or shaking me. A hoof? Why could I feel it through my armor? My eyes opened. And...I was not out in the ruined courtyard just outside the Canterlot labyrinth. I was home. Inside the cottage I share with Fluttershy. And there she was standing beside me.

At first, I was filled with a powerful chill. The Fluttershy I knew was gone. Replaced with a vile sadistic monster with a penchant for inflicting pain. And yet, she smiled at me with the same tender grin she would often show me and spoke in a sweet and quiet tone of voice I feared I would never hear again. "Are you all right, dear? You looked like you weren't dreaming very well. Was it a bad dream?"

Her colors were vibrant and soft, not the somewhat washed out grayish hues she was colored in the last time I had seen her. I certainly did not feel like I was dreaming. But... That horrific battle... The betrayals I suffered at the hooves of the most important people in my life... Was it all a nightmare?

Still not entirely certain of what had happened, or that the suffering and even madness I had just gone through had all been in my head, I slowly brought myself to a sitting position. I was resting on the sofa right beside the stairwell in the front room. I looked directly at Fluttershy, my beautiful lover still showing me that tender gaze she always has in her eyes. "Uh... I don't know... Did something happen recently with someone called Discord?"

She seemed familiar with the name, appearing both baffled and shocked at my words. "Discord? That was a few years ago. But everything's all right now. Are you feeling OK? You didn't eat anything weird before you took that nap, did you?"

That battle... It happened all that time ago and I did not even remember what happened between then and now? What was wrong with me? But even then, I was filled with a terrible uncertainty. Fluttershy was fine and standing right in front of me. But what about... "Uh... Honey? Is it all right if I head into town for a little while? Just to take a walk? I need to clear my head."

Her response was quick, yet sweet and sincere. Fluttershy smiled tenderly at me before reaching out and placing a kiss on my cheek. "You do look a little groggy. Maybe you should get some fresh air. Just be sure to come home before long. I'll be starting on dinner in a while."

That little kiss did wonders in helping me bury my doubts about her. Fluttershy was truly back to normal. But what about everypony else? I was even somewhat apprehensive of what I would find outside. But once I did pass through the front door, I saw the vast meadow and the winding dirt road that led into Ponyville in the distance. Many little animals were scurrying here and there, going about their daily activities. It was idyllic, yet completely routine. Nothing was amiss.

Was I just worrying myself over nothing? There did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary. But if that was the case, why were those memories... I had to find my friends. I needed to make certain that they were still themselves. And so I crossed the bridge in front of my home and then ventured towards Ponyville with the warm summer sun beating down on me with a fair number of clouds in the sky.

The day certainly felt pleasant. A gentle breeze was picking up now and then and things were rather quiet. Pretty much the only sound that broke the silence was the sound of windswept prairie grass swaying in the breeze. It is quite different from the sound of leaves rustling in the trees. It actually calmed me. Made me stop in my tracks as I just allowed myself to bask in the beauty of the nature around me for a moment. If nothing else, it reminded me of how great life tends to be when you live in Equestria. Especially in a place like Ponyville.

Once I did resume my walk, I soon found myself inside Ponyville proper. There was a modest amount of activity with the locals as they went about their activities. The streets even felt rather quiet. I knew what day of the week it was just by the lack of activity alone. It was a Sunday. No wonder I was not at work.

The only friend of mine I knew for certain that was still herself was Rainbow Dash, so I did not immediately search for her. Despite this, she was the first I found. Before getting far, I just happened to notice that bold and beautiful pegasus just lounging around on a low cloud. Actually, I doubt 'low' would do it justice. I almost tripped over her when the cloud she was lying on drifted in front of my legs. It was floating maybe no more than a foot off the ground.

With such a spectacular display of laziness right in front of my, I could not even say anything. I merely stared as she drifted by. But once her face drifted under my shadow, Rainbow lazily lifted an eye open. That prompted her to stand at attention and lose that sleepy gaze right away, lifting her head before glancing down at herself. "Uh... Heheh... Yeah... Chose a heavy one today. Almost heavy enough for fog."

I snickered briefly at those words. Rainbow certainly loves speed, but she also loves to take it easy too. Maybe too easy. "No worries. At least you won't get hurt much if you roll off it in your sleep."

"Yeah, I guess... Anyway..." Rainbow Dash then hopped up onto her hooves and smiled at me. "What's up? Not much going on in town today. Just taking a walk?"

"Kind of... In all honesty, I was just looking for my friends." I retorted honestly, knowing that the response was way too simple and sounded more like something a child would say. At least in hindsight.

Sure enough, that caused Rainbow Dash to look at me a bit cockeyed. "Your friends? Last I checked, you've got plenty in town. Just look around! They're never far!"

"I mean... My most important friends. And you're one of them. You know what I mean, right?" I said while trying to be a bit more specific.

Those words prompted a rather adorable reaction from my brash and brazen friend. Her ears cutely lowered at the sound of those words. "Oh... You mean us. Well..." Was she blushing? "That's...uh...really flattering, James. Well, you found me. Something wrong? You've already found Fluttershy, right?"

"Yeah, she woke me up from a nap. But do you know where I can find the others?" I replied while trying to not sound lonely or desperate. I was just...fearful considering what I remembered from that dream. Of course, that is assuming it WAS just a dream...

Rainbow Dash was all too happy to point me in the right direction. "Well, You'll find Applejack over at Sweet Apple Acres. Still plenty of apples to harvest at this time of year. Gotta get them ready for cider! Then you'll find Twilight at home. Stuck reading some books Princess Celestia assigned to her. You know how things can be with that egghead. You'll find Pinkie Pie at home at Sugarcube Corner. No telling what she's up to. And if you don't find Rarity at the café, you'll find her at the Carousel Boutique. Seriously, most ponies just take it easy on Sundays."

I reached out and gently stroked my friend's mane. I know she would have preferred a kiss, but considering we were out in public, she would not have been not entirely comfortable to let herself be seen being sweet on someone. "Thanks, Rainbow. I'll let you get back to your nap then."

"Thanks, big guy. Anyway..." She stretched her arms out wide and yawned before falling backwards onto her cloud again. Almost immediately, I heard light snoring. I rolled my eyes at my lazy friend while I walked away, wishing I could nod off as easily as her.

My next destination was the nearest location I could find. Sugarcube Corner. Right as I was approaching the door, I stepped out of the way as it swung open to reveal a merrily humming Derpy Hooves carrying a basket of fresh muffins by her mouth. She clearly did not notice me since she went trotting right by me. It was all right if she did not have time to shoot the breeze though. I was looking for someone else. Once I was inside, I was greeted by the familiar sweet smell of various baked treats. And by the cheerful grin of Pinkie Pie standing behind the counter.

"Hey there, James! What can I get you? We have a fresh batch of your favorites! Chocolate drops! You want icing on them?" She called out in a show of cheerful and friendly exuberance I feared I would never see in her again. Her call to me had such volume and passion in it that for a brief instant, I mistook it for the bitter anger that I had last heard from her.

I stood back for a moment, my eyes carefully scanning my friend ahead of me. Her coat and mane and tail were filled with the familiar vibrant hues of pink that gave credence to her name. Her big blue eyes gazed at me with constant alertness and hospitality, though her mouth soon curved into a small frown after I said nothing for a moment. Finally, she even tilted her head to one side a bit. "You OK? James, I'm right here. You remember me, right? Pinkie Pie? One of your bestest friends in all of Equestria? Why're standing way over there still? You're supposed to be over here by now!"

After what I went through with her... After what I heard her yell at me in that dream... Assuming it was just a dream... After that, there were...no words of relief I could say to express how overwhelmingly glad I was to see that Pinkie Pie was still the same overly joyful mare she was when I first met her. Finally, I extended a hand to her. "Uh... Before I do anything... Could you come here for a minute?"

"Huh? OK, sure. What's up?" She replied before coming out from behind the counter and trotting over to me while I got down on one knee. Once she came within range, I reached out and wrapped my arms around the base of her neck and pulled her in for a tight embrace. And for once, Pinkie Pie was not entirely sure of how to respond. I doubt that happens to her often. "James...?"

"I'm just glad you're still you..." I said while I felt a barely detectable pressure in my eyelids. The building of tears. I was tempted to cry. The waves of relief and the feeling of some closure after that nightmare was almost more than I could take. But I endured. I did not let a single whimper or sniffle escape my lips. If Pinkie Pie heard the slightest sob, she would not rest until she knew what was wrong with me. And I did not wish to trouble her any further.

"Well, of course I'm still me! There's only one Pinkie Pie, isn't there?" I heard my friend exclaim before she wrapped her arms around me as well, letting my arms slide down to her upper back. "Unless we're talking about the Mirror Pool. Then there might be dozens of Pinkie Pies! But that's for another episode."

It did not matter to me what her random and nonsensical words were alluding to. I had my irreplaceable friend back and that was the important thing at that moment. But before I could dwell on it any further, Pinkie Pie pulled away from me before showing a big toothy grin. "Anyway, hang on for just a few minutes! I got something to give you!"

http://youtu.be/YhHvh93fdPw

I did not even get a chance to say anything. She just rushed back into the kitchen like she was on a mission she could not ignore. And so I decided to wait. And roughly five minutes later, Pinkie Pie returned with a platter in her mouth. "Here you go! I just know you're gonna love these!"

There was not anything of any grand extravagance on the platter. Just seven chocolate drops arranged in a bit of a diamond formation. But what really drew my attention was the icing she had placed on each. The one at the top of the formation was clearly a six-armed star. The same one on Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark. She even added the white 'shine' between the bases of the arms and tiny little white dots too. Going clockwise, there was clearly Rainbow Dash's cutie mark with red, blue, and yellow icing making up the lightning bolt and white for the cloud it was bursting from. Next was Pinkie Pie's, show one yellow balloon and two light blue ones with white strings hanging down. At the bottom was Rarity's, sporting three delicious looking light blue diamonds. Moving back up was Fluttershy's cutie mark, showing three little butterflies of pink and sea foam green. Or perhaps turquoise? Lastly, there was Applejack's cutie mark with three red apples and a tiny green stem on top of each. It was both endearing to see all of my friends cutie marks placed on my favorite treats and downright impressive that Pinkie Pie has the patience and focus to create so many detailed designs on a small round pastry. But what caught my eye was the one at the center. A seventh chocolate drop topped with a design done in white icing. My cutie mark. Twin white dove shapes with talons clasped and wings spread to create the shape of a heart between them.

Was Pinkie trying to tell me something? If it had been any other time, I would have found it very cute and touching. But with memories of that dream still fresh in my mind, it hit me in a way I was not expecting. Try as I might, I felt and heard myself choke while tears built in my eyes. I took the platter in hand, leaving Pinkie Pie's mouth free while I gazed down at the lovely treats before me. It was then that the tears flowed and Pinkie knew that something was definitely wrong. "James...?"

I could not contain my emotions. Not this time. I set the platter on the counter and dropped to my knees before embracing her once more without a word. A pathetic whimper echoed in my throat despite keeping my lips sealed while my body shuddered. The designs on those chocolate drops... Why did they seem so beautiful to me at that moment? Was it a reminder of what I felt I had nearly lost?

"James... Come on, you can stop crying now... Is something wrong?" I heard Pinkie Pie ask softly while she patted her hoof on my back. I knew I was worrying her, bless her loyal and optimistic soul. I pulled away from her until we were looking right at each other once again. "Come on... You can always tell Pinkie Pie what's wrong. I swear I'll listen..."

I wanted to put it into words. Tell her how joyful I was to know that I still had her in my life after thinking I had lost her forever. You do not know what it is you have until you are faced with the horror of having it turn on you and abandon you. Even if it was just a very convincing dream... I wanted to tell her, but...the words just would not come out. "I... I don't want to talk about it... I mean...I can't say it... Don't know how to say it... Just... Thank you for these. I love them."

That look on her face clearly told me that Pinkie Pie was far from convinced. She knew something was wrong and she probably was going to go out of her way to find out what. Not that I minded. Regardless, she did show a concerned smile and nuzzled my cheek. "I was hoping you would. I've been trying to get those just right for a while. Personalized cutie mark chocolate drops! I just know they're gonna be a big hit!"

That sounded like an awesome idea, to be honest. Not to mention the sheer variety of icing patterns on them would be staggering. But regardless, I was still feeling emotionally overwhelmed as I stood up and looked down at the platter of cutie mark chocolate drops. "Say... Would you mind taking a photo of this before I eat them? I don't want to forget this..."

"I was just thinking about that!" Pinkie replied while pulling up a large camera that seemed meant for taking larger panorama shots. She seemed to notice this after a second and stashed it away behind herself, probably in her 'Pinkie Space', and pull out a smaller and much more conventional black camera with a fairy large lens extending from the body. "Can you hold that up on an angle a bit so I can get a better shot?"

I did as I was requested and lifted the back edge of the platter until it was up on a fairly steep angle without the chocolate drops sliding off. There was a click and flash, and then Pinkie Pie stashed the camera away. "Great shot! Anyway, I'll go get you some milk to go with those."

I spent the next several minutes enjoying the chocolate drops Pinkie Pie had fixed up for me. While seven is a bit much, I was feeling particularly famished. God, those were good... The icing only made them better. I should get some more sometime. What cutie marks should I ask her to add? Maybe Lyra's? It would be flattering to see Celestia's cutie mark on them. Or maybe even the hypothetical cutie marks of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. In any case, once I finished those up with the glass of fresh milk Pinkie Pie brought out, I said my goodbyes and left to make my way over to Twilight's home since it was closest at that time. Although I had the strangest hunch I would be seeing Pinkie again pretty soon.

The trek to the library was fairly uneventful despite me expecting to be ambushed by Pinkie Pie at some point. Although I swear I did see a rather conspicuous bale of hay at one point. It was weird. Even though a bale of hay would not be out of place around Sweet Apple Acres, and Ponyville is very close to it, the little thing somehow caught my attention. Even so, it could not be anything important. Could it?

I soon found myself standing right outside the only home or establishment in the entire town that was built into a tree. It felt refreshing to be back. I paused while beholding the great tree house. Twilight... She was the only one I did not see turn against me, but I also did not see her in the end when... I really was not certain of what to expect. I thought I lost her two. But maybe like Rainbow Dash, she... I kept forgetting that it was just a dream. Just a dream... But why did it not feel like a dream?

When I started to reach for the door, I stopped partway. It almost felt like I was forgetting something. And that was when it hit me. "Wait!" I suddenly jumped back. And roughly a second later, the door burst open to reveal Spike with his back to me and a stack of books in his hands. "Ha! Didn't get me that time!"

"Didn't get who... Oh, hey! Sorry, can't see over this stack here. What's up?" Spike asked while looking at me over his shoulder as he walked backwards out of the house. I never did figure out where he even takes all those books. I know he takes care of replenishing various supplies around the library such as scrolls and ink, but I never asked where those books go. Does Twilight run a book rental service where Spike delivers the books that are wanted when they are returned?

"Hey there, Spike. I was just looking for Twilight. Is she home?" I asked in return while idly glancing up at the tree before me. My first guess was that she was on the second floor.

Spike nodded while starting to back around me. "Yeah, she's home. I last saw her in the loft. But I gotta get going. Need to deliver these. See you around, James!" He then walked off with that stack of books towering over him. He certainly is tireless in his duties. Dragons must have a lot of power in their bodies. The kids must be no different.

I found Owlowiscious fast asleep on his perch when I ducked into the library's first floor. As you would expect from a library, the place was quiet. Although I could hear soft classical music coming from somewhere upstairs. Twilight's tastes in music are rather broad and she has no specific favorite type, but I do hear her playing classical music on her phonograph more often than anything else. Following the tune, I went upstairs.

My heart was strangely tense. I could not imagine Twilight of all people betraying me. In fact, out of all six of my dearest friends, she gives me the impression that she would be the last to even consider it. When I reached the loft, I did not immediately see her. Although I did see the phonograph that was playing the vinyl record that was providing the music. Plenty of piano and violin were heard. A quick glance around the room revealed that Twilight was practically above me. Resting above me on her bed with her face in a book was Twilight Sparkle herself. No wonder she had not detected me yet.

I was uncertain if I should get her attention. Should I stay and confront my fears or just leave her in peace and assume all is well? I did not take long to decide. I knocked on the wooden wall beside me. That got her attention. She immediately lifted her head and glanced around before looking down at me. And as soon as she did, she showed me that delightful smile she always does when she sees me. "Oh, hello! What's new, James?"

I tried to smile despite my doubts. "Not much. I just wanted to see you, Twilight. Still in bed?"

She seemed a little embarrassed about that observation, if that blush in her cheeks were of any indication. "Yeah, sorry you had to see me like that. Sundays tend to be pretty lazy, so I'm just taking it easy today. But now that you're here, let me come on down." She then hopped out of bed and starting trotting over to the stairs that lead down from the upper section of the loft. All the while, she never took her eyes off me.

I followed her over to the steps that led down to the level I was on. "So, anything new? Anything I might've forgotten about?"

"Well, aside from that really weird screw up with that spell that turned me into a stallion for a day a few weeks back, nah! I'd say things have been pretty normal in town." Twilight said with a slight chuckle. Turned herself into a stallion? Wish I could have seen that. Must have been hilarious. But even so, I had no memory of that day. Why? Surely, I must have seen that. "Don't you remember? I honestly thought you were going to pass out from laughter when you found me like that."

"I don't remember..." I said briefly. I was starting to feel like I had forgotten a great deal of memories I should have. Had I been in a coma? What had I missed?

Twilight was starting to give me a concerned gaze once she reached the steps. She stopped descending when we were eye-to-eye with each other. "James, you...really don't? You were howling with laughter. How could you not remember?"

I did not have an answer and averted my gaze, a hint of doubt still lingering in my head. But Twilight could clearly see something in my eyes. "James... What's wrong? Is there something you're not telling me? You seem...afraid of something."

Analytical as always. Knowing I could not hide the fears in my heart from her, I decided to speak the truth. "I just... I only just woke up from an awful nightmare a little while ago. And I know that dreams are just dreams, but... This one felt...different. It felt too real. Even to the point where it messed with my head when I woke up."

"What happened in the dream?" Twilight asked while she lied down on the step before me.

My answer was straightforward and truthful. "To be completely honest... The most important people in my life were turned against me."

This response caused Twilight's eyes to widen in a show of possibly shock and even realization. As if she knew exactly what I was speaking of. "James... This dream didn't happen to involve Discord, did it?"

My only response to that was a nod. What Twilight did next caught me by surprise. Using the levitation spell, she pulled me closer until she was resting her hooves on my shoulders. She then spoke softly while looking me directly in the eyes. "I know what it's like to go through what you did. But just remember, it was only a dream." I felt her rest her head on my shoulder while she held me in a shockingly tight embrace. "I could never let you go, James... I love you. You're way too important for me to say goodbye to."

Such a heartfelt response. The tiny amount of doubt I held in my heart for Twilight quickly faded as I wrapped my own arms around her. "Please don't doubt me... I will never leave you... Never..."

"I won't, Twi... I know now that you would never do that." I said quietly, my head gently resting against the side of hers. A wave of relief swept over me. I knew she would never leave...

We just stood there for a minute or two. Not moving, just caressing each other in an embrace. Finally, Twilight pulled away from me and gazed at me with a somber smile before placing a tender kiss on my lips. "You know I would never leave my friends. Especially a friend as precious as you. So please... Don't let one little nightmare make you doubt us..."

I was actually starting to feel a little silly for doubting Twilight's stalwart devotion to her friends. Or to me. Her friends are just as important to her as mine are to me. We are dependant on them. That may be a weakness, but it is also a strength. Even so, with the doubt I held for most of my friends all but erased, there were still two more I needed to check on. "Thanks for still being you, Twilight. Don't ever change. But right now, I still need to see Rarity and Applejack. They're both at home, right?"

My friend nodded with a smile on her face. She seemed calmer about what I had told her too. "That's fine. I know they'd like to see you too. But if you want to see me again, just come on back anytime. I'm not going anywhere today."

I said my goodbyes with a lighter heart than before and made my way back outside. But while I was closing the door from the outside, I noticed something behind it. Another bale of hay. Was it the same one as the one I saw on my way over? Or was there some sort of promotion or special advertisement going around from some sort of...hay bale salesman where they were giving away free samples?

Regardless, since the thing was left right outside her house, I ducked under the doorway again to let her know about it. "Hey, Twilight?! I think you've got something weird in the mail today!"

Sure enough, I heard the rapid clopping of her hooves up above before they began to echo down the stairs. Twilight then came into view and looked right at me. "What was that? Something in my mail?"

"Yeah, someone dropped this off." I replied before stepping around the door and moving the bale into view. I tried to lift the thing since it was roughly the same size as Twilight herself, but it was shockingly heavy for its size and material. In the end, I had to settle for shoving it along the ground. "What's the deal with this thing?! It's heavy!"

It was pretty obvious what a hard time I was having, so Twilight saved me the trouble by using the levitation spell to pull it in. Although she seemed to drop it at first before using the spell a second time. "You're right... I had to apply more focus than usual to move it. But are you sure this is mine?"

"I would assume so. It was right outside your door." I replied while looking the thing over. It was really just a bale of hay.

Twilight seemed just as perplexed as me while she looked the thing over. "Well... I guess I could have the thing as a snack. Or maybe make some home style hay fries with it. Anyway, thanks for letting me know about this." With nothing else to say, I headed out and made my way to the southeast. The Carousel Boutique would be the best next destination for me.

I both love Sundays and dislike them. I enjoy them for bringing a much needed day of rest, but also dislike them for how dull they make the day. With so few people around, the town felt almost lifeless. I could literally talk to myself and nopony would hear me. I could not wait until tomorrow.

The southeastern edge of town is always the quietest part of town. And Rarity's home is the jewel that stands out most among all the other dwellings. I was unsure of how to approach Rarity regarding the memories of that dream, but with how she is practically my best friend, I was sure I could find a way to bring up the subject.

Knowing I did not have to knock, I pushed the boutique's front door open. The bell that hung just behind the door rang as expected, getting the attention of the only pony in the room. Surprisingly, it was not Rarity. It was someone I had all but forgotten about. Mitta, who seemed to be doing an inventory check. "Welco... Oh, James! Hello! Can I help you with anything?"

My friend trotted right over to me and into my arms for an embrace. How... In my despair during that dream, how did I forget about her? Mitta and I have always had a special bond since I discovered her and Sunny Town out in the Everfree Forest. And yet... During that brief time, I could not remember her and what we had been through. The little crimson and gray earth pony mare held onto me with one arm while I gently held her head to my chest. A small smile spread across my lips. It felt good to see her again after what felt like far too long.

"James...? Can I help you with anything? I was a little busy when you walked in." Mitta asked once more, reminding me that I had not offered an actual reply. In my mental and emotional constipation, I had only provided a few puzzled and confused mumbles. I suppose she had every right to be concerned though. My mind was still a cluttered mess of emotions.

"Sorry... I'm just...especially happy to see you right now." I said quietly while my grip on her remained firm. It almost felt like I had just been reminded of a priceless treasure I had left buried in a basement that I had only just rediscovered while looking for something else.

I heard a faint giggle from my friend while she threw her other arm around me. "I missed you too... Haven't seen you for a few days. Wanna meet up for lunch tomorrow?"

"That sounds great. But for the moment, do you know where I can find Rarity? It's kind of urgent." I replied, hoping my gorgeous friend was at least upstairs. There was no sign of her anywhere in the workroom despite having most of her equipment put away. Must have been a slow weekend.

My friend nodded with a smile while motioning for the stairwell that leads to the second floor. "Mmhm. She's right upstairs working on some custom orders right now. She said I shouldn't disturb her unless necessary, but I don't think she'd turn away one of her best friends."

That certainly saved me the trouble of hunting her down. I tenderly nuzzled Mitta's cheek with my own. "Thanks, Mitta. I'll just let you get back to work then?"

"Sure! I still have a bit of stuff to check." She then went over to a stool and picked up a clipboard with the underside of her hoof. "Now... Did I count fifty rubies or just forty-nine? And was that a half dozen pounds of gold thread or seven?"

Seeing that she was quite focused on her task, I left Mitta to her current agenda and made my way up the stairs. After passing the bathroom, I came to the door that led into Rarity's private quarters. From within, I could hear the beautiful muffled tone of her voice singing a familiar song I had come to recognize. "At home at the opera, on a fancy yacht... I'll be the talk...the talk of Canterlot. I'm the crème du la crème, not just another Jane Doe..."

It has certainly become one of my favorite songs written by her. Is Rarity secretly a songwriter? I never did ask... Regardless, I opened the door as quietly as I could to avoid disturbing her train of thought. And once I stepped into the room, I found Rarity's magic hard at work. Many pieces of fabric and accessories were flowing through the air along with small tailoring tools that were all coated by that glittering light blue magic aura. And standing at the center of the room with a dress horse before her and horn aglow with a matching billowing magic aura was Rarity herself.

I am uncertain who the attire was for, but it seemed to consist of varying hues of white, red, and gold. Went together quite well. I only saw the design that one time, so I did not have enough time to commit its form to my memory. Regardless, I waited patiently on a stool while watching my beautiful friend work her expertise and skill. It was poetry in motion, seeing the fabric being unfurled, snipped, stitched, and applied all in a veil of light blue magical energy. All the while Rarity would continue to hum and sing, doing to my ears what her little show was doing to my eyes. However, with the memories of that dream still fresh in my mind, I did not feel entirely comfortable.

After a short while, Rarity paused in her endeavors and let out a satisfied and forceful sigh. "There we go. That should go for now. Need to plan out the rest. Now then, gold lace or... Hm?"

It was then that Rarity happened to notice me behind her. I offered her a silent wave while smiling. Upon seeing me, those lovely azure eyes lit up immensely. "Darling! When did you get here?" Wasting no time, Rarity practically flung all of her supplies across the room towards her work desk. But instead of ending up in a cluttered mess, they all landed in their proper places in a very tidy fashion. Leave it to Rarity to keep her private chambers tidy. "Truly, fortune smiles upon me today. A burst of inspiration and a visit from my beloved? Only a surprise delivery of fine wine and fresh gourmet cheese could make this day perfect now!"

Before I could even say anything, she was in my arms and tenderly embracing me. "But what brings you by my home, darling? Is there something I can help you with?"

That show of suppressed love and genuine generous sweetness I had always known her for... Rarity was absolutely showering me with it. But even then, my doubt was holding me back somewhat. And sure enough, it did not take Rarity long to notice that something was not quite right. She soon pulled away and gazed at me with noticeably worried eyes. "Darling... Is something amiss? You have not even said anything. And you feel...distant."

Much like my previous friends, I decided to just be direct with my answer. "I woke up from a nap just an hour ago or so. And... The dream I had... It felt more real than most dreams. And... I wanted to see you to make sure that you were still...well...you."

Rarity was understandably baffled. It is not like she could have seen that dream for herself. She tenderly rested her upturned hoof against my cheek and gazed at me with such profound sympathy and support. "James, my dear... What was it that occurred in such a dream that could make you doubt me?"

I was uncertain if I should divulge much of what occurred to her. Especially with... I looked right at her when I asked in return, "Would you ever really...cast me aside for a boulder?"

Saying that seemed to awaken a look and feeling of shame in my friend. Her eyes glanced down and then from left to right while she slightly backed away from me. She then dropped down onto the floor again and walked over to her bed. She then looked at me and patted the soft covers. Understanding that she wanted me to approach her, I did just that. But once I took a seat, I felt myself grasped by an unseen force. Her magic.

I was forced to lean my upper body towards her, though I did not feel intimidated or worried. Rarity in turn brought her face to my own and soon closed her eyes. I knew what was coming. That precious kiss. Our lips joined, melting away much of my doubt. It was then that her magical grasp on me released me, allowing me to gently drag Rarity down to the mattress below. I felt her arm curl around me. I remember the touch of her tongue against my own. It felt as if...it had been too long. Soon, our lips parted and she gazed at me as I noticed a lone tear flow from her eyes. "How could I ever choose anything over all that you have given me?"

A twinge of guilt welled up in my heart. I swear I did not seek to make Rarity feel bad by revealing a glimmer of what she did to me in that dream. "I just... It felt real... I thought you had..."

Rarity tenderly rested her hoof over my lips while we continued to rest upon our sides. She then showed a soft smile while she whispered to me. "My love... Whatever it was you saw in that dream, think nothing of it. It was merely a dream. Nothing more. The truth is that I love you. You have been a dear friend to me for so long and you have given me so much. And in return, I have given you my heart. You are...irreplaceable to me. I could never choose anything over the boundless love you have shared with me. You will always have me, my prince. As I will always have you..."

Such powerful words... Rarity has always been one for flair and sophistication and her choice of vocabulary proved it. It felt...so touching to hear her say those things. She has always been one of my most dearest friends and I was relieved to see that had not changed. Once more, our lips as our eyes closed. Oh, what a kiss... I felt my hand rise while our tongues began to dance, feeling for something. And I felt it. Her hoof. My fingers tenderly curled over the sides while it curved towards me. The same hoof that held that bracelet I gave her a year ago. So beautiful, yet so loving. It is an honor to know that she loves me so.

This kiss lasted quite a while. When we did finally break it, albeit reluctantly, my mind was in a bit of a haze. And from that look in her eyes, Rarity's was too. But even then, we still managed to sit up and hold each other in an embrace. I heard Rarity whisper to me in an almost sorrowful whisper, "I love you, my prince..."

My hand tender caressed her silken coat on her back. And I replied in kind. "I love you too, m'lady..."

Five down. One to go. My doubts had all but faded and had been replaced with soothing relief. But there was still Applejack. I needed to make certain the last things she ever said to me were never really said. As much as I wanted to stay and partake in a spot of tea with Rarity, I felt the urgent need to seek out my remaining friend. I gave her a goodbye kiss and made my way out of the boutique. But upon doing so, I saw a...rather peculiar sight. Right next to the tree that stood outside the Carousel Boutique was another bale of hay. Only it seemed that someone had gone out of their way to dress this one up like a blocky scarecrow. It was wearing a light blue jacket that looked like it had been made for me and a baseball cap.

".....What?" I blurted out while approaching it. This time, I felt the urge to investigate. I just happen to see a bale of hay in town, then I find one right outside Twilight's place when I try to leave, and now I find one that has been haphazardly dressed up outside the Carousel Boutique. I knew it was not there when I arrived, so Rarity could not have put it there. And even then, if she had been the one to place it there, she would have dressed it up much better.

"OK, what gives? Is someone in this thing?" I asked out loud while circling the hay. I tried giving it a lift and found that it was just as heavy as the one I had tried to drag into Twilight's house. Something had to have been inside it. "I know something's in this thing. You better show yourself. I don't wanna have to dump boiling water on this thing to flush you out."

What happened next actually gave me a bit of a spook. A pink nose and a pair of nerdy blocky glasses emerged on the side that was facing me. To top it off, a blocky bushy moustache and matching blocky bushy eyebrows adorned the goofy pair of glasses as well. Was it even hay at all? Was it some sort of new life form? Oh, who am I kidding... Anyone could tell it was Pinkie Pie in another weird disguise. But I decided to mess with her for a bit. "You know, you're a long way from the nearest pineapple and ocean."

"Huh...?" I heard Pinkie's unmistakable high-pitched voice say from within the bale of hay. I guess even she did not grasp what I was getting at.

Trying to make as much fun of the situation as possible while doing my best to humor Pinkie and her atrocious espionage skills, I continued with the farce while placing my hand on the hay. "Oh, wait... The guy I'm thinking of is a sponge and a total douche. What's your name again? I think I remember... Oh right. Haybob Squarecoat. So, Mr. Squarecoat... What brings you to the Carousel Boutique?"

"Me?! Well... Um... I was just gonna... Um... I was gonna see if Rarity could... Uh... Could...make me anew coat! Gotta have all my coats...uh...square, you know!" Pinkie replied from within her 'disguise'. "I'll just...uh...head on inside."

"Yeah, you go ahead and do that. See ya." I retorted with a slight snicker while the bale of hay started hopping towards the door. Feeling a bit more lighthearted than before, I decided to continue on to the west. Sweet Apple Acres likely still had Applejack doing some work.

I stayed to the south of Ponyville, staying just outside its borders to prevent interacting with anyone that may distract me from my task. Eventually, the roof of a tall farmhouse began to rise over the horizon. And rows of trees lined with red dots. Well... Some were. I suppose the harvest season was on the verge of being completed. There were only a handful of trees that were still loaded with apples.

Son enough, I came to the main area of Sweet Apple Acres. And I did not have to wait long to spot Applejack coming out of the barn side of the farmhouse with a pair of empty bushels at her sides. Feeling both anxious and hopeful, I hastened my pace while calling out to her. "Hey, AJ! Got a minute?"

My farm friend was quick to look in my direction and gave me her inviting smile. "Howdy, James! Ya come over for a lil' bushel haulin'? Might not be much longer before we've got all the trees out 'ere cleared out."

While it would not hurt to earn a few more bits and to get some exercise, I was not there for that. "Um... Maybe some other time, AJ. I came here for a more...personal reason, if you have time."

"Sure! I've always got the time ta help out a friend. What's eatin' ya?" Applejack replied while dropping her bushels for the time being.

Still unsure of whether or not I should reveal all of the details over what I saw in that dream, I decided to start things with a simple question. "Well... How do I say this... AJ? Have you ever...hated me?"

Not surprisingly, my friend tilted her head to one side with a flummoxed expression on her face. "Beg yer pardon? Hate ya? What makes ya say that?"

"Please be honest with me, AJ. Have you ever hated me?" I asked again, wanting an honest answer.

Applejack's puzzled expression became one that was more worrisome. It was then I could tell she knew I was not joking around with her. "Well... Never, if ya wanna know the truth. I mean... I'll say it right now. You and I haven't really clicked all that loud, but... I'd say we've gotten mighty tight with each other over the last few years. But why'd ya ask me that? I didn't do somethin' wrong, did I?"

"Not in reality. It's just... I just woke up from a nap. And the dream I had felt...too real. You ever have a dream like that? Where you woke up questioning if what you saw was something that really happened or was going to happen?" I replied while feeling the doubt tugging at my heart. I did not want to lose Applejack.

Applejack let out a sigh at those words. She then sat down on a stump nearby that seemed to be used for splitting firewood. I have occasionally spotted her swinging an axe around. She has quite the swing and great aim. Regardless, she motioned for me to approach her, so I pulled over a wooden crate to sit on. She then bowed her head and sighed again. "I know what ya mean, James. A while ago, after the Apple family had that lil' run-in with those Flim Flam hooligans, I had a dream where the two dopes had bought out the farm and we had until sundown ta pack up. And when I woke up, I honestly felt like it was real. I went around, askin' my brother and grandma if the farm was bein' bought out."

I stayed silent, allowing Applejack to continue. She soon let out a slight chuckle and looked at me with those big green eyes. "And wouldn't ya know it? It didn't happen. I mean, sure. That memory stuck around in my head for a while, but the farm's just fine today, ain't it? So I say whatever ya saw in yer dream... Just forget about it. Just a dream, ya know?" But she then frowned at me with a somber look in her eyes. Apparently, she realized she had not given me a direct answer. "I mean... No, James. I never hated ya. Never even remotely disliked ya. Yer my friend. And the Apple family never gives up on their friends."

Next thing I know, she had her arms around me for a firm yet gentle embrace. "Never forget that, all right?"

I responded in kind, feeling my faith in my friend being mostly restored. My arms tenderly draped across her back. "Thanks, AJ... I'd hate to lose you..."

Before I even had the chance to do anything, Applejack pulled away from me and...placed her hat on my head. Still looks good with her mane showing, but she certainly does look fine in that hat too. "And I'd hate ta lose ya, pardner."

Applejack did not say anything about why she placed her hat on me. Perhaps a sign of kinship? An attempt to cheer me up? Whatever the reason was, she did not even so much as ask for it back. So I tried to make light of it by giving her a smile while angling the hat's wide brim downward a bit over my face. "Any fella with a lil' lady like you for a friend is one lucky fella indeed."

That got a good chuckle out of my friend. Appreciating her efforts to cheer me up, I gently placed her hat back on her head while making certain it was on the proper angle. After she lifted her hoof to the brim to adjust it further, Applejack hopped back onto her hooves. "Ya sure yer feelin' all right though? Anythin' I can do?"

As much as I appreciated her concern, and as much as I wanted to ignore and suppress the doubt in my heart, I still felt uneasy. As much as I wanted to believe that everything that happened in that dream was just a mirage, some small part of me was not so quick to let me dismiss it as false. "Nah... I'll be fine. Besides, don't you still have some apples to pack away?"

"Guess ya got me there. I really should get back to buckin' the rest of the apples around here. But if ya ever need anythin' just holler, all right?" Applejack replied while giving me her caring smile before retrieving her bushels and heading back out into the grove of apple trees. As for me, I just wanted some time alone to think. So I headed south.

My destination was the local park just past the brook at the south of Ponyville. Even though Sundays tend to be fairly lazy days in town, the park tends to see a lot of visitors taking advantage of the day off. Granted, not every business in town is closed on the day, but I digress. I was not in the mood for the presence of others or conversation, so I made my place to my favorite spot in the entire park.

The air gradually became quiet while a warm summer breeze blew through my hair. My favorite spot. The local pond. I am quite frankly surprised that it does not get more visitors. As usual, I saw that sack of fish food set out in the middle of that tiny peninsula that juts out into the body of water. Once I was in my favorite spot, I took a seat by the sack of fish food. Only this time, I did not toss any to the fish that were likely waiting just below the water's surface. I did not come to relax, but to think.

My left leg was completely extended while my other was bent with my knee sticking up to allow my hand to rest on it. My mind wandered in the near silence of the area around me. I had found and spoken to all six of my dearest friends. The friends I feared I had lost. And even though they were still themselves... Still the same wonderful women I had come to adore, the memories still came flooding back.

I still remembered the anxiety... The fear that caused my chest to burn and stomach to churn. The pain of being kicked squarely in the head by my own girlfriend. The wrath... The building despair and madness... I even still remember the smell of blood on my hands... That wretched laughter as I tore Discord apart... What had I become... And of course, I could still remember the cold that filled me and the weakness that dragged me down as I lay dying after all was said and done. I was dying. And I had lost that which made my life worth living.

It was just a dream. I kept trying to tell myself that. But it was not easy to let go of the notion that it was something more. However, I did not have that much time to think things over for much longer as I heard the sound of hooves clopping. They were drawing near, but I paid them no mind. Probably just some visitors who wanted to feed the fish. But they came to a stop just behind me. I felt the urge to get up and walk away to find a more secluded location. I was not in the mood for conversation or company. But before I could, a familiar voice spoke up behind me. "James..."

I was left both happy, yet anxious when I heard that voice. I immediately turned my head to look behind me. They were all there. Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight Sparkle. And they all had the exact same concern look on their faces. It was then that Twilight spoke again. "We need to talk."

It was hardly surprising. What with Pinkie Pie having likely tailed me all afternoon in that lousy disguise, she probably talked to all my friends after I spoke to them. I still felt no words come to my lips, so I weakly motioned my hand for them to gather around. They all walked around to my front and took a seat or lied down. All six of my most precious friends were lined up in a row before me. And yet, I still felt uneasy. I did not understand why. I always felt calm in their presence.

"Are you...feeling all right?" Fluttershy asked quietly, showing a profound worry in those beautiful eyes.

Feeling strangely bitter, I replied dryly with my voice in more of a monotone pitch that I rarely speak with anymore. "I'm guessing a certain Haybob Squarecoat told you I haven't quite been myself today?" My eyes were focused exclusively on Pinkie Pie. And she knew it.

"Wait, how'd you know?! There's no way you could've seen trough that disguise! I kept changing it up!" Pinkie exclaimed loudly, looking genuinely surprised I had seen through her disguise. Rainbow Dash silently shook her head while appearing to be mildly annoyed. I suppose even she could see through it with no problem.

"Pinkie, you already tried and failed to hide from me using a cardboard box. What makes you think I wouldn't notice you hiding in a bale of hay with you adding more and more stuff to it? When a disguise doesn't work, you throw it out and use something else." I once more replied dryly. That actually got a bit of a chuckle or grin out of the rest of my friends. I just hope they never ask her to wear a disguise to keep track of someone. It would likely backfire horribly.

"Uh... Yes... That would be wise. But in any case, darling... Pinkie Pie informed us that you have not been quite...yourself today. And you have come to us with the exact same worries each time." Rarity then explained while still looking rather worried.

Applejack then added, "I know ya already went over that whole dream thing with me, but... James, we gotta know. What happened that's got ya so weirded out?"

I could tell that they were not going to depart. And a part of me did not want them to. I was glad that they had sought me out during my time of need. But I was reluctant to reveal the full details. "Are you sure you want to know?"

"What kinda question is that? We all came here to find out. Go ahead, big guy. Tell us. We'll listen." Rainbow Dash then said rather softly, not showing her usual brashness.

With some hesitation, I decided to break things to them slowly. "OK... The dream was... It was when we had to deal with Discord."

"But that was a few years ago by now, was it not?" Rarity asked while seeming noticeably puzzled. If what I saw was a dream, then what was it that really happened between us and that freak show that left Rarity looking hardly bothered at all? Was he still alive?

I continued to speak in that low monotone, not feeling emotional enough to speak normally. "I don't even know anymore... But from what I remember, he stole the Elements of Harmony and we went looking through a labyrinth or something. I wasn't worried since I was all armored up. But...when I found some of you... You had been...corrupted... Changed... You weren't even the same people anymore."

They seemed all too aware of what it was I was referring to, judging by those uneasy or even slightly horrified expressions. But Twilight still managed to reply calmly. "Go on..."

Despite the silence, I could feel a subtle tension in the air. "You turned me away... Declared you hated me. Some of you even attacked me. Hurt me. It was only then that I knew what I had lost...and who had taken it from me. I fled the labyrinth to find Discord... Tricked him into a 'game' where our lives were the prizes and..."

It did not take much imagination after that last bit to figure out what happened. Fluttershy's eyes went wide in horror before she asked, "You...killed him?"

The memories became more vibrant. I felt tears build in my eyes as I felt my chest burn while I held my hand to my face. "I went mad... All that laughing to drown the pain... I can still remember the smell of blood... I even remember the feeling of cold when I was bleeding to death in the end... I remember the moment when I..."

I was suddenly silenced when I felt a hoof over my mouth. When I lowered my hand from my weeping eyes, I saw Pinkie Pie holding her hoof over my lips, tears also starting to fall from her eyelids. Her gaze was silently pleading with me to say no more. And so I stopped speaking. But my words had clearly jarred my friends.

"That sounds like...one hay of a nightmare..." Rainbow Dash spoke softly while gazing at the ground.

"I knew somethin' was on yer mind... But somethin' like that? What did ya even eat last night ta make you dream up somethin' that freaky?" Applejack asked, her eyes showing sympathy and concern.

I buried held my hand to my face again, letting the tears flow. The memories... Even though they were false, they still hurt. "I don't know... But it felt so real..."

Finally, Pinkie Pie moved my hand away from my face and looked at me with a pleading gaze while speaking in a surprisingly serious tone I rarely hear from her. "But it wasn't really, right? But if it really hurt that much... James, we've been friends for a long time now. But... What are we to you?"

A question that I was almost expecting. I suppose I would've eventually had to answer that at some point. I was unsure of how to answer that at first, averting my eyes before asking in return, "Do you mind if what I say sounds corny at all?"

"All that matters is that you are honest with us, darling. Go right ahead." Rarity replied with a calming tone in her voice.

It was then that I decided to be completely straightforward with my answer. Without even bringing myself to look at them, I spoke my heart. "You girls are my life."

Nothing. Not the slightest sound was heard in response. I turned to look at them and saw that they were frozen in place. They glanced about, bowed their heads, even shed a tear or two, but did not say a word. In the end, it was Rainbow Dash who broke the silence while looking genuinely touched. "What do you mean...?"

I tried going into detail, hoping I could make my answer more clear. "When I came to this world, I had practically nothing on me. I was lost. I was confused. I had no idea what to do. But on my very first day, you were all there for me. You welcomed me with more hospitality than I could've ever had expected back on my home planet and helped me get accustomed to this wonderful world. I was never without help and you were always there for me. You were...and still are the foundation of my life in Equestria. I don't even want to know where I'd be today if I never met you girls..."

They continued to gaze at me in tearful silence. But soon, Applejack gazed at me with a bit of a smirk while still shedding some tears before trotting towards me. "Come 'ere, sugar cube."

Next thing I knew, my strong and dependable friend was holding me in a tender embrace. One by one, the rest of my friends came forward as well. I was soon being held in a rainbow of colors of the wonderful women who have come to mean everything to me. I then heard Fluttershy whisper, "The feeling is mutual, honey..."

As much as I tried, I could not get my arms around all of them. So all I did was bask in their warmth and their sincere affection. I heard Twilight begin to speak from next to my head. "James... Thank you. I'm glad we met you too. And don't let any dream tell you that we would leave or betray you, because we won't. You are just as important to us as we are to each other. You're a piece of a puzzle. And I don't want that puzzle to ever be incomplete..."

However, it was then that an important question came to mind. "Thanks... But wait... How did we handle Discord when he got lose again?"

"Wait, you seriously don't remember? You been comatose for a few years?" Rainbow Dash asked in return from right next to me.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie burst out of the group hug with an excited smile. "Oh, I can show you! I made these for just such an occasion!" She then reached behind her, apparently into her 'Pinkie Space', and pulled out a total of eight small wooden puppets. Judging by the strings attached and the control bars, they seemed to be marionettes. Six of them were of my six closest friends without any horns or wings, one was obviously Discord, and the eighth was clearly me in armor with sword and shield in hand.

"OK, that's a might creepy, Pinkie... And when'd ya make those?" Applejack remarked while my friends started to pull away from me. Was Pinkie Pie seriously about to put on a puppet show?

"Oh, I made these a while ago just for fun! Anyway, let's get started!" Pinkie exclaimed while she held the control bars for my puppet self up. Just do not ask me how she did it without fingers...

"OK, from what I remember... We were all separated like the first time when we went into the labyrinth to find the Elements of Harmony. So James was all on his own!" Pinkie Pie narrated while making my puppet 'walk' along in a jumpy and clattering manner. But what can you do when your only means to control them is with strings?

"But after a while, he met up with Twilight! And boy, were they happy to see each other!" Pinkie then used her other hoof to hold the control bars that moved Twilight's puppet form. She then made hers and mine come together before making their arms rise up and cutely hold each other in a hug that got a sound of adoration from some of my friends.

"After that, they decided to stick together." Pinkie Pie then made our puppets 'walk' in place to signify them moving through the maze. "But when they rounded a few more corners, they found Rarity and Tom!"

"Tom? Wait a second... Wasn't that the..." I started to say, but Rarity suddenly barged in with a truly flustered look.

"Pinkie, no! We promised we would never speak of this again!" Rarity practically yelled while I noticed her starting to sweat. Did she remember her strange attraction to that boulder?

But Pinkie Pie did not seem willing to relent. "Sorry, but he wants to know what happened! But I didn't make a puppet for... Oh, wait!" She then reached to the side and pulled over a rock lying nearby that was roughly as big as my puppet form. "There we go! Now we have Tom! Anyway, Rarity wasn't acting herself! She wanted nothing to do with her friends and instead kept showering her affection on the handsome boulder!" All the while, Pinkie made Rarity's puppet constantly rub against the spare rock while Rarity tried to hide her face in utter embarrassment. Despite how unpleasant the memories of that dream were, Rarity's reaction was utterly hilarious.

"Never knew you had a fetish for big rocks, Rarity." Rainbow Dash said with a smirk while wiggling her eyebrows.

Rarity did not take that well, clearly not being proud of her actions that day. "I do not! It was Discord's doing and you know that! Why do you think I never wanted us to speak of this again?!"

Feeling the urge to poke fun at such a ridiculous attraction, I smirked at Rarity. "Just what else did you do with that thing that you're not telling us?"

"James, I... I... Ugh, please! Just stop teasing me!" Rarity groaned loudly as everyone around me laughed while she pulled her mane over her face. Maybe that was going a bit too far, but I am sure she would never go that far with a boulder.

"Anyway... Back to the story!" Pinkie Pie said loudly to get our attention. "James was disturbed by the changes in Rarity. It hurt to see somepony so precious to him become so different and wrong! Fortunately, Twilight knew what was wrong and how to fix her. But since she couldn't use magic without her horn, she explained to James how to use the spell since his armor's gauntlets could still use magic!"

I was actually mildly shocked to know that there was really a way to return my friends to normal. If only I had known that the changes in their minds and souls was temporary... So much bedlam could have been avoided. Oh well. It was merely a dream, so perhaps it was not the case then. Regardless, my puppet extended the hand that held the sword towards Rarity. And after that, Pinkie Pie continued to speak. "And wouldn't you know it? The spell worked! Rarity remembered who she was and pushed the boulder away! And she was very happy to see her friends again!"

The three puppets then gathered around each other, showing a type of cute group hug. But once that was over, Pinkie made Discord's puppet jump into the scene. "But Discord saw everything! And he went right to the rule breakers! He laughed and called out 'Oh, too bad! The temptation was too great to resist, wasn't it? You knew you shouldn't use magic, but you did it anyway, huh?'. It looked bad. Discord was right. James did use magic when the rules were that magic and flying couldn't be used!"

Pinkie then made Twilight's puppet hop forward. "But Twilight had an idea! 'Hold on! We couldn't use magic to help ourselves find the Elements of Harmony! That spell was just to turn our friend back to normal! It's completely unrelated to this game of yours!' Twilight said while looking up at James."

With a flick of a string, Pinkie made the wings on the back of my puppet extend. "James then said 'And I don't see what's wrong with using my wings for little things like this.' right before using his feathers to tickle Discord's nose!" And that is exactly what she did. She made the wing go towards Discord's puppet face and rub the tips of the feathers over the nose.

"After a great sneeze, Discord pouted and crossed his arms. 'All right, fine! But if I see you doing any other kind of magic or using those wings to fly, the game is over and I win. Got it?!' Discord shouted before disappearing again. And with that big meanie outta the way, they could continue the search!" Pinkie continued before yanking Discord's puppet out of sight and making the puppets of myself, Rarity, and Twilight hop and flail along while trying to simulate walking.

Next, Pinkie Pie made Applejack's puppet come into view. "The next pony they found was Applejack! But something was off about her too. She kept saying things that weren't true or didn't even make sense! But with one cast of the same spell as before, she was back to her old self. Good old honest Applejack!" Applejack herself let out a light chuckle at Pinkie's recounting of her purification. Once more, Pinkie had the puppets engage in a group hug. Even if it was getting repetitious and probably did not happen that way, it was still rather cute to see.

After making the puppets clatter along for a moment longer, she made Rainbow Dash's puppet hop and flail over to the group. "Everypony then found Rainbow Dash! She seemed OK though. Still tough and loyal just like we'd always known her." Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and held her head high while nodding proudly. I guess she was feeling pretty good with herself for being one of the few to stay out of Discord's clutches.

"But then they found me!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed while having her puppet come onto the scene. "I was so mean and angry and bitter about everything! Good thing my friends were there to change me back to normal though! And boy, did I ever thank them with the best hug I could ever give!" In ways I cannot explain, the forelegs of her puppet form suddenly extended like ropes of taffy and wrapped around all the other puppets. Was that a special function she built into it? Either way, my friends mostly grinned or laughed at the enthusiasm of the puppeteer performing.

"And last but not least, there was Fluttershy!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed while making the puppets hop and flail about over towards Fluttershy's puppet. Funny thing I should mention about the Pinkie Pie puppet is that unlike the others, her puppeteer seemed to be trying to reproduce her jolly hopping movements. But at the sight of the Fluttershy puppet facing the others, I felt great unease fill me as I recalled the moment in the dream when I had been kicked squarely in the forehead by my lover.

"She was just so mean! And she was especially mean to James!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed while making the puppet swing her tail at some of the other pony puppets and even seemed to take a swing at my puppet form. Fluttershy herself even seemed to cringe and seem rather guilty with how she seemed to try to hide her face behind her mane.

"But it didn't last long. James went right to work on using the spell Twilight taught him to change Fluttershy back. And with that, everypony was back to normal!" Pinkie Pie said once more while she made the Fluttershy puppet practically jump at my puppet replica and hold onto it in an embrace. Cute. Very cute.

"And so, off we went to try to find the Elements of Harmony together! But we had already been searching for a while. And we didn't even find one! And so Rainbow Dash called out to Discord, claiming the game master was cheating himself! Well, he decided to pop up for a visit!" And as she said those words, Pinkie yanked the Discord puppet back over, but had somehow slipped on a pair of sunglasses, orange water wings, and rather flowery swim trunks. "And so he gawked at us and said 'Do you mind? I was about to catch some waves down at Cantercun. What're you complaining about now?' while we all looked on feeling pretty annoyed." Sure enough, she was keeping Discord as unpredictable and goofy as I remembered him. The little play was actually getting pretty entertaining.

While doing her best Fluttershy impersonation, which I have to say is quite impressive, Pinkie Pie then spoke while making the Fluttershy puppet hop forward a bit. "Fluttershy was brave enough to step forward. And she asked 'Um... Well, we haven't found any of the Elements of Harmony yet and...well... You didn't give us a lot to go on.', but then Applejack said 'Yeah, all ya said was that we had ta search within or some other junk like that. Ain't sayin' much, ya know.' while we all looked at him with really annoyed glares."

Pinkie Pie then quickly removed Discord's more tropical attire and put them away somewhere while she made Discord cross his arms. "And Discord just laughed at us and said 'What, you want me to lay out a trail of bread crumbs for you? I gave you the only hint you're gonna get., my little ponies.' while he got closer and closer to us."

With subtle tweaks of the strings, Pinkie Pie made Discord's puppet form shamble closer to us. It seemed to be approaching my puppet form more than anyone else. "And he looked down at us and smirked and said 'You know, you could just give up. If you think this game's a lost cause, we can...' but he got cut off when Rainbow Dash kicked him away!"

As she said, the Rainbow Dash puppet did a type of jumping kick and kicked the Discord puppet away with a blow to the abdomen. "But Rainbow Dash noticed something weird when she kicked Discord. She looked at him and shouted 'Hey! I felt something there! Something that didn't feel like bone!' while we all started to give hi some funny looks."

Of course. So he did hide the Elements of Harmony inside his own body. Anyway, Pinkie Pie had the Discord puppet raise its hands. "Discord decided to play dumb and acted like nothing was wrong. 'Well, when you're me, who knows how your body works, Rainbow Dash. I could be made of fish paste and candy canes on the inside for all you know!' he said with a laugh. But James was starting to get an idea. He pointed his sword at the goofy draconequus and smirked a bit. 'In that cause, stick out your tongue and let's see what's on it.' he demanded while we looked on. I remember thinking we were about to play doctor or something!"

And so she made the Discord puppet's lower jaw drop open before a long thin pink appendage extended quite a distance. Probably installed it herself while she was making it. "So he stuck out his really really long tongue. And there was nothing on it! 'See? I have nothing to hide.' he said with that smug smirk still on his face. But that's when James grabbed him by the tongue and said 'I meant to show us the whole thing!' and started pulling!"

That actually caught me by surprise. She made my puppet version drop its sword and shield and grab the 'tongue' with both hands before it started to pull with the pink appendage starting to extend. "Discord didn't like this at all and started to cry out 'Whoa, what're you doing?! That's not nice! Let go!' but we all started to join in! Applejack said 'What's the matter, Discord? Ponies got yer tongue?' while we all started pulling!"

True to her word, all six of the pony puppets grabbed the tongue and started pulling as well while it started coil on the ground. Did we seriously do that?! It almost looked painful, but hilarious too! After the tongue had been pulled on long enough for three times its initial length to emerge from Discord, I saw them. All lined up in a row were the six Elements of Harmony hanging from Discord's tongue. "And there they were! The Elements of Harmony had been 'within' Discord the whole time!"

My friends started to show looks of satisfaction or anticipation, as they seemed to be recalling their moment of triumph. "We couldn't believe it! The one place we never would've guess to look! We all scrambled to put on our matching Elements, even if they were a bit icky and slimy. 'You've got to be kidding me, Discord! We had to search within you the whole time? You jerk!' Twilight yelled at Discord while we all stood ready to use the Elements. Victory was ours!"

There were some chuckles and grins among my friends. Finally, Pinkie Pie gave the string that was connected to the tail of the Discord puppet a yank, causing the tongue to start to rapidly retreat back into the body. "And so we stood victorious, the Elements of Harmony back in their rightful places! 'Looks like we win, you wretch! Any last words?' Rarity asked while she stood ready to use the Elements with us. Discord, defiant as he was, groaned before bowing his head in frustration. 'You little... Fine. I did all I could to make sure I came out on top, but you all won fair and square. If nothing else, I'm a man of my word. Let's get this over with!' Discord groaned before he stood ready with his arms crossed. He knew he lost and there was nothing we could do. And so we put him back where he came from!"

When Pinkie Pie said that though, the six little plastic or glass objects that made up the crystalline gemstone segments of the Elements of Harmony began to give off a glow. And then... Well, I have no idea how she did it, but the little toy props began to essentially recreate the functions of the Elements of Harmony on a much smaller scale. My puppet doppelganger seemed to stand back since it seemed the Element of Humanity was not necessary to get the job done. Although Rainbow Dash soon spoke up while we all looked on in intrigue. "That's a pretty funky lightshow those puppets are putting on. Are you sure those are just lights?"

It was at that moment that the rainbow of harmonic magical energy rose rapidly into the air from the six pony puppets and dropped right onto and engulfed the Discord puppet, creating a miniature rainbow in the process. But once the rainbow suddenly faded, I saw that the Discord puppet had quite literally become a stone statue. And the pose... Looks like Discord was trying to spite his opponents to the very end. The pose seemed to show him leaning forward with his tongue sticking out quite far while using a finger to pull one lower eyelid down to reveal the flesh inside. A typical obnoxious facial expression used to annoy or taunt others. Once that fancy lightshow completely faded, Pinkie tugged on the strings again, causing wings and horns to emerge from the puppet forms of Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Rarity. "And that's how Equestria was ma... I mean was saved!"

After eyeing the petrified Discord puppet for a few seconds, I looked at Twilight. "So... If this reenactment is accurate, Discord is now stuck in this pose right now back in Canterlot?"

"He most certainly is. I guess it's true what they say. If you make weird faces often enough, it'll freeze like that!" She replied in an attempt to be funny. And my friends did get a laugh out of it. If nothing else, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief knowing that the outcome of that ordeal was not what my dream made it out to be.

Once the puppets had been put away in...lord knows where, Rarity turned to me with a smile. "See, darling? We triumphed in the end and everypony is no worse for the wear. And you were certainly a big help too. Did that put your doubts in their place?"

I would be lying if I said my doubts were entirely gone. With how vivid and real that dream felt... But even so, after seeing Pinkie Pie go to such lengths to show me what truly happening, I knew there was no way they were lying to me over the true outcome of that day. Rainbow Dash then stepped forward with a smile. "Hey, just forget about that dream, all right? Pinkie Pie might've been a bit over-the-top with some of that performance, but it was all true! Discord's still stuck in stone back in Canterlot and we're all still the best of friends! No worries, OK?"

A slight smile slowly creeped across my lips. It felt reassuring knowing that all was well in spit of what my memory was telling me. My hands were not stained with blood and those who are most dear to me remain in my life. "Yeah... I just need to keep telling myself what I remember isn't real. I'm glad you girls are still with me..."

Pinkie Pie then trotted up to me and showed me that optimistic smile of hers before resting a hoof on my shoulder. "Hey, no frowns, OK? Besides, we've got some happy days coming up! Did you forget what's happening in ten days?"

Considering how little I remember since the day Discord was recaptured, I was not surprised something had slipped my mind. "Uh... Remind me again? I'm having trouble remembering a lot of things right now."

Fluttershy giggled lightly before she reached out and kissed my cheek. "It's our wedding day, honey. We've been planning it out for a while."

That got my heart pumping and my temperature rising. Marriage? Us? "Wait, seriously? In ten days?"

My friends got a good laugh out of my shock, but Fluttershy never once even snickered. She looked at me with that smile and gaze of adoration, showing she was being quite serious while being very happy at the thought. Applejack then spoke, "What's wrong, pardner? Y'all ain't gettin' cold feet now, are ya? You've been engaged for the past few months!"

"No, I'm not! It's just... Well, with how little I remember, it just seems...sudden. Maybe I just need to get used to the idea all over again." I replied while still feeling nervous and excited. Fluttershy and I were set to get married in less than two weeks. "Um... Just a reminder, but is there anything else important I might be forgetting?"

Pretty much right when I said that, I heard a familiar buzzing sound that got our attention. It seemed to be coming from the north. Twilight looked at me and smiled excitedly. "This should answer your question."

It was no secret on what was making that sound as it got closer. It was clearly the sound of Scootaloo riding her scooter. And sure enough, there she was. Scootaloo burst over the top of a hill on her scooter and came rolling down the slope towards the pond. Only... Were her wings a bit bigger than I recall? And was she just a smidge bigger herself? And... Who was that riding the scooter behind her? There was the sound of a young filly squealing in excitement coming from somewhere behind her.

Scootaloo made a beeline right for us. I was initially worried about her going right into the pond, but she instead skimmed right across the surface with only the scooter's wheels being dragged through the water. She came to a stop right in front of us and swiftly removed her helmet. She definitely seemed like she had aged slightly since I last saw her, but she still had that energetic smile and gleam in her eyes that I had come to adore. Rainbow Dash was quick to praise her. "Smooth moves, squirt! Your wings just keep getting stronger every year, huh?"

"You bet they do, Rainbow Dash! And somepony wanted to take a ride today." Scootaloo replied with enthusiasm while her passenger hopped off the scooter's board with an unsteady but giddy stance. But who was this child? Her legs seemed unusually long... Almost fawnlike. I am pretty sure Fluttershy had an identical body during her childhood if my memories of her old photos serve me well. Her coat was similar to Fluttershy's as well, but was slightly tanner. And her mane and tail... They were the same shade of pink as Fluttershy's, but were also dark brown. It strangely brought to mind Neapolitan ice cream... The style was somewhat similar to Fluttershy's, although not as long and the tail was somewhat wavier, if that makes sense. And the eyes... The same as mine.

Before I could even ask who this little filly was, she trotted right over to me and nuzzled her head against my chest. "Hi, Daddy!"

What... She... At first, my mind could not process those words. The filly had just referred to me as her father. I turned my gaze to Fluttershy, who seemed to understand that I was sincerely confused. In return, she smiled lovingly at me and spoke softly. "She's ours, James. Her name is Gladesong."

Gladesong... Such a sweet name. And such an adorable filly. And... We made her together? I was a father? As much of a shock it was to me, I could not help finding the child to be utterly adorable. I tenderly rested my hand on the back of her head, stroking her mane tenderly. Eventually, I asked the big question. "So... I'm a dad?"

"For the last few years, darling. She's almost three years old by now." Rarity replied with an endearing smile.

Even though the role of fatherhood had rather literally been shoved into my chest, I felt surprisingly content with it. Even if I was starting to sweat in a bit of anxiety. But if I had been looking out for our child for close to three years... Perhaps I really was cut out for the role.

Things quickly returned to normal. I tended to taking Scootaloo to school and Gladesong to preschool in the mornings before heading to work. And Fluttershy would often join me for lunch. I found that a new room had been added on at home just beyond the stairs in the living room for little Gladesong. And while the doubt from that awful nightmare still lingered, the daily repetition of interacting with those most dear to me slowly caused it to ebb away. Hopefully it would disappear entirely someday soon. But as things were, life was good. No crazy crisis to tend to with my friends. Just the simple life in Ponyville I had come to adore.

However, five days later, I got an unexpected surprise while working at Sugarcube Corner. It was getting close to noon while Pinkie Pie and I were baking a few batches of cupcakes. Nothing out of the ordinary. At least until Mrs. Cake came into the kitchen from the storefront. She showed us that motherly smile she always has before directing her gaze to me. "Oh, James? Somepony wishes to see you out front. I'll cover for you back here."

"Me? OK then." I replied briefly before pushing my way through the twin swinging doors that led out to the storefront. When I emerged, it immediately became clear to me why I had been requested out front. Standing beyond the counter were two of the dearest friends I had in the entire world. Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon. Happy to see my friends and eager to make them happy, I promptly offered them my services. "Oh, hey! Luna, Nightmare Moon! Can I get you anything?"

Nightmare Moon was the one to answer me, smiling calmly beside her sister. "Oh... Not really. The only thing you can truly give us at the moment is a dear embrace, if that is not too much to ask."

"That's it? OK then." I said in return before approaching them from behind the counter. It certainly felt like it had been quite some time since I last saw them or held them in my arms. I could never refuse those wonderful mares. I stood before them and threw an arm around their necks while I felt them each drape a wing over me in the process.

"It's so good to see you well, my friend..." I heard Luna speak with an oddly subdued voice. I could also feel something with Nightmare Moon by merely touching her. They felt... I am unsure of what it was, but it concerned me. Restrained emotions?

"Are you OK?" I asked while my two gorgeous friends held me in their wings. However, we did not have time to really discuss anything as I saw the front door opening behind them. But as much as I should have been tending to the immediate customer, I was in no hurry to release my two friends from our embrace.

I was pleasantly surprised to see who the customer was. Luna and Nightmare Moon also turned their heads to get a look at who was right behind them. I saw my fiancée's face peek out from behind the door. She seemed like she was about to speak up before pausing upon seeing the two royal alicorns before her. "Oh, I'm sorry... Am I interrupting anything, your highnesses?"

I decided to not keep myself from her any longer and released my grasp on my two friends. "Oh, not at all. What's up, honey?"

Nightmare Moon followed with a greeting of her own. "I hope we are not intruding. My sister and I were merely visiting our friend."

Fluttershy responded with that meek little smile of hers, but then seemed to turn her attention to something that was just behind her. Or maybe even below her. Gladesong was probably right beside her, seeing as how she is likely with Fluttershy when Rarity is not foalsitting her. She then turned her gaze back to the two princesses and gave a proper retort. "Oh, I see. But...um... Right now, there's somepony I'd love you to meet."

"Truly?" Luna asked in return while I felt a slightly excited grin spread across my face. I knew who was right behind that door.

My lover turned to her company and began to speak softly to coax it out. "Come on now... It's all right. They won't hurt you."

I had discovered that Gladesong certainly did inherit some of her mother's shyness over the last few days, so it was no surprise to me that she was a bit apprehensive over meeting someone new. Eventually, Gladesong did step into few. I found the expressions on Luna and Nightmare Moon's faces to be rather amusing. It was as if they could not comprehend what they were seeing. Why? Was it really their first time seeing Gladesong in person? Kind of hard to believe since she has been around for a few years. Well, I was not going to question it. Soon, little Gladesong turned to her mother and asked, "Mama...? Who are they?"

Fluttershy responded with such a sweet smile before nuzzling our daughter's cheek. "That's Princess Luna and Princess Nightmare Moon. They're the ones who make the moon come out every night and make sure you always have the sweetest dreams."

"She called you 'Mama'... Do not tell me she..." Luna stammered a bit, her confusion on full display.

I decided to go ahead and break the news to the two royal sisters. "Luna. Nightmare Moon. This is Gladesong. She's our daughter."

Both Nightmare Moon and Luna were showing looks of utter bewilderment. But then Fluttershy followed my words with a cute giggle. "Also... We'll be getting married in a few days. I hope you can both come."

Gladesong then took one step forward and bowed in an incredibly cute manner while not looking directly at the two sisters. "Um... It's an honor to meet you, your...tallness?"

My daughter's fumbling with her words caused the awkward tension in the air to fade quickly as both Luna and Nightmare Moon chuckled heartily. It would be really hard to not find that moment cute. Nightmare Moon then spoke to my daughter with a smile. "The correct term is 'highness', child. But please, there is no need to bow. Your father is a good friend of ours. And you are Gladesong?"

"Ye... Yes. My name is Gladesong. And you're both...Papa's friends?" Gladesong replied with a nervous stammer. She clearly had not entirely relaxed in the presence of royalty.

In an endearing attempt to help Gladesong relax, Luna extended her left wing and gently held her wingtip to her chin. "There is no need to be so timid, child. Please do relax. As friends of your father, we are your friends as well."

This seemed to help Gladesong relax greatly since she instantly looked up with a smile and an excited gleam in her eyes. "Really?! Uh... OK!"

"Now that the thought comes to me, just exactly how old is she?" Nightmare Moon asked while she glanced at us. Were they truly not aware of how old Gladesong is?

Regardless of how odd it was that they had not met Gladesong until that moment, I decided to go ahead and answer the question. "She's almost three."

That look of mild shock on their faces definitely seemed to show that they were not expecting such an answer. What, were they thinking that she should still be in diapers? I am actually quite glad I do not recall the diaper phase of her life.

For whatever reason, Nightmare Moon began to make her way towards the door. She then spoke in a barely disguised uneasy voice, "Well... I just now remembered that we are meant to be at the town hall very shortly. But it was good seeing all of you. And it was especially a pleasure to meet you, Gladesong. Be good for your mother and father, all right?"

Gladesong smiled and hopped in place in similar fashion to what I would expect from Pinkie Pie. "OK! I'll be good for Mama and Papa!"

"Good to hear. Now then, please do excuse us. Let us meet again very soon." Luna replied while she too began to make her way out of Sugarcube Corner. We all waved goodbye before the door closed behind my two royal friends.

"They seemed very surprised to see Gladesong. Do you think they just forgot about her?" Fluttershy asked while she looked back to me. Gladesong seemed to be distracted by all the delicious treats that were on display inside the front counter.

"I guess it must be hard to remember every single person you've met. I know I've had that problem before." I said in return while glancing at the door before turning my attention back to my beautiful and sweet lover. "But now that you're here, what can I help you with?"

Fluttershy smiled meekly before looking over at our daughter. "Well... I know you usually take your lunch break soon. So I was wondering if we could stop by early to maybe chat for a bit. And Gladesong really wanted to have some chocolate drops."

Of course. Chocolate drops certainly are popular, but they are especially popular with the kids. "Oh, sure! Just let me go get some. Pinkie and I just finished some. You and Gladesong just pull up a seat and I'll be right out."

I went back into the kitchen to fetch four chocolate drops. Two for Gladesong and the other two for me and Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie had apparently overheard our chat and had already used some icing to adorn two of the chocolate drops with white daisy designs. Something I discovered is that Gladesong has quite a penchant for flowers. And sure enough, when I brought out that tray of treats, she grinned so brightly and giggled while I set out the two drops in front of her. "Daisies!"

"Very good, Gladesong. And what are those?" Fluttershy asked with a smile. I went ahead and used red, white, and green icing to put more flower designs on the other two just so she could see more flowers.

"Roses!" Gladesong said cheerfully while I pulled up a stool to the table in the corner. When I glanced back at the counter, I saw that Mr. Cake was standing there while flashing me a smile. Since he is a father too, I suppose he understand it was important to spend some time with your sweetheart and child.

"Yup. Red and white roses." I replied while tenderly stroking my fingers through her mane while Fluttershy looked on with a smile.

"Have things been OK at work, honey?" Fluttershy asked while she started to snack on her chocolate drop. Hers was the one with a white rose design on top.

"Yeah, things are always pretty good. Especially when Pinkie Pie is there. She really knows how to handle herself in the kitchen." I replied while also enjoying mine.

I am unsure if I should really go into detail over what we discussed. While it was a pleasant and fulfilling conversation between lovers, I strongly doubt it would be of much interest to anyone on the outside looking in. However, there was one little moment with Gladesong I would be happy to share.

Midway into our conversation, I paused when I heard some grunting from Gladesong. When I turned my gaze towards her, I had to stop myself from snickering at the sight of her trying to grab and pick up a chocolate drop with her wing. As anypony would know, pegasus wings are both strong and flexible enough to mimic a hand. I suppose she was trying to mimic her mother's use of her wings. Only problem was that her wings at the time were so itty-bitty and could not really grasp anything. Finally, she gave up and held the thing between her hooves before taking a bite. I smiled before reaching out and lightly scratching her ear. "Don't rush it, sweetheart. You'll earn your wings eventually."

Once we had finished our chat and the tray of treats, I decided to take my lunch break and headed out with Fluttershy and Gladesong. The adorable little filly stayed right between Fluttershy and me, trotting along with a song in her heart. No, really. She just started singing out of nowhere. I think it was a little song she came up with about flowers. I can see where the 'song' in her name comes from, although I cannot remember the lyrics for the life of me.

The café was our destination, as it was many times before. Upon arrival, the waiter fetched us a booster stool for little Gladesong. It looked much like a booster seat I would see in restaurants back on Earth, albeit the legs looked more like a stool's. "Can't remember the last time I saw anyone use one of these. Then again, you don't see baby ponies too often in general." I said aloud without thinking too much on it.

Fluttershy showed me a calm smile while she watched me help Gladesong into her seat. "Well, we ponies don't breed that often. We normally only go into season a few times a year and it takes eleven months for the foal to develop."

"Oh, right. Forgot that. Human females are able to breed roughly once a month and the gestation period lasts only nine months, so there's lots of kids being born each year." I replied while remembering the comparison. I pulled up the stool the waiter always provided for me while Fluttershy also pulled up a stool. The waiter then soon returned with menus and glasses of water. Although with Gladesong, he provided her a little apple juice box complete with a bendy straw. However, just as we started to look through our menus, I felt a familiar presence drawing near.

Soon, a familiar voice carrying the accent of nobility spoke up. "Good afternoon, darlings! May I join you?"

Before either of us could even look in the direction of who was addressing us, Gladesong spoke up in a cheery tone. "Hi, Aunty Rarity!"

Indeed, the voice belonged to Rarity. She was standing right behind Fluttershy and I, so it was no wonder Gladesong saw her first. "Hello, Gladesong dearest! Oh, you're just the filly I was hoping to see! I have a little surprise for you!"

"A surprise?! Show me, show me!" Gladesong squealed while wiggling in her seat. Knowing Rarity, she must have put together a little dress for our daughter. Fluttershy giggling quietly while watching our daughter dance for Rarity and I too found the moment to be quite cute.

"Oh, aren't you excited! Now, close your eyes and I'll show you." Rarity commanded, which Gladesong immediate complied. The little filly closed her eyes and even held her hooves over them. But after taking a few steps, Rarity smirked at Gladesong when she lifted one hoof and opened her eye. "No peeking!"

Gladesong quickly closed and covered her eye upon being barked at while her mother and I watched with smiles. Rarity had a pair of saddlebags at her sides, the clasps bearing one of the diamonds that make up her cutie mark. Once she was right behind Gladesong, she used the levitation spell to open the one that hung off her right side. What rose up out of the bag was just about what I expected. A minty green hat with a domed top and a wide brim. A white sash of sorts was wrapped around the base, which had numerous flowers neatly tucked into it. She then levitated a small hand mirror from the other bag and held it before Gladesong's face. "You may look now."

The instant Gladesong opened her eyes and saw her reflection, one word escaped her lips. "Flowers!"

"Just as you like them! Roses, daises, and pansies. You like it?" Rarity replied while looking exceptionally proud of her work.

Gladesong turned her head every which way to get a good look at her new hat, looking absolutely delighted with it. "It's so pretty! Thank you, Aunt Rarity!"

Rarity beamed in delight before reaching out and placing a sweet little kiss on Gladesong's cheek. "You're quite welcome, darling."

Rarity and Gladesong's very clear bond caught my eye. She was especially doting to my daughter. "You and Gladesong get along pretty well, huh?"

Rarity pulled up another stool and gave both me and Fluttershy a broad smile while Gladesong kept holding the little mirror in her hands to admire the flowers in her hat. "Oh, but of course we are! I did receive the honor of becoming dear little Gladesong's godmother, of course."

"You are?" I asked while feeling rather surprised. How could I forget something like that?

Fluttershy seemed a bit amused by my obliviousness to this little fact. "Yes, she is. She even suggested the name 'Gladesong' before she was born."

So... Rarity herself devised our daughter's name in the end. Well, it certainly fit in the end. Gladesong certainly was not bad at singing for a toddler. And she has always loved flowers. Whenever I find her out of the house at home, she is prancing and hopping through flowerbeds or even just basking in them. However, Rarity then added, "It was such a delight that you used the name I suggested, darlings. Just as much of a delight knowing that I will be the best mare at your wedding!"

It was then that the waiter came over with our menus. Even then, Gladesong was so enraptured with her hat that she could not stop looking at her reflection. But I decided to continue the conversation while we started to browse the menus. "Best mare? Don't you mean 'best man'? I thought the best man is supposed to escort the groom down the aisle."

Fluttershy smiled at me, apparently having had some experience with weddings before. "That sounds more like the 'best stallion' to me. It doesn't matter what gender you want the special guest to be. If the pony for the role is a mare, she is called the 'best mare'. But the one who escorts the bride is always called the 'mare of honor' no matter what."

"I see. And who's the lucky girl who's getting that role?" I asked, wondering who Fluttershy had asked.

Rarity chuckled at the thought, clearly knowing the answer. "Rainbow Dash, if you can believe that. She and Fluttershy go quite a ways back, so she's ideal for it."

Rainbow Dash is the last mare I know who could possibly tolerate dressing up all fancy, even for a wedding. Her dress for the Grand Galloping Gala certainly looks impressive, but it certainly is not terribly fancy. In fact, thinking of the attire got me feeling rather apprehensive. I too am not a big fan of fancy attire, largely due to how stuffy and uncomfortable it can feel. "Uh... Rarity? Are you the one who's deciding what I'll wear?"

My gorgeous friend smiled at me while she set her menu aside, having likely decided what she wanted to order. "Oh, that special ensemble was finished quite some time ago. I say your attire for the Grand Galloping Gala will suffice. It does strongly bring to mind a white tuxedo, now that I think about it!"

My attire for the Grand Galloping Gala? Last I checked, it was a robe and not a tuxedo. What had happened before I took that nap a while ago? Everything before that is still a blur. Either way, I decided to take Rarity's word for it and wait until the big day to see what she was talking about. Since I never saw any clothing at my house that I did not recognize, chances are she was keeping it safe and sound at the Carousel Boutique.

Fluttershy then turned to Rarity and asked, "Is my dress almost done too, Rarity?"

"Oh, absolutely! I've been working on it here and there between all my other orders. It should be done no later than tomorrow." Rarity replied with quite an excited and proud look on her face.

"I hope it looks wonderful. But knowing you, it'll be perfect." Fluttershy said with a hopeful smile. Seeing as how those two have been best friends for some time now, I could not imagine Rarity letting her down.

The rest of the meal went by without much of a hitch or much to mention. Gladesong just could not get enough of looking at her new hat and could only be distracted by the presence of delicious food. It is good to see that she is not a picky eater, but seeing as how ponies will even eat uncooked flowers and grass, I cannot imagine anypony being picky.

That evening after work, I decided to take a little walk through the park to just enjoy the late summer sunset. Fluttershy's little animal friends always do a fine job of looking after and tending to Gladesong. Really makes it easier on both of us.

Once more, I found myself at the pond. I always wind up there whenever I visit the park. As usual, I found the place deserted aside from that sack of fish food that Fluttershy keeps out on that little peninsula that sticks out into it. It felt like it had been quite some time since I last visited it.

I sat myself down right by the sack and pulled the flap open. I then took a handful of the stuff inside and tossed it towards the water. Like many times before, some of the fish in the pond leaped from the water to catch some of it before feasting on the rest that floated on the water's surface. Feeding the fish is just such a simple pleasure.

The hissing and whimpering of cicadas filled the air while a warm breeze blew through my hair. I just felt so at peace right there... God, I love Equestria. It feels like it has been so long since I found myself on Ponyville's outskirts for the first time. Best thing to ever happen to me.

My reminiscing was interrupted when I happened to glance to my right. At the very end of the peninsula was something that I could swear had not been there before. A tiny flower patch seemed to be growing there. Not paying much mind to it, I reached back into the sack ext to me and tossed another handful of food to the fish. But then I looked back over at the flowers again to find that they had somehow drawn closer.

I initially suspected that it was Pinkie Pie wearing another disguise to sneak up on me. But that patch of flowers was much too small to hide a full-grown earth pony mare. Even so, it was clear to me that somepony was inside it. Deciding to humor my mysterious stalker, I turned my gaze away from the flowers while making sure it was still viewable out of the corner of my eye. Sure enough, it started to inch closer to me. Whoever was in there was doing an admirable job of not letting the disguise make much noise since I barely heard a thing. Eventually, it stopped right next to me. And it was then that I heard a voice come from it. "Rawr!"

It was then that I gave the little flower patch my undivided attention. I gazed right down at it and asked, "Can I help you?"

The flower patch spoke to me again with a little girl's voice. "I am the flower fiend! And I will eat you up!"

Tempted to snicker, I then asked with a straight face, "How? You have no mouth."

"Oh, yes I do! Right here!" Just then, a filly burst from the flowers and clamped her tiny jaws onto my arm as she growled cutely. Sure enough, it was little Gladesong.

"Looks like you got me good, sweetheart. I never would've guessed it was you." I said with a smile. The thing with kids is that you should humor them when they are very young. They will have more fun that way.

Gladesong let out a giggle before she let go of my arm and began to nuzzle her head against my chest. I responded in kind by caressing her head with my hand. She then looked up at me with those big chocolate eyes and asked, "Whatcha doing, Papa?"

"Me? I was just taking a walk to enjoy myself and relax. Maybe even feed the fish." I replied while pointing at the water. Some of the fish were still waiting just under the surface for their next snack.

"Ooh! My turn!" Gladesong exclaimed before she went to the sack and reached down in it before lifting her head back out with a mouthful of pellets in her jaws. But as soon as she did, she gagged and coughed while dropping the food right back in the sack. "Yuck! Why do fish like this stuff?! It's nasty!"

Ponies tend to use their mouths to hold and carry just about everything, so I was not surprised that she tried it like that. I even got a good laugh out of her reaction. "I dunno why. I guess fish just don't have the same taste as us. But come here for a second. I'll show you how your mom does it."

"OK, Papa." Gladesong said after brushing some of the crumbs and bits of the fish food off of her tongue with her hoof. I then stuck out my index and middle finger on my right hand while keeping them joined together.

"Imagine that the tips of my fingers is your nose." I explained while Gladesong nodded readily. I then stuck them into the bag on an angle. "You stick the tip of your nose in here like this so that the food is over it. Ad then you fling it out!" With a sudden flick of my fingers, I flung a small amount of the fish food towards the pond. And sure enough, a fish jumped and caught it.

"Ooh! That's easy! My turn!" Gladesong exclaimed before sticking her nose into the bag. A second later, she suddenly lifted her head, flinging a flurry of bits of fish food towards the pond. And sure enough, a few fish jumped and caught some of it before it fell into the water.

"Eee, this is fun! Some for you, now for you, and here's some more!" Gladesong started to chant while she flung more and more of the fish food into the pond. As cute as it was to watch, I had to step in after a moment since she was clearly getting carried away.

"OK, Gladesong. I think that's enough." I said after she had flung food into the pond a couple dozen times. But when I started to gently push her away she started to whine ad moan as if she was on the verge of crying.

"Noooo, I wanna keep doing it!" Gladesong whined while she started to stomp her little hooves.

Not wanting to have to deal with a toddler's tantrum, I had to think fast to calm her down. "But sweetheart, you're gonna hurt the fish if you keep feeding them like that. Feed them too much and they'll get all fat."

"Get fat?" My daughter asked while calming down pretty quickly.

I felt a sense of relief come over me. I still do not have much experience in parenting. "Yeah. It's not good for anyone to be fat. Not even fish. So that's enough for now, all right? Don't want to do anything to our little fishy friends that'll hurt them."

Gladesong seemed to get the picture since she then nodded with a smile before trotting over to the edge of the pond. "Sorry, fishies! That's all! Don't want you to get fat!"

Way too cute. She then closed the sack and trotted back over to me. "I won't feed them anymore today. I don't want the fishies to be mad at me for making them fat."

"Atta girl. We can feed them again later." I said with a smile before petting her little head. Gladesong smiled rightly while leaning into my hand. But a moment later, she hopped forward and leaned against me with her head resting against my chest. "Sweetheart?"

"I love you, Papa." I heard her coo. I was still getting accustomed to be referred to by that name, but whenever I did hear it from Gladesong, it always tickled me. I just had to get used to the fact that I am a father now with such an adorable little filly.

"Love you too, sweetheart." I replied softly while my hands tenderly held her to my body. Little Gladesong... I still cannot wrap my head around how a man and a mare can successfully conceive a child together. And I certainly do not remember it happening. Such a bust that I missed Fluttershy's pregnancy. But then again, Fluttershy has been showing some interest in possibly having another child someday... Maybe we will get the chance to experience it all over again.

Days passed without much fanfare. I enjoyed my work and caught up on lost time with my dearest friends. It was really all I could ever ask for. But then the big day came. I had almost forgotten about the wedding until I got called to the town square with Fluttershy. Without wanting to bore you with all the details of how it works, I essentially had to undergo a rehearsal so I knew exactly what I was doing. And it delighted me to know that the three royal sisters would be presiding over the wedding.

Once the rehearsal was out of the way, I decided to head over to Rarity's home to see if my attire for the event was ready. Along the way, I noticed that there seemed to be a fairly large number of royal guards on patrol. That certainly was odd. Since when does a wedding require security?

I reached the Carousel Boutique without interruption. Upon stepping inside, I found Rarity watching over Mitta. The crimson-maned earth pony seemed to be modeling in a flowing red dress while Rarity was closely observing her. But at the sound of the bell over the front door going off, Rarity promptly turned around to face me. "Welcome to... Ah, if it isn't the groom-to-be himself!"

Mitta also flashed me a smile while seeming noticeably nervous from being caught in that dress. The design was flowing and elegant, but was almost entirely red. Very eye-catching. "Oh, right! The wedding's today, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Just got dragged through a rehearsal. I just came by to check on my attire for the event. You said it's been ready for a while?" I replied while glancing back and forth at both Rarity and Mitta. Man, she certainly looked fine in that dress. Acting as a model to test out Rarity's designs was probably helping boost her confidence.

"Oh, absolutely! It's upstairs in my room. Mitta, if you'll excuse us for a bit?" Rarity said while turning to Mitta before motioning for me to follow her. Mitta nodded and began to make her way to a mannequin to remove her dress. I then proceeded to follow Rarity up the stairs at the back.

I initially did not say anything while I climbed the stairwell. However... Roughly halfway up, I felt something strange. I felt my equilibrium suddenly become distorted. It felt as it the world quivered. My ears felt a dull noise in it as if I had a low-pitched ringing in my ears for a brief moment. But the strangest feeling of all was that it almost felt as if gravity had changed. I felt like I was being pulled back, vaguely feeling something large resting behind my body.

"Darling, no!" I heard Rarity shriek before I found myself practically floating, my body surrounded by her magic aura. "What's wrong? You almost took a tumble down the stairs! Are you feeling all right?"

I felt things quickly return to normal. My balance became steady, the world was still, and gravity was normal. I heard no anomalies in my ears. But it was not the first time it had happened. All day, I had felt strange...things every once in a while. But that was the first time such a phenomenon hit me so hard. If Rarity had not been there when it happened... Best not to think about it.

I really had no idea what to say to her regarding what had just happened. If anything, maybe I was just starting to feel the stress of the situation, strange as that may sound. Being married to Fluttershy sounds like a great idea and would surely make for a great life further down the round, and yet I was stressed to the point of having my body flip out. Strange how marriage affects you like that.

"Uh... I feel OK now. Maybe my nerves are just shot regarding what's going on today?" I said while twisting my head to loosen up my neck. I really had no other explanation for what just happened.

"Your nerves? Well, I'm sorry to say I cannot relate to such a thing." Rarity replied before she started to climb the stairs again with me in tow. "If I was to be married today, I would be on top of the world! No nervousness, no doubts, just pure utter excitement and joy!"

"I guess it affects men differently from women. Maybe it's grounded mostly in a type of fear involving loss of personal freedom." I spoke while I followed her. I know it sounds silly, but if there is one thing I am sure many men fear losing from marriage, it is that.

By that point, we had reached the top of the stairs. Rarity then looked over her shoulder at me while we continued down the hall. "Oh, darling, do not think such things. While you and Fluttershy will be a couple by the time the sun sets, don't think that anything is going to change. You'll still have your friends, you'll still be living here in cozy little Ponyville, and everything will be just the way things are now."

"Yeah, I know. I guess it's just a natural instinct or something. It'll pass soon, I'm sure." I retorted briefly while trying to brush off my insecurities. I was just getting worked up over nothing.

Once we stepped into Rarity private chambers, I saw that there were curtains drawn over two spots in the room. She normally uses those curtain frames on wheels to hide incomplete projects or completed works that she wants to keep a surprise. "Just a moment, please. I need to make certain which is which."

Rarity then trotted over to the one closest to her bed and peeked behind the curtains. "Ah, yes, this is the one! Ready to be dazzled, darling?"

"About as ready as I'll ever be." I replied while crossing my arms. With that, Rarity used her magic to part the curtains to reveal what was behind it. What I saw was indeed quite a feast for the eyes. Resting upon a mannequin shaped like a human was a full suit. The upper body was covered by a rather fancy white jacket complete with brass cufflinks and two long tails that reached down to the knees. A pair of equally white slacks covered the lower body while a pair of shiny black shoes with brass buckles covered the feet.

"I know you truly hate suits and tuxedos and the like, so I thought a light jacket would suit you best. I would even dare say that this much better represents you than that robe I wove for you a while back. The visage of the whitest dove. Don't you find it just enrapturing, darling?" Rarity went on while seeming quite proud of her work. And I certainly did not blame her.

A moment later, I stepped behind some curtains to swap out of my current clothing. I found the clothes Rarity had crafted to be quite comfortable in spite of how fancy they were. Formal attire tends to sacrifice comfort for appearance. I then stepped out from behind the curtains and took one long good look at myself in a tall mirror Rarity had nearby. That sleek white look was quite strapping on me, if I do say so myself. I especially liked how the twin tails on my jacket brought to mind swallows. I seem to have quite a connection to birds, it would seem. "Looks nice, Rarity. And yeah, I do get the feeling it better suits me than that robe."

"It most certainly does! And my, you certainly are quite strapping in it. I can just imagine what Fluttershy will say when she sees you in it!" Rarity exclaimed while circling me. She was definitely looking quite pleased. And I could not blame her.

It was when she mentioned Fluttershy that I got to wondering what was behind the other curtain in the room. "Hey, Rarity... That other curtain. Fluttershy's wedding dress wouldn't happen to be behind it, would it?"

Rarity immediately grinned with a chuckle. "I suppose I could show you right now. But wouldn't you prefer to first see it on your beloved instead?"

"Touché. OK, I'll wait until she's wearing it." I said with a slight smile. I know Rarity was just trying to surprise me. It would be more impressive to see it on the woman it was meant for. But while I glanced at the curtains, an unpleasant thought came to my mind. "Rarity... Are you sure you're OK with this?"

She knew what I was referring to. Her feelings towards me were still unchanged from the day she first confessed. And she knew it. Rarity cast her gaze towards the floor for a moment while she spoke in a quieter voice than before. "I confess I have been trying to not think about it... Although please do not feel any guilt over this, James. You and Fluttershy have Gladesong now. I would say it's far too late to turn back now."

Of course... It would be difficult to back out of a relationship with someone when the two of you have already had a child together. However, Rarity then cast a warm smile towards me. "And speaking of that little darling... Gladesong has been such a blessing. I truly am honored to be her godmother and it's always a pleasure to have her over whenever you need somepony to foalsit her. At least whenever my schedule allows it."

"You and Gladesong get along pretty well, huh?" I asked in return, taking note of how Rarity would always seem to be so doting towards my daughter whenever they crossed paths. Gladesong consistently gets excited and happy whenever she sees Rarity as well. There must be a special bond between them indeed.

Rarity sighed quite happily while looking over at a rather small equine mannequin. It seemed to be clad in a flower tiara consisting of white and red roses and a mostly white embroidered dress that would be held in place by a brooch worn at the base of the neck with a blue rose attached. I immediately assumed that it was meant for Gladesong. "That darling little filly is like the daughter I never had. She is always such a pleasure to have over. I adore her and I know she loves me." Rarity then turned her gaze to me as I saw a single tear flow down her cheek. But she did not frown at all. All I could see on her face was a smile. "You have given me a treasure I could never replace, my love. Thank you."

It was at that moment that I came to a realization. Rarity was not just a dear friend to me and Fluttershy. She had become extended family. Almost like a second mother to our child. Feeling rather emotional myself, I lowered myself to one knee and held my dear friend in a tender embrace that she immediately mirrored. "Let's not let anything change between us. All right?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, darling..." I heard Rarity whisper into my ear.

Not a minute later, Rarity gently ended our embrace and smiled brightly at me. "Well, I do believe I have taken up enough of your time. You had best return to the town hall. As the groom-to-be, you have guests to welcome!"

I was rather nervous about that, having always been a bit of a timid shy sort. But since many of the guests would likely be people I know, I probably would have every right to be more relaxed when I got there. Even so, I was sure Rarity was still busy and had a few things to tend to before the wedding could start. "I guess I do... Well, thanks for making this for me, Rarity. I'll see you there." After saying my goodbyes to Rarity and Mitta, I let the Carousel Boutique and made my way back towards Ponyville proper.

I did not have all that far to travel to get back to the town hall. Once it came into view though, I could see quite a few visitors having already gathered around on the perimeter. And three of them stood out quite easily. The three royal sisters. Feeling quite elated to see the three gorgeous alicorns, I hastened my pace.

The first of the three royal sisters to glance in my direction was Celestia herself. Those large purple eyes opened wide for just and instant before she smiled brightly and turned my way. "Don't look now, ladies. The groom is here."

Luna was the next to speak, grinning brightly as I came closer. "Spectacular attire, James! Somepony looks ready for today."

I was uncertain of what to say in return, so I waved at them while I drew near. Nightmare Moon then stepped forward and extended her wing to me. But just as I was about to step into her embrace, I felt it again. The world quivered, my legs buckled, the sky flickered in contrasting colors, going from blue to a dark yellow and back. Fortunately, my friend was quick to catch me and held me up in her wing. "Oh dear... I understand that weddings can be stressful, but are you all right?!"

I doubt they would ever understand what it was I had just felt. Was I hallucinating? What was wrong with me? Regardless, I brought myself back to a standing position while turning my gaze to Nightmare Moon. I was quite impressed that her wings could support my entire weight. "Uh... Yeah... I'm good. I guess I just need to sit down and relax for a bit. Good catch, by the way."

The Princess of Dreams smiled warmly at me before properly embracing me in her sable wing. "You scared me for a moment. This is supposed to be a day of celebration. Not a day to be remembered for having the groom being rushed to the hospital!"

Just before we could do anything else, somepony approached us from nearby. A quick glance revealed a black unicorn stallion clad in the royal guard's trademark gilded armor. Estoc. He promptly saluted the three royal sisters before speaking. "Your highnesses, my men have all reported nothing out of the ordinary and are maintaining their patrol routes."

"Excellent, Estoc. Carry on." Luna replied with a nod. Her expression seemed to have become much sterner at Estoc's words.

Estoc bowed in reply. But before he could turn to leave, he lifted his gaze to me and smiled. "Before I forget, congratulations, Sir James. Wish I could stick around and attend, but I had best return to my duties. Give my best to the captain." And with that, he was off.

It was then that I had been reminded of an unusual sight. When I passed through Ponyville, I noticed that a fair number of royal guards seemed to be standing watch here and there. I then turned to Celestia and asked, "Um... Is it really necessary to have the royal guard stationed here for this event?"

The Princess of the Dawn turned towards me and nodded. "It's just a precaution. This may not be any royal wedding, but I do have to say that this is a high risk event."

That sounded absolutely preposterous. It was a wedding, plain and simple. Nightmare Moon was quick to see my puzzlement and gazed at me with a rather serious scowl. "You must understand, James. You and Fluttershy are more than just heroes of Equestria. You are also the bearers of the Elements of Kindness and Humanity. If there is someone out there that would seek to sabotage Equestria, this would be a fine time to do just that."

"You make it sound like it's happened before." I replied dryly, finding it hard to believe that someone would crash my own wedding just to take a shot at me. While it is true that Fluttershy and I have been involved with some pretty heavy events regarding this world's well-being, it is not a fact that we flaunt. I am certain that hardly anyone even knows of our connections to the Elements of Harmony.

"Perhaps they could enlighten you more." Luna said while turning her gaze to her right. I looked as well. As turns out, among the guests who were starting to gather, I saw a pair of familiar faces. Cadence and Shining Armor were making their way through the crowd while greeting any who approached them.

Recognizing them as friends, I promptly approached the happy couple. While Cadence was clad in her usual golden attire, Armor seemed to have swapped out his guard armor for a red jacket with a golden collar and cuffs. A brooch shaped like an upside-down spade bearing the star symbol on his cutie mark rested prominently upon his chest while it seemed to be held in place by four straps that looped around the back of his neck and somewhere around the underside. Had I seen that jacket somewhere before?

Shining Armor was the first to notice me coming his way. The captain of the guard promptly looked my way with a bright smile spread across his lips. "Hey, James! Congrats! You all set for the big day?"

I was about to reply while reaching out my hand, but I suddenly staggered as I felt that infernal disorientation come over me again. It was weaker than before, but I did have to come to a stop to avoid risking my balance. "Uh... I guess so. I think the stress has been getting to me though..."

Armor seemed genuinely concerned for me as he trotted right over to me with Cadence close behind him. "You sure you're OK? You really don't look so good. Sit down for a minute."

I did as I was told and took a seat on a bench that was set up on the patio that encircled the town hall. Armor ad Cadence followed suit and sat beside me with Shining Armor sitting between me and her. Cadence was quick to look past her husband at me. She showed me a caring smile and spoke softly, "I hope things have been all right between you and your sweetheart. And is little Gladesong handling it well?"

Feeling my senses stabilize, I looked back at her and nodded. "Yeah. She's actually been pretty excited all week. She's really been practicing her flower girl role. You know she's nuts about flowers, right?"

Cadence let a cute giggle at the thought of that. Seeing as how Gladesong was a couple of years old at that moment, we surely must have shown her to Shining Armor and Cadence at some point. "Oh, I could never forget that. Do you remember the time she came with us to dinner while wear a dress made of flowers stitched together?"

Armor cracked a smirk while he let out a snicker. "Oh, yeah. How does Rarity do that with flowers? The mare's a wizard with the thread and needle, I tell you." But he then turned his gaze towards he and asked, "But how've things been between you and Fluttershy? You guys don't fight much, do you?"

"Of course not! I can't remember the last time we ever raised our voices at each other. Things are always peachy with us." I replied with a bright smile of my own. I certainly did not want either of them to think that anything had gone wrong with our relationship. Fluttershy is just always such a sweetheart and is just a wonderful combination of cuteness and serene beauty. I have never met a mare like her and probably never will again.

It was then that Armor gave me a bit of a sly smirk. I guess a cheeky side of him was starting to come out in a friendly conversation between two men. "Glad to hear. She always seemed like a really loving girl... How is she in the bedroom?"

"Armor..." Cadence grumbled while looking rather unamused with the question.

Shining Armor flashed her a rather uneasy grin. "What?! That's one of the perks of being in a relationship, dear! I just asking to make sure they're getting along fine in every possible way."

I strongly suspect Armor was just trying to throw some humor in just to lighten me up. Considering that the guy is a married stallion himself, I am sure even he must have been getting butterflies in the stomach at times while the clock wound down to his wedding day. Even so, I could tell Cadence was not pleased by the question, so I decided to turn the tables to mess with him. "I'll tell you if you tell me."

Cadence seemed to jump at this opportunity since she suddenly gave her husband an amorous smirk before looking back over at me. "Oh, things are always fun in the bedroom. He especially likes it when I wear the saddle and reigns."

That little confession caused Armor's snow-white face to rapidly turn a shade of red while he seemed to be sweating profusely. Even so, I could hardly imagine why he would have a fetish for saddles and reigns on his wife. "Uh... What's so hot about a saddle and..."

Armor spoke up rather loudly to interrupt me. "Oooookay, forget I asked that question! Let's change the subject!" I got a good laugh out of that reaction, but Cadence was just absolutely howling. What a way to make him regret saying that.

However, while Cadence was laughing herself silly, I felt it once more. The world shook as my eyes displayed colors that could not be natural. My ears were filled with what I could only guess was the sound of my own heart beating while my balance gave way entirely as I slumped to my left and right onto Shining Armor. This seemed to alarm him as he quickly spoke up right away. "Wha... Hey, James? You all right?"

While he helped me back up to a proper sitting position, my senses returned to normal. This strange anomaly was actually starting to become rather irritating. I held a hand to the side of my head. "I don't know... My nerves must be shot or something. If I'm still feeling this stuff happening to me by tomorrow, I just might go in to see the doctor about it."

"Maybe you just need to stand up and walk around for a bit. Go ahead. Take a walk and go say hello to more of your guests. You just might see somepony you recognize out there." Cadence said with a reassuring smile. Perhaps she was right. A walk just might clear my head.

"OK then. I'll just leave you two be for a while. Just no saddles until you get home, all right?" I replied while climbing to my feet. That got a rather loud giggle out of Cadence while Armor held his hoof to his face in embarrassment. I suppose the use of regular saddles during marital bedroom activates is something a lot of ponies in the world would likely find bizarre.

I stepped off of the town hall's patio and started to circle the building. I felt fine at the time, but these strange feelings and hallucinations were weighing my mind down. I was not developing a brain tumor, was I? That would be bad news. However, halfway around the hall, a voice I vaguely recognized spoke up from the direction of the train station. "Ah, Master James! I trust I am not too late to partake in the festivities."

A quick glance to the northeast revealed a rather prim and proper unicorn stallion trotting my way while clad in a black tuxedo. A smile crept across my face, although I was also rather surprised. "Fancy Pants? You're probably the last guest I was expecting to see here. What brings you to Ponyville?"

"Why, what else, my good sir? I would have to be daft to miss your own wedding! I am not too late, am I?" He replied with that calm yet warm smile he frequently shows.

I believe I replied. I just... The memory of what happened shortly afterward is a bit hazy. I remember seeing Spitfire with her Wonderbolt companions Soarin and Fleetfoot. I saw Zecora in the crowd. I recall meeting up with Eleina and Button Mash. I recall feeling quite surprised yet delighted to find Trixie attending. But... So much of it is a blur. Was it a result of my mind tripping out?

The next part I remember was when I stepped into the town hall itself. I do not know why, but... I cannot remember the words that were spoken. It was like everything was becoming increasingly... I do not even know. But the anomalies I had experienced before... While the world did not seem to change in color, I could constantly hear and feel the world quivering and distorting. Or was it? The only good thing I could say about it is that the sensations were much weaker than before. But they did not subside.

I remember seeing tables and heated tins of various foods set up in the town hall's central chamber like a grand banqueting hall. It was likely being used for providing refreshments to the guests once the wedding had concluded. I remember seeing Fluttershy and Gladesong come into the place with Rarity pushing along a cylindrical curtain frame that likely hid the dresses of my child and beloved. Gladesong would not stop hopping around looking excited as a toddler in a candy store. I wish I could remember what she was saying or singing.

The moment was drawing near. I remember feeling more nervous than I had been in a while. But it would all pass soon. In a short while, I would be wondering why I was so nervous in the first place. The best mare and mare of honor were standing ready, as were my three other dearest friends as bridesmaids. All their dresses were noticeably different with some even being reminiscent of the dresses they wore to the Grand Galloping Gala. But they were all wearing the exact same light blue flower crowns. I remember liking how Pinkie Pie had her normally poofy mane packed down into what seemed to be a large bun, which is quite a feat considering how her mane usually just does not want to be anything but its natural form most of the time, and how Rainbow Dash had her mane tied into a ponytail with golden thread. They all looked amazing and delighted. But of course, there was still Fluttershy. She seemed to be in the back somewhere trying on her dress. Why can I not remember what was said... Was it the ever growing din in my ears? I could not even hear the band outside rehearsing for the procession. Or did I and I am just unable to remember?

Gladesong was so ready for everything. I could tell by how she looked and pranced all around waiting for the doors to open while clad in her new dress. And then... Fluttershy. She stepped out from behind one of the hall's support pillars. And her dress... It suited her to a T. From a glance, one could be forgiven for thinking it was just her dress for the Grand Galloping Gala colored shades of white. But you would have to take a closer look. Her mane had been styled in the same way as if she was attending the Gala along with the teal and white flower pins clipped onto her mane along with her shoes being the same with the ivy designs wound around her forelimbs being colored white, but that was pretty much where the similarities ended. A large white butterfly earring was clipped onto her ear while a pearl necklace was hanging around the base of her neck. A large white butterfly brooch hung over base of her neck while being adorned with what I think was a diamond-shaped peridot gemstone. Where the length of her Grand Galloping Gala dress looked like very long narrow leaves, her wedding dress consisted of around four layers ending with the end strongly resembling a layer of clouds. It was so simple and quaint, yet lovely. Just like her.

I do not think I said much. But I could tell she did not either. We were both excited, yet extraordinarily nervous. Even so, we were also happy. I did not feel any regret having Fluttershy as my bride and I knew by that almost tearful nervous smile that she was honored to have me as her groom. It was then that Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie trotted outside while Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Gladesong stood by Fluttershy and I. Everything was going according to plan. And yet... The noise in my head and the sensation that was running along my nerves was not stopping. I could literally feel the world quivering before pulsing every now and then. Not enough to knock me off my feet, but it was very distracting. And with every passing minute, it intensified. My friends and lover would never understand, so I assumed it would pass soon. At least I hoped it would.

The muffled sound of classical music began to play. I have never known the sound of that song, but it was fitting for the occasion. At least I think it was. As the doors opened, the sound became slightly louder. But it... It was distant. And while this may sound bizarre, it was also...distorted. Twisted. The din in my ears was not fading. The music almost sounded like something out of some sort of nightmare. Almost. I tried to pay it no mind and just focus on the grand event that was unfolding around me.

For as long as I have known, Ponyville has never had any sort of cathedral. So it was fairly clear why we all opted for an outdoor wedding. A red carpet had been spread out from the doors of the town hall to where Princess Celestia was standing up ahead while dozens of guests and well-wishers had gathered on either side. Luna and Nightmare Moon were standing at her sides as well, presiding over the wedding. The first out the door was little Gladesong. Hopping and prancing, she made her way down the carpet while swinging a basket in her mouth to and fro. With every swing, pink rose petals would be scattered and cover the carpet ahead of us. She looked absolutely delighted to be interacting with flowers in some way.

Once Gladesong had reached the end of the carpet and stood by the row of our three dear friends, it was my turn to advance. With Rarity by my side, I slowly marched down the carpet while feeling like the weigh of the world was on my shoulders. She looked up at me and said something, but... I just could not hear her. The world was groaning. The music was becoming increasingly haunting. It was an ordeal to keep my gait from becoming unsteady. What in the world was wrong with me?

When I finally stood before three royal sisters, I stood to Celestia's left while Rarity also stayed on my left. It was then that we turned and watched. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy began to make their way down the carpet. Rainbow was putting on her best smile while constantly staying by Fluttershy's side. And Fluttershy... Oh, that face. So nervous, yet so happy and excited. Her gait was stiff and rigid, but her eyes said the rest. But while I stood and watched, the world around me shuddered once more. And the sky's colors... It happened again, but I tried to stay steady. Only this time, this severe planetary spasm did not truly end.

The sky returned to blue before darkening to a different hideous yellow once more and back. And when I focused on Fluttershy again... Did a piece of her hair just disconnect and fall to the ground like a thick glob of pink fluid?

http://youtu.be/N96ZLalhvmI

At first, I was bewildered and annoyed by what I had just seen and what I was feeling. But that quickly began to dissolve into a complex fusion of confusion and even abject horror as I saw what was happening to my beloved. With every step she took, she...melted. The vibrant colors of her body seemed to be liquefying before my eyes like molten plastic or taffy. Her face never lost that nervous smile, as if she was completely unaware of the changes.

The world groaned in my ears as I tried to keep control over my balance. What was happening? What was wrong with Fluttershy? In the end, she melted right to the floor in a puddle of yellows, pink, and white with spots of a few other colors.

I had no idea what to say or think. Was she still alive? Who was responsible? Despite this, Rainbow Dash continued on as if Fluttershy was still beside her. At least she did until she too began to melt before my eyes. Before my brash and loyal friend could even reach me, that brazen pegasus mare was reduced to a puddle of whites, blues, and rainbow hues. Even her eyes became pools of thick colorful fluid. All the while, the haunting hymn of the band continued to play in an almost mocking fashion.

The world twitched. It almost felt as if the world was falling apart. Suddenly, I noticed it ahead of me. Even the town hall was beginning to melt before me like a plastic play set that was being put through a running microwave oven. And nopony seemed to even notice. I turned to Celestia, who seemed to be speaking to me as if Fluttershy had reached the end of the red carpet. And then... While she was still clearly talking, she too began to melt before me. Luna... Nightmare Moon... Everypony around me was beginning to melt en masse. And the town of Ponyville with them.

I heard a piano roar as if several keys had been struck at the same time. I heard a cello screech and moan. The ground was melting... The buildings were melting... The people were melting... Even the sky seemed to be melting as the world quivered and growled. I did not even know what to think as my senses went all but haywire. Everything was just fine! My life had never been better, but then... My world was literally being reduced to a sea of bright vibrant colors. I soon found myself standing alone in that sea. And then... That sinking feeling.

I had almost no control over my limbs. My knees buckled. I could feel things that I could not see. My right arm throbbed in a dull pain. I could feel something soft yet firm pressed against the entire backside of my body. All the while, the sea of lifeless colors devoured me like a sea of thick viscous honey. But when I was finally up to my neck in the sea of countless colors that used to be Equestria... The feeling of liquid became thinner and I sank like a stone.

I was below the surface. I could feel liquid all around me. But to my lips and eyes, it felt like air. The fear of drowning quickly passed as I slowly drifted down into some sort of abyss. I dared not look down. I did not want to look into the dark depths like was likely below me. I still had no control over my body as I still felt the world around me pulse and ripple while unseen objects touched me.

I felt myself slowly leaning back, allowing my gaze to look up. An unnatural ominous light was shining down through the surface. Dark, yet bright... I am uncertain of how to describe it. It was all so surreal. But then... Etched out upon the surface of the ocean above me... Words were formed. The letters quivered erratically and were jagged, but I could read them. It was a phrase I had seen before some time ago. And as I read it, I was all but certain it was being both ironic and mocking at the same time. Almost as if something...or someone was laughing at what was happening. Those infernal words that implanted a sudden nameless dread into my heart...

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

It was at that moment that the ocean I was floating in suddenly vanished and was replaced by an empty void of nothing but air. My gut clenched as I felt the horrid sensation of falling. But strangely, a trail of the liquid surface was still connected to me while extending to the surface. And it was rapidly thinning and darkening. Turning a shade of gray. It was connected to my neck. With no control over my own limbs, a sense of horror filled my mind as I began to hear jeering laughter from somewhere up above even though I could hear nothing but that same groaning din. Four voices... Maybe five? Six? It seemed to be coming from the source of the chain that was link to the ever tightening grasp around my neck...

I do not know how far I fell. But out of nowhere, the chain that was connected to the noose around my neck suddenly became taut. A sickening crack rang through my entire head. The noise in my ears ended instantly and I became briefly numb. The only thing I did feel was myself suddenly bouncing back up while a significant chunk of weight dropped from my just below my neck. My mind was a haze... Feeling began to return to me. The darkness that blanketed my vision began to regain light. The world was still and the rumbling in my ears was gone. I could not move. Felt so weak. But the memories... Where was I? Why was I not with my lover? Where was Gladesong? Where was my daughter? Where were my friends?

The only sound that reached my ears was a steady beeping noise. It sounded like a...heart monitor? My eyes regained their focus. A green ceiling was spread out above me. I could feel a thin sheet of sorts over me. And that familiar feeling of something against my backside... I was lying in a bed. Something was coating my right arm, but I felt compelled to not move it at all. I could feel small...things touching my chest. Something had been inserted into my arm near the elbow that was attached to a tube that was connected to a bag of clear fluid that was hanging from a narrow metal frame near me. Something was resting over my mouth and nose. My ears picked up the faint hiss of a respirator. As my senses began to stabilize, I began to make sense of where I was. A hospital. Namely Ponyville's hospital.

But what of everything I saw and felt? That nightmare just before I awoke in Fluttershy's cottage... Was that...what really happened? Why was I not at my wedding? That dull pain in my right arm... Where I was burned by my own... My left hand weakly felt along my left side. Bandages coated my body just between the ribs and waist. The spot where I was... I felt tears form in my eyes. It was not a dream at all. And all that I thought I had... That wonderful life in Ponyville I was just experiencing... It... Just an illusion. Why did I have to wake up?

I heard the sound of movement and hooves faintly clopping nearby. Very slowly, my eyes dratted about before I turned my head to the right. I was very near a window. The blinds were lowered, but there was not much light peeking through despite giving me the impression that it was around midday. The air pressure... Rain would be coming today. Just to the left of the window were numerous medical devices that were likely hooked up to my body.

It was then that I slowly turned my head to the left. There was indeed somepony in the room. One of the nurses seemed to be making her rounds while looking over a clipboard. Pink coat with white freckles and a white and purple mane tied in a bun while a nurse's headpiece rested atop her head. I recognized her. And felt nothing but a bitter rage fill me.

Seconds later, she glanced my way. I seemed to startle her judging by how she gasped and jumped back. "Oh my goodness, you startled me! Wait... You're awake? Oh my, that was a very short coma. You're very lucky, you poor dear. They weren't even sure if you were going to pull through at first back in Canterlot."

I said nothing. All I felt towards the nurse was anger, but I was took weak and drained to even bring myself to speak. My mind was still clouded with emotional and physical fatigue. Why did she sustain me? Why did she not let me sleep forever or at least allow me to die? Either of those would be better fates than what I just went through...

She could clearly see my contempt in the glare I was giving her. I wanted to yell at her. Demand why she saved me. But the words would not come. Her ears drooped while she took a step back. "Are you... Is something wrong? There's nothing wrong with you now. I swear you're recovering nicely. I'll just... Hm?"

Before she could finish speaking, a bit of radio static came from the wall to my left. There was an intercom device on the wall, though I could not reach for it. Seconds later, a familiar voice spoke through the intercom while laced with a touch of static that anyone who has listened to a radio would recognize. "Hello? Nurse Sweetheart? We have a guest who wants to visit room G5. Are you about finished in there?"

Nurse Sweetheart promptly trotted over to the intercom while placing her clipboard on the tiny cupboard next to my bed. There seemed to be a vase of flowers there as well. She then placed her hoof on a button just below the speaker and spoke into it. All the while, I never took my eyes off her. "Actually, I was just about to call you myself, Redheart. Our patient... He's looking right at me. It seems James has just regained consciousness."

There was a brief delay in a reply after Sweetheart removed her hoof from the device. I soon heard the static again that signaled that the intercom had been activated from the other end. But instead of the sound of Nurse Redheart's voice, I instead heard a loud and panicked voice calling out. Specifically, calling out to me. "Is he OK?! Is he talking?! James, are you there?!"

A cold sense of indifference filled me as I heard that voice. Twilight Sparkle. My eyes gazed at the device out of the corner of my vision. I then heard Nurse Redheart speak up promptly, "Miss Sparkle, please!"

For several seconds, all I heard was the static of the intercom system. Nurse Sweetheart seemed slightly alarmed from the sound of that outburst, but did not take any more than two steps back. Soon, Redheart spoke to her colleague again. "I'm so sorry about that, Sweetheart. But how is he? Are his vital signs stable? Is he showing complete awareness of his surroundings?"

Nurse Sweetheart turned her gaze back to me. My glare had not left my face. I wanted her to know how disgusted I was at her for ending that perfect life I was living mere minutes ago. She was very much aware of my anger towards her. After a moment of meeting my gaze, she stepped forward and pressed her hoof against the intercom's button again to activate the microphone. "I think so. I've tried talking to him since he woke up just a minute or two ago. But he hasn't said anything to me at all. All he's been doing is.....glaring at me."

Once she removed her hoof from the button, Sweetheart took a few steps away from me. She likely thought I was dangerous, although that was far from the truth. My body felt too heavy and sapped of strength to even move. I could not hope to strangle her even if I tried. But after a moment of uneasy silence, my eyes glanced at the intercom again as that familiar static shattered the silence. And then, her voice again. "James... This is Twilight Sparkle. Can you hear me?"

I gave no reply. The real Twilight Sparkle disappeared forever...however long ago I suffered these injuries. Her words meant nothing to me. I turned my head away, facing the window to my right. Apparently taking note of my silence, she spoke again. "Nurse Sweetheart... Do you think he can hear me?"

The radio static ended, signaling that whoever was on the other end had turned off the microphone. I heard the sound of Sweetheart's hooves before hearing the radio static return. "Um... He just turned away from me. I think he can hear you just fine, Miss Sparkle. Go ahead and keep talking."

I certainly did not share the sentiment. I was hoping that whoever was there would just leave me alone. I wanted no company. I just wanted to return to what I had awoken from. But the voice did indeed speak again. It was deceptively soft and mournful. "James... I don't know what you remember, but... You've been in a coma for about ten days now... I honestly didn't think you were going to wake up this soon. Things... Well... Things have not been easy for us. And not for me either... I've missed you... I'm here in the lobby and...I want to see you. May I please come down to the room you're in?"

I said nothing. Did not move. I was hoping Sweetheart would get the hint and tell whoever had been speaking to me that I was not excepting visitors. Unfortunately, that did not happen. I heard the radio static start up again before the nurse spoke into the microphone. "Well... He isn't refusing you. I think it'll be OK for you to come visit him. Just give me a few more minutes to finish up in here and you can have all the time you want with him, Miss Sparkle."

I heard the radio static end briefly before hearing that voice again. "Thank you... I'll be there soon, James. Please... Just wait for me." The intercom then fell silent once more.

Nurse Sweetheart then spoke from behind me in a soft voice while I heard her going about the room doing...whatever it was she was doing. I did not care to look. "There we go... I'll just leave you to your friend now."

I heard the door to the room open and close. It was only then that a weak whisper hissed from my lips. "What friend...?"

I felt like I was awaiting a lethal injection. A part of me was filled with a silent dread while another was filled with just emptiness. Twilight was gone. Just like the others. Who would it be coming through that door next? All the while, my thoughts kept drifting back to that wonderful dream... A dream that felt so real... Was I just dreaming now? If I was, why could I not wake up?

A few minutes later, I felt myself tense up. The door was opening. And it was then that I noticed something resting on the windowsill. A small mirror. From the angle I was at, I could see the door and the wide window next to it. The blinds were completely open. The door closed. And I felt my heart chill. A purple unicorn mare with a mane of pink, dark purple, and deep blue. Twilight Sparkle. Or whoever she was instead.

I did not move. Perhaps if she thought I was asleep, she would leave. Very slowly, she drew closer. I could see her face. A very pained yet hopeful expression. Her pace was remarkably slow. As if she was filled with a horrid fear. And then she stood just behind me. I heard that voice again. It sounded deceptively sweet. I knew to not trust it. "James... Are you awake?"

I said nothing and did not move. I was hoping she would not come around to the other side, even though there was not a whole lot of room to maneuver through. Finally, she rested hoof on my raised shoulder. "James... Please, if you're awake..."

She paused momentarily. Her gaze was directed to something ahead of her. The mirror. I suspect she could see my face from the angle it was displaying. She gently rested her hoof on my shoulder. Believing that my ruse had failed, I turned my head even further so I could not see her. It was then that she shook me slightly while calling out in a truly desperate shout. "Please don't shut me out! I need to talk to you!"

As much as my mind was telling me to turn a deaf ear to her pleas, my heart ached. A part of me wanted to believe that the Twilight Sparkle I knew and loved was still there. After a moment of silently debating with myself, I lowered my guard just slightly and turned my head so that I was looking at her right out of the corner of my eye. A deep emotionally deprived monotone that I almost never speak with anymore came from my lips. "What do you want?"

Her gaze... In mere seconds I could see the tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. A gasp escaped her lips while she squinted her eyes shut. She then practically collapsed onto me, embracing me as tightly and delicately as she could. "I want you back...!"

I was unsure of how to respond. I could feel her quivering against me, pathetic little whimpers squeaking out of her. Her tears felt warm... A part of me wanted to discard my worries and hold her to my chest, but my doubt would not let go. I whispered to her, "Weren't you... Back in the maze..."

"No..." She spoke with a gasp. Twilight pulled her face away from me, gazing down at me with such a pained expression painted all over her purple face. "I know what happened... What Discord put you through... But he never got me. I never stopped being me. I never forgot what you are to me..."

I did not say anything. It felt as if there was still so much for her to say. She slowly lowered herself to me, holding onto me in an embrace while being mindful of my body and whatever was attached to it. "I never should've left you... I should've stayed with you when I found you... It was starting to feel like you were never going to wake up..."

I remembered that wonderful dream I was experiencing. One so real that it did not feel like a dream at all. But at the same time... "How long was I out?"

"Ten days..." Twilight whispered near my ear. The same number of days that the dream lasted... Was it merely coincidence?

I could feel the sheer emotion flowing through the unicorn mare as she held me and wept. It felt familiar... Something I cherished. Finally, with my emotional defenses all but lowered, I asked one last question. "Tell me something. Who are you?"

She pulled away from me, those tearful purple eyes showing confusion. But they soon showed a somber understanding as well. She knew what it was I meant. And she answered sincerely. "I'm Twilight Sparkle, James. Your friend..."

It was then that a glimmer of my fears faded. Twilight was still with me after all. I tried to reach up to her with my arms, being mindful of the needle in my left elbow. But I cringed as a dull pain radiated throughout my right forearm. She noticed right away and tenderly placed her hoof on the sheets upon my chest before gently pushing me back down to the mattress and pillow. "No, don't try to move... Let me."

I felt my upper body become weightless as something lifted me from the mattress. A pink billowing aura seemed to be surrounding me. Twilight was using magic to lift me to the point where I could reach her. She threw her arms around me, resting her head on my shoulder. I responded in kind, carefully moving my left until I had it draped across her torso with my hand resting on the base of her neck. I heard her once more whisper in a choking voice. "I was so scared... Afraid that you wouldn't be you anymore when you woke up... If you woke up..."

I must have been in a coma after all that happened... Just what kind of injuries had I endured? My body still seemed to be in one piece. Although I was still concerned for my right arm. Just trying to move it at all, even just my fingers, induced pain. But it hardly mattered for the moment. Someone I feared I had lost was holding me in her arms. "Thanks for never leaving me, Twilight..."

"I could never leave you... I love you..." She whispered in kind, sounding somewhat more relaxed. Those words... They felt...good to hear.

After a moment more, Twilight tenderly lowered me back down to the bed and made certain my sheets still covered me. I felt the need to speak to her, so I attempted to break the tension however I could. "Is this... Are we in Ponyville?"

She nodded while resting her left arm on the bed next to my own left arm. "It is... Once your condition had stabilized, they moved to a place closer to home hoping it might help you in some way. It also made it easier for your loved ones and friends to visit you... Even if you would never know they were there."

Again... Thinking back to the dream. I remembered seeing so many friends I had all but forgotten about in my despair. And even then, I tried to think of them. But in the end, the memories kept coming back to the six who mattered the most. I felt that bitterness fill me again. "Twilight... You know you and Rainbow Dash are the only ones I have left..."

That agonized expression again... She felt along the sheet until her hoof was resting atop my hand. "No... James, they're all back to normal... What Discord did to them was reversible. And when he...died...all of his influence faded away. I swear, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity are the same ponies you remember again..." Once more, the tears flow as she looked even more remorseful. "I wish I told you... Maybe if you knew..."

My memories of that false chat I had in that dream resurfaced briefly. How there was a spell that could undo Discord's corruption on those he had twisted. "Was there a way to undo the changes without killing him?"

Twilight somberly nodded. "There is... I wet through the exact same thing you went through the first tie Discord got loose. And... All I had to do was remind my friends of everything we had been through. Everything that made our friendship worthwhile. Essentially... A spell that jogs your memory. And it worked."

"Then...why did you not tell me about it?" I asked further, not feeling angry at all. I was feeling too...drained to feel much of anything.

My friend bowed her. She truly was being burdened by a great deal of guilt. "I knew how important we had become to you... I didn't want you to worry. And I wasn't entirely sure if Discord would use the same tricks as the last time. But more importantly... We all promised ourselves that we would not let Discord mess with our minds again. Not just for ourselves, but for you... And it wasn't just a promise, but a Pinkie Promise. And nopony had ever broken one of those before. But... Discord was just too powerful. We overestimated ourselves... If I had had known that he would go so far as to corrupt us by force to basically make us lose..."

So... They truly did try to keep me safe from Discord. Even though I could still feel the bitterness of what I was forced through, not to mention the pain of the memories of my friends betraying me right in front of my eyes, I still felt...honored that they would be so deeply concerned for me in the face of a potentially omnipotent threat. I let out a long sigh, unsure of what to feel. "What about the others...? How have they been?"

Twilight shook her head slowly. "Horrible... They know what they did. They remembered everything they said and did before the corruption left them. James, I'm ot kidding. We've all been going through the pain of the fact that we failed in protecting you, but... They... Applejack is in a slump, Rarity's been struggling with her business from how a mess her nerves have been, Pinkie Pie has been on the verge of a psychotic breakdown for a few days, and... Fluttershy..."

She just stopped right there while averting her eyes. Fluttershy... The mare I love and the one who hurt me most. "What about her?"

After a moment of silence, Twilight looked directly at me again while her ears drooped. "Rarity told me something recently... Right after you were admitted to the ER in Canterlot Royal Hospital, Fluttershy stayed behind for a bit longer while the rest of us were being led away by the princesses. Rarity was the only one to notice. And when approached, Fluttershy claimed that... She was in tears, by the way... She claimed that if anything happened to you, she would never be able to forgive herself... She's been haunted by her actions ever since, James... She hates herself for what she did to you."

I so desperately wanted to believe her. I wanted to believe that things could indeed go back to the way they were before. But the trauma... The memories weighed me down with doubt. I knew Twilight was not lying to me, but... That was them at the time, not a quartet of imposters. Discord was not directly manipulating them. I wanted to believe that the ones who hurt me were not... But they were physically there. They harmed me through their own actions and will. They knew who I was. Twilight could clearly see the turmoil in my eyes. "James... Is there anything I can do for you? Anything at all?"

I wanted to see someone I cared about. Someone who cherishes me as much as I adore them. I turned to Twilight and asked, "Could you please bring Rainbow Dash here?"

That instantly brought a somber smile to her lips. "Sure... I'll be right back. Just... Please be patient, OK?" Twilight then reached out an placed a soft kiss on my cheek. I felt a tear flow from my eye as I felt that... Felt so...reassuring that things were going to get better. And with that, she trotted out of the room. All I could do was wait. Rainbow Dash... The only one I knew for certain who was spared from Discord's machinations.

---

Things are looking up... Thank goodness that James was still himself when he woke up. Just when it seemed like it would take months or even years to awaken, James awoke from his coma after a mercifully short ten days. He is still scarred, but... I think he will heal in the long run. But for now, there is somepony he wants to see. I just visited him and was requested to bring Rainbow Dash to him.

I asked around from pony to pony if they had seen Rainbow Dash anywhere. Being one of the most recognizable ponies around, I did get a few leads. Fortunately for me, Rainbow Dash has been rather...lacking in energy for the last ten days. And for good reason. I found her sulking on a low cloud not too far from the town square. Rather than call out for her, I used my magic to pull the cloud the cloud she was lying on right down to the ground.

She seemed to notice something was up since she started glancing around after lifting her head. "Huh?! What the... What's going on?!"

"It's OK, Rainbow. It's just me." I said once she was almost down to ground level. That calmed her down right away.

"Oh... Hey, Twilight. What's going on?" She asked while still giving me a pretty melancholy stare. She just has not been herself lately.

I managed to crack a smile. I did have good tidings, after all. "Well, I have some good news. James just regained consciousness."

Her eyes opened wider than I had seen in quite a while. "He... What?! Already?!"

"Yes... I know. It's amazing he would wake up just ten days after all that drama. And... Well, he requested that I go find you." I explained to her while feeling much more relaxed than I had been in a while. Finally, things were starting to look up.

My words seemed to hit a soft spot in Rainbow Dash. She brought a hoof to her chest and asked with a very vulnerable look on her face that I am sure she would hate to be seen with by anypony else. "He wants to see...me?"

I nodded, being completely honest. "I was there when they announced that he had awaken. You'll be the second pony to see him since he woke up."

"Well, what're we waiting for?!" She suddenly spoke up as a glimmer of her usual brazen flair returned. She then suddenly went airborne and delivered a kick to the cloud she was on, dissipating it in the process before turning to me. "I'll head over right now!"

"Hold on there, Rainbow. We'll go together." I spoke up before she could fly away. With a few seconds of focus, I used the teleportation spell to take us right to the hospital's front doors.

Before Rainbow Dash could get her bearings, I decided to explain things briefly. "OK, before you go rushing in there yelling in joy or whatever, keep a few things in mind. He's still recovering and is quite exhausted. Be gentle with him, all right?"

Rainbow Dash nodded with showing me a sincere smile. "No worries, Twilight. If there's one thing I've learned from him since he first showed up, it's how to be gentle."

I know she is putting on a confident face and seems much more sure of herself than I have seen her in days, but I can tell Rainbow Dash is still feeling very insecure and anxious about James. I just felt the need to write this all down, even if it was short. I just hope things go well with her and James when they meet for the first time in ten days.

---

The room was eerily silent aside from the constant beeping of that heart monitor and the hiss of my respirator. I was tempted to remove its mask from my face, but decided against it. It did bring a certain level of comfort to me. Almost like a barrier making me feel more contained and cozy.

The beeping and the hissing were almost calming. I was tempted to just go back to sleep. I had no idea when Twilight would return with Rainbow Dash. At least I hoped she would return. I wanted to see Rainbow Dash, but I still wanted to see Twilight. I turned my head to the right, the direction I tend to let it turn when I sleep, and began to close my eyes.

Before I had the chance to drift off, I heard the door to the room creak open once again. Without moving, I glanced up at the mirror. A familiar pegasus mare was slowly approaching me. Rainbow Dash.

I felt a twinge of excitement fill my embittered heart. Was she still the same mare I knew when the world became silent and my body became numb? I turned my head to look at her without a word. When I did, she instantly stopped in her tracks. Her somber expression seemed to change to one of some sort of...mental and emotional overload. She almost seemed to be in shock as her wings spread, but then drooped along with her ears. It was the single most pathetic and vulnerable expression I had ever seen on her face.

"Rainbow...?" I quietly asked, still too weak to push myself to a sitting position. But I did not have to move after all. Rainbow Dash swayed slightly, a bit of a choking or gagging sound coming from her as tears began to simply cascade down her face. It was almost as if...she had just witnessed someone she treasured come back from the grave. Seconds later, she sprinted towards me with alarming speed and all but leaped at me. Her arms were spread across my torso and up my shoulder while she buried her face in my chest and just wailed and cried with absolute abandon the likes of which I had never seen before.

It hurt... Rainbow was one of the few people in my life at that moment that I had nearly unconditional faith in. To see her in such pain... Or was it mind numbing relief? Either way, I pulled my left arm out from under the bed sheet and gently stroked her head and mane. It felt as if she was trying to push her face right into my chest. After a minute or so, she began to pull herself up to my torso before wrapping her arms around me surprisingly tenderly while still sniffling and choking on her tears. She would have hated to be seen like that.

"I...missed you..." I heard her finally gasp out with her head resting next to mine. I responded by draping my arm over her with my lightweight friend practically lying upon me. She was still with me. Unchanged, still loyal. Just as she was when I thought I breathed my last breath.

"Hey... Are you OK?" I finally brought myself to ask while I gently leaned my head against hers. I was both relieved to see her again, yet also concerned for her remarkable show of weakness.

She pulled her head away from me, those eyes still pouring tears. Her voice was wracked with emotions that were just overflowing. "I... I dunno... It just feels... I feel like I just woke up from a nightmare..." She then suddenly pressed her head against my chest while trying to not yell as she cried. "I thought you were dead back there! When you stopped talking and went limp... Oh my god, I thought I lost you...! And these past ten days... Nothing I ever said or did got to you... You were there, but it still felt like you were far away... You don't know what it's like!"

I was unsure of what to say. I did not know if I even could say anything. It must have been emotional torture for her since that day. She soon looked at me again. And gently, she brought her hoof to my respirator's mask and slid it off me. I felt no difficulty breathing on my own, but I knew that was beside the point. I knew what it was she wanted to do and say. "I love you... You know that, right?"

I could only nod and gently placed my hand on the back of her head. She closed her eyes and... That kiss... The feel of her lips against mine greatly reinforced any faith I still had in her. She was truly the same mare I had known all along.

Rainbow Dash instantly ended the kiss she heard the door opening and promptly placed my mask back over my nose and mouth. But it was nopony we did not know. The visitor was Twilight Sparkle. She smiled somberly as she approached us while the door swung shut. "How are you two doing? Catching up on lost time?"

"Ye... Yeah..." Rainbow said before once again resting upon me while my hand stroked her neck and mane. She was like a tired child just resting upon me and trying to take a nap.

Twilight merely stood at the side of my bed and looked on in silence. I did not know what to say. Just... So many memories and emotions flowing through me while my body just did not want to move. Eventually, I spoke to Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow... How are the other four girls..."

She shook her head and let out a sigh without even moving from me. "You have no idea... They're really shaken up over what they did. They've been visiting you while you were out and... They just... You have no idea how sorry they are."

I glanced at Twilight, who nodded with a frown. It was that I looked down at my heavily bandaged right arm. "You... You girls saw everything, huh?"

Neither of them seemed pleased to be reminded. Twilight's ears drooped while Rainbow Dash shuddered while burying her head even harder into my chest. "Most of it... I couldn't watch the end... Just... What did Discord do to you?! You even ate parts of him! That couldn't have been you... I don't wanna believe it..."

I was unsure of what to say or feel about those memories. I could still remember what I felt. The laughter. The excitement. The satisfaction of driving the source of my despair into a corner he could not escape from. But all the while... The pain. It never went away. It was constantly trying to resurface past the laughter... Past the smile... I was doing all I could to drown it. To numb myself to it. I threw my inhibitions away to seek what I would want, but not attempt to gain. Even now... I am not entirely sure why I did what I did. I knew the reasons behind it, but... The memory is just a maelstrom of rage, despair, desire, hatred, and pain.

Twilight Sparkle seemed to understand what I was feeling and wanting to say just by looking at me. She reached out and placed her hoof upon Rainbow's shoulder. "I know why it happened, Rainbow... And... Just don't fault him too much. All that matters is that the real James is still here and Discord is gone forever. For me... That's enough."

Rainbow Dash was silent for a moment, maybe trying to think of a means to process what Twilight meant. "I... I think what you mean... It was all just...one big nightmare Discord put us all through. And we're starting to wake up now. Only Discord's gone with the nightmare, right?"

"I guess that's one way to put it..." I muttered, though the memory of what I did to Discord still floated through my mind. All that I did... It... Everything I did to him went against everything I had ever stood for. All that red... Those screams and pleas. Just... How could I have done that to anyone? Even if it was in response to what he put me through... For a time, I was worse than he had ever been.

After a moment of silence further, Rainbow Dash looked right at me. "Hey, James...? Do you... Um... Are you ready to see the rest of the girls?"

I knew what they meant. The ones who... "Are you sure they're back to normal?"

"Yes, I swear they are." Twilight replied while she placed her hoof on my arm. "They've been desperately wanting to see you and talk to you. They miss you, James... Would you like us to bring them here?"

Once again, the memories flickered through my head. But still... It was Discord who made them that way. I wanted to believe that. To believe that everything they did and said was not by their own will, but... The doubt still lingered. And yet... I wanted them back. All four of them. "Sure... Bring them here."

Both Rainbow Dash and Twilight smiled a bit more brightly than before at those words. Rainbow then flapped her wings to propel herself off of me and landed beside Twilight. "You got it, big guy. Twilight, I'll go round up Fluttershy and Applejack. You go get Pinkie Pie and Rarity, all right?"

"Sounds good to me. We'll be back as soon as we can, James. Just... Don't lose hope, OK? I swear they really want to see you." Twilight said with a nod before turning to me.

"OK..." I said quietly while only nodding. The two mares then trotted out the door. But before Twilight could leave, she looked back at me over her shoulder with a sympathetic smile.

I looked right at her. She seemed like she did not want to leave. "James... Just relax, all right? The worst is over now. Everything's going to be just fine." All I could do was nod while she left. Alone once more, I tried to go back to sleep to pass the time.

---

Oh man... Oh man... I still can't believe he's already awake. Even though it was ten days, it felt more like ten weeks. But everything's gonna get better fast now! Twilight had already run off to get Pinkie Pie and Rarity, so I was swooping over Ponyville to get to Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack was probably staying home today. Since things looked like they were gonna rain, the market hadn't been open today.

Sweet Apple Acres was pretty quiet. I didn't see anypony out and about anywhere, so I flew over to the farmhouse and gave a knock on the door. "Hey, Applejack! Get out here, I've got something important to say!"

That didn't take long to get a response. She opened the top half of the door in just a few seconds. "I heard ya the first five times! Anyway, what brings ya 'round these parts, Rainbow?"

I didn't waste any time telling her what was up. "He's awake! James came outta his coma today!"

"That's nice and all... Wait... Yer serious?! He woke up already?! The docs told us he might never wake up, and he's up and at 'em in less than two weeks?!" Yeah, that was just about the kinda reaction I was expecting.

"Yeah... Lucky break, huh? Anyway, he wants to see you... Wait, not just you. He wants to see all of us." I replied, feeling way too lucky that this whole mess started clearing up pretty fast. Man.. Just ten days. How lucky is that?

Applejack didn't seem too sure about what I said though. "Uh... Ya sure he wants ta see me? Especially after what happened back there...?"

I nodded and tried to give her a smile. "Yeah... Don't worry about him. Twilight and I already had a chat with him. He's still the James we all know. And he misses you."

She bowed her head while looking away for a minute. Was she about to start crying? "Well... If he really wants ta see me... Oh, who am I kiddin' here? You bet I'll go. I've still gotta bury the hatchet before things get back ta normal."

Great. Now all that was left was to get over to Fluttershy's place. I was really tempted to fly over there by myself, but I decided to gallop the whole way with Applejack. I think the more friends I had along for the ride, the better. It really did feel like it would start raining at any time. Almost like it was a bad sign. I would've cleared up the sky with the rest of the weather patrol, but we were told to leave the clouds alone since things had been a little dry lately and that a little excess rain wouldn't be a bad idea.

When we got to Fluttershy's place, things already didn't feel all that right. The place was pretty quiet. We barely saw any of the little animals that usually run around nearby. It actually felt really gloomy. But considering how Fluttershy has been doing the last ten days...

"Well... Let's head on up." Applejack said while we walked up to Fluttershy's front door. She then knocked on the door while I just waited for somepony to answer.

After a couple more knocks, a really sweet and quiet voice spoke up from behind the door. "Who is it?"

"It's Applejack and Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy. Open up, we've got some big news to share!" I replied while getting pretty antsy. I just wanted to get her out there and back to the hospital right away.

The door creaked open a crack and I saw Fluttershy peeking out from behind it. A second later, she pulled it all the way open. She was still looking pretty rough. I almost never see her looking that down. "Hello... Sorry I haven't been getting out very often lately... Don't feel very motivated."

Applejack showed a really sympathetic smile while patting her on the shoulder. "It's all right, sugar cube. We've all been feelin' a bit outta sorts lately. But that's all changin' today. James is doin' just fine, Fluttershy. He's awake now and wants ta see us."

That perked her up right away. Her eyes opened wide as her ears flicked like they didn't catch what Applejack said the first time. "He's... He's awake? And... He wants to see...me?"

I decided to say my part then. "He is, Fluttershy. I saw him and talked to him myself. He's still looking pretty weak and tired and he's probably got another week in the hospital to go, but he missed us. Everything you saw happen... Just forget about it, OK? He's still the same guy. And he wants to see if you're still the same pony before this whole mess happened. Twilight's already gone to get Rarity and Pinkie Pie. We're all gonna be there."

She actually took a moment to say something. It looked like she was debating whether or not she was worthy of being around him after what happened between them. But she finally looked at us with one of the most hopeful stares I had seen from her in a while. "Ye... Yes... I'll go... I want to see him again. Just... Let me tell Angel and Angela to watch the place while I'm gone."

Fluttershy ducked back into the house for about thirty seconds before she came back and stepped outside before closing the door behind her. "OK... Let's go."

"Atta girl, Fluttershy. Things are gonna be all right pretty soon. You just wait." Applejack said while we all ran down the path and on our way to Ponyville. I really just wanted to take off at max speed to get there ASAP, but I didn't wanna leave Fluttershy alone then. She really needed some support.

We didn't stop for anything. We went straight to the hospital. And wouldn't you know? Twilight beat me to it. Pinkie Pie and Rarity were standing by her and waved in our direction. "Yoo hoo! Over here darlings!" Rarity called out while we got close.

"Howdy, girls! Y'all here ta say howdy too?" Applejack asked once we came to a stop. That was the first time we had all gotten together since we came back from Canterlot. Felt good... But there was still one person missing.

Pinkie Pie was hopping up and down like she usually does when she's psyched for something. "You know it! I still gotta say I'm sorry for everything I did! Wait... I shouldn't be sounding this happy about it..." That got her to stop.

"I know... But... Things are finally going to go back to normal, right? If he's willing to forgive us..." Fluttershy muttered while she looked away.

Rarity stepped forward and touched Fluttershy shoulder. "Of course he will, darling... That was not us who turned on him. He will understand. Now, shall we go see our dear friend?"

"Yeah, we should. We're all here now. Just remember though. Let Rainbow Dash and I go in first. We'll let you know when to enter." Twilight replied before she started to head inside with us behind her. Man, we're so close to being out of this mess. Almost home free...

---

I lost track of how much time passed since they departed. Ponyville does cover a fair amount of space, so it would likely take some time of running here and there to round up the others. Especially when you are not entirely certain of their exact location. However, any attempt to fall asleep was sabotaged by the anxiety of knowing that those who hurt me would soon be arriving. Even though I could still remember the tension when they spoke to me... The pain of being struck... I still had to take into account that they were not truly themselves. Merely what Discord wanted them to be.

Despite that knowledge... It is difficult to accept that. While it was not them in spirit, it was still them in body. Perhaps only by seeing them and hearing them and feeling them would I be able to let go of my doubts and regain my trust in them. I wanted to believe Twilight and Rainbow... I truly did.

Eventually, I heard a knock on the door. It opened seconds later. My anxiety mostly faded in an instant when I saw that the visitors were just Rainbow Dash and Twilight again. There was no sign of anyone else.

"All right, James. Everypony's just outside the door. You ready to see them?" Twilight asked while she came closer. Rainbow Dash seemed to be staying by the door to let the others know when to enter.

A part of me was feeling wary of my dear friends. Telling me that allowing them in would be a bad idea. But after all that I had been told, I was feeling very hopeful. I wanted to see the friends I feared I had lost forever. "Sure... Bring them in."

Rainbow then opened the door a crack and stuck her head past it. Though a bit muffled, I could hear her clearly. "All right, girls. Come on in."

http://youtu.be/vI0FETSHAv4

Seconds later, the door swung open. But... The instant I laid eyes on the four faces that came through the doorway... What came over me? I felt a searing pain explode in my head. The memories... Flashing across my vision as if I was witnessing them in person all over again. The voices in my ears... Mixed with disorienting noise. Between the visions, I could see and barely hear them. Looks of bewilderment and great concern. Was I moving? The pain was too severe for me to remember feeling much of anything else. Did I say anything? What did they say to me? It was just...sheer chaos in my head. Just before everything went black, I remember grasping something and hurling it towards them...

I am uncertain how long I was out. But when I came to, my mind was instantly assaulted by the memories. The sights and the sounds... I could still see and feel them, though of less severity. But it was still painful. And no matter what I tried to do, I could not stop thinking about them. I heard a rumble to my right. When I turned my head, I could barely see through the blinds. A thunderstorm had descended upon Ponyville.

"No. I'm sorry, but you cannot visit him at this moment. We're still trying to diagnosis what has happened to him. He must not be disturbed for now." I heard a voice coming from the door. A turn to the left revealed that it was just slightly ajar, having miraculously not closed on its own. I could barely make out the face of Nurse Redheart just past the left edge of the window to the door's right. And just ahead of her...

I had to instantly look away. All six of them were right there. And just looking at them triggered more agony within my mind as the memories surged in vividness. It subsided quickly once they were out of my field of vision though. The small mirror resting on the windowsill... I could still see them with it where I lay. And strangely enough, looking at them through it did no harm to me.

All six of them were clearly distraught. I could hear the muffled voice of Pinkie Pie speak up while she seemed to lift one leg to take a step forward, but did not. "But... What happened to them in there?! He looked like he was having a seizure!"

"Yeah, what gives?! Y'all said he was completely outta the woods by now! What's wrong with 'im this time?!" Applejack added, sounding both alarmed and irritated from some sort of new development. Their voices... They hurt to hear. But with them being so muffled by the window and door, the pain was fairly dull.

Redheart seemed displeased as well by whatever had occurred and seemed to show an unhappy from. "I know, I know... And his vital signs truly were stable at the time he regained consciousness. But... I really wish I could explain it..."

What was wrong with me? I was both curious, yet fearful. I was feeling...even more drained than I was when I woke up the first time. Twilight then asked, "Explain what? What did you find during your secondary diagnosis?"

The nurse hesitated before she began to speak. "It's strange... We found no signs of infection or disease. His immune system seems to be functioning fine. His white blood cell count is normal. At least it seems normal when compared to a pony's. But... I wish I could explain it. Heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar... So many of his vital signs have noticeably dropped below normal levels. And when we tested him again not even an hour ago... They had dipped slightly further..."

"Redheart... What are you saying?" I heard Fluttershy ask while she looked noticeably shaken.

There was a pause in the air as a new tension filled the space between us. And when Redheart spoke again, her words were brief and chilling. "He's dying."

I did not know what to think. Even among the memories that constantly swam through my mind, tormenting me, I felt such conflicting emotions. Was I truly dying? Was my body slowly failing? The looks on their faces said it all. Silent horror and shock. Just when it seemed things were going back to normal...

"Nurse... Are you certain there is nothing you can do to save him?" Rarity asked, her voice becoming shaky.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was far less composed and almost sounded panicked as she suddenly drew closer to the nurse. "You better find a way! He's already been through hell! He doesn't need more of this!"

Redheart still maintained the grim seriousness she was displaying regarding the entire incident, but she still managed to speak to the six mares with a tone of professionalism to likely calm their nerves. "It's far too soon to say. Rest assured, we will do all we can to accurately diagnosis what his current ailment is. It's certainly possible that some sort of complication involving his injuries sustained ten days ago may have only just now surfaced. Like before, you will all be the first ones to know if anything new comes up. But... I'm sorry, but I really cannot let him be disturbed right now. Until tomorrow, he must be left alone." She then turned around and disappeared from sight. However, she sounded like she paused right in front of the door. And then, the door completely close, muting any other voices that were coming from the other side.

Even though I could not hear them, I could still see them in their reflection. The six mares looked and spoke to each other while looking noticeably shaken. Some of them hugged each other. Pinkie Pie cried. And then... Fluttershy. She suddenly turned to the window and rose up before placing one hoof on the window while a truly desperate gaze was directed right at me. There was a profound fear in those eyes... She was not just leaning against the window. She was reaching out to me. But for me... I felt afraid of her somewhere in my heart, even though I was tempted to reach out to her too. Soon, she bowed her head as tears began to flow. She seemed to be holding in some sort of sorrow. This time, Rainbow Dash was the one to approach her to provide support.

Fluttershy turned and tightly embraced the brazen pegasus mare. And even with the door closed shut, I could still hear it. Whenever Fluttershy has cried around me, it has always been quiet sobs. But this time, I could hear it. Anguished wails. I could see her in the mirror's display. Crying harder than I had ever seen before. And soon, she was led away. And I was alone once more.

With the chorus of the heart monitor and respirator being serenaded by the sound of rain splattering against the window behind the blinds and the occasional thunderclap, I lied in bed while barely moving. The memories would not subside. And the sounds that accompanied them echoed in my head as well. Such hurtful words... Painful blows... Even though a part of me fears my approaching demise, another part of me strangely welcomes it.

It was when I just happened to turn my head a little further to the left that I noticed something I had overlooked before. In a small cardboard box between my bed and the cabinet next to it was a stack of blank paper and a few pens. It was all too clear to me what they were. Somepony, probably Twilight, must have dropped them off to be used for journals. And so, here I am writing all this to help pass the time and distract me from the horrid memories that simply will not leave my head.

What is happening to me now? Am I truly going to die soon? And why will these memories simply not stop repeating in my mind? Even attempting to simply not think about them does nothing... And yet... I honestly think I want to die more than I want to live... A hideous concept, I know. But...

I just cannot take the pain anymore. Hopefully that beautiful dream world awaits me when I fall asleep soon. Anything to subdue the pain...