Time had passed. The fog rested gently below her restful stance, while she slenderly walked her ways as she had done for years. The clear water beneath her hooves shone her reflection upon her, playing with the cascading light from above. Her soul was no longer on earth, but hidden away in a pocket where time stood still. The memory of what was before played clearly in her mind, but everything that had led up her moment of disappearance had vanished. One thing must be made clear - the mare did not end up here by choice. For what was not proclaimed was the price that had to be payed to receive her ability. For now, years had passed while she had been stuck in a world of dreams, not being able to be either seen n'or heard, she could only but observe the beings still living and breathing. A long time had been spent pondering over the question of why she had to suffer the fate of being entrapped and alone. In here there were no walls, no ground beneath her hooves, no sun shining from above to let her differentiate between night and day. Only the setting of her emotions played a part in her surroundings. Much to say she had been terrified and confused when she woke up to absolutely nothing but pure darkness and horror. What had been the worst in the beginning was the silence. The immense, dense silence and not even her own ability to sound her voice. She, and everything around her had been silenced. Until she calmed down and accepted her fate, and the obvious impulse of thought that she must be dead, her environment changed. Light began shining through and a fresh breath of air reached her lungs. Having no feeling of time she started her journey towards the light, and this is where it had begun. The dreams. Not hers, but every living being's dream on the planet of Wareena would sooner or later be played out in front of her. Some would be delightful, joyful and heartwarming - while others had left her ruined in the bloody darkness. She had seen life and she had seen death. Even her daughters had had their imagery of dreams played out in front of her, and she had no doubt when it was them. She could feel it in her heart in that immediate moment. If only she could have reached out... called their names and felt their warm embrace one last time. The worst was not knowing when she'd return if ever. Was this her destiny? And if so, what was her purpose?

For what had felt for hours, days, years she wandered the long, indefinite stretch of solid ground, coated in clear water only going up to surrounding her hooves. A soft mist played around at her legs while she steadily took one step after the other - searching. Her mane and tail had grown out and was left flowing and dripping in the cool water. Her crystal blue eyes which before had enchanted many a soul was now empty and restless. The heart, beating still, but in a timed and unnatural pace. She feared she was dissolving from her physical self and turning into whatever shard of soul was left but no - her heart suddenly skipped a beat when her eyes caught a wisp of something. The feeling of recognizability rushed over her as the light dimmed and the blue moonlight shifted in. She saw him, lying there, deep in sleep. A soul she hadn't seen in a lifetime, but one she could never forget. A stallion so pompous, with a physical fitness unlike most and most important of all - a heart of gold. That was a decision she had made one time or the other, contrary to what many would believe. This stallion had given her one of the most precious gifts of all - a daughter, and she would be forever grateful.

Her heart beat faster - something unusual was going on within, but her frustration grew as she could only watch the sleeping brown stallion. All cuffed up in his wings, sleeping, he had to be dreaming and she needed to see what was inside. Febrile the mare closed her eyes and concentrated while her pulse steadily rose. What she wanted was to conjure him - get him to see her, cause maybe if she could connect, she could get answers. Maybe she would have peace. So therefore - she called upon him.
"Daaawn.." - a weak, echoing murmur should slowly be able to penetrate his mind and wake his stage of dreaming. "Daawn" she called out - but she could do nothing if he wouldn't hear or or decide to connect. Something felt different for the grey mare, and she knew she had to make an effort to intercept his dream if she were to ever return to Wareena.

You could say it was very peculiar to see the stallion of Death by the lake of Life. He was not sure himself how he had come to be there. The last couple of days had been a blur ever since the Christmas Gathering. Dawn had wandered aimlessly in his own thoughts and it was not until he had reached a state of such severe tiredness, that he had finally succumbed to sleep. He was vulnerable and exposed to everyone who could think of doing him any harm, but in death he had a friend, and therefor never really feared sleeping in the open like that. No, what scared him most was the haunting nightmares, and sorrow-filled dreams of the past. The bay stallion had many regrets and even ones he was not aware of yet.

In his dreamlike state he found himself on an open field, with nothing but yellow grass surrounding him. Everything was dry and the sandy wind stung in his eyes. His sturdy legs moved him across the field of grass, since he never seemed to carry his wings to the Dream realm. However, others might see him differently if they were to take a peek. The bloodred eyes scanned the area, longingly searching for that certain someone. Silhouettes started to appear before him. A black coated mare with a distinctive heart marking on her shoulder. Dawn recognised the mare as Silent Liberty, the mother of his twin foals. She quickly faded and the stallion moved on without further ordure. A brief glimpse of a palomino mare flickered beside him, before he turned away from Only Teardrops. He briefly wondered if he ever sired an offspring from her. He never found her after that one meeting. He shrugged. The bay stopped dead in his tracks when Inari appeared before him. He lowered his head and took an insecure stance. Their youngest daughter jumped around her legs, with no care in the world. A small neigh escaped his throat, trying to get their attention. Inari turned away from him, disappearing before his eyes.

It was like a punch to the gut, and the guilt showered down upon the demon, who truly felt like a monster when reminiscing upon his relationship with the white mare. She had deserved so much better than him. Dawn knew he deep down still held a love for her. He had to move on. Symbolically he started to walk on as such. He shook his head, when he thought he saw something in the distance, that seemed more lifelike. He was focused on finding what he was looking for. Then he saw her in the distance. His beloved. Dawn called out for her with desperation in his baritone voice. He started galloping, but to no avail. He stumbled and hit the ground with a hard impact, that punched the air out of him. He curled up on the ground whimpering Caelis name, before falling silent.

It was unknown for how long he was lying on the ground, but a voice soon made his almond shaped ear flicker. Dawn raised his head to look for whomever was calling out to him. The voice was erringly familiar, and he knew exactly who it belonged to. A soft vibrating sound arose from his wide chest as he recalled his memories with the astonishing two-toned mare. He turned his head just a slight bit.

“Gwen? “

He called out softly, with a warmth filling his vocals.

Suddenly the ground shifted beneath her. What before had been water on solid rock now turned into dry ground covered in sand and tough, yellow grass. She looked up to discover that she was in an open field. The wind hurled against her, causing sand pebbles to pinch her skin and her eyes to flicker. Her mane and tail was caught by the harsh breeze that she had learned spoke of a frustrated mind. She had succeeded - she was now in Dawn's dream, and an audience to his innermost depictions of his feelings. The old nagging feeling of overstepping boundaries and trespassing onto something extremely personal yet again filled her with guilt. Though only now, she felt she had to, and nevertheless, it was Dawn. He had to forgive her.

She witnessed everything and everyone the bay stallion encountered. Steadily following him with her steady gaze as the sandy winds brought his former partners to life. He was reminiscing. He stopped and watched a few only for a brief moment before continuing and letting them get engulfed by the sandy whirlwinds. Gwen couldn't shake the eery feeling that something was very wrong, and that the stallion had gone back to search for something... something he tragically knew, he wouldn't find to keep. Inari showed herself before him, with a youngling frolicking around in the grass and something seemed to shift in the large stallion. Gwen observed the intricate look on his face while she felt pity. Dawn seemed to be stuck in the past. Inari and her foal violently disappeared, when someone else caught his eyes in the distance. The sight was gutwrenching, as he called out and galloped to meet her - but to no avail. The eager stallion stumbled and crashed and to her fright, Gwen tried rushing towards him, but something held her back. Time passed by as the great stallion just laid there, while the sand slowly covered his bay skin. Gwen fought against the thing holding her back and concentrated all of her energy to let her voice break through the film. Finally, her voice broke through and she knew when suddenly he moved. Could it really be? Did he hear her?

And sure enough, his baritone voice silently uttered her name. After god knows how long, someone finally spoke her name and it filled the two-toned mare with so many lost emotions. She quickly realised that the situation was critical. It was evident that she had to fight against the force keeping her from reality in order to show herself. In desperation she tried answering him, breaking through the rough whirlwinds while she set in motion. The thick wind kept her sights on and off the bay stallion as she in one swift movement swung her head for then to move forward. The wind kept coming on stronger and stronger, letting the sand engulf her in an attempt to keep her still. The resistance was immense, but she knew she had to get to him. Maybe if he could see her - or even touch her, it could mean something.
Her heart beat faster and faster as she called his name one last time before it finally happened. The wind suddenly stopped wreaking havoc and rested, letting her silhouette appear in front of him. Holding her breath the mare looked up at the bay stallion in suspense - could he see her?

The bay stallion found himself in a daze, as he had gotten back on his feet and tried to make a mind of what was going on. The soft voice spoke out to him, but he couldn’t seem to figure out where to look in the sandy blizzard, that had him almost blinded. No scent was to be found and how could there be, it was all a dream after all. Not real. But it felt real and it hurt him deep down in his aching core. He let out a sight, signifying that it must’ve been his imagination. Yet the voice kept haunting him and it made him shake his head vigorously. But when he opened his bloodred eyes she suddenly stood right before him, and he barely noticed that the winds had died down. A speechless stare was the initial reaction from the bay stallion that couldn’t believe his eyes. Her ever so perfect silhouette seemed so real as she was standing there. The suspense was real, and Dawn did not dare to move in case she would vanish as everyone else.

A soft longingly hum left his airways, as he carefully stretched his white muzzle to see if he could get a whiff of her smell, but it was nowhere to be found. He sorrowfully squinted his eyes, as he gasped softly. If he had been easy to tears, he would defiantly have let some out by now. Yet Dawn had spent an eternity of letting the liquid stream down his cheeks. It had never helped him in any way. A painful expression briefly showed on his worn face. His heart ached as he was certain that she wasn’t real. He sighed resignedly and wanted to gently poke her muzzle as he was sure that she would vanish before his eyes. Never had he been able to touch anyone in his dream.

An almost electric impulse shot through his body with such intensity, that he almost passed out. The white muzzle was in contact with Gwens soft muzzle. He could feel her warmth and suddenly her smell was present in his flared nostrils. His heart started racing uncontrollably and his breath was struggling to ease. She was all too real, but how was it possible? The chock was present in the bays expression as he pulled away from his own touch.

“Gwen. How? “

Where the sparse words that left his throat, as his baritone voice had a rare shaken tone to it. He could not believe his own dream at this moment, but he pulled himself together and moved a bit closer.

“Are you real? “

He was scared to hear the answer to his own question. Because it would break his heart yet again, if she were not to be real. Dawn felt truly alone in this moment, and he often wondered if he would ever find solace in another soul again, without that tremendous guilt hanging constantly over his head, like a dark cloud waiting the strike him with lightning.

Completely mesmerized, the beautiful mare didn't flinch as the bay stallion stood in front of her. Even though she had broken through the film, there still was the surrounding magic keeping her still. A supernatural aura filled her presence, as she seemed to be a product of his imagination. Being entrapped in this dream world, only a shard of her soul was truly with her. She needed something real, something true - an earthly being to bring her back. Shattered to pieces throughout the years, Gwen did not have much left of herself. Feeling less and less each hour since she had accepted her fate, both memories and personality had started breaking down and had diminished to almost nothing. Seemingly so, she appeared expressionless and faded in her appearance as if she was made out of pure air. But there she was, and it pained her that she could only stand there and watch while she fought vigorously within. Seeing Dawn again she would have expected a shower of feelings, but nothing seemed to reach her heart. With only so little left, she wasn't even sure she still had one...

Luckily, the stallion came through and slowly came towards her. His eyes were filled with skepticism and fear. She understood why. He looked worn out, like he had been fighting a never ending war for years, and it had obviously taken a toll on the large stallion, except she could still see what she had seen back when they met. Dawn was still the same, even though the years had sent him through the pain and suffering of life. Or so she thought. And hoped. Without being able to reach for him, to feel and touch him she stood frozen like time had paused her entire being. The wind still lifted her main and tail ever so gently while her pelt moved in the wind. Her eyes had calm settled on the bay stallion, but with nothing within to show how desperate she felt. She held her breath as he finally took the chance and reached out his muzzle. The electric impulse did not only shoot through him, but her as well. It was so intense that Gwen had to blink hard not to flinch and suddenly the emotions came rushing in. After all these years she could finally feel the warmth, the gentle touch and smell the musk of another being. But something eery came rushing towards them. The universe wasn't happy and slowly the storm started to increase around them, angrily pushing around the sandy winds. She heard his words ask the inevitable question of how. Even she did not know, but she so desperately wanted to tell him. It was amazing to hear a well known voice, even though it was obvious that he was in a state of shock. Gwen of course wanted to utter a word - whatever word really, but she couldn't. The storm was racing around them, and it started to pull her back into the sand whirls. With all she had, she held back, still connecting to Dawn's muzzle, trying her hardest not to let go, but she felt the invisible groping hands around her sides, trying to pull her backwards and away from him. As it became louder and louder, Gwen again heard the bay stallions question, asking if she was real. So, with all her might, even though the pain felt enormous inside - what felt like a scream, only came to a whisper, but was said clearly so that Dawn could hear her.

"Yes."

Just as the wind almost had grabbed her out from his reach, at the exact moment her voice broke through while in contact with Dawn, the whole world shifted.
The ground disappeared beneath them, and within seconds a huge splash filled the night-time air. Dawn was back where he had dozed off, to wake up just at the breach of the Lake of Life. There were no sand, no storm and the silence of the night filled the air with suspense. Out in the lake of life, rings formed on the surface from what must have been quite a splash. But Gwen was nowhere to be seen.

... It couldn't get anymore magical, but after a brief moment of complete silence, the sound of gushing water arose, as the two-toned enchantress slowly appeared from the water of Life. Slowly walking up from the water, towards the bank, completely soaked and exhausted she was coming out into the moonlight. Standing in the water up to her knees, she finally took her first breath of fresh air back on Wareena grounds. The water was dripping from her mane and tail, which had been growing long while away. Never had she looked more beautiful, and finally she had returned in the flesh, heart beating and with her crystal blue eyes beaming with life.

Though he had just made contact with the white and grey mare in front of him the bay stallion could not believe that this was nothing more but another dream set in motion to torture his mind. He felt his pulse rising and the struggle to keep his emotions in line were on the verge to break the stallion into tiny pieces. Her silence made him believe that this was just another trick. He let out a deep sigh, giving up hope once more, as he could feel the earth slowly starting to shift beneath his hooves. Was he waking up? No. A storm came thundering towards them and engulfed the two horses. The sand stung his eyes with realistically pain-induction. His white muzzle was still connected to hers, though he seemed to have forgotten. It was only when her whispering voice reached him, he gasped as he met her gaze once more.

If the ground hadn’t shifted underneath him before, it most certainly did now, and everything suddenly went dark. Moments later the bay stallion found himself waking up where he had put himself to sleep. He jerked his head up in a sudden movement to look for the mare he had encountered in his dream, but she was nowhere to be seen. His gaze hit the ground and he could feel the sadness overwhelming him. The sound of gushing water broke off his own pity party and he looked up only to find...

“Gwen!”

Dawn called out, stumbling to his feet, almost faceplanting in the process. He felt the magic in the air, giving him goosebumps that made his skin crawl with excitement. She looked as gorgeous as the last time he had seen her, years ago. He didn’t hesitate, but made his way the bank of life where his muzzle reached out for the two-toned mare. He dared not to venture into the waters of Life, as he feared it would interfere with the waters of Dead flowing deep within his core. A small rumbling sound came from the chest of the bay stallion, softly calling out for the mare, that had once again returned to the world of the living.

As if reborn, the mare stood in the shining blue moonlight, her reflection in the water beneath her, droplets falling from her skin. Looking mesmerized, she was certainly taken aback. She could not believe it. Every single emotion started to fight their way to her heart and mind after years of dismissal as she stood there, feeling everything at once. The fear of it not being real, the cold and clammy waters on her skin, the excitement and realisation that this might, in fact, be real. Was she really home at last? In total madness all of these emotions hit her too hard, and suddenly her eyes started to water. The two-toned mare looked up slowly to meet the sight of Dawn who was frantically reaching out for her. With no holding back the tears started streaming down her face, leaving trails on her dark cheekbones. Her fluffy ears turned out and backwards as she fell into utter dispair. This was all just too much - but she needed to know if this was real, she had to know immediately. With wobbling steps she slowly made her way towards the bank, towards Dawn. The feeling of familiarity and of being home were to be drawn from his eyes. At last she reached him, with tears in her eyes not letting go of his sight in fear that she might loose him. She made her way to him, and reached out her muzzle for him to caress. The feeling were intoxicating and she gasped, reaching for air as the feeling shot through her. It was real.

"Dawn.." she muttered carefully, not having been able to say a word to anyone in years. This was her first. She took a moment to feel his skin against hers. The warmth of his muzzle, the strong aura he transmitted and the small beating of his pulse. She sensed it all, closing her eyes as she cried. With years of being held captive in others dreams, in a world left in solitary this was the best and the worst she had ever felt. But seeing Dawn again, feeling his skin and presence were the best she could ever dream of.. or, maybe the next best thing. In her mind, but just for a moment, the thought of Elzharin hit her. The love of her life, father to her daughter. Emotions overwhelming her made her quickly think of her surroundings and the now - this moment. Dawn was here. He had brought her back. Gwen would be forever thankful.

He barely took a breath as the two-toned Gwen made her way towards him. His gaze did not once wander away from her, as he stood there in utter disbelief. Despite his insides turning and starting to ripping him apart, he seemed calm even though Gwens tears made him want to scream and cry out in pain. The touch of her felt strange but yet so familiar as he caressed her muzzle with a gentle touch. A sigh left the bay stallion as his almond-shaped ears twisted and turned in confusion. How could this be? He had thought the mare to be long gone, but here she stood before him, just as beautiful as the last time he saw her, years ago.

“You’re not a dream.. “

He whispered softly with a hint of grief, in his usual baritone voice, as he now pulled the mare close to him, by placing his head above her delicate neck. The red eyes shut close as he let the silence engulf them yet again. All the little impulses from her body stung him like a thousand bees. In this happy moment the bay could not help but feel sad and frail, and merely reduced to a remanent of his past self. Would she be disappointed when she eventually figured out what he had become? Dawn bit his tongue as his heart started racing uncontrollably and his pulse went through the roof, if there had been one that is. He had to pull away to regain control of his treasonous body, and the red eyes gazed upon Gwen with a hint of confusion.

“ I.. I.. How? “

He stuttered in awe. His dream had been chaotic and left his mind in a crippled state. His past had caught up to him, and he had so many regrets, that it made his guts turn. Sometimes he wondered what had become of everyone and why he was the one who was left in this world and not his children. He had outlived many of them, and most of them who still lived, despised him. His mind raced, but his focus went back to Gwen in a heartbeat. Did she despise him?

Still the adrenaline was pumping in her veins, and she couldn't really fathom what was going on. Completely terrified of this just being a deceiving dream she started to mutter a jumble of words to make sure she could hear herself talking. This was proof, cause she hadn't been able to even hear herself scream. Shaking, crying and in complete shock the mare was bound to collapse if she didn't try and pull herself together, but the moment with Dawn was too precious for her to let go. With every thought that's ever had her wonder, she muttered these things from under her breath, her eyes suddenly fixed on nothing as she stood by Dawn. This stopped immediately as she almost gasped - Dawn pulled away, and in that moment her eyes fixed on his expression. Something was wrong, and no wonder, 'cause he looked awful. Of course, her sudden appearance must have had him in a shock, but this wasn't the thing which've made him look this... spent. He looked upon her to ask her why, a question she knew had no answer, but what she could see in his eyes were the state the dream had left him in. Gwen, shaking, she sighed while the tears were still streaming silently down her face.

"Dawn." She said, her voice was shaky but full of pity... pity and compassion for this stallion she had known most of her life and had found to mean the world to her. "I know." Her eyes was trying to tell him. Even though she might not have been here, physically, her mind and eyes had seen it all depicted in their dreams. Their worries and sorrows, their happiness and madness. Gwen figured if what these dreams had depicted was true, then Dawn must've gone through unfixable trauma. Throughout the years Gwen had seen more and more of this unsteadiness, anger and brokenheartedness than she'd care to admit. What could break this stallion? What had he become? A shell of what was left of his unwavering spirit? No... she wouldn't let it be so. But what could she do but only watch? Being without the ability to take action, to be there for the lost and broken she could do nothing but watch. A torture in itself to see her friends and family go through their worst horrors and relive their unrequited dreams was both a blessing and a curse. Now she was here, back in flesh and blood but suddenly feeling utterly helpless yet again. To see Dawn stand before her in such a state broke her heart. She knew and could tell from his dreams that whatever he had went through had changed him. Exactly what had happened would be up to him to share, but Gwen couldn't stop wondering if this meant their relationship would change. It suddenly became clear for the two-toned mare. Whatever she had to do, to make him believe that she would always be there for him no matter how many times he would change, she would do so. No one could ever be so broken that there is nothing left to love.

She slowly came forward, her legs slim and shaky, but her steps were decisive. She stopped only a meter or two before him and looked up. Her eyes had stopped crying but they were still blank from the saltwater teardrops. "Dawn, I don't know how this all happened." She muttered quietly. "But please believe me when I tell you that I am here... always."
She hoped he would understand her intentions with those words. No matter what, she would always have care and love in her heart for him. In life and in death and whatever in-between. Being cut off from reality for so long it had made the mare rethink everything and was starting to take a stand. Her life needed change and stability. She needed her love back, her children and her life. Dawn must've been able to bring her back for a reason, and it didn't take long for that thought to spark a fire within.