Rainbow Dash groaned. She attempted to move her body, but it felt stiff and unresponsive. Her limbs were folded beneath herself. Blinded by a bright white light, she unfurled one of her wings and rested her feathers over her eyes to protect her vision. Gingerly, her eyelids fluttered open.

She was partially buried in a small crater of dirt and pebbles. High above beyond the clouds in the blue sky was a large yellow sun. One singular sun.

Rainbow groaned as she rose to her hooves, raising her head and examining her surroundings. She saw luscious green grass and gorgeous flowers flourishing in an open field. Healthy elm trees stretching upwards, leaning toward Princess Celestia's warm, benevolent sun.

Had everything she had just experienced been a dream? Was she still dreaming?

It was when she rotated 180 degrees and examined the shallow grave she had been previously lying in that she spotted them—her pendant with its cracked sapphire, scratched gold setting and ripped gold chain and a ripped metal chain threading two dog tags. Final gifts bestowed to her by a lost friend stranded between dimensions and forgotten by time, someone she would always bear in mind and vow to never, ever forget.

Rainbow retrieved the gifts and climbed out of the crater once again. She allowed her wings to unfurl and drag along the ground as she plodded away from the crater and across the open field, traveling south past the northern border of the Everfree Forest. She was exhausted, but she clutched the pendant and dog tags in her mouth securely, refusing to let go.

The crystal-clear water of the nearby river reflected an appearance of Rainbow that she didn't recognize. Her cerise eyes were pale and exuded sadness. She was battered and exhausted. She had a cut on the side of her head beneath the ear. Her hooves were covered in blood that wasn't her own.

She followed the river until it led her to Fluttershy's cottage, as anticipated. Normally, if she were feeling energetic and up to par, she would leap over the fence encompassing Fluttershy's property, but this time Rainbow slowly circumnavigated the fence and shoved the wooden gate open with a hoof, navigating across the small bridge constructed over the river and ascending the winding path leading to the cottage's front door.

As she walked, birds, rabbits, chipmunks and other small critters hid in their respective burrows and birdhouses, fearing the sad aura and terrible smell Rainbow exuded.

She reached with a hoof and rapped lethargically against the cottage's front door, returning her hoof to the dirt path.

Fluttershy opened the front door a few inches and peeked her head through the opening, peering outside. Her mane and coat were disheveled. Individual long pink and yellow hairs curled in the opposite direction of how they naturally were supposed to. She looked severely depressed. "Hello? How can I help—" Her words caught in her throat as she identified the pony standing before her front door. "Rainbow Dash...?" Her ears perked up happily, her wings unfurled and spread excitedly and a smile surged across her face as she leapt forward, immediately grasping Rainbow in a tight hug. "Oh my gosh! I was so worried about you! Everypony was! What happened? Why are your hooves covered in blood?"

Witnessing the eyes of one of her dearest friends illuminate upon seeing her was more than her broken heart could bear in her vulnerable state. Rainbow managed to free her forelegs from the constrictive bear-hug Fluttershy was entrapping her in and return the hug, squeezing her friend tightly. Tears leaked from her eyes as she silently wept.

"Rainbow Dash?"

Fluttershy released Rainbow and they rotated 180 degrees in synchrony to investigate the voice.

Discord contorted in midair as he hovered nonsensically. "It is you! What a pleasant surprise. I thought you were dead!"

"Discord!" Fluttershy narrowed her eyes, glaring in disapproval.

"What?" Discord shrugged his shoulders, raising one lion's paw and one eagle claw in an innocent gesture. "That's what we were all thinking! Don't lie to her. She's been through a lot."

"Oh my gosh, why didn't anypony tell me Dashie would stop being missing today? I could have had a 'welcome home' cake prepared ahead of time!" Pinkie Pie bounced across the living area of Fluttershy's cottage excitedly, hopping up onto Fluttershy's sofa where Rainbow was currently reclining. "You look so much better now that you've had a bath, Dashie!" She curiously eyed the polished sapphire pendant Rainbow was handing. "Oohh! Shiny! What'cha got there?"

Rainbow delicately held her pendant using the tips of her flight feathers, rotating it to examine the setting and crystal from various angles. The gold setting was scratched and chipped due to being thrown and mishandled. The sapphire was cracked. "It's an enchanted sapphire. Found it in a... well... It's a long and weird story."

"What kinda story? I love long stories—'specially if I'm the one telling them!"

"A hovering golden ghost dropped it after I freed her from a nest of black tentacles on top of a weird stone altar inside a secret underground chamber. Like I said, weird story."

"Sounds like a normal Tuesday afternoon for Daring Doo!" Pinkie giggled. "You should tell her all about your adventure. She might even write about it!"

"Yeah, maybe, Pinkie." Rainbow sighed, disheartened. She observed Pinkie Pie bounce off of the sofa and return to the center of the room to mingle with the rest of her friends.

"Rainbow?" Twilight Sparkle climbed onto Fluttershy's sofa and sat back on her haunches beside her friend. "Are you feeling better?"

"No."

"I can't help you if you won't talk to me and tell me what's wrong."

"I know. Maybe later, okay?"

Twilight frowned, concerned. "Alright. I understand. So, what are you holding?"

"It's an enchanted necklace." Rainbow smiled briefly. "Y'know, you were always on my mind these past few weeks, Twi. I knew you'd be interested in all the stuff I saw. The world I went to had two suns. I talked to a weird gold unicorn ghost—she was the one who dropped this necklace. I found books I wanted to bring home, but I never got the chance to. They looked like spell books."

"You were in a different world?!" Twilight's jaw fell agape in shock. "Oh my gosh! What was it like? What happened?"

"It was..." Rainbow paused, considering all of the outlandish sights she had witnessed. Vincent's crazy human contraptions. The Acid Swamp. The ice-breathing serpentine drake. The purple-water lake. The Obscuration. The severe Migration storms. The Heart, the parasitic monstrosity that had almost drained all of her magic and lifeforce. "...lonely. I missed home and all of my friends. I wasn't totally alone, though. There was someone with me."

"Who?"

Rainbow glanced at Vincent's dog tags resting beside her on the sofa. Her ears laid back against her head sadly. "A friend. An important friend to me. Maybe I'll introduce everypony to him later, but it'll have to be in a big open field on a clear night."

When she was alone again, Rainbow reclined against the back of Fluttershy's sofa, examining the sapphire pendant. Truthfully, however, her mind was focused on other thoughts. She recalled distinct memories of her adventures in Nowhere with Vincent by her side.

She was so immersed that she failed to notice Discord's slender, serpentine body curl around Fluttershy's couch.

"Her name was Illustria." Discord contorted his neck, stretching it far enough from his body so that his head could comfortably face Rainbow as he spoke.

Rainbow blinked, glancing over her shoulders to confirm Discord was indeed addressing her and not somepony else. "What?"

Discord uncoiled himself from around Fluttershy's sofa and assumed his neutral pose as he hovered nonsensically in midair before her. He gestured to the blemished sapphire pendant with his lion's paw. "The unicorn mare you rescued—her name was Illustria. She was trapped underground for... quite some time. Needless to say, she appreciated your generosity. That, if I'm not mistaken, is her ancient pendant in your wings."

"How do you—?" Stunned, Rainbow's jaw fell agape. She dropped the sapphire as if it had ignited ablaze and burned her feathers. She gazed between it and Discord, attempting desperately to read his facial expression and determine if he was merely joking. "How do you know about that?!"

"I know what you're thinking, and no, while she may be a unicorn, she isn't a unicorn pony. And, yes, I do mean is, not was. Her physical form expired long before you rescued her, but she persisted nonetheless. She isn't a 'ghost' as you so impolitely described.

"You witnessed more than a mere pony ever should, Rainbow Dash." Discord's eyes narrowed. His neutral facial expression vanished, warping into an expression that was stern and intimidating. "Unintentionally, of course. This wasn't your fault. Consider this a learning opportunity—never try to meddle with forces beyond your comprehension. Do you understand?"

"I - I don't... get it." Terrified, Rainbow stood and retreated hastily, pressing herself against the back of Fluttershy's sofa in a futile attempt to retreat further.

"Good!" Discord smiled. "You were never supposed to, anyway. Let's just forget all about this, shall we?

"Oh, yes, that's right. That scratch below your ear..." He raised his lion's paw and snapped two digits together. Instantaneously, the scratch beneath Rainbow's ear was healed. "There we are. Good as new!"

Surprised, Rainbow raised a hoof and touched the location where the nick has previously been, only to discover it had, indeed, vanished.

"The only reason you were able to fly again so soon was because of Illustria's knowledge of healing magic. She's a very scholarly student, you know." Discord giggled mischievously.

Rainbow landed onto the ivory platform softly. When her hooves touched the ground, she folded one of her wings against her back and dropped the dog tags she clutched in her teeth, catching them with the flight feathers of her opposite wing. Her hoofsteps were quiet as she approached Princess Luna's elegant form from the rear. She observed the princess stargaze for a moment before raising her voice and drawing attention to herself.

"How do you do, princess?"

Luna glanced over her shoulder to investigate the unexpected voice behind her. When she identified who Rainbow was, she relaxed, rotating 180 degrees to address her unanticipated visitor. "Rainbow Dash! Twilight Sparkle informed me of your return earlier today. It's excellent to see you're alive and healthy. My sister and I were very concerned for your well-being.

"Rarely do I receive visitors in the night, and rarer still are they ponies such as yourself. How do you fare? Was the evening train ride from Ponyville to Canterlot relaxing? What brings you to Canterlot Castle?"

"I... flew here, Luna." Rainbow chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the rear of her neck with a hoof.

"Goodness! You flew here from Ponyville?" Luna's eyes widened. "That is a very long flight."

"I know. I came all this way specifically to talk to you."

"How may I assist you, Rainbow Dash?"

"I need to ask for a favor. You are familiar with all of the stars, right?"

"Certainly. You could say I'm not quite on a first-name basis with all of them yet, but," Luna paused, chuckling softly at her own little joke, "I'm familiar with the precise position of every star in my night sky. Why do you ask?"

"I need to ask for a favor," Rainbow repeated. "It's a sensitive personal thing." She raised her wing and presented Vincent's dog tags. "These tags are all I have left of a... lost friend. I promised I would try to have a star named after him. Can you do that?"

"Oh..." Luna frowned. She levitated the dog tags before her muzzle, examining them. "I see. Yes, Rainbow Dash, I most certainly can fulfill that wish. I'm... sorry for what happened."

"Don't be. It's a long story. I've explained it to all of my friends a lot today, but if you're interested in listening, I guess I could repeat it again later."

"Whether sharing your story or meditating, you are always welcome on my balcony, Rainbow."

"Meditating? I thought you were stargazing."

"Are they not the same?"

Rainbow stepped forward beside the princess and sat back on her haunches, gazing up into the night sky. She scoured the sky carefully, scrutinizing each star. She selected multiple options as a precaution in case Luna denied her request to select the first or second choice.

"That star, the one that looks like it's the top point of a triangle shape?" Rainbow pointed using one of her wings. It was a bright star, yet not the brightest. It was perceptible only to those who specifically sought it. It was a modest selection, one Vincent would be honored to receive.

"Yes, I see it. What would you like it to be named from now on, Rainbow Dash?"

"'VJM-APW-5557386361'."

Luna's eyes widened in surprise. "Goodness. That's quite verbose. Would you like it to have a nickname?"

Rainbow already had a proper nickname in mind. She smiled. "'Phoenix'."

As a phoenix combusted and rose, renewed, from its ashes at the very end of its lifecycle, so too did Vincent. From his mistakes he learned, and from his ashes he rose, renewed. He rose again and again against fierce opposition, refusing to surrender and remaining Loyal until the very end.

Author's Note

Thanks for reading 'Laments of the Dimension-Stranded' and seeing it through to the very end. This is one of my few projects that I was actually capable of completing. It feels so gratifying witnessing that yellow 'Incomplete' sticker transform into the green 'Complete' sticker.

This story took months of planning, dedication and hard work to complete. Hundreds of hours. I constantly doubted my skills and loyalty to the project the entire way through. I considered abandoning it and officially Canceling the project many times. My inspiration, however, helped a lot with keeping me on track.

I'd like to thank DustTraveler for inspiring me with his 'Quantum Castaways', a story I read many years ago that inspired me to begin writing. Dear DustTraveler: thanks, dude. You're awesome. I'm sorry about the complications that arose in your life, and I hope you can find the strength to overcome them and perhaps find time to continue writing again. I will be there to support you.

If you enjoyed my story, please post a comment explaining why. I would greatly appreciate it. It would mean a lot if you did. However, if you did NOT like my story, please post a comment explaining why. I would love receiving criticism. I could use it to help fix my mistakes and improve my work in the future.