Firefly's coping method had been to reject any activity which required any level of thought or maturity. He, like many others, forgot much while abandoned; he also preferred it this way. If it required advanced thought processes he wanted nothing to do with it. It was his own version of running, an attempt to hide from what had happened. Starting over and keeping it simple - as simple as a foal playing games - was all he wanted.

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While he was happy enough during the day when these distractions were abundant, the shadows found during the night proved to be a true test of his mentality. It was simply impossible for him to escape his own mind and he was still haunted by painful memories. Spending his days running from his thoughts only to have them come crashing home as he lay down to rest was slowly tearing him apart; he grew to dread the dark.

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As it was his method to run from such problems, he was unable to even recognize this sad truth at first. He did however begin to seek companionship; why exactly is still an unknown. It is my personal belief that however much he tried to hide from the truth, his instincts knew he needed help. Thus it came that he fell for a mare he found particularly beautiful, and more importantly perfectly innocent. There was no taint to this one, no secret horrors that made her cringe on the edge of sleep. To his mind she was perfect; the very idea of her soothed him in some regards. Firefly was instantly in love.

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In reality she was too innocent. She was far from ready for anything resembling the kind of step he was looking for, nor was she even capable of understanding the change in his behavior her reaction had earned. Once again he found himself struggling with rejection.

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This is a handsome stallion, there can be no arguing that. Had he been of a stabler mind he would have found the chance to be quite the lady's stud. As it was, with enough time he had found that he had driven himself so deeply into this simple life of games and friendship that it had morphed from masking his past and become an honest life; he even found that he was beginning to truly enjoy himself. Few, if any, could beat him in a game that involved running through an open woodland where the light dapples between the massive trees. He spent most of his free time dashing through his homeland; when his legs moved fast enough his mind grew quiet. It was the only peace he had found up until this point.

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It caught him by surprise to realize things had changed. He had never planned on honestly rebuilding a life; only on fleeing from the one he had lost when the bond had been broken. The night terrors were still a problem even with this new found joy, the only trouble in this new appreciation for the life he had stumbled into creating. Yet at the brink of insanity he developed an odd kind of peace with them. They were troublesome, though in the end they seemed minor. And the pain, the fear proved to be comfortably familiar among all the change. He had built this life around fleeing from such troubles after all.

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It took being rejected by his first love before he could begin to accept his own reality; in the end, what had sent him into fits of rage and almost permanently broke him proved to be his salvation. He wasn't able to run from not being with her; she was continuously absent. Being forced to accept that pain helped to open the door.

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It was Amber that helped to push him through this door. It's impossible to tell of his history without mentioning the soul-searing effect she had on him. In truth, this effect remains unchanged..

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They had a lot in common, the greatest being that both of them were playful spirits that gained an innocent pleasure from life; after a time it became clear they had become the very best of friends. They were regular playmates and constantly sought each other out for a good time or simply an easy laugh. In learning to relax and enjoy what he had inadvertently built Firefly had finally found the very companion his soul needed. She was a soothing balm for his old wounds; the light of her smile was enough to ease the night terrors. The joy she gave him was greater than any pain of memory.

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Firefly was so busy enjoying these things that he gave very little thought to their significance. She was there for him; he was there for her. That's simply how it was. As all things must, this simple arrangement began to change with time and he soon found that amber had indeed given this much more thought than he had. They were good together, true friends and steady companions; she wished for more, for a mate. For his love.

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To his mind there was no reason to object to the notion; he was fond of her, and she was a sweet and loyal companion. They became more than playmates, grew closer as they shared more of themselves and their lives. She accepted his night terrors, comforted him through one of his worst episodes, and in time her support helped to end them entirely. Even the shadows of night held no power over him when her warmth and love were near. He, in turn, learned of her struggles with her bondmates and the pressures she dealt with in regards to supporting her bonded. Their relationship had moved from friends into being able to see one another as real; they were truly looking at each other.

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He had fallen for her during these discoveries, as she had begun to fall for him. Yet there was trouble in paradise, for as much as they desired one another each was caught within separate circles.

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During his efforts to flee his past Firefly had joined a circle, quite at random, with the hopes that this new bond would be enough to drive off the loss of what he had lost. If nothing else he had desired to make friends through this binding process, to easily find in them what he now found in Amber. None of this proved to be fruitful; after sealing himself to this group of serians he found himself alone. He neither saw nor heard word of any of those he had randomly thrown himself in with; and yet the binding was cast, the bond set, and he was limited to the others within this circle.

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Amber had made a similar mistake, making things even more difficult. Neither could join the group that the other had bound themselves to.

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Their love now ran deep and their desire burned brighter than the two suns, and yet it was forbidden.

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It seemed that once again true peace and joy would be denied this stallion, and this time through his own foolish actions. Yet they persisted; and in the end they found a way to break these bonds that were keeping them apart. It was difficult and could never again be done else the damage to their spirits become too severe due to the powerful magics involved, but they freed themselves of their mistakes. They could, finally, be together as mates.

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Together they decided to go beyond even that; they created their own circle, one that each of them knew could be counted on for a true binding companionship within the group. As founders they were the lead mare and stallion; and together they brought the Circle of Cherished Dreams into existence. And what better name than that, Firefly could not have fathomed. Indeed, after all this time, he had finally come to realize the very dreams he had secretly cherished; a new life, a good life with a proper circle and a true love.

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He was nearly drunk on joy. A new life of laughter and games, a mate, lead stallion to his very own circle; things had worked out for him. He had finally left the past behind in order to live. And yet he felt awkward; a sensation he couldn't define began to hang over him.

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He was beginning to grow up. It had been quite an accident, the building of this life, and yet still he found himself moving on. He had responsibilities, and more than that he had a mare he had taken for his very own for all eternity. There was nothing left to run from; his only choice was to shoulder the weight of carrying his own life, to do more than play and flee from his thoughts and pains; to be responsible for the heart of his mate and Serians of his circle.

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It was a disconcerting experience, to suddenly realize the changes that had occurred within him; that were still occurring, to some small extent, as his spirit continued to settle around this newfound peace. Once again, Amber was there to help soothe and guide him. She was as ever the balm his very soul needed, just as he tried to comfort her when her responsibilities began to weigh heavy on her heart. His love for her grew every day as she helped him to accept the changes he had unwittingly wrought upon his own existence; as did his sense of peace.

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The sense of peace has yet to leave the stallion with shining sparks along his side. He is known as Glitter among his bondmates now, and while he is far from being the most assertive male he can be counted on. The more dominant bondmates help to keep order, each of them shouldering varying degrees of responsibility for the well being of the others. Each of them understands the need to look out for one another. Firefly has comfortably settled near the middle of this ranking, something he is quite pleased with. He has enough responsibility leading his circle; he has no desire to take charge, although he can easily be approached to help resolve matters if needed.

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Much of his free time is still spent running through the woodland he calls him, although these days it's simply a game. He enjoys visiting the different areas of his woods, and making use of all the light filtering through the widely spaced trees. Streams and reflective gems fascinate him for their light-play, and he derives a great amount of joy in his visits to one massive willow that thousands of species of birds continuously perch upon. The colors of their feathers shifting in the light and the way their songs echo off the trees enchant him; at times he even lends his own dusky-male voice to the music, laughing with delight at some aerial trick or shiny bauble one of them reveals. Even now he sits next to me, leaning against the base of the great tree and humming contentedly as the light filters through branches to play upon the display of feathers.

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And of course, if he's not here he's busy enjoying his every moment with Amber.