Love Needs No Words · 1:47pm Jan 30th, 2016
It is said that when two alicorns are in flight, their graceful motion can be likened to a feather dancing among the light breeze. Among the star-studded sky, or the clear vault of the noon, be it rain, hail or shine, the sisters interweave a song of natural grace, beauty and awe. For those who look on, they knew that this would be both the beginning as well as the end. Between them, there would be no words, for their gestures said it all.
Luna loved the adrenaline of flight. She loved the wind rushing through her mane. She loved the pure, sharp clarity of the upper atmosphere. It filled her with delight, it filled her with determination, and each time she strained with her wings, she reached further into the heavens above.
But everypony knew that the heavens were gated, and no matter her strength—or her will—she could only reach so far with her mortal body. She knew that hers was a body touched by physical laws, if neglected by time. The thought was displeasing to say the least, perhaps even a little depressing. Luna wanted more from the sky, but the sky could only give so much.
So every night she tried once, just once, to get closer. To fulfil the inexplicable emotions that welled within her chest. The frustration of freedom, the audacity of authority, the cage of command, the heavy burden of royalty. Luna knew that burdens were lightened when they were shared. She trusted none more among the others she cared for than her sister, Celestia. A constant companion made up of warm light and cool smiles.
For a time, she admitted, it was peaceful. To lead wingtip to wingtip among their fanciful flights and survey the country below for which they guided and cared for with love bountiful from their hearts. With each shared smile, with each brush of their wings at every stroke, the tender touch of a hoof, they built upon a love that left no room for the trappings she felt cocooned in. During this, there could be no words, for their gazes said it all.
One night I’ll tell her, she debated among the lone nights of her domain. One night she’ll know.
There had been a particularly bad night for Luna. Their dismissive glances were prickling shards in her coat, her own roiling emotions were writhing snakes in her gut. Tensions were raised, tempers had flared, frustration raised its ugly and malcontent head. Then rage. An unholy jealousy radiating from her twisted form. She yelled at them, she screamed at their ignorance, bleeding through a wound made of patience nightly worn thin. Then she saw their stricken faces, their quivering stances, and her rage died as an ember in a flood of clarity.
They did not love me. They never loved me.
Their gazes said it all.
Fear. Loathing. Hatred.
Disgust.
In that moment of startling comprehension, she knew what she had to do.
It should have been magical. The night that she shared her dream. The night where she called upon Celestia and showed her that the heavens, the sky, the stars above were her goal. It should have been wonderful. Then she saw the same in her sister’s eyes as she saw in their own. It wasn’t fair. It was never fair. There was a realisation that it wouldn’t simply be. Hidden tears blurred the lines of her irreparable fall from grace. She locked eyes with the last obstacle to her beloved sky. Nightmare Moon took a step forward and knew that there wouldn’t be any turning back.
There were no words, but her judgement said it all.
Under the watchful eye of the moon, under the languid pacing of the sun, Equestria moved on. Princess Celestia wandered the halls with a cool smile and listless light. On a whimsy, she gazed out the window to the celestial and remembered. Those eyes saw the unparalleled beauty of an enchanted backdrop she could only masquerade. Then the fleeting moment is gone, and more pensive than pained, she watched daybreak instead.
Behind those eyes was a solitary sister. One that hoped there would be a time where they would fly wingtip to wingtip, to explore the endless vault above, to talk and laugh, and share a doting glance… to say that she loved her more than anything in the world.
It was an immeasurable gulf in time, and its silence said it all.
"At least hugs were a language that was universally understood."
I'm not going to bother expanding this to a full fic, but here you guys go. A (somewhat poor) entry into a (relatively) recent writeoff. I wanted to experiment with something powerful, but I was too afraid to stray from the familiar, so it ended up lacking the extra oomph to push it to its final stages.
Anyway, as always, my nostalgic readers, thanks for reading!
