//------------------------------// // The Fireflies In Her Eyes // Story: Up Here // by DegeTheMighty //------------------------------// Up here. Almost a mile into the sky, she flew. The clouds that rested in the air, her silent audience, getting the most out of their seating, as they silently applauded her performance. Her wings did not carry her in some rehearsed fashion. There was no thought, no premeditation in how she carried herself through the sky. Her mind was free to soar even farther than her body had carried her, and her heart sang with the wind. She was in absolute peace. The sun was creeping over the horizon, late to meet her eyes through her bedroom window. Something had gotten her to wake early that day, but she couldn't exactly say what. All she knew was that she needed to get up and into the air. She wanted nothing more than to simply fly, and relax amongst her favorite airborne neighbors. The pegasi only needed to act on a whim. Too long had she been the target for orders and requests. Up there, she was perfectly content. Perfectly free. She could feel like herself, and not feel ashamed for it. It was the perfect expression of pegasi beauty, to truly be yourself. And he was entranced by it. Amongst one of the countless clouds, he watched her dance her carefree, aerial waltz. He witnessed her truly shed the guise she wore in front of her peers. That look of pure, unrestrained bliss. He couldn't help but envy that complete elation, the unbridled content as if the world was, indeed, perfect. To take such pleasure in something so mundane, so simple, was admirable. And admire her, he did. For countless years, in fact. As the pegasi rested upon the cloud, watching the recipient of his affections, he cursed himself for his hesitance. He had waited patiently for the proper moment. Perhaps too patiently. She had recently invaded his dreams, and not a week would go by without the two of them meeting in that fictional, astral realm. He held her in such high regard. A perfect example of the pony he wished for. The one he wanted to be with. She was just so peaceful, and calm. How he managed to ignore his heart for all these years still bewildered him to this day. He know knew what he wanted, and was willing to do whatever it took. But she had already vanished into obscurity. After all the years they had spent together, it took him this long to understand that feeling that encased his heart. The two of them were as close as siblings in their youth, almost never seen without the other. They knew each other inside and out, and practically folded the others personality and ideals as they grew. They had formed each other into the ideal friend the other sought. They were made for each other, because they made sure of it. Who was he to refuse all that hard work? He would be nothing without her, and he hoped she felt the same. It had crushed him as they drifted apart, growing into more important things in life. A deep sadness that weighed his soul down for as long as he could remember. A weight that become far too much to bear on his own, coming out of his adolescence. He kicked his hoof at the cloud, cursing. He had had many opportunities in the past, too many. He had been a fool to pass them up, and why he did so was an unanswerable question. The more he asked it, the more he belittled himself. His memories were now the only thing he had of her, and he held hem to the utmost degree. Even as he watched her express her delight at being free, the aerial paint she brushed upon her canvas in the sky, he had never felt so far away from her. And that is what crushed him the most. The best night of his life, happened to be the most uneventful one. Years into the past, when the two were awkwardly entering their adolescence, they had taken a vacation in Baltimare. It was a special day for them all. Both of their families had opted to travel there for the Summer Sun Celebration, despite it being held in Manehattan. Regardless, Baltimare would celebrate all the same, and with their most famous display. The Horseshoe Bay Bonanza. A special festival held late at night, starting with the sunset before the longest day. Fillies and colts would chase candy stands, and try to win prizes at the carnival, while their parents tried desperately to wrangle them up. The two young pegasi had managed to sneak away from the chaos, as they soon discovered a simple little dock, completely obscured by the overgrowth of brush. It was old, small and rather creaky in some areas. As he took a few careful steps, he assured her that it was safe. They reached the end of the olden water porch, and discovered that it held the single most breathtaking view of the entire bay. The massive stretches of land reached out along the sides, attempting to obtain the entirety of the bay's water. A small clearing in the center proved it's folly, as the water escaped into the full magnitude of the ocean. The sun was gleaming off of the shimmering mass, as the beautiful hues of orange and purple bounced off of the water and splashed into the sky. A gasp escaped her lips, as her eyes captured what his had. He could see that magnificent twinkle in her eye, as she had come to fully understand the true beauty of the world. The true beauty of this place, and most importantly, the true beauty of this moment. Several loud concussions of explosives resonated throughout the large bay, only to be replaced with the sudden onslaught of color that had erupted in the sky. Gorgeous fire flowers had exploded, and spread their lovely wings as far as they could, before the exertion exhausted their light. The display of explosive and fiery beauty bathed their eyes in ecstasy. The pure elation had threatened to steal their hearts, now wishing to escape their chests, as the great pyrotechnics continued their elegant performance. The sheer bliss, the sheer perfection of this moment had secured itself in eternity. He looked over to her, and saw the tears of elation stream down her face. Here they were, sitting on the edge of an old dock, just watching fireworks. Thinking about that statement made it seem so...dull, so inadequate. But the images he had, the vision of this memory had him convinced that it was the single most glorious night he would likely ever have. And the image of her in that light was forever imprinted in his mind, the single best portrait of her that he treasured. The tears of pure happiness falling down her smiling white muzzle. Her mane of the most brilliant purple and green, the very thing he referred to when recalling such colors, and how the light of sunset mixed eloquently with the sudden bursts of beauty instantly bathing it in hues of red, yellow, blue, and purple. All somehow matching perfectly, only adding to the perfect mare that sat beside him. And most of all, her eyes. The splendid deep pools of cerulean blue, as bright as the sky above them and as calming as the sea before them. The spark in he\r eyes shined brightly, accented by the tears of bliss she shed. Those fireflies flew high into the sky, in their short and glorious life, they got to see her watching them. Those flashes of brilliance could fizzle and die out with the knowledge that their perfect show was seen by the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria. The way their light caressed her mirrors, showing a perfect replicate of display. But he only focused on the eyes themselves. Those eyes he had longed for to look in his direction, with her returned affection. His eyes threatened tears of their own, when she finally did. And now here he sat. So many years separated that most perfect of nights, from the simple melancholy that he considered his situation. He could see in her form, that the pegasus was becoming fatigued from her art. She landed on a cloud adjacent to his own. In one single defining moment, he steeled his nerves, and resolved to make a vow. Thunderlane promised himself. This coming Tornado Day, when all was said and done, he would get Blossomforth back.