Time.
The amber radiance of the dying day flooded Canterlot castle, accompanied by the sombre reminder of opportunities lost to the implacable march of time saturating the air. Ponies hurried about their tasks, fearful of the impending night as the once-angelic beauty of the palace assumed the much more subdued hue of a farewell. It was still much quieter now than it was merely a few hours ago; typically a day's work would be completed well before the setting of the sun and many of the ponies were now at home, cradling their loved ones in their arms and their hearts burning with the undying flames of devotion.
Why does time mean so much to me now?
On her bed the alicorn lay, her forelimbs crossed tightly across her chest as she examined the four poster's canopy. Sunset's otherworldly sentinels stood guard against the wall furthest from her window, giving unwavering audience until the inevitable rise of the moon. Sighing, she closed her eyes shut tight, searching herself for the answers to the monologue playing in her mind.
I can feel my heartbeat. I've never really noticed it before.
She felt tired. Sleepless nights were taking their toll on her, both physically and mentally. She recognised this of course: her normally agile mind had been replaced by a sluggish caricature of itself; clarity obfuscated by the tempest of emotion introduced by the events of the past few days. Tasks she had once enjoyed, such as conversing with diplomats from places far beyond the shores of Equestria and mediating disputes between her subjects had become exercises in tedium, with the resounding exclamation mark being the utter disinterest telegraphed by her slumping shoulders and wandering gaze. Some ponies close to her had approached her, concerned by her recent change in demeanour. To them she only smiled, waving a hoof and laughing at such silly notions whilst secretly wishing that she only had someone to confide in. Someone like him.
Love was not a concept that was unknown to her: each day as she rose the sun she could feel the radiant warmth of those closest to her in her heart reflected back at her. And yet, ever since she had met him an alien facet of the once-familiar emotion had awoken. Ravenous in nature, she knew that nothing but the one thing that had been on her mind for what seemed like forever could pacify this overwhelming desire. She thought of Princess Cadence and Shining Armor, smiling in wonder at the air of contentment that had been about them as they endlessly danced at their wedding, her head resting against his beating heart whilst he nuzzled lovingly at her ear, whispering to her passionate words as the crowd looked on. It was the celebration of a love that transcended all laws, becoming the keystone of their very existence.
We.. we share that love, too. A bond that ties us together, strings inextricably entwined in the rich tapestry of Equestria.
Rolling onto her side, she faced the declining shadows cast by the sun and smiled. Innumerable photographs collected over the past few nights adorned the wall, each featuring the likeness of he who condemned her a captive of her own heart. Each individual picture silently spoke of a strength, a weakness, a vulnerability; a patchwork mosaic of her beloved. She raised a hoof and pointed it towards one of the many pictures on the wall, tracing it through the air along his features. Stopping momentarily, her hoof lingered on his beak. She found herself longing to kiss it once more.
I wanted to surrender myself to you. I wanted you to hold me close, claiming me as yours and never letting me go. I wanted to feel the warmth of your breath wash over my neck, teasing me with kisses. I... I know that sounds silly, and silly is something I can't afford to be. I'm certain of that. But love... isn't love silly? How it draws two souls together without rhyme nor reason, betwixt them a force that transcends all others? How can something so beautiful, something so fundamental to the fabric of our world be considered wrong, even for a princess?
She giggled softly to herself and blushed, a little embarrassed by her introspection.
"Look at me, thinking about love like a little schoolfilly."
That half-hearted denial of her thoughts betrayed the sincerity of her feelings. Her mind wandered back to that day, that moment. An ocean breeze had flown far from the west, scattering the last of the remaining leaves from the lonely, skeletal deciduous trees over a landscape that seemed to engulf the entirety of the world.
I bet I looked terrible, covered with dying foliage like that. I didn't care though. I felt like I belonged there, at least for a little while. That was when we kissed, too.
Her lips pressed against his, the longing touch of a princess met by a rough reptilian beak. Around her the world disappeared, although she thought she could hear Twilight and her friends shouting at her - not that she could tell for sure, as her mind focused solely on the creature before her. Even though her partner was hesitant to return the kiss, she could feel the fires of passion radiating from his eyes. Her legs trembling, she stared into those eyes for what seemed like forever. Black, like onyx. She could feel them piercing her soul, a gaze far more intimate than any physical expression of love could ever be. There was no escaping him, for it was her he had chosen and nothing she could do could deviate him from his path.
I wanted to run away right there and then, with you. Together. It felt so right, and I'm sure you'd agree, my love. I could feel it in you. A desire to take me away, to hold me close in the seclusion of the shade; to whisper in my ear as Shining Armor did to Cadence. We would be just like them, in an endless dance of our own with only the stars as our audience. And they'd smile down on us.
She smiled faintly as her hoof dropped softly to the bed, the shadows subsiding as the moon began to rise. That they were meant to be together was a foregone conclusion - that much she knew. Whether it took her tonight, a week or a lifetime.
"And nothing," she said faintly, "can stand in our way. Not even Rainbow Dash."