The Night And Her Thief

by Cosmological Principle

Alabaster Eyes

"Turn. Slowly." Was the sound upon my ears, a strange calmness adorning her voice. The feeling of being caught was a feeling that gripped my heart with unspeakable excitement. In my time as a thief i have never been caught. Not once. Not ever. Yet fate decided that the boundary's of 'Not now, not ever' did not apply to her.

Slowly and steadily I turned toward my witness, my head set its focus on this mare. Standing right there, a straight twelve O'clock from me, was the quintessential of the night herself; Princess Luna. She had a flowing mane like her sister, every constellation seemed to embody her ethereal mane. There was clear frustration in her stare as well as well as a strange recognition of calm that I would not have expected. Her stare was unblinking, it never shifted, it never faulted, all it took was one blink, simply one moment of darkness was all I needed to disappear from this being forever; her stare seemed to reinforce the idea that she understood this. A long silence accompanied our stare, both of us simply looked at each other; my glare meeting hers with perfect synchronicity.
The night was silent in her whispers; for there was naught to say. Luna's voice parted the wind first. "...What is your name?"
I replied with my silence.
Luna continued her glare upon me, she too seemed not to falter when the wind blew across her.
"...Why have you stolen from us?" Calm laced her voice.

"Because they were valuable." Thickness however laced mine. My throat ached from use of my rarely used voice.

Luna simply continued her gaze. Another long, calm, silence drifted in the air.
"Then why have you taken our album?"
My alabaster eyes drifted down slowly toward the book at my side and stared at it vigorously.
After a long grip of silence and several waves of guilt I slowly and silently opened a small pocket; a bright lock of glowing hair lifted from the pouch and rested inside the book before I held it aloft to the princess. She simply continued to stare at me, not losing her incessant gaze. Eventually I felt the princess take hold of the book and slowly tuck it under her wing.
"Are you going to punish me? Or are you being kind?" My voice husked from my underused glottis.
"You stole from my sister, she is the one to decide your fate. I will not harm you." Luna said calmly and without spite or malice. Something I would expect by now.
"Then I will wait for your sister to awaken." I walked backwards slowly and proceeded to sit down, beginning another long, cold pause that continuously filled the chambers.

Minutes ticked away, and I allowed my eyes to wander across the room, now occasionally blinking; which could not be said for Luna.
"...If I look away; will you flee?"
My eyes locked unto to hers.
"Yes."
Luna gazed at me once more before she sat down from where she was standing; still retaining her gaze she slowly, but visibly, loosed her sore muscles. I left my eyes to wander again as I shifted into a slightly more comfortable position.
"...Why are you a thief?"
I locked my eyes on here once more.
"Hmm?"
"You do not strike me as the kind of pony who would become a thief, what has made somepony like you live as a criminal?"
My eyes waned as I took in a long, deep inhale through my nose and a long, deep exhale through my mouth; prepared for a talk I knew would happen eventually, then I looked her in the eyes.
"My special talent is a part of me, it represents who I am and all I will ever be. Most pony's who learn of my talent are frightened, frightened for their objects and family; as trust comes naught to thief's." My throat ached for silence.
"Certainly there must be alternatives for someone with your skills, such as guards or even the night watch." She said, trying to steer me away from the thought of stealing.
"I cannot be a guard or a farmer, or a wizard, or a bouncer; as I have no knowledge as one. I am not a thief by fate, I am a thief by choice. I was born to steal, it is all I know, and all I can know." I peered right into Luna's pupils and she studied them with hers. Her eyebrow's raised slightly, and surprise held her mouth open as she understood what my alabaster eyes were telling her.

"...You are blind."

A long deep pause held the room in ice. Luna's mouth was now mouth was agape and she looked at me; clearly baffled she had not noticed my plight sooner.
"How?" was all she could force past her lips.
My bleached alabaster eyes looked at her as if they could understand the world around them.

"When I said I could not know any but thievery, I said with pride, not with sadness. I have learned to use my talent to find new eyes, and find them I did. I found the night. Every gust of wind that touches me whispers to me. Whispers of all it has touched before me and all the gusts that touched it in turn. A thief must live in shadow, but not all live with it. Every night I gaze toward the stars and feel all the beauty that echos in its infinite halls; impossible halls of constellations and nebula's more vast than any just to remind myself of the only beauty I have ever known to trust me. I do not need my eyes. The moons greatest glow casts the greatest shadow. The moon gives me her glow as my eyes and her shadow hides me from all who wish me harm in this world; a world that I have never and can never see. I am a thief because a thief needs the night. And I need her."

Silence.

Luna gazed into my dead eyes, mouth slightly open with a clear enrapturing flood of surprise stuck to her face.
Yet again I felt something foreign shiver across my body as she gave me something truly priceless.
She gave me her trust.

Luna finally managed to regain herself and sit upright.
"...Most pony's sleep under my moon and pay it little thought unless they need to, but I have never seen someone so...per fervidly devoted to my night...simply because of her beauty."
I remained silent and continued to stare at her.

After another long pause Luna directed her attention from the floor unto my eyes.
"What you did was treachery to both me and my sister...but I am willing to forgive you under a condition."
My eyebrows raised
"Oh?"

"Leave your bags here and let us return what you have stolen."
I gazed at Luna for a long long time, contemplating of my choice. This was not a choice the wind could make for me. I must do this without her silent words.

"...Alright."
Luna smiled softly at me.

I slowly rose from my haunches and walked toward the balcony, gazing at the stars.
I felt Luna walk up to my left, still staring at me.
She ruffled her feathers and took that album from under her wing; taking the lock of hair out and tucked it back in with her wing as she held the book up to me. I raised my eyebrow to her.
"It is not stealing if it is a gift." She said offering me her album.
I stared at that book for quite a lot of time.

"Why?" I eventually shot at Luna
Luna gave me a quizzical look.
"Why would you gift me something I tried to steal? Why?" I said looking back unto Luna
"Because I do not think you have had a gift in a long time."
I stared at the album again.
I looked back up to Luna; a small warm grin on her mouth.

"...Thank you."
I took the album from her grasp and started to pocket the book.
I looked down trying to slide the book into a small pouch on my back leg until-
"If you decide to steal again, try not to take another mares hair...without asking." A small sly grin grew on her lips and I gave her the best sarcastic face I could under a cowl; she seemed to notice as she giggled at me.

I stood upright and let my saddle bags fall to the stony floor; releasing my loot. I gazed once more toward the sky and took in the nights wind around me. I felt Luna's voice once more:
"Will you still leave if I look away?" She asked softly

"Yes." I responded

"...Will you come back?"

"...Yes."
Luna took in the night air and leaned closer to me before whispering a very soft 'Goodbye' into my ear,
and then when a breeze blew by she pulled her gaze toward the sky.

And I was gone.

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Atop the highest ledge upon the highest tower of the regal castle was a black and dark blue figure' cowl now serving more purpose as a scarf while it wrapped around his shoulders showing his dark magenta hair. The figure sat upright on his haunches atop the small wooden ledge and peered at the city below. His gaze now focused to a set of small photographs held aloft, gazing and squinting at them, trying desperately to be able to see the picture in front of him. He fiddled with those photos in almost every way, flipping them, folding them, and even smelling them. A frustrated look was growing on his face as he tried and tried to see what was on this offending piece of laminated paper, yet the frustrated look on his face grew and his ability to see the picture did not. The thief huffed and then took a deep shuddering breath as he pocketed the photos and willed himself to calm down, he soon found himself fighting back the urge to weep as well. His hooves slowly came to his face and rested atop his eyelids; a cold shuddering breathing could be heard as he held his eyelids down.

The thief's breaths became controlled and silent again, he looked toward a balcony. inside a dim glow radiated outward from within; several voices filled the night air, all emanating from a circular study bathed in candlelight. Inside were two sisters, both looking incredibly furious; they continued to argue about what the thief could only guess was his talk with Luna.
He began to think back to what they both said and how he somehow wasn't on the sun; or worse. He also thought about him having failed to steal something on such an idiotic mistake as just forgetting to check a door to see if it was open. He thought of Luna and how he managed to talk his way out of being vaporized. What didn't sit right with the thief was in honesty, his words were the truth, he had so effortlessly given back his loot for the first time; he gave it back so willingly just because Luna told her to.

A strange feeling embraced the thief, it wasn't the cold, no he liked the cold; so that just couldn't be the feeling he was having. Was it sadness? No that couldn't be it either; he spent enough of his life in sadness to know what it felt like.
This was bugging him, he wanted to think of other things, yet every time he always came back to this feeling. It wasn't a nasty feeling, no it felt quite nice, it filled his thoughts of various smells he enjoyed and reminded him of the stars. Groaning he held his head in his hooves as a massive headache seared his brain.
Tired, sad and feeling that strange feeling once more, he eventually pulled out the photographs from earlier, he quickly lost himself in thought of wonder to what the photographs held as he began to fiddle with them once more.

Comments

[Forgotten]

Your OC, I like him greatly. I do hope you continue this tale.

[smileyssd]

ohhh I thought the thief was a girl.