• Published 25th May 2020
  • 599 Views, 8 Comments

Once Upon Another Time - Undome Tinwe



A thousand years after love drove them apart, Luna reunites with an old flame.

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The Beauty Underneath

An endless tapestry of lights spread out before Luna as she passed through the veil between Reality and Dreams and entered the realm she had been entrusted to keep watch over. Dream after dream pulsed with magic, calling out to her. Some were peaceful and pleasant, and required no interference from her. Others were troubled, roiling with uncertainty and fear, but Luna knew from a glance that they would sort themselves out in time.

A select few she marked for closer inspection, but those were not urgently in need of a warden. Luna continued to filter through the sea of fantasies until she found the one that called out to her most strongly.

Hope's dreams were shrouded in darkness, and Luna could not divine their contents from the outside. Still, she could see that all was not well, and with practiced ease, she slid herself into the dream, ready to fulfill her duty.

She emerged in an empty field surrounded by trees, lit by a crescent moon and a sky full of stars. Luna's breath caught in her throat as she beheld Radiant Hope lying on the grass, next to another mare.

Herself.

The Dream Luna nuzzled Hope in a gesture that the true Luna remembered from their final night together. And when Hope nuzzled her back, both Lunas smiled widely. Hope and the other Luna whispered into each other's ears, and the real Luna couldn't hear what they said, but the way Hope smiled, and the love that shone in her eyes, confirmed what Luna had suspected earlier that day in the throne room.

Then, to her surprise, she saw the unicorn mare frown. The dream Luna froze, becoming alike a statue, and Hope stared right at where Luna had hidden herself behind the foliage of the trees surrounding the clearing.

"Hello, Dreamwalker." At Hope's words, the leaves separating them melted away, leaving the true Luna exposed before the mare who still possessed her heart. "You do realize that I learned this realm's magic from you, right?"

A blush painted Luna's cheeks red. "In truth, I had forgotten," she admitted, feeling very much the chastised child.

Hope smiled. "Honestly, I was wondering how long it would take before you appeared."

"Oh?" Luna's head tilted in confusion. "Were you expecting me?"

"I— not exactly." A similar blush now tinged Hope's cheeks, colouring it a lovely shade of red. "I thought— I didn't know what to think, really, after our last meeting." The words were rushed, unfiltered, just the way Luna liked them. "Well, I know what I was thinking about a lot afterwards. You."

"Me?" Despite everything, Luna's heart still skipped a beat at the admission.

"Your revenge worked," Hope said wryly. "I remembered our time together too well, and no matter how hard I tried to focus on other things, it kept coming back to the time we spent together. I'd hoped that seeing you again would help me put these thoughts to rest, to prove to me that you didn't have any feelings for me anymore, but instead, it was just like old times. And then Celestia told me that you weren't over me yet, and I knew we'd be seeing each other again tonight."

"So 'tis true, then." Excitement bubbled up in Luna as she spoke. "I could scarce dare to even hope, but you feel that yearning too, no?"

"I do." The admission was ripped out of Hope in a hoarse whisper. "It kills me, Luna. Sombra was my first love, but I— I can't. I still love him, but it's not the same. Something inside of me hungers for more, hungers for this." She gestured at the dreamscape around them.

Luna took a step towards Hope, and in the way of dreams, appeared right in front of her, so close she could feel the warmth of the other mare. "He knew you when you were but a child, but I—" Luna leaned in, her words low and sultry. "I watched you bloom into the mare you are now. I watched as you learned to appreciate the beauty of the night."

She circled around Hope slowly, letting her see her in all her glory. "When you told us you were going away with him, I feared that you would return to who you once were. Return to being that child playing pretend with her friend. But now I am here with you, and I can see that same hunger that first drew us together." Hope's eyes widened as Luna stopped and captured her attention in her gaze. "Tell me, dear one, do you still yearn to go, past the world you think you know?"

Channelling the powers granted to her as the Warden of Dreams, Luna twisted the stars in the sky from a generic smattering of lights into a kaleidoscopic tapestry of patterns that shifted and danced and sang out into the night. As Hope glanced upwards in wonder, Luna whispered into her ear. "Are you still enthralled by the call of the beauty underneath?"

"Yes." The word was breathed out so softly that Luna almost missed it, but she could not mistaken the passion in Hope's voice for anything else. "I've tasted darkness and walked in light, and time and time again I find myself drawn back into the shadows, no matter how much I try to escape it."

The world shifted around them, shattering into a million shards of crystallized colours that spun around them in blinding circles, each one humming their own song that resonated deep within Luna's heart.

This was Hope's doing, she knew. Her former student had remembered her lessons well, could warp the dreamscape however she wished, and right now, she was using it to create a spectacle unlike anything seen in the waking world.

"There is music in my head," Hope said, weaving and spinning and dazzling Luna with her skill. "And I'm tired of resisting its call."

"Don't," Luna said, her heart soaring as she wove her own magic into Hope's, adding shadows and lights into this play of passions Hope was conducting. "Follow where it leads, and let it fill your every sense."

They were floating now. At some point, the ground had given way, dissolved into nothing. Luna looked down and saw the infinite abyss below, threatening to swallow them both whole.

And yet, Luna knew that would never happen. They were both far too powerful for this realm's fears to control them.

Slowly, they drew closer to one another. Luna could see how soft Hope's coat was, see the fire dancing in her brilliant blue eyes, and she knew what she had to do.

"Let me give you a taste of the beauty underneath."

There was no time to think, to second-guess her decision. Luna's lips descended on Hope's, and the music of the spheres reached a crescendo as their desires fed into the dreamscape, setting it ablaze with fire that could not harm them.

Luna closed her eyes and gave herself over to the music, and the taste of Hope on her tongue.

When they parted once again, Luna saw the aching need within her soul echoed in the wild look on Radiant Hope's expression.

"We shouldn't have done that," Hope said breathlessly, the music quieting for a moment.

"No, we shouldn't have," Luna agreed. "Shall we do it again?"

Hope nodded, and leaned in once again. This time, their song reached its climax, and even without looking, Luna knew they had created art that no brush or pen or plucked string could ever hope to compare to.

"You always did have a way of pushing me out of my comfort zone," Hope murmured after the second kiss ended.

"And you always accepted my night," Luna murmured back. "Nay, you embraced its splendour and glory with your soul entire. That is what I loved most about you, my most faithful student."

"You taught me many things," Hope said as she nuzzled Luna lightly, a gesture that made Luna tense with pleasure and surprise. "Including when to follow my heart." She frowned. "I still love him, though, and I have to see this quest through to the end with him."

"I know," Luna replied. All around them, the world was starting to return to normal, but even as the field reformed itself before their eyes, Luna could still hear the echo of their song playing out in the infinite cosmos of the dream realm. Perhaps it would find its way into another dream, to inspire the passion and courage of the dreamer as it had for them.

"I need— I need to think." A desperate gleam sparkled in Hope's eyes as she looked up at Luna. "Will you still be here tomorrow, in my dreams?"

"Always," Luna promised, and she meant it. "So long as you swear never to run from me again."

"I can't promise I'll always stay with you," Hope said. "Sombra's hold on my heart cannot be denied, and I would not want to deny it either. But I'll be there tomorrow, and I won't be that cowardly little filly who vanished in the night ever again."

"Very well." Luna reached out, and they shared a quick hug. It felt so good to hold onto her again, and she never wanted to let go. "Until tomorrow."

With a regretful sigh, she allowed her magic to dissipate, fading away from the dream with only the taste of Hope on her tongue and the tingling of her fur where they had embraced to remember her by.

It would have to be enough to keep her whole until she could hear her beloved sing once again.