Short steps, deep breath.
Everything is alright.
Chin up, I can't
Step into the spotlight.
The stallion took a deep breath, his heart pounding as he peered into the box he held balanced on his hoof. A gold band with a small diamond sparkled against the red padding. Again attempting to calm himself, he closed the box, slipping it back into his pocket before walking slowly toward the cliff side. The moon shone high in the heavens, strung up amongst the stars. It was a beautiful sight, but to the stallion, nothing could compare to the ethereal beauty of the mare sitting next to the cliff's edge.
The moon light spilled across her plush coat, adding an impossible shine to her pale hair. A light breeze brushed her hair across her face. The stallion smiled warmly, stepping towards her. She turned to him as he approached.
She said, "I'm sad,"
Somehow without any words.
I just stood there
Searching for an answer.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, yet her expression remained neutral. The stallion froze, the smile falling from his face. They held each other's gaze for a few fleeting moments, ending with the mare blinking once and turning away, once again staring out at the sky.
The stallion furrowed his eyebrows, deeply concerned. This wasn't the first time he'd found his mare heartbroken at the cliff. She would deny it, too stubborn to admit she was hurting, too proud to let her tears fall. He came up beside her, sitting down, not looking at her. He waited for her to make a move, tracing constellations with his gaze. He didn't flinch when she pressed against him, shivering lightly against his shoulder. This was the closest she ever got to asking him to comfort her. He knew she would never openly admit her feelings.
He raised a hoof, lightly tracing the outline of the box in his pocket. He thought about pulling it from his pocket. His hoof lowered as he rejected the thought, afraid. Looking back up at the sky, a gentle smile graced his lips. He turned to the girl, locking their gazes.
When this world is no more
The moon is all we'll see.
I'll ask you to
Fly away with me.
Thoughts flashed through his mind. He knew she felt trapped. He knew she was scared of the future. He knew she felt overshadowed. He knew she saw herself as weak, as nothing.
He saw a strong mare who could do anything she tried, and he would do anything for her.
Gaining confidence, he grasped her hoof in one of his, gesturing to the horizon with his other hoof. He could see it in his minds eye. They could leave, travel and discover new worlds. They would never need to be afraid. They would be free. But more importantly, they would be together.
Her eyes widened, tears finally falling. She ripped her hoof away, shaking her head furiously as she turned, hiding her face in her hooves. She couldn't leave. No matter how much it hurt, she had to stay.
Until the stars all fall down,
They empty from the sky,
But I don't mind.
If you're with me, then everything's alright.
His face fell, adopting a more solemn expression as he watched her dry her eyes, once again remaining stoic. Of course she couldn't leave, he knew that. She had a role to play, responsibilities. No matter how miserable she was, she could never leave it behind. That was the difference between them. He could come and go as he pleased, she was forever trapped in a fate decided for her. However, it didn't matter. He scooted closer to her, draping a wing over her with a quiet apology. She leaned her head on his shoulder. It didn't matter that he could leave. He loved this mare, he told her as much, and he would stay with her until his dying breath.
***
Why do my words
Always lose their meaning?
What I feel, what I say,
There's such a rift between them.
Darkness surrounded the mare. Everywhere she turned, there was just an endless, suffocating blackness. She was afraid, but she knew she deserved it. All she'd ever done was hurt the ponies who "cared" about her. No, there was one pony who cared. That's who she hurt.
He'd always been there. He made her smile. He made her laugh. He cared for her. He protected her. He comforted her. He loved her.
That was true, wasn't it? He loved her. He'd always loved her. She squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let her tears fall, even though no one was there to see. She tried to show she cared, tried to tell him, but her thoughts, her feelings, couldn't form the right words. She loved him, more than the moon, more than the stars. Yet, she never spoke the words aloud, and, she knew in her heart, that now, it was too late.
He said, "I can't
Really seem to read you."
I just stood there,
Never know what I should do...
In an instant, her mind flashed to when they met.
Her destiny had been decided for her, she was forced upon her fate. Angry, she'd fled to the cliff side, staring out over the vast expanse of the land, untouched and wild. She was a mere child, yet she was growing up before it was time. She wished to leave, but no matter what, she had to stay.
It was then that he came, climbing over the peak of the hill. He'd been shocked to see her, a strange filly in what he claimed to be his spot. She'd glared at him, turning away. And yet, he'd smiled, he'd laughed. He sat beside her, swinging his hooves off the edge as he talked. He told her about how he'd found this place, about his life, and himself, then asked about her. It was then that he'd noticed the tears she was holding back.
At first she had just been angry, but after hearing him speak of his life, of his family, she could see his freedom. He'd stopped abruptly, poleaxed. Instinctively, he'd hugged her. Though she was shocked, she couldn't pull away. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to pull away. And later, when he'd gotten up to leave and suggested they meet again, she'd excepted.
As the memory faded, she let out a strangled cry before letting the darkness consume her once again.
***
When this world is no more
The moon is all we'll see.
I'll ask you to
Fly away with me.
It'd been three days since she returned. The mare didn't think she would gain the courage to visit this place, but in the dark of night, she crept up the hill. She never imagined she would come back; she thought she was forever lost. She stood, for the first time, alone at the cliff's edge. It'd been so long since she'd last stepped on the soft grass there, since she'd looked to the horizon. It was almost exactly as she remembered, all except for the lone stone disrupting the otherwise untouched landscape.
She tightened her black cloak around her as her hoof reached out, tracing the faded words carved into the now jagged rock's once smooth surface. Tears welled up in her eyes until finally she threw herself against the stone sobbing and screaming as she wrapped her forelegs around it.
Until the stars all fall down,
They empty from the sky,
But I don't mind.
If you're with me, then everything's alright.
After a long time, she'd finally cried herself dry, all the pain she'd built up for the past millennium at last released. Reluctantly, she stood. Soon, she would have to leave and return to her duties. But first, there was the matter of the bag. It had been given to her upon her return; she was told it was from him. She clutched the old, torn bag to her chest, almost afraid to look. After a few moments, she found herself opening the ratty bag. The box fared opposite conditions, looking almost new, though she knew it was centuries old. Steeling herself, she opened the box.
Tears once again entered her eyes as she lifted the ring. It sparkled in the moonlight, seeming to glow. She smiled sadly through her tears and she flared her magic, slipping the tiny object down on her horn, just behind her crown. Turning she began the long walk back home, back to her pre-determined destiny, to her forced fate. She vowed to never removed the ring, the words etched in a flowing calligraphy around the band forever set in her mind.
If You're With Me, Then Everything's Alright
Author's Note
Have you been listening to a song, and just thought, "Hey, there's a story here!"? Yeah, that's where this came from. Inspired by Everything's Alright by Laura Shigihara.
