Language Barriers

by Silver Tongue

Rating: everyone
Tags: Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Sad, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 2572

Luna contemplates how speech has changed and affected her over the time she was imprisoned.

For a thousand years, Princess Luna was erased from the history books. During that time, many things had changed, but none have affected Luna more so than the change in language. Even after many months of passing time, she wonders about language and words as she struggles to gain a better understanding of how to communicate with her fellow ponies.

Published 2012-10-15 08:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-10-15 08:30:01 UTC

Lost in Translation

Luna stood on her balcony, staring out into the night sky, watching each star twinkle with the soft glow that resonated in her heart. Her mane flowed in the nonexistent breeze, reflecting the vast expanse before her, twinkling just as brightly. The moon itself shining its beacon of light, bearing hope and safety to those lost in the darkness, or those strolling without a care in the streets below. Her regalia seemed to want to mimic the sky it was modeled after as it shone and sparkled in the moonlight.

The chilled air prickled against her coat, rivaling that of the sky in which her namesake called home. Each needle of biting cold sent a sensation of familiarity into her mind. A familiarity that resided in her ancient prison, it was beautiful, but cold and uninviting. Her body shivered at the sensation as her blue eyes closed and her posture taking a somber turn.

She opened her mouth and whispered a whisper so soft and gentle, that even her powerful hearing strained to hear and understand.

“Madam, I swear I use no art at all. That he’s mad ‘tis true…’tis true ‘tis pity, and pity ‘tis ‘tis true… A foolish figure, but farewell it, for I will use no art…”

Craning her slender neck up towards the dark sky, she allowed her words to carry through the night. She hoped that a pony would hear them. Appreciate the words for what they were, a work of art lost in time. Her perception of time and her surroundings was hazed as the loving voice of her sister carried themselves into her ears.

“You still remember the dialogue of Hayspeare’s plays?”

She could hear her sister approaching, her moves clopping softly against the flooring of her bedroom. Her ears swiveled as they pinpointed her elder sister’s position in her chambers. Her eyes fluttered open as her sister made her way to her side. At the sight of her sister’s curious expression, she bowed her head, flowing mane creating a shadow that obscured her face. Her soft voice subtly broke as she maintained her effort to stay neutral.

“Ay. ‘tis true…’tis true... Alas! Such riddles of the tongue thy language has become…”

Her body reeled with shame at her inadequacy to adopt the new language that has existed in Equestria for many a year. Upon her return, she had noticed the manner of speech had changed in the time that she was erased from her Kingdom’s history. Her emotions were bitter, and her mind envious at the ease of which her evil half at the time had been able to fluently speak the tongue after only a few hours of exposure. And yet, here she was. Months had passed, and the difficulty had not lessened.

“The new manner of speech still eludes you then?”

Another thing that she had noticed: her sister still spoke beautifully, despite the changes. The new tongue did not appeal to her in any way. She longed for the speech of old, where every word was deliberate and carefully thought out before spoken aloud. She greatly missed the artistry the words possessed; many a pony held careers as wordsmiths, so glorious were their words. With a resigned sigh, she gave her sister a response.

“Dear sister, what has become of our language? Words…most glorious and sweet, they were. Softly caressed by thy lover’s tongue or words most foul spewed by a yellow bellied coward… So expressive they were. ‘twas the subtle touch of mother with her newborn babe, or as vicious, as vicious and cruel as a vengeful foe…”

She noticed how Celestia’s expression took a more serious look. Her brows were furrowed as her eyes gently closed. The low hum of the larger mare made her wait patiently. She was thinking, and Luna gave her the time she needed to think of a proper answer. Her wait was not a long one as the voice of her elder broke the silence.

“Times have changed Luna. Just like ponies, words and speech evolve. They shift and change to fit the time and the pony they belong to. Even your speech has changed over the past few months.”

With another sigh, she gently lowered her body to sit on the cool floor of the balcony. Motioning for her sister to join her, she waited until her position was mirrored before she allowed herself to speak.

“Perchance it is a mere justification to allow slander without repercussion of insult. We used to speak by the card, praised by the passion… the very passion and power, power that no longer exists in such speech, native to our very souls!” Her voice had grown in its intensity with every word. Each word, bitter and longing, was given with a cynical tone. She let out a dry laugh as she thought to every occasion where a pony couldn’t express themselves because they knew not the power they possessed with their voices, a tool that every pony had access to but refused to properly use, or used for the hurting of others.

“I don’t believe that. Words are powerful, no matter how they’re said. It’s true, many ponies abuse their words for personal gain, but that is only achieved by the power they know they possess.”

Luna contemplated the thought. She was right. They were only able to achieve such convincing lies because they knew how much a word is worth, more so when it is used convincingly. She couldn’t help but recall a time where she heard a young couple whisper their love to each other. Three simple words that had the equivalent of many in her time held the same value, the same emotions. Her eyes had teared up when she heard the raw emotion in their little words. They were so little, and yet they held a strength she thought no longer existed in that form.

“Thy logic is sound, as your words art weighted by truth. If true, what will become of me and my archaic ways?” She stood up in frustration and turned inwards to her bedchamber to escape the world around her. She stopped in the center of the room. Speaking again, her voice had changed to a hoarse, regretful whisper, “To be loved, or despised… I know not. I bear no ill will, ‘tis true. Their will towards mine aged behavior is most unpleasant indeed. ‘tis a feeling like no other. An enduring distrust that mine empathic soul has not had the opportunity to experience shy of a millennia.”

Crystalline tears formed in her eyes as she remembered the stares, the looks of contempt, the exuding fear. She wanted to be loved the way she loved them. Each and every pony was dear to her heart. No matter the pony, she wished and hoped that each one would live a long, fulfilling life filled with happiness and love. It was heartbreaking when none wanted to approach her, and actively avoided her. She loved them all, cared for them all, and to be treated with such fear threatened to break her. Crumpling to the floor in sadness, she raised her hooves to cover her eyes as the tears fell onto the floor below.

She did not notice that Celestia had crossed the room in worry, before settling alongside her. She did, however, notice that she was brought into a tight hug, lovingly encompassed by a strong, white wing. The smooth texture of the golden regalia was cool on her coat, but none more so than the growing moisture on her neck. The soft shaking of her sister’s body indicated her distress over the situation. As a result, she buried her tearful face into her sister’s warm body in response.

“They don’t hate you Luna… They’re afraid. Just like you. You’re new and untouchable to them. They don’t know what to do. You just have to prove that you are no different than any other pony out there.”

Her ears flattened themselves against her skull as the absolute grief that her sister expressed shook her mind. Even after all this time, it still caught Luna by surprise when somepony expressed concern. The complete lack of affection, save for her sister’s, had left her feeling empty and alone. The fact that Celestia was crying as well made her feel an overwhelming sense of guilt. Adjusting her body until she was facing her directly, she wanted relieve the guilt that her elder sister carried in her heart. She may be fond of words, but this case, even the most eloquent speech cannot remove over a thousand years of festering guilt and regret. There was only time.

“Thou speakest as if thy request is a simple one, one in which success is sure to follow…but when my words art flowing and weaving, withholding my words is a obstacle that not even my dear sister can comprehend as the flowing streams of time have been in thy favor, a most gradual and evolving process. ‘tis a luxury that I do not have in my possession. I must learn thy kingdom’s unfamiliar language that belongs to the subjects within. The difficulty, ‘twas unexpected, leaving me to hide in my closet in shame over the failure of such a task. Mine use of the Royal ‘We’ and The Royal Canterlot Voice still continues.”

She was unsure if her words alleviated the pain that Celestia held. Knowing that Celestia blamed herself for the situation at hand, she wanted nothing more than to prevent her worries from bleeding out into to open and seeping into other ponies. Especially those she held above all others. It pained her to see her sister’s distress over something that was her fault since the beginning. It was her own fault that she was transformed into Nightmare Moon all those years ago. Just as it was her own fault that Celestia had no choice but to banish her to the moon as punishment; if she hadn’t, one of them would not be sitting here to this day. She was the catalyst that placed them in this situation, and she knew that Celestia harbored many unresolved feelings because of it.

Her musings were interrupted by the hoarse whisper of her sister. Rarely hearing her sister’s voice in such a way, it startled her as she could not recall the last time she heard it in that state. Making sure that she was listening carefully, she allowed her words to soothe her.

“You may be right about me being able to adjust over time, but remember, you only returned to us this year, and you’ve already recovered much of your magic. It is just a matter of time before the rest of you catches up.” Celestia lightly bopped Luna’s nose with a smile. That simple action brought them back to a time where they were younger, more carefree, and tucked under wings of their parents. Luna’s eyes teared up once again as the memories washed over her. She raised her hoof and brought it around her sister, bringing her in for a tight hug as she continued her reassurance. “You are in unfamiliar territory, and that’s ok. You have time, Luna. All the time in the world.”

Luna nodded at her sister’s words. She was right, after all. It took some time before she was able to fully recover physically. Recalling when she was smaller and recently defeated, she remembered how weak she used to be. Simple levitation took immense energy to perform as well as giving her migraines like she had never felt before. She was much smaller as well. Unlike the current time where she could easily wrap a hoof around Celestia’s neck, she could barely reach her neck upon her return. She was tiny and frail, and it drove her mad. Her body was too weak to perform simple tasks and was treated like an invalid for much too long. After much time of careful study and practice, her body had finally recovered to where it was as if the past thousand years had never happened. She never knew how much she would miss her body and magic until she might as well have been a regular pegasus.

Throughout her physical study, she noticed that her mind was a cacophony of memories from being away for so long. It took her time to sort through everything until she no longer gained headaches as often. Unfortunately, it caused her speech to revert to a time from many years ago. Celestia was right. Only time will allow her to change her speech.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she allowed herself to speak as fatigue was beginning to wear her body down from the emotional drain she endured. She felt more peaceful than she did previously, and wanted to be assured that Celestia began to release the many years of guilt.

“The comfort I receive from thee is most welcome. My gratitude extends beyond the farthest star in my sky. Thy warmth is pleasant, my very core it fills to the brim with love and tenderness. I thank thee most sincerely dear sister. The feelings of joy from whence they came art inexplicable as they rest peacefully in my bosom at the simple thought of having a kind and most caring elder sister such as mine.”

She felt Celestia’s body tense up before relaxing, lazily draping a wing over her smaller form. Celestia’s lips began to curl upward into a loving smile. A dearly missed smile that was reciprocated by one of her own. Her exhaustion began to take its toll as her body sagged, leaning against her elder sister. She tried to keep her eyes open, but her eyelids appeared to be made of lead, trying to force themselves shut. She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but she refused until she was certain that Celestia understood just how much she cared.

“That’s what a big sister is for Luna. You’ll get it someday, and I’ll be here with you every step of the way.”

At the gentle whisper of her sister’s soothing voice, her mind began to drift off into the realm of dreams. Her body curled into her sister’s side, comforted by her Celestia’s watchful eye. She wanted to repay her somehow. Knowing that it was late, and by keeping her awake with her troubles, Luna felt that she needed to give her sister something in return. Her ears pricked up as the perfect idea went through her mind. Thinking back towards all her lessons, she began to formulate the words she wanted. Putting every ounce of emotion as she could, she spoke one last time. It was difficult, as the urge to just speak without a care in the world, or to think with absolute and lengthy precision threatened to take control, but she refused.

Celestia needed this. She needed this. Both of them needed to hear the next few words more so than they thought they ever would. The next few words would begin as the catalyst for much change for them both in the future. Maybe if she could ease her speech enough, she could maybe even work up the courage to meet her sister’s beloved protégé. But for now, this was all that needed.

Taking a deep breath, she allowed the strange words to quietly leave her mouth.

“I-I..I love you, Tia…and thank you…for e-everything...”