Feel your heart and it's glowing
It was one of those mornings; the ones that were nearly perfect, the sun cresting over the horizon in all it's glory, painting the whole world in the colours of autumn despite it still being mid-spring, the underside of Cloudsdale looking practically like it was ablaze, surrounded by a gradient of blues ranging from nearly white to the deep indigo that huddled around the sleepy edge of Luna's moon like a nightgown.
Celestia let out a long sigh as she stood upon her balcony, pale pink eyes staring straight into the rising glory of the sun even as she willed it upwards, the near absoluteness of the morning a stale counterpoint to the many hours to come. Her eyes peered at the sunrise as the full orb sat between the earth and Cloudsdale, the city in the sky a colourful patch in the sky as it took on her sun’s colours.
That's when the unthinkable happened.
A dark spot hovered across her vision. Frowning, the solar princess blinked, then, with the spot still persisting, rubbed at her eyes with a hoof. The dark blemish still remained. With a questioning snort, she reached out with her magic, inspecting the solar surface; nothing out of the ordinary, no flares or cold spots, just the burning brightness of the heavenly body.
Celestia blinked further as the spot began to move, seeming to dance over the bright surface of the sun, curiosity getting her as she moved to the gilded telescope mounted solidly to the white railing. For the thousandth time she wished the silly contraption had been made less decoratively, more functional as even her magic fumbled across the controls, struggling to bring the object into focus.
Wings, that was her first impression; wide, powerful wings drove the spot through the sky, silhouetted upon her sun even as they pumped and beat against the air, glowing with traces of dawn. Next was a sleek body, graceful and lithe as it arced and spun in the air, limbs to match outlined by the daystars light. Celestia couldn't look away as the body spun and danced aggressively over the surface of the heavenly body, a dark spot sparring with the brilliance of the sun, the bright light always filling the gap it created, flickering in and out of Celestia’s view with wreckless abandon.
Up and down, spiraling across the sun’s blinding surface, climbing suddenly only to drop even more abruptly, pulling up in a corkscrew that looked as graceful as it did angry, the motion tense and seemingly violent with passion. It was a waltz in the sky, a work of art of motion and light, and its tempo rose and fell in a mesmerising way; the goddess lost herself in the dance, eyes and telescope doing their best to keep up with the darting shade that looked almost like it was at war with the new day.
So involved was she, that when the figure vanished back into the white clouds of the pegasi city, she was mystified, pulling back from the eyepiece jerkily and blinking eyes she just realised where strained.
The morning was over, the sun hidden behind a now half awake Cloudsdale. With a start she realised there was pounding at her bedchambers door, a politely raised voice asking if everything was alright and if court would still be held on time. Celestia rushed to face the day.
"Your majesty, as you can clearly see, tinting the entire sun blue would only bring more prestige to -" Celestia quickly tuned out the white and blonde stallions rambling even as she stared through him with a serene smile gracing her muzzle.
The court was busy, the que outside the throne room long, but The Sun Goddesses mind was still on the events of this morning, running over the angry dancers flight over the sun again and again. It was like watching a rebellion against the morning, against the day to come unfurl, even as it knew it could do nothing to stop it, and it captivated her imagination.
"Auntie?" The near whining voice pulled Celestia back to reality, Blueblood staring at her expectantly.
Celestia blinked, almost imperceptibly shaking her head before opening her muzzle to speak. "I will... Have to decline your request. I cannot be seen as holding favoritism over any of my subjects."
With a small frown, Blueblood turned away, a barely heard muttering escaping him as he shouldered past the guard ponies.
"And what was Twilight then?"
Celestia frowned at the door as it closed behind the moping noble, mind going back to the dancer from before. Maybe..?
Celestia sat upon her balcony again, looking away from her sunset and towards her sisters moonrise, still pondering who she had seen when a brief flicker of movement caught her eye.
The dancer was back.
With such haste she nearly tore the telescope from the railing she honed in on the figure, looking for anything to identify them with.
The first thing she noticed was the difference in mood.
Where before the motions were angry and energetic, these were almost lazy, tired swoops and dives, gentle rolls around and over stray clouds, almost fitting of the rising moons quiet grace. Yet it still had the same spirit as the mornings example, a certain feel that left Celestia wanting more.
The moons glow was dim, just gentle enough to not destroy all the colour from the dancers coat in a blazing silhouette, but certainly enough to wash them, making it hard to see. A glint of lavender in a spin, but a muted, earthy tone on a dive, followed by a almost glowing white on the slow ascent. The silhouette was vastly improved as well, the feminine curve of the dancer clear without the sun’s brilliant glare attempting to swallow it.
Celestia continued to watch, intrigued and awed at the flying ballet and the still unknown dancer as they darted amongst the moonlit clouds, a silver silhouette amidst shadow. It was the most captivating thing she had seen in centuries, and she was loath to miss a moment of it.
The pattern continued for weeks, each morning the Solar Diarch watching eagerly, a reason to start the day, and holding patience throughout the long courts and nuances of ruling to see the performance each night. Tonight was no different, the Princess sitting behind her telescope to see her dancer grace her sisters night, a show just for the Princess to see, a performance that the Godess felt was for her and her alone, and one that she would savour ‘til the next.
So enthralled was she, that she hardly heard the soft beating of wings, paid no heed to the soft hoof steps until a soft voice whispered into her ear.
"What, pray tell, do you find so captivating each day, that thou linger here for hours?"
The normally graceful alicorn lept to the side, wings spread wide as she was jarred from her thoughts, head whipping around to stare at her sister even as the Lunar Diarch stifled a laugh with her hoof.
"Nothing, dear sister," Celestia replied guardedly without thinking, trying to regain her composure, magically straightening her crown atop her mane.
Luna snorted, a short sharp sound of one knowing a lie. "Come now 'Tia, Let us not be keeping secrets," Even as she spoke, the younger Goddess peered through the telescope, magic slowly fiddling with the knobs with even a skill Celestia suddenly found herself envious of. There was a pause in motion, Lunas ears flicking upwards before the telescope began tracing a path through the night sky. "Ahh, I see..."
With a sly grin the navy alicorn turned to her sister. "Thou art... Intrigued," Lunas speech slipped in and out of patterns old and new as she trotted past her sister. "Perhaps one might find a closer view more captivating," Celestia could practically hear her sisters grin as she spread her wings to leave. "The voyeur from afar doesn't quite suit you."
Celestia scowled in the darkness before turning back to her telescope.
Celestia didn't quite know what had compelled her; perhaps this was a bygone conclusion, her curiosity at work, perhaps her sisters words. Regardless, the Solar Goddess had slipped away from the castle and was now perched amidst the low lying clouds near the Pegasi city, raising the sun for her dancer with utmost care and grace. She was nearly trembling with anticipation, pale pink eyes scouring the sky for that lithe, spiraling form.
So on edge was the princess that she nearly missed the first dive, plummeting through the floor level of Cloudsdale like a bullet, punching through the dawn kissed clouds with raw energy, a spiraling, gold tinted form shining in the light. With a fierce cry, massive dark amber wings spread, each feather reflecting the suns golden light, halting the dive before suddenly reversing direction with a single massive sweep through the morning sky.
Celestia was rooted in place, watching as white feathers reflected the sun like the clouds, much more stunning than the simple silhouette from afar, light heliotrope markings reinforcing the feeling of nebulous skies. Though if the dancer was a cloud, she was a thunderhead, a tornado, a great twisting angry spiral as she soared and danced across the golden morning light.
Another dive, the dancers glossy gold talons forwards, matching eyes and beak hard and resolved as she sliced through clouds mere steps from where Celestia sat half concealed, a portion of the solar Alicorn wondering at how she had not been seen even as the rest of her committed every detail to memory, eyes fixed on the long tawny tail that trailed behind the griffoness as she danced in Celestia's morning glow.
A spiral, a loop, a piercing, lonely cry as the lone griffon dived and soared and climbed, golden haloed wings cutting through the air with a fierce fervor, each motion dedicated resistance against the morning sky; It looked how Celestia often found herself feeling each morning as she readied herself for court, the solar goddess feeling another link to her beautiful dancer as she twisted in the air, bathed in the daystars light.
How she found herself longing for the half bird, pink eyes surveying each curve of muscle, the arc of each feather as they all moved together in a symphony, each movement a piece of a greater composition, all bound together by the suns golden glow. How she wanted to join the waltz, dance with the glorious creature before her and perhaps more. But revealing herself brought up boundless problems; scandal, paparazzi, guards, enraged nobles, and her dancer being harried, followed in the mornings light and the moons glow for pictures of what had captivated and enraptured the Solar Princess.
Slowly, the dancer spiraled into the air, the warm golden glow of dawn bleeding to the pure light of early day, signaling the end of the performance. For a moment everything was calm, perfect, the end of dawn reaching that feeling Celestia had long since thought nigh impossible, her wonderful, beauteous griffoness practically quivering, wings wide as she let momentum carry her to the top of her arc. For a brief moment Celestia’s mind forgot all the problems, all of the worries, everything that could or might go wrong as she basked in the single, flawless moment.
It was not to last as a shout pierced the quiet, making Celestia flinch as the unexpected noise marred the instant beyond recovery. “GILDA! Where are you, you lazy bird?” The griffons shoulders slumped before she turned to return to the city, a look of resignation crossing over those golden eyes even as her wings flexed.
Her mind made up by that single moment, Celestia spread her wings.
On a balcony in Canterlot, a indigo muzzle grinned softly as the younger Alicorn stepped away from the telescope, content that she had done the right thing; one little piece of atonement for her past.