Post by Skyheart on Sept 21, 2012 3:24:12 GMT -5
Skyheart rests at the lake for now. Orpheus is still perched on his head. "Well... That was... interesting. I never would have thought the day would have wound up like that..." He reaches into his bag and pulls out a bag of bird seed. Opening it, he watches Orpheus hop down and help himself to its contents.
Bardigan is sitting at the edge of the lake, hooves tucked under him. He doesn't seem to be looking *at* anything. Or moving. He's just sitting there, with no hat and a thin cape, letting the wind ruffle his mane. His expression is stoic and placid, and Skyheart's arrival does nothing to rouse him.
Skyheart watches Orpheus eat the seed for a while before laying on his side, slipping his saddlebags off to avoid crushing anything. His quills again adorn his mane as he gazes off into the reflection of the water. He doesn't notice much outside of the noise of Orpheus fiddling with the bag.
Neither does Bardigan seem to notice Skyheart. He continues to stare straight ahead. His ear twitches just a bit when Orpheus' rustling gets a little loud, but other than that he's a statuesque pegasus. Only his breathing is any indication he's alive.
Skyheart lulls for a while as he lays down. As he glances to Orpheus he spies something out of the corner of his eye. "Huh? Bardigan?" He speaks quietly as he sits up and rubs his eyes with a hoof for a moment. "What's he doing...?"
Bardigan is doing nothing! And yet he does seem to be doing something very personal, so much so that he isn't able to show it to anypony but himself. His stare continues, unbroken.
Skyheart watches Bardigan for a while, curious as to what all he's doing. Orpheus is just looking back and forth between the two, occasionally eating the seeds with a defensive look.
Bardigan only just now seems to feel that he's being watched. He turns towards Skyheart and raises an eyebrow, apparently totally uninterested in his friend being there. "Oh. Skyheart. Hello."
Skyheart blinks a few moments as the long awkward silence thickens the scene. "Um... S-Sorry I ah... Did you want to be alone? I can go somewhere else if... Gimme that." He snatches the bag of seed from Orpheus who is none too happy with this. As Skyheart is about to partake in his pet's treat, the dove delivers a swift peck to the skull. "OW! Okay okay I'll wait will we get home. OW!"
Bardigan cracks a very small smile. More just a twitch, really. "Skyheart," he says very abruptly. "If you have feelings for somepony... tell them. Don't waste a single moment. Whatever the outcome... it will always be better than being unsure."
Skyheart and Orpheus stop their squabbling over the bag of seed when Bardigan starts to deliver advice equal parts poetic and cryptic. "Um..." He tilts his head. "Did something happen I should know about?" Orpheus takes advantage of Skyheart's confusing, clutches the bag of seed in his talons and flies off with it.
"Probably, but... I wouldn't want to burden you," is Bardigan's melancholy response. He goes back to staring at the pond. "Just... promise me, Skyheart. Promise me you'll put your cutie mark to good use some day, and show some special filly those poems of yours. Promise me you'll do it in the moonlight under all the stars, and that you won't worry so much about her being the right one for you, because you love her right or wrong. That you'll be brave enough to make that choice for yourself and not let anything get in the way." He scuffs at the sand on the shore, looking... small. Meek, even. He plucks up an eye mask and holds it up, staring through one of the holes at the moon. "Will you promise me all that, Skyheart?"
Skyheart takes a deep breath and looks up at the night sky. The moon shone just as bright as when he first got his cutie mark. He looks back to the rose that adorns his flank and sighs. "I...." Head low, he approaches the water. He looks down to his reflection. "Should the time ever come. It'll take over, I think. Once the time is right, I won't even need to think about it. It'll just... happen."
Bardigan sets the eye mask down and turns to look right at Skyheart. "Just say 'I promise, Bardigan,'" he says in a weary, but slightly bemused tone, though his expression doesn't match. Something else still clouds his vision, from afar. Something he's still focused on more than the world right in front of him.
Skyheart turns to meet Bardigan's weary gaze. The expression worries him. Still, he lets out a tired sigh of his own. "Fine. I promise, Bardigan. When I finally meet her, she'll know exactly how I feel, and you'll be the first to know after that." He says. Another pause. "But what's with this all of the sudden? What's gotten into you? You sound like you've... given up on something."
"No," Bardigan whispers, and he smiles another tiny, tiny smile. "No, I have not. Not at all. That's what's so... tragic about the whole thing. But it's also what makes me happy." He turns back to the lake, flicking the mask away towards Skyheart. "You can keep that." The cape is still on his back, and his wings rustle under it. "Do you think there's a limit, Skyheart?" he wonders, careening off on another non sequitir. "Do you think there are only so many ponies a pony can love before they don't find it again?"
Skyheart walks slowly over to the mask and picks it up. He glances over to his saddlebags before thinking a moment. He puts the mask on and whistles. Orpheus flies past, picked up the mask and carries it over to his bags. Finally, he sits down next to his friend, looking back into the water. "I don't know," He begins, "I mean..." He look back up at the stars. "They say 'The sky's the limit' but... Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could reach beyond?"
"I have," Bardigan says, and it sounds like he's talking to himself at this point, staring at their reflections. "Quite a lot, actually. I wouldn't recommend it. The sky is infinite. You can dive as deeply as you can into its depths... but you'll never be able to really know it. But that's... part of the grandness of the thing, isn't it? The joy of a mystery is not to know. Not to know..."
"I have," Bardigan says, and it sounds like he's talking to himself at this point, staring at their reflections. "Quite a lot, actually. I wouldn't recommend it. The sky is infinite. You can dive as deeply as you can into its depths... but you'll never be able to really know it. But that's... part of the grandness of the thing, isn't it? The joy of a mystery is not to know. Not to know..."
"But the wonder will always remain..." Skyheart replies. "I've always wondered what inspired such a skyscape. When I was a colt, I'd always sneak out at night to go stargazing and think about what all was out there. I thought of my old stories I read. I wondered... If we have a sun, couldn't all those little stars out there be other suns and moons? Maybe other worlds each with a tale all its own." He chuckles. "Childish fancy, I know but... Still. It's a thought right?"
"Well, if anypony would know, it'd be the Princesses," Bardigan says quietly. "I'll have to ask them, next time I'm up there." He lays his head on his hoove and closes his eyes, silent for a few long moments. "... Do you think the teller of a story deserves to have one of his own?" he asks out of the blue. "Is the narrator always just a voice, or does he have something of his own to give to the world? Or should he be content to stand back and watch?" His eyes open, just to mere slits. "There are many ponies in this world who have yet to do great things, Skyheart. And my destiny is to tell of them. But to tell a story properly you have to inject yourself into it. You *have* to live in the world, don't you? It's not so wrong to show them you have heart too, even if all you do is dig up old stories and recount them."
Skyheart nods. "Yeah. Nopony is without their own trials, tribulations, triumphs, or truths; tears, fears, hopes, lies, secrets, aspirations, plans, and desires. It's just a part of living, Bardigan. To deny yourself of anything that makes you who you are... You may as well never have truly lived at all. There isn't a soul who is, was or will be meant merely to observe and recount. Everything we all do makes and impact on our world. You may tell the stories of others, but you are always the lead in your own." He looks down to his friend, patting him on the shoulder. "This is your story, and it's up to you whether you take it in full or let it whisk you away in the fickle designs of the fates."
Bardigan is thoughtfully quiet for a minute. Then, a single word, croaked between his teeth. "Good. I feel the same." He sits up again, rolling his neck back and forth. "This pain is going to pass. I almost don't want it to," he murmmurs. "This is twice now," he thinks back. "Twice... maybe the third time will be the charm." He reaches over, using their reflections as a guide, and pats Skyheart's shoulder. "You're a good friend."
Skyheart nods and smiles back. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. But.... I-If I may ask, Bardigan... What's happened twice now? What are you trying to do?"
Bardigan smiles for real, now. It grows until it's reaching almost ear to ear. He has absolutely no idea why he's smiling, but it feels so right it hurts. "Twice I've let sacred words pass my lips and found nowhere for them to go. Two ponies isn't so many to love, is it? No, not at all." He turns to Skyheart. "One gone. One always out of reach. Saying I love you hasn't exactly been followed with 'happily ever after.'" He's *still* smiling, though. "But I suppose that just means I haven't reached the end of the story."
Skyheart listens and nods. "Well... Just try to not let your heart be ripped in twain, alright? Emotions can be fickle little things and play with our better judgement. What can you tell me about these two, Bard? Maybe a clear head will help you figure out how you wish to write the next chapter."
"The first was a long, long time ago. She left. Couldn't find a way to settle. We were both fools at the time. Her name was Goldenrod. The second..." He looks up at the moon, and somehow his smile grows a little wider. He stares just long enough for the comprehension to dawn, and then shakes his head. "I hope you never follow my advice Skyheart. I don't want you to end up like me, moonstruck and melancholy."
Skyheart lets out a sigh. He figured this might have been the case, but he had to be sure. "The Princess... There was a reason you played Horizon in your play."
"Oh, yes," Bardigan whispers. "Does this make me bad at romance, or far too good at it? Either way, there's something strangely romantic about a romantic who can't quite get romance right." He stands up on all fours and rolls his head on his shoulders, stretching. "Thank you for listening, Skyheart. Good night." And with that, he begins to walk away. What he does after that is anypony's guess, but he's still smiling.
Bardigan is sitting at the edge of the lake, hooves tucked under him. He doesn't seem to be looking *at* anything. Or moving. He's just sitting there, with no hat and a thin cape, letting the wind ruffle his mane. His expression is stoic and placid, and Skyheart's arrival does nothing to rouse him.
Skyheart watches Orpheus eat the seed for a while before laying on his side, slipping his saddlebags off to avoid crushing anything. His quills again adorn his mane as he gazes off into the reflection of the water. He doesn't notice much outside of the noise of Orpheus fiddling with the bag.
Neither does Bardigan seem to notice Skyheart. He continues to stare straight ahead. His ear twitches just a bit when Orpheus' rustling gets a little loud, but other than that he's a statuesque pegasus. Only his breathing is any indication he's alive.
Skyheart lulls for a while as he lays down. As he glances to Orpheus he spies something out of the corner of his eye. "Huh? Bardigan?" He speaks quietly as he sits up and rubs his eyes with a hoof for a moment. "What's he doing...?"
Bardigan is doing nothing! And yet he does seem to be doing something very personal, so much so that he isn't able to show it to anypony but himself. His stare continues, unbroken.
Skyheart watches Bardigan for a while, curious as to what all he's doing. Orpheus is just looking back and forth between the two, occasionally eating the seeds with a defensive look.
Bardigan only just now seems to feel that he's being watched. He turns towards Skyheart and raises an eyebrow, apparently totally uninterested in his friend being there. "Oh. Skyheart. Hello."
Skyheart blinks a few moments as the long awkward silence thickens the scene. "Um... S-Sorry I ah... Did you want to be alone? I can go somewhere else if... Gimme that." He snatches the bag of seed from Orpheus who is none too happy with this. As Skyheart is about to partake in his pet's treat, the dove delivers a swift peck to the skull. "OW! Okay okay I'll wait will we get home. OW!"
Bardigan cracks a very small smile. More just a twitch, really. "Skyheart," he says very abruptly. "If you have feelings for somepony... tell them. Don't waste a single moment. Whatever the outcome... it will always be better than being unsure."
Skyheart and Orpheus stop their squabbling over the bag of seed when Bardigan starts to deliver advice equal parts poetic and cryptic. "Um..." He tilts his head. "Did something happen I should know about?" Orpheus takes advantage of Skyheart's confusing, clutches the bag of seed in his talons and flies off with it.
"Probably, but... I wouldn't want to burden you," is Bardigan's melancholy response. He goes back to staring at the pond. "Just... promise me, Skyheart. Promise me you'll put your cutie mark to good use some day, and show some special filly those poems of yours. Promise me you'll do it in the moonlight under all the stars, and that you won't worry so much about her being the right one for you, because you love her right or wrong. That you'll be brave enough to make that choice for yourself and not let anything get in the way." He scuffs at the sand on the shore, looking... small. Meek, even. He plucks up an eye mask and holds it up, staring through one of the holes at the moon. "Will you promise me all that, Skyheart?"
Skyheart takes a deep breath and looks up at the night sky. The moon shone just as bright as when he first got his cutie mark. He looks back to the rose that adorns his flank and sighs. "I...." Head low, he approaches the water. He looks down to his reflection. "Should the time ever come. It'll take over, I think. Once the time is right, I won't even need to think about it. It'll just... happen."
Bardigan sets the eye mask down and turns to look right at Skyheart. "Just say 'I promise, Bardigan,'" he says in a weary, but slightly bemused tone, though his expression doesn't match. Something else still clouds his vision, from afar. Something he's still focused on more than the world right in front of him.
Skyheart turns to meet Bardigan's weary gaze. The expression worries him. Still, he lets out a tired sigh of his own. "Fine. I promise, Bardigan. When I finally meet her, she'll know exactly how I feel, and you'll be the first to know after that." He says. Another pause. "But what's with this all of the sudden? What's gotten into you? You sound like you've... given up on something."
"No," Bardigan whispers, and he smiles another tiny, tiny smile. "No, I have not. Not at all. That's what's so... tragic about the whole thing. But it's also what makes me happy." He turns back to the lake, flicking the mask away towards Skyheart. "You can keep that." The cape is still on his back, and his wings rustle under it. "Do you think there's a limit, Skyheart?" he wonders, careening off on another non sequitir. "Do you think there are only so many ponies a pony can love before they don't find it again?"
Skyheart walks slowly over to the mask and picks it up. He glances over to his saddlebags before thinking a moment. He puts the mask on and whistles. Orpheus flies past, picked up the mask and carries it over to his bags. Finally, he sits down next to his friend, looking back into the water. "I don't know," He begins, "I mean..." He look back up at the stars. "They say 'The sky's the limit' but... Have you ever wondered what would happen if you could reach beyond?"
"I have," Bardigan says, and it sounds like he's talking to himself at this point, staring at their reflections. "Quite a lot, actually. I wouldn't recommend it. The sky is infinite. You can dive as deeply as you can into its depths... but you'll never be able to really know it. But that's... part of the grandness of the thing, isn't it? The joy of a mystery is not to know. Not to know..."
"I have," Bardigan says, and it sounds like he's talking to himself at this point, staring at their reflections. "Quite a lot, actually. I wouldn't recommend it. The sky is infinite. You can dive as deeply as you can into its depths... but you'll never be able to really know it. But that's... part of the grandness of the thing, isn't it? The joy of a mystery is not to know. Not to know..."
"But the wonder will always remain..." Skyheart replies. "I've always wondered what inspired such a skyscape. When I was a colt, I'd always sneak out at night to go stargazing and think about what all was out there. I thought of my old stories I read. I wondered... If we have a sun, couldn't all those little stars out there be other suns and moons? Maybe other worlds each with a tale all its own." He chuckles. "Childish fancy, I know but... Still. It's a thought right?"
"Well, if anypony would know, it'd be the Princesses," Bardigan says quietly. "I'll have to ask them, next time I'm up there." He lays his head on his hoove and closes his eyes, silent for a few long moments. "... Do you think the teller of a story deserves to have one of his own?" he asks out of the blue. "Is the narrator always just a voice, or does he have something of his own to give to the world? Or should he be content to stand back and watch?" His eyes open, just to mere slits. "There are many ponies in this world who have yet to do great things, Skyheart. And my destiny is to tell of them. But to tell a story properly you have to inject yourself into it. You *have* to live in the world, don't you? It's not so wrong to show them you have heart too, even if all you do is dig up old stories and recount them."
Skyheart nods. "Yeah. Nopony is without their own trials, tribulations, triumphs, or truths; tears, fears, hopes, lies, secrets, aspirations, plans, and desires. It's just a part of living, Bardigan. To deny yourself of anything that makes you who you are... You may as well never have truly lived at all. There isn't a soul who is, was or will be meant merely to observe and recount. Everything we all do makes and impact on our world. You may tell the stories of others, but you are always the lead in your own." He looks down to his friend, patting him on the shoulder. "This is your story, and it's up to you whether you take it in full or let it whisk you away in the fickle designs of the fates."
Bardigan is thoughtfully quiet for a minute. Then, a single word, croaked between his teeth. "Good. I feel the same." He sits up again, rolling his neck back and forth. "This pain is going to pass. I almost don't want it to," he murmmurs. "This is twice now," he thinks back. "Twice... maybe the third time will be the charm." He reaches over, using their reflections as a guide, and pats Skyheart's shoulder. "You're a good friend."
Skyheart nods and smiles back. "I wouldn't be here if I wasn't. But.... I-If I may ask, Bardigan... What's happened twice now? What are you trying to do?"
Bardigan smiles for real, now. It grows until it's reaching almost ear to ear. He has absolutely no idea why he's smiling, but it feels so right it hurts. "Twice I've let sacred words pass my lips and found nowhere for them to go. Two ponies isn't so many to love, is it? No, not at all." He turns to Skyheart. "One gone. One always out of reach. Saying I love you hasn't exactly been followed with 'happily ever after.'" He's *still* smiling, though. "But I suppose that just means I haven't reached the end of the story."
Skyheart listens and nods. "Well... Just try to not let your heart be ripped in twain, alright? Emotions can be fickle little things and play with our better judgement. What can you tell me about these two, Bard? Maybe a clear head will help you figure out how you wish to write the next chapter."
"The first was a long, long time ago. She left. Couldn't find a way to settle. We were both fools at the time. Her name was Goldenrod. The second..." He looks up at the moon, and somehow his smile grows a little wider. He stares just long enough for the comprehension to dawn, and then shakes his head. "I hope you never follow my advice Skyheart. I don't want you to end up like me, moonstruck and melancholy."
Skyheart lets out a sigh. He figured this might have been the case, but he had to be sure. "The Princess... There was a reason you played Horizon in your play."
"Oh, yes," Bardigan whispers. "Does this make me bad at romance, or far too good at it? Either way, there's something strangely romantic about a romantic who can't quite get romance right." He stands up on all fours and rolls his head on his shoulders, stretching. "Thank you for listening, Skyheart. Good night." And with that, he begins to walk away. What he does after that is anypony's guess, but he's still smiling.