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Description
“Heavenly? Where are you?”

She’d noticed her wife’s absence almost immediately. It wasn’t like Heavenly Glow to just up and leave like that, especially during an event as high-profile as this. Why, she would be disgusted at even the thought of it. Sahar could tell from Heavenly’s unusually-shy and anxious demeanor earlier that something was off with her, so she was the first to go looking for her.

“There you are!”

Deep within the gardens Sahar finally found Heavenly, just out of earshot of the ball. The mare was pacing and muttering to herself before she jolted up like she was being interrupted from something secret.

“Oh! Hello, Sahar.”

“Why you are here? Why you leave the party?”

“I just needed some time to think, that’s all.”

Heavenly brushed her off, though her tone was more soft and introspective than her usual sternness.

Sahar didn’t accept this as the whole truth, not for a second. She’d known all day there was more under the surface. So she gently pushed her to open up.

“All day you are very nervous. You like my parents?”

“Of course I do. They seem very kind and loving, especially towards you. How could I not like them after they’ve raised somepony so wonderful?”

A soft smile spread across the hippogriff mare’s face as she nuzzled her wife.

“My concern is more about whether they like me.”

Sahar’s eyes widened in surprise, hardly able to fathom the idea of the two ponies who raised her not approving of her lover. She knew them better than that.

“How do they not like you? My mother is excited to meet you, very excited! My father is happy that you learn Saddle Arabia culture! Because I do not write letters, they worry. Not because they see you as bad pony.”

“I suppose so. You know them best.”

Heavenly hesitated.

“It’s just…well, I’ve been absolutely awful to you, Sahar. We both remember it clearly. I have been trying to be better for you, every day I step out of my comfort zone and I do so willingly. But I know that no matter how much better I become—even if I were blessed by Gaia this instant—it will never undo what I have done. I fear…”

She bowed her head in shame.

“I fear I don’t deserve you.”

Sahar’s heart dropped upon hearing this, this was so unlike the mare that she’d grown to love. It hurt to know she thought herself unworthy when Sahar was absolutely in awe at her growth.

“Do not believe it, Heavenly!”

Sahar lifted up her chin until she was looking her in the eye.

“You deserve me and I deserve you! We are a team, we are…equals! Yes! Before you do many bad things, but now you do many good things. The good things only matter because you are good pony now.”

Then she got an idea.

“We have a saying in Saddle Arabia, a lesson for life. My parents tell me, ‘تجري الرياح بما لا تشتهي السفن.’”

“What does it mean?”

“It means, ‘The winds do not blow as the vessels wish.’ The past you cannot change. In your life, not everything you can control. You have to…um, go with the flow. That is how you say it?”

Heavenly nodded.

“Yes! Go with the flow, and try to be good pony. Then it will be a good life. You try to be good pony already, that is enough.”

Sahar’s words were the most comforting Heavenly had heard all night, her optimism was always infectious but this was more than that. Heavenly was enough. And she was right, she couldn’t change the past. But she could keep trying to be better, keep making the conscious choice to be selfless and caring. As long as she did so, she was forgiven.

“Thank you, Sahar.”

Was all she could say in response.

“Yes! You are welcome!”

She took her hoof in hers.

“You will come to the party and dance with me?”

“Let’s dance right here first.”

Heavenly pulled her close and started swaying to the music they both heard faintly, a song which was louder in both of their hearts. Sahar quickly fell into rhythm and they danced, following each other’s strides and twirling until the stars were spinning. It was a traditional dance that they’d practiced, but in this moment, it felt as if they’d invented their own dance to their own song.

Slowly they danced their way back to the ball, but it felt as if they were the only ones in the universe even as the voices of others grew louder.

Before they got too close, Heavenly remembered something.

“There’s one more phrase I learned in your language, by the way.”

“Oh? What did you learn?”

Heavenly leaned into her wife’s ear, their heartbeats both in sync as she uttered tenderly in her tongue,

“I love you, Sahar.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: Sire and Dam

Background by csillaghullo

~~~~~~~~~~

[Image Description: Heavenly Glow, a dull pink hippogriff hybrid with a green and white mane and a black and white dress, and Sahar, a pale orange Saddle Arabian mare with a bright orange mane and a light purple dress adorned with purple flowers around the headpiece, are in the Canterlot gardens at night. Heavenly is holding Sahar’s hoof and Sahar is blushing as they both dance with loving smiles on their faces. End Description.]

Description
“Heavenly? Where are you?”

She’d noticed her wife’s absence almost immediately. It wasn’t like Heavenly Glow to just up and leave like that, especially during an event as high-profile as this. Why, she would be disgusted at even the thought of it. Sahar could tell from Heavenly’s unusually-shy and anxious demeanor earlier that something was off with her, so she was the first to go looking for her.

“There you are!”

Deep within the gardens Sahar finally found Heavenly, just out of earshot of the ball. The mare was pacing and muttering to herself before she jolted up like she was being interrupted from something secret.

“Oh! Hello, Sahar.”

“Why you are here? Why you leave the party?”

“I just needed some time to think, that’s all.”

Heavenly brushed her off, though her tone was more soft and introspective than her usual sternness.

Sahar didn’t accept this as the whole truth, not for a second. She’d known all day there was more under the surface. So she gently pushed her to open up.

“All day you are very nervous. You like my parents?”

“Of course I do. They seem very kind and loving, especially towards you. How could I not like them after they’ve raised somepony so wonderful?”

A soft smile spread across the hippogriff mare’s face as she nuzzled her wife.

“My concern is more about whether they like me.”

Sahar’s eyes widened in surprise, hardly able to fathom the idea of the two ponies who raised her not approving of her lover. She knew them better than that.

“How do they not like you? My mother is excited to meet you, very excited! My father is happy that you learn Saddle Arabia culture! Because I do not write letters, they worry. Not because they see you as bad pony.”

“I suppose so. You know them best.”

Heavenly hesitated.

“It’s just…well, I’ve been absolutely awful to you, Sahar. We both remember it clearly. I have been trying to be better for you, every day I step out of my comfort zone and I do so willingly. But I know that no matter how much better I become—even if I were blessed by Gaia this instant—it will never undo what I have done. I fear…”

She bowed her head in shame.

“I fear I don’t deserve you.”

Sahar’s heart dropped upon hearing this, this was so unlike the mare that she’d grown to love. It hurt to know she thought herself unworthy when Sahar was absolutely in awe at her growth.

“Do not believe it, Heavenly!”

Sahar lifted up her chin until she was looking her in the eye.

“You deserve me and I deserve you! We are a team, we are…equals! Yes! Before you do many bad things, but now you do many good things. The good things only matter because you are good pony now.”

Then she got an idea.

“We have a saying in Saddle Arabia, a lesson for life. My parents tell me, ‘تجري الرياح بما لا تشتهي السفن.’”

“What does it mean?”

“It means, ‘The winds do not blow as the vessels wish.’ The past you cannot change. In your life, not everything you can control. You have to…um, go with the flow. That is how you say it?”

Heavenly nodded.

“Yes! Go with the flow, and try to be good pony. Then it will be a good life. You try to be good pony already, that is enough.”

Sahar’s words were the most comforting Heavenly had heard all night, her optimism was always infectious but this was more than that. Heavenly was enough. And she was right, she couldn’t change the past. But she could keep trying to be better, keep making the conscious choice to be selfless and caring. As long as she did so, she was forgiven.

“Thank you, Sahar.”

Was all she could say in response.

“Yes! You are welcome!”

She took her hoof in hers.

“You will come to the party and dance with me?”

“Let’s dance right here first.”

Heavenly pulled her close and started swaying to the music they both heard faintly, a song which was louder in both of their hearts. Sahar quickly fell into rhythm and they danced, following each other’s strides and twirling until the stars were spinning. It was a traditional dance that they’d practiced, but in this moment, it felt as if they’d invented their own dance to their own song.

Slowly they danced their way back to the ball, but it felt as if they were the only ones in the universe even as the voices of others grew louder.

Before they got too close, Heavenly remembered something.

“There’s one more phrase I learned in your language, by the way.”

“Oh? What did you learn?”

Heavenly leaned into her wife’s ear, their heartbeats both in sync as she uttered tenderly in her tongue,

“I love you, Sahar.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Previous: Sire and Dam

Background by csillaghullo

~~~~~~~~~~

[Image Description: Heavenly Glow, a dull pink hippogriff hybrid with a green and white mane and a black and white dress, and Sahar, a pale orange Saddle Arabian mare with a bright orange mane and a light purple dress adorned with purple flowers around the headpiece, are in the Canterlot gardens at night. Heavenly is holding Sahar’s hoof and Sahar is blushing as they both dance with loving smiles on their faces. End Description.]