What is the price for immortality?
What is it, to be cursed to always die?
These are the questions that haunt my dreams, these are the worries that steal the rays of sunshine from my passing days. My heart has grown stony and my soul has become broken, this life I live is nothing more than a shadow.
A shadow of another pony in this reality, I've lived countless times. Each story ending the same, each life full of disappointment or worse. I've been chosen to serve a purpose not my own, for when immortality is granted, the mortal soul must go somewhere.
To live on in the flesh, weak frail bodies created to counter the natural order. We are the helpless to suffer, we take the pain, sickness and ultimately death. To ensure the reaper is paid her due, for as soon as the debt is paid, the cycle starts anew.
Born to die.
Live to cry.
My life is a shadow of a pony named Luna.
My beloved sister, living the faux life of Celestia.
We are the cursed.
We are Mortal Equines.
“Somepony's totally being dreary!” Sunshine Smiles my older sister chimed in with a melodic voice dripping with sweetness.
Her head popping into my room from the open doorway curiously, those large lime green eyes bouncing all across my room in utmost awe. Her golden blonde mane could light up even the darkest cavern, her pink coat vibrant yet welcoming to all around her.
Far more than I could say for myself, I had a inky blue mane bordering upon black. My eyes a dull honey hue that never glittered, coat a cream white color that nearly faded into background, never to be cherished.
“You're inner monologuing again Moonie!” My sister exploded into my room with a loud giggle, bouncing ever closer in a oddly joyous dance.
“I am not, I'm merely musing.” I gave a slow roll of my eye, stretching out upon my bed with a loud yawn.
“Mm-hmm! Look at me I'm Moonlight Raven, woey, woey, woey!” My sister quickly grabbed some eyeliner off my drawer, spreading copious amounts around her eyes foolishly.
“Grrr, does this visit have a point!?” I scoffed in growing annoyance to this buffoonery.
“Um, does me loving you count?” Sunshine pounced halfway across my room, landing roughly on my bed nearly shattering the frame.
“No.” I pouted, my bed rocking side to side uncontrollably from the aftershock.
“I just wanted to hang out, like when we were fillies.” Sunshine rolled onto her backside, flaunting a dainty hoof towards me playfully.
“I hate fillyhood, always so awkward!” I snorted, A flash of dozens of childhoods flooding my mind.
“You just make it awkward, I always have fun!” My sister lifted up, poking my cheek with her hoof softly.
“Easy, when you never grew up.” I shook my head somberly, swatting away the teasing hoof swiftly.
“I'm a filly at heart, might as well have fun!” Sunshine giggled with a loud squee.
“Grrr.” I gave a loud hum of anger.
“Remember that one time, when we were born as twins!” Sunshine swished her tail to the side excitedly.
“Don't remind me, tall, lanky, pale…” I sighed.
“With giant curly red manes!” My sister rolled over on her side giggling.
“Och, ah hated th' hielands! " I grumbled under my breath.
“Maybe, but it was better than being born as colts.” Sunshine shivered as if waking up from a nightmare.
“Masculinity was overrated.” I popped my lips sarcastically.
“Everypony expected us to work in the fields, father kept hounding me about getting married…” Sunshine groaned aloud in a deep sigh of exhaustion.
“I kind of liked Busy Bee.” I gave a shrug of my shoulder.
“She was boring!” Sunshine blew a loud raspberry.
“Had nothing to do, with the fact she wanted children!?” I nudged my sister on her side teasingly.
“They wanted to trap me in those corn fields.” My sister pouted, rolling over before placing her head on my front hooves lovingly.
“It's ok, stallionhood is behind us.” I hid a sly smirk.
“We've lead good lives, right?” Those lime green eyes lifted to lock on my own.
“I suppose.” My voice never changing tone.
“Have you grown weary?” Sunshine yawned softly.
“With you at my side…” My eyes glanced down to her, she had the look of anxious fear upon her usually carefree face.
“Hmm?” She batted long lashes.
“Neigh.” I gave the answer she desired to hear aloud.
“Like yay! I just want you happy, that makes me…” The soft sound of snoring filled my room suddenly, glancing down I watched my sister curl into a tiny ball slumbering.
The truth was though, I had grown weary of this existence. The many lives I've lead blurring together in a deep haze, my soul had become so numb to surprises that life held. I couldn't feel the anxiety or zest I once felt in a lifetime, it all had been done before.
Truly how long was eternity?
Was there perhaps a reason for our situation?
Not to live for another, but our own fate?
I leaned forward placing a tender kiss upon the forehead of my sister, sliding out of my bed I trotted towards the open window of my room. Honey colored eyes watching the moon float high above the horizon, my hoof resting delicately on my chin in deep thought.
“When will immortality be enough?” I whispered a secret to the winds.
“Where will our souls go?” I lifted my gaze higher to the blank night canvas.
“I will live for us, no longer the echoes.” I felt a tiny spark ignite somewhere deep inside.
“I will find our own destiny...for her.” I turned my head to watch my sister sleep, with her at my side, I could go on.
I could create our legacy.
Each step back to the bed built a new sense of purpose inside my mind, slipping in at my sister's side, I wrapped a tender hoof around her waist lovingly. She brought sunshine into my life, the least I could do is keep my faith alive.
Luna let her gaze fall to the flawless marble floor, pale blue eyes glittering with uncertainty of the future. Celestia stood at her side, a slender hoof of tranquility extending with compassion. Lifting the chin of her little sister she gave a silent laugh, a true genuine smile forming across her muzzle.
I could see them happy, embracing in a passionate hug as the warmth of love wafted from their very presence. I could feel my own heart melting deep inside my chest, a new spark of inspiration stirring within.
Luna tilted her head towards me in solemn silence, her face suddenly filling with a sense of grief. Cheeks flushing pale as her eyes widened in absolute terror, I could feel an icy chill on my backside.
The glowing palace I found myself in growing dim, the abyss claiming the light with ease, the world turning extra silent and dark. I spun around to see a simple shadow of a equine, it stretched across the fading palace walls, its gaze burning inside my heart in search of a fading spark.
She was as beautiful as ever, death had come once more.
“Wake up lazy boots!” Sunshine bounced on the edge of my bed happily with both hooves the aftershock plopping me out of the sheets and onto the floor with a crash.
I grumbled under my breath in growing annoyance sprinkled with anger as my honey colored eyes glared upward to my sister. Her huge green eyes full of surprise as she took a few steps back sheepishly.
“Hehehe. Bouncy bed huh?” She giggled as my pillow smacked her hard in the face with a thud.
“Why do I need up?” I spoke in a defeated tone of voice before rolling onto my backside with a delicate huff.
“Because today we're going shopping!” Sunshine pounced to my side eagerly her tail swishing wildly side to side.
“Material objects decay, one day fading away.” I blew a loud raspberry.
“We could go shopping for books for all I care, today is our weekly sisterly bonding time!” Sunshine plopped flat on her belly that pink muzzle poking the side of my neck pathetically.
“I've had a visi…” Words stopping mid sentence on the tip of my tongue, my sister's eyes full of innocence and hope of a new day.
I bit my tongue hard holding back the onimus news for the moment. Sunshine was genuinely happy this morning and I'd hate to bring down her mood with my insight. I tended to do that alot, always looking to the darkness for wisdom or turning away those in the light out of rudeness.
Neigh perhaps fear?
“Sure my sister.” I gave a loud sigh into the air.
Sunshine gave an extra loud squee in excitement. She bounced up to her hooves in a blur of pink mouth running a thousand words a minute. On second thought I might have just made a mistake.
The bazaar was bizarre today to put it simply. The usual booths of fruit were replaced with odd little trinket shops of childish design. Some filled with lackluster silver charms or bracelets while others had poorly carved wooden figurines of Twilight Sparkle and her friends.
Ponies were rushing about lost in their own little world full of oblivious natures or too preoccupied on the present to think about the future. Everything owed a due to the void at the end of the journey and if one was not prepared then those last moments could be pure terror.
My mind racing with numbing thoughts as I failed to notice Sunshine run off to my right happily scooping up a huge pile of those poorly crafted figures in her hooves.
“Oh my gawd! These are adorable!” She gave them a squeeze full of love and warmth, Fluttershy's figure having her googly eye simply pop off with a delicate clink on the ground.
“I find it a slight waste of time.” I snorted aloud as I watched the crowd around me rush by in a blur of technicolor.
“Ponies just enjoy relaxing a bit.” Sunshine sighed her hoof stroking the mane of one of the dolls.
“Relaxing? More like marching they live their lives in the moment, dwindling the hours never preparing for the destination.” I gave a numb shake of the head to the side, uncertainty filling my soul.
“But it's not the destination that counts but the journey?” Sunshine spoke in a innocent tone of voice her lime green hues full of hidden wisdom.
I didn't know what to say to her. She had a point I was growing angry over the fact they wasted the moments of their lives on simple pleasures. But perhaps that was the point the simplicity of a day out, bringing forth hidden treasures.
The sharing of a laugh or the fluttering heart from a loving smile. Those were the moments to cherish in life, the warming memories to hold dear to your heart on those final icy hours.
“Perhaps my sister…” I could see the shadow of my sister pooling into inky black liquid behind her.
My eyes widening in shock as the horrible dark slime almost seemed to lunge at Sunshine, my heart sinking deep in my chest as I jumped forward pushing my sister across the ground roughly.
Sunshine squealed girlishly in confusion as we both rolled across the ground in a cloud of dust, the loud sound of figurines crunching loudly under our bodies echoing across the air. Ponies gathering in a large crowd around us as they whispered in hushed conversations and fleeting secrets.
“What's wrong!?” Sunshine winced in pain as a large bruise was imprinted upon her side in a dark red patch her figurines in pieces scattered across the ground.
“I saw…” I gave a delicate huff through pursed lips as I couldn't see even a trace of inky liquid anywhere around.
Sunshine raising a brow softly as I folded my ears back in growing shame. I didn't know what that was but I was nearly certain it was real. Ponies giggling and whispering in their little crowds as they began to disperse around us.
An angry mare glared towards us from behind the figurine booth. Her eyes burning into my own like fiery coals though I felt no sense of fear from her, something was upon the horizon and I could feel it closing in.
They were near.
The living hearts to our shadows.
