Luna's Immortality Conundrum
The night sky twinkled with a thousand beautiful stars, and behind them, a thousand more waited for their turn to shine. The moon promenaded its stately passage across the sky, in much the same way as a matron on a ward, methodically shining her soft light to check all was in order before moving on.
Although the moon may have seemed to be in charge of the night, it was in fact merely the instrument of a regal midnight blue alicorn, by whose delicate touch, the night turned.
Many years ago, she had succumbed to envy of her sister who controlled the sun, in whose brilliance the ponies frolicked and played, to the exclusion of their even bothering to notice the effort that went in to creating the subtle beauty of the night sky. Following a long and painful catharsis, she no longer bore any of the bitterness that had once driven her, but had instead inherited an abiding sense of guilt for her actions.
She continued to create her dazzling pageants for those who cared to stay up and indulge, deriving great pleasure from the satisfaction they received. Although she would attest to never claiming favourites, she would be at pains to ensure that those she knew stayed up to participate in her creativity would always be a priority when it came to having their own personal concerns addressed.
Those who dwelt exclusively in the day saw the night as being full of sinister spirits lurking in the shadows, but Princess Luna saw to it that no such dangers stalked the ponies during her watch. The greatest darkness with which she was struggling tonight was one within her own soul, as she added a few flourishes to a minor constellation she was designing.
Suddenly, the stars in a nearby cluster danced around and rearranged themselves as a dot-to-dot image of a draconequus face, which as soon as it had formed, winked at her.
Luna gasped in surprise and then gave forth an indignant “humpfff!”
“Oh, Princess Moody-Moon, whatever is the matter?” enquired an oily masculine voice, apparently coming from the newly formed image.
“What do you want, Discord?” she asked indignantly, “You cannot have failed to notice that I am busy fashioning a new addition to my night sky.”
“Ah yes, but this bit seems to be giving you some difficulty” he observed, “Want to talk about it? I’m all ears …”
At this, extra ears started sprouting at random over the face of the dot-to-dot draconequus, earning a scowl of disapproval from the Princess. Sensing her displeasure, another nearby constellation rearranged itself into the shape of a claw, suddenly snapping its talons together, at which the whole image disappeared with a ‘pop’.
“What is this new bit for anyway?” he asked casually, suddenly materialising in his true form right next to her.
“It … it is personal” she stumbled, “I do not have to confide in you.”
“Oh, come on now, we’ve been friends for ages, haven’t we?” he cajoled, “Except possibly for a brief thousand-year gap when I got turned to stone and you went to the moon, but we won't talk about that.”
“Discord, I am really not in the mood for this right now …”
“You know” he tried on another tack, “It’s funny how we have something that ponies crave, believing it would bring them happiness, yet for those of us who have it, we can sometimes feel we've lost more than we've gained.”
“You talk in riddles” she observed sulkily.
“Immortality, my dear Luna” he said reflectively, “We don’t have to cram a bucket load of knowledge and experiences into a single lifetime, so we can take things at a different pace. The only problem is, we tend to forget the little details if we're not careful, don’t we?”
Luna sighed.
“You are right” she agreed reluctantly.
“Tis better to have loved and lost, than never to have loved at all” he quoted.
“You remember Alfred Lord Ponyson?” Luna chipped in.
“Yes, wasn’t he just an absolute scream? Do you remember his party piece of dancing on the snooker table with a lampshade on his head?”
“I was never invited to that sort of party” she lamented, then paused for reflection.
“Do you remember those you loved, Luna?” he said with uncharacteristic seriousness, breaking the silence that had fallen, “I mean really remember them?”
She thought for a moment, staring longingly up at the stars, and then answered slowly, “I recall snapshots; an event, a scent, a gift, and I try to remember them that way.”
“Keep their memories in the stars, perhaps?” he probed.
“Discord! That is strictly personal" she chided, "How did you find out?”
“You talk in your sleep” he replied with a dismissive wave of his paw.
“What?" she retorted indignantly, "We have never shared a bed, let alone a room, EVER! How darest thou impugn our honour?”
“No, no, not like that. Back when you were newly returned and having trouble fitting in, I took it on myself to protect you; a kind of unpaid bodyguard, as it were. Not everyone in Equestria was pleased to have you back, you know, and I didn’t want anything bad happening to you.”
“That is all very touching, but what do you know about the stars?” she asked defensively.
“Only that you create constellations to remind you of each of the most important loves of your life.”
Luna looked shamefaced and hung her head.
“I … I thought I had kept it secret. I could not bear to think of losing them altogether. When I started, I could remember most of their names, but now …” she sighed sadly.
“You know, Princess Luna” he emphasised for effect, “We are both immortal. You could do a lot worse than me. If you don’t believe me, you can ask the audience.”
Suddenly they were surrounded with a studio full of cheering and waving draconequus clones and a banner unfurled bearing four options; a) yes, b) go girl, c) you’d really like him, and d) go for it!
“Discord!” she retorted, “Just, no!”
“Oh, very well then” he pretended to sulk, “But there’s still something I could do for you Princess Moody-Moon.”
“I doubt that” she sighed bitterly.
He undid the constellation Luna had been working on and created a hammock shape with the stars and reclined in it.
“I could bring back your past lovers for you” he said nonchalantly peering at her over the side of the hammock with a piña colada in his talons.
“What?” gasped Luna, staring at him incredulously and suddenly freezing mid-step with one foreleg raised in the air.
“You could relive your most precious moments with them and then complete your collection in the sky with many lifetimes of refreshed memories” he suggested, “If you wanted.”
“What is the catch Discord?” she asked, eyeing him suspiciously as she tentatively returned her hoof to the ground.
“None” he replied innocently, “Just think of it as a favour for a dear friend. You’re always so mistrustful. Honestly, if I wasn’t so evolved, I could be quite upset” he said, tipping himself out of the virtual hammock he had been resting in and landing next to her.
Dusting himself down he added disdainfully, “I mean, I look out for you when you’re at your lowest ebb and now I offer you the opportunity to relive the happiest moments from your past, but still you doubt me?
“I know you too well, Discord” she replied cautiously, “There is always an angle with you. But, yet something in what you offer intrigues me; a chance to make overdue amends.”
“Ah, I remember you before you got a conscience; a consummate practical joker and something of a flirt too, if the rumours were to be believed.”
“Discord!” she castigated him, before adding, “That was all a long time ago. I am not like that now.”
“Only if you keep hanging on to your guilt. If you take me up on my offer, you could settle all of those concerns that are weighing you down and rediscover your true self. What do you say?”
Luna stared silently at the unfinished constellation she had been working on, noting how Discord had put everything back exactly as it had been; annoyingly accurately, so that it still represented her own inadequacy at trying to complete the same unfinished memory she had been struggling to memorialise when he had appeared.
A smile began to spread across his face, sensing that he was reeling her in.
Finally, she turned to face him.
“No, Discord” she said softly, “Thank you, but no.”
“Why ever not?” he whined, sounding injured.
“It is a kind offer, and I do thank you, but it would mean having to say those goodbyes all over again; it was painful enough the first time. Yes, I made mistakes, and yes, there are things I wish I could have done differently, but by carrying those memories with me, I make sure I don’t repeat them and hurt other ponies. Maybe it is a better testament to them that they have all helped me to improve” she reflected, “I have to be the best I can for the ponies of Equestria, and I will continue to try my hardest, even if I lose some things of personal value along the way.”
“A pony of principle” he reflected, “Yes, I can respect that.”
They stood together in companionable silence, each staring into the night sky, mulling over their own thoughts.
“May I?” he asked.
Luna had no idea what she would be agreeing to, but sensed that his very act of seeking her permission suggested something more respectful than his usual chaotic fare.
He focused on the new constellation that had being giving her difficulties, and moved the stars around a little to create a triangular image.
“What is that?” she asked.
“It’s a replica of a pendant that I gave to Twilight as a sign of our true friendship, and it helped her to defeat Tirek. By placing a copy here in the night sky, I hope you will always remember my friendship for you too.”
“Thank you, Discord” Luna accepted graciously, giving him a friendly nuzzle. When she pulled back, she looked him in the eye and shot him a coquettish smile, “Perhaps you could be right after all; maybe immortality could yet grant us opportunities to experience things we had not considered.”
“Are you trying to flirt with me?” he asked, raising one eyebrow quizzically.
“I do not recall; it has been too long” she replied drawing closer and settling in to him as the night sky turned above them.
